by Mia Hoddell
“She doesn’t deserve any of it.” He pointed furiously at her spitting slightly as a red mist descended on him so thickly, he could barely control his words. “I could run this place just as well! It’s my right and that’s why she had to go.” On an impulse Kirby charged at her, his arms out stretched and aiming for her throat.
However, he wasn’t the lightest person on his feet and easily predicting his attack, Cora ducked under his arm, spinning and landing an elbow to his upper back, right between his shoulder blades. Kirby stumbled forward incapable of countering Cora’s lethal speed and agility. For the third time in the space of minutes, he fell face forward on to the floor, with an awkward thump that only made Rogan shake his head.
“That is why you will never run this business. You’re weak, useless and can’t even deal with a girl half your size. If you’d managed to kill her, I may have started to see you differently, but you couldn’t even do that right, could you? You would have only had to fire one shot, she was outnumbered and cornered. It would have been like shooting a caged animal but you couldn’t, you were scared of her. You hid and let others take the fall. How did I end up with such a worthless coward for a son?”
Kirby flinched like Rogan had physically kicked him in the gut. He remained crumpled on the floor, his breathing heavy as he bent over panting. He refused to look up and meet anyone’s gaze.
“You’re pathetic,” Rogan said, his voice too casual. It made the words sound twisted and cruel as they appeared to be just a natural thought. Kirby however seemed to have lost all the fight in him.
“Who were the men who agreed to help you?” Rogan asked, bored of insulting his son.
“I don’t know, I didn’t ask their names,” Kirby’s voice came out in a small whisper and the fact his gaze remained on the floor only muffled the reply even more.
Glancing up Rogan arched his eyebrow at Cora. She knew what he wanted before he had a chance to ask. The words had already distorted in her mind, becoming muffled with the lie. She didn’t want to sentence the other three men to death, knowing that’s what would happen if she revealed the truth but after a seconds hesitation she countered that they were there to try and kill her and she couldn’t go through something like that again. Rogan would find them without her help, she reasoned, so their deaths were inevitable.
“He’s lying.” Frustrated, Rogan paced towards Kirby.
“Are you going to give me the names or are you going to make my men force it out of you?”
Kirby’s body sagged at the threat, obviously deciding that his punishment was going to be bad enough without failing to cooperate. “Trey, Brett, Mike and Syd—but Syd’s dead.”
Rogan started to retreat back behind his desk now he had the information he required, his gaze never leaving Kirby as he picked up the phone. “Nick, I need you and Harry to deal with a serious problem. Also, send Alex and Miles to my office.” Rogan hung up and moved back around to the front of his desk, giving the men time to reach them.
As the four men entered the room, Cora recognised Nick but that was it. They all stood, ready and awaiting orders that Rogan was about to dictate.
“Nick, take Kirby to cell two, you know the drill.”
“Dad please! Not again, I can’t suffer that again. How can you let them beat me? I’m your son!” Kirby cried, saying anything to try and extricate himself from the situation and Cora could not only hear the fear in his words but they were also true.
Ignoring the protests, Rogan nodded his head at Nick who moved forward with Harry. Hauling Kirby up by the arms they half dragged, half-led him out the door still protesting as his feet kicked, trying to stop them from moving him.
“Alex, Miles, from now on your only job is to make sure Cora comes to no harm. You’re on close protection, got it?”
A series of ‘yes sirs’ came from the men and Cora groaned. She had got exactly what she didn’t want.
“I don’t need them, Rogan,” Cora said stubbornly, trying to muster as much fight as she could.
“You will take them and you will be pleased about it, I can’t have you unprotected.”
“Why? The men who tried aren’t going to be alive by morning.”
“No arguments Cora, you’re important.”
Finally Cora had the opportunity she had been waiting for. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up earlier with Kirby as her focus was directed elsewhere.
“Why me?” she asked, hoping Rogan would reveal himself to be her father.
“Why you what?” Rogan asked, deliberately making her clarify so as not to back himself into a corner.
“Why leave me everything? I’m just a False Finder.”
Rogan’s eyes widened in shock, all of his movements halting as blood started to pound in his ears with his increased heartbeat. “I’m guessing Kirby told you that?”
Cora shrugged neither denying nor confirming his thoughts. Instead she repeated, “Why me, Rogan?”
“Because you are the only one capable.”
Cora snorted a laugh. “You have hundreds of men at your disposal, I’m sure one of them is capable.”
“They’re just trained to do a job, to follow orders. You on the other hand lead people, you don’t take no for an answer and you go after what you want. You’re the only one with enough courage to say what you really think to me. It’s your job to take over.”
Although Cora felt a swell of pride building in the pit of her stomach, she shook it off, reminding herself of his lies. But there were no lies. His voice hadn’t distorted or given any evidence to the contrary. What he had said was the truth, even if he was omitting one major factor in his decision.
“Well give it to someone else, I don’t want it and never will.”
“It’s not about what you want. It’s what’s best for my organisation. You’re it, Cora. End of discussion.”
For once Cora listened to him. If he left it to her then she was free to do what she wanted, whether it was take it to destroy it or continue his reign.
“Alex and Miles will also be escorting you everywhere. I will have a team go round to your flat now to clean up and you’ll be free to head home in about an hour.”
Cora got the message that their meeting was over from his dismissive tone and there was no way she was staying in his home longer than necessary.
“Fine, I have some business to attend to first anyway.”
With all the dramatics she could summon, Cora swept out of the chair, through the centre of her two bodyguards and towards the door. As she reached for the handle she turned back to look at Rogan who was already typing away at his computer.
“What did you order to happen to Kirby? Just out of curiosity,” Cora asked.
“Our version of target practice,” Rogan said without looking up.
“With guns?”
“He’s my son Cora…just a father’s discipline.” She saw in his eyes a flash of compassion that he could never kill Kirby, no matter what he did which satisfied Cora. Kirby might have wanted to kill her but he was still her brother. If it was a beating he was going to get, well that is what he deserved, she thought.
“Oh…and sorry about the door,” she said with a wry smile before exiting the room.
Chapter 25
Leaving Rogan’s with her two muscle-bound guards in tow Cora had an hour to kill before she was able to return to her flat. However, she was giving herself a little over that, as although Rogan stuck to deadlines like they were the most important thing in the world, she wanted to be sure. She didn’t want to see the man she killed again, his lifeless body sprawled on her floor. Her situation wasn’t exactly to her liking though. Cora was not pleased about being followed but she couldn’t make them leave—she’d already tried and failed. Instead she decided she would put them to good use. If they had to follow her everywhere, they could at least be helpful.
Cora wanted to refer to them as muscle-bound apes because she was angered by their presence. Yet, Cora knew they were anything but stu
pid. Rogan had sent two of his best men to protect her; two of his inner circle that he trusted with his life. Nothing would get past them and they probably both had degrees. They were incredibly well built, taut muscle defining every inch of their bodies and rippling with power. Alex had piercing blue eyes and a confident certainty, while Miles’ deep brown eyes were almost black as they hardened, seeing everything as a potential threat. Both were in black T-shirts and cargo pants that only highlighted their impressive build while showing off the standard issue Glocks Rogan gave to all of his men. They reminded her of the ex-special forces she used to know.
Walking around the streets, Cora decided that a visit to her old university was well overdue. It surprised her how little she missed the lessons and had adapted to a new routine. Putting her energy into a degree was allowing herself to hope that at some point she could gain a better life for herself or at least stall any big decisions about her future. Even if the university was financed by Rogan, it gave her a semblance of normality that many people tried to hold on to. Cora wasn’t naive enough to believe that, she knew once you signed to Rogan you signed for life and that anything that resembled a normal existence would disintegrate. She had some people to thank properly for what they had done to her and how they had destroyed any hope of her graduating. Smiling at the thought Cora paused at the gates to the campus, delight filling her body as twisted ideas started flowing through her mind.
Turning to the men behind her she studied them, trying to think of a way to get them to do what she wanted.
“You two have to protect me from everything, right?”
Alex nodded.
“Even from a verbal assault?”
Both men hardened their stares as they tried to understand what Cora was hinting at.
“I guess so, if you want us to,” Alex said hesitantly.
“What about if I start it?” Cora challenged, still smiling.
“No one harms you. Whoever starts the fight is irrelevant. We have our orders and are not allowed to let anything happen to you. No one comes within touching distance,” Alex said again—the more vocal of the two.
“Good.” Cora nodded, satisfied with their answers and turned back to face the gates that were illuminated with a dull orange glow. If her memory served her right, Sam and Jaz would be leaving their evening class in fifteen minutes. So, heading towards the familiar building she pushed through the thin crowd—not that many people stood in her way with the men following behind her—and paused outside their room.
Cora made sure to position herself on the opposite side of the door, right in front of it. By doing so it made sure that people exiting the room would see her. More importantly, Sam and Jaz would see her. She leaned back against the wall, her arms folded across her chest and her left leg propped against the concrete. The two men waited opposite her, making sure their eyes never lost sight of her for even a second, even if she wasn’t moving. Glancing up at the hall clock Cora realised she only had a few minutes until she saw them and not a lot to say.
She had come up with one sentence when the door was pulled open and a flood of people wandered out. She was going to have to wing it. And, even if Cora had no idea what she was going to say, the look on their faces as they left the room was enough payment—well it was a start.
Stood rooted to the spot, they both froze in the doorway. If their mouths hung open any more they would have hit the floor and their eyes bulged in fear and shock. She didn’t know what changes she was expecting to see in a few days but Cora was still surprised they looked the same. Jaz appeared as obnoxious as ever, the purple streaks in her hair making her stand out from the crowd. Unlike most people in the country, Jaz wanted to be seen and her hair was just the start of it. She stood tall, radiating confidence and oozing a desire to be respected. Not many people walked down the street with their heads held high, but Jaz did.
Sam on the other hand was just as smarmy as usual. He had a smug but slightly nervous smile on his face that Cora used to hate as he shut his mouth. It was like there was a private joke or a secret going around and nobody knew but Sam.
“Cora...” Sam said, his voice not pulling off the excitement of seeing her to a believable level. Taking a step forward he had his arms held out like he was moving in to hug her. He only managed one step before Rogan’s men pulled themselves from the walls and placed themselves in his path.
Cora didn’t need to see their faces to know how intimidating they looked and Sam’s fear was quickly replaced by anger.
“What is this, Cora?” Sam asked, peering through the small gap in the middle of her human shields to make sure he could see her.
“I have some things I want to talk to you two about.” As she spoke, she saw their professor leave the classroom. He paid no attention to the obvious confrontation in the hall, probably not thinking it was worth his time or effort.
“Go back into the room. You probably don’t want this made public.”
If they had her ability, they would have been able to tell she was lying. Cora didn’t care if everyone heard what she said, what she really wanted was for them to be trapped. If they were in the classroom, the only way they were getting out was to force their way past her and her men to reach the door; not something that would be easy.
For a second they seemed to consider running, but as Alex and Miles took a threatening step forward they gave up on the idea. Retreating back into the room they watched as Cora followed, shutting the door behind her.
“All right, now what do you want?” Sam said.
“I’ve come to say thank you,” Cora replied, a smile tugging at her lips. The surprise and confusion on their faces was fun to see as they stared at her like she was speaking a different language.
“Thank us for what?” Jaz asked hesitantly as if she didn’t really want the answer.
“For selling me out to Rogan. I’m so grateful that I want to return the favour.”
They both started shaking their heads, holding their hands up like they were trying to warn something off.
“There’s no need for that, Cora. We’re fine, we’re happy.”
“No, I insist. Signing to Rogan was one of the best things you could have done for me, so much that I’ve done the same for you.” Cora tried to hold back a laugh as a reel of emotions flicked across their faces: confusion, anger, fear. They were all there.
She had thought about just using the men to beat them to a pulp and get her own back that way but she had decided that mental torture would be more fun. So far she hadn’t been wrong. The slow look of realisation that morphed into fear was worth the effort.
“You what?” They both shouted simultaneously taking angry steps towards her but Miles and Alex closed ranks on them, stopping their advances.
“Oh, I may have mentioned to Rogan that I had friends who were looking for work and were interested in joining. It was the strangest thing though because when I mentioned your names to him he remembered exactly who you were and said he would be happy to have you on board. He was so thrilled that he sent me down here straight away,” Cora taunted.
“Don’t mess with us, Cora. He said we were safe.”
“What a shame you didn’t have me there then to tell you he was lying. I could have helped you if we were friends.” Her voice was sickly sweet with innocence as she pointed out their bad judgement.
“I’ll give you a piece of advice for when dealing with Rogan because—unlike you—I’m nice. Rogan never does anything for free, he never lets people go and he never tells the truth. If you’d come to me before you sold me out you would know that. I spent years avoiding him and I was very successful at it.” She took their silence as a cue to continue. “So you see, you’ve really brought this on yourselves.” Cora moved to step in front of her men, wanting to make sure she saw Sam and Jaz’s faces when she delivered her final blow.
Noticing what she was doing, Sam lunged for her, his hand directed at her throat. He was a metre away from her when Miles stepped forward,
blocking his attack. Grabbing hold of his arm, he spun Sam around, pulling his arms up a little higher than necessary to gain a yelp from him—much to Cora’s delight.
Laughing, Cora stepped into Sam’s line of vision. On instinct her hand had pulled out the gun she had hidden after leaving Rogan’s. It hung by her side, its presence enough of a deterrent.
“Why do you bother, Sam? You were never a fighter,” she sneered. “Now, you both have two options. The first is you can fight and my men here will restrain you and force you to Rogan’s. The second is you go quietly and no one gets hurt. Which will it be?” Her gaze flicked between Sam and Jaz who were staring at her as if she was the devil incarnate.
“I take it by your lack of protest you’re choosing option two?”
Heads nodded around her.
“Shame, I haven’t hit someone in a while…though I did kill someone earlier today. I was hoping you’d pick option one.”
They didn’t laugh at her joke so shrugging she turned to Alex, motioning for him to step out into the corridor with her. Miles could easily handle them both for a few minutes. Having made the decision to go to the university on a whim, Cora had not thought out her plan. She was hoping either Alex or Miles would go along with it to help her.
“I need you to take them to Rogan’s for me,” she whispered when the door was shut. She didn’t want to risk them over hearing.
“Can’t do that, Cora. You heard Rogan’s orders, he’d skin us alive.”
She sighed, her brain whirling a mile a minute, trying to come up with a solution.
“What if I call him?”
“We just follow orders. If he gives us new ones that changes things.”
Cora didn’t hesitate. Pulling out her phone she dialled Rogan’s number and raised the phone to her ear.
“Your house will be ready soon,” said Rogan from the other end of the line. There was no hello and he was way off the mark with his assumptions about what she wanted.
“Not why I’m calling.”