Damaged
Page 14
She’d been putting off her doubts and worries, denying her fears. When they had first been rescued she’d put all her thoughts into hoping Cage would be okay. If he could just be okay then that would be enough.
Once she knew he was going to survive, her thoughts had shifted to what she could do to help out and ease his pain. She’d busied herself and tried not to dwell on the future too much. Then vacation had come. It was like a dream, a really good dream she didn’t want to wake up from.
Every day had been pure bliss. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, only today, this moment in time, and it was everything she could have hoped for. Cage was kind, caring, and sensual. It was easy to let herself believe they were like any normal couple on vacation.
She’d momentarily escaped from her reality but it was over now. Vacation was coming to an end. They would be going back. Her eyes opened and widened. She turned her head as it rested in the crook of Cage’s arm. She looked up at him. His eyes were shut and he seemed to be resting peacefully.
Autumn felt like there were knots in her head and heart. Flashes of the past danced across her mind. Though it had been some time since the warehouse, her heart raced thinking about it. She swore she could still smell the smoke and gunpowder. She could recall the ringing in her ears from all the gunfire. Cage, dashing in and out of sight.
Part of her wondered sometimes if they really had escaped or if she were still there, crouched down with her eyes closed. That all of this was just her imagining a future, hoping for something beyond that moment. Yet she knew they had survived the hurricane, the fury of the Fayngin. They’d nearly lost everything, come out a bit worse for wear, but it was over. The Fayngin had been destroyed and they were alive, together...for now.
Autumn’s brow furrowed with worry. She lifted her hand and began to trace her fingertips along Cage’s many scars. She’d memorized nearly all of them. Some were old, most were new. She didn’t want him to get any more. Every battle seemed to take its toll on him, taking pieces of him bit by bit. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow but it was coming steadily and soon...soon they would be in the thick of it once more.
She knew Cage was roaring to get back to work. He enjoyed the control, the power, even the danger, but Autumn wasn’t sure if she was ready to go back. She knew they had to. She knew this was her life now and she wanted to become stronger but really...If she had the choice, if it was truly up to her, she’d take Cage and leave it all behind.
She trembled to think of what awaited them. She assured herself the war was over and things would settle down for a while. Cage would be too busy rebuilding to get into any real trouble. And yet she knew there would always be danger out there. No matter how big or small, it would always be waiting to strike them down. She knew they wouldn’t always be lucky. Eventually they would succumb.
Tears welled up in her eyes as panic struck her. She wanted to wake Cage up, plead with him, beg him not to return. She wanted to ask him to just stay here with her where it was safe. Yet Autumn knew more than anyone, no matter what she said he would not give up. He would not surrender. He was the most stubborn and unrelenting man she had ever known.
She rolled on her back, biting her lip. She would just have to be twice as stubborn, twice as determined. She sighed deeply knowing she couldn’t stop Cage, couldn’t stop the danger. But she knew she could stop closing her eyes, she could stop running away. She could fight with all she-
“Go to sleep,”
“Huh?” said Autumn, turning her head. Cage’s eyes were still closed. She thought she must have imagined him speaking.
“You heard me,” he said, slightly opening his eyes, “I can hear you grinding away. I’m trying to get some sleep,”
“But I didn’t say anything,”
“You didn’t have to with all your tossing and dramatic sighs. If you want to say something say it, otherwise go to bed,”
“No...I...I was just thinking,”
“Worrying,” corrected Cage. “And that’s my job.” He turned on his side toward her, “Whatever it is, I’ll handle it like I always do. Now GO TO SLEEP,”
“But-” said Autumn.
Cage growled slightly, Autumn turned on her side, putting her back to him. She let out a heavy sigh and he pulled her to him, spooning her. He rested his lips against the back of her neck and kissed her gently. She smiled after a moment and closed her eyes. Whatever tomorrow brought, good or bad, they’d face it together.
**********
Fredric sat in his car staring at a burner phone. The phone itself was light, small, easily concealable if needed. It didn’t display the appropriate gravitas for this moment. He’d hoped things wouldn’t have gone this far, gotten this complicated, but time had a tendency to change things right in front of your eyes.
Fredric let out a heavy sigh, it was nearly time. Be ready. Be prepared. He’d learned long ago to hone and trust his gut. It was almost always better to act and be wrong than fail to act at all. The phone rang and he took in the number.
The man he was talking to this morning was the most paranoid man he’d ever met. In some ways, he’d written the book on being covert. He went to great lengths to stay so deep in the shadows that he was unidentifiable. Fredric had memorized this particular cipher, unique to their contacts. After three rings the call ended. Fredric opened up his phone and started inputting numbers.
In a way, he was calling the same number he’d just been called from. Each digit of the phone number increased or decreased depending on how many rings he received. It wasn’t a straight value, of course. The numbers didn’t all go up or down by three. It did mean he was using the third array however, so the first number went up by two, the second number went up by five, the third number went down three… it was a predetermined pattern. And it also meant that the order of arrays would shift too so that someone couldn’t simply copy the order he was putting in now the next time the phone rang three times. THAT value changed depending on the exact time the call was received and the exact time it ended.
After a careful count of thirty seconds had passed, Fredric hit the call button and held the phone to his ear. He felt vaguely guilty for what he was about to do but he pushed it aside. He’d done this so many times now it was surprising he felt anything about it at all.
The phone clicked and a gravelly voice, worn down by too much smoking, spoke from the other end. “Report.”
Fredric organized his thoughts in a split second and began to talk, “Cage has nearly recovered. He will be returning tomorrow. His plans with the Fayngin...” As he reported Cage’s latest plans and itinerary, he couldn’t help but flash back to the first time he’d met Cage. He could still remember every detail clearly, the way the grocery store had smelled, the sound of gunfire, how deep the barrel of that revolver had looked… and the snapping of bone.
But that was long ago and he’d been a different man with a different life. He’d done all he could. Whatever happened, whatever he’d chosen to do, these events were Cage’s fault and whatever happened because of them would be on his head. Still, Fredric couldn’t shake that hint of guilt, that bit of shame at betraying his friend of so many years.
He finished his report and waited in silence. There was a low, long rasp from the other side. “Soon,” the voice said, “The time to act will be… soon.” And with that, the phone went dead.
Discover other books, comics, and free short stories from Leona Keyoko Pink and Tim Terry at www.leonakeyokopink.com:
Infinity Series
Subseries
Bound:
Kept
Caged
Caught(Upcoming)
Confess:
Confess
Forbidden
Desire
HSA:
Season One
Infinite Souls:
Curse of Life
Obsessed:
Sess
Rest Of Me:
If I Pass This Way Again
Robberies:
Robberies
Taken
Pursue
Prime
The Girl You Die For:
Submit
Damaged
The Guiding Books:
Visions of the Maiden
Other Books:
Crestmoore
Ring Master
Weekend
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