Temptress

49 - Harry | Worry

She didn't look at me and her face was flushed, like it usually was when she was upset. She started to grab the papers from the cases and then spread them all over the marble top, and I realized they were individual files of actual people.

I noticed her hands were shaking slightly as she arranged the papers, and I walked around the kitchen island so I could reach her. I grabbed her hands and held them in mine, which forced her to finally look at me.

Her eyes were watering and bloodshot, as if she'd been holding her tears back for hours. The blue in them was the lightest shade I'd seen, it looked beautiful.

"Baby, what happened?" I asked her, but she quickly pulled her hands away from mine and gripped the edge of the counter, lowering her head and inhaling very deeply.

I glanced at the papers again, reading the many names of several children. Each file had a picture and a description, along with a red stamp saying 'SOLD' right over their pictures. And from what I was seeing, they literally came from all over the world... the U.S., London, Japan, Russia...

"These are just a few." She whispered, and I looked at the doorway when I hear footsteps approaching, and I saw Zayn limping his way inside and leaning against the wall for some balance.

His bruised face was less swollen, but the dark circles around his eyes were probably worse than mine. He still didn't look good, but seeing him more active was the only thing that was making my day better.

"Your father?" I asked, glancing at Zayn again when he furrowed his eyebrows.

He knew about Mason Horan, it wasn't a secret... apparently that fucker kept his life a secret only from his family.

"I found this in his office... there was a locked closet and I broke the lock, there were dozens and dozens of file cases like this." She whispered, looking up to meet my eyes again. "Children and people he trafficked... look at the names at the bottom of the pages."

I did what she asked, leaning over her so I could get the files and read them from up close... and I froze the moment I recognized the signatures at the bottom of them.

Mark Tomlinson.

Roger Cunningham.

Gael Cruz.

Luchas Johnson.

There were little girls and boys, all of them around twelve years old or younger... sold to those names.

The names on our list.

Jesus fucking Christ.

"What's wrong?" Zayn asked and Cleo looked at him as if she'd just remembered that he was in the house, her eyes widening when she saw him.

"I told him everything, it's okay." I cleared my throat, and I had actually told him everything.

Fuck, I didn't even realize I'd told him about me and Cleo fucking until it was too late. This always happened with Zayn, I just talked to him and the words would flow desperately. I felt comfortable to open up with him and I had indeed been keeping a lot bottled up inside.

So after he woke up we talked a bit more and I explained about the list and how Cleo and I ended up working together. I told him pretty much every detail except the sexual ones, I was sure Cleo was going to be pissed that he knew we were having sex.

But I was so fucking thankful I had someone to talk to, especially about this. Zayn was really smart, which meant he could also help us. And now he knew about the list and Louis, and I'd told him about the connection with Cleo's father.