Page 85 of Matrix

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The next morning, I carefully leave Matrix’s bed. I don’t want to wake him, so I get dressed in the dark. Talking to my sister will be delicate, and having a man in the room won’t help matters. I was up half the night thinking about it, and I’m sure she won’t want to talk about her ordeal if Matrix is with me.

I tiptoe across the hall to my old room. I test the door, but it’s locked.

“Angie,” I whisper.“It’s Daisy.”

A few seconds later, the door cracks open, and her face fills the space.

“Can I come in?” I ask.

“Sure.” She steps back and waits until I walk into the room before relocking the door.

“Did you sleep last night?” I ask.

“Not really.”

“Doc could give you something to help with that.” I sit on one side of the bed while she takes on the other.

“No more drugs.” She shivers and wraps her arms across her chest. She’s wearing matching sweatshirt and sweatpants covered in the local college’s logo. Nina must have left it for her.

“I need to ask you something. I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, and you don’t have to. Not yet. Not until you’re ready. But there’s something very important we need to discuss.”

“What?”

“When you were kidnapped, did anyone ever mention the name Blackstone?”

She pales and sways like she’s about to pass out.

“Lay down.” I gently grab her shoulders and help her to lie flat.

“He’s evil,” she whispers before dragging a pillow over her face. She screams into it, startling me. The cloth and padding muffle the sound, so it doesn’t carry, but I can hear her agony, and it’s like a knife through my soul.

“Do you know who he is?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“How do you know him?” I don’t want to ask any leading questions. She could simply recognize the name because he’s the state’s governor.

“They took me to his house on a ranch. It had a terrible place in the basement. A dungeon.” Her muffled voice comes from underneath the pillow.

“Oh, shit.” I cover my mouth with my hand.

“You know about it?” She tosses the pillow aside and sits with her back to the wall.

“Yes.”

“How? Have you been there?”

“No. But …” I’m not sure how much to reveal, so I go with the simplest explanation.“Someone I knew was held captive there once.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, Angie.” I pull her in a warm hug.“I’m sorry I didn’t find you soon enough.”

“I already told you. It wasn’t your fault. I snuck away and went to the mall without telling anyone. If I’d stayed home like I was supposed to—”

“You can’t keep beating yourself up like that. Nothing you did was wrong. The only people at fault were the men who took you. I want to punish them. Lock them up forever. But to do that, I’ll need your help.”