by Mia Hoddell
His face fell back into his irritated frown as she continued and he folded his arms, waiting for her to list her demands.
“And how are you in a position to negotiate with me? I have your friend, I have you and you are in the middle of my empire, surrounded by my men who have orders to restrain you under the pain of death.”
Cora’s brain was hurriedly trying to come up with something she could use against him and just as he had finished speaking it came to her.
“Because if you don’t agree, then you won’t be able to trust me. I will sign that piece of paper whether you listen to me or not. However, if you refuse to write my demands into this contract, then you will not be able to tell whether I give you correct readings or not. Sometimes I will, and sometimes I won’t so it will be like you don’t even own a False Finder.”
Cora knew why he wanted her so badly and finally she had a way to use it against him. She also knew that words were just that—they meant nothing—so by insisting it be written into her contract she knew Rogan would stick to it. He may have been the leader of a criminal organisation but he was true to his words and in Cora’s opinion, and that was his only admirable quality.
“What are the demands?” His voice was tense with controlled anger once again as Cora slowly turned the tables on him. He had to give her credit though, she was smart and she could handle herself. Not even a six foot six, muscled male stood up to Rogan, but there was Cora fighting tooth and nail for what she wanted—and she always had.
It was one of the reasons Rogan had a soft spot for her and let her get away with so much more than his men—that, and the fact she was female.
“The first is that if I sign this, Misty goes free and you are never to bother her again. The second is you are to leave all of my friends alone indefinitely. You do not involve them in anything unless they come to you willingly and ask for a job. Thirdly, you do not own me. I will work for you and read whoever you want but I will not be subjected to your orders like your men. You know me, I will fight back.”
Cora held up her fingers as she spoke, counting her demands off as she said them.
“Fourth, I want to stay in my own flat, attend university and live my life like normal. I’m not waiting on you. Fifth—” she was about to continue when Rogan cut her off abruptly.
“There seems to be a lot of these,” he said impatiently.
Cora had learnt from him in the past that you ask for everything and then negotiate down to the few you really want; that way made it look like she was conceding to more than she wanted. She wasn’t stupid and she was making sure she addressed everything that was important to her. There was no way Rogan was going to agree to everything but she would be damned if she wasn’t going to try and squeeze as much out of him as physically possible while she had the chance.
“Fifth, I want a pay check and I want it to be more than the average wage you give your men.”
There was a moment of silence as Rogan waited to see if that was everything she wanted. When she only stared at him with a questioning look, he believed that was it.
“Okay. Here’s what I’ll give you: Firstly, I’ll pay you a higher wage if you want it that badly. Secondly, Misty will stay safe and unharmed as long as you co-operate and perform correctly. Thirdly, you stay here until I trust you not to vanish or pull some kind of escape stunt. I need you here twenty-four seven as I never know when I’ll need you, so university is out of the question. Fourthly, you don’t have any more friends so I have no one else to go after. Finally, by signing that contract you agree to obey me. I have never treated you like a normal employee but you will listen to me if I order you to do something.”
“No deal. Misty goes free and you will never bother her again. I accept all the other terms but that one I reject.” Cora crossed her legs, resting the contract on her lap and Rogan was about to speak when the door to his office opened.
“What the hell are you doing? You know you don’t interrupt me when I’m working, Kirby!” Rogan roared, instantly turning away from Cora and walking swiftly with as little strides as possible to meet the black-haired man who was the spitting image of Rogan, except a little chubbier and shorter.
“I just needed to get something,” he spat back, pushing past Rogan and moving over to his desk. As he walked the length of the room his eyes never left Cora’s. They were full of malice, sending a shiver down her spine. It was one thing being looked at like that by Rogan—she knew him and they had a weird relationship whereby they insulted and tried to better the other. However, coming from someone she had never seen or met freaked her out a little.
“Kirby—leave—now.” Rogan’s voice had dropped into a warning as he pointed at the door.
“Hey, nice artwork, Dad. Didn’t know you were such a girl when it came to drawing,” Kirby teased, his face set in a grim smile as he waited for Rogan’s reaction.
Meanwhile Cora’s head was spinning with the revelation.
Rogan has a son? Since when? He looks older than me so…I can’t believe Rogan is a Dad, she thought as Kirby flicked through a wad of paper, looking for something in particular.
“Kirby, if you don’t get out of this room this second, I swear you will regret it. Remember last time you ignored me?”
Cora saw Kirby flinch slightly, obviously remembering something. He tried to cover it but wasn’t successful so in the end, he gave up on what he was doing. His posture hunched as he made his way to the door, he made sure to keep scowling in Cora’s direction.
Rogan waited and watched, making sure he shut the door behind him before turning back to Cora finally.
“All right, Misty goes free but if you do not read people correctly, then she will be the one who will suffer.”
It wasn’t a brilliant deal but Cora could see it was all she was going to get. Anyway, he didn’t say if she tried to escape, only if she read people wrong. As long as it went down in the contract like that, she believed Misty would be okay. She had to be, or Cora was giving up for nothing.
Lifting the contract off her lap, she handed it back to Rogan for him to add the necessary details. As he moved over to his desk, she followed, watching him load up the computer and start tapping away on his keyboard.
“Your son seems like a great guy,” Cora said sarcastically, breaking the silence while also getting a final jab in before she signed on the dotted line.
“Ignore him. Everyone else does. He’s useless,” Rogan muttered as he added the final few clauses to the contract before pressing print.
“How old is he?” Cora asked, trying to figure out how something that big could have escaped her notice.
“Twenty-one.”
The answer flowed easily from Rogan. He was more concerned about getting the wording right than personal information. However, she still couldn’t believe he had been able to hide a son for her whole life. She had been in the house often when her mum was alive and three times after, so she thought it was something she would have at least heard about.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the printer whirling and her heart sank at the sound.
This is it.
Picking up the piece of paper, still warm from the device, he slid it across the desk towards Cora. Holding out a pen in the other hand, she read over the terms he had added, making sure she was as happy as she could be with the wording.
Satisfied that the clause concerning Misty was written to give her some leeway, Cora leaned over the desk and before she could doubt herself, signed the contract quickly. She saw Rogan’s eyes light up with victory as she pulled her hand back.
Chapter 8
She couldn’t believe she had done it. Well, she could but it was not something she ever imagined herself doing. After years of freedom and successful running, escaping, and hiding, Rogan had finally got what he wanted; he had her signature on one of his contracts. Sure, she had been able to negotiate slightly, gained more than anyone else had, and exploited Rogan’s need for her for all it was worth. However, th
ere was still an air of defeat in the room as she lifted the fountain pen from the paper, her name scribbled neatly on the line.
Cora was not one to let her disappointment show. She would stay strong in front of him and break down in private. There was no way she would give Rogan that satisfaction after all the years he had tried to break her. Instead, she raised her head high and kept her face free from any emotions that would reveal her true state of mind.
“Good girl,” Rogan said, his tone full of patronising glee as he pulled the contract back. It was like his words were patting her on the head as if she were an obedient dog and Cora could feel her body tense at the insinuation. Oblivious to Cora’s thoughts, Rogan turned and filed the contract away in a safe. Obviously it was more valuable than those of his normal employees.
“Don’t bloody ‘good girl’ me, I’m not your pet. Just let Misty go in front of me and then show me to my room. I also expect your men to collect my stuff and bring it to me as I doubt you’re going to let me do that myself. I want a few clothes,” she spat, her frustration coming out no matter how badly she tried to conceal it.
“I’ll arrange for all of that later. As for Misty, I’ll give the orders to release her now.”
“No, you will go down there now with me and I will watch you let her go. You will give her a car and let her get her own way back.” Cora folded her arms and stood there stubbornly, daring him to challenge her with her eyes.
“You should have stipulated that in the agreement if that was what you wanted.” Rogan grinned smugly as he messed with her.
“Don’t you dare go back on your word, Rogan—” Cora started but he held up one hand, silencing her swiftly.
“I have no intention of going back on my word. Misty will go free and you will see her leave,” he said picking up his phone and dialling a number. He wasn’t going to listen to Cora about releasing her himself as he gave the order, but by that point Cora was just happy she had succeeded.
Turning her back on Rogan, she walked over to the door to find Misty’s head appearing just over the lip of the stairs. She made a move to start running towards her when Rogan’s annoyingly strong and possessive grip clamped down on her shoulder, pulling her back to his side.
Cora’s head whipped round, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared at him while trying to silently ask what his problem was.
Rogan, however, just looked down at her, his hand tightening as Misty walked down the hall. There was no reason she couldn’t see her friend, but Rogan wanted to make his position clear. She was under his authority and that meant she would have to learn to listen to him. Although, he did have his doubts about how successfully it would all turn out. If Cora had really wanted to break out, she would have tried her hardest to succeed already.
Waiting in the door to Rogan’s office, Cora tapped her foot impatiently. Every second that went by only made her more aware of the hand upon her shoulder but there was nothing she could do. Cora wasn’t stupid and she knew better than to get into a physical fight with Rogan within minutes of signing for him. Exchanging words was one thing, they had always sparred like that, and she was surprised he had let her get away with it really. However, Cora knew a fight would be a whole new level and one Rogan would not accept. There was only so much luck she had to spare and she figured there had to be a better use of it. Cora decided she would remain pleasant—at least by her standard—until she was settled and had a better grasp of the situation.
Misty’s eyes fell as she noticed Rogan’s hand on Cora’s shoulder. Even though her head was telling her there was nothing she could do, and that it wasn’t her fault, her heart said differently. There was a feeling of guilt, pressing down on her shoulders. If she hadn’t been caught then Cora wouldn’t have been forced to choose.
Their eyes met when Misty was about a metre away and shrugging off Rogan’s grip, Cora ignored the piercing stare she could feel burning into her back and kept walking towards her. Reaching out her arms, she wrapped them around Misty’s neck, drawing her in close so her mouth was right against Misty’s ear.
Returning the hug tightly, Misty flinched when Cora started to speak.
“When you get out of here you run, all right? You go straight back to the flat, pack your stuff and leave. Don’t look back. Use the emergency funds I have in the flat to find another place to live and forget everything,” she murmured intensely but her voice was low so only Misty could hear. Cora desperately needed her to understand the severity of the issue.
“What about you?” Misty whispered, her throat choking up a bit as she tried to hold back her tears.
“Forget me, Misty. I’ll be fine and I’ll get out.”
Misty was shaking her head before she had even finished.
“Don’t argue with me. The best way to help me is to follow everything I just told you. If you don’t, you put us both in more danger.”
Cora pulled back, trailing her arms over Misty’s so she could clasp her shoulders tightly while staring at her friend sternly. Misty nodded slowly and Cora let out a heavy sigh of relief in response. As long as Rogan couldn’t find Misty then Cora might have a chance of escaping.
“Oh and don’t tell Sam or anyone, yeah? In fact I’d ignore them totally, unless you want to warn them that I’ll be coming back for them soon that is,” Cora said as an afterthought. She spoke loud enough for everyone around to hear this time, seeing as it was nothing that could be used against Misty. It also warned Rogan that she would be doing things her own way—something he didn’t appreciate.
A subtle smile formed on the corner of Misty’s lips as one of the guards responded to Rogan’s signal to get her out of the building. Putting a hand on her back, the man guided her towards the exit. Cora didn’t need to watch though as she believed Rogan honoured his contracts enough to fulfil his side of the deal.
“If you want to sleep somewhere other than the basement, I suggest you follow me,” Rogan called, already a few steps ahead of her.
Breaking free of her thoughts, Cora jogged up behind him obediently, much to her annoyance. When her brain failed her for a quick retort, she remained silent, trying to resist the urge to land a kick to the back of his knee and send him sprawling on to the floor in front of his men. A smile tugged at her lips with the mental image of Rogan, his face crumpled against the shiny granite floor. Letting out a little laugh, Cora allowed the thought to amuse her for a while but as she ran through different ways she could get Rogan to hit the floor, her leg was itching to follow through.
Gritting her teeth, she bit back the urge and followed Rogan to the top of the stairs that appeared too average for a house of its grandeur. Rogan thought so too. However he preferred the understated look, wanting to keep extra room for other, more important things that may be needed at short notice: weapons, prisoners, meetings were top priority. It wasn’t like he needed a grand staircase anyway as who was ever going to walk down it?
At the top Rogan waited for Cora to catch up, and as she paused in front of a single, metal door it didn’t look like a normal bedroom to her.
“What do you think I’m going to do? Set a bomb off in my room to escape? If you hadn’t noticed I don’t happen to carry around C4 with me just in case of events like this,” she exclaimed, her face screwing up in confusion.
“This door leads to the family quarters. You will be staying here as I don’t trust you not to try and escape. The staff quarters are all full in the main house and there is no way I’m letting you go to the outhouse.”
“Well aren’t I lucky! I feel privileged,” Cora cheered over-enthusiastically with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She was not impressed by the arrangement. Everyone knew that Rogan’s fortified family quarters were almost impenetrable and there she was being led right into them. Cora had assumed she would be staying with the other employees and that would give her a better chance of escape. However, it didn’t surprise her that he had thought of that.
Rogan cast a sidelong glance at her in warning, but
Cora ignored him and continued to smirk—a silent challenge. He wasn’t looking. Instead he was pulling out a card that was attached to his key chain on a coiled lead. Running it through the card reader, Cora watched as the lights flashed from red to green and a bleep rang out, signalling it had been unlocked.
Pushing the door open, he gestured for Cora to walk in ahead of him before he shut the door behind them both.
“Aren’t you going to give me one of those?” Cora asked irritated at his lack of reaction.
“Of course, and then I’ll also give you two guns, a map of the house and a key to the front door.” Rogan laughed at the moment of hope that flashed through Cora’s eyes before it flickered out of existence as she realised he wasn’t being serious.
“A simple yes or no would have sufficed,” she muttered under her breath but Rogan caught the words.
“Unless you’re needed, you won’t be leaving this section of the building; at least until you prove your worth that is.”
Cora frowned, not liking the sound of the idea one bit but as Rogan paused in front of another door, her eyes were focused on the pocket he had placed the keys back into. She glanced at the two guards who were stood either side of the door, wondering what they would do if she tried to take the key card without Rogan noticing.
“This is where you’ll be staying for now. Don’t bother complaining either because I couldn’t care less about your opinion.”
Her eyes flew from his pocket and up to meet his gaze. She hoped he hadn’t noticed what she was doing or at least figured out what she was after but of course he had, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.
“The cards get changed every three days so don’t even bother trying to steal one, it would be a waste of time seeing as I would just get a new code generated. Also the people with access to this floor are limited and movement is monitored closely. I’ll know if something is out of place.”
Damn, Cora thought as Rogan threw her plan back to square one without even realising it. Shrugging off his comment though Cora moved to step past him and into the room where she almost had a heart attack at its vastness.