Page 137 of Heartless Legacy

I know what this is. I know what happens next. We use Thiopental all the time. The point of this test is to get to the truth.

Finn does a couple of practice shocks, testing the voltage. I flinch on the third round and he smiles, happy to have found a setting that gets a reaction out of me. He gives Holden a thumbs up and me another slice for the hell of it.

Then the questions start all over again.

What did you do the day Thea disappeared? Who was at the lawyer’s office?Then a new set of questions.Why did you submit a contract to marry Eloise instead of the one we discussed?

I bite down on my tongue so hard I think I might sever it in two. I’d rather swallow it than risk answering with the truth.

Finn's phone rings, and Holden scowls. “You’re not supposed to have that on.”

“I know. I forgot to turn it off. Let me…” He shoots a smile Holden’s way, then answers it. “Pet? Do you miss me?” His smile slips. “What’s wrong? Thea. Thea!”

Holden gets to his feet and stalks over to us. “What’s going on? Is she okay?”

Finn’s staring at his phone, a look of complete horror on his face. “She said.” He swallows thickly. “She said the cops are there. They’ve refiled the arrest warrant.”

No. No. That’s impossible. That can’t be happening. Michael Pearse isn’t around to tell anyone what happened.Not again. Fuck!! The last time nobody knew it was happening. I didn’t even know until after it happened. I can save her this time. They can save her this time. “You have to go. They can’t arrest her. Not again. They can’t.”

“They can,” Holden says with a sigh. “They didn’t try her for the crime the first time, so yes, they can.”

He doesn’t understand. How could he? “No! She’s not being arrested. She’s being taken. He’s taking her again.”

“Who? The cops? That’s their job.” Finn says, putting his phone to his ear. “I’ll get my dad’s lawyer to meet her down there.”

Why aren’t they more upset about this? God, we’re gonna be too late if we wait for lawyers. “It’s not the fucking cops. It’s my father!” I rasp out. My chest seizes. Am I having a fucking heart attack? It would be fitting. “It’s Malcom. He’s behind this just like he was the last time.”

My voice cracks. “Please. Please. Don’t let him take her. Don’t let him lock her away in Rockridge again.”

Chapter 81

Pax

The chains release from my wrist and I drop to my knees, chest heaving with silent sobs of relief and guilt.

“Now we can really begin.”

I don’t understand what Finn means. We don’t have time to do this. “Please go get her. Please.”

“Thea’s fine.” Holden bites out.

I look up at him through blurry eyes. “Wha-What?”

Finn drags a chair across the room and helps Holden shove me into it. He disappears from my line of sight, returning a minute later with a bottle of water.

“Thea.” Holden repeats. “Is fine.”

But she’s not. “That call.”

“There was no call.” Finn rolls his eyes. “When have we ever gotten a signal in here?”

“But you. You-”

“Administered the second phase of the test to see if you were pure of heart. I guess you passed.” Finn shrugs, sounding a bit disappointed.

“I don’t understand.”

He sighs like I’m an idiot and maybe I am. “Pax, you’re a fucking brick wall. A vault, okay. And you’ve done a lot ofquestionable shit. You deserve each and every fucking mark on your body right now. But Holden has faith in you. More than I do and he’s been saying since last summer that something has been up with you. You didn’t want to talk to us, so we made you talk.”

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