Page 102 of Matrix

“Take a breath while I make tea. You haven’t slept either. I can see it in your face. Chill out while Doc does his thing.”

“Forget tea. I need a beer.”

“Okay.” She smiles before retrieving one from the fridge and handing it to me.“Just one, though. You’ll need your wits about you when they’re ready to talk.”

“Sure.”

I down the beer in several huge gulps. Setting it aside, I lean back and close my eyes. They’re grainier than sandpaper and just as dry. Nina’s right. I’m dead on my feet and need to rest. Unfortunately, there’s no time for that.

Doc appears a while later and sits on the couch beside me while Nina pulls over a chair for herself.

“Well?” I ask.“How are they?”

“Good, overall. Daisy’s got a slight concussion, but she should be okay in a few days. Keep an eye on her. She needs a lot of rest, preferably in a quiet, dark room. Don’t stress her out. Now’s not the time. Gently massaging her neck and shoulders would be helpful but not necessary. Absolutely no alcohol. I gave her some medication, but she shouldn’t take anything else.”

“What about Angela?” Nina asks.

“She’s going to be fine. Lots of scrapes and bruises, but she’s in better shape than her sister. Angela hit her head, but she doesn’t have any concussion symptoms. Watch her, too, in case anything changes, but her condition isn’t very concerning.”

“Thank you.” I shake Doc’s hand.

“I’ll swing by tomorrow to check on them. I’m assuming you’re not moving them to another location right away.”

“No.” I don’t tell him this, but if it were up to me, I’d never let either of them leave. They’re safer here with us than they are out in the world. I wish Daisy had understood that before she left me.

“If anything comes up tonight, don’t hesitate to call me.” Doc lets himself out.

“Let’s see how they’re doing,” Nina says.

When we walk into my room, Daisy cracks one eye open to look at us.“Ouch.”

“Your head?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Doc says you need to get some rest. I’ll be in to check on you every few hours.”

“Matrix, we failed.” Daisy closes her eyes.

“Babe, I don’t need to know the details until later. You didn’t do a damn thing wrong. Blackstone’s a piece of shit, and honestly, I’m not surprised he managed to get away with shit once again. I just need you to answer one question for me.”

“What’s that?” Daisy asks in a sleepy voice.

“When you went off the road, was that because you lost control, or did someone attack you?”

“A black SUV ran us off the road.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Blackstone’s behind it. I’m sure he is. I met him. He’s evil. Worse than I ever imagined.”

“I know, babe.” I lean to kiss her brow, carefully avoiding the bandage Doc put over the gash on her forehead.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve never done anything wrong. Behind his fake smiles and expensive suits, Blackstone’s a monster. We’ve tried to get him for years. Now you know why we haven’t been successful.”

“I had so much hope.”