Chapter 33

Candice
I get home a few hours later from the repair shop. Mom is in the kitchen making some kind of pasta and has the whole house smelling incredible. I stand at the archway in between the kitchen and living room just staring at her in her element. She is humming a little tune and it's moments like this that she reminds me of her former self and not the shell of a woman that has lost everything.
I step closer and make my presence known. Mom stops her hum and turns to me while maintaining her perfect speed of stirring. I walk up to the stove top that the Ziti is boiling in and take a big whiff of the homemade sauce she is making to go along with it. I know I will have to make a mental note to go jogging tomorrow morning. I'm going to need it after tonight's dinner. Memories of my mother making this for me when I was little come rushing to me. I smile at the fond memory and get ready to ask her if she needs help when I notice she has her head down, a look of grief crosses her flawless skin. Even at fifty mom has incredible bone structure.
"He came by again baby." She says in a hushed whisper.
Anger clouds my mind at the thought of that disgusting human being coming here while I am at work. It seems like every time he visits my mother I am out of the house. It wouldn't surprise me if he knew my schedule by heart. After all he's been to my work plenty of times, not that my mother knows that. I can't tell her, I don't want her worrying or making the situation worse.
"Mom, you should call me when he comes. I'll come home, I'll make him go away." I rush. This is not good for her. She needs to be in a calm environment.
"I made him go away Candy. I told him you don't want nothing to do with him and that the next time he comes by I will be calling the police." She huffs and lowers her head. "But you know him, he just laughed and dared me. I swear I don't understand him at all.
An overwhelming feeling of shame washes over me. When I told mom last year about my father's proposition she was so disappointed in me. She never wanted me to meet Nicholas, although she never knew he was leading a double life. Mom and I got into a huge argument that day. She thought I was actually going to take his deal. I expressed to her that I wanted nothing to do with him and we hugged it out. Mom kept apologizing to me crying that she let me down being with him. I never wanted to her feel that way so I sucked up my anger and pain and dealt with hers. I never did express my pain from that day.
A few weeks later, mom was at the café speaking with inspectors, when my father walked right up to her. She told me that her heart stopped, that she didn't understand why he was there.It wasn't until he asked if I was still interested in saving the café that mom figured it out. This man was not going to let this go anytime soon. He was never going to leave us alone.
Mom and I get into another little tiff right after dinner. I had told her about the car braking down after work and she asked me if she could help out a little with the repair cost. I explained to her that not only had Max not charged me for the tow but come to find out, he told Billy, the repair guy, not to charge me for the repair. Once I find out where he lives, I plan on giving him a piece of my mind, and some cash.
Mom thought I was lying about not paying. Saying that since I take her to and from the doctors and physical therapist's office, then she should help out. I explained that there was no need, but she just wouldn't believe me. Now I am watching her pack her bags for a few days as she tells me she just needs some time away for a few days. I feel like she is breaking up with me.
"Sweetie I'll be fine. You should get out of the house for a few days too. Try going to a spa or visiting some old friends." She says putting a ratty old sweater in her suitcase.
I give her a confused stare. I am about to ask her what friends she is referring to when she pops her head up and apologizes. Mom and I moved around quite a bit when I was younger. Mom couldn't always afford living on her own, but was too stubborn to ask for help. Because of that, we moved. A lot. I never got close to anyone because I figured we would just end up moving anyways. Once my mother was able to get the cafe, she started putting me in beauty pageants, ballet and scouts, hoping to get me more social. I hated it, she loved it, so I did it. Austin had no idea how accurate his wording was.
"So, I'll see you in a few days?" Mom says turning to me from my passenger seat in front of my grandmother's house.
"Yes, you and grandma have fun and don't let her drive anywhere." I say only half joking. My grandmother isn't necessarily the kind of woman to be stopped.
Mom reaches over and gives me a hug. I hug her back and whisper my love as she gets out and wobbles to the door. She turns around and gives me a small wave as I back out. I'm not headed home, not yet anyways. There is a stop I need to make in the city first. I arrive at my destination about thirty minutes later and walk into the building. I have been here enough times over the past ten months to know my way around. I stop at the receptionist desk, and ask her if Nicholas is in. Once she confirms, I walk right in.
Ever since my father began coming to my house and harassing my mother and harassing me at work, I have been coming here to either threaten him or curse him out. All he usually does is chuckle and clasp his hands together. My point never gets across to him and I just storm out of his office. Yet, here I am again. I have had it this time. My mother is not stupid and she is going to see that he is visiting me at work too. I don't want her stressed out even more.
Nicholas is sitting down looking through some documents when I reach his desk. I clear my throat but he just continues to read. I cross my hands over my chest and begin speaking. I don't care if he is looking or not, I know he knows I am in front of him.
"Listen to me you stupid son of a bitch. How dare you come to my home. My mother wants nothing to do with you, I want nothing to do with you, do you hear me. Leave us the hell alone." I snarl.
"I don't see how you can say that to me Candice. I'm your father, you are the one that sought me out, so that you could get me to pay back child support to your mother. Why, all I've done was show a little interest in my daughter's life." He says with a sinister smile.
I lean into his personal space because I am getting absolutely sick of this game with him. I know what he is doing. He figures if he intimidates us enough we will eventually bend to his will. He is the definition of a bully, and I hate him even more for taking advantage of my heart. All I wanted was a father and this man showed me that I won't ever have one.
"You stay the hell away from me you son of a bitch. I want nothing to do with you, so stop calling me, stop coming by my work and home, and leave my mother the hell alone." I am panting by the time I finish yelling.
My heart is aching because of this man. Tears are bordering on the edges of my eyes but I won't let this man see me weak. He doesn't deserve to see the tears that I have spent years hiding from everyone. Because of this man I am afraid to let anyone into my heart. Because of this man I don't trust anyone not to hurt me. Not to leave me, only to have me waiting at the window beyond the curtains.
"I won't stop Candice. You should know by now, I get everything I want. You are just another pawn on the board for me to move where I want." He says coldly.
This man is insane. He really has no reason to change. I am simply wasting my time here. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I know the answer to that question is not here. I grab my bag and turn to walk out of this man's office, when my biggest fear stands right in front of me.
When I did my research on Nicholas Cole, I found out that he was married when him and my mother conceived me. It changed my perspective of my mother for a while, but she explained that love makes you make mistakes. She was only human. I later found out that through his marriage, he had a little boy. Five years my senior, Jared Nicholas Cole was living in New York. My big brother was miles away from me but had no idea I existed. The first time I ever threatened Nicholas after he came to my work and made a scene in front of Ben, I told him that if he didn't leave me alone I would tell his son Jared everything. He became very angry by this and stopped me from leaving by having this giant hulk of a man named Raul block the door.
He threatened that if I ever spoke one word to Jared about any of this, that he would make sure my life, along with my mother's was a living hell. I believed him, he was and still is, a very powerful man. He makes no apologies of who he is, so I don't want him to know that I know Jared. Tears form and get ready to spill over but I run past him and Laynie before they can escape my eyes. I run all the way to my car where I let it all out. I hate this man, I hate that I don't have a father, I hate that I have always wanted a sibling and now that I have one, he can't know about me. I'm tired of being the one people are ashamed of.
Later that evening I am sitting down on my sofa looking through a medical textbook. I am currently looking up different versions of Amnesia. I can't stop thinking about Jared. How scary it must be to have to go through all this. I also can't stop thinking about Laynie. I had never met her but I know she must assume from all those months ago that her husband cheated on her. The signs were all there. I just couldn't say anything without revealing myself.
I am headed to bed when I hear a knock at my front door. I am in my sleep shorts, a tank top and my polka dot socks with the individual toes. I look at the clock on my night stand and see it is almost eleven in the evening. Why would anyone be knocking at my door at this time? I get up and look through the window. I can barely see but I make out a woman standing there shivering. When I veer past her I notice a car that looks like it is sprawled in the middle of the street. It seems to be an old jeep of some kind. She must have broken down. I open the door slightly and stick my head out.
"Did you break down?" I ask. I can barely see her face from the dark of night but I can tell she has blonde hair and it wearing a jean skirt and halter top. Who dresses like that anymore?
"Yes, do you mind if I use your phone? Believe it or not I don't have a car charger and my phone died, I just need to call my boyfriend and see if he can pick me up." She explains.
I nod my head and go to turn around, when the door is shoved into me knocking me on my backside. When I look up I no longer see the woman but two men running into my home. Shit, why did I open my door? I know better. I get up to run the opposite direction when I grabbed forcefully by my hair and neck. I can't see my assailant but he is gripping my hair so tight it feels like it is being ripped out of my scalp. I try to scream but a punch to the gut stops any sound coming out. I try to lean forward to gasp for air but he just grips my hair harder.
A figure comes into my vision. He is wearing a black mask that looks like the mask Jason wore in Friday The Thirteen. He steps in front of me and leans slowly into me. I try to fight off the guy holding me upright but it is no use. His fist is still gripping my hair and his other hand is holding my neck. Thank God he isn't squeezing tight on my neck because it is still tender from Max earlier.
When I got home my mom asked me what happened. I simply told her that a patient was suffering from a PTSD delusion had attacked me and several nurse's. It was only a half lie.
"You grab the handcuffs?" the guy in front of me asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
There must have been some kind of confirmation from behind me because suddenly I am thrown to the ground and the guy in front me of me grabs my arms and holds me down. My heart is beating so fast. I have no idea what to do. I thank God my mother is not here, I know she would have tried something stupid and I can't imagine these guys gong easy on her. I feel metal handcuffs being placed around my hands in front of me and then I am hulled up.
That's when it begins. One holds me up whilethe other starts hitting my stomach. I try to bend down and block my stomach but that only earns me a punch to my face. The pain is intense. I have never been hit by anyone before. I close my eyes and cry waiting for it to be over. When it finally stops they throw me onto the ground. I am curled into a ball holding my face, my hands still in the cuffs. I hear one of the guys say something about taking me and I lose it. I start screaming as loud as I can. It's not too late that my neighbors won't be alerted to a loud noise.
A dirty hand covers my mouth. The smell of grease and motor oil overwhelms my sense. They both grab me and hurl me to my feet. My mouth is still covered but I try to stop them from taking me by halting my steps. One of them eventually tires of me doing so because he grips my hair and lifts me up so I cannot touch the ground. The pain is excruciating.
They lead me outside where I can see a glimpse of the woman faking her broken down car, smoking a cigarette next to a van. They throw me inside and my back lands on something metal. Instantly I feel the severity of my situation. What if they are sex transporting people? I have always heard about them on the news but never knew they were close to this area. Why would they come to me? I live in a quiet neighborhood where the houses are extremely close to each other. Wouldn't it be too risky getting me?
I hear the door slam and the two men get into the van. They squeal out onto the street and I start praying. I do not want to be here. My pain level is so intense but I must be on adrenaline because I am not blacking out. No more than fifteen minutes later we are pulling up to a stop. I made sure I was counting second so that just in case I am able to escape, I can locate where I am. It's a long shot but it was better than mentally picturing my doom.
I hear the two men get out and it seems like they are talking to a third man. Where the hell are we? Suddenly the door slides open and I try to scramble away but am grabbed forcefully by my shoulder and pulled until I hit the ground face first. I can feel my nose burst open with blood. I have never been in so much pain in all my life. I look around and only see the two men again. It's still too dark to see anything so I can't see distinct features, but I can tell they are both tall and muscular.
One of them comes up to me and leans until we are eye to eye. He grabs my face roughly with his hands and tries to shove something in my mouth. I attempt to pull out of his grasp but he forcefully keeps pulling me back. Finally, he grips my jaw tightly until I stop resisting and open my mouth. Once he finishes shoving, what I assume is paper, into my mouth he gets up, walks over to the van and climbs into the passenger seat. The other guy gets in the driver's seat and then they speed off. What the hell is going on? Are they leaving me here?
I look around trying to get a better view of where I am since I am not too far from home and see a large building behind me. It looks like an old factory building. All the windows have wooden planks behind them and there are lights on inside but I see no cars. Where am I? I attempt to stand but with my hands still handcuffed in front of me and the pain becoming more and more severe, I keep falling on my ass.
I know that if I don't get inside somewhere, there is a possibility that those guys will come back or that I will freeze to death. It's then I realize that I still have that disgusting smelling paper in my mouth. I rip it out and try to open it. Once I have it open I barely make out the words that have me falling to the ground. "Road Kings own this town. Give us what we want or more old ladies will be hurt."
Road Kings. That's who hurt me. I know who they are only because at work we get some of their victims in quite a bit. They run underground fighting rings and the loser often comes into the emergency room after a fight. When it got to the point where Ben kept noticing the same tattoos on some of the guys, we called the police. Only one guy ever talked. He seemed like he was trying to get out. He mentioned to the police that the Road Kings didn't allow you to just leave. You had to survive to leave.
I don't understand who they are addressing this letter to, but I understand the old lady term. I have neighbors that have been married for over fifty years and whenever I ask the husband where his wife is he always replies, "My old lady is out shopping as usual." They think I belong to someone. I don't know why but I do know I need to get inside and get help.
With note in hand, I stand up and slowly walk over to the gates. Each step making me feel like I need to vomit. Once I reach the gates to the warehouse, a large flood light pops on. I am surrounded by about three or four men with guns drawn on me all shouting. My head is pounding so bad that I cannot hear what they are saying to me. I just remain squinting with my hands halfway up, the handcuffs preventing me from putting them all the way up.
I am shaking uncontrollably. Isn't this a factory? Did I walk in on criminals doing something bad in an abandoned building? I have my eyes closed slightly because the light is too bright and my head is throbbing. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice telling them to lower their weapons. I try to widen my eyes and see who it is but the pain is too extreme and the adrenalin has gone. As the darkness takes me under I giggle at the blonde-haired ladies' man I have come to rely on, Max Stone.