Page 219 of Heartless Legacy

My body quakes and I let out a long drawn out,“Fuck.” In response to his question and what they’re doing to me.

“What do you mean, this changes nothing?” Finn scoffs. Following me across campus. “This changes everything. You’ve got another grandfather from a legacy family. The original legacy family. That means you’re not just some random legacy daughter anymore, Thea.”

I came clean about Caius Adrianakis, and now I’m wishing I’d have kept my mouth shut. “Gee thanks, asshole. I didn’t think I was random before.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You can’t just run around here without protection.”

“I’m not. Did you forget the guards? I can arrange for them to pick you up if you need a reminder of their presence.”

Finn jumps in front of me, halting me in my tracks. “Pet…”

“Yes?”

“Your guards aren’t just guards, are they?”

He picks now to question who they are? “Sure they are. What else would they be?”

“Um. Members of a paramilitary organization whose sole mission in life is to hide and protect you.”

“They’re not Andor Reese. If that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Are they guardians?”

“No. They have no affiliation with The League.”

“So there’s another organization out there? Who’s running it?” Finn looks down the path towards the athletic building. “Deacon?”

I wish Deacon was here right now to help dodge these questions. I don’t want or need them looking any deeper into this. “All you need to know, is they were hired, because the people in this town keep attacking me, and their job is to make sure I’m not kidnapped and tortured by anyone else’s daddy or attacked like I was on Mayhem Night.”

He slings his arm over my shoulder, leading me towards our class. “I guess I like them a little more now.”

“They’ll be so disinterested in hearing that.”

I settle in my seat, watching Finn out of the corner of my eye. Our conversation in the men’s room was left on a bit of an open loop. I never answered Pax’s question, but they didn’t expect me to. They’re smart enough to know what revealing my connection to Caius will do.

Chapter 119

Thea

Ihide behind the building, listening as the group of third-year prospects discuss their latest clues. The last group I followed was a bunch of newly minted second years and it was a disaster. They spent more time arguing than they did trying to make sense of their clue. It had nothing to do with the bloodline challenge, so I left their little trinket where it was.

Finn and Holden are following their own groups, and Pax is on a date with Eloise -the opposite of working with our team- which is exactly what I told him. Finn jumped in the middle of the argument and swore Pax wasn’t trying to get out of work. He tried to appease me by saying we all have our jobs, and Pax’s job is keeping Eloise busy and his father’s attention off of us.

Once he put it that way, I eased up on my snarky remarks, but I’m still on the lookout for Eloise, or any of her cronies. People stick to what they know, and the only thing Eloise seems to know is how to put women in dangerous situations.

“There’s nothing here.” The guy with the curly red hair says. “We must’ve missed a step or read it wrong.”

Or they did everything right and someone beat them to it, or this is just another dead end. Either way, there’s no reason for me to stay out here. I pull out my phone, sending a text to theguys. I’ll join the recon mission of whoever’s closest. Finn replies first.

Finn

On a food break, at the diner

Twenty minutes later, I’m sliding into the booth across from him. “Where’s your mark?” I ask, looking around the diner.

“Out there on the beach. They’re easily distracted by oily boobs.”

“So are you.”

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