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"My mom did that?"
“When you have a hungry child and a sick family member, you do whatever you have to do to get by,” Gage said with a sigh.
“Right, Gage. When I was in prison, James had a guy come to meet me at the jail pretending to be my lawyer. They said if I went after you, or go to the cops, he would sell you and your mother into a sex ring so I would never see you again. I heard in jail James had trafficking connections, so I got scared. Keep in mind at the time I was still undergoing cancer treatment. I didn’t know how to deal with it all. My mind was already in a fog.”
“I remember he came the night you left. We took clothes and a few personal things. How did you expect to find us? We moved a lot for a while.”
“I never gave up hope. I met a guy on my cell block that knew James. He helped me get some connections. I went to the mob and offered to do whatever I could if they would help me get you both back home safe.”
Slade was trying to understand all this, yet it seemed so ludicrous. “You’re working with the mob now?”
“Not exactly. They made me an offer. They want payback for the drugs he stole and helped me hunt down James. It was around a million dollars in drugs they lost. I had worked in that same club years before as a bouncer, so I knew the mob family was not involved in your disappearance.”
Gage seemed skeptical. “How can you be sure?”
“The kingpin was a family man and hated trafficking. He might have been a mob guy, but not all mafia are ruthless assholes. The guy was into drugs and weapons, but he respected women. Anyway, he found out James tried to sell him out to the cops. When it all first started, James found out they were after him and had to get rid of the drugs, so he set me up. The mafia and police thought I stole the drugs, and it gave him time to get away.”
“What made them realize you didn’t do it?”
“The mafia leader, Matteo Ricci. He remembered me working at the club and knew I was never into anything seedy. They were ready to kill me, but I came to them as soon as the jail released me. It took a lot to keep my ass alive in prison. Luckily, I made some good friends with the Mexican gangs. When I went to Matteo, he offered to help if I found James. Once James is handled, they will help me clear my name and set things right.”
Slade sat back in his seat, trying to gather his thoughts. This was all too much. “James could have sent Candy on the streets too, as a prostitute. Not just her mom. Why do you think he didn’t?”
Candy huffed, saying, “I was worth more money to him selling drugs. The police saw a cute little girl wearing pink all the time. I was good at it and sold more than all his other dealers combined.”
“Now she’s worth more being a celebrity. I’ve been watching you since you started IWX, Pumpkin. I’m proud of you. You’re tough in that ring.”
Candy’s lips curled in a half-smile. “Thank you.”
“I started following you a couple of months ago. I didn’t recognize you at first with all that candy costume stuff. When you changed your image, I knew it was you. I figured eventually James would see you on TV and look for you too.”
Slade narrowed his brows as he felt rage rising inside him as he snapped, “You used her as bait? He could have kidnapped or killed her.”
“No. No. Of course not. I’ve been trying to keep her safe. I was watching to keep him away from Candy and her mother until I could explain what happened and put an end to this.”
“You’re the reason Mom has been getting better, aren’t you?”
“I visit her as often as I can. The facility keeps a close eye, so James hasn’t been able to get to her there.”
Candy tried to hold back tears. “We were happy with you, Daddy. You really didn’t leave us, did you?”
“No, Pumpkin. James took you from me. The police believed your mother just left, but I didn’t believe it for a second.”
Slade choked back his emotions. It seemed this man was trying to protect his family. “How did you meet Gage?”
“When I was released from prison, I started working at the gym Gage was training at. I hadn’t been in the ring since they diagnosed me. When I went into remission, I was feeling great. I spent all my extra time outside of the gym searching for my family.”
“In all this time you didn’t find them?” Gage asked.
“I got a tip once from the mob’s intel. Candy, I found your mother on the streets in Chicago, cold and hungry. I took her to my hotel, and we made love that night. We had plans to go get you as soon as she knew James would sleep.”
“But… why didn’t you stay?”
“I wanted to. James was waiting for us and ambushed me. He and a couple of goons beat me so badly I thought I was going to die that night. The only thing that has kept me going is knowing that Candy and Sophie were still alive. Police don’t find a lot of these missing women. I was just lucky he lost interest in Sophie and walked away for a while. It gave Candy the chance to reach her dreams and lead me to find them.”
“How did he find you in Chicago?”
“Someone had tipped him off I was looking for him. I’m not very good at this. I’m no criminal and I made a lot of mistakes. I’ve just been learning as I go.”
“After Chicago, we moved to Florida and Mom was pregnant not long after.”
“Yes. I got divorce papers not long after that too. It wasn’t until I saw you on IWX that I looked into it. I went to the courthouse and found out she never filed the papers. She is still my wife. Their marriage was a sham.”
Candy slowly got up, walking to her father. Kevin looked hopefully at her as she approached, but didn’t dare move. She went and sat in her father’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, weeping softly. Quietly, Kevin smiled and hugged his daughter for the first time in eighteen years. He closed his eyes, having the most peaceful look on his face, being completely at peace.
At that moment, Gage and Slade realized he was telling the truth. This man had been through hell. Candy melted into her father’s arms, and it felt like home.
“I miss you, Daddy.”
“I miss you too, Pumpkin. I love you so much.”
“I love you too. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
Slade was holding his arm out awkwardly so the handcuff would reach while Candy hugged her father. He just sat with an uncomfortable look on his face, letting her deal with her emotions, and across the table, Gage gave a knowing smile.
Her dad chuckled, saying with a low rumble, “Okay. Now that I have my daughter back, can someone fill me in on why you’re handcuffed together?”
Gage started laughing. “It’s a long story.”
“Trust me. I have time. I’ve waited for years for this. I’ll take what I can get.”
Slade smiled at Candy. “It all started with me running headfirst into a girl who looked like a candy shop and…”
After about an hour of chatting, Gage realized they were running late to the arena.
“Kev, I’m sorry, but we have to get back. Why don’t you come to the show tonight?”
“I’d love to. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be backstage so I can keep watch in case James shows up.”
Slade looked at Gage, saying, “It’s not a bad idea. We can have our security with him in case this is all bullshit. I am still a little on the fence about this.”
Gage looked at Kevin, trying to figure him out. “He’s telling the truth, Slade. Kev, I want you to show us proof of all this. Doctor’s records. Jail times. Even let us talk to Matteo. The works. I’ll have Davis’s lawyers investigate this too. If you are telling the truth, we’ll help you get your life back.”
Kevin took a deep breath and relaxed. “Thank you. I’ll do whatever it takes. I just want my family back.”
Candy took her father’s hand. “So do I.”
