Page 108 of Heartless Legacy

Do you know where your companion is?

Then send a pin drop to our location. One guy chuckles. “I didn’t think this plan would work. But it did. Fuck.Thea LaReaux. I’ve been wanting a piece of that ass since she showed up on campus last year.”

The second guy agrees. “Now we’re gonna be balls deep. Shit, man, I’m going to fuck her ass. Seriously. I bet it’s so tight back there.”

I bite back my retort. Even though that’s not my girl tied to the tree, I still want to bash their fucking faces in for even thinking about her. For thinking they’re even worthy of touching her. Eloise groans as she comes to. Her head lolls back and forth. Right on time. She’s saying something, but whatever it is, is trapped behind the tape and pillow case.

The first guy says, “Let’s get her down and just tie her arms to the tree.”

The other agrees. “Good plan, man.”

I watch as they untie Eloise, only to refasten the ropes around her wrists and tie it to the tree. It’s a rush job, but I guess it’ll work for what they’re doing.

“Look at those tits.” The second one says, palming them. I have no desire to look, but through the viewfinder of the phone, I see they’ve torn the top of Eloise’s dress and have the bottom of it pushed up around her hips. “I’m gonna fuck this cunt. If I like it, I’ll ask to make you my whore for next year.”

His buddy laughs. “Don’t you mean companion?”

“That’s what they call them, but we all know they’re whores, assigned to make our lives easier until we get married. On-call pussy doesn’t get any easier than that.”

They both laugh, ignoring Eloise’s muffled screams and sobs. “Let’s get the pictures first, like she told us, then we can have some fun.”

They look over, giving me a thumbs up. I guess that’s the sign they’re ready. I tap Finn on the shoulder, signaling it’s time to go. I drop the phone I’m holding, and he does the same, then we melt into the shadows.

“Who the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing to my companion?” Pax bellows.

The second guy already has his dick out, stroking it, while the first guy is just now reaching for his. He says, “This isn’t your companion, Pax. Not anymore.”

“The fuck it’s not.”

The first guy stands taller, looking indignant. “How do you think Eloise will feel knowing you’re still calling Thea your companion?”

I shake my head as Finn and I slip between the trees back towards the lodge, leaving Pax alone to unravel that shit.

Pax

Why the fuck would they think I’d mistake Eloise for Thea? I wonder, looking down at the pillowcase wrapped around a slender neck. Is it Thea? No. It can’t be. The message saiddo you know where your companion is, and pin dropped this location. The locator service on Eloise’s phone shows she never left theproperty, and this is the dress she was wearing when we got the summons at dinner tonight.

I step towards the two guys. “I don’t know what fucking game you’re playing, but that’s not Thea.”

“Yes, it is. The plan-” The other guy nudges him to shut him up.

“What fucking plan?” The girl on the ground screams and kicks her feet. I squat down, unwrapping the tape from around the neck of the pillowcase, and rip the fabric off her head. Both guys look completely shell-shocked to see Eloise.

My molars grind together as I yank the tape off her mouth. “I’m gonna ask you one more time. What plan?”

Eloise’s cries, no longer muffled, drown the hemming and hawing the guys are doing. She clings to my suit jacket, burying her face in my chest. “Ple- please, get me out of here.” She pleads, as the two clowns take off running for the woods, holding onto their pants.

It feels like my brain isn’t working. Like I can’t comprehend what’s right in front of me. Thisplanthey were executing clearly involved tying Eloise to a tree -and judging from the state of her dress and their half done zippers- they weren’t about to engage in any cheerful conversation. Who the hell would be stupid enough to do this, knowing Eloise is my companion?

The answer is obvious. There are only two people who wouldn’t give a shit about her being under my protection. But why would they use Thea’s name as the bait? Were they trying to draw out the guys who were there on Mayhem Night?

Eloise whimpers, “Pax. I want to go home.”

We’re supposed to be completing a challenge, but I can’t fault her for not wanting to continue. Not after what she’s been through. “We should call the cops and an ambulance. You need to give your statement and get checked out.”

“No!”

“Eloise.” I say, gently, “What I just walked up on, we can’t cover this up. They had their masks on, so we’ll need DNA evidence to convict them.”

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