Kept (Bound Book 1)

by Leona Keyoko Pink

  Detective Carter got into the driver's seat as Detective Stills walked around the car to get into the passenger seat. When both men were in the car Autumn looked to her bodyguards. One of them was on the phone. She hoped they were talking to Cage. She knew once he found out about this he’d do something, but still she did not enjoy this experience.

  She watched her bodyguards quickly move out of sight and saw the town car had arrived to picked them up. Detective Carter looked at them in the rearview mirror, shaking his head before he pulled out of the parking spot. The police station wasn’t far from the shopping center, maybe ten or fifteen minutes.

  When they got there, Autumn wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. She wondered if they would handcuff her and take her fingerprints or her picture. Autumn assured herself they wouldn’t do that unless she was being arrested. She didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. At least, she didn’t know what they wanted to talk to her about. Perhaps they were still curious about her birthday party. Or maybe…maybe this was about Penna.

  Autumn had been with her when she’d been murdered. Cage had assured her he’d find the rest of Penna’s murderers, but what if the police had found them first and wanted her to testify? Detective Stills gathered a file before they took Autumn into a small room with a mirror in it. She figured it was a one way mirror. They sat her down at a table and Detective Carter sat across from her while Stills gave the file to Carter. He chose to stand.

  Before either man started to speak Autumn asked, “Can I have a phone call? And a lawyer?”

  She didn’t know much about being detained by the police. Only that they couldn't keep her unless they were charging her with something. Cage told her that if she was ever detained, she was to ask for a phone call and a lawyer. He made her memorize his number so either she or the lawyer could call him.

  Detective Stills and Detective Carter looked at each other, as if they were surprised she'd asked for either. Detective Stills turned his back to Autumn. He looked into the mirror and Autumn could see him staring back at her as he said, “You only need a lawyer if you’re guilty. Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”

  “Like what?” asked Autumn. She was beginning to get frustrated with them. First they dragged her in here unannounced, and then they just expected her to know what they wanted.

  Stills turned around and looked at her like she was playing dumb. Autumn’s mind raced and raced but she didn’t have a clue. Finally Stills said, “We want to know what business you’ve been doing with Mr. Cage Zisgani.”

  “Business?” said Autumn, “I haven’t been doing any business with him.”

  Carter cleared his throat as he messed around with some paperwork in the file Stills had given him. Without looking at Autumn he asked, “What is your relationship to Mr. Zisgani.”

  “My relationship?” repeated Autumn.

  “Yeah.” said Stills, taking a few steps towards the table. “You seem to be spending an awful lot of time with him. Are you family? A friend? Or maybe something more?”

  “I…uh… I guess I’m his girlfriend.”

  “You guess?” said Stills.

  “We…haven’t really labeled it.” said Autumn as she thought about it. Up until a few months ago, she’d been his prisoner. In a sense she was still his prisoner, only her mindset had changed. Autumn bit her lip, knowing this was bad. Here she was liking the man who had destroyed her life, the man who had ripped it to pieces.

  She should be yelling and screaming at herself. She should attempt to talk some sense into herself. Yet all she could think about was whether or not girlfriend was too strong of a label. Surely not. She liked him and they had sex. Autumn realized she hadn’t really thought any of this through and furrowed her brow as she wondered just what she was doing with Cage. Who was she to him, now? Who would she ever be?

  Detective Stills snapped his fingers to get Autumn's attention as she was staring off into space. Autumn came out of her thoughts as he asked, “Do you know what Mr. Zisgani does for a living, Miss. Wrenal?”

  “No, not really.” said Autumn. Now she was playing dumb. To be fair, Autumn really didn’t know much about Cage’s business. But she knew enough to know what he did.

  Carter was silent, watching his partner question her. Every so often he would glance at her before looking down at his paperwork. He took out a pen, jotting down some notes on a pad of paper. Autumn wondered what he was writing down. He seemed to be studying her while his partner scrutinized her answers.

  Autumn looked at the two men and decided it was her turn to ask some questions. “Can I ask what this is about? Have I done something wrong?”

  “Have you?” asked Stills before her turned away from her. He slowly started to walk back to the mirror.

  Autumn sighed and rubbed her forehead. She was getting tired of not knowing what they wanted. For several minutes the room was silent as Carter looked through the file in front of him. Stills began to clean his teeth. Autumn wished they’d just get to the point.

  Eventually Carter pulled a photo from the file. He slid it across the table so Autumn could see it. Her hands shook when she recognized the man in the photo. It was her fiancée, Curtis Knyler. Her heart leapt. She had almost forgotten how he looked. Then, just as her heart leapt, it sunk, sending shivers down her spine as she remembered the last time she saw him.

  Over the last two years Autumn had done her best not to think about him. Slowly the pain of losing him had dulled, but seeing him now so vividly brought it all back to her. She began to tear up as Carter asked, “Do you know him?”

  “Yes.” said Autumn, her voice coming out weak and raspy as she did her best to hold back her tears.

  “Who is he?” asked Carter.

  “His name is Curtis Knyler. He was my fiancée."

  “Was…did something happen to him?” asked Stills, turning around to face her once more. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked up to the table again.

  Autumn glanced at Stills and then back to the photo. Quietly she said, “I don’t know…”

  “When was the last time you saw him?” asked Carter.

  Autumn felt the air in the room getting thick. She wondered how they had known about him. Why were they asking her these questions. Autumn felt like a zombie as she said, “After dinner. About two years ago. We were… we were celebrating our engagement.”

  “Really?” said Stills, as if he’d just won something. “You know what? He’s been missing ever since.”

  “He has?” asked Autumn. She was actually surprised. She knew he was dead, but surely someone must have found him by now. She’d never asked Cage what he did with him. It was hard for her to accept what had happened. What he’d done. It was like an old, deep wound was being opened up again.

  Autumn told herself things were different now. Cage wasn’t just some stranger, some psycho. He was still the man she’d first hated. She would always hate him for shooting her fiancée and ripping her life apart. But she knew more about him. She understood some of the things he did. It didn’t excuse him from what he’d done, but still, her feelings for him were different now. Everything felt messed up as she touched Curtis's picture. She ran her fingers along his cheeks and Carter pulled the picture away from her.

  He showed her another picture as he asked, “Do you know this man?”

  The picture was of an older man. Autumn had no idea who he was. She examined the picture closely before she shook her head and said, “No, I don’t know him.”

  “Really?” said Stills, shaking his head. “So your fiancée never introduced you to his uncle?”

  “His uncle?” said Autumn, looking back at the picture. She could sort of see a resemblance in the noses. “He wasn’t very close to his family. He didn’t have a lot of free time. For years he’d been studying to be a doctor. When we met, we barely had time to date. He told me it was hard for him to keep in touch with people if they didn’t see him daily. It was one of the reasons he wanted me to come to the city
. He’d chosen to do his residency there, and asked me to marry him so, so we could still…be together." Several tears streamed down Autumn’s face as she thought of him proposing to her. She couldn’t help but think that if she hadn’t been with him he wouldn’t have been killed.

  “Do you know who this man is?” asked Stills, ignoring Autumn’s emotions.

  Autumn quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks as she said, “No. I just told you, I don’t know this man. I've never met him.”

  “This man is Gashen Fayngin, head of the Fayngin organization. One of the top crime organizations in the city, next to Mr. Zisgani's organization.”

  “Organization...”said Autumn. Her face went pale. She'd had no idea Curtis was related to that kind of person. Or that his family was into that kind of business. She’d asked him once what they did and he’d simply told her accounting...filing. He'd brushed it off, telling her it wasn't anything exciting.

  “Yes.” said Stills. “Rumor has it he’s been looking for his nephew. You see, he was very close to him. Almost like a son. Which contradicts what you're telling us.”

  “I’m only telling you what he told me.”

  “Hmpt,” said Stills, as if he thought she was lying.

  Carter pulled out some more pictures. Autumn looked at them. They appeared to be pictures of debris from an explosion. Carter cleared his throat and said, “About a year ago Mr. Fayngin stopped looking for his nephew. A few months after that he order his men to move against the Zisgani organization. They destroyed some investment groups, banks, other various businesses we believe Mr. Zisgani owns.”

  Detective Carter threw down several photos taken from the train depot camera. Autumn’s mouth dropped as she saw Penna and her right before the attack, and then after. It was too much for her. She shoved herself away from the table. Stills reached for his gun as if Autumn were attempting to attack him, but Carter waved him off as Autumn burst into tears. She felt like she couldn’t breathe as she sobbed and choked on her tears.

  For several minutes the two men just let her cry before she pulled herself together. Carter left the room, getting her some tissue and water. He came back and she cleaned herself up before drinking the water. When she could speak again she said, “I... really want my phone call…and a lawyer.”

  “It’s alright, Miss Wrenal, we're almost done here. We’d just like a few answers to some of the questions we have, and then we’ll get you that phone call and, if you want, a lawyer.”

  Autumn looked at Carter and then Stills. She didn’t want to continue this conversation. She didn’t want to speak to either of them. She was pretty sure that if she asked they were supposed to give her a phone call and a lawyer.

  Stills began again. “Do you know why the Fayngin organization seems to be in a war with the Zisgani organization?”

  “No.” said Autumn.

  Stills stepped up to the table as Autumn held herself. He picked up a picture of Penna laying dead on the ground. “Do you know why the Fayngin organization would want to attack you and your bodyguard?”

  Autumn looked at him and then to the picture before she looked away. The men that had killed Penna...were Fayngin? She clenched her fists. She finally had a name to give the masked men in her nightmares. Whenever she dreamed of Penna, she would see them coming for her. Autumn would attempt to save Penna, grasping her hand. They would run but no matter how much she and Penna ran Penna always got shot.

  Autumn closed her eyes as she said, “I don’t know. I didn’t know it was them.”

  Carter sighed, leaning back in his chair. “So you mean to tell us, you have no idea whatsoever about what is going on.”

  Autumn sat quietly for a few seconds before she said, “Nobody ever tells me anything.”

  Autumn felt sick and tired as her mind filled with all this information. She started to realize this must have been what was going on these last few months. All the whispers, all the stress Cage had been showing. There was a war going on, between him and another organization.

  Autumn looked at the picture of Curtis’s uncle. She wondered why Curtis had never told her about his family. She wondered now if Cage had really shot Curtis because of her. Surely he would have known Curtis was a family member of another organization. Maybe killing Curtis had always been part of his plan, and Autumn was just collateral damage.

  Stills once again pulled her from her thoughts. “We’ve been looking for a connection to try and find out why these two are going at it. And the only connection we can seem to find is that one minute you were engaged to Curtis Knyler, and the next you are Cage's 'girlfriend'. Do you want to explain to us how that came to be?”

  Autumn looked at Stills before she looked to Carter. Both men thought she had the answers they were seeking. Autumn supposed she did. After all, she could tell them how it came to be. She could tell them how Cage shot Curtis and made her his…but she didn’t. Autumn had the power to get Cage arrested, perhaps even take down a few others, but she didn’t know everything. Clearly, if these detectives knew this much, there had to be more. And until she spoke to Cage she wasn’t going to tell either of these men what happened.

  Autumn sniffled as she sat up in her chair. She said, “I don’t see why Cage and my relationship is any of your business. I don’t know anything about the Fayngin organization or the Zisgani organization. I have no idea why me and my friend were attacked. I don’t know anything except that you can’t keep me here unless I'm being charged for something. I want a phone call and a lawyer.”

  “We can hold you for questioning up to a few days if we see fit.” said Stills angrily. He'd thought surely she’d crack once he saw her burst into tears.

  “I still get my phone call and my lawyer.” said Autumn. She wasn’t about to let him bully her.

  Carter cleared his throat, trying to settle his partner and change the mood of the room. He looked at Autumn. “Listen, Autumn, we know Cage is a dangerous man. We know he can do things that might make you think you shouldn’t talk to us. But we can protect you.”

  “IF you tell us what’s going on. The truth. The full truth.” said Stills, “Otherwise, when Cage goes down, we can’t help you. We can’t protect you.”

  “I’ve done nothing wrong.” said Autumn, “I'm done with this conversation until you get me what I asked for.”

  Both men sighed before Carter gave it one last go. “This is your last chance, Autumn. If you know anything Cage has been involved in, you need to speak to us now.”

  Autumn looked at them coldly and said, “Did you not hear me?”

  She felt strong then and defiant. It was the most rebellious she’d ever been to lie to two detectives, and to refuse to give them what they wanted. She didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to her, but she wasn’t going to let anyone push her around. She wasn’t afraid of them. She wasn’t afraid of Cage. If anything, she was mad. Pissed off that people were always trying to tell her what to do.

  Carter gathered all of the photos back into his file. He closed it before he got up and left the room with it. Stills glared at her for a bit before he also left the room. She wondered if they were going to get her a phone or call her a lawyer. Autumn kept her hands on the table as she stared into the mirror. Several minutes passed as they made her wait and she didn’t change her expression. She didn’t care how long they made her wait. She was done with them. She was done with this.

  It took everything for her to keep her anger in check. It was slowly boiling into rage. She wanted to burst out and scream. She wanted to throw her chair into the mirror and escape from the room. She wanted to find Cage and demand he tell her every last thing he knew. When the door finally opened Autumn expected to see Carter or Stills, but she was surprised to see Fredric.

  He stepped into the room and said, “Come on, lets go.”

  Autumn was surprised he’d left Cage’s side and stood from her chair. As she left the room she saw Carter was standing outside. He looked disappointed with her. Stills walked up. He
looked at Fredric and crossed his arms. “Well, if it isn’t Cage’s shadow. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to collect Miss Wrenal. I’m her lawyer.”

  Autumn looked at Fredric. She wondered if he really was a lawyer. She knew he was a bodyguard, but a lawyer too?

  “On whose authority?” said Stills angrily. He looked to Carter, wondering if he knew.

  “The call came down. We have to let her go.” said Carter.

  “This is bullshit!” said Stills.

  Carter just sighed as Fredric handed him a paper. “I’ve requested the video from your interrogation. If I find any mistreatment or misconduct against my client, I will be filing charges against you and this station.”

  Stills seemed to shut up then and go pale as he rubbed his jaw. Autumn wondered if he knew he’d done something wrong. She also wondered where the camera was, and if they were supposed to tell her she was being recorded. As Fredric led her out of the police station she realized they had recorded her crying and Fredric would see it all. For a second she wondered if maybe she messed up and said something she shouldn’t have.

  In the end she was too tired to care as she left the police station. Fredric took her to a black town car and opened her door. He let her in and then climbed into the driver's seat. Once she was buckled in he pulled away from the police station. Slowly he drove her back to the tower. Autumn couldn’t help but wonder what all of this had been about.

  Clearly the detectives were building a case against Cage, but they had been for years. So why question her now? What had changed? Was there some new lead? Were they close to making an arrest? Autumn knew she should be excited that she was finally out of there, but she couldn’t help but worry. She was glad she finally had an idea of what was going on but she felt like she still knew so little. More than anything she wanted to talk to Cage. At some point he had to let her in or their relationship, whatever it was, would never work.