Page 110 of A Mistake of Worth
Michael’s throat closed. He wanted to beg, to demand Henri stay, to lock the doors and never let him walk back into Marc’s reach. But he could see the fear in Henri’s eyes, the terror of what would happen to David if he didn’t return.
“Then come back to me,” Michael said, his voice breaking. “Promise me you’ll come back.”
Henri’s breath hitched. “I’ll try.”
“Not good enough.” Michael’s hand cupped his face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. “Promise me.”
“I promise.” Henri breathed.
Gabriel moved toward them, his presence heavy. Henri finally stepped back from Michael’s arms, shoulders rounded, shame hanging on him. He didn’t look at Gabriel, or Alain, or Nika. Just at Michael, one last time.
Gabriel’s voice was quiet steel. “This isn’t over. We won’t stop.”
Henri paused, not turning back. “I know,” he whispered. “That’s what scares me.”
Michael watched Henri walk to the door, every step pulling something vital out of his chest. At the threshold, Henri stopped, hand on the frame, and looked back one more time.
Their eyes met. Henri’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something more, but no words came. Then he was gone, Jacob following, and the door clicked shut with terrible finality.
Michael stared at the empty doorway, his chest aching with the ghost of Henri’s weight against him. His hands shook as he reached for his phone, fingers moving without conscious thought.
Gabriel returned to his chair, his face carved from stone. “We contact Jaheel tonight.”
“Agreed,” Alain said quietly. “The sooner we move, the less time Marc has to hurt him.”
Michael looked down at his phone, voice hoarse. “I’m going to London tomorrow. I need to arrange things there, close some projects. If this works, when this works, Henri’s going to need somewhere to go. Somewhere Marc can’t reach him.”
Gabriel nodded. “We have a jet you’ll take. It’ll remain in London with you until you’re ready to return.”
Nika was already typing, pulling up contact information for Jaheel Sabato. The glow of the screen cast harsh shadows on his face. “I’ll reach out through encrypted channels. Set up a meeting.”
They had to move fast. Every minute Henri spent with Marc was a minute too long.
“Then we end this,” Michael said quietly.
Gabriel’s voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. “Oui. We end this.”
Chapter twenty-one
Michael
MichaelTaylorsatonthe sofa in his Chester Terrace townhouse, the BBC rolling across the wall-mounted screen in razor clarity. Outside, Regent’s Park was its usual postcard self. Late summer light slanting over green lawns and iron gates.
But inside the room, the air felt thick.
The anchor’s voice was crisp, every syllable clipped with practiced gravity. “Tonight, we bring you further developments in the Saint-Clair investigation. Three weeks after whistleblower documents first linked Olivier Saint-Clair to human trafficking and narcotics pipelines, American investigative journalist Jaheel Sabato has published a comprehensive exposé that legal experts are calling ‘devastating.’”
Michael’s gaze was fixed on the screen.
He’d never met Jaheel Sabato in person. But now Michael saw why Henri had trusted the man.
Jaheel was striking. Dark-skinned, features carved fine against the harsh lighting of an American studio. Handsome in a way that could have been Hollywood but sharpened by something fiercer. A voice made for radio, smooth and resonant. A face for the silver screen.
Michael could see why his podcasts had become global phenomena, why millions tuned in when he spoke. He had presence. Command. And the sharp glint in his eyes left no doubt that he had done the work.
The screen cut to a clip from his interview, filmed in New York two nights ago.
“Olivier Saint-Clair built his fortune on exploitation,” Jaheel said. His voice carried a dangerous mix of warmth and steel, the kind that made listeners lean forward unconsciously. “The documents I’ve published detail the structure of his holding companies, the flow of money through shell entities across three continents, and the use of those funds to enable trafficking operations. This isn’t speculation. This is fact. Verified, authenticated, sourced beyond reproach.”
