Page 74 of Twisted Legacy

She gets up and goes to a painting behind her desk, pushes it to the side and turns the dial to open the safe.

I blurt out, “Are you hoping to get robbed for an insurance pay out?”

“Huh?”

“Behind a picture, Van. Really?”

“Is there somewhere more appropriate I should have a safe?”

“Well, yeah. A bank vault, preferably. But if you need to have one close by, you don’t have it on the wall behind a Monet. You get a custom-built desk or bookshelf with a hideaway that you can only access by DNA or biometrics. Of course, that’s not full proof. Someone might take your blood or eyeball, but you’d know that’s happening and have a chance to prevent it.”

Her brow quirks again. “And where would I get one of those? eBay?”

I chew my bottom lip and shrug. “Uh. I might know a guy.”

She finishes pulling out whatever’s in the safe and says, “This is why I’m not worried about your ability to navigate your position as a legacy. It might seem intimidating because those kids have been friends all their lives, but you’ve got your own network. Your own resources. You’re not alone, Thea. You just have to remember that.”

She hands me an envelope. “What’s this?”

“Take a look.”

I pull out a stack of birthday and Christmas cards, and pictures of Van, Moira, and Scott over the years. “I don’t-.”

“You may not have been here. But you were always on my mind, and I took pictures of our lives and put them in cards and mailed them to the last address we had for you, even after I knew they’d come back undeliverable. Then I just started writing them and putting them in the safe. Every year. On your birthday or holiday or any family get togethers. Just because.”

She stares down at me until I meet her eyes. “I know this doesn’t fix things. You missed a lot.Wemissed a lot. But if you want to see some of the things we did over the years. It’s all right there.”

I pull out a card and look at the picture inside of Moira and Scott blowing out a candle. I spot the date on the bottom. “This is-”

“Your actual sixteenth birthday. We threw a party here at the hotel and made it Christmas themed so nobody would get suspicious.”

I look closer and smile when I spot LJ in the back corner. “What was LJ doing here?”

She looks over and frowns. “I… don’t know a… Oh wait, Layla-Jean Breland? A few of the students from the high schools helped with a landscape project that year as part of their community service endorsement for college. I sent them an invitation to come. I guess she was one of the only ones to show up.”

I stroke the picture. They threw me a sweet sixteen party and my best friend, who feels like an outcast in this world, was there.

“Can I keep this?”

“Of course. They’re all yours.”

I fall silent for a few moments, flipping through a few more pictures. “You know it sucks that I’m only eighteen, right? I mean, it’s a good thing I didn’t find out earlier because some people might take issue with suddenly finding out they could be facing jail time, but it still sucks for me that I’ll be using my fake ID for three more years.”

“Noted.”

My eyes snap to her face. “That’s it? Justnoted? You're not gonna fuss about me admitting to hooking up with older dudes or drinking?”

“Lemme ask you something… Will fussing about it make you stop doing it?”

I snort, “No.”

“Then why should I waste my time or breath telling you not to do something you’re gonna keep doing? Iwillsay be safe and use your best judgment when it comes to men. That goes for men at any age, and don’t get caught using your fake ID. If you do, call me. That doesn’t mean you won’t face the consequences for your actions, but I will be there supporting you as you do.”

She returns to her seat and picks up her burger. “Now you wanna tell me about this motorcycle theft ring I keep hearing about?”

Chapter44

Thea

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