Page 1 of Heartless Legacy

Prologue

Finn

Igive a courtesy knock on the door of the provost office before swinging it open and stepping inside. I give a quick nod to Holden and try to place the fourth man in the room, but I’m drawing a blank. “Mr. Rhodes, thank you for coming.” The provost waves to the empty seat. He stands, as I sit, gives a curt nod to the gentleman and leaves.

Holden and I share a look. We’re supposed to be meeting Pax in an hour. The call from the Provost’s secretary made it seem like this meeting was important, so why is he leaving?

“Do you know who I am?”

I drag my attention back to the other man, taking in his shoes, suit and the very hard look in his eyes. Whoever he is, he’s not here for a friendly visit. Any man asking with that much animosity is a parent.

“Whatever your little princess told you, she’s mistaken. There’s no way I’m the father, because I haven’t hooked up with her at all this year.”

“I’m Scott Hughes.”

He looks at me as if the name should mean something. It doesn’t. I stare right back at him, waiting for him to tell me why I should give a shit what his name is.

“You’re Thea’s uncle.” Holden says, piecing it together.

Her uncle? The guy we found out is really her father and started all of this mess? Okay, so I was wrong. I sullied his little princess. She liked it, though. I don’t remember a condom breaking -and for the record- there’s still only a twenty-five percent chance that I’m the father, since Pax, Holden and Deacon Wolfe are all dating her too.

I recline back in my seat. This should be a fun conversation. I can’t wait to hear his best dad impersonation after abandoning my girl her whole life. Pulling out my phone, I ask, “What is it you think The Trium can do for you, Scott?”

He may have called this little meeting, but we might as well dispense with the pretense that he’s directing how the conversation will go. We’re the ones in charge here.

“What you can do is tell me where the hell my daughter is.”

My smile slips and so does my phone. “What did you say?”

“Thea hasn’t been answering her phone, and didn’t show up at home for a family meeting she requested this morning.”

“You’re saying Thea’s missing?” Holden holds Scott’s gaze, dissecting every facial tremor and eye twitch. “And you think we know where she is?”

I add, “If Thea decided not to show up for family bonding time, that has nothing to do with us.”

Scott shakes his head. “I wouldn’t be here if it was something as simple as a family squabble, or Thea being mad at us. You’re her neighbors and the Trium.” He says the word like it’s leaving a rancid taste in his mouth. “And I know all about her involvement with The League, despite my warnings to stay away from all of you and that life. But she’s strong willed, like her mother.”

I don’t know Moira Hughes, but if that’s true, then this man has his hands full. He continues, “Since her attack, Thea’s been good at keeping us informed about where she’s going. Even ifshe’s mad at us, she wouldn’t ignore her friends. Sasha and LJ haven’t heard from her since yesterday morning.”

I’m already texting my girl. The message goes through, but she doesn’t answer. The last time I heard from her was yesterday after her last exam. She said she was spending the evening with LJ. I left her alone after she shut down all my attempts to get her to come by my room for a little late night fun. Holden’s fingers fly over his phone. His thumb pauses mid swipe as we both get notifications on our phones for a league meeting.

Thea likes to go offline to decompress. Her father should know that. Standing, I say, “Mr. Hughes, we haven’t seen Thea. When we do, we’ll pass on the message that you’re looking for her. It’s up to her if she wants to contact you or not.”

I leave the office, with Holden on my heels. When the door swings closed behind us, I ask, “What do you think they did to piss Thea off this time?”

He shrugs. “No idea, but a better question is why he came to us asking about her.”

Pax

The air in the Tomb feels oppressive today. From the door, I can see we’re at max capacity, in the inner chamber. A hand clamps around my shoulder before I can push my way into the room. I turn to face my father. His firm grip digs into my collarbone as he maneuvers me to the corner of the hallway. Finn and Holden give me questioning looks when they walk by.

My father’s words force my attention back on him. “Don’t forget what we talked about, and stay in your place, boy.”

I lower my voice to match his. “You can’t possibly think you’ll get away with this. Grandfather and the high council will have questions. Not to mention, Thea will never agree to this.”

“Rockridge has a medicinal protocol that’s effective in making the most difficult patients agreeable.”

“Drugged is the only way to get her to lie through those non-binding wedding vows, right?”

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