Page 16 of Twisted Legacy

“Don’t you mean the high council?”

He pins me with the stare that makes men cower in their loafers. “Are you suddenly high enough in rank to get a direct line of contact with them? Did a promotion happen while I was away?”

“No, sir.”

“I’m on the validation committee, and a prospect chair member. Coming to me with your concerns is the correct thing to do. Now, I’m told the school will wrap up their investigation shortly, but there are still some parents who have questions about how the girl was injured. Others worry about what this means for the safety of their heirs. This little problem will not be the thing that brings the news vultures to our doorsteps or tarnish our reputation. It’s on you and the other Trium members to get things back under control. I expect it to happen quickly. The League will be watching how you handle things, and with your grandfather’s interest focused on this girl, it’s more important than ever that you show you can lead outside of the campus games and challenges. The Trium is the ruling faction, and family members of the twelve are members of your court. Make sure you’re spending time with them, strengthening their support. If our suspicions prove true, we’re going to need it.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Go on, then. I have a flight to catch. Your mother expects you home at five for dinner on Sunday.”

I’m assuming he just got back to town because this is the first I’ve seen or heard from him, and now he’s leaving again? He said my mother expects me, which leaves it unclear whether he’ll be there as well. I wish I could skip dinner, but if I do, I’ll never hear the end of it. Maybe I can convince the guys to go with me. Misery loves company, after all.

I walk through the doors and pass the crowded lounge, catching snippets of conversations as I head towards the elevator. It’s just as my father said. They’re gossiping about Thea’s accident. Finn is sitting in the middle of it all. He has his headphones, his head bobbing to a beat only he can hear. It looks like he’s not all that invested in the conversation flowing around him, but I know he’s still trying to piece together what happened. When Finn gets an idea in his head, it’s hard for him to just let it go. Someone will need to show him evidence to prove he’s wrong. I don’t know if he’ll get that in this situation. The school isn’t obligated to share their findings with students. Whatever soundbite they give to the news outlets is it.

An initiation prank gone wrong, maybe hazing on campus. Whichever organization is blamed for it will get a fine, and some type of school administered sanction. Depending on how many infractions they’ve already received, they may have to move their operations off campus. That last part isn’t all that bad. Very few of the Greek houses are on campus to begin with.

Finn tips his chin, acknowledging he’s seen me, before looking back down at his phone. He’s probably recording everything. I’m sure he’ll fill us in on what he’s heard when we meet up for dinner. Right now I’m going up to my room to change, then I’m heading to the gym. For the next hour, I don’t wanna see, hear, or talk to anyone.

I don’t get to the elevator fast enough to ride it alone. The girls who get on blush when they see me. I’m not in the mood to deal with them, but it’s all about keeping up appearances. I give them both a once over -slowly stretching my lips into a cocky smirk- that suggests I know exactly what they’re thinking. That makes their cheeks even redder. They get off on the third floor, giggling, giving me one last appreciative look before the door closes. Thankfully, they didn’t actually try to talk to me. I put the car in private mode so I don’t have to deal with anyone else.

I change quickly and head to the gym on the ninth floor just so I can get to my workout quicker. As I go through my warm up, I let my mind wander over everything we’ve learned these last few months. I was anxious to talk to my father after my grandfather’s announcement, because I thought doing so would provide some clarification. After our conversation, it feels like we’re back in the same situation as before. There’s still no definitive answer about who Theona LaReaux really is and she could still be a threat to all our futures.

I drop onto the floor and set my alarm for two minutes, knocking out as many pushups as I can. Thereisone thing different. We have The League watching us, and her. The minute she makes a move against them, they’ll intervene. I climb to my feet and walk over to the heavy bag, and start working on punches and slips. Maybe we’re putting the focus on the wrong thing. Instead of waiting to see if she’s a threat. Maybe we should push her to reveal that sheisa threat.

Going over what I know about her that might be easier to accomplish. She’s secretive, which makes it easier to hide what she’s doing. But she’s also reactive when she feels threatened. Getting her to lash out won’t be too hard. Now I just have to figure out what to do to make her feel like The League is the threat she needs to fight back against.

Chapter11

Finn

The school is full of gossiping idiots. Everyone has a theory, an idea, a story, a speculation about what happened to Thea, but nobody knows for sure.

I take that back.Somebodyknows, but they’re not talking. And despite what I suspect about Eloise, I can’t take action without proof that she was involved because of this damned marriage contract. It doesn’t matter how I feel about her. She’s going to be my wife and, according to the rules, I already have an obligation to protect her from threats. In this case, it means not torturing the truth out of her.

I tune out whatever she and her friends are talking about, replaying some of my favorite action sequences in my head. Pax told me about the complaints some of the council members had, regarding my treatment of the annoying little princess, so now I have to play the role of perfect little prince in public. We can’t give anyone in The League a reason to think I won’t do what’s expected of me when we graduate.

That’s the reason I’m letting her hang onto my arm like Sannakji wrapped around chopsticks. She’s happy as shit about it, too. I’m resigned to having to put on this public show of being her boyfriend while my nut sac dries up. Since her damn chastity vow is still in place, even the most basic of sexual adventures with her isn’t even an option. Her presence is like pussy repellant. The girls at the table are too afraid to fuck me behind her back, and I haven’t been able to ditch her long enough to find someone who isn’t.

Thea wouldn’t care. She’d be happy to cut out and fuck like animals just because it would piss Eloise off. I need my pet to come back so we can clear the air about everything. “Holden.”

He looks up from his tablet and waits for me to explain why I’m interrupting whatever he’s doing. “Any new information?”

He’s been glued to that thing since the moment he realized Thea’s medical records aren’t in Canyon Falls General’s database, and is trying to figure out where she disappeared to. He repeats what he’s been saying all week.

“This is a professional level blackout. Whoever is helping her has to be the same people who kept her off The League’s radar for eighteen years.”

I inwardly groan, as he brings up her age. Thea and I went from being the same age; to her being the baby of the group.

“I logged onto dad’s server at work but didn’t find anything. Maybe she’s working with the CIA or the NSA.”

“Yeah. That would explain it. Thea’s a spy.” I chuckle at my own joke.

Holden pins me with his stare. “Her movements are cloaked in shadows and secrets which lend to spy like tendencies.”

My jaw hinges open because he’s serious. Which means he’s seriously considering hacking those agencies. We don’t need those issues right now. “Holden, she’s not a spy.”

“I agree, Thea’s probably not a spy, but someone with expert level computer skills is definitely shrouding her movements. She’s a fucking ghost right now. There are no camera clips, credit card transactions, or anything else to clue us in on how she got out of the hospital and where she went afterwards.”

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