Page 16 of Heartless Legacy

Clearing those notifications doesn’t silence the beeping sound. I pick up my phone again and frown at the blank screen. Listening closely, I realize the noise is coming from inside my desk drawer. I pull it open, clenching my teeth as I drag out the device I keep shoved in the back.

I stare at the text. It’s a five-digit code on a phone I’d all but forgotten about. It’s been almost a year since the last time someone contacted me on this phone. Now it’s blinking. The protocol is clear. I have twenty-four hours to respond or the job goes to the next person. There’s only one number programmed into the phone. I hesitate before dialing it and read off the code when prompted. A nasally voice, says, “Please hold.” There’s a series of clicks and beeps as the call routes to a secure channel.

When it finally connects, a brusk voice comes over the line. “Perimeter support.”

“Not interested.”

“Two-fifty.”

A quarter of a million dollars to work the perimeter? That’s not shady at all. I don’t have time for shady. “Still not interested.”

“Fine.” The voice huffs in irritation. “Name your price.”

“I don’t have time-”

“Name. Your. Price.”

I hear the underlying strain in his voice. There’s plenty of people who can do this. So why does he want me?

“Anything, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I need to find someone. I want access to your resources to do it.”

“That’ll never-”

“You want me on this job? That’s what it’ll take.”

“Fine. I’ll give you basic access for thirty days. Whatever leads come up, you’ll have to hunt them down on your own.”

That’s what I’ve been doing all summer, but their infrastructure is better than Sasha’s black-hat hacking. I need to keep what I’m doing off of The League’s radar, which is why I haven’t gone to my grandfather or the police. If he really grants me access to his system, then I’ll be able to expand my search. “Deal. When’s the job?”

“I’ll contact you as soon as the mission is in play.”

I disconnect the call and toss the phone on my desk. Looks like I’m going on another trip.

Chapter 10

Holden

Ihear a door close in the hallway. Seconds later, the elevator alert pings on my phone. A quick swipe of the mouse brings up the hallway camera feed. I watch as Finn steps onto the elevator. It’s mealtime hours, so he’s probably heading to The Rock. He’s stopped asking me if I’m coming out to eat, because I’ve blown him off every day since returning to campus. I’ll need to show my face in the dining hall today since I’m out of food.

I’ll head out to eat just as soon as I’m finished with this last file. I want to make sure I get it into the right hands before the deadline. There’s no guilt. Not even a smidge of remorse for what I’ve already done or for what I’ll continue to do until I get answers.

That night at The Tombs was just the start of me seeing The League in a different light. In one night, Pax has shown that the oaths we gave don’t mean shit. That the loyalty we’ve promised each other is as shaky as a seedling in a hard wind. There have been other things I witnessed over the summer. Snippets of conversations I’ve heard. The details were vague, but the giddiness with which they spoke about dealing with their problems was enough to make me question just how much backstabbing is really going on.

I’ve always reveled in the respect that my family name and status as a Trium gave me with the league members and other prospects. I never thought about how hard everyone else would have to fight to get even a modicum of the respect that I did until Thea joined. She asked for harder challenges, hoping to amass a lot of points quickly, so that she’d be on an even level with us.

She didn’t say it, but I imagine she also wanted distance from her prospect year group. Thea might not like many people around, but she would’ve collaborated if she had the chance. It pisses me off that she felt safer doing things alone, and none of the leadership bothered to pull her aside and explain networking was also a part of the evaluation process.

The backbone of our society is loyalty to each other. No one expressed any loyalty to Thea while she was here, just like nobody was suspicious about her sudden disappearance. The council has been quick to assume the worst of her. Called her disloyal. A problem to be dealt with, and someone to be made an example of, if she ever turns up. Finn and I can’t openly defend her absence without being brought under suspicion ourselves. We can’t mention the plans we had for her, because Pax’s new relationship status contradicts our story.

That’s another problem I have. The League didn’t even question the change. They supported it, without blinking an eye. Pax is now tied to Eloise and nobody checked on Finn to see how he was dealing with it. He’s ecstatic, but they don’t know that, because he never gave them a reason to think he wasn’t happy with Eloise. We might be top of the food chain among our peers, but we’re still just tools for the little games the council members play and status symbols of power they show off to make others feel inferior.

It’s interesting that something as simple as a marriage contract has always been a point of contention with the Triums. We thought it was because the members all had fundamentaldifferences about what they wanted from their wives. Pax, Finn, and I were one and the same. We had one vision for our lives. Or rather, that’s what Pax said. His actions suggest he’s been lying to us for years.

I don’t know how I feel about being part of an organization that makes you swear an oath of loyalty, but doesn’t even bat an eye at the severing of lifelong friendships in a quest for power. Something needs to change. I knew this. I’ve always known this. But I’m no longer sure that I’m in a position to be a part of that change. Pax screwed us over in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

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