Allies? - Nis

The tension in my chest grew. Had she worked out I was undercover with the New York City Organized Crime Bureau? And if she had, why wasn't I dead already?

Artemisia leaned forward, a glint of anticipation lighting her eyes, seeing my confusion.

"Leave us, Gino." 

 "Yes, Miss." Formerly Nameless complied, the echo of his step retreated to the furthest corner of the building.

My skin crawled with fear and excitement when she dismissed the man. I had fantasies of a beautiful woman kidnapping me and having her way with me, but this- My thoughts were quickly sidelined by the gravity of the situation I found myself in.

I watched as she dragged a chair closer.

"I'd offer to get that for you-" I quipped, making light of the fact I was at her complete mercy, secured to the chair with what looked to be several black zip ties.

She sat, crossing her legs slowly, knowing my gaze would follow. Sharon Stone would have been proud.

"Let's start from the beginning, Mr. Gyali. I hope you'll be truthful when you tell me what brings you here into my world."

"Well, I did wonder where these chairs came from. Do you leave them in the warehouse for special beatings?" The sheen of sweat began to bead upon my brow, despite my cocky response.

Artemisia uncrossed her legs, stood, and walked toward me. I watched like a dumb man as she pulled on a black leather driving glove she had stuffed into her expensive wide-leg trousers—no tracksuits, yoga pants or skirts for this high-class dame.

My treacherous pulse quickened as she stood over me, not expecting to see stars when she blasted me across the jaw with a punch that made me spit blood.

F- me. I'm a goner. I groaned and lowered my gaze, surprised by the force of the blow.

"I wanted to offer my condolences. You know, pay respects to your late father." I answered with a little more respect. 

"Better, but still not the whole truth, though. I dislike liars as much as my father hated you, Nis. What I'd like to know is why."

My eyebrows snapped together. Weighing my following words, trying to keep the surprise from its tone. "He hated me? That's news to me. Your old man never treated me with anything but cursory politeness."

Artemisia's lips parted, exposing pearl-like teeth. Such a pretty smile for a piranha, I thought. Even her voice was low enough for most contraltos. "You and I know that's a lie. My father was many things, but he was never polite."

 "I heard of his passing. I didn't come with an ulterior motive." I insisted more firmly.

"Says the man with no criminal record, all his paperwork in order. Are you crossing your fingers behind your back, thinking I'll believe this scout's honor BS? I'm not. Nor did my father's men. You must think of me as a naïve mob princess, easily fooled."

She grabbed my short-cropped hair, her other hand a vice around my throat. She tilted my head as if to examine the side of my neck. "I assure you, nothing of me is artless."

"I don't underestimate you. My intent is genuine," I croaked. 

I had recalculated my estimation of her after her fist connected with my jaw, tying it with the times I saw her at various events. Back then, I dismissed the possibility she was one of her father's soldiers, given her penchant for luxury and insipid conversation.

 "I'm the judge of that." Her expression turned thoughtful. "If you're forthright, you'll tell me what you know of my father's dealings." 

My hope shifted to the carrot she offered. The threat of the stick lay exposed in all the things she didn't say. I smirked inwardly. She was green if she expected me to sing. "I'm not privy to details, but I know he was involved in legitimate and not-so-legitimate ones."

Her laughter filled the space. "You'll need to give me more than common knowledge. I'm smart enough to know you'll say anything to save your skin in this instant, so let me ask it this way, then. What do you think of my father's less-than-legal activities?"

Letting out a breath, my face shifted to a contemplative mask. "I think desperate situations lead to poor choices."

"Twenty years of them?" Artemisia shook her head, a pensive look on her face. as she grilled me.

She leaned forward, exposing the narrow valley between her breasts. I felt the tension shift in the room at her words, realizing her play-acting had blindsided me.

"Maybe not," I admitted as I scratched through my biases concerning her.

No sooner than the thoughts fluttered through my consciousness. It was as though she read them emblazoned on my forehead. She probed every aspect of my story, leaving me little room to maneuver. With the daylight fading into the horizon, I took a deep breath and met her gaze.

I could feel my voice tremble, wondering what her reaction would be to my revelation. "I'm-"

She put a finger to my lips. Her anticipation of this moment was like cream to a fat cat.

"Oh, pet. I know who you work for and how you infiltrated my father's organization. You'd think it would have been harder? No?"

In an instant, understanding crystallized. She facilitated my entry. "I chose to be Dona because I hoped to find a way to resolve his dealings without further bloodshed. Ideally, my father's illegal operations die with him. His legitimate ones remain that way. I want no part in his filth." 

She spat the words, and her expression softened. For the first time, I dared hope I'd found an ally. "If you want to work with me, you'll have to abandon your mission. It will be too suspicious if we carry on this way. To my men, I will seem satisfied and send you away."

Nis sighed, the weight of the situation crushing him. "I can't do that."

Artemisia predicted he would say that. In the hours of questioning him, she glimpsed further into the man's psyche than what the data revealed of him.

He struggled to bend forward, at least as far as possible, with his hands tied behind him. His mouth was already open saying the words I knew he would.

"I understand this is a lot to take in, and I don't expect cooperation immediately. However, my job is about justice, not vendettas. I'd like to work with you to dismantle the criminal elements without creating further harmful dynamics. It's in our best interests."

"I'm at risk even now."

I nodded, acknowledging her doubt. "You've had ample opportunity to verify my story when you admitted me. I'll give you more background information. You'll find everything I've said is true."

I saw a hint of hesitation in her eyes and took a moment to choose my following words carefully. "I can offer you a way out, a chance to distance yourself, build a new life-"

She snorted inelegantly, a tiny eye roll completing the look. "You can't even keep yourself from under my father's radar. You should be glad I took you and not one of my brothers."

Her words weren't lost on me, but I pressed for what I wanted. "If you refuse to cooperate, you're just as guilty as they are."

"Well aware, Nis."

I watched as she paced, her makeup barely hiding a trace of undereye darkness, which the grief of loss might explain. Her lips thinned as though she chewed on a distasteful thought. The look offered a rare peek under the mask. At that moment, I saw precision and calculation as she briefly outlined her ideas.

The princess the world was presented with was indeed a façade, and what I saw was the youngest Dona our organization had dealt with, and from my vantage point, she was hell incarnate on heels.