Page 44 of Matrix

“Yeah,” Kim says. Her tone isn’t very convincing, but I don’t blame her for not trusting us. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t believe myself either.

While Daisy ushers them into her old bedroom, I go to Reaper’s room and knock. “It’s Matrix.”

“Come in!”

“You decent?” I ask, cracking the door open.

“No. My dick’s out. I’m banging three women at once. How was Denver?”

I push open the door to find him lounging on his bed. Fortunately, he’s fully clothed. He’s reading the latest issue of theJournal of Forensic Sciences.

“The trip was long but good. We found out a lot while we were there. I’ll tell you everything when Scar calls Church. I just drove eleven hours, and I’m tired as fuck. I need to grab cots for the three girls we rescued. Anything good in that magazine?” I walk past him and open his closet. It’s as neat and orderly as a morgue.

“I’ve been reading a paper about the effects of crime scene contaminants of surface-enhanced Raman hair analysis.”

“Sounds like some light nighttime reading.” I smirk.

“It’s about how saliva, blood, dirt, and, my personal favorite, bleach can alter the accuracy of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It’s interesting stuff.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

He reads that journal religiously, always on the lookout for new law enforcement techniques. Once he figures out how the technology works, he can find ways to keep our crime scenes clean. The last thing we need is a bunch of science nerds beating us at our own game. Reaper says bleach is still the best way to wipe down a place. I trust him. He knows his shit.

I drag the cots to Daisy’s old room and get them lined up. The girls are with her in the bathroom. I don’t know how the hell they all fit, but whatever. It’s like there’s some unspoken female rule that if one of them goes in, they all have to go. I leave before they come out.

Scar steps into the hallway. “Hey, I wanted to be here when you returned, but Julia wouldn’t let me out of bed. You know how she is.”

“Please stop rubbing it in.” I chuckle.

“I’m calling Church so we can all hear what happened in Denver. Nitro’s on his way. He should be here soon.”

“Sounds good. I’ll let Reaper and Talon know.”

After rounding up the guys, we meet in the conference room. Nitro arrives a minute later. “Got here as soon as I could.”

“Let me guess. Holly wouldn’t let you out of bed either?” I ask.

“How did you—Do you have our place bugged?”

“Why would I want to see or hear that shit? Been there, done that. The day you two moved out of the clubhouse was the first time any of us got more than a few hours of sleep without having to listen to you two fucking like animals.” I shake my head, but really, I’m just giving him a hard time because it’s funny as hell.

“You’re just jealous.” Nitro sticks his tongue out.

“Okay, children, now that we’re all here, let’s get to work.” Scar bangs the gavel. “Matrix, tell us what went down in Denver.”

I recount the trip, including the details about the cartel smuggling the girls to the house in New Orleans. That piques everyone’s interest. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the place beside the address and what little info the cartel thugs told us before they died. I’m about to tell them about the girls when someone knocks on the door.

“Who the fuck is it?” Scar demands.

Daisy pokes her head in. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Matrix for a second. It’s really important.”

“So is Church,” Scar says.

“I realize that, but it will only take a minute.”

I look at Scar and wait. No one interrupts Church without a fight.

“Meeting adjourned for five minutes. Grab beers or piss or whatever. Back in five.” Scar pounds the gavel.

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