Page 58 of The Lost Empress

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

THE MIDNIGHT EXAM LOCKDOWN

Dwayne Stone’s Office, Rogue Rider Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, United States

Gen had figured out the perfect alibi for herself, just like the Commissioner and the Chief of Police had for themselves. On the night of the bank robbery, when the efforts were thwarted, she would be so far from all the action that no one would suspect that she was involved. Or at least it would appear that she was. Gen knew that if Dwayne caught her anywhere near the scene of the crime, he’d fire her for insubordination. But she was going to use his own scheming against him.

“Are you sure you’re ready for the exam?” He questioned her when she came to his office that afternoon, requesting to take the moral philosophy test. “You read all the books on the list?”

“Twice,” she lied.

The vein on his forehead surfaced, pulsing with the start of his irritation. “If you fail this exam, then I’m setting you back even farther and giving you several years of training tasks.”

“I assure you that I’m ready, sir,” she argued. “I speed read all the books and haven’t had anything to do but study since you won’t let me work a case.”

“You have shadow hours,” he countered, crossing his beefy arms in front of his chest as he stood beside his regal, overly ornate desk.

“And I’ve been doing the hours when I can,” she stated. “Although strangely most of the Rogue Riders don’t like me and won’t let me shadow them.”

He seemed to be working to keep a smile off his face. “I wonder why.”

Gen shrugged. “It seems that someone has poisoned the Rogue Riders against me. They treat me like I have the plague.”

“I wonder who would do that,” he said coyly.

“I’m not sure,” she said, feigning naivety. “But it is difficult to complete those shadowing hours since so many won’t allow me to observe them. Almost like they’ve been urged to shun me.”

“Are you insinuating something?” he fired back, his nostrils flaring.

Gen blinked at him, faking her most innocent expression. “Whatever would that be?”

He studied her for a long moment, finally shaking his head, the lights reflecting on his bald scalp. “Don’t forget that besides the shadowing hours and passing the exam, you also have your magical creatures to catalogue.”

She nodded, obediently, enjoying playing this game that Dwayne didn’t know they were playing. “And I will once Bermuda Laurens returns from a safari in Africa.”

“Well, then that just means if you pass this test and that’s a big if, then you still aren’t done with training.”

“I realize that, sir.”

“Follow me.” He took off, striding for the door to his office. He led Gen down the hallway to an unmarked door. Pulling a key out of his pocket, Dwayne unlocked it and opened the door, holding it for Gen. He didn’t grant her a lot of room to slide by him, making it so that she had to rub up against him as she passed, nearly making her sick from the contact.

He’d taken her to a tiny, windowless room with a single table and chair. There was a small door at the back, but other than that, the room was devoid of any personal effects. It was just stone walls, floors, furniture, and two doors.

“This is where you’ll take your exam,” he explained, pointing to the desk. Magically, a stack of paper appeared—the exam she was expected to take and pass. “There’s over a thousand questions on the test and it will take you…a while to complete.”

Gen simply nodded, not daring to appear frustrated or daunted by the task.

“There’s a bathroom through that door,” he continued. “You can drink water from the faucet but otherwise, you won’t have any food, so if you’re hungry now or during the exam, then too bad.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course you are. The exam will take between four to six hours depending on how fast you can actually read. I will return to get you when I’m free, but until then, you can just sit here and wait when you finish.”

“That’s fine, sir.”

The more that she didn’t fluster due to his jabs or protest his unfair demands, the angrier he got. It was simply too much fun for Gen to see his temper simmering to a boil before her very eyes.

Dwayne cleared his throat, motioning around the room. “I’ve had this room installed with special security measures. You can’t talk to the dragon while you’re in here, meaning he can’t help you answer any questions on your exam.”

---