Page 22 of Matrix

“He won’t hurt you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t leave you with him if I thought he would.”

“Okay.” She squeezes my waist. “How about steak and a big baked potato?”

The adrenaline is starting to wear off, leaving me exhausted. I sag against her, and Scar steps in and helps get me upstairs and into the kitchen. After settling me in a chair at the table, Scar motions for her to go with him into the pantry. He shuts the door, blocking my ability to hear whatever he’s telling her.

I lean back and close my eyes. Killing a man doesn’t bother me. The fucker deserved it. But now Daisy’s looking at me like I’m a monster, and that’s got me all messed up inside. Usually, I don’t give a shit about what people think about me. Their assumptions don’t matter. I shouldn’t give a damn about her opinion either, but I do. And that pisses me off.

Chapter 6: Daisy

I can’t stop shaking. Even though I shouldn’t be showing any fear, I am. Being trapped in the pantry with Scar isn’t helping. Although he isn’t doing anything to intimidate me, his sheer size is terrifying. I can’t forget how much danger I’m in. They claim they want to work with me, but once they get what they want, what will become of me then?

“He’s never done that before,” Scar says.

“Kill someone?”

“Not during one of his episodes.”

“What happened down there? He totally lost it.”

“Doc says it’s ‘dissociation.’ It’s a psychological coping mechanism where Matrix leaves his body—”

“Leaves?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t realize where he’s at or who he’s with. It’s like he’s gone. He’s still in the room, but he’s not connected to his body anymore.”

“I heard about cases like this at the academy. You wouldn’t get that unless you went through intense trauma.”

“Right.” Scar looks at me carefully. “He had some shit happen to him, and that’s how he survived.”

“What happened?” Curiosity quickly replaces my fear. I’m not letting down my guard by much, but I need more information to know what I’m dealing with. If Matrix can snap and kill someone, then I need to know what might trigger it. I don’t want to end up his next victim.

“That’s not for me to say.”

“Fine. I’ll just ask him.” I try to push past Scar to get out of the claustrophobic pantry, but he refuses to budge.

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Why? Because he’ll freak out again? If I’m going to stay here, then I need to know I’m safe.”

“The safest place you can be right now is in this clubhouse. If Blackstone puts a hit out on you, then the Demon Riders won’t be the only club coming for you. There will be others. If the bounty is high enough, gangs and out-of-state clubs will come to Montana, looking to get a big score. I don’t like the fact that you’re a Fed. If I didn’t think you could help us, I wouldn’t have agreed to let you stay.”

“What makes you think I can do anything for you?”

“You want to take down Blackstone as much as we do. If he was involved in your sister’s kidnapping, you’ll want to make him pay for what he did.”

“Exactly. But why are you guys so focused on him? What did he ever do to you?”

“We’ve got our reasons. You don’t need the details.”

“I’ll find out eventually.”

“Maybe. But right now, you need to cook dinner. We have to get Matrix grounded again so he can get back to work. Then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“I’m not your club girl anymore. You can’t order me around.”