Page 114 of Heartless Legacy

Thea will refuse over and over and I’m giving her this gift because she might not think she wants it, but I know she does. I know she needs it. I pull her to the back of my car and pop the trunk. “Tada!” I say with a flourish of my hands.

She peeks inside, her cute little nose wrinkling, brows furrowing. “What?” She glances over at me. “The hell is this?”

“It’s one of your attackers.” This time, my brows pinch together. “Or at least I think it is. He was definitely there that night. I’m just not sure if he put his hands on you. I haven’t had time to question him yet. But that’s the second part of your gift.”

She looks back over at the guy. “Finn, why is he in your trunk with a ball gag in his mouth and tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey?”

Why? The question echoes in my mind and my answer is why not? How can I not? “Because he didn’t want to come willingly, and I wasn’t about to let him get away again. He transferred schools, like the punk bitch he is, but he didn’t go far enough.” Leaning over, I tap him twice on the cheek. “Now I could ask all the questions and I would have, but this is your show.” I turn my head, smiling brightly at her. “He’s got answers, and you get to get them out of him using any method you want.”

“This isn’t the same gift you wanted to give me last month, is it?”

“It is.”

She’s frowning at me. “Please tell me you haven’t had him tied up in your trunk all this time.”

“No, of course not.”

“Or in your little warehouse.”

“He wasn’t there either. You and I were supposed to pick him up together, but you didn’t show, so I waited until this morning when he went to his dermatology appointment.”

Her head tilts to the side as she asks, “What would you have done with him if you hadn’t seen me today?”

“I knew I was seeing you, so that wasn’t a problem.”

“But what if you hadn’t?” She presses. “What if I hadn’t come to the beach?”

She wants to know how committed I am. I can appreciate that. “Then we’d be on the doorstep of your parent’s house or the dorm. This is your gift Thea, and I knew when I woke up this morning that I would give it to you. That today was the day Ihadto give it to you.” I shrug, unable to explain the feeling. “I trust my gut and my gut said do it today.”

She stares at me for long, silent minutes. “I have things to do. I can’t accept this gift today.” She quickly adds, “I don’t know if I can accept it any day.”

As she looks back at him, I see the ice, the thirst for vengeance, creep over her face before she hides it back away. She’s conflicted. She wants this gift, but isn’t sure if she should allow herself the freedom to do what needs to be done. Well, she doesn’t have to worry about that.

“I’ll take care of it, Pet. I’ll record everything from start to finish.” I slam the trunk shut and kiss her cheek. “I’m glad you love your gift.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t not say it.” Climbing into my car, I say, “I’ll come by the dorm later and give you an update.”

Thea

I watch as Finn pulls out of the parking lot. My chest heaves as the facade of calmness, I struggled to maintain, breaks. I’ve seen him do some questionable things. For god’s sake, I’ve seen him stab people at a party, but I’ve never seen this manic bloodthirsty side of him before.

My comment for him and Holden to be themselves was supposed to push them away. I want them to go back to being the assholes they were to me when we met, because I intended to do the same. It’s the only way to put distance between us. Yet, my words seem to have meant something entirely different to each of them. As if I’ve given them permission to be the worst versions of themselves.

Holden’s stalking me through town like a true… well… stalker. I used to get text warnings, or we’d start in the same place. Then he’d tell me to run, but now he’s just skulking through the shadows. Sometimes I see him, but it’s so rare that I’m not entirely certain that it’s his presence I feel watching me, and I react accordingly.

There are other threats out there. Worse threats than him. And now, Finn’s… well, Finn has kidnapped and tortured people for me before. I followed him and saw it with my own two eyes, but this gift was for me. He wanted me to do the stabbing.

They’ve doubled down on their efforts to convince me to give them a third chance. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about any of it. Flattered? Angry? Amused? Insulted? Sad? I’m a confusing jumble of all those feelings. This is my fault. Avoiding talking to Finn about the beach incident has probably given him the wrong idea.

Slipping my sunglasses on, I head towards the boardwalk. Maybe a day of sun on the beach will help me make sense of things. It worked so well to help me overcome my hurdle with Wolfe. Things aren’t the same as before, but I can be more spontaneous with him, and he and I are having fun again.

As I spread my towel out and coat my skin in sunscreen, I allow my thoughts to wander, without trying to control what I’m thinking about or why. With the sound of birds and waves in my ear, I just am. I just exist.

I sit for hours, and finally, as the sun sets, an answer comes to me. A reason I declined Finn’s gift. I wanted to get answers for myself, but the thought of pulling another knife on someone and actually using it scares me. Subconsciously, I’m worried that doing so will lead me backthere.

Mentally, I unfold the paper that holds my list. The one I began drafting in my head the moment I was arrested. I’ve only crossed one thing off of it. That’s burning down Dr. Psycho’s hospital. Maybe it’s time that I confront something else on my list.

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