Page 74 of Ghost Hunted

“Uh huh. Sure.” I chuckle, downing the rest of my beer. “An artist specialized in making human cages.”

“Yes.” He looks at me without an ounce of self-awareness. “And your point is?”

“Whatever.” I stand up and breathe out in relief when I find that the pain of my injuries has faded enough that I don’t wince. Or maybe watching him build the cage is such an interesting pastime that my mind isn’t dwelling on it. I walk toward it, testing the sturdiness of each bar.

“They won’t budge,” he growls. “She’ll be safe inside. Besides, the door is tiny; it’s more like a cat door, and she’ll have to bend down and crawl through. It’ll have a triple lock and an alarm system, just like you requested. But be careful, because if you lose any of the three keys or forget the code, I’m gonna have to saw her out of the cage.”

“Well, why would I want her to get out, anyway?”

He raises an eyebrow. “So what, you’re gonna keep her there, separated from you, forever?”

“Yeah. Maybe.” I grab another beer from the case I’ve brought into the bedroom. “Why not?”

He shrugs. “Well, whatever you want. None of my business. But usually, I build these cages for men who plan to… well, at the very least, visit their captives every so often. And if you lose those keys…”

“Hmm. Right.” I guess I’ll probably want to visit her too, to use his words, but right now, I’ve only gotten as far as imagining her helpless behind bars.

“Though, you know,” he adds, “whatever floats your boat. One of my clients had me build a cage without doors. He wanted the bars spaced just wide enough for his dick. That was ten years ago, and last I heard, she was still in there. Now that whole building experience wasn’t exactly enjoyable. I had to wait for him to get hard so I could measure…”

“Okay, okay.” I gulp down some beer. “Let’s figure out a system that’s a little less risky than three keys and a code. How about a fingerprint?”

“Yeah, I’ve done that a few times. Once, the guy fell asleep, and his captive cut off his thumb with a butter knife he’d left on the dinner tray, and used the thumb to open the door and run away. Just be careful when it’s body parts, that’s all I’m saying. Don’t give her a reason to hack one off.”

“She doesn’t really need one,” I admit. “The fingerprint sensor will be fine.”

“Okay, man. You’re the boss. Too bad about the sensor, though. I like the aesthetic of the chains better. These days, with technology…”

I snort. “You can add one chain if you want.”

“Thanks. And I’ll throw in a second one for free; it hooks around the bar, and you can fasten it to a collar around her neck.”

“Hmm.” I take a swig. “Is that a… typical feature of human cages?”

“Yeah, it’s a little bonus I often include. I can even have your name engraved on the collar.”

I pause a beat, a lump rising in my throat. It suddenly occurs to me that the girl I’m building this cage for is Lia.

My Lia. My little baby.

It’s almost as though my anger and my pain have made me disassociate. It’s hard to realize I’m capable of such cruelty toward the woman I love.

A second later, though, I’ve swallowed down the lump along with more beer. “Yes,” I say forcefully. “Yes, add the bonus chain.”

Then I stand up abruptly.

“Fuck!”

“Huh?”

He looks up from his work. “Did I do something wrong?”

I don’t answer at first, gaping at the screen that shows a building in ruins.

“What?” he asks again.

“I think…” I think I’ve found my girl. “I’m going to need that cage soon. How soon can you finish it?”

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