Page 17 of Nitro

“What the fuck? That was hours ago. Why are we hearing about this now?” I demand.

“I was focusing on his credit cards and his other properties. I didn’t think to check his hospital access badge until Talon mentioned it,” Matrix says.

“Didn’t think the prick would go to work, but I guess he did.” Talon shrugs.

“Why aren’t we taking him down right now?” I ask.

“He badged out ten minutes later. I found out hours after it happened. No point in running over there if he’s not there,” Matrix says.

“Do we know for sure that he left?” I ask.

“I checked the cameras. It was him. He had a medical bag in his hands. It was similar to what Doc carries around.”

“Does Polson have any medical conditions?” Scar asks.

“Not according to his records.”

“He could have been stealing drugs to fund his escape,” Talon says.

“Uh-huh,” Reaper grunts in agreement.

“Fuck. There’s no way to trace that shit. He could be halfway to Aruba right now.” I fidget in my seat because I’m too fucking furious to sit still. None of this is Matrix’s fault, but damn, part of me wants to blame someone.

“Aruba has an extradition treaty with the U.S.,” Matrix says.

“Fine. North Korea. Whatever the fuck. God dammit.”

“You done yet?” Scar asks in a tone that makes it clear I need to pull my shit together.

“What else haven’t you told us?” I ask.

“That’s the only update on Polson. I’ve got one on Blackstone, but we’ll get to that later. First, I need to know if Holly’s ready to file the divorce papers.” Matrix turns to me expectantly.

“She is, but there’s a problem.” After I explain everything she told me, the others shake their heads in disbelief. “Polson’s a piece of shit, but we can work around this, right?”

“Not a problem,” Matrix says. “Give me a day or two to get everything together. Tell her she doesn’t need to worry about it. We’re taking care of it for her. Most of those records are easy to get. The harder ones will be the tax returns, but I love a challenge.”

“How can he still be in the wind? Didn’t you freeze his bank accounts already?” I ask.

“I did, but he’s smart. He’s resourceful. I need more info on him, like a list of friends and acquaintances who aren’t on his social media.”

“I’ll ask Holly for names.”

“In the meantime, I’ve got prospects combing the surrounding towns. If anyone sees anything, they’ll either try to take Polson down or report back, depending on the situation,” Scar says.

“Good … Good,” I repeat in a softer tone, almost like I’m trying to convince myself that it’s the truth. Nothing about this is okay, but Matrix will take care of Julia’s divorce documents while we search for Polson. It’s all we can do right now.

“Now, on to theotherthing,” Scar says.

“Blackstone.” Matrix pauses long enough to confirm he’s got our full attention. It’s so fucking silent I could hear a pin drop. “He’s moving to Montana.”

“Fuck.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Grr.”

“That about sums it up,” Matrix says in agreement. “The news broke this morning. I’ve been monitoring the cameras, but I haven’t seen any indication that he’s here yet. They didn’t announce a move-in date, of course, but it must be soon. Theelection’s only a few months away. If he’s not even living in the state, he can kiss off winning the governor’s seat.”

---