House of Cards Read Online Free PDF Page A

lost her nerve. As expected, the hallway and stairs were deserted. Thankfully the door leading outside stayed squeak-free. Rae jogged down the steps and glanced around. A catering truck’s beeping as it reversed into a loading dock seemed the only unusual sound. Her chest tight, she stood on the balls of her toes and slowly turned her head left then right. No one. Go. Now!
                  Switching to Devon’s tatù, Rae raced down the cement steps and all the way to the Oratory. She continued to look and listen for anyone she might see. After last year, she wasn’t sure who to trust, or if the tatù world actually trusted her. The Privy Council had been desperately trying to locate the journal. They’d be ticked if they found out she had known where it was this whole time, and even angrier if they ever found out she’d been the one who had actually hidden it.
                  She slowed her pace to a walk when she came to the path leading to the Oratory. Not winded, she still took deep breaths to slow her racing heart. Quit with the guilty feelings. She didn’t plan to keep it secret forever. Once she photocopied the journal, she could give it to the Privy Council. When she did, she knew she would need to explain away how she had come to be in possession of it. Maybe she could force them to let her see Kraigan and then she could come up with some plan that he told her where it lay hidden. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
                  At the door, she found the hidden key pad and punched in Devon’s code. Hopefully it hadn’t changed. He used her actual birthday date numbers as his password. Kinda cute. Secret boyfriend’s secret code.
                  “Crap!” She hissed when the door didn’t unlock and glanced back at the little screen. A single line blinked on and off. Leaning forward, she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The last digit hadn’t been entered. She probably hadn’t hit it hard enough. Pressing the number seven again, this time harder, she grinned at the churning sound of the lock moving. Without daring to glance behind her, and using her tatù’s strong sense of hearing, she slipped inside.
                  She leaned back against the heavy oak door and stared into the darkness of the Oratory’s great room. Devon’s tatù rocks! The fennec fox gave him speed, agility, great hearing and fantastic night vision. She’d use Devon’s tatù over Jennifer’s at the moment. She knew the fennec fox inside out. She may still be low on abilities, but it didn’t matter. At the moment she only needed one.
                  The intricate wood carvings along the walls blended together in the dimness of the morning light. The oriel windows were high up, but the grey clouds kept the sun from having any chance to show that sunrise had even happened. She pushed against the door, determined to move forward and also move the guilty feelings aside.
                  Just get it and get out. Cocking her head to the side, she tried to concentrate on the possibility of Carter coming from one of the hidden doors. King Henry VIII built the Oratory and added hidden Tudor rooms. The Privy Council, who knows when, had added hallways that lead to their facilities. A secret passageway here, a hidden room there. No one knew, except for a few people who worked for the Privy Council. Rae hadn’t known about it until–
                  Stop it! She yelled inside her head. Just get the bloomin’ journal! Devon had been so horribly injured and she had been unbelievably scared. It was not a memory she cared to dwell on.
                  As she came to the far wall, she reached out and ran her fingers lightly along the hand carved cameo and scenic images. She closed her eyes, finding it easier to concentrate on what she needed to find. The changes in texture from smoothness to rough, jagged