Chapter 8: Discredited Escort

👉 Previous Decision: You confronted Director Davenport, but he turned the night shift crew against you and called security.

The security guards arrived, two burly men I barely knew. They didn’t touch me, but their presence was enough. Davenport stood by, arms crossed, watching me with a smug, almost triumphant look.

“You’re making a spectacle, Maya,” he murmured, loud enough for the guards to hear. “Take her out. Gently.”

I walked out of the building, the fluorescent hum of the dispatch floor fading behind me. The cold night air hit my face, a stark contrast to the burning anger inside me. I climbed into my car, the worn fabric of the seat offering no comfort.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers flying to message Leo. *Are you safe?*

A response came almost immediately: *Yeah, Mom. Hid in the basement. Officer Garza just got here. Said he got an anonymous tip.*

An anonymous tip. From me, through my hidden channels, before Davenport shut me down. At least Leo was safe.

But as I watched the dispatch center’s dark windows, I knew my career was over. Davenport had won. My name would be mud in law enforcement dispatch, my story twisted into the ramblings of an “unhinged” employee. He had already contacted local IT to wipe the server buffers, destroying any trace of Leo’s relayed texts.

I had no job, no legal recourse, and no proof. The truth, once so close, dissolved into the cold night air, leaving only a bitter taste in my mouth.