Page 96 of Matrix

As he twists the knob, I hold my breath. The door opens, revealing a black void. Vale feels along the wall inside the darkness until he finds a light switch. Pale illumination washes over the staircase, but I can’t see anything beyond it.

“Do I have to go down there?” Angie whispers.

“Unfortunately, yes. But let me clear the room first,” Vale says.

We wait until he gives us theall-clearsignal, then we descend the steps. They creak underfoot as if they’ve been used many times. Based on what Matrix told me, Blackstone held groups of up to twenty kids at a time. To control them, he employed several guards. That made for a lot of trips up and down these stairs.

By the time we reach the bottom, Iexpect to see the chains and cages Angie and Matrix described. What we find instead is absolutely shocking.

The floor is covered in a plush, cream carpet that looks as if it’s never been stepped on before. The walls are painted a soft, almost institutional green, but somehow the muted color works within the space. Even though it’s a basement, it feels open and welcoming. It’s nothing like what Angie described. There isn’t a single nefarious thing in sight. Even the soft lighting gives the room a soothing feeling.What the hell is going on?

“I don’t understand,” Angie mutters as she wanders through the space.“This wasn’t here before. There were chains attached to the walls. The floor was concrete. And cold. It’s warm in here.”

“It’s heated,” Vale says, studying her.

“No. That’s impossible. It was freezing, even during the daytime, and there were cages with metal bars. Where are they?”

“That’s a fucking good question.” Vale holsters his gun before placing his hands on his hips.“There’s not one goddamn thing here to indicate it was ever a dungeon. You lied.”

“No! I swear he kept me down here. The other girls can tell you. They were locked up with me.”

“There’s nothing here.”

“Maybe he cleared it out and remodeled,” I say.

“In less than twelve hours? We didn’t even know about your sister’s accusations until yesterday. Even if he somehow found out about the warrant, he wouldn’t have had time to transform a dungeon into this.” Vale runs his hand through his hair.“We’re so fucked. He’s going to have our asses because I believed your lies. My boss will lose his fucking mind when he finds out.”

“This isn’t right!” Angie looks around the room frantically.“I was trapped down here. I swear. I’m not making it up.”

When she bursts into tears, I pull her into my arms. I hold her close while she sobs uncontrollably.“You need to pull up the carpet and check for blood. He couldn’t have removed all trace evidence.”

“We’re not destroying his property to appease your lies,” Vale snaps at Angie before turning to me.“You’re fired. You’re done. What the hell possessed you to trick your sister into making an accusation like this? Have you lost your fucking mind? Did that bastard in that motorcycle club fuck the sense right out of your head? Because that’s what it looks like. I knew putting you undercover with them would be risky, but I never expected you to try to blow up my career in addition to your own.”

“She’s telling you the truth,” I say, digging in. I’m not about to let him intimidate me into submission.“Get the techs down here with luminol. If they find blood, you can tear up the floor and look for more evidence.”

“We’re not ripping up anything other than your badge. I want that on my desk by noon.” Vale stomps across the carpet, leaving boot prints in his wake.

“It all looks brand new. Doesn’t that bother you even a little bit?” I demand.

“He’s a fucking billionaire. Everything in this house looks like he bought it yesterday. That’s how people who are richer than God live. Jesus, Daisy. Get your shit together. Whatever they did to you at that clubhouse is going to ruin your life if you let it. Did they put you up to this?” He stops at the base of the staircase.

“No. They didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“See, the funny thing is, I don’t believe you now. You’ve lost all credibility. It’s too bad because you were a damn good agent before you went into the field. That was my mistake. I thought you could handle it. Apparently not.” His feet pound up the stairs as he heads toward the kitchen.

“You believe me, don’t you?” Angie asks me as tears spill down her cheeks.

“Yes. Of course. Always. Blackstone couldn’t have found out about you and fixed all of this so quickly. He must have changed everything months ago, sometime between when you were taken and now. He covered his tracks because he knew we’d come after him. He realized I’d never stop looking for you and that your trail would lead right to his door. That bastard.”

“Now, what do we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can we go? I hate it down here.”

“Of course.”

I guide her out of the basement into the empty kitchen. Laughter echoes from the living room. When I turn the corner, I’m stunned by what I see. Vale and Blackstone are joking around and laughing like they’re old pals.

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