Page 92 of Matrix

“Okay, but I’m leaving my things here. Nina said I could keep all the clothes she bought me.”

“That’s true. She’s rich and very generous. I hope you thanked her.”

“I did.”

“All right. If you’re not going to pack, then we’ll leave right now. We can get the clothes later.”

“Do you have a car?”

“Yes. Since moving into the clubhouse, I rarely use it anymore, but it’s parked over at the bar and grill.”

“Is Matrix coming too?”

“No. He’s not, honey. Matrix and the other guys are good men. We know that, but my boss and everyone else on the planet thinks they’re criminals. We can’t take Matrix with us because they might not listen to you if he’s there. They’ll be too focused on him and what he’s doing with us.”

“I guess that makes sense.” She frowns but nods.

“Trust me. We’ll get through this, but we need to leave.”

As we walk out of the room, I can’t resist looking back at the bed I shared with Matrix. I can still feel his hands on my body, his lips on my skin, and that tongue. God, I’m going to miss him. With a sigh, I close the door behind us.

“Are you taking off?” Nina asks as we pass the kitchen. She’s in the middle of chopping vegetables and tossing them into a pot on the stove, but she stops to talk to us.

“Yes,” I say firmly.

“Will we be seeing you again?”

“Maybe.”

“You said we would come back.” Angie puts her hand on her hips.“Promise we’re coming back after I tell your boss about Blackstone.”

“I can’t make that promise,” I admit.“I’m not sure how long this will take or when we’ll be done.”

“Fine. Then let’s go so we can hurry up and be back in time for dinner.”

“I think she likes us,” Nina says, smiling.

“You’re awesome.” Angie runs and wraps her arms around Nina’s waist.

“Your sister’s trying to do the right thing. Be nice to her. She’s doing the best she can.” Nina gives me a pointed look.

“Where’s Matrix?” I ask softly.

“Gone. He took off on his bike a few minutes ago, shortly after he slammed the door.” Nina arches a brow.“Boy, would I have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.”

“I’ll … I’ll call you and let you know how it went.”

“Tell me in person when you come home.” Nina picks up her knife and resumes chopping the vegetables.

I don’t respond to her because I don’t know when—or if—I’ll step back inside this clubhouse again. I already miss her, but I can’t dwell on it.

The drive to the FBI office is tense. Angie won’t stop staring out the window. She hasn’t glanced my way even once since leaving the clubhouse. I’m worried about her. This situation would be overwhelming for an adult, and she’s just a kid. If Vale tries to grill her, he’s going to have one hell of a fight on his hands. I won’t let him intimidate her.

As soon as we walk into the offices where I work, the whole room goes silent. Everyone stares as we walk past the occupied desks. Vale’s corner office has a solid wood door, but it also has glass windows. We’re still on display as we step inside. I glance out to see everyone whispering and looking our way. I remind myself that I’m a professional and that I didn’t really do anything that wrong. Sure, I didn’t check in after I hung up on him, but sometimes undercover agents can’t make contact. It’s not like undercover work has a set schedule.

Agent Vale looks up from his computer. I’m still standing, which makes it easy to see the subtle dusting of gray along his temples. I haven’t seen him in person in several weeks, but he looks like he’s aged ten years since I saw him last. He’s in his late forties, but the lines around his eyes are deeper and more pronounced than I remember.

“Sit down.” He gestures toward the two chairs opposite his desk.

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