Kept (Bound Book 1)

by Leona Keyoko Pink

  “You did good in there.” said Fredric as they were nearly home. They stopped at one of the lights and Autumn was so deep in thought she almost didn’t hear him.

  “What?” she asked as the lights changed.

  “I said you did good in there.”

  “Oh.” said Autumn, looking out the window. She was finding it hard to focus on anything. “Thanks.”

  They drove on for a few more minutes before Fredric spoke again. “I never liked you.”

  Autumn looked it the rearview mirror to see Fredric looking at her. She didn’t really know what to say to him. She kind of already knew he didn’t like her. At least, with as many dirty looks and sighs of contempt he had given her, she was pretty sure he hated her.

  Fredric continued on. “I never thought you were any good. A liability, at best. But you didn’t say anything when you could have. So I guess you’re not as bad as I thought.”

  For a moment Autumn wondered if he was trying to apologize or something. She didn’t really know what to say, except, “Thanks.”

  Neither of them said anything the rest of the way home. When they got to the top floor of the tower Autumn went straight to Cage’s office. She didn’t even knock before she attempted to open the door. It was locked. Fredric walked up behind her and said, “He’s very busy. I’m sorry, but he won't be able to see you today.”

  “I want to talk to him.” said Autumn. "I don’t care how long it takes. Let him know as soon as he’s free that I need to see him.”

  “I will.” said Fredric. He waited for her to turn and walk away before he pressed his hand to the scanner. It read his fingerprints and let him in. He quickly shut the door behind him.

  Cage was looking over the video feed of Autumn's interrogation. He watched as she broke down after seeing Penna. He paused the video before looking to Fredric. “How is she?”

  “She seems alright. As much as to be expected.”

  Cage nodded before he said, “Make a note. I want Detective Stills' head whenever it becomes convenient.”

  “With pleasure, sir.” said Fredric, nodding.

  Cage turned the video back on and leaned back in his chair as he watched the interrogation continue. He couldn’t help but wonder what Autumn was thinking now that she knew nearly everything. He knew she was going to want answers more than ever now, and he wasn’t sure he could afford the time to give them to her. Everything was coming to a close, and Cage could feel that the storm he’d been waiting for was finally on its way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Things seemed to be going a bit better. Cage’s organization had hit the Fayngin hard. They might even be nearing their last leg, but not everything had gone to plan. The drugs yes, guns, and even the various financial reports, yes. But most of the people had gotten away. None of the wife’s family could be located and several of the family friends were missing. The ones they could get to were just not enough to get his point across.

  Cage knew it had to be the mole. He, or she, still hadn’t been found, even after all six leads had been interrogated and dealt with. They had turned up nothing meaning it was still out there, coursing through his organization like a venom, seeking to destroy them all.

  Cage couldn’t believe so much had been going wrong lately. These last few months had been hell. He'd known when he laid down the black card that things wouldn't be easy, but he knew he could take the Fayngin. He’d worked too damn hard to let his empire fall because of a simple mistake. Ever since he’d created the Zisgani organization it had been growing, until now. But at this rate, from the numbers that were coming in, it was going to take years to recover fully.

  Cage banged his fist on his table, wondering how this could have happened. How things could have gone so badly. He’d always planned methodically. Nothing happened without a reason. And when he did take risks, it was because the reward was so great.

  Cage couldn’t help but think all of this was just bad luck and bad timing. No, he couldn’t blame it on luck. This wasn’t bad luck. He had made a choice, and these were the repercussions whether he liked them or not. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. He attempted to think about what he was going to do. How all this was going to play out. He had several strategies in mind. He knew he should be focusing on them, but all he could think about was Autumn. He wanted to make love to her until he passed out. Yet he knew if he went to her now she would want answers, and he didn’t feel like talking.

  He just wanted to feel every inch of her body against his before drifting into a deep sleep. The deepest, most sound sleep. And when he woke, he wanted to see only her. He wanted to bask in the warmth of Autumn's arms and just drift. How attractive it sounded. He’d worked hard all his life. He'd always been so focused, so driven. If he could just let go even for a little while and just…drift...

  Cage’s head jerked up at the sound of his cell phone ringing. He rubbed his eyes, realizing he’d been dozing off. He was still waiting for the next set of reports to come in. Even as he rubbed his face, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

  “Yes?” said Cage coldly as he blinked himself awake.

  “It’s me. I need to meet with you, C.”

  Cage recognized the voice on the other end and asked, “What’s so important that you need to see me in person? This isn’t about her is-”

  “No, no, it’s not that. But it’s big. And I don’t want to do it over the phone. Too risky. But it needs to be soon. What I’ve got to tell you is urgent.”

  Cage sighed. He ran through a mental list of tasks he still needed to complete before he replied. “Fine. An hour and a half. You know where. And be careful. There have been a lot of unexpected casualties lately.”

  “Fine, fine, I’ll be there.” With a click the phone hung up.

  Cage thought about what problem could be severe enough to require a secret meeting between the two of them, especially when things were so dangerous right now. Cage groaned as he ordered himself a fresh batch of coffee. Then he looked to Fredric and said, “Prep several cars, and the echo three meeting room. We’ve got an appointment to keep.”

  **********

  An hour and a half later, Cage sat in an office few knew about. Detective Carter sat perched on the edge of a desk. Carter yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He was clearly not used to saying up all night like Cage was. Personally, Carter liked to be in bed at a reasonable time. After his wife made him a nice supper. Alas, he’d been working a lot of long hours lately, and in his line of work he didn’t often get home until after dark.

  Cage began to tap his fingers on his desk as he waited for Carter to tell him what was so important. After a few moments of Carter clearing his sinuses and throat, he finally spoke. “Thanks for meeting with me, C.”

  “Well, you did say it was important.” said Cage. “Urgent, even.”

  “Well, it is.” said Carter, looking grim. He sighed, turning away from his longtime friend, and said, “The shit’s about to hit the fan.”

  Cage stared at him a moment, unblinking, waiting once again for him to get to the point. Carter stuttered onward. “Yo-you know that investigation I’ve been keeping an eye on for you? You know, the one about the alleged human trafficking?”

  “Yes.” said Cage, “As I recall, the last time we discussed it you reassured me that they didn’t have anything to go on.”

  “Yeah, well, it looks like a little birdy may have paid them a visit. Cause they suddenly stumbled across an awful lot of evidence. You know what I mean? Awfully convenient, how all that evidence started turning up when it did. Not that I’m saying any of them manufactured it. As far as I can tell, they’re all good cops.” Carter sighed before adding, “Poor as shit, but good cops. But there’s no way that kind of evidence was just left lying around for them to find.”

  Cage groaned. He already had enough shit to do. He didn’t need this right now. He rested his hand on his temple, rubbing it as he thought. He was sure the Fayngin were behind this. It almost made him laugh a
s he realized that while he was going after their financials they’d been going after his human trafficking. They just didn’t want to give up, no matter how hard Cage hit them. It would appear they were just as stubborn as him.

  Cage sighed deeply before he said, “I see… Well, I think I’ve got a good idea of who is behind this.”

  Carter paused for a moment as if he expected Cage to tell him. When he didn’t, Carter went on. “Well, whoever it was, they’ve been busy. Cause you know the OTHER investigation you had me watching?”

  “You’re kidding.” muttered Cage, as he pulled back from his desk. “That’s just overkill.”

  “Yeah, it really is.” said Carter. “Those investigators have also suddenly and surprisingly stumbled across a number of pieces of evidence. They’re pretty sure now that they can tie you to your drug- sorry, your alleged drug trafficking program.”

  “Fine! Wonderful.” said Cage. This was war after all, but even in war there were some lines that just didn’t get crossed. It was clear this had been a move of desperation. The Fayngin must have been sitting on this for a while and after his recent attack they must have realized they had to play their last card. It was this or destruction. No matter, he would still destroy them whether he was fighting a legal battle or not.

  “There isn’t anything I can do to derail these guys now. They’ve got too much on you. Sorry, C. The best I could do would be to delay them a few days, and get myself thrown in jail.”

  Cage went back to rubbing his temple. He was getting very, very irritated. “No, don’t do that. Just sit tight. I might be able to use you later. How long do I have before they show up at my door?”

  “I can’t even tell you that much.” said Carter. Cage glared at him and Carter quickly raised his hands in front of him as if to shield himself. “Hey, hey, don’t blame me! I guess they got word that they might have a snitch in the building. Suspicious emails and shit. I don’t know. Internal affairs has been poking their noses around. I haven’t left anything for them to find, so I’m not too worried. Still, I’m just gonna lay low, like I did the last time they started looking around. I can tell you this though. When they come for you, they’re gonna come big. Stills has been watering at the mouth trying to get me and him in with them. So you better be ready when we do come. I mean it. It’s not gonna be pretty. Someone higher up has got a real thing for you.”

  “Lately everyone seems to have a thing for me.” said Cage before he waved Carter off. “You can go.”

  Carter nodded, but before he left he said, “By the way, thanks for those season tickets. My boy really loves 'em. Making it look like he won a contest was genius.”

  “No problem.” said Cage.

  Carter left without another word, leaving Cage to think. He sat in silence for several minutes before he finally lifted his head. As he got to his feet Fredric stepped out of his place in the shadows. The two looked at each other before Cage sighed. “I have a feeling the next few days are going to be very long.”

  **********

  Two days passed before Autumn finally got to see Cage. Part of her was upset she hadn’t gotten to talk to him right away, but after a while part of her was glad. There was so much going on inside her head that she needed time to think. There were so many questions she wanted to ask and things she needed to know, but at the same time the possible answers frightened her.

  She wondered about the war that was currently going on. She wondered why Curtis hadn’t told her about his family. She wondered why the Fayngin had come after Penna and her. Surely if it was a war everyone was at risk, but didn’t they know she’d loved Curtis? Had he told his family nothing about her? Dozens of questions ran through her mind, but in the end it was one question that haunted her. Had Cage really killed a man to get her? Or had he just taken her as leftovers.

  For hours she argued with herself. If he killed the man she loved to get to her, it was awful. If he killed the man she loved to start some fucking war then it was even more awful. Either way he’d killed the man she loved and she was involved in this whether she liked it or not. And if she was involved then she wanted to know everything. Or at least as much as she could.

  On the first night Autumn tossed and turned in bed. The next morning Cage wasn’t in and Poppi seemed to pick up on her stress. He ran around the room barking and clawing at her until she settled down and petted him. She assured him everything was okay and he fell asleep in her arms. She found it hard to focus on anything, be it classes, crafts, or even entertainment. Autumn could only think of the questions she wanted to ask.

  That night she barely slept, staring up at her ceiling. The next morning she woke determined to get her answers. She was tired of worrying about what he might say and just wanted to get it over with. After breakfast Autumn went to Cage’s office. She pounded on the door and found he was in.

  Fredric opened the door and told her Cage was still busy. Autumn doubted he hadn’t had a free moment in the last day and a half. She told Fredric to tell Cage she would wait for him no matter how long it took. She would wait because she wanted to talk to him. Fredric only sighed before he shut the door on her.

  Autumn took a seat on one of the couches outside Cage’s office. All morning she saw people coming and going. When lunchtime came she had it brought to her. She wanted to prove she wasn’t going to leave until he made time for her.

  By mid afternoon she began to think he might make her wait all day, or he might not even see her today. She clenched her fists as she thought of another day passing by without answers. She told herself it didn’t matter. She would wait even if she had to come back the next day, and the day after that. She would wait until she got her answers.

  A few minutes later Fredric came out of Cage’s office. He looked at Autumn and she knew it was time. She let out a deep sigh before she got to her feet. Slowly she went into Cage’s office. Fredric shut the door behind her, staying outside. Autumn found it odd. Usually he stayed in the room even when things got private.

  Autumn couldn’t help but think something was up. She bit her lower lip and began to dread Cage’s answers, thinking she wasn’t going to like them. Of course, she'd known that as soon as she knew she wanted answers. There was probably a reason Cage hadn’t told her any of this, and no matter what answers he gave her Cage’s actions would always remain the same. Just as Curtis would always be dead.

  Autumn saw Cage penning something at his desk. As she approached he looked up at her, still writing. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked really tired, even more so than when he’d been injured. Autumn realized that this might actually be the first free moment he’d had.

  After a few seconds Cage turned back to what he was working on. He finished it up, folding the piece of paper he’d been writing on. He carefully placed it in an envelope before he sealed it. He then poured hot wax onto the outside of the envelope. Autumn watched as he pressed his ring into the hot wax, marking it.

  When he was finished making his mark he placed the envelope in a basket full of envelopes that sat on his desk. Autumn studied Cage as he turned his full attention to her. She noticed his clothes were unkempt. She wondered when he’d last changed them. His tie was undone. The first few buttons of his shirt were unfastened. He had his sleeves rolled up, and his suit jacket appeared to be folded over the back of his chair.

  Autumn lingered on his attire for a few more seconds before their eyes finally met. Quietly Autumn said, “Hello.”

  “Hello.” said Cage.

  Autumn continued to bite her lower lip as she wondered how to start asking questions. Over the last few days her mind had raced and her heart had leapt for this moment, but now, standing here, she couldn’t help but feel her voice catch in her throat.

  Cage looked at her gently then, as if he could tell she was lost for words. He pulled back from his desk, pulling a cigarette from one of his many drawers. He lit it and smoked it, giving her time to form the words she needed to say while he got a moment of peace.


  After a few minutes Autumn found her lips moving. Even if her mind wasn’t quite ready, they seemed to be. “The other day, some detectives…They took me in for questioning.”

  “I heard.” said Cage, before taking a slow drag from his cigarette.

  “I didn’t tell them anything.” said Autumn, taking a step toward him.

  “I know you didn’t.” said Cage.

  “Did Fredric tell you?”

  “No. I saw.” said Cage.

  Autumn found herself surprised even though she knew she shouldn’t be. After all this time she should know Cage had eyes everywhere. But still, to know he’d been able to see her in the police station... Autumn wondered if he’d been there or if he’d just seen her on the video Fredric had requested.

  Cage could see she was letting herself get distracted. He cleared his throat before he helped her to get back on track. “We don’t have much time, Autumn. You need to start asking your questions if you want me to answer them.”

  Autumn clenched her fists. It had to be now. She closed her eyes as she asked, “Did you know? Did you know Curtis was related to the Fayngin? Was that….the reason you killed him? Was it all planned so that you could start a war?”

  Cage was silent and Autumn opened her eyes. She wanted to see his expression but he had none. He simply sat there smoking his cigarette. After a few moments slowly passed, Cage put out his cigarette. “No. Believe it or not, Autumn, I don’t go seeking wars. For the most part there is a balance in my world, an understanding that is kept among the different organizations. We deal with each other from time to time, but for the most part we stay out of each other's way.

  “So why? Why would you kill him and start a war?”

  Cage exhaled through gritted teeth. "I didn't kill him to start a war. I didn't kill him because he was a member of the Fayngin. I didn't know. I didn't care. I still don't."

  "How can you say that?!" exclaimed Autumn. "I've seen what you've been through in the last few months. I might not know the specifics, but I know it's because of them! How can you not care?! Why did you kill him in the first place?!"