Chapter 13 Artemis #2
“Aw, it’s nice to see you guys relax,” she said.
“The last time I had security detail, they were like those guys with the big hats in London. You know, they stand outside the palace. Shit, their name. The Royal Guards. The ones on horses.” She shuddered.
“I’m not a fan of horses. Which was a pain to fake because the Ashford’s have land in Wyoming with a ranch—and it was—near there, where I found Linh.
It was completely covered up, no press, Julian had tried telling me illegals come over all the time, their family are so good to them.
” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I have it recorded. All of it. The conversation we had, him basically admitting to it. He fucking proposed to me, not then, but on that fucking ranch. Right where I knew her body was.”
“You—you must’ve been through so much,” I said. There was nothing really that I could say. “So, the timeline is, you were investigating the fracking, found out they were also trafficking, and one of your friends was trapped in it.”
She waved a hand. “Ok, so the actual timeline, I dated Julian when we were at college together, some elitist school in Vermont.”
Fuck. She went to Whitespire. “Oh,” I let out. Donovan glared at me, maybe coming to the same conclusion.
Maya continued. “I was a scholarship kid—my family had money, right. But I got in on merit because I was sixteen when I got an article published in the New York Times. It was an expose piece titled Poisoned Wells, talking about my early years in Guangdong. We were in a rural area, my grandparents became sick, they died, then my parents became ill, which led me to uncover the well which was poisoning the town we lived in. Nobody, to the day claims to know how our water was poisoned, but something tells me now, it’s connected to the Ashford’s fracking enterprise.
I think they admitted me to the school to silence me.
And I think that’s why Julian proposed when he did. ”
“I’m surprised they didn’t get you to sign an NDA,” I said.
She laughed. “An NDA in this case, they have, I’m not allowed to talk about anything I heard or saw while with the family,” she said. “But NDAs are breakable under the factor of witnessing illegal activities, or knowing of them.”
I leaned forward in my seat. I was intrigued by her. To know she’d gone through similar situations, especially with Whitespire, I was almost looking at a path my life could’ve taken—except I don’t think I would’ve had the patience or nerve to last as long as her without speaking.
“I’ve been collecting information for six years,” she said.
“I’ve been in hiding for three years. I say hiding, but I mean, I’m only out in public when it suits me, getting the Ashford family’s attention.
Like today, I dressed up nice for them, let whoever they have spying on me to snap a picture, hoping they got my red bottoms in the pic.
” She nodded to her Louboutin’s on the floor.
“Ok, so that answers the question about us being here,” Donovan said with a smile. “Are you baiting them out to come find you?”
“It’s not something I want to do,” she said.
“I have to do it. These people need to pay for what they’ve done, and I will dismantle the Ashford empire with this.
I’ve already told you, I’m not going for the small operations managers, I’m going right for Margaret.
And I know, her granddaughter, Sienna, is the current face of the company, but she didn’t make those decisions.
” Maya was so headstrong about the entire thing.
I envied her so much, although I often emulated that type of confidence.
“What do you want us to do if they attack you?” I asked. “We have guns.”
“You do, and I would ask that you don’t use them,” she said. “This entire thing is about justice. I’m in the camp of justice should be served in a cell, no amenities, just reflection, and maybe an occasional medieval rotten tomato throwing with a choir of people heckling.”
Donovan burst out into laughter. “I think I’d like to see that as well,” he said. “And we’ll make sure guns are holstered at all times. Artemis here has a lethal punch though, so I’ll make sure he keeps that down too.”
“If it Julian, go for the face, he’s had his nose done twice,” she said with a wicked smile.
“Noted,” I said.
“And for everyone else, stun guns might be appropriate,” Donovan said. “We have those too.”
I guessed now it was just a waiting game. Waiting for all her information to be processed and published. I pulled at the collar of the constricting shirt.
“Oh my god, we also have an outdoor area with a hot tub, but I was told it was off-limits because snipers and whatnot,” she said.
I knew I was gay, but in that moment, I was ready to switch sides for someone who would treat me to a hot tub on a balcony—high above the city. “Oh my god, I’d—”
“We can’t,” Donovan said. “But if you want to, we can stand outside and make sure there are no threats.”
“Perfect!” She jumped upright. “I say we go check it out now then.”
She was the boss—going over Donovan’s head, which made me suppress a giggle.
AAA