Page 49 of Ruthless Legacy

“A week at a time. If I don’t like the shit happening at your table, then I’ll go back to my own.”

“Agreed.” Finn says, followed by Holden. Then I add my vote to it, showing I’ll keep my word about siding with Finn and Holden.

“Agreed.”

Chapter21

Thea

Afigure cuts across the space between the parking garage and library as I’m exiting the building. The moonlight catches on the side of his face. Curly hair peeking out beneath a beanie.

I heft my backpack higher and follow behind him. What is Finn up to? He heads into the parking garage where he keeps his car, and I hurry to do the same, throwing my bag in the back seat.

The garage dropped my car off a few days ago. I never got an invoice, though I’ve left several messages for the mechanic to call me back. My car. Just another situation where nobody knows or saw anything when it came to destroying my stuff.

I’m behind the wheel, engine idling when he comes out. I keep a safe distance behind him as we drive into Canyon Falls. He hangs a right, driving away from the road that leads up to the residential areas, heading south instead.

I stop at the corner and watch as he pulls into the lot behind the abandoned ice cream factory and parks his car. When he slips between the trees, I do the same, following him to the warehouse. The door bangs closed behind him when he slips inside.

This is shady as shit. Finn sneaking around in all black everything. And what the hell is in that huge ass bag he dragged into the warehouse? I wait a few minutes before going around to the side of the building and slipping through the window, careful not to make any noise. I creep towards the voices, coming to a stop when I can make out what they’re saying.

“I’m gonna ask you a few questions. I hope you know the right answers.” He pauses then says, “Well, it’s really onlyonequestion, but I might ask it several ways to see if I get a different answer. The incident on Mayhem Night. Who was there?”

A strained voice answers, “I don’t know.”

“I keep hearing that a lot. But the thing is, everyone who saysI don’t know. Knows,something. So, take a minute. Think about it. What did you see or hear leading up to, and after Mayhem Night?”

“Finn, you know there are rules.”

“I keep hearing that too. Like I need people reminding of the rules. Consider this my fuck the rules speech. Now get to talking.”

“You might not care. But I do, and if they find out, I broke them.”

“I can see where you’re going with this. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. They aren’t here about to pull out your entrails. I am. Now. I can appreciate you not wanting to snitch. Loyalty is important.”

I creep closer, staying hidden by a stack of crates. I still can’t see anything. The guy asks, “So why?”

Finn sighs, “Because whoever made the decision to attack her didn’t loop me in.”

“She wasn’t under your protection. Everyone on campus knows that.”

“And who said that?”

The guy clams up, Finn speaks again. “All you say is true. She wasn’t. That doesn’t mean I don’t want answers. So how about you just tell me the next person who will be in the hot seat and save yourself a stab wound or ten?”

Finn might’ve seen me following him. This could be a setup. But when the guy screams, I step out from my hiding place to get a better look. The blood shooting out of his side. It’s real.

“Oh, shit.”

Finn whirls around, his eyes bouncing around, staring into the shadows behind me, then turns back to the guy dangling from a hook in front of him.

I approach slowly. “Uh. Hey.”

He looks at me again and readjusts his grip on his knife.

“Sorry to interrupt your work or whatever is happening here.” I say, stepping closer to get a better look. There’s one stab wound and lots of tiny little scratches. The guy’s face is a mess. His eye swollen. He’s been in a fight. I look at Finn’s hands. His knuckles are bruised.

“You shouldn’t be here, Pet.”

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