by Mia Hoddell
“He said you had a job for me. Can we get on with it please? There are a lot of other things that I could be doing, which would be a better use of my time than this.” As she spoke, Cora jerked her thumb back in Nick’s direction while she moved towards the sofa.
Without looking at her Rogan gave a wordless dismissal to Nick, who shut the door behind him. He didn’t even spare Cora a second glance when he left.
Cora’s attention was caught by Rogan’s movement in the corner of her eye. He had hauled himself out of the chair behind his desk and was making his way towards her.
“Really? I’m intrigued to find out what you could have possibly found to do when you’re not allowed out of your room.” Rogan challenged smugly as he stood in front of her.
Escaping, flashed through her mind but she voiced loudly, “Sleeping. That jackass you sent to fetch me has no manners. He walked right into the room and forced me out of bed by taking my covers away. He should be disciplined and trained properly. You also need to get me some things because I am not wearing these clothes three days and two nights running,” Cora said, trying to deflect her first thought and leave no sign of it on her face. She stared him right in the eye and it took nearly all of her will power to stop them flicking towards the door.
“Does that mean I need to discipline and train you? You just did the exact same thing; walked in here like you own the place.” It was an observation and admonishment as he watched Cora struggling for a retort. Very rarely did he render her speechless and he could now see why she liked it so much. Usurping her in any way had always been pleasurable, so much so, he smiled.
“Just tell me what you want me to do,” Cora said, her lips tight in annoyance. She hated being beaten.
“I have three men who owe me money. They went out to collect it but now it’s missing and I want to know where it is. You detect the lies,” he stated simply and Cora sighed.
At least it isn’t anything too taxing, she thought as she pulled herself up off the sofa.
“Well are you going to bring them in or what? I’m not waiting around all day,” she said when he made no move to do anything. She knew she was pushing her luck by the way his eyes glazed over with anger. In fact she was surprised she had got this far, but she knew that as long as he needed her ability, she could push him further than anyone else.
“You’re angry in the morning. Worse than usual and I don’t like it so you had better stop. Do as I say or you’ll be sleeping in a locked cell, in the basement, and I won’t be sending someone to get any of your things. That’s your final warning.”
She’d pushed him too far and at his threat she shut up, holding her hands up in surrender as he moved towards his desk. Of course he had his back to her so he didn’t see…she wasn’t that weak.
He pressed a buzzer on the intercom and when a voice rang out from a speaker he informed the man to bring the first suspect in.
The door opened and in strode a determined looking, black haired and muscular man. He had on a navy T-shirt and black jeans—the usual attire for one of Rogan’s men—and he wore a wary expression. He took one of the seats opposite Rogan’s desk and Cora put her feet up on the sofa.
It didn’t matter how close she was to the man. As long as she was in the room, she would detect a lie so she believed she should at least be as comfortable as possible.
“I’ll just call him out on the lies,” Cora called and Rogan nodded.
“Are you aware of the money that has gone missing from me in the last two days?” Rogan asked, his voice was calm but there was a threatening undercurrent that made sure the man gave him the correct answer.
“Yes,” he replied and although the minimal response raised red flags in Cora’s mind as a sign of lying, she remained silent as his voice gave no indication that was the case.
“Do you know where it is?”
“No and I don’t know who did it either before you ask.”
Again Cora remained silent, just listening to his voice but there was no hint of a lie. He had also expanded on the answer, prompting Rogan’s next question.
“Have you ever stolen money from me?” Rogan asked.
“No, of course not. I value my own life too much to even consider doing something like that!” the man exclaimed sounding genuinely offended by the thought.
Glancing over at Cora, Rogan arched his eyebrow in question.
Sighing, she swung her legs back off the sofa and leaned forward so her elbows were on her legs and her head rested on her hands. “He told the truth on every question. Although you probably don’t need me to tell you that, his body language is enough to prove it.”
Rogan nodded and gestured for than man to leave as he called for his next suspect.
Once again another man shuffled in, only this time he looked a lot less confident than the first. He was clutching his hands in front of him and refused to meet either Cora or Rogan’s eye line for more than a second at a time. Sitting down in the chair he fidgeted a bit before deciding to sit on his hands. Something Cora was thankful of as the movement was starting to become irritating.
“Are you aware of the money that has gone missing from me in the last two days?” Rogan repeated the first question, his tone heading more towards bored since he had been through the process once. Cora already knew it wasn’t the missing money that was bothering him, Rogan had plenty. What had set off his desire to find the culprit was to send a message that nobody stole from him and lived. She knew what would happen if she exposed the liar but it was his life or hers. And hers would win out every time.
“You mean the money that you sent us to collect from that local bar?”
At his answer Cora leaned forward slightly. She wasn’t detecting a lie but as the words made their way to her ears they were definitely not as truthful as they could be. He was avoiding the question deliberately.
“Answer the questions yes or no and with any detail you wish to add,” Cora stated, her voice making the man turn to scowl at her. He knew avoiding the questions meant neither lying nor telling the truth and she had just called him on it in front of Rogan.
Rogan repeated the question again. This time he answered as Cora had demanded and it was clear he was aware of the money being stolen.
“Do you know where it is and who took it?” Rogan asked, his voice more tense than before.
“How would I know that?”
Once again his voice distorted slightly in Cora’s ear as he answered Rogan’s questions with his own.
“Stop avoiding the questions,” Cora said again, getting more frustrated with the time waster.
Repeating the question, Rogan balled his fists in anger as it simmered in his eyes. What Cora didn’t understand though was why the man was putting up such a fuss when he answered truthfully and had nothing to do with it.
“Have you ever stolen money from me?” Rogan asked, the final question on his list and after passing, he dismissed the man and called in the next.
Just like the first, he strode into the room with long, confident strides and sat down in the chair to await the questions.
“Are you aware of the money that has gone missing from me in the last two days?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about it,” The man stated and instantly the words rung inside Cora’s mind as false. It was like someone had submerged her underwater as he spoke and the lie was undeniable.
“He’s lying,” Cora said in a bored tone as she looked up from where her gaze had been focused on the floor to meet Rogan’s eye.
“Are you sure you don’t want to change your answer?” Rogan pressed and the man didn’t look so confident anymore.
“Fine, I’ve heard about it through everyone else. A lot of the guards have been talking about it.” He huffed and grumbled his response as Rogan looked over at Cora.
“Half-truth,” she stated. The words weren’t a full out lie but there was definitely something off about them.
Nodding, Rogan moved on to the next questi
on, hoping to bring to light some more answers.
“Do you know where it is?”
“No.” He was telling the truth and a nod from Cora allowed Rogan to continue.
“Do you know who took it?”
“No.”
Cora would have missed the slight tremble in the single and short words had she not been listening for lies her whole life. However, the sound was unmistakable and informing Rogan she went back to listening to his next answer.
“Did you take my money?” Rogan probed, narrowing down the possibilities with each question.
“No, I would never think of doing such a thing,” the man said, his voice was filled with confidence but when it reached Cora it was nothing but a mass of lies.
“He’s lying again,” Cora said, her tone bored but slightly hopeful that she would be able to leave. Rogan nodded and called for two men who grabbed the guy by his arms and led him out the door quicker than Cora could blink. The man didn’t even get time to struggle. Cora felt no remorse for what would happen to him though; everyone knew you never got away with a crime against Rogan Carvelli.
As he moved around the desk his smug grin was back on his face as he came towards Cora. “Well at least you are good for something, and I’m glad to see that you are being truthful with your readings.”
Standing his words registered in Cora’s mind. “Wait, you knew which men were lying and which were being truthful?” she accused, her temper flaring quickly.
“Of course, how else was I going to test you?” He said matter-of-factly, not at all fazed by her reaction.
“What the hell, Rogan? You could have waited until I got up first,” Cora moaned.
“You signed a contract, Cora. You agreed to work for me, you can’t complain and you have no control. If I want to get you up early in the morning then I am entitled to do so. If I want you to dance, you will. If I want you to shoot yourself, I can make you. Understand? You may have a bit more bargaining power than the others but this attitude stops now. You work for me. Remember that.” His voice became deadly serious and sinister all of a sudden and for once in her life, when standing in front of Rogan, Cora knew he meant every word.
Chapter 10
Leaving the room in a hurry, Cora tried to avoid appearing that what Rogan had said had got under her skin and scared her. She held her head high and walked with confidence. The only noticeable difference was the pace at which she walked. Rogan thought his words had finally got through to her. It was the first time she had given in during one of their slanging matches. He hoped that she would just listen to him but he knew all too well how stubborn she could be and although that would come in handy for what he had planned for her, her attitude was irritating to work with.
What Rogan couldn’t predict was what was going on inside Cora’s head. Yes, his words had affected her, but not in the way he was hoping for. Instead of making her fear him, they had only added to her desire to escape. Cora didn’t want to be used in whatever scheme he was involving her in and as she made her way back up to her room, she thought of the note.
They had never led her wrong before and she had to escape tonight if she was going to make the meeting the next morning.
Having left Rogan’s office abruptly she had managed to escape having a bodyguard lead her back to the room. Because of this, it meant she could walk at her own pace and study any possible route that could be a potential exit. There was no way she could walk out the front door and Cora didn’t think that any of the exits on the ground floor would be possible to use either. With Rogan’s increased security she was going to have to find another route that didn’t involve the Praetorian Guard of men beneath her that circumvented Rogan’s on every floor below.
The door to the family quarters was left open as Cora reached the top of the stairs which was strange. Rogan had given her the impression that it was impossible to access and that security was tight. Obviously, not everyone took the same care that was expected.
Rather than consider why that was, Cora decided to use it to her advantage. She had forgotten all about the card needed and if luck hadn’t been on her side then she would have had to go back to Rogan and probably get an escort in the process. This way it meant she could continue her snooping without having to be disrupted.
As she walked up the last few steps, Cora made sure her feet made no sound. She had learnt to control the volume of her footsteps after Rogan had found her the first time. Cora could now walk through an art gallery without being detected. She could also creep up on even the highest ranking of Rogan’s men and knock them unconscious before they noticed. It was a skill that had saved her life more times than she could count. As she drew level with the door, she kept her back pressed against the wall, taking small steps so as not to draw attention to her movements.
Ever so slowly, Cora moved her head through the doorway. She went only as far as was necessary to see through to the door of her room. When she saw no guards stood by the entrance, her heart sped up. And when she turned to check the opposite direction and found no one, she almost shouted with glee at how things were starting to go in her favour.
Walking into the hall Cora decided it was the best opportunity she was going to get, and maybe her only one. Continuing past her door towards the left end of the hall, she paused in front of the first door. The family wing was only one large corridor with seven doors coming off it. Most of the house was used to run Rogan’s empire or house his closest men but the floor Cora was on was strictly private. Because of this, Cora was unsure as to whom or what she would find behind the doors.
Placing her ear against the oak panelling, she paused for a minute. She was well aware of the time passing and that the longer she spent waiting to check if she could hear someone, the chances of a guard reappearing increased. If she opened the door and someone was inside though, well, it would be over.
Cora raised her hand slowly, gently placing it on the gold-plated door handle. Pressing it down, she made sure the lock made not even the slightest click and that the handle was all the way down before putting a small amount of pressure on the door. Holding her breath in hope, she got the first view of a room that appeared to be just like hers.
The only noticeable difference was that this room looked lived in. Photos rested on shelves, makeup was strewn on the dressing table that was placed in the corner nearest the long, white windows. The sheets on the bed were pulled back and the walls were a deep red rather than the blue in her room. From the makeup and lack of housekeeping, she assumed that the room was Rogan’s and his wife’s and that the maids hadn’t cleaned it yet.
Cora wanted to look around, to find anything that could be used against Rogan however she didn’t have time—there were five other rooms to search. She would only need an excuse if she was caught, and that wasn’t how her escape plan was going to go.
Due to the fact the room belonged to Rogan and his wife, Cora ruled it out straight away. There was no way she would be able to use it in the night if they were in there. It would be like her kneeling at Rogan’s feet and placing a gun against her own head. Not something Cora intended to do. There was a nagging certainty that there would be a way out of Rogan’s rooms just in case of an emergency as he was the boss, but Cora ignored it. That path would be inaccessible to her and therefore not worth counting as a possibility.
Heading back out the room Cora made sure not to leave any trace of her presence as she shut the door behind her just as quietly. She made her way to the next room and after pausing to see if she could hear anything, she entered.
What she saw inside mildly surprised her. It was not something she imagined Rogan to have and wasn’t decorated to what she believed his tastes were.
In the centre of the room was a small, six person dining table. A bowl of fresh fruit was resting on top of it in the middle with a candlestick either side. The room was painted in the same white as his office, reflecting the light from outside and making the room incredibly bright. Besides a stereo again
st one wall, speakers fitted in each corner near the ceiling and a chest of drawers on the other side of the room that was it.
Cora had expected an elaborately long table, high-backed chairs and chandeliers. She also expected a fireplace and maybe a darker room. For some unknown reason she had imagined Rogan’s tastes to be slightly Gothic with a hint of modern thrown in. What she wasn’t expecting was clean cut and fresh colours in a room full of light.
Moving over to the window, Cora pressed her nose against the glass, seeing if there was anything she would be able to crawl down when it was dark while staying covered from Rogan’s watchmen. However, there wasn’t even a balcony in the dining room so Cora quickly dismissed the idea. Aware that her time was probably running out, she hurried back to the door, closing it behind her.
Cora did a quick sweep of the corridor, checking to make sure it was still clear and breathed a sigh of relief when she found no one. Seeing the door to the lower level of the house was still open as well, she was certain no one had been up in the last five minutes either.
Moving past her room, Cora breezed through the next two rooms quickly, finding nothing that could be useful. Instead, all she found was a kitchen and a living room. The kitchen was obviously for snacking in as after rummaging through the cupboards for a second she found only processed food that was ready to eat.
Guess it will have to do as I don’t see myself getting breakfast any time soon, she had thought to herself as she grabbed a raspberry and white chocolate muffin. Taking a bite, she quickly exited, and facing the second to last door she sighed. Her hope of finding an escape route that was not only viable but not obvious enough to guard was proving to be more difficult than she thought. Also, if she didn’t find one in the family quarters it meant she was going to have to take her search downstairs which was the last thing she wanted.
Having heard no noise from within the room she was about to enter, Cora pushed down on the handle and slowly swung open the door. She took a step in and shut the door behind her quickly in case anyone came into the corridor. Because of that, she hadn’t seen what was in the room.