Page 99 of Heartless Legacy

Burke puffs up his chest, voice oozing with authority. “I don’t answer to you. How I conduct a loyalty challenge is none of either of your concerns.”

“A loyalty challenge?” I repeat, looking at each of the league members. “The tribunal already issued their loyalty challenge, and Thea still has two weeks to meet the deadline. Are you telling me the high council and tribunal have amended those terms?” I turn to Thea. “LaReaux. You didn’t inform me of the change. How much time has elapsed? Are you still within your rebuttal window?”

The men share looks. One of them says, “This isn’t an official change. We are merely offering support to first-year Prospect LaReaux.”

I turn to the guy. “Support?”

“Yes. We will be character witnesses should the need arise.”

“And why would she need character witnesses?”

“Well, you see, she was gone a long time. We need to know that she has The League’s best interest in mind.”

Is this what he believes or the lie they’ve come up with to justify their actions? “Thea wasn’t on vacation. She was in jail for attempted murder.”

Finn huffs, “Who the fuck are you?” To the guy who thinks he’ll be a character witness.

“Why does it matter?” Burke snarls.

Finn’s facade of patience and civility finally slips. “It matters, because I want to make sure I have all the details straight. Itmattersbecause I need to know whose fingers I’m giving my girl.”

“Whose fi-”

The anguished scream cuts off the rest of Burke’s question. Color leaches from his face. Finn’s on his feet, approaching the other unnamed man in the corner. “Did your dick touch her?”

The man covers his now flaccid penis and shakes his head. “No. No, I swear. My dick didn’t touch her.”

Finn looks at Thea for confirmation. She’s staring down at his bloody knife. “Pet?”

“Hmm?”

“Did he put his shriveled penis on you?”

“No. He. He didn’t touch me.”

I ask, “Did anyone else touch you?” Finn spins towards the other three men in the room, flicking his knife open and closed, waiting for her answer.

Burke bellows, “Now wait a minute. You can’t just come in here maiming people. I will have you sanctioned!”

Finn laughs, “You’re gonna havemesanctioned? A Trium member who walked in on you holding an unauthorized loyalty challenge with a first year prospect, in the presence of two unidentified civilians, in the champagne room of a club that’s not affiliated with The League, no less?”

I didn’t even think of that. But, yeah, now that he’s mentioned it, the crimes against these three are getting worse and worse. He holds up his finger, blood from the knife still dripping down his hand, and pulls out his phone with the other one. “Let’s just get Parker Sullivan on the line and get the sanction paperwork started, shall we?”

“Now wait, young Finn.” Burke sputters. “Don’t be hasty. We’re willing to overlook your rashness. It’s just a few fingers he lost in a bar fight. They look like clean cuts. He can probably get them reattached if he and his father leave now.”

“My rashness?” Finn nods. “Yeah. That sounds like a good way to explain what went down here. I’m known for being rash.” He looks over at Thea. “What do you think, Pet?”

She’s looking at me for guidance, but this choice is hers. I’ll do whatever she wants. I can have a cleanup crew in here in five minutes.

“I think.” She says as she slips off her shoes and steps over the guy, still crying and whimpering in the corner. “I was never here.”

We follow her through a door to the dressing room that holds a rack of obscenely thin and too small lingerie. I would love to see her in something scanty, but my stomach churns because my first time seeing her in lingerie shouldn’t have been like this. She shoves her feet into her boots and puts her jacket on, opting to carry her clothes.

Chapter 60

Finn

Irip the passenger door open on Deacon’s car, and climb inside, sitting Thea in my lap. I used some wet wipes from the dressing room to clean my hand, but there’s still some crusted blood on my cuticles. She doesn’t seem to mind. She places her hands on top of mine as they rest against her stomach.

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