Tess gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth. “Oh, my God.”

Frederick sighed, enjoying the theatrics of telling a sordid tale. “I know. Terrible. Death threats were sent, a few properties were defaced, and we prepared for the end of Mercer’s empire.”

I rolled my eyes. He made it sound like the apocalypse. None of that mattered. It was superficial at worst. Even disgusting rumours couldn’t hurt us in the long run.

Tess wrapped her arms around her waist, leaning forward. “This is awful. Can’t someone explain?”

Roux held up his hand, his blue eyes grave and bleak. “Then the rumours started flying that Mercer used them for his pleasure. That he killed them once he’d finished—seeing as no one ever saw a harem of women running around his estate. And believe me. They searched.

“Local villagers spread filthy lies about Q inheriting more than just Moineau Holdings but also his father’s side business as well.”

At that my stomach knotted into a trillion pains. Fucking people saying I was like him. It didn’t matter they were lies. It still tarred me with the same brush. Still made me seem like the monster I never wanted to be.

“But that’s not true!” Tess cried.

Frederick pursed his lips. “International law enforcement got involved; they seized most of our files—not that they’ll find any wrongdoings there. We’re pristine in every area of the business.”

I snorted. Yes, everywhere apart from my red binder full of sadistic sons of a bitches, bribes, dates, and names of the girls I’d taken as payment for buildings constructed on their behalf. I’d broken the law by dealing with criminals, but in a business point of view, we’d done nothing wrong. I delivered a service for a transaction rendered. It didn’t matter I used a barter system of women rather than capital.

Tess twisted her fingers. “Someone has to sue them for slander, surely. How can they say such a thing?”

 Frederick held up his hand, a smile tugging his mouth. “But then other villagers stepped forward claiming Q was nothing like his predecessor, and they had it all wrong. Local doctors broke their Hippocratic Oath to stand up for Q, explaining his outstanding care of the women who’d been broken by bastards. And that’s when the local police chief came forward and spilled the truth.

“No names but an approximate tally of all the women Q saved along with a guestimate on dollar value of what he’d spent repairing what others had broken.”

Tess swivelled to face me, her eyes glowing with unshed tears. She looked at me as if I were some celebrity or even worse…a god. I wasn’t. She knew that. Shit, I’d fucked her like a beast possessed only a few hours ago. She knew me better than anyone at how close to home those first rumours were.

Frederick muttered low, purely for my ears. “Thanks to them they saved your business, but no thanks to them they’ve taken—”

“Enough, Roux.” My eyes narrowed, warning. Tess didn’t need to know the other rumours. The ones whispering in the dark alleys of misery. They’re coming. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Tess went white. “So…what happened?”

Roux fell silent, waiting for me to answer. None of this was interesting. It was a waste of time. A waste of precious fucking time where I could be kidnapping her somewhere else.

Time.

The traitorous bitch was once again working against me. In more ways than one.

My heart hammered. “Nothing until someone”—and if I ever found out whom, I’d shoot them—“told a tale of how a woman I’d saved from traffickers in Mexico fell in love with me. They spun a ridiculous love story of a man berserk with terror when those same bastards came back for her to teach him a lesson.”

The tears in Tess’s eyes broke the confines of her lashes, trickling down her cheeks. My heart physically hurt at the love beaming from her—it was tangible, heating, hugging me.

“Online tabloids and international magazines spread the story like wildfire—embellishing, editing, but ultimately getting it surprisingly right. And when the news got out I’d found you but you were almost irreparable—well, that’s when the phones started ringing for an entirely different reason.”

Tess didn’t say a word, blinking in shock. My headache grew as stress layered my system. I didn’t want to talk about this. I’d deliberately kept it from her—I refused to let myself think about it as it made me feel…I didn’t fucking know. Humbled. Honoured. Amazed. I felt loved by more people than I’d ever met, and after a lifetime of never being cared for, I had no idea how to deal with it.

“So what happened?” Tess prompted.

 I laughed softly, unable to believe what the future of my company—my father’s company—faced. “Being heralded as a saviour didn’t exactly ruin my image. It didn’t matter people were calling me sick and so entrenched in the underworld they couldn’t believe a word of truth.

“There were more people who believed in the good than the bad, and it’s been used to my advantage.” Taking her hand, I pulled her toward me. My muscles shuddered as her warm weight rested along mine. Her hair tussled over her shoulders; smudges of sleeplessness marked under her eyes. “You’re going to be the face of the new Moineau, Tess. Be prepared.”

Her lips parted. “Wait…how?”

Frederick jumped in. “The forty-eight percent of investors we’d lost were rapidly replaced with smaller donations, lesser scale projects, and a lot of interest to join Q’s crusade against trafficking.”

Tess turned in my arms, annoyance shining on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“That’s not all,” Frederick continued. “His good deeds will be recognised by the prime minister himself. Q’s business no longer deals with the filth of the world in order to save the innocent. Rather, he is now supported by organisations who will fight against that filth by pooling resources and authorities Q didn’t have on his own.”

My heart thudded, sending heated blood through my veins at the thought of all the extra women I’d be able to save but never see. All the sorrow I could fix; all the families I could reunite.

My company had branched out. Property and slaves. Who knew there would ever be a correlation.

Frederick beamed, his blue eyes practically blazing like daytime stars with happiness. “Moineau Holdings is no longer just a property empire. In fact, half of the company’s equity has been channelled into a new venture under the Moineau umbrella.”

Tess froze beside me, holding her breath.

“The latest enterprise is called Feathers of Hope, and we’ve donated exactly half of all Moineau’s proceeds to fund the worthy cause.”

Tess looked between the two of us, the file on her lap completely forgotten. “What does it do?”

Roux answered, “Feathers of Hope provides homes, rehabilitation, and therapy for all the women involved in the sex slave industry. It also backs private law enforcement along with larger firms in order to shut down slavery rings and prosecute men responsible.”

Tess started to quake. I cinched her harder against me, hating the onset of shock. Fuck, it hadn’t been my intention to make her panic. This was why I wanted to keep it simple and not drag her into everything. She’d probably have a heart attack to know how many people wanted to meet her. Interviews were turned down every day for her exclusive story of survival.

I smiled. It was her face people wanted on the Feathers of Hope logo—not the two feathers linked together with a red bow that we had now. She’d be immersed in my company—whether she wanted to be or not. It was just a matter of time.

Time I might not have.

Goddammit, I promised myself I wouldn’t think about it. Roux had no right to remind me—especially in front of Tess.

Tess looked up, her face whiter than a ghost. “You’re a hero. My hero. Their hero. My God, Q—”

I snarled, hating the word. “No, esclave, I’m not. I’m making up for the sins of my past. The sins of my father and all the fucking bastards I’ve had to deal with in order to free a small fraction of women. I’ve so many things to pay for, including my own sick perversions.”

And nothing made up for those sins more than handing over the red folder with every sick fuck who’d raped and traded women.

Tess’s fingers suddenly clutched my shirt. “Wait…are you safe?” Her eyes flew to Roux, her muscles locking with panic. “Please tell me he’s not painting a bull’s eye on his back by doing this?”

Shit. Why the hell did she have to ask that damn question? I’d deliberately kept her from TV broadcasts and webpages unfolding the latest allegations and threats on my life. Most of them were false—I was still alive after all.

But some…some were real.

Frederick laced his fingers together, placing them in his lap. “That’s not for me to discuss.” He gave me a pointed glare. “But rest assured he has a legion of supporters and an army of people willing to protect him.”

An army could only do so much against determined murderers. It was all up to me in the end. And I had a plan.

Tess spasmed in my arms; her skin went frigid with fear.

“Before, when he operated on his own, he was in worse danger. Pretending to be a devil among devils would’ve always ended badly,” Roux said, noticing Tess’s anxiety.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I never had to pretend. I just shed my humanity and allowed myself to be free. I fell into the role of master looking to purchase a slave. I might never have touched one, but it hadn’t stopped my mind from conjuring depraved acts I would never speak about.

As sick as it was—I would miss that part. Miss stepping into the dark. I would miss being dangerous and walking amongst the blackness of the world, rubbing shoulders with men who were so like me—men I belonged with but would never let myself be a part of.

Living in the light was fucking hard. But it was the sacrifice I paid to keep my sanity. I had no choice but to embrace the sun and leave my darkness behind.

Enough talking.

“Read the file, Tess. I won’t ask again.”

I was done talking about this. I wanted to leave, and we couldn’t until the matter of signing in front of a witness was complete.

Roux cleared his throat. “Um, I know you’re going to bite my head off, but it’s my job as your business partner to ask.”

Tess looked at the paper.

I ground my teeth. “I know what you’re going to say, and no it’s not your job as my business partner—or friend. So drop it.”

Tess held up the pen, sitting straighter. “Wait—tell me.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Frederick rolled his shoulders, chagrin loud and clear in his body language. “It’s nothing against you, Tess. I’m just looking out for a friend. Don’t take it personally.” His eyes zeroed on me. “So—you’re sure?”

I shoved Tess away, ready to stand up and show him just how sure I was. Tess tugged on my hand, keeping me seated. It took everything I had to stay in control. “Did you and Angelique sign a prenup?”

Tess relaxed. “Ah. I get it. I’ll gladly sign one—it’s no issue, really.”

Frederick smiled at her.

I swore, “You’re not fucking signing one. End of story.” Shoving a finger in my supposed friend’s face, I growled, “Answer me, Roux.”

His cheeks flushed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well no, but only because we met in high school around the same time I met you. I was penniless before you asked me to come work for you. I never had the wealth you do—even now when you’ve been totally generous.”

Memories flickered of his friendship through those awful days with a drunkard for a mother and an asshole for a father. He’d been the only one who I let get close, and only once my mother died and I shot my father. I still remembered the afternoon he met Angelique. In a way—I was responsible for that, too.

Shaking my head, I scattered the memories. “You could’ve had one drawn up. What stopped you?”

Frederick stiffened, anger creeping up his neck. “My love and trust in my wife stopped me.” He flung his hands up. “Fine. I get your point.”

Smiling at Tess, he softened his voice. “Sorry. My mistake.” Motioning to the unread paper, he said, “Read it. It won’t bite.”

Tess laughed nervously. “Are you sure about that?” Risking a look at me, she added, “If the paper doesn’t—Q might.”

Roux laughed, slapping his thigh as if it was the funniest fucking thing he’d ever heard. Bastard.