Page 111 of Heartless Legacy

“I believe I have plenty of time to make up some ground on the scoreboard. All it takes is one mega-sized challenge or several smaller ones to put me back in the game.”

“Is that why you’re here?” He asks. “To get back in the game? Because if so, this is definitely an opportunity, and there will be others if you get some members on your side, to advocate for those big challenge announcements to happen sooner rather than later.”

When I don’t respond, he stammers, “It’s all perfectly within the allowed conduct of the members. No rules are broken or anything. We tend to make suggestions, and vote on them, then route them to the game masters, and we bet on our favorite prospects.”

Opportunity? Does he think I’m too stupid to know he means the super secret times and locations where they debase each other? Yeah. If I’m gonna be whored out, it’ll be on my terms, and challenge points are not enough to convince me to do that. “Were theseopportunitiesaround before women could join?” He looks horrified. Positively aghast. Did I read him wrong?

“Prospect LaReaux, I can assure you that… this… That was not what I mean.At all. The men are given these opportunities to sit down with us so we can get to know them better. We havefood, drinks, play cards. Go golfing or sailing. Some people do community outreach projects. All very above board. It’s just a chance to interact outside of the complexities of league social activities and meetings. To uplift the prospects who may be struggling and to offer what advice we can without breaking the rules.”

He sighs. “I guess I can understand why you thought I was suggesting something otherwise. There are those in our society who will come to you with that type of offer.”

He reaches into his suit and pulls out a card. “If you change your mind, and would like to join us for the next game night, just call my wife. She’s managing the guest list and organizing everything.” He gives me a half bow, nod and walks away.

That was an odd yet helpful interaction. While councilman Giles was talking, I watched the rug hanging on the wall behind him shift to the side, revealing a door from which a league member exited a room with a bunch of screens in it. Luckily, councilman Giles was too flustered to ask what I was doing out here.

This next part will be the easiest to accomplish. I walk over to the tapestry and read the label plate, which says it’s an original work from an artist in California. I take a moment to admire the artwork and the woven intricacies of the design. From my clutch, I pull out a button and clasp.

Originally, I was supposed to fasten the device together and just drop it on the floor where it risked getting kicked away, or stepped on. Or drop it in a cigar tray if there was one nearby. But now, I have a better idea.

I hate to do this to such a beautiful piece of work. I pull the side of the tapestry back and am presented with a Made in China tag, which immediately changes my mind about my regret. I shove the button through the threads of the tapestry from behind, and click the back on it to secure it in place.

The rest will be left up to chance, since there’s no way for me to contact the Phoenix tech team to verify the device is transmitting anything useful. I slip back into the party and drift from one crowd to the other. Never actually engaging with anyone. Just lingering close enough to pick up snippets of their conversations. Pax’s father is in the center of the room. I keep him in my sights the entire time. He doesn’t approach me like he’s done before, but he watches me just as intently as I watch him.

Chapter 66

Thea

My conversation with councilman Giles gave me an idea. I’m waiting for a challenge that has high stakes like the ones I’ve done before, but our conversation reminded me that the easiest way to earn points is by taking someone else’s challenge items and presenting them to a game master.

By some miracle, my challenge items were exactly where I left them. I grabbed them the day I ran into Saint on the rooftop, because I knew I couldn’t leave them in Skullz territory any longer. I’ve stashed them in different places around town. One of my new hiding spots is right under everyone’s nose, but I’m not worried about anyone finding it.

From behind sunglasses, I watch my target walking towards the dining hall. He’s a second year prospect in my Introduction to Logic class. He received a text during the lecture. I’d seen the look on his face enough to recognize it. It’s one a lot of prospects have when they get an alert about a new challenge. Last year, stealingmypoints was the biggest challenge of all. This year, the tables are turning.

I followed him and his team off campus and watched as they bullied a guy -who turned out to be his cousin- into handing over his item, then continued to follow them to their next destinationand eventually back to campus. I smirk as he makes the handoff to the person walking towards him. As passes go, it was okay… but I saw it, and now I have a new person to follow, all the way to where this group keeps their stuff. Let’s see how they feel about their efforts going to waste.

I slip the ceiling panel back into place and climb off of Wolfe’s desk, seconds before he comes into his office. He frowns at me and says, “I didn’t see you come in.”

That’s because I didn’t want him to see me coming in. It would defeat the purpose of using his ceiling to hide things. “Might be time to get your eyes checked, old man.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my vision. I didn’t see you, which means you snuck in.” His statement isn’t accusatory. Just a fact. I bite back a smile. I love that he knows me so well. “Now, are you going to tell me why you bypassed the front of the gym to get in here, or shall I guess?”

I shrug. He can guess all he wants. He’ll never land on the right answer.

“Who are you avoiding out there?”

“Everyone.”

“And why is today an avoidance day when everyone knows you come here all the time?”

I shrug again.

“Tell me something, LaReaux. Did you sneak in because you wanted to see me in a capacity other than your trainer?”

I didn’t, but now I’m thinking about it. I’m a little hyped up on adrenaline after breaking into that team’s storage unit and helping myself to their challenge items. I didn’t take anything that would be easily missed. But just that hour of fun has me buzzing with excitement. I’ve missed the thrill that stealing gives me, and since I’m high on that feeling, I’m feeling reckless enough to say, “I didn’t sneak in to see you in any capacity at all. I was waiting for Tank to finish his lesson.”

“Tank?”

“Mmm-hmm. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the ring. I thought a few rounds with him might be a good idea.”

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