Bound: A Caged Novella Read online

  She walked over and took the chair that sat in the corner of the room and dragged it over to the bed. Another police officer walked in and stood to one side of the room. “You feeling okay, Jeanie?”

  Their familiarity with Jeanie prickled my senses but I remained silent.

  Jeanie nodded, then winced. “Killer of a headache though.”

  “Well there’s one thing.” The policewoman smirked. “At least now I can get you a police guard.”

  “What the fuck?”

  All heads turned my way, and as if the cops hadn’t noticed me before, they stared at me. “And you are?”

  “A friend of Jeanie’s,” I declared before Jeanie had the chance to open her mouth. “What the hell is going on?”

  The two police officers looked to Jeanie, whose own gaze drifted to me. She looked contrite for a moment, as though I was going to punish her. That peaked my attention. “Would you mind waiting outside, Anderson?”

  I didn’t really have a choice. Grumbling, I got up and walked outside. The corridor was busy, much more active than the paediatric ward. Doctors and nurses rushed round, regular visitors came back and forth, and patients wearing gowns strolled up and down.

  Except, even through the bustle, I didn’t fail to see him.

  “Hey!”

  The scruffy fuck froze. The shock on his face was evident, immediately making me suspicious.

  He backed off when I took a few steps towards him, and as I quickened my steps, he turned and belted down the ward.

  As if they had heard me, Jeanie’s room door flew open and the Asian woman looked at me expectantly. Instinctively, knowing this guy had something to do with Jeanie, I pointed down the corridor. “He went through the double doors.”

  “Derek!”

  Both raced down after Scruffy Fuck, Derek talking quickly into his radio as they disappeared through the doors.

  Jeanie looked at me with tears shimmering in her eyes when I walked back into her room. “Hey.”

  Stunned by the fact that she didn’t pull away when I folded my arms around her, I pulled her in closer. Her body felt soft against mine, her scent almost overwhelming. It had been two years since I’d held a woman, never mind consoled one, and the feeling of her soft skin against mine made me close my eyes.

  “What’s going on?”

  She didn’t recoil at my question, but moved back and rested against the headboard. “Eight months ago, a four-year-old boy was brought in with multiple head wounds. He’d fallen out of a fourth-floor window while being looked after by his nanny.”

  My whole body shuddered, thinking of the poor boy.

  “The doctors operated on him immediately, and although he was in a critical condition, he was stable and expected to make a full recovery.”

  She sucked in her lips and the sorrow that shone from her eyes made my gut tighten.

  “I was on the night shift, and Jeremy had been placed in my care. He seemed fine. His obs were all satisfactory and he appeared to be responding well to the treatment.”

  Taking her hand in mine when it started to tremble, I gave her a soft squeeze. “Go on.”

  “I went to the toilet.” Shaking her head, trying to dispel a tear as it rolled down her face, she grew angry. “I just went to the toilet, Anderson!”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  Squeezing her eyes closed, she bit into her lip. “I came back and he was dead. Three of my colleagues were working on him, but he didn’t respond. I took over. I did everything I could. But…” She shook her head, finishing the story with no words. “He’d had an allergic reaction to the medication.”

  “Shit.”

  She nodded. “An inquest into his death divulged that I was the last one to administer the drug. Jeremy’s father wants justice…” She paused, swallowing heavily. “Via me.”

  “But it wasn’t your fault.”

  “In a way, no,” she said quietly. “But I gave him the penicillin, and I should have given it more time before I went to the toilet.”

  “You couldn’t have predicted that was going to happen.”

  She shrugged. “Who could? I understand Jeremy’s father’s need for revenge, I do. His grief is so deep-seated that it’s sent him crazy.”

  I got that, I did. If something had happened to Sam, I’d have gone crazy too. But it still didn’t make it Jeanie’s fault.

  “Zainab?” Jeanie leaned forward, the hope on her face clear when the policewoman came back into the room.

  Zainab shook her head, the feral growl that left her startling for such a small woman. “Nope.”

  Jeanie slumped back against the pillows and closed her eyes. “Fuck.”

  Eight

  Jeanie

  “This is stupid.” I sighed, sulking, as I looked around the entrance hall to Anderson’s huge house.

  “It’s wise.”

  Pulling a face behind Anderson’s back, I dropped my bag to the floor and freed Blue from the confines of her carrier. She stuck her nose in the air, flipped me off with her tail, and walked off towards what seemed to be the kitchen.

  “I hope she’ll be alright with Red,” Anderson mused. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself when he mindlessly watched Blue disappear around the door with a troubled look on his face.

  “She’ll be fine.”

  He smiled, picking up my bag from where I’d dropped it. “I’ll show you to your room, I’m sure you’re ready for a nap.” Was that code for, ‘I’ve had enough of you now, bugger off out of my sight’?

  Yet, when a yawn came out of nowhere, I decided he might be right.

  Following him up the stairs I couldn’t help but notice various photographs adorning the walls. The woman in them was stunning, her long, golden red hair cascading in waves over her shoulder and her vivid blue eyes twinkled with happiness.

  Although she had the same colouring as me, both in hair and eyes, I didn’t notice a resemblance between us. I knew Anderson was only trying to help, offering me the use of his spare room for safety, but I also sensed something between us. A spark of chemistry that was proving more difficult to ignore the more time I spent with him.

  “Hope this is okay.”

  “More than okay, thank you.” I smiled widely at him when he placed my bag on top of the bed, the plain grey duvet not providing much in colour, but it was clean and cosy.

  “Unfortunately, we have to share the bathroom. There’s only one in the house, but the door has a lock.”

  Nodding, I zipped open my bag and grabbed my toiletry bag. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll take a quick bath and sleep? I’m still sluggish from whatever knocked me out.”

  “Of course.” He made towards the door then turned back. “I have a fight tonight, but Red will be here with you. She’ll not let anyone hurt you.”

  As if on cue, a large red setter trotted into the room, sniffed my hand, and then curled up beside my bed. Her large eyes fixed on me and she watched me move about the room, but she never attempted to move from where she lay on guard.

  It felt strange. I hardly knew Anderson, yet I felt safe with him. It hurt when I admitted that I didn’t have anyone else. My parents had both died, and my only real friend was Melinda, who had her own problems. When Anderson had told Zainab that I could stay at his, naturally, I had refused, but he was the kind of guy that didn’t like the word ‘no’. Which hadn’t really surprised me. Anderson was very much like Andy, dominant and in control, and I knew damn well that was why I was attracted to him. I’d always been the timid little nurse, the mousy one at school that everyone picked on, yet, as I’d grown I had realised I was that way, because that’s exactly who I was, even in my adult life. It wasn’t something I should be ashamed of, yet, the things I enjoyed were considered taboo, even in this generation. I knew even Anderson wouldn’t understand. Yes, he was very alpha, very assertive, but my sexual preference went further than just been bossed around in the bedroom. I liked the lick of pain, got off on the release of blood.

&nbs
p; Red sighed, snatching my thoughts away. “Well aren’t you just gorgeous.” She tilted her head, allowing my fingernails to dig deep into the groove behind her ear, and the soft whine that voiced her enjoyment caused me to scratch harder. “I bet you miss Sam, don’t you?”

  Her ears pricked up at the sound of Sam’s name, and I rubbed her head for a little comfort. “He’ll be home soon. I promise.”

  Seeming to accept my promise, she stretched out and lay down on the fluffy rug covering the full length of one side of the bed as I went to run the bath.

  The roar of a motorbike told me Anderson had left, which helped me to relax more as I took a long, hot soak. My muscles sighed in approval when I lowered myself deep under the water, the heat massaging the tightness in my bones that had been present since I’d woken up in hospital with a killer headache.

  My phone rang, and groaning, I grabbed it from the side. The unknown number had me hovering apprehensively over the accept icon, but swallowing the suspicion, I answered.

  The silence that greeted me told me I had made a bad move, but not wanting to give the bastard the satisfaction, I sighed dramatically and waited.

  “You think you’re safer with him, Miss Carlson?”

  “Frank, listen…”

  “You think you’re safe?” he repeated, ignoring the pleading tone of my voice.

  “Please, let’s just talk. We need to talk…”

  “Talking won’t bring my son back!” The anger in his voice was growing louder by the second and I shivered, even against the heat of the water.

  “Please.”

  “You really think you’re safe?”

  Repeating the same line, I started to grow frustrated, yet he refused to allow me even a few words.

  “Yes, I do…”

  “You should look in the basement. Then you’ll see just how foolish your decision was to dine with the devil.”

  “What?”

  “Isn’t it wise to do your homework before you place your faith in a façade?”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “I don’t understand.”

  He laughed, the chilling sound making me slide deeper into the safe cocoon of the water. “Google, Miss Carlson. Best invention ever. I’ll see you soon.”

  Red whined from beside the bath and I frowned. I hadn’t even heard her come into the bathroom. Laughing at myself, wondering how the hell I was still alive with such crap instincts, I shook off Frank’s call. I wouldn’t let him make me feel scared in a place where I couldn’t help but feel the safest I ever had. There was something about Anderson, this house, and Red, that shrouded me in the warmth of security.

  Although I’d only just met Anderson, I knew we had a connection. I couldn’t understand what or why we had, yet deep in the pit of my stomach I couldn’t ignore the feeling of familiarity. I had never experienced what some described as ‘love at first sight’ but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. I didn’t love Anderson, it wasn’t that, yet I knew from the moment I met him that he would become a significant part of my life, and a good one at that. Superstitious or not, I couldn’t help how I felt. I had confidence in the man that offered me the security of his house. And that already told me a lot about Anderson as a person.

  Fixing a drink a while later, I took it back up to my room and slipped under the comfort of the heavy duvet. Red curled back up on the rug, Blue huddled down on the bottom of the bed, and I settled back with the laptop on my lap.

  I couldn’t get Frank’s warning out of my mind. So, taking a deep breath, I fired up Google, and searched for Anderson Cain.

  Nine

  Anderson

  Hissing at the pain that shot through my arm when I unlocked and opened the door, I went straight to the kitchen for beer and painkillers. It had been a hard fight, and I had barely come out of it alive. It had made me think. Made me wonder if it was time to throw in the towel. I was tired and in pain. And not the good sort of pain.

  The house was quiet, which didn’t surprise me for the late hour. Red didn’t greet me and I smiled, knowing she was still on guard in Jeanie’s room. She’d also stayed behind each time I had gone to a fight whenever Kloe was resident in the house, her natural impulse to protect, making her and Kloe soon become best friends.

  It felt strange to have a female presence in the house once again, and when my eyes drifted towards the basement door, I sighed at the disappointment that swelled in my gut. I hadn’t taken a woman down there since Kloe. Fair enough, me and Robbie used the basement, on numerous occasions, but it didn’t feel right without Kloe.

  Jeanie made me jump when I entered the lounge and switched on the light. She was sat, silent, in the large snuggle chair with a cup of coffee, and looked up at me with a smile. “Hey.”

  “You’re up late.”

  Her gaze followed me when I sat on the sofa and reached to stroke Red’s head. Blue, Jeanie’s cat, took the liberty of jumping onto my lap and ran her tongue around the rim of my bottle.

  “Blue!” Jeanie declared, her eyes wide with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. She’s a bit of a diva, with an addiction to beer.”

  Shaking my head, I lowered the cat to the floor and wiped the top of the bottle with my hand. “I’m sure I’ve had worse germs.”

  Jeanie smiled but I could see from the way she stared at me that she had something on her mind. I had always been good at reading people, but Jeanie was one of the easiest. I knew she felt the attraction that hung heavy between us, but I wasn’t sure she knew just what that attraction was. She was a tiny thing, and I knew she would never sustain the way I liked to play.

  “Out with it.”

  Her eyebrows lifted and I took a deep pull on the bottle, watching her closely over the rim as she became flustered. Kloe had been very submissive, but she’d never been bashful. However, I couldn’t help but feel it was exactly that part of Jeanie that was pulling me in deeper.

  “I, uhh, I googled you.”

  Oh!

  “Ahh.”

  “I’m so sorry. I…”

  Lifting a hand, I stopped her mid-sentence. “Why are you sorry? You’ve come into the house of a man you know nothing about, you had every right to check me out. I’m surprised you hadn’t done it sooner.”

  That seemed to dumbfound her, and her cheeks flushed even harder. “Did you ever find the real you?”

  Her question stunned me for a moment. Although she was very introverted, she wasn’t shy about what she wanted to say.

  I knew what she meant, but the dark side in me wanted to see if those soft cheeks could redden any more. “The real me?”

  I was right. The heat spread down over her jawline and crept down her neck. Her skin was usually so pale that the effect was quite intoxicating, especially the way she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it nervously.

  “The newspaper reports said that the police had presumed you to be Judd Asher.”

  “I had presumed me to be Judd Asher,” I barked, a little more fiercely than I had meant to.

  However, Jeanie just nodded, the sorrow that was in her eyes not of pity but of compassion. Sighing heavily, she tilted her head and frowned. “You don’t remember much?”

  “Only the horrific stuff.”

  She flinched. I was being cruel, but I wanted to see just how far that blush was willing to travel.

  The V of her pyjama top exposed the swell of her tits, and I dropped my eyes to see if the glow had spread even lower. The image of her naked body in my mind, ripe with colour, and damp with desire, caused a stir that I hadn’t felt for a long time. I wanted to suppress the redness of heat with the crimson of her blood. I wanted to paint her body with pleasure and pain, not shyness and doubt.

  “Who gave you the scars, Jeanie?”

  My question made her eyes widen, but this time, instead of growing angry with me, she sighed in resignation. “My husband.”

  She managed to turn the tables on me. Her revelation shocked me. “Your husband?” />
  She shrugged. “Do you have any alcohol apart from beer?”

  Getting up, I fetched the whisky from the side and filled her a tall glass. I had a feeling she would need it.

  “Thank you.” She took a large gulp, winced when it went into her belly, then pulled her legs up under her to get comfy. “Me and Andy were married for a few years. He left me when I told him I couldn’t have kids.”

  Heat voyaged into the base of my belly but I bit back the angry retort that slipped into my head. What a cunt!

  However, she held up a hand and shook her head. “No, that’s wrong. He didn’t leave me because I couldn’t have children. Just that I didn’t tell him. I lied to him.”

  “Why did you lie?”

  She appeared to debate my question for a second, then sighed heavily. “Because I loved him. Because I knew how much a family meant to him. I was just scared that if I told him then he would leave me. In the end, he left me because I lied to him.”

  “So, he gave you a fucking lashing for it!” I couldn’t contain the rage that slithered through me anymore. Yes, Jeanie shouldn’t have lied, but she didn’t deserve punishing for it.

  Her eyes widened in alarm and she quickly shook her head. “What? No!”

  Confusion subdued the anger when her cheeks reddened further and she appeared to struggle with whatever she wanted, or needed, to say.

  Leaning forwards, I took her hand and encouraged her to be open and rid her demons. It was obviously a delicate subject for her, but then I knew all about telling your story of abuse.

  “I… umm… Andy didn’t whip me as punishment.”

  Her shy eyes locked onto mine, begging me to hear what she couldn’t voice out loud. I didn’t understand.

  Until, suddenly, I did.

  Well, fuck!

  Fucking hell!

  “You enjoy pain?” Those three words shot blood to my cock, my balls aching in need. I had to force myself to breathe slowly as image after image of Jeanie trussed up, my thin blade sliding down the valley of her breasts and embellishing her exquisite creamy skin with a streak of vibrant pigment, created a home movie in my head.