by Mia Hoddell
Slowly moving her free hand up to the phone she hooked her nail under the piece of flimsy plastic, pulling it off the phone with a snap. Moving the object up to her face she inspected it and without a second thought, she squeezed her fingers together watching it snap in two with a satisfying crack. The bulb faded to black and to be on the safe side Cora crouched down, placing the tracking device under her shoe and grinding it into the step.
It was the only thing she assumed it could be and it would seem the mostly likely option considering Rogan had been able to track her since leaving the mansion on that first day under his employment.
Happy that it was destroyed, Cora quickly put her phone back together and switched it on to use as a torch. The light it emitted was pathetic at best but it was enough for her to read the signs and find the right platform. She just hoped the battery would last long enough for her to find Jed and the rest of the alliance.
Surprisingly, the blackness felt reassuring to Cora as she moved deeper into the tunnel. The darkness that surrounded her acted like a cocoon, concealing her from everything else. It was easy for every sound she made to reverberate through so she trod lightly—anyone following her would be easily detectable, a fact Cora found solace in—as she kept her phone pointed at the floor to make sure she didn’t trip over any detritus that had been dumped.
She kept moving at a steady pace, unsure as to how far she actually had to travel. The light from her phone soon started to fade, and as she turned the screen round to face her, the battery icon in the top right-hand corner was flashing urgently at her.
Cursing under her breath, Cora used the last of the battery to guide herself to the wall and reluctantly put her hand against it. Beneath her fingers the wall was cold, damp and slightly slimy with algae that had coated it. Cora thought it best not to question what it truly was as she started to move forward once more. Her right hand never left the wall, keeping her senses aware while her right-hand still clutched the phone. She hadn’t wanted to risk fumbling for a pocket to put it away.
Wary that people may be following her, Cora moved as quickly as she could in the darkness, wanting to find the others as quickly as possible. However the voices confronted her from further down the tunnel sooner than she expected.
Cora was about to make her presence known when Jed’s voice stopped her.
“Don’t you think she has the right to know? I mean, think about what you’re going to do to her and what will happen when she finds out the truth.”
“Cora will not find out,” a woman who Cora assumed was Mayana replied curtly.
At the mention of her name, Cora reverted back to her slow steps as she crept closer. She wanted to make sure she heard everything they had to say but she didn’t want to be detected. There was a faint glow coming from around the corner but it was too dull to be a platform and that fact led Cora’s curiosity to lead her closer still.
Jed and Mayana had travelled away from the group for a reason and Cora intended to find out why as she sat back to listen.
“What? She won’t find out that you’re really just using her? That you don’t care about her well-being at all? She’s smart Mayana, you know she is. Don’t think you can keep something like that from her for long.” Jed slouched against the tunnel wall, frustrated at being stuck in the middle of Mayana’s crazy plan. He knew he had chosen sides when he accepted her offer but nowhere in the contract for her mini mafia did it state he had to lie and betray a girl who didn’t know what she was getting herself into.
“Of course she’s smart, she has to get it from somewhere and it certainly wasn’t that waste-of-space mother of hers,” Mayana spat and Cora almost ran around the corner to challenge her.
Cora couldn’t understand what Mayana meant by her statement but one thing was clear to her: there were many people who knew more about her history than she did. That fact was starting to irritate Cora.
“Mayana just think about what you are trying to get her to do will you. What would you think if the roles were reversed?” Jed sighed, exasperated. In truth he didn’t really know why he was fighting Cora’s corner, but something deep within him felt the urge to protect her. Cora didn’t know what Mayana wanted to do to her and she deserved to hear the truth before she decided anything. In the end that’s what was driving him to pursue the argument with Mayana.
“Why are you bothering, Jed? You don’t have feelings for her, do you? Because you know this isn’t going to end well for her.” Mayana took on a sneering and sinister tone as she moved closer to read Jed’s expression.
His eyes were narrowed and his face hardened in response. “Of course I don’t have feelings for her. I want Rogan to die as much as the next person in here but I don’t agree with what you are planning.”
“And why is that?” she asked slowly, as if considering every word before it left her mouth.
“Are you kidding me? You seriously cannot see what is wrong with your plan?” Jed asked incredulously, his voice increasing in volume along with his frustration.
Cora could see the shadows flickering ominously on the walls as he threw his arms up into the air to emphasise his words. She could not see his face though and she was still no clearer on what they were talking about. All she knew was they were both being truthful. She had already assumed Mayana wanted her for some reason. That wasn’t what was bothering her. The real reason her mind was spinning was that it felt like there was something deeper going on and for some reason everyone but her was in on the secret.
“Rogan must fall Jed and she is the only weapon we have. We all know Kirby isn’t up to the job of succeeding Rogan. Even he knows that. Why do you think everything has been left to her should he die? He will do anything to get her back and if not we must make sure she is controllable so that when Rogan falls, she will do as we say.”
Cora’s mind was reeling, trying to process what Mayana wasn’t saying. If Rogan had left her everything and would do everything in his power to get her back that only led to one thing in Cora’s mind—and it was something she didn’t ever want to consider. Forgetting the damp walls, she leaned back against them, trying to calm her ragged breathing as she squeezed her eyes shut in the hope of blocking everything out. Her head was beginning to ache and as she brought her arm up to pinch the bridge of her nose, she was vaguely aware that she may be having a mild panic attack.
“That is not the part of your plan I have a problem with and you know it Mayana. What I have trouble with is you wanting to turn her into an assassin.”
“She’s the only one who can get in there safely. Once Rogan is dead, her contract automatically kicks in and the men belong to her, they can’t harm her. She’s the only one who can do it.”
Cora was trying to calm her breathing but nothing seemed to work. Mayana’s words were ringing over and over in her mind: heiress, assassin, heiress, assassin. She felt sick to her stomach, bile rising in the back of her throat, making her feel like she was going to throw up. Placing a hand on her chest she swallowed and took a deep breath holding it in until she felt her hand steady.
“You’re asking her to murder her father, Mayana! That will destroy her when she finds out what she’s done,” Jed shouted before toning down his volume instantly.
The words rang in Cora’s ear but she wasn’t really hearing them. It felt like she was watching her body rather than experiencing anything. Sliding down the wall she slumped, her head in her hands as she felt all the blood drain from her until she felt cold.
Her body started to shake, whether out of pure, raw and uncontrolled emotion or coldness she wasn’t sure but her breathing started to hitch as she choked back a sob.
Rogan couldn’t be her father. He just couldn’t.
Cora thought of every way possible to deny the allegation but everything made sense. The affair Rogan had had with her mother—the affair she had used to blackmail him for freedom—all slotted into place, confirming the thoughts she tried not to think. The reason Rogan was so lenient with her, t
he reason he put up with her attitude and the reason he wanted her to be in his world so much. Cora willed it not to be true but there was one inescapable fact: Jed’s words had been crystal clear without any hint of distortion that would indicate it to be false. What he had said, he believed was the truth.
“She won’t know that will she? And if she does, so what? She only needs to live long enough to sign everything over to me.”
“No,” Cora whispered, whether in response to Mayana’s words or to the revelation she had just succumbed to, she wasn’t totally sure. But as the word escaped her lips louder than she had expected, instinctively she brought her hand up, covering her mouth, hoping it would retrieve the word. She knew it was too late and as she turned to look back at Jed and Mayana she felt the silence as both of them stared at her wide eyed in shock and horror.
Chapter 19
Cora didn’t think—she didn’t have time. On instinct she sprang to her feet, turning away from her betrayers and began to run. Her footsteps echoed through the tunnel as she ran blindly into the darkness.
Her eyes had been accustomed to the soft, warm, orange glow from Jed’s torch and her eyes were refusing to adjust. She wanted to run at full pace, break through the barrier that was holding her back, but she knew she couldn’t. One wrongly placed foot would have sent her sprawling on to the ground and if she did that the gaining footsteps behind would surely catch her. They knew the tunnels better than her.
“Cora, wait! Please. We can explain,” Jed shouted out from behind her. His footsteps were falling more frequently signalling he was moving at a faster speed. It also didn’t sound like it was costing him an ounce of energy to talk and run. God, why is everybody fitter than me?
She didn’t answer him. Unlike them, she had little awareness of where she was going and her attention was focused more on the black-filled tunnel ahead of her.
“Cora wait,” his voice sounded louder this time and it wasn’t because he was shouting or the echoes. He was gaining on her and there was nothing she could do to get away unless she managed to get out of the tunnel. However, she didn’t know where a platform was, for all she knew she could have run straight past it as without a light there was nothing to warn her. The entrance she had used had not been boarded up and she felt she had been running for ages, longer than the distance she walked anyway.
Jed could see the faint outline of her in front of him. His eyes were used to adjusting at a rapid speed and as he closed the gap it became easier to see her figure, trying to stay ahead.
Making one final effort, Jed picked up his pace and sprinted the final few metres to close the gap between them. When he was within reaching distance, he stretched out his arms, moving to grab hold of her.
Cora screamed as a hand clasped around her right arm, jerking her to a halt. She hadn’t expected him to be so close so soon.
Acting on instinct she lifted her left arm, spinning it around and turning her body with it so it sliced across Jed’s forearm. Just like she had practised in her martial art lessons, Jed’s grip loosened, slipping away from her. Then, using the momentum from her spin, she followed through with her right elbow, catching him on the jaw and causing him to stumble back.
Cora didn’t wait for a second opportunity, she turned and ran. It was no surprise to her that Mayana had sent Jed rather than run after her herself. But that meant others would have been alerted and Cora had no idea where she was.
Damn, why did I destroy that tracking device? I could really use Rogan knowing where I am right about now. As the thought entered her mind, she discarded it. The last person she wanted to see besides Jed or Mayana at that moment in time was Rogan. She needed to work through some issues in her head before that meeting arose.
Not wanting to miss the next platform she would come across, Cora placed a hand on the wall lightly so she could feel when it disappeared. The cool, slimy wall felt disgusting under her fingers and Cora could feel the trail she was leaving behind as the grime built up in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to pull her hand away from the concrete but knowing it was necessary, she put up with it.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long either. The wall disappeared from under her finger all of a sudden and the space opened out to what she assumed was a platform, as she felt the tiles begin just above the height of her head.
Slowing her pace to a light jog before falling into a walk and stopping, Cora fumbled in the dark for the edge of the platform. When her fingers felt the cool tiled floor, she placed both hands on the lip and moved to haul herself up.
Just as she was about to flick her leg up to lift her body on to the platform, two warm, sweaty hands clasped around each wrist. Yanking hard, they lifted her out of the pit with ease, pulling her body up like it weighed no more than a rag doll.
For a moment Cora’s body hung, suspended in the air as the darkness confused her as to what was going on. Her feet dangled uselessly, kicking at the empty space as she was pulled over the edge.
Feeling the solid floor beneath her feet once more her captor made sure she had no time to recover or become aware of her surroundings. Spinning her around he trapped her body against himself, his legs disabling her own and his arms restraining not only Cora’s but were positioned so he could avoid any movement she made with her head easily.
“Let me go!” Cora screamed trying every move known to her to wriggle free. Her muscles were tensed, ready for a fight while they tried to dislodge her attacker.
“Get off me!” Cora’s constant struggling was having an effect on her words so rather than come out strong and forceful, they were a little ragged.
“Cora, just calm yourself down.”
As she recognised Jed’s calm but curt tone, Cora stopped moving. Her mind couldn’t understand how he had got ahead of her so quickly. She had seen him fall and not get back up—she was sure of it.
“Let me go, Jed or I swear you will regret it.” Her voice was low and tense but amplified by the empty room.
“Just calm down, Cora. I know you must be feeling confused and angry right now but no one is trying to hurt you.”
“You knew though! You knew and you didn’t fucking tell me!” Cora screamed, her emotions bordering on hysteria as she let the dam inside her mind collapse and release the torrent of unstoppable emotions.
“What was I meant to say Cora? You’ve known me a few days and you want me to just blurt out that Carvelli is your father?”
“Yes. It’s not something you should have kept from me. I had a right to know.” She tried to rein in the outburst, biting her lip to keep some of her insults within her mind. Not that he deserved the courtesy.
As she stilled and stopped struggling Jed loosened his grip slightly, his hand tiring from the force he had to exert to restrain her. A big mistake.
Feeling the change in pressure Cora took the opportunity. Throwing her head back against his chest, she pushed at his arm with her free hand causing Jed to lose his balance. In the moment of confusion she had caused, she managed to free herself.
She didn’t get far. Cora had only taken a few steps when she felt Jed throwing himself at her. His arms wound around her as they fell to the floor, Cora pinned beneath his weight as he entwined their legs to stop her flailing.
“I’m on your side, Cora. Stop…Fighting…Me,” he said, punctuating every word with a breath as he struggled to keep her in place.
“The hell you are. I heard you conspiring with Mayana. You’re just like everyone else who wants to use me. Actually you’re worse. At least I knew Rogan’s motives for hiring me. You lied from the start.” Cora was shaking and bucking her body, trying to throw Jed off her but he was too heavy.
“I didn’t lie. It’s impossible to lie to you.”
“Fine if you want to bloody nit-pick, you withheld the truth. You failed to mention one vital piece of information that everyone seems to know but me. Now let me go! There’s no way I’m joining your laughable excuse of an army now.”
“Sorry, Cora, that’s not going to happen.” The voice that replied was not Jed’s but rather the patronising tones of Mayana.
Her heavy combat boots made dull thuds against the tiled floor as she walked on to the platform, bringing the bright glow of the torch into the area and illuminating the dirty tiles Cora was pinned on. Cora tried to strain her neck to see her better but the elbow on the back of her neck made it hard to move further than an inch in any direction. All she could see was the polished boots reflecting back at her.
“Let...Me…Go,” Cora said through gritted teeth as her face was pushed hard into the dirt. It seemed that with the appearance of Mayana, Jed had lost all sympathy and was now using the tough guy act as much as possible.
“You can argue all you want, it’s not going to get you anywhere.”
As Cora heard her footsteps retreat, Mayana called over her shoulder.
“Take her to the cell. And Jed? Make sure she gets there this time. You know how slippery she can be now.” Mayana used a bored tone, clearly fed up of the conversation as she left, nodding to another man she had brought with her to help him restrain Cora.
“Jed just let me go now, no one has to know the truth,” Cora said but it was too late. She felt the pressure on her back loosen and before she had time to move another set of hands grabbed her as they both hauled her to her feet.
“I’ll never do as you ask, Mayana. You cannot use me!” Cora shouted, her voice echoing around her in the vast, empty space. She got no response. Mayana was already gone.
The two men started to pull Cora forward. Stumbling, only their solid grip kept her on her feet as they manhandled her through the tunnel.
“You can’t do this, Jed. You have no power over me. I have signed nothing, you do not own me and I refuse to work for you,” Cora spat but she got no response as they led her away. Their shuffling footsteps were all that could be heard as they moved, except for Cora’s protests that were becoming less and less as each minute passed. In fact they managed to make good time as they hoisted her up on to the platform that led to the cell. As they moved, lights suddenly flickered on above them, blinding Cora, the burning forcing her eyes shut for a second.