Page 50 of Matrix

“Hmm, going to have to fuck slowly so we don’t make a ton of noise.” He grins, totally avoiding my question.

“Matrix …”

“After we meet, I’ll tell you everything I’m allowed to talk about. Scar isn’t in charge here. It’s Vapor’s club, so we must follow his rules. Even if Scar had authority, I don’t think he’d let you join us. It’s just how we operate. We don’t share club business with non-members.”

“I know. I just hate sitting around waiting.”

“You can watch TV with the other club girls.”

“God, no. Did you see how they looked at me? If looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.”

“They’ve got nothing to fear from you.”

“Exactly. Wait, why do you say that?”

“Because you’re here with me. As long as we’re still … a team, then they can fuck off.”

“A team?”

“Yeah.” He averts his eyes. “Back in a bit, babe.”

My heart drops, but I don’t say anything as he leaves. We’ve never talked about what’s happening between us. At first, it was just sex, but over the last few days, it feels like it’s something more. I want to ask him about it, but I’m afraid of what he’ll say. I can’t let my heart get tangled up in a relationship with him. It’s been hard,really hard, especially after we have sex. My hormones go out of control, and all I want to do is cuddle with him forever.

It’s a ridiculous reaction because I can’t fall in love with him. If I did, I’d be the worst undercover agent ever. Maybe I am. With how things are going, I might not be employed by the FBI for much longer. If the SAC decides to fire me, he has every right to do so. Hell, he may have cut me loose already. I won’t know until I contact him again.

I glance at my bag, which holds the hidden phone. Calling my boss would be the wise thing to do. I could placate him, buy myself a few more days so he doesn’t fire me. That would be the smart thing to do. But it could also speed things up. He could officially pull me off this case. I can’t risk that possibility.

I stare at my bag for a long time before finally lying on my back on the bed. There’s no way I’m calling in. I’m so close to possibly finding my sister that I can’t risk further entanglement with the agency. Once I find out more about her situation, I’ll check in. Until then, I guess I’ve gone rogue.

Chapter 13: Matrix

Daisy’s a huge distraction. I can’t stop thinking about what I told her about us being a team. There isn’t a second that goes by that I don’t want more. It’s crazy and totally impossible to imagine a future with her, but that’s all I could do on the ride down to New Orleans. I need to focus on the task ahead and stop picturing what life would be like with her by my side. It can’t happen, so why go there?

I join Scar, Talon, and Reaper at the conference table in the center of the club’s library. Mint green bookshelves line the walls. In addition to the books, a variety of knickknacks decorate the shelves. A tiny ceramic clown dressed in New Orleans Saints colors sits in the center of a collection of creepy dolls. On another shelf, a steamboat trinket box and a wooden toy mandolin share the space. A shrunken head, which I hope is fake, props up a large, leather-bound book.

If that’s not strange enough, Mardi Gras beads dangle from an altar in the corner by the window. The sacred space contains everything from a two-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary to an unopened bottle of spiced rum to a voodoo doll. Dollar bills and loose change are strewn across the shiny red altar cloth. Partially melted candles in glass jars add extra color to the space.

Glancing at Scar, I raise an eyebrow. He shrugs as Vapor and his men file into the room to take their seats.

“Church is in session.” Vapor bangs the gavel. “First, I want to welcome everyone from the Montana chapter. You guys have been a huge inspiration to my crew and me. Based on several conversations I’ve had with Scar, we’ve been able to strategize ways to take down some of the local corrupt cops. They spring up like weeds, though, so our job is never done.”

“Glad we could be of assistance,” Scar says.

“We’d like to return the favor. I understand you’re interested in Lulu’s.”

“That’s the name of the Garden District house, right?”

“Yes. It was named after Lulu White, a brothel madam during the Storyville period. Storyville was the red-light district in New Orleans from 1897 to 1917. It was the city’s attempt to regulate prostitution.”

“Is it legal here?” Talon asks.

“Not since 1917. When World War I started, Secretary of War Newton Baker didn’t want soldiers to be drawn to ‘houses of ill repute’,” he says with air quotes. “The Navy has troops stationed in NOLA, so Storyville and its madams had to go.”

“This city is full of history.”

“That it is. It’s sort of a hobby of mine,” Vapor says.

“He’s a huge history nerd.” Ice laughs.

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