Page 54 of Kneeling to Candy

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.

---