Page 6 of Matrix

“That’s not good enough.” Maybe he’ll kill me anyway, but I’m not going down without a fight. I don’t give up easily, and death isn’t an option. No one’s looking for my missing sister except for me. She’s counting on me to stay alive long enough to find her. If I die, no one will be left to search for her. I’m not leaving her to suffer at the hands of a bunch of human traffickers. Even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll find her.

“If you knew the lengths Reaper will go to in order to get a confession from someone, you’d be begging me for a merciful death. You’d spill your guts in a heartbeat.”

“Reaper?” I swallow the lump forming in my throat. He’s the only club member who truly terrifies me. A shroud of darkness covers each of the men in Underground Vengeance, but with Reaper, there’s something more. It’s as if the Devil himself is under Reaper’s command.

“He should be here any minute now.”

“What?” I jump to my feet.

“Sit the fuck down!” Matrix takes two long strides toward me, towering over me like a monster until I return to my spot on the couch. “First, you’re going to tell me how the hell you’re getting emails out without my knowledge. Second, I want to know what else you’re doing at the clubhouse. It’s not about Max, is it? Kids go missing all the time. If the case isn’t solved in the first few months, the Feds give up because there’s always another missing kid. And another. And another. Do you know how many children disappear each year?”

“Too many. Usually, a non-custodial parent kidnaps them. We know where to look and can find most of those kids.”

“True, but that’s not always the case. Like with those girls today. We don’t even know who they are. Their parents might be looking for them, and we let them slip away. We could have intervened and saved those girls if you’d told us about your half-assed operation.” He paces back and forth in front of the fireplace.

“I thought we had it under control.”

“You fucking Feds never get shit right.”

“We help recover over ninety percent of missing children, so don’t start with that bullshit.” I’m back on my feet. I don’t give a crap about what he might do to me. Maybe we screwed up this operation, but something went wrong. There should have been at least twenty other agents there. As soon as I get away from Matrix, I’m going to demand answers from the team.

“They mentioned Blackstone.” He stops in front of the fireplace. Without turning his back to me, he throws another log on the fire.

“Right. We don’t know the details about how Blackstone’s associated with them, but his name has come up several times in connection with this trafficking ring.”

“There’s an active group in the county?” He seems surprised.

“Yes. Based on our intel, this group is new to the area. We sent an agent to infiltrate them, but he went missing. We haven’t heard from him in months. He’s presumed dead.”

“How’s Blackstone connected to them?”

“He funds another MC, the Demon Riders.”

“I know.”

“They run drugs and guns, but we weren’t sure about human trafficking until recently. I mean, we don’t have any evidence yet, but tonight’s bust was going to change that. The Demon Riders are in league with the traffickers. I saw at least one of their members at the campground, solidifying the connection. We would have arrested them tonight, but something went wrong. Someone must have called off the raid.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m telling you the truth. If I don’t check in, they’ll come looking for me.”

“You’re holding something back. What is it?” He stares at me so intently it’s almost as if he’s trying to peer into my soul.

A slow tremble overtakes my body. I can’t stop it. Every time I think about my sister and what might be happening to her, I can’t control my reaction.

“Daisy. Sit,” he says softly while guiding me back to the couch. Once I’m seated, he settles in beside me and places the gun on the side table next to the lamp. There’s no way I can get to it, so I don’t even consider it. Besides, even if I did manage to grab it, I’m shaking so hard I’d never get a solid shot before he grabbed it again. “Talk to me.”

“You can’t kill me. No one else is looking for her.”

“Who?”

“My sister.”

“What happened?” Concern replaces the fury in his gaze.

“She went missing almost a year ago.”

“How do you know she didn’t just run away? Lots of people disappear to escape from their lives.”

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