She looked at the half-eaten pancakes in front of her and everything that had been laid out for breakfast. She wanted to throw it all to the ground. She wanted to rip and tear everything to shreds. She wanted to scream to the top of her lungs. But she didn’t, because she'd already done all that before. She knew where it went and she knew who would have to clean it up. She slid her chair back, resting her arms on the table. She buried her head in her arms and began to weep, knowing from past experiences that it was useless. It was all useless.
Chapter Three
Autumn was surprised Cage still wanted to take her to lunch after the fight they’d had. True, they’d had worse fights in the past, but for some reason he seemed more tired than usual today. Autumn just wanted to go back to bed. She longed to bury herself under the blankets and just forget about everything as she drifted away.
Yet she had a schedule to keep. Once she finished breakfast Penna came to collect her. Together they went to play table tennis, more commonly known as ping pong, in the workout room. Autumn had been surprised when she’d first gotten this as a class. She’d played some ping pong in school a few times but had never really played it beyond that.
She'd always thought ping pong was such a simple game, but she found it could also be complex. In her first lesson she and her trainer just went over the rules and the different moves that could be done. It took her a few classes before they finally played a game and after that she spent each class sharpening her skills.
Autumn was never left alone with any of her teachers or trainers. Penna was always there, along with a guard. Each of her trainers had all been told what they could and could not do. Male teachers, for instance, could not physically touch her. If they needed to show her how to do something they either had to use Penna or another frame of reference. Like Penna, her teachers and trainers could not help her escape or get a message out to the real world. If they were caught doing so the guard within the room would take them straight to Cage or Fredric, where they would be dealt with.
For the most part Autumn kept to herself. She learned in her classes, but when it came to doing things she often liked to do them on her own once she’d learned how. She had to admit it was fun sometimes to do something with another person, but for ping pong Autumn liked the rhythm of playing by herself. She liked the sound the ball would make when it bounced off the wall and paddle as it moved back and forth.
Autumn asked Penna to play with her a few times but Penna didn’t much care for it. Penna preferred to watch. On rare occasions Cage would show up and play against her. Sometimes he’d even have them play a game after dinner. Autumn would decline but, like most things, Cage would insist.
He was actually rather good at it to the point where she wondered why he even wanted to play with her. She could go a few rounds with him at best, but for the most part she wasn’t a challenge. Thankfully they would never play long. Maybe one or two games before he had to go, or he’d switch to playing Fredric. At least a dozen times Autumn had seen them go head to head. Some games could even last for hours.
Autumn had to admit she was a little impressed. Once when she was in a good mood she even asked Cage when and how he’d learned to be so good. Cage told her he’d been home schooled as a child. Ping pong had been one of the few games he'd gotten to play, and he would often do so for hours. He told her he found a certain peace in the rhythm of the game.
Autumn always found it strange when he shared something personal with her. It was a rare moment indeed. Usually Cage was cold and calculating. He didn’t often let his guard down, and he didn’t often share personal information. Sometimes when she would learn something about his personality or past it would make him almost seem human, but Autumn knew he was a monster.
After table tennis she was allowed a half hour break. She chose to climb back into bed and was nearly asleep when Penna told her it was time for pottery lessons. Her classroom had a pottery kiln along with a wheel. Autumn wasn’t sure how she felt about pottery class. Sometimes it could be cool, but there were a few times where she would make a big mess with nothing to show in turn. She liked the feel of the clay in her hands as she spun the wheel but she didn’t understand how people could make such perfect pots.
Her teacher would always make pots like it was nothing. Autumn would watch her and do exactly as she did, but her pot would usually sink in on itself or turn out wobbly. Her teacher told her it was all about pressure and experience. She said that in time Autumn would get better. Autumn wasn’t sure if she would, but gave her teacher the benefit of the doubt.
She made a few mugs, jugs, and bowls, but for the most part Autumn liked making flower pots. She had a little area in her bedroom where she would put them. She asked Penna for some dirt and flower seeds, and made her own little garden. Once she had woken in the middle of the night to see Cage looking at them. She had about eight pots at the time and he told her she had enough. That she shouldn’t clutter her room with them.
Out of spite Autumn made more and more pots, and had about two dozen of them now with all sorts of flowers and plants growing in them. She would water and tend to them daily. It gave her something to do and sometimes she would pretend she was in a park, or her own garden. She wished she could grow her own trees and grass. Of course, none of her flowers and plants lasted long. They would often die after a few weeks, and she would plant new ones in their place.
Autumn didn’t know if they died from her not tending to them properly, or if it was because they lacked natural sunlight. She would always feel bad whenever a flower or plant died as they were the closest thing she had to escaping. She longed to one day be free enough to plant them outside but, alas, like her, they would never get out of the tower alive.
Autumn thought she would make another flower pot today but it turned out more like a vase or a pencil holder when she was done. Since they were going out to lunch she had to cut her class short. Taken back to her room, she washed up and changed into some outdoor clothes. When she was within the tower all of her clothes were sheer. Outside they were thicker, sometimes ever layered.
Today she was given a black dress with red roses embroidered on it. The sleeves went to her elbow and the dress fell to her ankles. She was also given black tights and small black ankle boots that had been polished. She was also given a small black purse that held breath mints and tissues inside.
As Autumn put on a long black coat she couldn’t help but feel like a doll. Cage’s doll, to be dressed up and used as he saw fit. When she was ready, Penna took her to the elevators. Cage came over a minute or two later with Lane and Fredric.
Fredric pressed his thumb to the scanner panel and the elevator showed up a few seconds later. Both Fredric and Cage had their fingerprints and eyes scanned so they never had to use a card. Cage didn’t even look at Autumn as he stepped into the elevator. She nodded goodbye to Penna before she got inside with him. She wished Penna could come with them so she could have someone to talk to, but when she was with Cage Penna was not needed.
As close as she and Penna were, it was hard sometimes for Autumn to remember she was just a job for Penna. Lane joined her and Cage in the elevator, followed by Fredric. When all four were in the elevator Fredric scanned his eye and selected the floor they wanted. Lane texted on her phone as Fredric whispered several code words into the radio on his sleeve.
When the elevator stopped in the parking garage a large town car pulled up. It was a lot like a limo, with two seats up front and two sets of seats facing each other in the back, but it was much smaller. The driver of the car was a bodyguard, and quickly got out.
Fredric climbed into the driver's seat. For the most part he liked to drive Cage whenever he went out. On the day Autumn had been taken, Fredric had been inside with Cage when the other driver, another bodyguard, had been shot. Autumn wondered for a moment whether Fredric would have taken them all down had he been driving, or if he would have been shot.
Fredric adjusted the driver's side seat to his heigh
t as the guard opened the passenger door. Lane was first to get in, barely looking away from her phone as she ducked inside. Autumn followed after her, sitting next to her on the leather seat, but had to move when Cage got in. He sat across from Lane and snapped his fingers for Autumn to move. She sat next to him and buckled herself in. Lane also buckled herself in, along with Cage. The bodyguard shut the door before running around the car to the sit next to Fredric up front.
There would be a car in front of them and a car behind them with more bodyguards. It was always like this. Sometimes Cage might have them take a limo, or change things up if he wanted to avoid detection. Once Autumn had been with him when he’d had six limos go out in different directions. They had been in a taxi cab and eluded whoever had followed them to go to some sort of meeting.
Autumn looked out the window as Fredric made his way out of the parking garage and onto the street. He turned on some classical music and Autumn listened to it as the Cage took out his cell phone. Both Lane and Cage texted for several minutes. Autumn sighed, wishing she had her own cell phone. She was allowed to have some electronics but nothing that wasn’t child locked or constantly monitored, and nothing that could easily access the outside world. Everything was controlled.
The only time she was allowed to make a call was if Cage was with her and let her. Once or twice a year he let her call her family, and only a select few of them. She was told what she could and couldn’t say and warned that if she went off script she would never talk to them again. It was hard for Autumn to talk to her family. While she loved hearing from them, it was difficult knowing she was probably never going to see them again.
They seemed to think she was a lab technician in a foreign country, and that she and Curtis were still engaged. They wanted to know when the wedding was, and it almost always brought her to tears. She’d say a few words about being busy, and apologize for not being able to talk for long. Then she'd tell them she just wanted them to know she was okay. But Autumn would never be okay again.
The calls never lasted long and when it was over Autumn would often stay in her room for the rest of the day, schedule or no schedule. Autumn sighed as she thought about it and then moved on. She knew there was nothing she could do. After a bit Autumn looked out the window.
She admired all the different buildings and people they passed, enjoying the drive as they made their way to the restaurant. When they got there, they pulled up at the front entrance. Fredric got out and gave the other bodyguard the car keys. He opened the passenger door and Cage got out, followed by Autumn and then Lane. Autumn realized then that Lane would be joining them for lunch. Sometimes she came with them but stayed in the car, or switched cars depending on what Cage needed. The four made their way down a red carpet and under an overhang. Men opened the restaurant's double doors as they approached.
They went right in and to their table. They never had to wait at Granule. Cage knew the owner. He always had a table set aside for Cage, or anyone Cage wanted if he called. Inside the Granule the lights were slightly dimmed with candlelight lighting. Soft classical music was playing from real musicians that had their own quartet set up. The tables were all set up with a fresh bouquets of flowers and nicely decorated tablecloths. Napkins were folded in different designs on expensive plates. The silverware was real silver and the wine glasses were sparking crystal.
The food was always ready when they got there, just waiting to be served. Cage always had their meals ordered in advance. Autumn never knew what she was eating until it was served to her. She often wondered what would happen if Cage changed what he wanted to eat at the last minute. Would they cook him up something new on the spot or have it delivered, seeing as Cage was a very busy man and often had a schedule to keep?
When they got to their booth in the far corner of the room, Cage reached for Autumn's coat. He took it off and hung it on a mobile coat rack next to the table. Lane also took her coat off and put it on the coat rack. Cage and Fredric kept theirs on. Autumn was first to sit in the booth, sliding to the middle. Lane came to sit on her right and Fredric sat next to Lane. Cage sat on Autumn's left as the food was brought out on platters. They were placed on the large table in front of the person they were meant for.
Autumn watched with mild interest as the lids were lifted. She saw her lunch first and smiled for a second. It was a grilled cheese sandwich with an assortment of cheeses, handmade French fries, and a large, cold, sour pickle. It was a simple dish for a fancy place, but Autumn loved grilled cheese sandwiches. She’d had it here once or twice before and knew it was amazing. A large glass of chocolate milk was also set down before her.
Autumn reached out, taking it in her hand. She drank some of the foam off the top before looking at what the others got. Lane got a small salad with carrots, lettuce, and eggs. For a drink she had some sort of iced fruit drink that had bits of fruit in it. Cage had stewed curry with asparagus, and a white wine to drink. Fredric had rocky mountain oysters with pasta and several servings of garlic bread.
Once the waiters left they all began to eat. Autumn hadn’t finished her breakfast so she found herself hungry once more. Quickly she picked up a fry, popping it in her mouth. She enjoyed the fresh salty taste of it before she picked up the grilled cheese sandwich and bit into it. Several strands of cheese stretched from the sandwich as she pulled it away.
While they were eating their meals a couple of detectives came over. One was tall and thin, while the other was fat and short. The tall one was named Stills and the short one was named Carter. Autumn didn’t know their first names but she'd seen them enough times in the last year or so to know them on sight.
Every so often while they were out they would run into these two detectives. Autumn didn’t think it was by coincidence. She was pretty sure they were following Cage, perhaps staking him out, though she didn’t know why they made their presence known to him or even talked to him. Maybe they thought if they showed him they were always around, watching, it might deter Cage from his various criminal acts. Yet Autumn knew for a fact that it hadn’t.
“Well, look who we got here! If it isn’t Cage Zisgani. Funny running into you here. We heard this place has a good risotto. What about you? What are you eating?” asked Detective Carter with a big friendly grin on his face.
Cage smiled to himself as he finished chewing the food in his mouth. He sipped some wine, swallowing it down before he lifted his napkin. He dabbed his mouth, wiping it off before he simply said, “Lunch.”
“Is it any good?” asked Detective Stills, looking at what Cage was eating.
“If you’d ever eaten here you’d know everything is. But I guess this place is a bit taxing for a detectives salary.”
Stills glared at Cage. “Well, not all of us can make our money illegally.”
Fredric had been eating as he listened to the conversation being exchanged but he paused when he heard Stills' comment. Even Lane looked up from her phone. They both stared at Stills like they had been offended by his insinuation. Autumn looked at Fredric and Lane, wondering if they were going to say something, but it was Cage that spoke. He was friendly and charismatic, with a snide tone to his voice. “Oh, I’m sorry Detective, are you charging me with something or just slandering me? I’d hate to have to get my lawyer involved.”
“I bet you would.” said Stills. He was close to the table and looked like he really wanted to haul Cage in right then and there.
Carter stepped in then, smacking his hand down on his partner's shoulder. He squeezed it tightly, pulling Stills back a few steps from the table before he said, “You’ll have to forgive Stills here. He’s cranky from dealing with busted pipes all night. Waste flooded his entire basement. He’s not used to dealing with shits, like I am.”
Autumn ate a French fry. She was pretty sure Carter was inferring that Cage was a shit. She looked at Cage and he sighed deeply before saying, “Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. I know a good plumber if you need help taking care of shit. I know a good cleaner too.”
Stills grimaced as Cage looked directly at Carter. He smiled at him asking, “How is that boy of yours doing?” Detective Carter didn’t say anything, flinching for a second at the mention of his son. Cage continued on. “I heard he’s won the Adimir Badge for climbing. Congratulations.”
“How did you hear about that?” asked Carter quietly. He let out a nervous laugh. His body language seemed tense.
“I have my ways.” said Cage.
Autumn had a feeling Cage was threatening Carters' son. Carter looked at Cage for a second and the two gave each other intimating looks like they were challenging each other. Carter slowly said, “I'll just bet you do.”
It was Stills turn to step in now. He tapped Carter's elbow and said, “Come on, let's get out of here. This place is starting to stink worse than my basement.”
“I don’t think it’s the food.” said Carter now, glaring at Cage.
Stills turned and started to leave. Carter stared for a moment longer before he followed after him. As the two detectives left Cage called out, “Say hi to Holly and the kids for me.”
“Right.” said Carter uneasily.
Cage looked to Fredric once they were out of sight. The two nodded to each other before going back to their meals. Lane texted on her phone once more. Autumn finished eating her meal before everyone else. She was surprised to be the first one done. Usually it was Fredric or Lane. Fredric often ate fast and had seconds, sometimes thirds. Lane usually only picked at her food, barely eating it before she was finished. Today she seemed to be drinking her fruit juice in between sucking on baby carrots from her salad.
When Cage noticed Autumn was done he teased her. “Would the victim prefer a cinnamon roll or ice cream for dessert?”
Kept (Bound Book 1) Page 5