Page 10 of Matrix

“Walk with me,” Scar says, heading toward the partially frozen river. “What’s your take on all of this?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to make of it. My first instinct is to kill her. She is a Fed.”

“Right.”

“But I don’t know if that’s the best course of action.”

“Got any other ideas?”

“She knows more about Blackstone and his human trafficking connections than we do.”

“True.”

“And she’s got access to resources we don’t have, like a wiretap on Blackstone’s landline. She could be useful to us.”

“We can’t trust her.”

“Not even for a second,” I agree.

“Reaper says the only good Fed is a dead Fed. I tend to agree.”

“Normally, I would too, but she’s not like the others. She’s got more at stake than the usual government bullshit. Her sister’s caught up in this. If you had a sister, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to find her?”

“I would.”

“Me too. I think we’ve got two issues here. One, she’s a Fed who’s using us to get intel on Blackstone. She’s trying to take him down, and so are we. We’re aligned on that front.”

“We are.” Scar nods.

“And two, she’s looking for her sister. Protecting people is what we do. If her sister’s caught up in trafficking, Fed or not, we have a duty to help find her.”

“A duty?” Scar raises a brow. “Thisdutydoesn’t have anything to do with your dick, does it?”

“Asshole.”

“It’s a valid question. She’s been living here for months. I see how you two look at each other. You think I don’t notice, but I do. What’s the deal with you and her?”

“Nothing. There’s not a damn thing going on. And there never will be. You think I want to fuck a Fed?”

“She’s hot.”

“I’ll make sure Julia knows you think Daisy’s hot.”

“Leave my wife out of this. I can objectively say a chick’s hot even if I don’t want to fuck her. There’s only one woman in the world for me, and right now, she’s at home, in my bed, waiting for me to come back. I’ve got more to protect than just this club. I’ve got a family. Nitro’s got a family. We’ve got kids. If we don’t get rid of Daisy, we’re risking everyone’s lives. You get that, right?”

“Understood.”

“And you still think it’s worth it? Will she bring enough to the table to make it worth keeping her alive?”

“If I didn’t think so, I would’ve let Reaper kill her at the cabin.”

“I just want to make sure you’re thinking with your head and not your dick.”

“She’s not my type. Bringing down Blackstone is the only thing I care about. She’s nothing to me, a means to an end. That’s all.” Even as I speak, I feel the shift in my body. When I lie, that disconnected, floaty feeling drags me away from reality. I become untethered, free from the consequences of deceit. Whenever it happens, I’m half-convinced we’re living in a simulation. The world doesn’t feel real. It becomes a waking dream, or a nightmare, depending on the circumstances.

“Matrix.” Scar snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Get your ass back here.”

“Sorry,” I mutter.

---