Caging Cadence Ch. 06

"The statue of limitations on what you've done...there might not even be one, and if there is, it's going to be long..."

"I know what I'm asking you for, Cadence."

"You're asking me to be your sex slave for ten years, at least," Cadence said, bluntly. "You're asking me to abandon my entire life so you can avoid decades in prison."

"You wouldn't be my slave. You have to choose this, Cadence, otherwise it's abduction, and it's still a crime. But if you choose to leave with me now, and promise to stay with me, I promise I won't ever force you to do anything else again. If you decide you want to have some kinky sex again, well, I won't say no..."

She laughed, a harsh and hollow sound, folding her arms, shifting her weight to one leg. The point of the knife left her cheek, but he didn't move it. She lifted her chin, looking down her nose at him.

"You're delusional, David."

"Ask me about option two," he said, gritting his teeth. "Go ahead."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "What's option two?" she asked with blundering sarcasm, "You're going to kill me?"

David stared at her blankly. He waited for the truth to land on her.

Cadence looked scared again, glancing down at the knife.

"You wouldn't do that." She swallowed, shaking her head. "You wouldn't."

"What makes you think that? Haven't I proved what a monster I am?"

"You said you love me..." she said, her voice soft with hurt. "You said you don't want to hurt me anymore."

"A part of me will always want to hurt you. I just want it to be on your terms moving forward. But if you can't accept that...I won't risk going to prison for what I've done to you, Cadence. I won't risk it for anyone. You're the only witness..."

"You did this to me," she snarled at him. "You're not the victim here, David."

"Neither are you. At least, you don't have to be. Embrace what you are, Cadence. Come with me. I'll fulfill your every sexual fantasy. Be my dirty little slut for just a few hours a day, and the rest will be yours, as long as you don't go anywhere. But I'll take care of you, I'll pay for everything. Just stay with me, and stay quiet. Be mine. We both know you want it."

There was a long, tense moment of silence. Cadence stared down at the knife, then back up at David. He gave her a few minutes to think, recognizing the gravity of what he was offering. He gave himself no room for hope.

It was this, or the end. One final line to cross. One last bit of humanity to lose.

That was all that was left now.

Finally, she met his eyes. Their blue color seemed darker, stormier, in contrast to her red hair, and all of the red marks decorating her pale skin. He could still see the imprint of his fingers on her throat. His marks were all over her, yet she owned him more truly in this moment than anyone ever would again.

"David," she whispered. Her voice was full of sincerity, solemnity. "Please, hear this. It's important. No matter what happens next, you need to know."

He waited, holding his breath, hoping...

"I would rather die than spend one more minute with you."

David felt his blood run cold. He'd taught her too well, by example.

She knew how to hurt now.

"So either take your chances and run, or get it over with and kill me now. I'm not going anywhere with you."

***

Cadence felt David move before she saw it, felt the knife cut through the air, and she reacted instinctively, stumbling back into the wall.

The knife sank into the drywall, leaving a deep scar. David ripped it out, seething, and swung again, aiming for Cadence's torso. She ducked, then launched herself forward into David's knees, knocking him backwards.

He fell hard, crashing to the ground outside of Cadence's bathroom. They were on the landing at the top of the stairs now, inches from the staircase itself.

Cadence leapt on top of him, screeching like a bobcat, lunging desperately for the knife.

David bucked, trying to throw her off, but she gripped onto him, latching onto the wrist holding the knife. Her nails scrabbled at his fingers, trying to force him to let go, but he held fast. He gripped her hair in his free hand and tried to pull her off him that way, but Cadence refused to budge.

They struggled for a tense few moments. Cadence grunted with effort, scrabbling for the knife, trying to keep him pinned down. David started to get the upper hand, getting a firmer grip on her hair. He yanked up on her scalp, hard, and she felt a huge chunk of her hair rip free. She cried out, ready to give in, feeling her scalp burn, sure she was bleeding. She sagged, lifting her hands in defeat.

But then, Cadence had a very reckless idea.

She acted before David could take advantage of her surrender. She wrapped her legs tightly around David's waist, locked her arms around his neck, and rolled over as hard as she could.

David yelled, startled by the sudden shift from floor to air, as they tumbled together down the stairs.

Cadence held onto him tightly, ducking her head against his chest, crying out as they bounced against each step, all of her injuries coming alive with agony. She kept waiting for the knife to slide into her, whether on purpose or by accident, as she and David loudly and dangerously plummeted from the second floor to the first.

They landed with a bang on the hardwood, sprawled out by the front door, both of them gasping for air.

David was dazed, shaking his head slowly. His grip on the knife had gone slack. Cadence snatched it out of his hands. He called out a wordless curse, struggling to take it back, but she held it with a shaking hand against his throat.

"Don't give me another reason, David," she whispered. "I have enough."

"Cadence," he whispered, his voice hoarse, "please..." He opened his mouth to speak again.

The doorbell rang.

It was surreal, how normal and domestic that sound was, as Cadence pinned her abuser to the ground, holding his own knife to his throat. She had heard that doorbell a thousand times - had gone running for it when the pizza delivery guy was due, had heard her mother answer it a hundred times to different solicitors and political activists. The sound startled her, but she managed to stay in place. There was a hard, frantic pounding at the door, and then the doorbell rang twice more.

Cadence screamed as loudly as she could, wordlessly, aiming for volume over content.

The effort cost her, though, and David was able to flip himself around and launch himself at her. He swung his right fist, hard, and hit her squarely in the nose. Cadence felt something snap, and hot blood poured from her nostrils and over her lips and chin.

David bent over her, trying to take advantage of stunning her, reaching for his knife. He looked terrified.

At the same moment, whoever was at the door actually threw themselves against it. Cadence could hear a woman screaming on the other side. Was it Lily? Was it her mother? It didn't matter. Whoever it was, they weren't David, and that was good enough for her.

Acting on impulse, Cadence threw herself back onto the floor, getting underneath his feet, slashing wildly towards David as she did so. She felt the knife connect. She couldn't see which part of him she hit, but David cried out in shock and surprise. His blood hit the tile floor, mingling with the blood from her nose. He staggered back, cursing in pain, momentarily distracted.

Without thinking, Cadence sprang to her feet, still holding his knife. She threw the door open.

Lily, tall, blond, and the most beautiful thing Cadence had ever seen, was standing with her phone pressed to her ear, her face white with panic. She screamed out loud when she saw the blood covering Cadence's chin and chest.

"Oh my god! What happened to you?"

David yelled in rage, lunging for Cadence, trying to get a hand in her hair. She was too quick for him, dodging him and ducking out the door, into the crisp evening air.

Cadence grabbed her shocked best friend's hand, sprinting down the front walkway, and then the driveway, terrified and elated in equal measure.

"Call 911! And run. Run! Run, Lily!"

Lily didn't say another word, but followed Cadence's lead, breaking into a sprint, still clutching onto her hand.

The two young women dashed down the street, running straight past Lily's parked car. Cadence couldn't look back, but Lily kept shooting glances over her shoulder. She was speaking rapidly to a police officer on her phone, but it was clear she didn't have enough information.

"I just found my friend at her house, I think something terrible happened, we need cops right away. God, she looks like someone tried to kill her, and there's blood all over her face." She paused, listening to the dispatcher, breathing hard. "We're running from her house now, I don't know what happened, no. She's bleeding from her nose... Yeah, I think she can, hold on."

Without stopping, she thrust the phone into Cadence's hand. Cadence lifted it to her ear.

Her body was already protesting the sudden burst of heavy exercise on top of all her other hurts, but she was certain that she couldn't have stopped running if she tried. Now that she started, she was going to get as much space as possible between herself and David.

"Ma'am? Can you tell me what's happening? Where is your emergency?" A man with a calm, slow voice spoke into her ear.

Cadence rattled off her address, gasping for air, nearly laughing with relief. The sound was mad and frightening, and a moment later, downright hysterical. She hiccuped, stopping herself, then took a deep breath and kept running.

It was really over. She was really safe.

And yet, there was dread welling up inside her - a terrible dread, an enormous, dark aching that had nothing to do with all of the physical punishment David had inflicted on her.

"We're sending officers to you now. Please, find a public place if you can, and stay there. Estimated dispatch is ten minutes. Can you give me more details? Do you need medical attention, are you okay?"

This made Cadence stop. Lily ran several feet ahead of her before she realized it. She turned back, looking confused and concerned.

Cadence stared at her without seeing her. The dispatcher repeated his question, sounding caught between irritation and worry.

Without warning, Cadence's knees hit the pavement. Lily was by her side in a flash, looking apprehensively behind them, but if David was chasing them, Lily made no indication.

Cadence couldn't look back. She didn't want to look back.

"Ma'am! I understand this may be difficult, but this is important. Please, tell me if you need an ambulance! Are you okay?"

"No," Cadence sobbed. "And I don't think I ever will be again."

Cadence crumpled, curling into the fetal position on the sidewalk, and sobbed even harder.

Lily gently took the phone from her friend.

"Yes, she needs medical attention."

***

David had never fallen down any stairs in his life, and he was certain it was something he never wanted to do again.

He and Cadence crashed and tumbled over each other, both of them grunting and cursing in pain. He held his breath, waiting for it to be over. When they hit the floor, all of the air was pushed out of his lungs, and he had to lay still for a moment, regathering his wits.

That single moment of weakness cost him everything. Cadence took advantage of it, reaching for his knife, and a moment later, his last weapon against her was gone. He protested, and moved to try to win it back, still dizzy, his ears ringing - but suddenly, she was pressing it against his own throat.

Do it, he thought desperately. Please, do it. I want it. I need it. Kill me. Please.

"Don't give me another reason, David. I have enough."

If he commanded her to do it, would she obey? If he begged her, would she consider him worthy? Which did he want more?

Which was right? Would anything be right again?

He spoke her name, pleading...

The doorbell rang. It was an alarm bell in his ears, a final warning call - they were moments away from never being alone again. He wanted to say anything else to her, to leave her with any other final impression than this, but before he could find the words, the doorbell rang twice more, and whoever wanted in banged on the door, hard.

As if this were a signal, Cadence took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Whoever was outside definitely heard that.

Rage spiking, with one final act of desperation, David sprang to his feet.

He didn't think, he just moved. His fist smashed into the center of Cadence's beautiful face, breaking her nose, the blood dripping down her chin in a gory gush.

Cadence reeled back, covering her nose with her free hand, her shock naked on her face. He reached desperately for the knife in her hand, trying to regain any tool of control possible.

The person outside was screaming and pounding on the locked door, clearly frantic. David turned, distracted, and that was when Cadence took her chance.

One moment, they were practically face-to-face. The next, she was on the floor, swinging the knife through the air with all of her strength and absolutely zero aim.

When the knife slashed his forearm, David nearly collapsed - not from the pain, but from the shock that she had actually managed to draw blood. Nothing but iron will kept him standing as the cut gushed, wet and red, down his hand and onto the tile floor. He noticed how his blood mixed with Cadence's, and thought ruefully that it was the last time any part of them would ever mix again.

She would rather die than be with him. He was starting to think he would rather die than be without her.

But behind that thought, burning brighter, David found hatred.

How dare she ruin everything, after all he had given her? How dare she deny him? How dare she not see what an incredible thing he was offering her - how special and loved she could be?

She had regained her feet and whirled around by now, reaching for the door. David watched her fumble with the locks, watched her twist the knob and yank hard.

He didn't move to stop her - not until it was too late.

He let her go, because of the hurt, because of the hatred, because he was a man and a monster and because he loved her.

He only reached out for her, shouting with inarticulate and indefinable emotion, one last time, as she leapt over the threshold and out of his life, forever.

A young woman with blond hair was waiting for Cadence on the other side - her friend Lily, no doubt. She didn't see David, because of the angle of the ajar door, she only saw her bleeding best friend. In seconds, the two girls were disappearing together down the sidewalk, long manes of copper and gold streaming out behind them like victory flags. David could see the phone in the strange girl's hand, watched it fly up to her ear. He knew the cops were coming.

He had a choice now. Did he run? Or did he let them come, let them take him? Did he try to escape what he'd done?

He loved her. She deserved a chance to see him imprisoned, after everything he'd done.

He hated her. She didn't deserve anything at all, didn't even deserve to still be breathing.

It felt like a long time before David moved. But once he got going, he made quick work of things.

He didn't bother cleaning up the blood - it would take too long to do properly.

He quickly attended to the cut - it was deeper than he expected, and he knew he probably needed stitches. But there was no time for that. He bandaged it as tightly as possible, then put threw on a clean t-shirt, and a jacket to disguise the wound.

Then he quickly gathered everything useful he could find in a bag, whether it was his or not.

He was ready to go when he found himself outside of Cadence's closet, Cadence's cage, as he would always remember it now, staring into its depths.

He thought he could see two shadows twisting in the dim red light. He blinked, and they were gone.

There was nothing here now - just a collection of toys Laura would likely trash, once she knew what they had been used for.

Just a few hours before, Cadence had belonged to David. He had taken ownership of something precious. And he had broken her, so thoroughly.

Whatever came next, they would never forget each other.

He had gambled, and he had lost. Big time. He'd always loved high stakes, and he'd never met higher stakes than hers.

This was bound to happen to a cold, heartless bastard like him. It was what he deserved. He knew he was probably getting off easy, if he could get out in time.

A litany of justifications, of excuses and reassurances to himself.

All empty.

With a wry smile, David closed the closet door, turning on his heel, not looking back.

He was already in the backyard when he heard the police break down the front door and shout for him to surrender. David cursed the pain in his body, the last wounds Cadence had managed to inflict on him making him ache, but he sucked it up.

He vaulted over the privacy fence, sprinting for the cover of some nearby bushes.

One last gamble, with even higher stakes.

It was time to play.

EPILOGUE

TWO YEARS LATER

It was the first time Laura had seen her daughter in almost six weeks, but the young woman had barely said two words to her. A quick "hello", an off-handed "thanks," and then she had stuck her earbuds in her ears, visibly cranking up the volume, turning her head to stare out the passenger side window.

Laura had started driving just to escape the awkwardness. Whatever Cadence wanted now, she got - and that included not speaking to her mother, if that's what she chose.

Laura had picked Cadence up at her apartment, which she shared with her friend, Lily. It was a swanky place that Laura had insisted on paying for - with 24-hour armed security at the door, a parking garage accessible only by code, and an extra deadbolt on the front door.

As if anything of these things would have protected Cadence from what had been done to her. From what Laura had been unable to prevent. From what she had indirectly caused, by bringing David into her daughter's life.

At first, Laura had tried to insist that Cadence stay with her, at home, where she could keep a closer watch on her. Cadence's had flown into a rage at this, and made it absolutely clear that Cadence felt less safe with her mother than she did alone.

Laura couldn't blame her. Guilt didn't even begin to cover how she felt. She was certain that she'd spend the rest of her life trying to make it up to Cadence, and that was a burden she was willing to bear.

It wouldn't come close to making things right, but it was what she had to do.

The alternative was losing Cadence forever. Laura was certain she deserved that.

There was still something Cadence didn't know. Something Laura would never tell her. Laura was ashamed of the sense of relief she had felt when she found out David had drugged her daughter, that there were some parts of their encounter that Cadence might never remember. Laura certainly wished she herself could forget it.

That she had been at all complicit...that she had done...that...to the sounds of her daughter's screams -

Laura turned up the volume of her own music, banishing the thoughts with a vapid pop tune. She was paying her therapist hundreds of dollars (and then some, under the table, to absolutely guarantee discretion) to deal with this. It was best not to dwell on it outside of that dimly lit office, lest Cadence notice something was off.

She glanced sideways at her daughter, feeling yet another pang as she took in Cadence's drastic change in appearance.

Her long, red hair was gone. She had cropped it boyishly short and dyed it black almost immediately after David's sentencing, the final day in court. It was a look she had maintained in the two years since. Laura kept waiting for her hair to start growing again, for those red roots to peak through, but her daughter's hair remained short and black, a constant reminder that she was not the same person now. Cadence seemed determined to separate herself as much as possible from who she was before, two years ago, when David had been a stranger to her.