Page 43 of Matrix

“You don’t have to go home. We can help you find a safe place to live instead.”

“Really?” Light flows back into her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Why? How do we know we can trust you?” the third girl asks.

“You can,” I say in a reassuring tone. “Matrix and I work with girls like you. We put bad people, like the men who kidnapped you, in jail.” Technically, Matrix puts men like them six feet under, but I don’t want to scare the girls.

“I don’t want to go home either.” She grabs the girl sitting beside her’s hand. “Can we stay together?”

“We’ll do everything we can to make that happen, but I don’t want to make any promises we might not be able to keep. We can definitely take you to a safe place, but it may not be the same house.”

“Anything’s better than home,” the second girl says.

“We’ll go together.” The third girl squeezes her friend’s hand, almost as if to reassure her.

“Great. We want to leave soon, so pack anything you brought, and we’ll leave in an hour.”

“We don’t need that much time. All we have are the clothes we’re wearing,” the first girl says.

“All right. I’ll tell Matrix. We can get on the road right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

The third girl doesn’t say anything but gives me a sharp nod.

After saying goodbye to the Denver club members, we get the girls into the SUV. We’re back on the road with eleven hours to go. I reach over and gently grasp Matrix’s hand in mine. He insisted on driving, but I want him to know I’m here to support him if he needs it.

He’s been so sweet to me since we left Montana. Going on this trip together changed things between us. The lingering animosity is gone. We’re working together now. It feels like this is how it’s always been, but that’s not true. It’s all still so new to me, but I like it. Matrix isn’t just a big, sexy biker. He’s a good man too. I like seeing this side of him.

That said, the newfound intimacy between us makes me a bit nervous. I can’t afford to get emotionally involved with him. Being with him is supposed to be part of my assignment to infiltrate the club, but is that what I’m still doing? It feels more like the other way around. I’m not slipping into his life. He’s sneaking into mine, and if I’m not careful, he might find his way into my heart too.

Chapter 11: Matrix

By the time we get back to Montana, I’m dead tired. After all that driving, I could sleep for a week. Daisy offered to take over several times, but I didn’t let her. She needed rest as much as I did but stayed awake, quietly talking with me while the girls dozed in the back seat. They went through one hell of an ordeal, so I expected them to be out for the whole trip, and they were.

“I’m so glad to be home,” Daisy says when we pull up to the clubhouse’s front door. “I’ll get the girls settled in my old room. Do you still have those extra cots we set up in the living room last summer?”

“Yeah. They’re in Reaper’s closet. I’ll get them.”

“Girls, we’re home. Wake up,” Daisy says.

“Where are we?” Carrie, the girl eager to go home, rubs her eyes while the others yawn.

“We’re at our house,” I say. “Daisy will show you where the bathroom is while I get your beds ready.”

“I can sleep on the floor. I don’t care where you put me as long as I don’t have to go back.” Tina, one of the two girls who doesn’t want to return home, looks around with wide eyes.

“Me too.” Kim, the girl who was being abused by her stepfather, grabs Tina’s hand as if to reassure her that they’re safe.

“Carrie, your parents are already on their way. It’s going to take them a few hours to get here, so you can rest until then,” Daisy says.

“What about us?” Kim asks.

“We’re looking into several options. If we can keep you together, we will,” I say. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll have more information. Until then, just know you’re safe now. Okay?”