Madeleine Abducted (4 page)

Her eyes were assaulted by the continued theme of decadence
and luxury that permeated every corner of the space. The room would have been
foreboding in the choice of dark, rich colors and dark wood furniture, if not
for the lighter colored accent of silk throw pillows and the cloth spread along
a large dining table. They entered into a living room area that was offset by
the elegant dining area to the right. The living space was filled with plush
leather couches, the leather stained to a deep red brown. Wing-backed accent
chairs were set amongst the sofas. The walls of the living area were lined with
floor to ceiling bookshelves with expensive, superb decorations perfectly
placed among the large leather bound tomes.

Two sets of rounded, wooden doors set opposite one another
on either side of the living space. This room, just as the last, was large with
high ceilings that also curved into a dome. However, unlike the other room, the
chandelier in this room was formed from dark iron, one large circle that hung
heavily upon four chains, lights fashioned to mimic candles dotting along the circular
frame. Unlike the splendor of the crystal from the other room, this chandelier
held a far more mystical feel, masculine in its formation, casting shadow
rather than light.

“Sit here.”
Maddy
was shoved down
onto one of the large couches in the room. Instinctively, she folded over
herself, the feel of leather against her skin reminding her of her nudity. She
flinched when Aaron’s hand came down to move her hair away from her face. His
gentle touch was striking in its contrast to the cold and unfeeling expression
painted across his face; his eyes only momentarily widening at the mark left on
her cheek. His tone was abnormally soft as he instructed, “Stay on this couch,
Madeleine. The doors are locked, preventing your escape. You will only anger me
if you attempt to move away from where I’ve placed you.” Like fur along her
skin, his voice soothed her. Her brain raged against the comfort, finding it
disconcerting, given the monster that must reside within his exquisite beauty.

He removed his hand from her, only to turn in the direction
of the other man. “
Xander
, follow me.”
           
Walking
through one set of doors, the two men left her alone. She cowered in fear, trying
to bury herself within the folds of the leather couch.

Aaron watched as
Xander
closed the
doors behind them. Once the large wooden doors were secured, Aaron’s eyes
narrowed on his best friend and guard. “Did you take part in this?” Seething
anger rolled off the carefully spoken words, Aaron’s inquiry carrying an
underlying question of
Xander’s
loyalty.

“No.”

Aaron looked over his friend and saw nothing but honesty in
Xander’s
casual posture and in the calm manner of his
response. “I wasn’t informed of her presence until she’d arrived to the
compound. There was no time between my becoming aware and the event for me to
tell you what your father had done.”

Every muscle in Aaron’s body clenched with the thought of
his father’s
gift
. He’d known for
years that the old man’s mind was slipping into a cavern of deeper depravity,
but he’d never imagined he could sink to this depth. The capture and
enslavement of an innocent woman; she had nothing to do with his family; she
owed nothing to The Estate. The heavy blanket of guilt settled over his
thoughts; Aaron knew this woman had been stripped from her life due to his
interest in her.

His mind drifted to the small woman, currently cowered like
a cornered mouse in his living room. “What are we to do with her,
Xander
? You heard what my father said; she is to be treated
like a slave and nothing more. Has he lost his fucking mind
?!
”
Aaron’s hand shot out beside him, violently knocking aside the papers and
objects littered along his desk.

Xander
winced at the sound of the
breaking glass. His face remaining trained on Aaron’s, a fierce determination within
him to calm the raging bull. “He lost his mind many years ago, Aaron, you know
that.”

Fury, like a poisonous river, coursed through Aaron’s veins,
splintering and fracturing within the capillaries of his skin. Fists clenched
at his sides, he could feel the pins and needles from the blood loss to his
hands. With steps, pulsing and heavy, he paced along the dark wooden floors of
his office.

Xander’s
voice broke through the
pounding of blood within Aaron’s head. “He seeks to control you, Aaron; to tame
you by forcing you into corruption. It is the same game you’ve played with him
since the beginning.”
Xander’s
posture relaxed as he
brought his hand up as if to inspect his fingernails. “I don’t understand how
you can be so shocked.”

Aaron glared at his first guard for the flippancy of his
statement. Yes, his father had grown madder with age; once keeping his crimes
within the dealings of business, he’d eventually moved on to cruelties only
possible for those who’d lost all sense of morality. Dipping into the shallow
dealings of drug trades and prostitutes, murder and conspiracy, his father had
kept his crimes limited to the lowest of society, to other criminals who knew
beforehand what they were getting themselves into.
But this
girl?
She did not belong in this world. She had done nothing to deserve
this fate. The cobalt light of her eyes flashed within his mind, the gleam he’d
seen as she’d spoken to him backstage. Even then, she appeared afraid, but
nothing like in the ballroom, the gleam all but removed by the dark tint of
fear within her wide-open eyes.

“I’m not shocked that my father has acted against me, yet
again. His obsessive need to drag me to his level has grown old. He knows I
will not reduce myself to garbage. I will not mess with innocent lives!” The
walls shook from the strength of Aaron’s voice, he grimaced at the thought
that, perhaps, the mouse could hear him through the walls.

Xander
chuckled, further enraging
Aaron. No other man could get away with
Xander’s
actions; but the two men had grown up together.
Xander
was Aaron’s friend before he became his guard.

“Well, what do you suggest we do with this new development? If
you free her, we die. It’s the only reason we remain locked up in this hell
hole … our lives are at stake.”
Xander’s
voice
lowered on those last words, not wanting to vocalize the futility of their
plight.

A lengthy pause before Aaron’s words rolled from his lips. “I
will die. Your use of the word ‘we’ is erroneous.”

Their eyes met and each man’s
posture straightened from the exchange. The silence between them was as
palpable as was
Xander’s
loyalty to his friend. “You
are mistaken, Aaron … ” His words spoken smoothly, pointedly, “ … if not in
this hell, then I will exist in the one that welcomes you upon death.”

Aaron turned, raising his hand to brush aside
Xander’s
words. “No need to rush the inevitable. For now,
we’ll deal with this one.” Picking up a pewter letter opener from his desk, he
pressed his finger to the pointed tip, calculating his next step. Silence fell
heavy upon the two men before Aaron finally spoke again. “I won’t train her. That
bastard looks to corrupt me, but I’ll have nothing to do with this game. We
need to decide on another approach. I want nothing to do with that woman; not
in this place.”

“If you feel nothing for her, why did you approach her
backstage at the concert hall? Why not just accept what your father has given
you, play along until we can ensure that more men are loyal to your side? We’ve
been working toward ending that asshole! We can’t afford to screw it up over
that woman.”

With unspoken threat, Aaron stepped forward toward
Xander
. His hands were again itching to strike out, to show
Xander
that under no terms would he defile Madeleine.
Aaron was not a good man. He’d cheated in business, he’d killed when it was
required, but never had he acted against an innocent person; and never had he
taken a woman against her will.

“You can’t ignore her. She has been gifted to you as your
slave. I’m sure you understand exactly what is entailed in the role of her
Master. If your father suspects you’ve disobeyed his directive, I hate to think
what consequences will follow; not only for you, but for the girl.”

Like the sharpest of blades,
Xander’s
words instantly sliced through Aaron’s resolve, reminding him that his decision
would not only bring torment to his life, but to hers as well. Aaron loathed
the choice he would have to make. Madeleine would need to learn the expected
behaviors of a slave and the hierarchy of the Estate. She would endure ridicule
and humiliation in her role, the injustice of being forced to act against her
own will. Aaron wasn’t sure such a small, innocent thing could survive the role
that even the most corrupt and sinful of women could barely tolerate.

“Fine.” One word, gritty against his throat, swelled closed
from contained rage. “We’ll train her; but she will not endure the abuse of the
other slaves.”

Xander’s
expression betrayed his
confusion and disbelief at Aaron’s words. “And how do you expect to pull that
off? You know we are constantly watched. Your father’s men will never let even
the slightest infraction slip … ”

“We’re not watched here.” Aaron’s rage finally overwhelming
him, his tone was raised, yet cold; each word spoken slowly, effectively: “She’s
safe within the confines of my apartment. There’s plenty of space.”

“But, he will want her displayed, Aaron. You cannot hide her
away in here forever. He will want to see that his
gift
has been accepted … used …
properly
.”

Aaron stomped toward the doors, the weight of his feet sending
tremors through the wooden floor. “This discussion is over for now. She will be
trained, but do NOT violate her,
Xander
. You are a
better man than that.” His hand slammed down upon the handle. A gust of wind
blew against his face as the air objected to the movement of the large wooden
doors. His eyes instantly sought her. She remained where he’d left her, balled
tightly in the middle of the large sofa. Even if you weren’t looking for her,
you still wouldn’t be able to miss her; the dark mahogany of her hair and the
alabaster tone of her skin helping her contrast sharply against the rich, brown
leather.

As Aaron passed, he noticed how her body would flinch with
each approaching footstep, how her skin was prickled from the cold of the room.
Cursing the situation, he turned to enter his bedrooms through the opposite set
of doors. He walked the long corridor, finally bursting through the door at the
end of the hall. His bedroom was another large, ornately decorated space;
lavish fabrics and dark woods softened by the elegant touch of fine metals and
plush carpeting. He only used the room for sleeping, spending much of his time
outside of the large compound, or buried deep within business in his office. Marching
toward the bureaus, he ripped open a drawer to grab a pair of sweat pants and a
black t-shirt. The clothes would swallow her, but he couldn’t let her sit
around pissing herself from the frigid air in the rooms.

The back of the bureau collided heavily with the wall as
Aaron closed the drawer. Spinning on his heel, he noticed
Xander
standing quietly in the doorway to his room. “Who are the clothes for? Please
tell me you’re feeling the need to dress more casually.”

“They’re for the girl.” Noting the disapproval in
Xander’s
expression, Aaron quickly added, “Has she eaten,
or gone to the bathroom; hell … or been bathed?” Before
Xander
could respond, Aaron moved his hand dismissively to his own question. “The
concert was last night, it hasn’t been twenty-four hours since the time they
could have grabbed her.” His words came out a tired mumble, as if thinking
aloud rather than attempting communication.

“She was bathed before the party. She … pissed herself when
Marcus tried to pull her from the room.”

Aaron’s voice thundered at what
Xander
had just explained, “Marcus
?!
What the fuck was Marcus
doing anywhere near her
?!
Is he the reason for the
mark on her face?”

Xander
let out a calming breath. “Yes.
Marcus was placed on our team today. He’ll be removed and never allowed near her
again for his inability to follow instruction.”
Xander’s
eyes looked directly into Aaron’s, his honesty and intent evident, but a touch
of guilt darkened his gaze. “I requested that Marcus retrieve her; I didn’t
consider that he would be violent in his task.”

Brushing past
Xander
, Aaron exited
the room and walked briskly through the corridor, back out into the main room. He
approached
Maddy
, but stopped short when her body
began to visibly tremble at his close proximity.

“I’ve brought you some clothes.” His voice thundered through
the room causing
Maddy
to whimper at the sound. Aaron’s
head tilted as he stretched his neck, relaxing the taut muscles. Lowering his
voice so that it was softer, he said, “They’re likely too big for you, but they
will warm you up.”

Madeleine continued to quietly shake, Aaron’s patience
waning with each passing second that she didn’t respond. He opened his mouth to
command her, scare her into submission, but his compassion got the better of
him in that moment. She was so small, so absolutely terrified that she was
nearly catatonic.
Xander
entered the living room and
Aaron walked past him, forcefully shoving the clothing into
Xander’s
hands. “Make sure she puts these on. See to her basic needs, but let her sleep
after that. I’m in no mood for defiance tonight. We’ll start the training in
the morning.” He began to walk away, but stopped abruptly, turning to quietly
ask, “Has she spoken since she’s been here?”

Nodding in response,
Xander’s
eyes
flicked to the huddled woman. “She spoke to me very little, but she spoke.”

One curt nod and Aaron moved toward his office, disappearing
behind the large wooden doors before slamming them closed.

Xander
moved slowly toward
Maddy
. His steps were soft against the floor, not wanting
to startle her as he approached. In a soothing voice, he cooed, “Tsk, Tsk,
little Cricket. That is not the way we treat our Master.”