Flint: Book 1 (Freedom In The Cage) Read online

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the publisher’s express written permission except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.

  Additional copies of this book and others are available by mail

  Mind Flow Publishing & Production LLC

  PO Box 48768 Cumberland, North Carolina

  28331-8768

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  www.mindflowpublishingproduction.com

  Cover design by Haelah Rice Covers

  Editing and Formatting Design

  First Printing: 2021

  Copyright © 2021 DaKiara

  Mind Flow Publishing & Production LLC

  ISBN Paperback 978-1-951271-23-7

  ISBN Ebook 978-1-951271-18-3

  All rights reserved

  DEDICATED

  TO MY LOVES

  DaQuan, D’eja, D’ante, Kevonn and Kiara

  RIP

  DaQuan Jamique ‘95

  &

  Kiara Denise ‘00

  SPECIAL THANKS

  To God for giving me the strength and the words to do this project.

  I am blessed by the experiences to draw from. It has not always been easy.

  With each project we complete, we are that much closer to touching the world.

  DEDICATED TO SOME WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE ME

  Mary Merriman

  Naomi Thompson

  Prologue

  Flint Marshall is the CEO of tech juggernaut Marshall Industries. At the age of twenty-nine, he took over his father’s company, launching it straight to the top, becoming a major competitor with even Apple. He worked his butt off to prove to his father, Jacob, that he was wrong about Flint not being the right person for the job.

  Jacob originally picked Hannah over Flint to succeed him in the company. Jacob minced no words when it came to his son. He felt that Flint was too fickle and flighty when it came to making major decisions.

  Flint and Hannah had been competitive since the night they were born. Hannah was born first by a whole five minutes and had rubbed it in his face for twenty-seven years every time they saw each other.

  Hannah and Flint both suffered from an incurable heart condition. Even at rest, their heart rates could easily escalate to well over 300 bpm. Long periods at that rate could end up resulting in a heart attack or possibly death. What was more fascinating about these two is that what should have caused them to pause or avoid strenuous activities made them crave it. They were both adrenaline junkies.—constantly challenging each other to perform life-threatening acts. For their twenty-seventh birthday, they agreed to go skydiving.

  The wind reports the morning they were supposed to jump predicted that the winds were not favorable for such an expedition. For once, Flint wanted to reschedule their activity. Hannah would not hear of it.

  “Little Bro, we can’t reschedule our birthday. Our day was meant to celebrate life. So, do not be late. Five pm sharp. If you are late, I’m going on without you. Do not make me do that. We have never broken tradition before.” Hannah had Flint wrapped around her pinky, and she knew it. He never could tell her no. This was one time he later wished he could have.

  Hannah arrived at Skydive Montego ahead of her brother. She knew he might try to flake out, and she could not have been more right. While filling out the necessary forms and releases her phone rang. Without looking at it, she answered.

  “Flint, I know you are calling to tell me that you are stuck in traffic, right?”

  “Han, I am seriously concerned about the wind advisory. The weather isn’t ideal for this type of thing. We can always do something else.”

  Hannah refused to listen. They always spent their birthdays together. At the age of eighteen, they made a list of things to do and places to see. The twins had never deviated from the plan before—they never had to. Hannah refused to start now.

  “Flint, you can talk until you are green in the face. I know you should be pulling up in the next few minutes. We will not miss our jump window. You can’t do this to me.”

  Before Hannah could hang up the phone, Flint was pulling up. She smiled widely, knowing that she could always depend on him.

  “Hurry up before they take off without us,” she yelled across the parking lot.

  After parking his car, Flint walked over to the counter and asked the teenage guy working the desk, wearing a nametag that said Jeremy, about the weather.

  “Hey man, is today really a good day to do this?”

  The guy looked a little confused. “Every day is a great day to skydive. We did have a few cancellations due to the wind. However, we are very safe, and we only do good drops.” Flint turned, looking at Jeremy with doubt, shaking his head. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  Sweat began to bead on Flint’s forehead; he started to pace back and forth across the floor. Random thoughts of what could go wrong started to flood into his mind. As if to be awakened from a hypnotic state, Flint redirected his thoughts to his sister and her rhythmic tapping of her foot as she waited for a final answer from her brother. Not wanting to disappoint her as her eyes beamed with childlike excitement, he finally nodded and said yes, he would go. Putting on their gear, the siblings talked about past birthdays and how they measured up to this one. While the minutes ticked by, Flint started to loosen up and enjoy the day with his twin sister. After Jeremy gave Flint and Hannah the once over, made sure that their gear was properly attached and secure; he directed them out to the tarmac, where the plane’s engine roared. Both siblings were overcome with that familiar feeling—a burst of excitement, butterflies in the stomach—that hurried feeling of wanting to get the show on the road. They boarded the plane, greeted the pilot and two other employees that were already aboard, and took their seats. The pilot made a brief announcement, and the plane started to taxi down the runway for takeoff.

  As the plane ascended to optimum altitude, the pilot came over the loudspeaker again.

  “Remember, folks, if you hit any turbulent wind gusts, just toggle your chute cords, and it’ll keep you on track. Now enjoy your jump.”

  This was the day he would never forget; it was the day that Flint lost a major part of himself. The wind advisory was serious. The winds were steady, which made it safe by regulation of the facility. Things were going fine from the jump, but about two minutes in, freefall was impeccable, and the twins had deployed their parachutes. Without warning, there was a sudden gust that swept them both off their trajectory. The starting altitude was only at thirty-five thousand feet, but that didn’t stop Hannah from being slammed into the side of the building before careening to the unforgiving ground below. Flint released himself from the harness and fell to the ground with a thud. He tried to get up and run to his sister. She wasn’t moving, but his ankle was broken. He felt it as soon as he hit the concrete. His mind was on Hannah.

  “Hannah!” He yelled, knowing she couldn’t hear him.

  Hannah died instantly—the coroner said. Her heart couldn’t take it.—she died before the impact. Her heart simply stopped. That offered a little consolation for Flint, knowing that she didn’t suffer. Why not him?

  Chapter 1

  Two Years Later

  To burn off some steam, Flint had begun hanging out and frequenting seedy bars and clubs. He was looking for trouble. Most nights, things were cool, but occasionally he would find the very trouble he was loo
king for.

  Tonight, Flint found himself engaged in another bar fight. This was his tenth in a matter of six months. He had been spiraling out of control for a while now. The last two years since his twin sister had passed due to complications from the skydiving accident had really taken its toll on him. The bouncer threw him out only after he sucker-punched him in the face. Flint found himself in uncharted territory. He always knew how to handle himself. Well, usually, he was fine, but recently things were not going his way. Flint was spiraling, trying to deal with the crushing weight of grief that filled his hours.

  He should focus on the international juggernaut he helped build—not starting bar fights.

  As Flint was about to get into his car, he felt a shove from behind. And then another.

  “Hey you, yeah you. You’re the one who is always starting trouble in Antonio’s bar, aren’t you?” Flint didn’t recognize the voice.

  When he turned around, he noticed it was the guy from his first bar fight a few months earlier. He wasn’t alone. He had three guys with him. Without provocation, they unleashed a full-on assault on Flint. In the first few moments, Flint held his own, fighting with such intensity—he unleashed all the anger and hurt that had built up over the last few years. Flint swung like a madman, punches not connecting. He would strike five times, only landing one or two. Meanwhile, his assailants were landing theirs.

  The fight seemed as if it was going on for hours, but it was only minutes. The leader hit him with a right cross to the chin. From the corner of his eye, he saw another fist coming, but he couldn’t move in time. The left hook crackled against his jaw. Flint was knocked down to the ground, and he struggled to get back to his feet. As he tried standing, he felt a cold, intense pain blooming to life in his lower abdomen. Flint was stabbed multiple times, and it took him back down to his knees. Darkness began closing in on him—he felt his life draining. His eyes closed, but he could hear conversation buzz around him.

  “Well, now, you guys don’t seem to be fighting fair—four to one.”

  “Who the hell are you? You better leave before you get some of this.”

  “I’m going to stay, but when I leave, he goes with me. I’m not sure what this is all about. Probably none of my business, in fact. However, I can’t seem to stand by while a man gets beaten half to death. Especially when the fight isn’t fair.”

  “This has nothing to do with you. Last chance for you to walk away, man.”

  “Perhaps it’s you all who should walk away. When you do, this is over. Don’t come for him anymore, and if you do, then you will have me to answer to.”

  The men looked him up and down—this guy who appeared out of nowhere and began issuing threats. The leader of the four-man crew walked over and got into this intruder’s face. He began sizing him up.

  “You can take him, Carmine. He’s just some punk.”

  It was at that moment that Carmine decided to strike first. He drew back his right fist, only to be met with the stranger’s left fist. Carmine could hear his fingers breaking. The look on his face told his boys to back up and walk away. Stone had not released his hand yet. Instead, he began squeezing it tighter, feeling the structure of Carmine’s hand fracturing beneath his unrelenting grip. Carmine screamed out in pain. Stone released him.

  “Okay, okay, dude. You broke my freaking hand. I didn’t even do anything to you.”

  The other guys had already taken off. As Carmine looked around and saw he was alone, he too took off, struggling to find his footing at first.

  Stone looked at his watch. Jade would be in soon. He gathered Flint up and tossed him over his shoulder and carried him off. Flint momentarily regained consciousness briefly before he passed back out.

  Stone hoped that he wasn’t making a mistake in intervening with this guy and whatever he’s mixed up in. He had seen him over the last few months, passing by the gym that Stone owned. The guy would peek in, but he would keep moving. Stone knew one thing for sure. He knows the look of a man who has demons that he is fighting, but they somehow keep winning. A man who is at risk of losing it all due to reckless behavior. This man has a lot of anger built up inside. Stone thought maybe, with some discipline, he could learn to channel that anger and hatred into something productive. He had watched the fight in its entirety, and the guy started out okay. Still, it got shaky quickly, simply because he wasn’t focused. He instead allowed his anger to take the reins. Unfortunately, this was something Stone had seen all too often.

  Stone took Flint inside the gym and sets him down on one of the cots he had set up in the back room. He grabbed some towels and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Stone was not a professional doctor or even a cut man, but he knew enough to get by, at least until Jade came in. He was not going to let this kid die on his watch.

  After Stone stopped the bleeding, he placed a thin blanket over his guest before laying down on one of the other cots in the room. He could hear his guest stirring a little, but knew he was too weak from the blood he had lost. Stone just needed him to hold on a few more hours. Stone finally dozed off just as the sun was beginning to rise.

  Chapter 2

  Jade prided herself on getting to the gym early every day to make sure she was ready for her clients. She never wanted them to have to wait for her to get prepped. This morning she was rushing to try and beat Stone in. She often tried, although it rarely happened. Today was no different. As she unlocked the door and was about to disarm the alarm, she realized it was already turned off. She began looking around the gym. Her military training began to kick in. Jade made her way stealthily to the back, and she started calling out to see if someone was around.

  “Stone, is that you? Brick? If someone is here, I suggest you call out.”

  She entered the backroom as Stone walked toward her. His finger pressed against his lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Jade peeked over his shoulder only to see another guy sleeping. Stone ushered her out of the room and back onto the main floor of the gym.

  “Stone, what gives? What’s going on? Who’s the guy?”

  “Keep your voice down, Jade. Long story short, he got his ass beat pretty good last night. I need you to look at him with your magical hands. Patch him up enough so I can take him to the hospital so he can get treated properly.”

  Stone could see the look of disbelief in Jade’s eyes. She didn’t understand why suddenly Stone was playing the good Samaritan role. Not that he was a bad guy—because he isn’t—but he never won an award for being a humanitarian. Usually, it was because he worked with someone over in the competitions. Stone continued to go into more details about what he witnessed a few hours ago.

  He explained that he had seen this kid periodically over the last few months. Stone watched him spiral from a distance and was content to stay out of it. That was until he saw the kid couldn’t defend himself against the four guys. Stone could tell that the kid had some training in Jiu-Jitsu, but he could never get it going. Truthfully, a part of him saw himself in this kid. Maybe this was his shot at redemption.

  Jade did as Stone asks. She always did, and he knew she would. Her current title was a personal trainer, but the unofficial one was Phoenix Risen medic. While in the military, she was a medic. She saw so much death that she couldn’t take it on those levels. Jade did her years and got out and wanted to do something more with her life. Now she trains fighters, and then if the situation calls for it, stitches up the people who need it at the gym.

  Jade retrieved her med bag from the locker room and some other supplies and went back into the backroom. Stone was in there waiting on her. She lifted the guy’s shirt to get a look at the stab wounds. Stone did an okay job of cleaning them up and getting the blood to stop gushing out, but there was still a risk of infection, and the wounds were open and deep. Jade could see his jaw was swollen. As she ran her hand across it, checking for swelling and fever, Flint grabbed her hand. This startled Jade as she stepped back. Flint tried to zero in on this woman who was touching him, but her
face was blurry.

  “Am I dreaming?”

  “You’re at Phoenix Risen, the gym down on Apollo Street, downtown. My boss Stone brought you here. Lay still for me. You have lost a lot of blood; your jaw may be broken, and you’ve been stabbed multiple times. Nod your head if you understand. I need to continue evaluating your injuries. Stone wants to get you to the hospital where you can get checked out.”

  Flint nodded his understanding moments before he passed out again.

  Jade continued working on Flint while Stone got things ready to open the gym for the day. He tells Jade that she will be running the show while he takes the kid to the hospital as soon as he comes to again.

  Jade finished up her assessment and gave him a sedative so he could rest for a little without pain. Looking at her watch, she realized that her first client would be there in less than an hour. She decided to get her workout in so she would be prepared to spar if needed. Sasha, her first client of the day, arrived for her session an hour late. Jade specialized in working with women who have either been assaulted or want to keep themselves from being victims. She was good at it, not because she was a woman, but because she was passionate about women, not being victimized. She had lost a sister to an abusive husband. Jade refused to let another woman become victimized when she had the power to prevent it.

  Chapter 3

  Flint awoke in a room he didn’t recognize. He tried to sit up, wincing in pain. Looking down, he spots all the blood on his clothes, and the events that landed him in this predicament began to crash into him. He was a jerk to some guys in the bar, and he was being thrown out. That wasn’t anything new to him these days, as he had become more and more reckless. Sitting himself up, he managed to turn around towards the door just as it was opening. Stone walked into the room, and Jade stepped back from Flint.

  “Easy, buddy. My name is Joshua Stone. We need to get you to the hospital. My medic was only able to patch you up. You still need stitches and medical attention. I wanted to make sure you were okay enough to go before I tried to move you.”