MADELEINE ABDUCTED
(Estate Series – Book 1)
By M.S. Willis
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Madeleine Abducted: Copyright © 2013 by M.S. Willis
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, scanned, distributed in any printed or electronic form or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN: 978-0-9894479-5-9
[email protected] www.facebook.com/mswillisbooks
OTHER BOOKS BY M.S. WILLIS
Control Series
Book One – Control
Book Two – Conflict
Book Three – Conquer
Coming in 2014
Because of Ellison
Hope Restrained (Estate Series #2)
Captured (Control #4)
Changed (Control #5)
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Epilogue
Madeleine Abducted is dedicated to the poor fool who currently occupies my old desk. Good luck to you.
Prologue
This is a story that is not meant for the faint of heart. If you are looking for inspiration, if you are looking for light, if you are looking for something that will help you sleep and dream, you’ve come to the wrong place.
Within these pages you will find a tale typically left unsaid in polite society because of the formidable fear and striking sorrow its events evoke. It is a story about abduction, enslavement, and the moment when a life is delivered into darkness.
There is no neat and tidy ending, no white knight that rides in and delivers freedom, nor salvation — there is no escape. Like life, stories don’t always end with elegant edges.
A weak woman at one time, she fell victim to evil, disappeared on a fated night never to return to the world again … but not for the reasons you might think.
Her name is Madeleine Clark, and when she was abducted, she was not only dragged into hell ….
She took over.
Chapter One
Madeleine stared out over a sea of shadowed faces. From where she stood, the conversations between the audience members were nothing more than gentle murmurs adding white noise to the barely lit concert hall. Her stomach knotted as she paced the long white corridor between the stage and the rear practice room; her eyes flickered out through the small, square windows to the audience below. Other musicians passed her as they moved about, waiting to take their places on stage. Discordant sounds and brief glimpses of shuffling sheet music escaped the practice room door each time a musician passed through. Her head pounded and her chest constricted as she felt the time grow closer to her performance.
Deep breaths, Maddy … you can do this ….
Her long, black gown flowed around her feet like liquid onyx, shimmering in cadence with her steps, swallowing her small stature. She pulled at the high neckline and longed for the comfortable t-shirts she normally wore. The rhythmic click of her heels reminded her of a metronome keeping time with the beat of her heart. Her breath was irregular; her skin was sticky with nervous perspiration. Surprise overtook her when, suddenly, a friendly voice invaded her panic.
“I should probably remove that bow from your hands before you snap it in two.” Jeremy’s mouth curved up into a genial grin, his warm brown eyes looked down on her with a glint of humor.
She wrung her hands across the smooth wood of the bow; her fingers covered by rosin dust from the horsehair. Releasing her tight hold on the thin bow, she politely smiled in response to his jest. Jeremy reached down to take it from her hands and said, “Maddy, you’ll be extraordinary. You have nothing to worry about.” Continuing, he laughed. “You can’t hide behind the walls of a studio forever, people want to see you play.”
That was the problem. Although Madeleine didn’t mind people hearing her music, but she did not like being seen; preferring instead the protection of her studio or home, where she could remain invisible to the eyes of the world. Her voice came out in a mousy whisper, fear evident in her tone, “But I’ll feel so naked … so exposed …. ”
Her hands moved over themselves, the trapped blood looking pink within the pale white of her taut skin. Jeremy placed his hand over hers and said, “If I could remove your hands to protect them as well, I would.”
Madeleine looked up into Jeremy’s face. He was a close friend, one of her only friends. He understood her introversion and didn’t hold her lack of social skills against her. If not for her need to remain emotionally distant, she may have considered Jeremy for more than friendship. He was handsome in the most classical sense of the term: dark chestnut brown hair; eyes a shade of warm mahogany; and she knew he was tall, but at 5'2", most people were tall compared to her. Jeremy’s body was long and lean, his upper body and arms toned from the decades he’d spent mastering the violin. Standing before her in a coattail tuxedo, he exuded masculine elegance and refinement. He was friendly to a fault, a person she could rely upon to understand her and guard her secrets.
“Besides,” he said, beaming a grand smile, “you’ve played publicly before. This should be no different.”
But it was different. Tonight was her first solo performance using her own music, not something from a popular composer. This music came from within her, revealing her innermost thoughts and desires in the form of melodies and sounds. If the audience could decipher the hidden meaning of those notes, they would discover the true person within her.
“Yes,” she said, “but when I played before, I was unseen, buried within the orchestra.” She turned to look out over the audience and continued, “Tonight, I’ll be the focus. Tonight, there’s nowhere for me to hide.”
His hand came up to softly brush along her cheek. He moved to stand next to her, his eyes also taking in the sea of people. “Nonsense, Maddy. With your size, that cello covers most of you,” he teased. “Or you could just close your eyes and hide within the music. It’s beautiful. It makes you beautiful. You should be proud, not shy.”
The practice room door swung open as the stage director walked into the hallway, the light trill of a flute escaping as he passed through the door. “Fifteen more minutes before showtime,” he said. “I’ll need the two of you to return to the backroom. You’ll be going on stage last.”
Jeremy nodded to the director before he reached down to gently take Maddy’s hand. She could feel his breath brush across her cheek as he leaned down to whisper, “When you take the stage, Maddy, just know that I am there with you. You have nothing to fear.”
A nervous wave rolled up her body and escaped her lips as an anxious sigh.
She squeezed Jeremy’s hand, released him, and turned toward the backroom. Walking into the room, her ears were assaulted by the discordant sounds of multiple musicians readying their instruments for their particular parts. Maddy knew that while the noise was grating as it occurred in this instant, once on stage, each piece would perfectly fit together. Her heart tightened with the realization that her part would be heard above them all.
Fighting the rising bile in her throat, Maddy sat down to tune her cello. She’d already tuned it five times since arriving at the concert hall, and she would still make final adjustments once on stage, but she had to do something with her hands to keep her mind occupied. A pair of black leather shoes, shined to the point she could see her distorted reflection, appeared in her view. Looking up, she was once again met with Jeremy’s friendly eyes. He reached down to hand her the bow he’d taken from her in the hallway.
“You’ll be needing this, little one,” he said.
His hand lightly tapped her on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Remember to breathe, Madeleine,” he said, “The rest will come easily. You were meant to play … remember that.”
Maddy watched as Jeremy turned to take his place at the end of the line with the other orchestra members.
Breathe ….
The doors rushed open and the line of musicians moved forward into a black abyss. Pushing herself up from the chair, Maddy straightened out her gown, picked up her instrument and moved to stand behind Jeremy. He turned to her and quickly winked before saying, “Showtime.”
Training her eyes on the back of Jeremy’s jacket, Maddy attempted to hide herself as they took the stage. When Jeremy moved to stand by his seat, she was left alone, exposed to the rows of attentive people. As the spotlight shone down upon her, she felt like her throat was closing, blocking off the air she so desperately needed. When a single, lonely note filled the auditorium, the murmuring white noise from the audience ceased; all eyes turned toward the stage.
Maddy took her seat, her eyes trained to the strings stretched taut across her instrument. Pulling the fine hair of the bow across the strings calmed her suddenly, the sound becoming a soothing reminder that soon, when she became lost within the music, the audience would cease to exist.
Two taps of the conductor’s wooden wand, two hands raised, and silent anticipation overtook not only the musicians, but the audience as well. One held breath … two hands begin to move.
Her eyes closed.
Three fingers pressed down on the strings, her arm pulled the bow slowly but powerfully, producing sound. One lonely, low-timbered note started softly, building in intensity as a wave of melancholy wrapped itself around the large theater. Delicately, a higher pitched note accompanied hers. The light pull of a violinist’s bow added a quiet smile to the sadness of her song. One by one, the other instruments joined her, providing a background to the haunting melody she manipulated from nothing more than metal pulled tight along a wooden frame.
Building to a sudden crescendo, the sound of the cello swiftly filled the large space, eliciting a collective gasp from the audience. Inspired and lost within the resounding harmony produced by the other performers, Madeleine let go; finally her spirit was revealed and it emerged dancing within the music she played. Her heart began to sing and her eyes fluttered open and then closed again as she was overtaken by the naked beauty of the piece. The feeling of freedom drove her, harder and faster, the melancholy now changed into a desperate need, a heartfelt longing for resolution. Maddy wondered if those who listened would recognize the hidden meaning of the melody. Two lovers, bonding in the most passionate of encounters, become one. She’d never truly known that moment, but she could imagine what it felt like to give herself to another person; to find shelter in something other than her own heart.
Separated from the concept of time, she powered through the climax of the piece, eventually weaving her way back to the melancholy from which it began. The rhythm slowed, the heartbeats of each person in the room thumped in time with the music. Quiet reentered the space as the song was, once again, brought down to a single, solitary note, pulled tight against the strings of her instrument.
Her eyes opened.
The audience seemed to swell as bodies rose to their feet, a deafening boom of applause struck her, snapping her back to the present. On shaky legs, she pushed herself to stand up. She nodded her head in acknowledgment, relief flooding her every nerve.
~ ~ ~
Following the end of the performance, Maddy sat in the backroom, packing her cello into its large black case.
Jeremy walked over to her and said, “You were amazing, Maddy. I was impressed by your performance.”
Jeremy stood above her, his pride in her evident as his eyes twinkled with delight. Maddy stood up, her hands instantly moving to brush down her gown. A smile escaped her lips and her cheeks heated in response to his praise. With nothing more than a raspy whisper, she responded, “Thank you. I took your advice and lost myself in the music.”
Jeremy wrapped his arm around her shoulder, dwarfing her by his large size. His warm brown eyes smiled down at her as he said, “I’m going with a group of people to celebrate tonight’s success. Would you join us for once?”
She instantly looked away before returning her shy eyes to her friend. She shook her head “no” in response to his invitation, immediately feeling his disappointment in her refusal.
His smiled turned into a mock frown. “Oh, come on, Maddy! You can’t remain a recluse your entire life. I promise you, I won’t leave your side.”
She cleared her throat before summoning forth a weak apology. “You know I can’t, Jeremy. I need to go home. I’m tired. It takes so much … it drains me to perform. Please understand.”
Jeremy looked instantly apologetic and was about to respond when he heard another throat clearing behind them. Turning suddenly, they discovered a strange man standing there holding a single red rose. Maddy looked up from the rose and froze when her gaze was met with a pair of the most brilliant green eyes she’d ever seen. The man’s hair was black as a raven, shining like smooth silk trained back into a short, yet messy style. The lights and shadows of the room emphasized the cut of his strong jaw. She looked down to see that he was dressed elegantly in a tuxedo, his strong, broad shoulders evident underneath the clean lines of the material. When her eyes returned to his, he was staring intently at her. Another blush reddened her cheeks as she was caught gawking. Her breath hitched; her skin tingled. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. He exuded a graceful masculinity; powerful and strong, but with an underlying hint of a sharp and lethal edge.
Jeremy took a protective step in front of her, challenging the stranger who’d mysteriously appeared in the room. “I’m sorry, sir, but you’re not supposed to be back here,” he said. “This is for orchestra members only. You need to leave.” Jeremy’s voice was calm but firm.
The man’s eyes never left Madeleine as he flippantly responded to Jeremy’s request. His voice rolled through her, the tone reminiscent of the instrument she played. “I’ll leave in a moment,” the man said. “I wanted to deliver this rose to Ms. Clark.” Reaching out to hand her the flower, his eyes intensified as he stared down at her. “Your performance was an absolute joy to experience. I’ve never been as moved as I am when I hear you play. It truly is an honor, Ms. Clark.”
Maddy’s hand hesitantly reached out to accept the rose, her voice nothing more than a whisper as she thanked him before turning her eyes downward, away from his burning gaze.
Jeremy repeated his demand, “You need to leave, sir.”
She could feel the man look her over for another second before returning his attention to Jeremy. Maddy felt like she was in the company of darkness. Her skin prickled from his observance of her, she felt timid and nervous about his presence in the room.
“I’ll be leaving now. There is no need to follow me. I can see myself out.” Like the soft caress of fur against her skin, the tone of the stranger
’s voice was pleasant and soothing. But there was a dangerous edge to his words that acted like an unspoken warning. The stranger looked at her once more before turning and slowly departing through the exit doors. Maddy peeked up through her lashes and watched as he walked away, graceful and sure in his steps. It was only when he was gone that she released her held breath.
Jeremy looked back down at Maddy and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Before she could decline again, Jeremy waved away the question. “No need for an answer. I can at least stay behind and help you to your car.”
Her eyes looked over to the group waiting by the doors. She smiled up at Jeremy. “Thank you, but no. They’re waiting on you; you should go join them. I’ll have no problem getting to my car.” He hesitated, before finally relenting. Nodding at her once, he turned and moved to join the departing group.
An hour later, Madeleine carried her instrument through the large, nearly empty parking lot, struggling not to break the rose given to her by the beautiful, yet intimidating stranger. As she approached her car, a limousine pulled up beside her. She looked over to see the rear passenger window rolling down. Holding her breath, she wondered if this was the same man from backstage. When the window finished lowering and revealed the passenger on the other side, she felt oddly disappointed to discover it was someone else entirely. The man behind the window was older, his handsome face made even more distinguished by the silver streaks at his temples. He was obviously wealthy, exuding an air about him of authority and prestige. Madeleine wasn’t shocked when he called out to gain her attention: she simply believed that he was another admirer wanting to congratulate her on her performance.
He opened the door to his car and stepped out and she was instantly impressed with his choice of tuxedo. He looked debonair, moving with a swagger that gave away his refined taste and upbringing. He was definitely sure of himself and the slight smirk to his mouth gave him a boyish charm. Two large men stepped out of the car behind the first. After unfolding their large frames and exiting the vehicle, they took their place behind the older man. Maddy’s heartbeat skipped from nervous energy as they approached, but she swallowed down her concern, assuming the man to be a politician or other well-known public figure.