16. Butch
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BUTCH
L ooking for sanctuary, I head upstairs to my room. With all this rage billowing inside of me, I need space from the guys.
Back in the suite, I sit on the couch and rest my head in my open hands. More than anything, I want to go to Candy. She sleeps peacefully in our bed—I don’t want to interrupt her slumber with the horror we’re facing. Not yet.
It takes a few minutes of meditative breathing to calm me down. When the storm passes, I’m left weighing the reality of this trafficking case.
We have no leads. No suspects. No trace of our victims.
We’re dead in the water before we’ve started.
As upset as I am with my brothers, I’m more furious with Tank for mentioning Candy. He had no right dragging her into this mess.
To be fair, it was only a matter of time before one of the other crew members mentioned her past with Lorenzo. It was unavoidable. My woman was always going to come into this scenario. And there’s nothing I can do to shelter her from her old hurt resurfacing.
If this involved any other person, I’d be agreeing with Piero. A source is a source. The source being my woman doesn’t mean our crew should make exceptions .
The only thing I can do to make this shit situation better is to be present with Candy when she’s questioned, offer moral support and comfort her.
She also should hear this news from me first, before anyone else gets to her.
Hating what I need to do, I get up from the couch and walk the few steps into the bedroom area of the suite. Candy lays motionless on the bed, wearing my long sleeve Henley from the day before. Beautiful as always, she’s curled around the covers where I tucked her in before heading downstairs for the meeting. A small smile tips her lips upward, almost like an angel sleeping.
What I’m about to reveal to her will remove the peaceful smile from her face.
Feeling defeated, I sit on the edge of the bed next to Candy and run my fingers down her round cheek. “Wake up, sweetness.”
Candy groans, stretching in her sleepy state. Her eyes crack open, finding me sitting beside her.
“Thought we already discussed waking a woman before she’s ready is bad for your health?” She yawns, then smiles at me. “Hey, biker boy.”
With the gravity on the case weighing on my shoulders, I look at Candy. “I need to talk to you.”
Instantly alert, my woman bolts upright into a seated position beside me. “Is everything okay? You look upset. Did someone die or something?”
“No one died,” I mumble. “It’s about the current case the team is working. The assignment…is difficult.”
Candy chews on her full bottom lip, watching me closely. “I know you’re not supposed to talk club business with us MC ladies. But I’m here if you need to vent.”
“The thing is…” I pause, taking a deep breath. “I can talk to you about this case.”
“You can?” She cocks her head. “Since when?”
“Since it involves something you have experience with. ”
“Okay,” she says hesitantly. “Lay it on me.”
“Candy…it’s a trafficking case.”
My pink-haired beauty stills beside me. I wait for her to say something, but she’s gone silent. She could be processing what I’ve told her, or she’s feeling triggered. Either way, I have to finish informing her what’s happening and let her decide if she’s willing to answer questions for the investigation.
“Most of the abducted women are from Denver,” I continue cautiously, monitoring Candy’s face for any signs of duress. All I find is sadness in her warm brown eyes. “More recently, the abductions have branched out, some happening near campus in Fort Collins.”
“Oh, no,” she whispers, her eyes going red. “That’s too close for comfort.”
I gulp as I brace myself for what reaction she may have next. “Piero Bianchi has been questioned and cleared. He hasn’t taken up his cousin’s disgusting business. However, it looks as though someone may have taken over where Lorenzo left off.”
Candy wraps her arms around her abdomen in a protective hug, rocking herself in place on my bed. She stares at the floor as tears trek down her cheeks.
More than anything, I want to offer her comfort, to hold her and tell her she’s safe.
Needing to look into her eyes, I move from the bed to the floor, kneeling in front of her. I run my hands up and down her calves, trying to offer some reassurance.
“You know you’re safe here with me, right? I’ll let nothing bad happen to you.”
“Yes,” she whispers, with a slight tremor in her voice. “I know you’ll keep me safe.”
“Good,” I say, pleased with her response. “You don’t need to worry about these bad people, Goddess. The crew and I are going to handle them. I’m sorry I made you cry.”
She shakes her head, tears continuing to roll down her apple cheeks. “You did nothing wrong by mentioning the trafficking case. It’s hard for me to dissociate from something I have a painful experience with, but not impossible. I’m processing it in my way. I’ll be fine. Please don’t feel bad.”
I cup my hand behind her neck, pulling her in and kissing her forehead. My woman is being brave, and I’m damn proud of her. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I engulf her in my arms, squeezing all the love I have to give into her.
After a few moments, Candy relaxes in my embrace. “Not trying to be a pain, but why does my experience with trafficking make it okay for you to discuss club business with me?”
And here is the crux of the matter.
Pressing one last kiss against the crown of her head, I rip off the Band-Aid. “Goddess, we need your help.”
Candy straightens, her attention fully focused on me. Her voice seems bizarrely eager as she asks, “How? What can I do to help?”
“Right now we have no leads on the assignment, and the ones we had, we exhausted to dead ends. The team wants to ask you what you may have learned of Lorenzo’s flesh trade business while in his captivity. It may give us clues and point us in the right direction.”
“You only want to ask me questions about Lorenzo’s brothels?” she asks, sounding a tad disappointed.
She might be worried about the questions the team will ask her. I’m quick to reassure her. “Nothing too personal with what you experienced. The questions will be geared towards the operations of the trafficking business. Whatever you can tell us will be helpful.”
“Seriously?” she prods again, her lips down-turned. “That’s it?”
“Yes, sweetness. No more.”
My woman hastily swipes at her face, removing the last of her tears. She seems more collected. “Can you hand me my phone?”
Obliging, I rise to my feet and retrieve her cell from the nightstand, handing it to her. She sniffles as she punches a few buttons and brings the phone to her ear. I sit beside her, wondering who she’s calling.
“Hey, Brandon. It’s Candy. ”
My stomach sinks hearing her on the phone with her counselor. Man, did I read her wrong? I could have sworn she was okay by the way she was behaving after I broke the news.
Sure, she was shocked when I mentioned the trafficking case. But I didn’t think she was reacting negatively enough to contact her counselor. There was a risk bringing this assignment to her attention would upset her. And I guess it did. I hate I was the one who had to mention it to her.
“We’re not scheduled for an appointment for a few days yet, but something has come up. Could you come to headquarters, please? There’s something I need to discuss.”
There’s a pause before Candy says, “Thanks, Brandon. See you soon.”
She ends the call, tossing her cell aside with a forlorn expression.
“What do you need from me, Goddess? Tell me what to do to make you feel better.”
“Just sit with me,” she whispers as she reaches for me.
No need to ask twice. I scoot closer to my woman and wrap my arm around her, holding her close to my side as we wait for Brandon to arrive.