Kept (Bound Book 1) Read online

  For several minutes Autumn just stood there in silence. Eventually she wondered what she was going to do about this place. If she was going to use it or refuse it. Slowly she walked around, getting a better look at everything. It had paths, streams, and trees. It had to take up at least a third of the top floor.

  Autumn wondered just how Cage had put this together, and why. She noticed some purple daisies in pots next to some potting soil. She crouched down, wondering how he knew these were her favorites. She looked at the trees and noticed they were all cherry blossom trees. Again, her favorite. Several birds landed in a birdbath a few feet away from her. She realized they were bluebirds before they flew off. She stood up rubbing her mouth as she again wondered how he knew. When she heard some knocking and saw a woodpecker she realized it must have been Lane.

  She vaguely remembered the conversation they’d had a few weeks ago. She realized it had been their longest, and it was all for Cage. So he could find out what she liked. Autumn sighed as she wondered how long he’d been planning this. Surely all of this took more than a few weeks to make. Then again, when you had a lot of money anything could be done quickly. But what was the point of any of it?

  Autumn found a nearby tree and walked to it. The grass felt good between her toes. As she slumped down next to the tree she could feel and smell the bark. There was a slight breeze and the air was filled with the sound of the birds and the running water. Autumn put her back to the tree and looked up. She could see the blue sky and the sunlight.

  She ran her hands through the lush grass and, for a moment as she sat there, it really felt like she was outside. It almost felt like she was free. She smiled for a second before she closed her eyes and thought of what Cage had said. “All anyone can do in this world is make the best of the circumstances they are put in. You can choose to be a captive or you can choose to be free. Either way we're going to be together. It's how YOU choose to see it that matters.” Autumn opened her eyes and wondered if she could really choose...

  Chapter Five

  At first Autumn just sat around the garden, wondering if she should accept it. Everything between Cage and her was always a battle of wills. If she took this garden she knew he'd think he won... again. If she didn't, she was sure he'd let the garden rot just to spite her. He could care less if it all went to shit and every last bird died, but she would care.

  Her first full day in the garden she watched the birds as they went about making their nests and catching worms. Autumn fed them some seeds and figured that if they could accept this place then so could she. At dinner Caged asked if she liked her garden and, begrudgingly, she said yes. It took nearly three days before the smug smile left his face.

  After a week hummingbird feeders were added to the garden. Autumn got to see her very first hummingbirds. They were just as magical as she thought they'd be. It motivated her.

  She took all of the pots out of her room and slowly worked them into her garden. There were two patches of dirt for her. One was marked for flowers and the other was marked for vegetables.

  She was given some tools and it took her nearly two days to plant all of her flowers. She watered them every day and looked forward to watching them grow. She ended up planting all sorts of new flowers and vegetables. She wondered how they would all turn out. When the greens sprouted through the ground, she got so excited.

  Over the next few weeks the garden quickly became her favorite place to go in the tower. The walls were painted like the sky and, with the natural sunlight and fresh air, it really did feel like she was outside. When she was in there she’d shut the doors and pretend she was in her own little world.

  Her schedule was adjusted to allow her two hours in the garden every day. She could choose whenever to take those two hours, but could not go over them. Autumn chose to have an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon. Every so often she’d choose to have her afternoon time at night. When the lights were out the walls had been painted with glow in the dark paint so it look like she was under the stars.

  When she wasn’t gardening, Autumn would sit under one of the trees and read a book. One afternoon she fell asleep under a tree and woke up to find squirrels and rabbits had been added to the garden. The rabbits hopped around making their own holes to live in, while the squirrels climbed the trees. Autumn liked watching them and felt bad when they couldn’t find nuts. They had a planter, but it wasn’t the same. Autumn asked for a nut tree and the next day two different trees were planted. The squirrels seemed to like that and she enjoyed watching them run about.

  Autumn found she really liked the animals. Almost as much as she liked the gardening. Sometimes she would feel bad for them, thinking that if it weren’t for her they wouldn’t be here. They would be free to go where they wanted and do what they wanted. They would have the entire world as their playpen.

  She knew she couldn’t get the squirrels and rabbits out, but sometimes she thought about letting the birds go. If she climbed a tree maybe she could cut one of the nets with her tools. If they could just get through the windows when they were open, they’d be free.

  Of course, Autumn would miss the sound they made in the mornings. She would miss their pretty colors and their small movements. After a while she began to realize how the garden and the animals were keeping her sane. During these last few weeks in the tower she'd actually had moments that felt normal. For the most part the animals seemed happy, so what would it hurt to keep them just for a little while?

  Autumn wondered for a moment if that was Cage’s reasoning. Perhaps Autumn was the only thing keeping him sane. But she knew people and animals were different. Besides, if the animals let her know they really hated it here, she’d let them go.

  Cage was still busy with something. He would have long meetings and sometimes miss meals. Autumn wondered what was going on. She figured he’d been busy with the garden but it turned out other things were going on. Every so often she’d hear a bit here or there. Something about casualties and targets. Whenever a target was hit there would always be a lot of cheers.

  When they did see each other, Autumn did her best not to argue. She wanted to make sure Penna got her days off to see her brother. Penna told her when Byron's graduation was and every so often Autumn would ask Cage.

  Cage seemed preoccupied most the time. Autumn couldn’t be sure if he was listening to her as he looked over his reports. There were a few times he did respond to her, but it was always no. Penna had her place and knew what was expected of her. This wasn’t a normal job. There was no vacation or time off. This was Penna’s duty to the Zisgani family. She had her tasks to do since Autumn could not do them herself.

  Autumn swore she would be good. She promised to take care of herself and do everything that was asked of her while Penna was away. Cage laughed at that. He seemed to think Autumn was incapable of sticking to her routine. Autumn wanted to snap at him but she knew it would just lead to another argument so she held her tongue.

  Every so often she thought about what Cage had said about being free. She really wondered whether she would be free if she just saw herself that way. She thought about it over and over, but in the end she didn’t think it was true. No matter how she saw herself, if she wasn’t free then she wasn’t free. If she was free she could leave and go wherever she wanted. If she was free she wouldn’t have to be with him.

  Yet sometimes she would almost forget as she worked in her garden. She would pretend that there was nothing beyond this moment. That nothing existed beyond this garden. She told herself that she was free here and could do whatever she wanted. That this was her place to do with as she wished. That she could feel and dream how she wanted. She would lay in the grass and stare up at the sky. Sometimes she would imagine herself floating up and away from this place. And even if it was only for a few minutes here or there, she’d feel free.

  Autumn found herself wanting to spend more and more time in the garden. There was a small gazebo in one of the corners of the garden.
One afternoon, she asked if she could have her tea there. The staff set up a small table and chairs. She enjoyed having her tea there so much that she later asked if she could have lunch there.

  After that, Autumn ate lunch in the garden nearly every day. Any time she didn’t have to eat lunch with Cage, she would choose to have it in the garden. Part of her worried that Cage might want to join her one day, but he didn’t. He seemed to have really given her the garden to do with as she pleased. After that first day he hadn’t once stepped foot inside. At least, not as far as she could tell.

  The fact that he let her be when she was in her garden only made her want to be there even more. She considered staying in there all the time. There were a few times she went over her two hours and Penna warned her not to mess with the schedule. In the end Autumn didn’t want to risk Cage coming into the garden or taking it away from her.

  She asked for another hour in the garden and Cage said she could have it if, and only if, she stuck to her schedule. Autumn now spent an hour in her garden in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She loved the garden more than ever. She loved to feed the animals, dance, and read, but most of all she loved having a place that was just hers.

  A few days later she finally learned a full song on the clarinet. She went to Cage’s office to play for him, but he was busy. Fredric told her to do something else for a while. She decided to keep practicing and went to the garden to do so. She found she loved the atmosphere and the sound of the music within the room. It was like she was playing outside.

  Twenty minutes later, Penna came to get her. She told her Cage was ready for her to play for him. Autumn met Cage in his office. While she made a few mistakes here and there, she managed to play a full song. When he said she had passed she asked him if she could quit the clarinet, and he let her.

  He asked her what instrument she wanted to learn next. Autumn asked Cage if she could take a break from learning a new instrument and instead focus on the instruments she already knew. She asked if she could practice playing the harp in her garden.

  The next day, when she came to the garden, a large harp had been set up on some stones in the grass. Autumn spent some time playing the harp. She enjoyed the sound it made as the birds sang their song. Autumn felt like she was some sort of mythical creature as her fingers fell across the cords. She enjoyed the feeling of her fingertips as they strummed the strings. Autumn closed her eyes and just listened to the music as she played.

  She didn’t know Cage had installed some cameras in the garden so he could listen and watch her whenever he wanted. When he saw her playing the harp he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It took him a lot of self control not to come into her garden and take her right then and there. Instead, he sent Penna to fetch her.

  Autumn was in the middle of playing when Penna came into the garden to get her. She told her Cage wanted to see her at once. Autumn wondered what he wanted but soon found out when she got to his office. He was already naked and waiting for her when she arrived. He quickly undressed her, and for nearly an hour he took her on his desk.

  **********

  Two days later Autumn woke late to the sound of Penna rushing around the room. Autumn yawned and stretched, wondering what time it was as Penna quickly put some clothes together. Autumn watched her move about. She wondered why she had been allowed to sleep so late.

  Penna paused when she noticed Autumn was awake. She made her way over to the bed with a smile and said, “Oh good, you’re up. I was just about to wake you. You need to get up and get dressed. You have a very busy day today.”

  “What’s happening?” asked Autumn as she rolled out of bed. Her feet touched the cold marble and she once again stretched before standing up.

  “I can’t tell you, but you must hurry. Cage doesn’t want to be kept waiting much longer.”

  “What time is it?” asked Autumn, looking around. She didn’t have a clock in her room so she had no idea how late it was. “Is it late?”

  “Yes,” said Penna, quickly pulling at Autumn’s nightgown.

  Autumn took it off, pulling it over her head. She handed it to Penna and Penna handed her a dress. As Autumn put it on, she wondered if Penna was alright. It wasn't like her to let Autumn slip on her schedule. She asked, "Is everything okay? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

  “Cage told me not to.” said Penna. "Everything's fine. Cage told me to let you sleep in."

  “Well, if he didn’t want you to wake me, then why did you? And why am I late?”

  “About ten minutes ago Cage realized that if he let you sleep, you’d sleep the day away. So he told me to wake you up and get you ready to go.”

  “Where are we going?” asked Autumn.

  “I told you, I can’t tell you.” said Penna. She handed Autumn a hairbrush. As Autumn brushed her hair, Penna rushed to get some shoes. A few minutes later she came back with some and put them on the floor. Autumn stepped into them and took notice of her clothes.

  The dress Penna had given her wasn’t sheer or fancy. It was a nice, solid summer dress with bright flowers and colors. The shoes were sensible for spring. Penna gave Autumn a sun hat. She wondered if they were going somewhere outside. She handed Autumn a jean purse. There was candy and oddly shaped coins inside. It wasn’t what she usually got. Now Autumn was really curious.

  “Can’t you at least give me a hint?” asked Autumn.

  “No. I’m sorry.” said Penna as her phone buzzed. She quickly texted on it and grasped Autumn’s hand. “We really must go!”

  Autumn nodded and let Penna lead her out of the bedroom. They went straight to the elevators. Autumn was sure they would wait for Cage, but they didn’t. Penna used her card to summon the elevator. When it arrived they both got in without Cage and went downstairs. When they switched elevators in the middle of the tower, Autumn was still surprised not to see Cage. He never let her go lower than the top floor without him.

  Penna held her hand tightly. When they got to the parking garage she took Autumn straight to a waiting town car. A bodyguard opened the door and Penna quickly shoved Autumn inside before the door was shut.

  Inside the car Cage was on his cell phone. As Autumn buckled herself in, Cage pulled himself away from his cell phone to smile at her. He said, “Good morning.”

  “Morning.” said Autumn. She was surprised to see him smiling. He actually looked like he was in a good mood.

  Fredric was driving and they soon left the parking garage. As they drove, Autumn looked around. She couldn’t help but wonder just where they were going. She knew it was a surprise, but she didn’t even have a clue as to what it might be. When the car pulled up in front of a very large park she wondered if he was taking her there or somewhere else nearby.

  Autumn knew she had complained a few times that her garden wasn’t a park, but surely Cage hadn’t bought her a park. Surely he wouldn’t be letting her just go to the park when she wanted. She started to get excited that this might be the surprise but quickly squashed the idea, knowing Cage would never let her just go anywhere.

  Fredric got out and opened the doors. Cage was first to get out, followed by Autumn. She heard music nearby, and she could smell hotdogs and funnel cakes. Up ahead, she saw an amusement park had been set up in the park. There was a barrier all around the park and this seemed to be the only way in. There was security around the barriers, keeping people from getting in as they passed the park. They seemed just as curious as she was.

  Cage hung up his cell phone and put it in his pocket. He took Autumn’s hand and held it tightly. They began to walk down one of the stone pathways of the park. As they drew closer to the amusement park Autumn expected to see more people, but there were only a few here or there. She wondered just what was going on. She turned to Cage and asked, “What are we doing?”

  “We’re going to a party.” said Cage casually.

  “A party in the park? What kind of party is in a park?”

  “A birthday party.” said Cage, with a little smile on his
face.

  “Whose?” asked Autumn, pausing.

  Cage paused with her and laughed for a second, as if Autumn should know. When Autumn just kept looking at him Cage finally said, “Yours. Happy birthday, Autumn. Is this outside enough for you?”

  Cage’s small smile turned into a grin, as if he’d been hiding it this whole time. Autumn realized she should have recognized how condescending he got when he was trying to be nice. Yet all she could think about right then was the fact that today was her birthday. Today was her birthday and she’d completely forgotten.

  As a kid she had loved her birthday. She would think and talk about it months in advance. As an adult she would still think about it weeks in advance. She liked celebrating it. Never in her life had she ever forgotten a birthday. But Autumn didn’t really know what time it was anymore. In Cage’s world, there were no weeks or months. Only every single day.

  Autumn knew it had been nearly two years now. Over two years, actually. She knew at some point her birthday would come around again, but she hadn’t really been looking forward to it. Last year's birthday had been awful.

  It had been her first birthday with Cage and she’d been in a sour mood. She'd only been with him for a few months. She hadn’t wanted to participate in any of his plans. The party had been in the tower with at least a dozen guards. There had been cake and gifts, but Autumn hadn’t wanted any of it.

  There had been music and some dancing, but it had all been a cruel joke. Cage had to open her presents as she wouldn’t even touch them. When it came time to do the cake and candles, Autumn had just sat there. Cage and the others had just waited for her to blow them out. Whenever a candle fizzled out it was relit, and whenever one got too low it was replaced. Eventually Autumn just lost it. She'd picked up the cake and thrown it at Cage. It had hit him in the face and chest. Autumn had just laughed. It had been the best part of the day.