Page 137 of Stabby Little

Jagger shoots me a nod. "Unlock the door."

I push my key into the lock. It slides open, ushering me into Michael's estate.

I take in the familiar high ceilings and ornate marble fixtures. The expansive staircase leading to the second floor glistens in the darkness. The fireplace and mantle capture what little starlight shines through the enormous windows. The enormous chandelier overhead hangs like an ominous warning for us to leave.

I follow Jagger into the hall. I won't let Michael's creepy ass house scare me off. This man, this brutal bastard, has fucked with us long enough and it's time to find out what he truly does when we're not around. If Jagger's correct, he's a monster we can't run from any longer.

I need evidence of Michael's crimes against boys like Ollie to take him down. That's why Ollie was so fucking scared—he thought I was loyal to his captors. When I destroy my boss, Ollie will know I'm on his side.

Jagger's eyes flit around the living room. "This place is fucking haunted."

I nod. "It's filled with the souls of the boys Michael tortured. They never left."

"If we find evidence of sex trafficking, I'll go ape shit on him. Nothing will stop me from turning on that bastard. He never should've fucked with young men."

"It's not just young men." I issue Jagger an unforgiving look. "It's boys. Some underage."

"I refuse to believe that shit."

"It's the truth."

Jagger and I muscle down the hallway. We pass the paintings of Michael's family. His great-grandfather shoots me a cutting look behind his gold frame. I wonder if the Diavolos' human trafficking crime ring goes back to his generation. Did Michael, Anton, and Zaire learn the trade from their family? Or is it something they discovered?

Jagger grips my shoulder when we reach Michael's office. "Once we push through this door, there's no going back."

We could discover anything.

Evidence of dead bodies.

Reports of captives locked in bunkers.

Hell, Michael could even have victims buried in this office.

What if Michael has a secret passageway leading to a sex slave dungeon under his desk?

What if Michael has video evidence of sex crimes I can turn in to the authorities?

What if Michael has blackmail footage that implicates not only his entire team but his family?

Jagger's eyes bore into mine. "We don't need to do this. We can go back the way we came and find another way to take him down."

I shake my head. “We need the truth. This ends tonight."

"Do you really think you'll stumble across something about Ollie?"

“Yes."

There's no other option for me. After Ollie rushed out of my house, I knew I had to make things right. He believes I work for his abusers and I must prove I'm not like them.

I'm a good man. A man with a conscience. I never would've accepted the job with Michael if I'd known about his sick operation. I would've told Ollie everything, but I couldn't expect him to believe me. He heard Yonkers warehouse and ignored everything else I said. His experiences left him so traumatized he didn't have a choice but to run.

Jagger pushes open Michael's office door. He enters a line of code into his app that disables the automatic sensors so they won't alert our boss.

"How did you find that app?" I demand.

"My former business partner has connections with underworld hackers."

"You're fucking with me."

---