Page 146 of Ruthless Legacy

He climbs to his feet. “I’m sure the reason it’s saying it’s out of service is because someone’s jamming the signal, but I can try.”

We follow him across the hall and into his computer room. I glance over at the wall panel that leads to Thea’s room. Holden uses the access space, Finn uses the balcony.

Both of them have access to her and can bypass getting the door slammed in their face. They’re the ones who like her, but I’m the one who ended up with her as a companion, and I’m already failing at it.

The whole part about her protection being my responsibility isn’t just words. The league means it. That’s why the first forty-eight hours is so important. We’re supposed to be bonding, setting expectations. But it’s also for protection.

I’m now seen as a commodity. My Trium status and family line makes me the highest ranking person in our match pairing. I will have a companion from this moment forward and families won’t hesitate to try to get rid of Thea, so one of the women in their family can take her place.

The longer I think about what could go wrong, the more irritated I get. I don’t want to be matched with her, but I don’t want anything to happen to her because of me, either.

Holden and Finn aren’t throwing my lapse of judgment in my face, but I won’t get a pass if my actions orinactionis the reason she gets hurt again.

The longer the keys clack, the more irritated Holden gets. I know what he’s going to say, before he shoves away from the desk.

“Her phone’s offline. I can’t track it.”

“Okay, she was in the parking lot when I left. We know that’s a dead zone, but can you at least get a visual of how many cars came through the cliffs, and which way they were heading?”

He rolls back to his desk. “Good idea. There’s only one road leading back to Canyon Falls and Canyon Falls Annex. Any cars deviating from that…” He pulls up camera footage of the area. There’s a camera at the gas station before the turnoff. A lot of cars are passing through that intersection. But they can only be coming from The Tomb. No other buildings or structures are on that route. He speeds through the feed.

“Hey, go back.” The words are barely out of my mouth. He’s already rewinding, having seen the same thing I did. Five cars heading away from Canyon Falls.

He zooms in on the plate of the first car, and types it into another browser, and says to the screen, “Let’s see who you are.”

He does the same with the other four cars. They all come back as fleet cars for a rental company in Canyon Falls. It’s a company owned by someone in The League. Holden tracks each vehicle. They all take different routes. Thea could be in any one of the cars.

Finn points to the screen. “That one. That’s the one with the women.”

The vehicle in question has pulled to a stop outside of the Bianchi Hotel and the female prospects climb out. Thea’s not with them. We check the other cars.

“Where is she?” Finn snarls when we watch the final car empty. She wasn’t in any of them.

I pace away from the desk, trying to work this out. How is she not with any of the review groups? Did they bounce her already? No. If they did, she wouldn’t have matched to me tonight, and her phone would be on. There’s something we’re missing.

“She’s at the bottom of the board.”

Finn hisses, “You’ve already told us that.”

“I know, but I’m saying that’s why she’s not with any of the other groups. Thea is at the bottom. The points are up for grabs.”

He catches on to what I’m saying, “Meaning it would be a free for all with people trying to win them.”

“Right.”

“But Thea doesn’t have any challenge items. So how would they?”

Holden pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’ve gotten used to receiving text messages for challenges, but there would be no need for a text if she was already at The Tomb. The scorekeeper and committee knew her ranks before today. What if they issued the challenge when she showed up at The Tomb? What if that’s what she meant when she said she couldn’t leave?”

He looks over at me. “Anyone can double up here. Grab those points and get rid of her, clearing a path to you at the same time.”

Finn’s staring at the screen. “If she wasn’t in the cars, and we’re assuming she is working on a challenge, how did she get there?”

Holden says, “Every tradition on campus is birthed by a ritual in The League. Maybe her mode of transportation is the same one the Zeta Nus’ used for theirs. She’s on foot and her phone isn’t with her.”

I nod. We’re dealing with The League. They’ve remained a secret to the world because they’re good at living in the shadows. They wouldn’t be careless enough to leave a digital footprint. “Then we do this manually.”

Holden quirks a brow. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m the one making the suggestion, or because he doubts that I’m going to be any help. “We’ve all had survival training and know how to track. We go to The Tomb and try to pick up her trail.”

---