Page 30 of Stockholm (Angel of Mercy #1)

“There. You wanted to know,” I say, handing her the file, taking a step back. She takes it in her hand, but her eyes are still on mine. “I put this together for you, just stuff that I thought you might be interested in. ”

She glances down at the file in her hands and back up at me, moving to sit at the edge of her bed, chest still heaving. Leaning back on her dresser, I watch as she opens it across her lap and starts to read.

I hadn’t considered what this moment might be like. When she finally learned everything. When I played my last hand to make her turn against Eric, hoping she’ll turn to me instead. Nothing would be greater justice than that, stealing what might be the only precious thing Eric’s ever had.

But it’s ruined slightly by what I’m feeling now, watching her take in the notes I’ve made. I’m watching as her entire world turns into a question mark, and becomes a place she won’t recognize anymore.

Eric’s spared having to watch as she reads about his sins. It’s somehow her that loses while he’s free to keep repeating his transgressions.

“Is this all real?” she asks quietly once she’s finished taking in the documents.

“It’s all real,” I confirm, and for some reason she takes my word as truth.

She looks up at me, tears in her eyes and blotches on her face. She bites her lip. “I’m so sorry, Noah. I’m so sorry.”

Her gaze returns to the file, her arms going back around herself as if to hold her pieces together. I’m sure it’s a lot. I’m sure it feels like the universe is crumbling down on her.

“Lily is just the tip of the iceberg. Or was,” I start.

“Once she came to us and told us that she was pregnant, how he had reacted when she’d told him he was the father, I started looking into every aspect of his life.

Learning everything I could, and documenting all the shit I found.

It wasn’t just her. His circle is very embedded in this, Emma.

Ever since he got in tight with Bundy, he’s been very, very much involved in laundering the money from this establishment.

Bundy provides a private, luxurious experience for his clientele, so that they can use these girls and women without fear of being caught.

That’s the base of his empire, and how he earns favors from so many people in power.

They’ve got girls and women constantly being used and brought to them, where they are used up and tossed aside like trash.

Like Lily was. She went through a small rebellious phase, got involved with the wrong people and as soon as she told Eric she was pregnant, he lashed out. ”

She’s shaking her head, the papers shaking in her hands. But not like she doesn’t believe me. More like it's just too much. “How did she die?” she asks.

“Suicide. His threat to release the videos of them together was too big for her to handle. No matter what reassurance Jesse gave her, that I gave her, she felt like her life was over. When you’re fifteen it’s hard to see a bigger picture,” I say.

She’s got the messages, the threats. Everything is in her hands. “No wonder your family hated us,” she said quietly.

I shake my head. “I know now that you didn’t know.”

She looks up at me from the scattered papers. “These are all different girls? That Eric’s been with?”

I nod. “I won’t pretend he’s the worst of them, Emma. The men he associates with are evil. But he’s close to it, right on the edge. Taking their money and cleaning it for them. That man, John Bundy, that you had at your house for dinner?”

She peeks up at me, brow furrowed.

I shrug. “Watching you made me feel better.” She flushes, and I continue.

“He’s the top of their ring. It’s built mostly on white collar crime, loan fraud, that type of thing.

Most of them are just involved in financial crimes, but Bundy has his hands deep in trafficking in this area.

It’s a moneymaker just as much as it’s the perfect way to threaten and force people to do things they don’t want to.

Anyone who betrays him could lose their daughter to him, have their wife “volunteered” to pay off his debt.

Women are chewed up and spit out, and we’ve been fighting this for a long time, my family.

But we got too close, and Lily got involved. ”

She’s hanging on every word, horror on her face. “I can’t believe this. I knew some of them, I had dinner with them and their wives. We served them in our home.”

“Right, which he bought and used to keep you hidden away for the most part. Away from the noise, away from where John could take a liking to you, yeah? We know Bundy’s preference for the innocent ones, and we both know you would be included in that.”

She bristles. “I’m not sure why. I just did what I was supposed to. I wasn’t trying to be anything different than who I am.”

“You were perfect,” I offer, voice quiet. “Beautiful. Docile. He would have sank his teeth into you, Emma.”

She shivers. “He—he had a bad energy when he came. I hated him being in my home. It felt like inviting the devil in.”

I nod. “Eric’s getting closer to him. I know you don’t love being here, but I can promise you things at your home are not going to be getting better. Even if you left Eric, Bundy wants you. You’re safer here.”

She exhales heavily, rubbing her eyes. “This is crazy . I can’t believe this is my life. I can’t believe…I can’t believe what he did to you and your family. I wish I could change this, or know how to help somehow.”

I push off the dresser, sitting next to her on the bed. With the crook of my finger, I tip her chin up so that our eyes meet.

“Make no mistake Emma, I’m taking down your husband for what he did to my family and the pain he’s left us with.

I’ll love every second of taking everything away from him.

But you being here isn’t just about revenge now.

I’m glad we were able to get you out of there before Bundy found a way to add you to his collection. ”

She gulps, eyes wide at the thought.

I hate it. The idea of him touching her—of having her—in any way makes me insane. Emma is mine now. Everything about me wants to lock her down, to never let Bundy lay his eyes on her again.

“Saying thank you sounds weird, considering,” she says, and it makes me smile. She’s right, but I don’t give a fuck.

“Tell me what you thought downstairs,” I say, changing the subject.

She blinks back, mouth peeking open before she shuts it again. “Um, which part? Dinner was great, thank you. ”

Silly girl. “I think you know I’m not talking about the food, Emma.”

My hand moves to her knee, squeezing lightly and slowly crawling up the outside of her thigh. Her breath hitches and it drowns me in a wave of lust.

“Oh,” she says, watching my hand. Not stopping me.

“Yeah. What did you think of Bo getting on his knees for Jesse? For crawling when he was told? Did watching him like that turn you on?”

Her pupils dilate, the flush coloring her cheeks again, her chest rising with an inhale on my words. Her gaze falls to my mouth, her tell that my words are affecting her.

So I continue.

My hand moves up further, grazing across the top of her thigh, edging the hem of her sundress. Goosebumps erupt on her legs, and she shivers. I can’t take my eyes off her face.

“Are you going to stop me, angel?”