“Why did you leave us?” I ask. “Why are you back now?”
“Baby, I made a lot of enemies, and the only way to make sure that you and your mother stayed safe was if I was not around you. If I were dead, they would leave you alone. They did leave you alone, but you are a spitfire just like your mother.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I scream at him.
“You survived, baby. That’s what you did,” he says.
“No. He told me that if I spoke up, I would die. You don’t say that to someone you are planning to kill,” I argue.
“I think he was talking to Ethan,” Rogers says.
“What?” I ask.
“Ethan has a little sister. She’s sixteen. She’s nowhere to be found, so I think she was trafficked,” he explains. “I don’t think he is willingly with Conrad.”
“He never speaks first,” I say.
“He didn’t look shocked when you mentioned the finger,” Elijah says. “Conrad did.”
“What if it was Ethan and Sutter?” Ray asks. “They might not have known when someone would return, so Landry could’ve been in a vehicle close by.”
“That would make sense,” Rogers says.
“What do we do?” I ask. “What the fuck was I drugged with?”
“A sedative. You’ve been asleep for a while. They were only out for about an hour,” Ray says.
“I had an officer speak to the server," Rogers says. “She admitted that he threatened her parents, the owners, so she did it. She won’t be in any trouble, but she and her parents are in protective custody so that she can testify. We aren’t arresting him just yet because we want to get him connected to the trafficking. We have eyes on him, though.”
“So… what do we do?” I ask.
“Stay here, go to your game, and avoid them,” he says. “I’ll have agents at the game also.”
“Alright.” I sigh.
“Can I hug you?” Dad asks. I nod hesitantly, and he gently wraps his arms around me. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I know you are scared, but I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”
“Are you in the mafia?” I ask, pulling back to look at him.
“I don’t know if I can say much with Rogers here.” He laughs.
“Just talk to your kid, Anthony,” Rogers says.
“Yes,” Dad tells me. “I pulled back significantly when your mom found out she was pregnant with you. We hadn’t known each other for long, so I didn’t get to the point of telling her what my family did. I made the decision not to say anything and delegate everything. We don’t involve innocent people, and we don’t really hurt anyone either. We can handle our shit without involving innocent people.”
“So where have you been?” I ask.
“With your uncle, for the most part. I was out of the country a lot in the beginning. I kept tabs on you both, so I knew you were safe. I was beyond happy when Ray came into your lives.”
“Did you know him?” I ask.
“No. He was your mother’s best friend in high school. They got close again and got married. He was a good guy from everything I could find. If I thought, even for a second, that he was shady, he wouldn’t be here today.”
“Never thought I would feel proud of getting the mafia’s approval,” Ray muses.
“How does this work?” I ask. “Mom is remarried, but the once-dead husband is back.”
“Good question,” Mom mutters.
