Page 54 of Protected By Artemis

Artemis and Xavier came back about half an hour later, carrying several bags. “Here,” she said, tossing a wrapped package toward Cade, who caught it with ease. “Something to tide you over while we get the rest of the food ready.”

“Did you bring back the entire pantry?” Apollo said, eyeing the bags in their arms. “Hey, don’t I get a sandwich too?”

“No,” Artemis shot back as she scampered into the kitchen.

Apollo’s brows furrowed. “See? Definitely hiding something.”

Cade groaned internally. “So, you were telling me about the renovations you and Geri were planning?”

“What? Oh yeah.” His face lit up again at the mention of Geri. “My place is kind of a bachelor pad, but….”

Cade let his brother-in-law talk, grateful for the distraction. A few minutes later, Xavier called them into the kitchen to eat. A veritable feast had been set up on the counter—a pot roast, a tray of lasagna, a casserole dish of mashed potatoes, a whole rotisserie chicken, freshly baked bread, and two pies—cherry and apple from the smell of it.

“Dig in,” Artemis, who looked rather domestic wearing an apron, said. “Xavier told me about what happens during a healing coma. You must be starving.”

Staring at her, Cade lost his appetite. “Yeah,” he said. “I am.”

Everyone filled their plates and sat down at the table and ate their meal. Cade was sure it was delicious, but he just couldn’t taste anything. He bit and chewed and swallowed, if only to regain his strength, but he could not concentrate on the meal.

“Bad news.”

Xavier dropped his knife as Hephaestus appeared next to them. “What happened?”

“I spoke with my friend at the FBI,” he began. “And while the evidence is strong, they won’t be able to use any of it.”

“They won’t?” Apollo asked. “Why not?”

“Because we obtained it all illegally,” Hephaestus explained. “He said he could still look into it and maybe even start an investigation, but he’d have to find a reason to get a warrant to find the evidence himself, without giving away the fact that I hacked into their servers.”

“What about the guy we have in the basement?” Xavier asked.

“You’re detaining him illegally, not to mention torturing him by withholding food and water,” the god said. “You could turn him in, and he might turn into a witness, but that’s a big maybe. You’ll have to let him go either way.”

“Fine. Xavier, take care of him.”

“I can make sure he forgets about the torture part,” Apollo added. “Just to protect you guys.”

Cade scrubbed a hand down his face. “But going back to Arcane, even if the fed do investigate, all that could take years. They probably have the best lawyers on the planet. They might get away with it or just get a slap on the wrists.” Fury rose in him. If only they could bring down their own brand of justice on those bastards.

“Wait!” Artemis shot up from her chair. “I have an idea.”

“What?” Hephaestus asked.

“What do you do when the wheels of justice are slow?” A smile spread across her face. “We force them to speed up. We make them go viral.”

“Viral?” Cade shook his head. “No, I don’t want our pack business on display. It’ll expose us to humans. Too dangerous.”

“I know,” she said. “But H, do you still have that other stuff? What Arcane did in South America, Indonesia, and Africa?”

“Yeah? And how will that—” His jaw dropped. “Artemoula, you’re a genius.”

“I am,” she said smugly, then winked at Cade.

“Wait, wait, what’s going on?” Apollo said as he swallowed a bite of chicken. “What about the Amazon?”

“Our dear friends at Arcane have been very naughty.” Artemis filled them in on Arcane’s exploits. “Once H gathers all the evidence, we can put it online and send it out.”

“I also have friends at a few publications and newsrooms,” Hephaestus said.

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