by Mia Hoddell
Deciding that things worked out better than he could have planned for with Cora, Rogan decided to let Kirby leave without consequence. Even with Kirby trying to ruin him, he had got what he wanted, Cora on a tighter leash. It may not have seemed like that to Cora but Rogan’s concessions had given him more control and compliance in the long-term. He was certain it would garner the information he required.
As he thought it, the sound of crunching gravel pulled his attention to the window where Nick had returned from taking Cora home. Without needing to be told, he exited the car and headed straight for Rogan’s office. There was no denying Nick was his best recruit and one of the next in line to take over should anything happen to Rogan. It was one thing he knew Cora could never have predicted when she sold his life for freedom.
“She’s back at the flat and infuriated,” Nick said with a grim smile as he entered the office. “You know she’s going to run, right?” Unlike any of Rogan’s other men, Nick didn’t have to conceal his emotions. In fact, Rogan regularly consulted with him on business. He was his second after all.
“She won’t get far. I want you to gather five men to go and keep an eye on her. Choose the best all right? She’s important and I can’t have her getting away. If she changes sides it could be a problem.”
Although Nick nodded to show he understood his orders, he was left intrigued. “What do you mean change sides?”
“According to Cora, there is some group of dissidents out there who are hell-bent on bringing me down. It seems they have been helping her.”
“How come we’ve not heard of them before?”
“Because that’s how they wanted it. And I doubt it’s going to stay that way for much longer.”
“Could it be anyone we know?”
“Maybe.”
“So why now?”
“Not scared anymore, have what they need, think they are strong enough? It could be anything. Put the word out, see if anyone has heard anything. Hopefully Cora will lead us to them.”
Chapter 15
Sitting in her flat, it felt empty and spacious with Misty’s constant bubble of happiness missing. On one hand Cora was pleased she had taken her advice and moved, but on the other she couldn’t help but wonder where her only friend was at that moment in time.
Cora wanted to call her, but like she had suggested Misty had left no trace of her presence ever being in the flat, and she didn’t have a phone. She had taken everything she owned and even though Cora kept telling herself it was for the best, it still didn’t feel right as she looked at Misty’s empty room; the bed stripped, wardrobe with just hangers, and bookshelf clear. She felt the coldness that the lonely and empty space brought and she couldn’t help but not believe her own words.
Finally fed up of wallowing, Cora’s thoughts returned to Rogan once more and she felt the familiar anger replace her loneliness. She knew guards were on their way and she was damned if she was going to let them babysit her to make sure she obeyed. If she didn’t get out before they arrived, she would be as trapped as she was in the mansion.
Fed up of being under Rogan’s thumb, Cora found a bag and grabbing changes of clothes, she threw them inside, not bothering to fold them, along with both of her guns, the money Rogan gave her and the phone. She didn’t know when she would be back and she didn’t want to be caught by Rogan’s men because she needed clean clothes.
Packing the bag in a hurry, she threw it over her shoulder and rushed down the stairs. About halfway towards the door, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out the slip of orange paper that held Jed’s number. She took out the phone and dialling frantically, she made sure to return the scrap of paper to her pocket as she heard the dialling tone. This time she would not slip up.
The phone hadn’t even rung twice when Jed answered.
“Hello?” his voice rang out from the other end of the line, sounding slightly uncertain as to who was calling him.
“I want in. I want to be out from under that asshole’s thumb, and I want him to pay.”
“Cora?” Jed questioned and she huffed down the line.
“Who else do you think it is?”
“Okay, okay, I was just checking. Meet me at Victoria Tube station. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Jed said hanging up instantly.
Thankfully, Cora knew where that was and trying to keep out of sight, she walked the short distance from her flat to the nearest entrance.
When she got there and found no one waiting, she decided it would be best to make herself invisible in case Rogan’s men happened to be around. Now she believed they were everywhere, so she was going to be doubly cautious to not make the same mistakes. There would be no second chances this time—she knew the implications if she was caught again.
Luckily for her, the tube network had been out of order for years. People couldn’t afford the inflated prices that it was costing to travel and as people started finding new ways to get around—mainly bikes and by foot—the government weren’t able to afford to keep the staff or the maintenance, resulting it its closure.
The usual hustle and fast-pace that used to occur within the walls was nowhere to be seen. The room was silent and deserted, except for a leak that was dripping water at an annoyingly loud level on to the dirty and chipped tiled floor as she waited.
“What changed your mind?” A voice came out from behind her and embarrassingly, she jumped. She was expecting Jed to come in the front door not from behind her.
“How did you get there without me seeing you and how did you know which part of the tube station I would be in?” she asked, her tone filled with a bit more accusation than she meant it to be because of her embarrassment.
“We know where you live, it was a lucky guess that you would head for this entrance as it’s the nearest. As for the rest? All will be revealed in a second.”
“How did you know I was home? The last time you left me, Rogan’s men were approaching me. Thanks for the warning by the way.” This time Cora knew her voice was filled sarcasm as she thanked him, but she didn’t bother to hide it.
“I warned you. It’s not my fault you got caught. How did you get out again so soon anyway? I thought Carvelli would have locked you up and thrown away the key this time for sure.”
“You could have told me rather than just leave a note!” Cora raised her voice slightly, the sound echoing down the tunnel irritatingly. And not wanting to give away all of her secrets yet, she refrained from answering Jed’s question. He wasn’t on her trusted list of people yet—only a few people got that privilege—so in Cora’s eyes, she wasn’t obligated to tell him anything.
Jed just shrugged. “If you had agreed to join us when I asked then we’d have left earlier and you would have avoided them.”
“So you left me to get caught?”
Jed shrugged again. “It would have happened eventually. You didn’t want us so why was it my problem?” Placing a hand on the centre of her back, he pushed her forward to start her moving. “Come on. I don’t like being out in the open longer than necessary, especially with you around me.”
Cora went to move towards the main entrance but Jed grabbed her arm. His warm, rough hands encircled her wrist easily, stopping her so she was just out of reach of the door.
“We’re going this way,” Jed stated simply, dropping his hold on Cora’s arm when he took in her deathly stare. It wasn’t that he was worried she would beat him in a fight—she wouldn’t. But there was something about that stare that made him want to listen to her. It wasn’t worth getting in a fight over anyway, he told himself. There would be a time they would need Cora to trust them and Jed could see she was going to make him work for it.
“Why? It’s all shut off down that way.” Cora was now looking at him with inquisition and suspicion. She had her arms folded across her chest, her head cocked to the side and her eyebrows were drawn together in confusion.
“Just get a move on. Have I led you wrong yet?” Jed gave her one of his best
smiles but Cora didn’t return it.
Instead, she was trying to figure out what Jed was up to. It was true he hadn’t led her wrong, but he had definitely withheld information before which was something that worried her.
Sighing to let her annoyance show, she uncrossed her arms and after readjusting the strap from her bag on her shoulder, she gestured for Jed to lead the way.
“So where are you taking me?” she asked, deliberately keeping her voice soft so as not to cause an echo as they walked down the steps of one of the frozen escalators that used to ferry people to and from the tube platforms. However, it was pointless. Their footsteps rang out around them loudly as they descended and just when Cora was about to say something about the fading light Jed pulled out a torch. With an audible click, their pathway was illuminated and Jed finally answered her question.
“To meet the others,” he said simply, giving Cora the standard, evasive answer she had come to expect from him.
“And who are the others?” she pressed as they reached the bottom of the escalator and the building opened out into a room full of arches that led to different platforms.
“The other members of our alliance. We need to head east.”
Unlike Cora, Jed seemed to know exactly where he was and where he was going. She caught a quick glimpse of the old, yellow signs reading Circle Line but she had no idea if they were following that route or where he was taking her as the torch beam swiftly moved on.
“I take it you’ve been down here before?” Cora asked as she followed Jed down the dark tunnel. He held the beam of light steady in front of them as he took sharp rights and lefts that left them emerging on to a platform.
Straight in front of them, old billboards had scraps of the adverts that once stuck to them. Battered by the damp, humid air and time, shreds hung from the walls, only adding to the dilapidation.
“It’s how we get around and meet unnoticed. Thought we’d make use of the space and it’s turned out to be incredibly convenient.”
Jed was just an outline in the darkness behind the torch as he spoke. Cora kept glancing across at him but she couldn’t make out his facial expressions and for once she found herself thankful that she had the ability to detect lies with a person’s voice rather than needing to see them. If Jed tried to lie to her she would still be able to tell, something that was reassuring.
“So now where? I don’t think a train is going to appear any time soon…You do know they stopped running years ago right?”
She caught the slight movement from the corner of her eye as Jed shook his head, his lips turning up into a small smile.
“Down there,” he said pointing the torch beam to light up the tracks.
Cora was not impressed as Jed started to walk forward. Resting the torch on the platform floor, he swung his legs over the edge and dropped down gracefully into the pit that used to hold the trains.
Not wanting to be left in the dark—and she didn’t put it past Jed to leave her there on her own—Cora mimicked his actions perfectly. Dropping down beside him, she awaited further instruction as to which direction they were to walk in.
Leading her in the opposite direction she was facing, Cora turned and soon they approached the connecting tunnel leading out from the station. However, there was one problem that Cora thought was glaringly obvious: it was boarded up and no longer accessible.
“For someone who comes down here often you sure are making a lot of mistakes,” Cora chuckled to herself.
“Who said I’m making a mistake?” Jed asked, running his hand over the wood lightly, letting his fingertips brush over every crevice.
“Um...the guy who built this barrier to start with.”
Just as Cora said it Jed’s hand stopped moving and started pushing against the wood. It opened to reveal a concealed doorway.
“Well I happen to know the man who built these and he would say you’re wrong.”
Cora could hear the smugness in Jed’s voice as he stepped through the door, leaving Cora in nothing but blackness as the light faded behind the panelling.
“How do you know who built these?” She was asking questions now so she didn’t have to walk in silence.
“Because it was me who organised it all. Come on Cora, you didn’t think the government or Carvelli would bother shutting off all the tube lines do you? I think they were more worried about the economic decline of our country and taking control. We did this so our group could remain undisturbed.”
Cora didn’t reply because she didn’t feel it needed one. In fact, she gave up on her line of questioning, for at least a while.
“How far do we have to walk?” Cora tried not to sound like she was complaining because in truth she had nothing to complain about: her legs weren’t tired, she wasn’t bored … she was just curious.
“Not that much further. We are actually based closer than you would have thought to your flat.”
“Oh,” was all she replied as they followed the damp, musky tunnels to only somewhere Jed knew. As Cora thought about it, she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. She didn’t know where they were, didn’t have a torch and therefore couldn’t move quickly if she wanted to run. They would catch her within seconds if she ran.
Following the natural line of the track, they rounded a slight bend and as they did, a glowing light shone about a hundred metres down the track in front of them.
“I guess that’s where we’re heading?” Cora asked as they drew near.
“Yep, our very own headquarters.”
As Jed led Cora down the last stretch of track, the glow got brighter and the room started to open out. Somehow they had managed to get the lights working in just that section of the building and after spending time immersed in the blackness, and Jed’s pathetic torch, the artificial glow was blinding as they emerged.
Blinking back the tears that had been caused by the painful stabbing of light, Cora’s vision cleared finally.
In front of her was a large platform, a bit like the one she had originally came from, only from what she saw of Victoria station, this one looked in a lot better shape.
The tiled floors had been scrubbed clean of all previous sign of use, the cream tiles with flecks of grey shining in the light. The walls were the same. Although in desperate need of a new paint job, the lines running around the walls that represented the tube lines to follow stood out. The signs were free of dust and dirt, while the billboard had been stripped of all paper. Instead they had been replaced with hand drawn maps which Cora recognised to be the tube system and how all the tunnels connected.
Unlike in the tunnel, the icy chill had disappeared and as they walked to the middle of the tracks to climb out on to the platform, the familiar stuffy heat of the underground hit them both. Jed was oblivious to it though, having spent many hours working down in the stations.
Cora on the other hand was much more comfortable above ground. A few beads of sweat had started to form on her brow and a thin layer on her upper lip. Bringing her hand up she dragged her fingers over her face, wiping away any trace as she watched Jed hoist himself out of the pit that looked like a long, empty swimming pool now she could see it clearly, and back on to the platform.
Kneeling down, he offered his hand to Cora but rolling her eyes, she ignored him. What was with men and thinking women were incapable of doing things for themselves when it involved physical exertion? Cora thought to herself as Jed shook his head in despair at her stubbornness.
As she raised her arms, she made sure she had her grip right and her hands were in a comfortable position. Then using all of her strength, she pressed her hands into the tiled floor and hauled herself up. Kicking a leg out to the side, she hooked it on the ledge and found her feet as she stood up.
Jed looked at her and then copying Cora’s previous action, rolled his eyes at her need to prove herself.
“What? You have a problem with girls who are stronger than you?” Cora raised her eyebrow, challenging him as she smirked.
“Just for the record, you’re not stronger than me but I’ll allow you to think that if it satisfies your ego.” He met Cora’s smirk with one of his own crooked grins.
Cora was about to answer him when Jed cut her off.
“Don’t bother, just move. We’re already running late and I don’t want to have to explain why, if I can help it.” Once again, Jed placed his hand on her back, guiding her along the platform and out into one of the larger rooms that connected all of the platforms.
“I didn’t know we had a time schedule to keep to. It wasn’t like you knew I was coming here. How are we late by the way? We haven’t stopped or dawdled.”
“Just get a move on,” Jed said, exasperated by all of her questions. He knew what she was doing and it was starting to irritate him that she was trying to pick up on a lie every time he spoke. He could understand why, but it didn’t mean he had to like it.
As they entered the room Cora was greeted by a gathering of people. Some were sitting on the floor, others stood over a few tables that were placed systematically around the room, studying something intently. It preoccupied them enough not to notice her and Jed entering. It was only as Jed guided her through did the crowd become aware of their presence, a few people glancing up. But within a moment what was a few turned into the entire room being distracted, heads and eyes turning to stare at them.
The room had fallen into a silence Jed had never heard before as they walked through.
Feeling uncomfortable and irritated, Cora blurted, “Why are they all staring?” She made sure that it was loud enough for everyone to hear as well.
“You’re not just anyone Cora, you’re important. They didn’t think I would be able to bring you in,’ he said a little too smug, then added, “And they have nothing better to do I guess.” Jed listed off the last point with his voice gaining in volume. The people took the hint and leading Cora to the entrance of another room everyone around them began working once more. Of course every so often they would take glances at her when they thought she wasn’t looking, but not much escaped Cora’s notice.
