Page 21 of Dig Your Grave

Then he spoke, reminding me further.“It’s all documented, ya know?Everything I did to you back then.So, they can blackmail me for the rest of my life.”

“But if I’m in the Skulls too, how will that work?”

“That’s why they want you.Someone with nothing.No offense.That they can control.Who they can call upon to bring me down when needed.”

“That’s horrible.I’m so sorry,” I said, reaching out to touch his arm.

Anubis looked more angry than anything.“Enough about me.”

I glanced at Toccara’s file, which Anubis had placed on the table.“Did you read hers?”

He nodded, a somber cast to his eyes.“There are a few lines about her influencer business deals.She was approached by an unnamed sponsor that might be connected to a shell corporation under the Skulls’ domain.Probably they used that to reel her in.”He gestured for me to check it out.

I skimmed Toccara’s file, my throat tight.

Primary assets: Social media reach.Potential infiltration point for brand expansions.Recruit under ‘House of Circe’ or redirect if uncooperative.

Status: Behavior erratic prior to official engagement.Last known contact with.

Most of it was redacted.My eyes blurred with tears.She’d been manipulated, lured, and possibly threatened.I forced myself to swallow.“So that’s how it happened,” I said hoarsely.“She was too independent, so they decided she was a threat.”

Anubis put a hand on my shoulder.The quiet in the annex was deafening.“Now you see why Sophie’s invitation is not just coffee.She’s sizing you up, either to bring you deeper into the fold or to set you up for a fall.Don’t let your guard down.”

I closed the file, raging inside at the invasion of privacy.“Is there anything else?Any clue who authored these notes?”

He gave a slow shake of his head.“It’s a group effort.The seniors add to them.The officers sign off.The top brass, like my father, rarely handle the details, but it’s all done under their blessing.If I had to guess, Sophie is one of the prime movers for the current initiations, so she probably has a lot of input.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.The entire campus seemed like a chessboard, and I was a pawn in a game I barely understood.But a spark of determination flared in me.If I was a pawn, maybe I could still cause checkmate from the inside.

I replaced the files, hands shaking, and Anubis locked the cabinet.We stood in tense silence, the overhead lights buzzing softly.Then he turned to me, resting a hand lightly at my waist.Our eyes met in the sterile brightness.

“You know I’m not innocent in all this,” he said quietly, a flicker of regret in his expression.“A lot has been done in my name.And I’ve made mistakes.”

I studied him, recalling how from the very start he’d left me whiplashed, kind one moment, cruel the next.But here, in this hidden corridor, he seemed disarmingly raw, almost desperate to be understood.

“I appreciate you showing me the files,” I managed.“It’s better to know the truth.”

“I’m supposed to show you, Nubia.That’s part of it.You need to believe this is real.”

“Why would they want me to know?”

“Why would they not?You say something, you’ll float.Just like Toccara.Besides, there are cameras here.I’m supposed to give them more to hold over me.”

“What do you mean?”I asked him, suddenly feeling weary.

Anubis didn’t say a word as his hands rushed me, going under my shirt.He was attacking me, all over me all at once, so much that it startled me.Taking what he wanted as his body ground against mine.“Get on your knees, Nubia,” he demanded, pushing me down to the ground.

Before I knew it, I kneeled before him, as he unzipped his pants and took out his stiff erection.

I opened my mouth to protest but instantly got a mouth full of his big cock.His fingers twisted in my hair, daring me to move, as he jutted his hips.

“I told you that you’d hate me,” Anubis breathed as his dick hit the back of my throat slipping further, gagging me for a moment.

His grasp on me and onslaught only grew until hot liquid filled my throat.

Once he was finished, his cock slipped out of my mouth.A groan escaped me.Half turned on but mostly repulsed, angry.

Anubis groaned out a reply as he reached down and helped me to my trembling feet.Studying me, his eyes flitted all over my face, searching for something.Then he brushed a thumb across my bottom lip.“That’s a good girl, Nubia,” he purred with a smirk.

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