An Angel's Vice

Chapter 25 - Sugar's Most Priveleged Prisoner

Even if they can't cuddle like before, a mere hug would do the trick.

"You need to be resting, mija. I can tell you're tired," Cici says with a motherly tone as she fixes Candy's hair.

"I can rest tonight," Candy gathers herself and refocuses on the current task at hand: selecting yogurts rich in probiotics, but lacking in the flavours that'd trigger morning sickness. "I'll be fine. She should be back in Miami today. And if I don't see her, I will still be fine. I have my girls. Right?" Candy quickly glances at Cici for reassurance—referring to her, Isabella, Lola, and Normani.

Cici offers a tight-lipped smile and a generous shoulder rub. "We will get together. You know I will always be there for you."

"All good?" Wandel interrupts, ready to keep it pushing.

Candy squints as she scans the directory labels hanging over each aisle. "Actually, can you go grab me those Maria Cookies and a bottle of apple juice? I forgot to get that."

Wandel wordlessly obeys Candy's command and retraces his steps. Candy retakes control of the shopping cart and slowly pushes it along the dairy section, briefly scanning each item and pondering if she'd like something or not. She doesn't pay any attention to what or who's in front of her, because the last time she checked, her lane was clear. And it's not like Cici can warn her either, because she went back at the last second to follow Wandel, determined to get her own set of cookies to take back to the brothel, where she secretly works. When Candy decides there's nothing there that she wants, she picks up speed and makes the mistake of crashing her cart into someone else's.

"Oops! Sorry, I—" her breath catches in her throat and her fight or flight kicks in. Candy's palms become clammy, she's overwhelmed by the sensation of every pulse point in her body coming alive and banding together to create an anxious monster that keeps her from thinking clearly, and she's helpless standing there due to the shock of casually being face-to-face with the notorious Grim Reaper herself.

Sugar breaks into a slow grin and then ends her delay of moving back her shopping cart, giving Candy some space, but not too much so that she can escape her. Sugar rejoices in the suspense and tension building between them, and lets Candy cook in her fear a little while longer before she cheerfully says, "Miss New York! Real nice running into you here."

Candy takes a vow of silence until she has a reason to break it. Her cautious eyes dart around the store, searching for strange people who look out of place and are suspiciously aware of who she is and what to do about it.

"Relax. I may want you dead, but something that priceless wouldn't take place in a Publix. You know I'd orchestrate something more...tasteful than that."

Wandel and Cici return and have similar reactions to Candy—except Wandel doesn't waste time in finding his gun and keeping his steady hand on the grip, waiting for the opportunity to use it. He's by Candy's side, uncompromising and determined to put a cap in Sugar's skull. Sugar acknowledges him, smiles, and goes right back to ignoring him. His stone hard face doesn't scare her, and neither does having zero back up in this store with her; her reputation alone is all the armour she needs. They'll spiral into a state of fearful panic without having all of the facts yet to support it just because of who she is, not because of what they see. It's hard to suppress her giggles because of that.

Sugar, looking like a modern-day Marilyn Monroe in sleek, chic, bright clothing with leopard prints on her blouse and pointy heels, steps away from her cart and tries getting close to Candy, but Wandel inserts himself between them and towers over her with a warning glare. She teases him with an 'oooh, I'm so scared' squint and rolls her eyes. She connects with Candy from behind Wandel's Herculean tattooed arms, sighing blissfully. "Quite the guard dog you have here. How much will it take to make him bite?"