Page 88 of Matrix

“I want to help. No one else should have to go to his dungeon. It’s dark and cold and smelly. I hated it.”

“We did too,” Talon says softly.

The compassion on his face breaks my heart. I know how hard this is for him. He’s never discussed any of it before, but he’s willing to do it now because he knows how important this conversation might be. This could be the key to finally getting vengeance.

“I’ll testify against him. Anything to make sure he can’t hurt anyone else,” she says.

Talon and I exchange a look. I can’t believe she’s willing to go through with this. It’s a damn miracle. I’m afraid to say anything to mess this up, so I keep my mouth shut.

“We need to tell Daisy,” Talon says.

“I’ll talk to her after lunch.” Angela’s eyes flicker with determination. She may be young, but she’s just as strong as her sister. They’re both made of steel. Unbreakable. I hope one day I get to meet their parents. I want to know what kind of people they are because they were able to raise two amazing girls, and that’s not easy in this world.

“You’re so much braver than we ever were. I’m so proud of you,” I say.

“I haven’t done anything yet.” She drags the toe of her shoe across the slats in the deck.

“You won’t be doing this alone. We’re all here for you. Everyone in this clubhouse knows who and what Blackstone is. He’s a monster. The fact that you’re willing to stand up to him is amazing.” Talon beams at her until a mountain bluebird lands on his shoulder, drawing his attention. He gently pets it.“Oh, hey there.”

“Wow! Cool.” Angela brightens up.“I’ve never had a bird land on me.”

“Would you like one to?” Talon asks.

“Yeah, but it’s not going to happen. Birds don’t—Oh, my gosh!” A bluebird hops off the railing before landing on her head.

“Okay, that wasn’t your shoulder. I’ll just let him know.” Talon gives the bird a pointed look. It flies down to perch on her shoulder.

“Are you, like, talking to it?” Angela asks in amazement.

“When I was a boy, I didn’t have any friends, so animals became my buddies. We communicate with each other.”

“How?” She turns her head, attempting to look at the bird.

“It’s hard to explain. Basically, we exchange thoughts.”

“Are you like a witch or something?” She studies him intently.

“No. Not really. I just help the animals out, and they do the same when I need a hand. Or a wingman.” Talon grins.

“A wingman!” She laughs.

It’s the first time I’ve heard her do that, but it’s exactly what she needs right now. Testifying against Blackstone won’t be easy. He’ll use every devious trick he can to avoid paying for what he did. Angela has no idea that things won’t be as simple as walking in and telling the FBI everything. Blackstone’s too smart. We all need to stand behind her because she’s going to need us.

“Lunch is ready!” Nina calls.

“Wait until after we eat to tell Daisy, okay?” Angela watches the bluebird fly away.

“Whatever you want, we’ll do it,” I say, meaning every word.

As we head inside, the aroma of cheesy, black bean nachos gets stronger. Reaper’s sitting at the end of the kitchen table in his usual spot. Nitro’s sitting beside Holly while she breastfeeds their baby, Robert. Trent, their first child, sits quietly, shoveling macaroni and cheese into his mouth with a fork.

Scar and Julia are across the table, with their son Eli situated between them in a highchair. He’s already munching on a grilled cheese sandwich, but he stops to grin at me as we take our seats. He’s almost two years old and still as sweet as can be. I hope theterrible twosdon’t kick in any time soon.

Daisy and Nina carry huge platters of nachos to the table. After setting them down, they also sit. I grab Daisy’s hand under the table and gently squeeze it. She gives me a tight smile. I know she’s got the weight of the world on her shoulders, but hopefully, it’ll get better after she hears what Angela has to say. Part of me wants to just blurt it out, but I have to respect Angela’s wishes and wait.

“Be careful because the trays are hot,” Nina says.“We just took them out of the oven. Use the tongs, so we don’t have to call Doc. You know he’ll eat all the leftovers if you let him.”

“What leftovers?” Julia asks, laughing.

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