Kept (Bound Book 1) Read online

  Graham talked into his radio frantically. "You get him, Noz? You get the bastard?" The group all stood still waiting for an answer, but there was nothing but static.

  "Noz had to have gotten him." said Scutt, pulling Autumn to her feet. He slowly backed up with her. He went on, rambling.“It's just his radio. That’s it. These things are crap. They go out all the time.”

  "Yeah, that’s it." said Row, confidently. "He got whoever that was, for sure. Me and him have been doing this for over ten years. We're the best of the-"

  Before Row could finish, the front of his skull exploded outward spraying them with brain matter. His body fell to the ground. Jean screamed as another bullet flew through the air, striking Scutt in the shoulder. He let Autumn go and she sunk to her knees.

  Jean and Graham were quick to take shelter back inside the doorway of the warehouse. Scutt hurried after them. Autumn just sat there in the open, knowing they wouldn't shoot her. She just waited for the inevitable.

  Nothing happened for several minutes and Graham yelled at Scutt. "Go get the girl and bring her over here!"

  "Fuck you! I'm shot! I'm dying over here!" said Scutt, holding his arm as it gushed with blood.

  "It's a flesh wound!" said Graham. "Now go get her! She's the only card we have left to deal!"

  "Fuck you, man! You said this job would be easy! You said it was a quick in and out. You said all I had to do was be backup. I'm done! I'm out!" Scutt turned and raised his arms up as he walked into the sunlight. Graham cursed and shot him in the back. Scutt fell dead to the ground.

  Jean looked at Scutt and then to Graham. She knew he wasn't being rational. She smiled at him nervously. "I'll get her!"

  Jean dashed out and grabbed Autumn. She pulled out her knife, dragging her back to the warehouse entrance.

  "It's too late to use your knife." said Autumn plainly.

  "Shut up," said Jean, hitting her.

  Graham reached out and grabbed Autumn by the back of her neck. He pulled her in front of him like she was a shield. He took out his gun and held it to Autumn's head. Then he stepped out of the warehouse with her, shouting loudly, "I'll kill her!"

  Seemingly out of nowhere, Cage appeared. He was dressed all in black, like a shadow. He walked in the distance, slowly making his way towards them. Autumn got chills knowing he was so close. She wanted to collapse right then and there. Her body ached. She knew what he'd do to it.

  "We were supposed to have a deal!" yelled Graham.

  "BASTARD!" screamed Jean, getting her gun out.

  She wasn't going to wait for Graham to fix this. After having seen all her comrades die around her, she was going to shoot Cage and make him pay. She started walking towards him. She aimed quickly and started pulling the trigger. Someone shot her in the back of the head before she got more than two shots off.

  "What are you?!" said Graham, cowering in fear. Neither bullet had hit Cage. He walked, unfazed by the gunfire.

  Graham held a gun to Autumn's ear. She closed her eyes, wondering if it would go off before Cage got to her. Someone moved behind Graham and he turned for a second to look. It was only for a second, but Cage was close enough.

  He lunged, running quickly. Graham looked back as Cage kicked his hand up and away from Autumn. The gun went off, firing in the air, and Autumn fell to the ground unharmed. Graham stumbled back, shocked. He was still holding the gun. He went to fire it but Cage reached for something at his side.

  Eccentric, Cage carried a katana, black as death. It had been specially made just for him to be strong and sharp. In a single motion he spun his blade, neatly severing Graham's gun hand. The gun dropped along with the hand and Graham fell to the floor screaming.

  Cage straightened himself before walking over to the gun. He kicked it away from Graham, then used Graham's coat to clean the blood off his sword. When its surface was clean once more, he sheathed it and loomed over Graham.

  Cage watched him toss and turn, holding his arm as it bled. Cage put his foot on Graham’s chest, pressing hard to hold him still. Graham winced in pain, breathing hard as his lungs were being crushed. He looked up to Cage. "Just kill me already."

  Cage changed his expressionless face, smiling down at him as he stepped off his chest. "Oh, no. Death is a release, one which you will not be afforded. At least, not just now. You took what was mine for two days. So for two days you shall know pain like no other."

  Within minutes the area filled with a dozen of Cage's men. They were all dressed in black suits and black sunglasses, waiting for their orders as they stepped up to him. Cage lit a cigarette. He still hadn't looked at Autumn. "I.D. the bodies, and take out their families. Then dispose of them. Take this one for a ride. After two days you can release whatever's left."

  The men nodded and went on to do as he said. Graham screamed and cried out as several men dragged him away. Cage didn't say a word. Bending down, he lifted Autumn up and carried her towards an approaching black town car. He set her inside and got in after her. He told the driver where to go and they went.

  As they left Autumn looked out the window and saw what was left of Giz. Parts of his body were scattered about the lot. Cage made some calls and then began to unbutton his shirt. He put his cigarette out in the car’s ashtray. Without turning to look at Autumn he asked, "Did you miss me?"

  Autumn shook for a bit, finally breaking down then. She began to cry and whimper. She could survive all of what had just happened, but she was afraid of Cage. He was crueler than anything or anyone she had ever known. He let her cry for a moment before he finally turned to look at her. He removed the dress she was wearing. Her captors had put it on her after they made sure she had no tracers on her clothing or body.

  When she was naked before him Cage looked her over, making sure there wasn't anything out of place. He took her chin in his cold hand and turned her so that she would have to look at him. With his other hand he wiped away her tears before he kissed her lips softly.

  Autumn just stared forward blankly as he moved to kiss her cheek and then her jawline. He trailed kisses from her face to her neck, reaching to her shoulder. When he got to her shoulder he bit it gently before sucking on it, leaving a blotchy, red mark. When he pulled away Autumn winced and bit her lower lip.

  She knew what was coming and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. Cage sat back in his seat next to her and unzipped his pants. He pulled out his long, thick member, moving it around a bit before he grabbed Autumn by her hair. He yanked her down off the seat. He was rough, pulling her to him. He forced her mouth to the end of his member.

  Reluctantly she parted her lips to take him inside. She knew better than to resist him. He sunk into her mouth slowly, hitting the back of her throat. She pulled back and then pushed on several times as she tried to take him all in. Once her mouth adjusted to him he began to move her head up and down until he found a pace he liked.

  As he bobbed her head up and down, he ran his hands through her hair, speaking softly to her."You didn't think I'd let them keep you, did you?"

  Autumn said nothing, letting her mind go blank. Cage grew and grew in her mouth as he got harder. He watched her, groaning and moaning with satisfaction every now and then. He loved the feel of her lush lips sucking him off almost as much as her tight throat squeezing against him.

  Cage continued to bob Autumn up and down on him before he leaned back further. He said, "No, I hope by now you've learned there is no escaping me. Not even if someone takes you from me."

  Tears streamed down Autumn's cheeks. She sniffled and Cage sighed. He tightened his grip on her hair before pulling her off him. He pulled her so that she would look at him. When her eyes met him he smiled at her before leaning in. He rubbed his thumb gently across her face, wiping her tears away with his hands. He gently whispered, "How I have missed you."

  He pulled her back up on the seat before moving her to sit on top of him. She didn't fight, moving to take him inside her. With ease he pushed into her. Her body had been train
ed long ago to accept him, even though she hated him. He held her hips, rocking them back and forth as she sat there numbly, looking on.

  Cage squeezed her breasts and ran his hands through her hair. He looked at her, his eyes searching out every part of her. He'd been so obsessed with getting her back. He took her in now like she was some precious heirloom he could not do without. It angered him and he pushed her off of him. Autumn looked at him wondering if he was going to beat her, but he didn’t. He grabbed her arm, moving her to fall forward in the seat. He flipped her so her chest hit the leather seats. Then, roughly, he entered her from behind.

  The car pulled onto the highway as Cage found his rhythm. He pounded Autumn from behind, slamming her into the seats. Autumn's body ached. As she cried out he yanked her hair. Several parts of her popped stiffly as she tried to position herself, but Cage didn't let up. He was furious and hard then, desperately needing his release.

  His eyes were dark, with black circles under them. He hadn't slept since she had been taken from him. He had only turned his back for a moment, attending to some business. He’d left her in the car. And in that moment he’d nearly lost her. He blamed himself and for days he could think of little else but getting her back. Now…now that she was in his arms once more he vowed never to let her go again.

  He held her tightly, feeling her skin against his skin. He could feel her heart beating even as his heart pounded in his chest. He pushed himself inside her deeper and deeper as he grew close. Digging his nails into her he groaned and cried out with his release. A wave of pleasure overtook him as he burst inside her, sending his seed deep within her core.

  He slowed his thrusts as he rode his wave of pleasure to its end. His member pulsed and twitched inside her until every last drop was in her. Tired, exhausted, he pulled out of her. Catching his breath he looked at her for a moment as she turned in her seat. Their eyes met and he couldn’t help but think his only true moments of weakness were with her.

  Reaching out, he grasped her neck. In his heart he said, 'I love you.' In his mind he raged, 'I hate you.' Yet the only three letter words that left his lips were, "I own you."

  Autumn stared back at him with pain in her eyes. She reached out, grasping his arm. He let go of her, letting his hand fall down. Autumn pulled away from him, curling herself up in the seat. She brought her knees to her chest as she shut her eyes. She hoped now that he had gotten what he wanted he would let her be for a few hours, maybe even a few days, as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

  Cage ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back. He sat down in the seat next to Autumn, exhausted. He barely had enough energy to right his clothes. His heart raced as his head pounded. More than anything he wanted to sleep. He wanted to curl up with Autumn and let the days slip by, but there was still so much more he had to do. There was always something more and so he sighed. Lighting a cigarette, he took a puff before he looked out the window.

  Chapter Two

  During the day, the TLE Investments building was a hive of activity near the center of the city. Outside, people came and went, filling the streets. Inside it was chaos. People scurried from point to point fielding calls, managing portfolios, balancing and growing assets far in excess of what most people would possess in their lifetimes.

  At night the TLE Investments building idled. Outside the streets were quiet and clear. Inside the building the lights were shut off. Darkness stole across the plush leather office chairs and the top-of-the-line computer systems. The ordinary office walls took on a more sinister appearance. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the cleaning staff making their rounds

  The building itself was tall, one of the tallest in the city. It sat on top of an underground parking system. With three different levels, each level reeked of gasoline and was barely-half lit. There were any number of shadows to hide within. It was in these shadows that the masked men moved.

  Stealthily, they crept through the darkness, moving ever so closer to the building’s entrance. Every now and then, a quiet gasp would float through the air as one of the masked men encountered a security guard and gently caressed their throat with a blade. The group was concerned with speed and stealth, so the bodies of their victims were quickly shoved under lonely cars or pressed deep into concealing shadows.

  At two am, the only people in the building would be the cleaning crews, security, and a handful of employees who had worked late enough to convince themselves to spend a night on the company couches. The staff of this building were not the target, but should they get in the way they would be eliminated.

  Reaching the stairwell, the men crept upwards. They bypassed the elevators to avoid unwanted attention. The building's power began to fail as they rose. Lights flickered, and then went out. There was no sign, but the phone and internet lines had all been cut as well. Nearby a handful of cell towers were being jammed.

  Arriving at their predetermined floor, the men left the stairwell. They encountered various patrolling guards with flashlights and automatic weapons. The men could hear strained whispers from the guards as they spoke into their battery powered radios. Quiet rasps of fear escaped them, echoing through empty corridors. The smell of sweat and panic filled the air as knives were drawn in the dark. The masked men quickly quieted the guard's whispers, and the hallway fell silent.

  Darting down the halls, the men finally reached their destination; a simple break room. The odor of cold coffee permeated the walls. A small refrigerator and microwave stared forlornly across the room toward a sink, and a handful of cupboards.

  One of the masked men stepped forward. He pulled out a cardboard box from within his pack. Placing it on the sole table in the room, he spent a few moments quickly and efficiently assembling the contents inside. When the device was complete the men left the building as swiftly and quietly as they had entered.

  If the police had arrived at that moment they might have been puzzled over the corpses, confused as to the purpose of this attack when none of the valuable data had been pillaged from the company's computers. They may have wondered if it was a message, or a threat, but it never came to that.

  Within minutes of the masked men’s departure the lonely break room in the heart of the TLE Investments building gave birth to a fiery explosion. The glass panes along the outside of the building shattered from the concussive force. Dust fell from the walls. The shaped blast channeled the force of the bomb, disintegrating floors both above and below, but leaving the outside walls mostly intact.

  Moments after the blast went off the TLE Investment building collapsed in on itself, looking much like a controlled demolition, if not quite as clean. The western face of the building crumbled, the pressure sending chunks of construction material into the streets below.

  Accompanying the destruction of the building, at least for a few moments, were the deafened screams of the unfortunates trapped inside who had survived the initial blast. Though they did not live for long, they spent a few moments in their own personal hells. The blast ruptured their eardrums. They couldn't hear their own cries for help.

  Moments later, the floor beneath their feet, and the ceiling overhead, crumbled around them. Confused and terrified, they experienced an awful moment of freefall, until they were lucky enough to lose consciousness as either their bodies impacted with something, or something impacted with them.

  For a long moment, everything fell silent. Then, within the underground parking chamber, an unplanned secondary explosion went off. The earth tore itself apart from the force. Aboveground, the wreckage of the TLE Investments building was hurled upwards and outwards, raining wreckage down like the terrible aftermath of a hurricane. Girders and support beams, desks, computers, and shrapnel fell in a miasma of destruction. Walls were pierced, people impaled, pets broken and killed.

  And this was repeated not just here, but at dozens of TLE Investment buildings around the world. Dozens of office buildings, all destroyed, all at the same exact time. And within another building, su
rrounded by darkness, a phone quietly rang.

  **********

  Cage woke silently opening his eyes. It took him a moment to realize where he was as he rolled to sit up. Flashes of his dream slowly faded from his mind. He’d been somewhere. A garden or a maze, maybe both. He’d been chasing someone. And every time just as he was about to catch them, they turned around another corner. All he could see was the flicker of a white dress, just out of reach of his hands.

  The naked woman laying next to Cage moaned. He looked at her briefly, wondering why she was still here. He didn’t prefer to share his bed. Especially with whores. Without a word he tossed her out of his bed. She fell naked to the floor, whimpering in pain. When she woke enough to be aware of where she was, she didn’t bitch or complain. Quickly realizing her mistake, she left the room.

  Cage stretched for a moment before reaching for a cigarette and his lighter. He lit his cigarette, taking a long drag from it before he finally answered his cell phone. The voice on the end was panicked as they informed him of what had happened.

  Cage took it in calmly, smoking his cigarette and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Not once did he lose control as he assessed the situation at hand. When he felt he’d gathered enough information from the caller, he quieted him, informing him who should be called and what should be said. Then Cage hung up his phone.

  He took a moment to send out several texts. When he was finished he scratched his head before putting out his cigarette. He glanced at the time on his phone to see it was 2:58 am. He sighed. Today was going to be a very long day.

  **********

  Autumn woke to curtains being drawn. Sunlight beamed down on her, blinding her with light. She groaned, tossing and then turning in bed to get away from it. Her body ached painfully as she buried herself under the covers. She attempted to hide her head under her pillow. She wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted to dream of a better time, and a place she knew she’d never be.