“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re not getting out of this alive. And I want you to know that. In fact, I cannot believe I played this so fucking well.”
“What’s going on?” Finley asked so quietly.
“Who is this?” I finally asked.
“Nathaniel Blackwell the third,” he repeated, almost like he was instructing Finley to find him. “Owner of Equinox Antiques, and distributor of people. I bet you think you’re doing something great, I bet you’re thinking you’ve managed to create an economy of people who rely on you for their freedom.” Artemis went on, the gun unwavering from Nathaniel’s face.
“What do you want me to do about that?” he asked, on the ground, nursing his knee with one hand and holding the other up. I knew this wasn’t going to end with Artemis letting him go—or even putting him in cuffs which we didn’t possess. “I can tell you the people I work for. The people higher up. The people you really want. The Ashford’s. I’ve got dirt on them.”
“He’s on Mercy’s list,” Finley said. “But it’s for intel only. I don’t think you should do this, Artemis. I think you should bring him in.”
“Listen,” Nathaniel was begging for his life, pleading with every single thing he could think of. “Every deal I’ve ever done is on a drive. I’ll hand it over. I’ll—” he shook his head. “How did you even find me?”
Artemis blinked and glanced at me, he was enjoying this, there was relief on his face. Almost like he could rest, and I wanted that for him. “You have a secret identity, it’s link to an IP address you use, I was looking into this place, small op, andI saw the same name appear. Lupin Yves, I searched it, and nothing came up.”
“I saw that name in the file,” I said.
“Donovan, baby, please can you reach into my pocket and get the thumb drive, we’re eating into precious time,” he said.
I’d never seen the appeal of working in a team with someone I cared about, it was almost certain disaster to put them in harm’s way, but it was nice. Artemis had full control. “Sure thing, sweetheart,” I said, kissing his forehead and taking the thumb drive as I passed him, and the dead body on the ground behind the desk.
“Good,” Finley said. “The drive is important.”
“Your information,” Art said to the man. “I want it all.”
I didn’t know much about computers, but I’d done enough of these types of jobs to know where a USB port was. I watched with my gun now aimed side on at Nathaniel.
“Only way you’re getting it is if I’m still alive,” he said.
“Actually,” he said with a menacing giggle. “I saw it already. It’s around your neck. You tried to go for it each time you mentioned it. And—I can see it, slightly.”
“That’s not a—” he said, shaking his head. “That’s nothing. It’s—”
“Don’t, move.” He approached him, reaching out, he plucked at a gold chain around his neck. It had gone deep, must’ve been at the naval with the length of it. “So what’s this?” It was a gold metallic rectangle. “I can see there’s a cap on it.”
“It’s just family pictures, my cold storage wallet,” he said. “It’s not what you’re looking for.”
Artemis’s face turned red and I watched almost in worry that he was overwhelmed. “Stop,” he let out, “stop, I’m gonna shoot, stop.” He was smiling at him. “Don’t get any closer. You’ll leave me no choice.”
I stepped back, my gun still on Nathaniel.
“What’s going on?” Finley asked in a panic. “Someone answer me.What’s happening?” He muttered something about not wanting to lose two agents.
This was important to Art. This was everything he’d wanted. “Don’t get any closer,” I added for him, as the man continued to quiver and sit on his wounded knee.
Artemis looked at me and I gave him. “Stay back,” he said, before shooting him in the head—bullseye.
We poured lighter fluid all over the bodies and once the download was done, I removed the thumb drive. It was perfect timing, since the van was pulling into the build, and under the cover away from the street. We took both of them out. Back of their heads. They didn’t see it coming.
Inside the truck, hiding in boxes that had Artemis’s hands quiver to reach inside and see what they’d done. Each box, filled with hay and small children, mothers who’d been separated from the border, now reunited. Artemis stayed at the foot of the van, telling everyone they were safe now. I spoke in Spanish to them, to which they understood, three families were gathered.
“Mercy is not happy,” Finley’s voice came through the comms.
“What do we do?” Art asked, removing his comms.
All three families stood together, waiting to know what to do. Mothers and children. “Search the van,” I told him. “Money, documents, anything they’ve got. Hand them out, then we continue with the plan.”
He nodded. “That’s—that’s what I was gonna say,” he said with a relieved laugh and a tear down his cheek.
