Madeleine Abducted (7 page)

Xander
fought to keep his
expression impassive, yet the slight curve to the corner of his mouth gave him
away. “I believe we have a few years before we can rely on old age as our
ally.” He paused, choosing his next words. “What are my instructions for the
girl? Am I to start training her in the morning?”

Aaron’s brow furrowed in consideration of
Xander’s
question. “No.” He sat up to place the glass on
the table in front of him. “I think I’ll handle her in the morning. She seemed
more
receptive
to my company than
yours during our last little encounter.”

“And what are your plans for her? She’s found her voice, apparently.
Should I purchase some earplugs for us?”
Xander
smiled.

Rubbing at the tight muscles of his neck, Aaron chuckled at
Xander’s
joke. In reality, it wasn’t funny, they were
discussing teaching despicable things to an innocent woman who didn’t deserve
the horrors she would soon face. “No. I don’t think it will be necessary. I
have a week to get her ready for her presentation. I believe this can be done
with as little fight as possible. Hopefully, we can coax her into submission
rather than forcing the issue. However, my instruction still stands that she
not be violated in any way.”

Nodding in acknowledgement,
Xander
responded, “Of course.”

Exhaustion battering at his body, Aaron stood to walk toward
his bedroom. “We’ll reconvene in the morning, but, for now, I need my sleep. I’ll
have my hands full come tomorrow.” Sluggishly, Aaron traveled the long corridor
until finally reaching his room at the end of the long hall. Stripping off his
clothes, Aaron’s thoughts continued going back to the small woman currently
sleeping in the room down the hall. He thought about how beautiful she’d been
when he’d presented the rose to her the night of her performance. Inwardly, he
cursed himself for that offering, blamed
himself
for
the events that would soon occur. Walking across the room, he turned on the
stereo in his room and was reduced to shame when the lonely and haunting sounds
of a cello sprang forth from the speakers. The quality of the music was
exquisite, but it was the soul of the musician that called to him from within
those notes. Melancholy like he’d never experienced, a kindred spirit singing
to him with wordless sound. Images of a beautiful, chestnut-haired woman
mastering an instrument, backed by a full orchestra came into his mind. He
swore he could feel each touch of her finger to the strings, each pull of the
taut hair of the bow. It wasn’t just music that was elicited from the
combination of wood, metal and Madeleine, it was emotion, thought, a message
only understood by those who could appreciate the fine combination of the sea
of notes, blended together into an intoxicating song.

Crawling into the warm softness of his bed, his mind drifted
with each note of the instrument, as he was lulled into slumber. His heart
constricted at the thought that he would end up breaking her, possibly ruining
the very thing that had brought him comfort in the unending nightmare he called
life.

Light flickered in through the window; thin fingers of
orange and red touching her face, gently waking her to a new day.
Gradually,
Maddy
was brought from the comforting blankness of slumber's void, back into a
nightmare that existed in her waking life. Groggy, she pushed herself up, her
muscles protesting the movement, begging for more time to remain slack and immobile.
Almost to a point of being closed, her eyes were swollen from tears shed the
previous day. Hair clung to her skin, sticky from fearful sweat. Had she been
home, she would have crawled into a bath, soaked in the luxury of warm waters.
But as it was, she could only wait for the beautiful monsters to return, to
claim her once again as theirs.

The
room was quiet and sound did not invade from the hallway she knew to exist
outside the door. Her eyes traveled around the room that acted as her prison. This
space wasn't as elaborate as the other rooms she'd seen; the walls were bare,
not even adorned with the rich colors of the other rooms of the apartment. The
walls, carpeting and fabrics of the space were cream, bland in comparison to
what she'd seen before.

Fear
continued to hold her body hostage, but curiosity rubbed along the back of her
thoughts, driving her to crawl down from the bed to tiptoe to the expansive
window. Pulling the thick curtains aside, her eyes were met with nothing more
than trees; their leaves, a symphony of color: reds, oranges, and
golds
as nature pushed forward into the slumber of winter.

Despite
the large grounds, not a single sign of life stirred before her eyes, the
scene, nothing more than a painting, one solitary moment frozen in time. Her
fingers, long and thin, those of a musician, touched the frost kissed glass as
she lamented her captivity. As she was lost to thought, she noticed how quick
bursts of wind broke up the scene, creating small cyclones of fallen leaves
dancing in its path. Only a week before, she'd looked forward to the coming
season, a fond memory of a childhood spent enjoying the serenity of the earth
as it laid itself to rest with promises of life beginning again with the coming
Spring.

Warmth
trailed down her cheeks; her tears were a physical manifestation of her pain. Never
again would she return to that time in her life, to a time where she'd taken
her freedom for granted.

A
soft sound of metal sliding against metal alerted
Maddy
that her time of solitude had expired. She continued staring out the window,
not caring to see who walked in through that door. Another click and the swish
of the door brushing across the carpet and
Maddy
knew
she was no longer alone. She waited for a command, braced for the sting of someone's
hand across her cheek; but mostly, she grieved for how easily she'd been
broken.

A
minute passed, and another. No command came. Her body was left untouched. Curious,
she turned to peek out from behind a tangled curtain of brown hair. Her breath
caught; Aaron stood silently within the doorway. He held his body with perfect
posture, however his hands were casually tucked inside his pockets. The
material of his white dress shirt pulled at the broad expanse of his chest,
hiding nothing of the toned physique underneath. The tails of the shirt were
tucked into the slate grey slacks that hung perfectly from his narrow hips. Her
eyes slowly moved back to his face where she was met with eyes the color of a
rainforest after a storm; different shades of green blended perfectly from the
light bouncing off the leaves. The perfectly straight line of his nose ended at
full lips, the kind that make women think sinful thoughts.

She
expected him to speak, to demand something from her, but only silence followed.
Returning her eyes to the window, she watched him through the reflection in the
glass. Minutes passed, tense and foreboding, as she watched him stand
motionless. Her fear was soon tainted by wisps of confusion and anticipation;
an undercurrent of curiosity calling for her to turn, ask him why he’d made no
move to approach her. The silence was heavy, only the sounds of her breath and
the beat of her heart interrupted her quiet expectation of violence.

Another
minute …

Another
…

Madeleine
lost track of time as she waited, but Aaron simply stood in the doorway, never
changing position, never uttering a single sound. Through his transparent
reflection in the glass, she watched the leaves dance within the blowing winds
— a kaleidoscope of colors — telling her that fall was turning into
winter. The longer she waited, the harder her heart pounded, the faster
thoughts and questions flooded her head. The tension between them built to a
point of palpable discomfort, yet Aaron never moved, never spoke, just stood
there watching her, waiting for her. Slowly, her head turned, her eyes peeking
out from behind the thick curtain of matted hair. The swirling greens of his
eyes held her gaze, penetrated deeply, as if he knew her on a deeper level than
she understood.

Her
voice, so quiet, almost a whisper, finally broke the tense exchange. “Why are
you not moving?”

A
crooked grin finally broke free of his sculpted mouth. “So,
Xander
was correct. You do speak.”

Anger
tore through her body at his levity. He’d taken her life, her freedom from her,
and all he could do was mock her for her silence. Never before had she felt
such insolence from another person. He sickened her, this man that portrayed
beauty and refinement, while hiding poison and death … darkness … within him.

Her
head spun back to the window favoring the transparent apparition of the monster
to the physical threat lurking in the doorway. Blood rushed through her head,
the pounding white noise only building her anger, her absolute disgust with the
man standing behind her. Never moving, not speaking again, Aaron stood … waiting.

Like
a string pulled too tightly, her patience snapped, striking at her with the
sting of indignation and insult. Whereas the others had made their intentions
known, had struck her and insulted her and demanded her obedience, this man
left her in a stagnant void, depriving her of even the faintest hint of her
fate. His was the worst offense, not allowing her the knowledge of what was to
come. Her only defense was to force the issue, take away his control, and give
him no choice but to act.

Turning
to him, her eyes burned into green eyes filled with malice and mirth. “Tell me
what you want, or go away! Just do whatever it is your sick mind can come up
with!” Her small body shook from the force of her anger. The feeling was alien;
she’d never been driven to a point where rage drowned every nerve, every cell
within her body.

Impassive
and neutral, his eyes held hers. The only thing betraying his thoughts was the
slight tick of his jaw. Trapped by his inaction, suffocating within the void of
not knowing,
Maddy
lost herself, moved to approach
him in demand of his intent. A burst of surprise was quickly seen in the slight
widening of his eyes as she approached, but he remained still, waiting to see
what she would do. When she was in range of him, her hands came up to wrap
themselves within his shirt. Her strength was not enough to move him, but she
pulled and pushed at him anyway, attempting to goad him into action.

“Just
tell me what you want, you bastard!”

Fire
flashed through his eyes, smoldering and bright, it burned into her as she
exhausted herself in futility and fury. Finally his hands came up to hers,
quickly enveloping her small form, removing her grip from his clothes. His
fingers wrapped tightly around her wrists. She could feel the bruises form from
his strong hold.

Razor
sharp and controlled to a point of lethal resolve, his words were spoken with
warning. “I recommend you never attempt touching me again without permission,
Madeleine. Acts such as those will likely get you beaten or killed.”

Rebellion and contempt darkened her gaze. “Then why not just
get it over with?”

Like lightning on a clear day, he struck quickly and without
notice. Curling his fingers deep within her tangled hair, he pulled her toward
him, bending down so that his lips were pressed against her ear. Menacing and
cruel, his voice shook her, igniting within her the terror that should have
crippled her long before.

“I warned you,” he said.

Three words were all he spoke before pulling her behind him
as he walked out of the room and down the long corridor to another doorway. His
free hand slammed down on a handle, freeing the closed door and revealing the
bathroom she’d been led to by
Xander
the night
before. Crying out in pain, her hands went to his, trying desperately to free
her hair from his grip. Tears cascaded from her eyes, the earlier swelling and
burn relieved by the sudden return of moisture. She was nothing more than a
doll being dragged along the bathroom floor, her efforts at escape useless
against the strength of his hold. While she struggled and while she screamed,
she became aware of the sound of water only moments before she was shoved into
the shower.

So cold, the water that saturated her clothes, wrapping her
in a blanket of ice, causing her to scream even louder from the feeling of
knives being dragged across her skin. Her muscle spasms tightened and convulsed
until she could barely move, barely fight against what he was doing. Finally
giving in, she dropped to her knees as sobs escaped her, causing her body to
thrash violently against the smooth tiles of the shower floor. She felt as his
hands came down to the waistband of her pants, pulling them easily off her
before tossing them to the opposite side of the bathroom.

“No! … Please! … ” She begged while he let go of her hair to
use both hands to tug away her shirt. Once removed, he tossed it aside and
turned his eyes back to her huddled form.

“If you’ll promise to behave, I’ll add some warm water to
your bath.” His words were matter of fact, lightly brushed with humor as he
offered her relief from the freezing water.

Hurried footsteps could be heard as another person
approached the room. Aaron tore his eyes from her to look behind him for a
split second before turning back to her.

“
Aaron …?
”
A
hesitant question.
Xander
stood in the
doorway, obviously confused by the scene playing out before his eyes.

Ignoring the concerned man behind him, Aaron reached down to
once again take
Maddy’s
hair into his hold. Wrenching
her head in his direction, his eyes burned down on her, demanding compliance. “Apologize
to me and I will give you the heat you need. Your skin is already turning blue,
Madeleine. Apologize and let me correct that.”

Her teeth chattered violently in response to the deluge of
water. She could feel her skin becoming numb, tightening to a point of
discomfort against her muscles and bones. “Please … ” Barely a squeak as her
breath grated against her cracked lips. “Please … ”

Aaron released her hair, allowing her to fall against the
tiles again. “’Please’ is not an apology, Ms. Clark.”

On her hands and knees she attempted to crawl along the
floor, only to be pulled back underneath the spray of the shower by Aaron. Spasms
shook her convulsing muscles again when the water met her skin. She cried out
from the pain.

“Aaron … ”

Aaron turned to
Xander
and yelled,
“Leave now!” Rage boiled and burst from each word he said to his friend.
Xander
responded by quickly turning and exiting the room;
his eyes momentarily meeting
Maddy’s
as he left.

“Apologize, Madeleine.” Aaron’s terse words were a command
that would have to be followed if she was to find relief from the agony of the
frigid water.

It took her three attempts to finally be able to rasp the
words, “I’m sorry, please, I’m so sorry.”

Warm tendrils of water found her skin, caressing her,
inducing the blood to begin circulating through her restricted veins. She sat
still under the water, waiting as Aaron stood above her. At a slow crawl, the
minutes ticked past as she allowed the warm water to erase the bite of the
cold. Steam quickly filled the air, rolling with her and Aaron’s exhaled
breath.

Softly, she felt hands slide along her skin, starting at the
bottom of her back, moving it’s way along her spine, eventually touching her,
holding her at the base of her head. Her body flinched at his touch, tightened
as he moved along her soaked skin. “It’s time we start discussing the rules,
Madeleine … the first being that you are to bathe at least once a day. I do not
tolerate lack of hygiene in my home.”

She could only nod her head in response. His voice was
unsettling; smooth and deep, wrapping itself around her, providing comfort for
reasons she could not understand. However, that voice … no … it didn’t match
the viciousness of his words, the cruelty of his intent, and his complete lack
of compassion toward her.

Reaching over her, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo as his
other hand moved deeper into the hair at the base of her scalp. She winced, her
scalp still sensitive and sore from having been dragged down the hall by her
hair. Slowly he poured and then massaged the contents of the bottle into her
hair. Sensual musk, the smell of a product intended for a man, a smell most
women would find inviting, would want to bring close to them. She wanted it
nowhere near her, much less rubbed onto her head and her skin. Small iridescent
spheres sliding over her, the suds picking up light and throwing it back to her
eyes in all colors of the spectrum; beauty once again masking the abhorrence of
the act, abuse wrapped in feigned care.