Page 215 of Heartless Legacy

Pax answers, “Nothing. Girls negate everything. They replace the bloodline family with someone else in their family, and the previous legacy line is basically erased.”

To bring it all home, I ask, “And if someone finds clues about that history?”

Finn snorts, “It wouldn’t matter. The people in power wouldn’t give it up. The stories say families have killed rival heirs from their own bloodlines, to stay in control. They would have no problem with eliminating some random person walking in off the street trying to lay claim to a legacy title.”

Chapter 117

Holden

I’ve done something I swore I’d never do. I’ve violated my father’s trust by breaking into his safe. The one that’s built into the bench at the foot of my parent’s bed. The one he told me he’d give me the combination to when the time was right.

I’ve decided now is the time, and I wish I’d done it sooner. If all legacy families have one of these charge books, then it’s possible he already has ours. I hope seeing it will give me some insight into our family, The League, and ultimately help me figure out what’s missing in the archive documents.

I remove the cardboard base separating the storage compartment of the bench and set it aside, pulling out the folders and documents inside. Finn’s father kept copies of the failed marriage contracts of all the previous Trium members. It looks like my father did too. He also has background checks on every companion each Trium was ever assigned. There’s a folder for each companion, which contains their photo, and a handwritten family tree, going back six or seven generations. I chuckle at the little heart on the corner of the file for my mother and grandmother.

There’s a false bottom in the safe and I pull it out, revealing a diplomatic security pouch. Inside of the pouch are photosof Canyon Creek Bridge, a newspaper article and a death certificate.

According to the newspaper article, he’d just turned twenty-one when he lost control of his car and crashed on the Canyon Creek Bridge. His body burned beyond recognition. They used dental records to identify him. The picture in the newspaper is horrific, but my father has several enlarged copies of the accident site. From the tire marks on the ground to the guardrail damage and the car. This was way before he was born. Why was he looking into this, and why is it hidden?

I pull out the death certificate next. Nikolaos Constantin. Born February 22, 1964, died March 8, 1985. My eyes snag on the medical examiner’s name. Where have I seen that name before? I snap a picture, and go back to looking at the dossiers on the companions. What is my dad trying to connect these women to? The folder for my last two companion are empty. He either gave up on his project since I go through them so quickly, or he got too busy to finish it.

I return the death certificate, photos, and newspaper article back to their place in the false bottom and grab everything else before putting the bench back together. I hate leaving questions or loose ends, so I’ll take over his family tree project.

“I hate you and I’ll never forgive you for delaying my plans with Thea.” Finn groans as he enters my room. “I came up with all sorts of creative ways to cheer her up about the smear campaign they’re doing on her mother.”

I point to the cork board and dry erase board hanging against the wall. “Do any of these names look familiar?”

“Are you making a murder board?” He asks, perking up. “Oh shit, okay, I take it back. I love you, man. I forgive you a million times over. This isn’t as sexy as what I had planned, but it’ll be fun adding names to it too. I mean, I should make sure my gifts slide through flesh easy peasy before I put them in her hands, right?”

“Do I even want to know what your test run was going to be?”

“Yes, you do. We were going hunting for cowards. Someone said they spotted Mikey in LA. I had a whole trip planned.” He waves at the wall. “But please, walk me through this maze of flesh waiting to be carved through.”

“This isn’t a murder board, Finn. It’s a giant jigsaw puzzle of multiple family trees.”

“Are you sure?” He asks. “That’s a lot of death dates.”

“Notice anything else?”

“The men all died young, which I guess makes sense for that time frame. Medicine wasn’t the best.” He points to a spot on the left. “Brannan.”

“What?”

“The Osgood’s family name descended from Brannan. I hooked up with Jenna Osgood a few times in high school and she wouldn’t shut up about her family having ties to the guy who founded the California Star.”

“Finn, have I ever told you that you’re a genius?”

“Not as often as you should.”

I fill in the name. “Who else’s history do you remember?”

I step back from the dry erase board, reviewing what I have so far. I might not have liked anyone they matched me with, but all of the companion choices through the years have made perfect sense until you get to Thea.

As Hailee’s daughter, things line up. She would have had an inheritance from the Montrose and Laurent lines. When you take that away, the pairings fall apart.

She also comes from a frozen family line, and there are duplicitous circumstances regarding her birth. If any family’s legacy status should be questioned for legitimacy, it’s theirs.

How did no one notice Laurent’s youngest daughter sneaking off to meet someone with no affiliation to the league? Going to my computer, I flip through the records I have for Thea, school, vaccination, the death certificate for the little boy, Moira’s fake medical records, and Hailee’s medical chart of her labor and delivery. My hand pauses mid-swipe and I click back to the death certificate.

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