Chapter 19 ARTEMIS
Maya told me everything once the lawyer left.
She wasn’t going to gossip with Donovan, but happily sharing everything with me.
I felt honored, but most important, I felt like an asset.
We sat outside on the terrace while Donovan stood by the door, watching with his eagle eyes at all the rooftops around us—which was a lot.
My comms were out, and I just sat there with her as she vented.
“Everything in the story is documented,” she said.
“The survivors have legal representation and are protected witnesses through my benefactor. But I don’t think we’re going to be able to get Margaret Ashford.
She’s got so many people who will take the fall for it.
Probably one of the cousins who works in operations. ”
I nodded, biting my lip a little, trying not to let my words out, but they came. There was no stopping it. “I went to Whitespire College, and I think I know you did as well,” I said in a whisper, her eyes widened—I didn’t know if she was happy or scared.
“You did?” She smiled. “Was it Hell for you too? I mean, it must’ve been if you’re here.”
“I didn’t graduate,” I told her. “I was on a scholarship, probably a similar one to you. It was filed under their business benefactors scholarship, or whatever.”
“Why didn’t you graduate?”
I looked around, Donovan was too busy, and it felt nice to finally tell someone.
“I found that they drip fed me money to help with my studies, it was little bits, here and there. I turned to dealing drugs, business models and all that. Ended up selling to another student, he died, and—and I—I was almost killed for it, I actually ended up almost being trafficked out of the country through some auction. It was—” A full shudder kicked through me.
She reached out and squeezed my arm. “That place produces some of the most cold-hearted people,” she said.
“I’m glad you got out. Otherwise, you might’ve ended up like me, trying to bring them down, and constantly needed people to protect me.
I guess I don’t make it easy, I hate being under surveillance. ”
It took all of me not to laugh, but she was right.
“I felt that when I was there,” I said. “Especially to us, the scholarship students, we were bottom of the food chain. One of the hockey scholarship guys was almost beaten to death. Apparently, he told everyone it was an accident on the ice, but the other guys on the team all had bloodied knuckles, and not a single person said anything about it.”
Maya shivered and her hand tightened against my arm. “The number of people who would give anything to go there, it’s wild, and I think some of them even know that. Some of them, I guess, don’t care, as long as they get a good internship from it.”
“You just pulled that right from my soul,” I laughed. “I—um—almost convinced myself to go back, to climb the corporate ladder, and use the connections they constantly bragged about us being able to make.”
“So, I’m guessing you know all about the Ashford family then,” she said, almost relived.
“I know they’re on The Board, and they have final word over things,” I offered with a shrug. “Besides that, I don’t really remember anyone with that last name.”
She nodded. “I wish I could get close to the college again, after this expose, I would love to do something about Whitespire.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Sounds like I’ve never run from a fight before,” she said.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you come back here?”
She smiled at me again, forced, almost. “I needed to,” she said. “It’s also where I’ll be able to do a press release from, and then vanish off to my hidey hole. The article goes live at midnight, I’ll have a glam squad here, I’ll make videos announcing the article and how people can aide me.”
“So, the Ashford family are just going to get a slap on the wrist, public scrutiny, and tell the world if you’ve got money, don’t worry about anything,” I grumbled.
Maya didn’t maintain eye contact anymore. “The FBI has their information, my article is meant more to force their hand into doing something, rather than sitting on it like they do so much. You’d be a good investigator,” she said, finally looking back at me. “You’re easy to talk to.”
Donovan cleared his throat as he came back to us. “Looks like we’ve got movement on the rooftops, let’s get back inside,” he said. “I think I heard them bringing more food.”
“Champagne?” she asked
Donovan massaged a thumb across his knuckles, he was pissed that she kept asking him these questions. “Go see for yourself,” he said.
Off the comfy chairs, Maya waltzed back into the hotel room while Donovan grabbed my shoulder, squeezing—in a nice way, I would’ve preferred it to happen while I was in my belly, but right here was fine.
“I think we’re gonna be free tomorrow,” I told him.
“Put your comms back in,” he said. “Mercy is pissed she wasn’t able to hear that conversation.” He rolled his eyes. “I know, I’m telling him.” Speaking back to her.
I was nervous around her, since realizing I’d signed my life over to her, my feelings were mixed. I grabbed the earpiece and after one deep breath, secured it in my ear.
“Artemis,” Mercy’s voice came through. “I know you know there are proper ways of doing things, and you’re on this job for the agency. You must keep connected at all times,” she said. “I’ll be looking forward to your full report of the conversations you and Maya had.”
Donovan was staring at me. “I’ve been informed Maya will be collected in the early hours of the morning,” he said. “Until then, we’re protecting her.”
“And if she mentions the name of her benefactor, tell me, immediately,” Mercy said.
I wanted to know—but I also didn’t want to know. This must’ve been a secret people were killing for, and I didn’t want to die.
* * *
Going through stages of slight sickness and intense hunger, I might’ve thought Donovan had impregnated me—but impossible given we were both biologically male, and the last I knew, that didn’t happen with hand—or butt stuff.
I was also beginning to get a bit of cabin fever, we weren’t allowed out on the terrace anymore, and there were no plans to leave the hotel. All I could do was eat, and have Donovan tell me how he was going to train me extra hard after all those empty calories I was eating. It made me eat more.
It was around ten in the evening when Maya’s glam squad arrived through the scrutiny of the security personnel on the door.
They were followed shortly after by donuts, coffee, and cake.
I wondered if it was my birthday—it had been a while since I’d been outside, and I didn’t what day of the year it was.
I grabbed a pink frosted donut from the selection and walked right up to Donovan.
“You’re gonna work it off later,” he said.
“Can I—stack it?” I asked, looking him up and down.
“On what?”
Rolling my eyes, I took his hand, forcing him to extend two fingers, then pushing the donut over them. “It’s a bit of a tight squeeze.”
Alongside the sickness and hunger—I was so fucking horny.
“Oh,” he said, nodding. “Soft or hard.”
Giddy with choice. “Soft,” I said, sucking my bottom lip in from how dry it had quickly become. “To hard,” I added in a choke of breath. “Please.”
Maya was in the bedroom—it was just the two of us.
“But we shouldn’t,” he said, lifting the donut his fingers were inserted through. “Because we’ve got a job to do.” He took a bite of it, the hole loosened, slipping down to his knuckles.
He was about to blue balls me, just as I’d offered to make his dick all sugary sweet with pink donut frosting. “I just wanna eat it off you,” I said.
He cleared his throat quickly, trying to overpower my voice from the comms. I kept forgetting it was in my ear. It was so snug in there. “We’ll be leaving soon, we can do it when we’re free.” The donut fell to the floor from his hands. “And you can start by cleaning this up.”
“Ok,” I said, pouting.
“Knees,” he said. “Teeth.”
We were trying to speak without saying too much. And I knew exactly what I was meant to do. Cleaning the donut up from the ground with only my mouth—and that strong tongue muscle. “Like this?”
He nodded. “Later. In the car,” he added. “But for the rest of the evening, you’ve got to be on your best behavior.”
I thought I was being well-behaved already, but I guess not.
After eating a bite from the floor donut, I threw the rest in the trash.
Professional, best behavior, and smiling—but in a menacing way that made people fear and respect you.
I had the look down, and then I opened my mouth and I was either effeminately sassy, or I was forcing out a rough and aggressive accent.
* * *
The clock struck midnight. Maya popped a bottle of champagne, offering it out, but we declined. She drank alone as her article went live. She’d made several vides, most of them trending on social media, with amateur sleuths chiming in with their takes on the situation.
Some people said Maya was obviously throwing accusations out there, while others defended her hard, telling people in the comments to believe her story. I read a lot of the comments for her, not telling her the negatives, just the supportive ones.
At the head of the dining table, Maya looked up at the reflections of the orange light dancing across the walls from the chandelier. with so much food around, including the ring donuts in a box we’d hidden.
“It’s been nice having the two of you around,” Maya said. “I wish I could have the two of you around all the time, obviously. I think we’ve been a great team.”
“It’s been fun,” I said, glancing at Donovan as he rolled his eyes. I’d rubbed off on him—and on him, all over in fact. “But I’m going to make sure I keep doing what needs to be done.”
“Well, we’ll see how—” Donovan began before rubbing his mouth.
Maya laughed into a sigh. “I’ll be back in hiding, and hopefully will see the two of you again some time,” she said “Can I request you?”