Page 2 of Matrix

“Of course. Bring the girls.” He signals to his men.

The rear door to one of the SUVs opens. Three girls, who can’t be older than thirteen, get out. They’re wide-eyed and trembling. I fucking know that look. Son of a bitch. These fuckers are human traffickers. How the hell is Daisy mixed up in this shit?

“Blackstone said they were young.” The buyer’s tone carries more than a hint of lust. “It’s too bad they need to stay intact for the man who ordered them.”

“If they don’t arrive unharmed, it’s your ass. When you need more, reach out to Blackstone.”

Blackstone?An involuntary shiver slithers down my spine.

“Will do.” The lecherous man points to his SUV. “Get in, girls. You’re going to a new home in New Orleans. You won’t have to deal with all this godforsaken snow any longer. Won’t that be nice?”

The girls nod wordlessly before climbing into his vehicle. I glance at Daisy, who’s slowly advancing. She’s got her gun in one hand and a phone in the other. She keeps looking at the screen and frowning. Finally, she shoves the phone into her pocket and sprints toward the men.

“FBI! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!”

FBI?

What. The. Fuck?

I can’t even process what just happened before all hell breaks loose. The buyer and seller rush to their SUVs while their bodyguards lay down cover fire. Daisy is pinned behind a tree. There’s no way in hell she can take all of them on. She’s insane.

The SUVs roar to life. All but two men get into the vehicles. The remaining pair stalk toward Daisy. It’s clear they’ve been left behind to handle her. Well, I don’t know what the fuck’s happening, but I won’t let her get killed. I need answers, and she’s the only one who can give them to me.

“Daisy, run!”

Her head whips toward me. Her eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open. A second passes before she recovers. Gunshots crack in rapid succession. She ducks and scrambles off into the woods. I’m hot on her heels. It takes me a minute to catch up to her. I run beside her through the snow, fully aware of the huge trail we’re leaving. Those men will be on us if we don’t act fast.

“The river!”

I shoulder-check her to the right. To her credit, she picks up on my meaning and dashes toward the partially frozen river. When we hit the edge, I take the lead. Glancing behind me, I make sure she’s following. She is. I race along the ice, praying we don’t hit a thin patch. We’re still leaving a trail, but it’s not nearly as bad as before.

“Ahead. Log!” Daisy yells.

I leap up onto the fallen tree. Using my arms for balance, I walk as fast as I dare. If I lose my focus even for a second, I’ll plunge into the rushing water in the center of the river and get dragged under the ice. Drowning isn’t an option. I make it to the other side just as the men chasing us hit the riverbank.

“Hurry!”

I turn and watch in horror as Daisy runs across the log. Shots ring out. Wood explodes by her feet, but she makes it across unharmed.

“We need to lose them,” she says between heavy breaths.

“Pin them down. I’ll find a place to hide. How much ammo do you have?”

“Thirty-three round extended mag.”

“Shots left?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Extra mag?”

“Two.”

“Hold them off.”

I run into the woods. Snow blankets the ground. Staying on the forest floor won’t work. We’ll be too easy to track.

A shot rings out. It’s hard to pinpoint the location, but I hope it came from Daisy and not the men in pursuit.