Page 82 of Heartless Legacy

I grind my molars together to keep from screaming, and grip the steering wheel to keep myself in check. Running out there won’t help. It won’t get me answers any faster. All it will do is break my cover. Tracking her on campus is one thing, but witnessing this. If I go out there now and reveal I’ve been following her. If I intrude on this vulnerable moment, she’ll never trust me again.

So I remain in my car, watching from a distance. I watch her cry. I watch her stand, pacing back and forth. And I watch her go eerily still.

Then, Deacon pops the trunk of the car, and drags two red cans out of it. I watch them douse the building in gasoline, then watch with a sense of satisfaction, as Thea strikes a match andtosses it. She returns to the car, hops onto the hood and watches what’s left of the building burn to the ground.

Finn

Not Thea. I think to myself, shaking my head in disbelief. There’s no way my girl was trapped in that house of horrors. Andyetit makes total fucking sense. The woman in the hospital said that they no longer existed. Thea was certainly a ghost from the time she disappeared last May until she came back to school in January. How did she get there? Who can I cut to get answers?

Holden eyes my knife as if I’m about to cut holes in the furniture. I’m not. Okay, maybe I am. The guy I was interviewing had a heart attack before he could give me any useful information about Mikey’s time in the hospital. My dad had a lot to say about that when I called him. How was I supposed to know he had a bad heart? That’s fine. I have a lead on a nurse that gave Mikey sponge baths right after his surgery. She’ll probably be more willing to talk.

“Finn.” Holden says, “You’re not even listening.” I want to tell him I am, but that would be a lie. Iwaslistening, until he started with this whole,we need to be careful with Thea thing. “I heard you, but I don’t agree.”

“What part of the plan don’t you disagree with?”

“Um… all of it?” He’s looking at me like I’m being unreasonable, but it’s him who’s way off base here. It’s like we don’t even know the same girl. “Thea doesn’t need us to becareful, Holden. She needs revenge.” I wave my knife in the air for emphasis. “That’s what’s gonna make her feel better.”

“The building’s already out of commission. What she did last night will make it impossible for them to rebuild anytime soon.”

“The building is dead, but thepeoplerunning it, whoever they are, aren’t. Do you think Thea will be okay knowing they’re still out there?”

He doesn’t say it, but we both know the answer is no. “Thea might not like people, but she doesn’t like bullies even more. And let’s not forget those guys were looking for someone in the hospital. My money’s on that sister, Marcywith an e, actually being Thea. If she was there, she’s the only patient whose brain wasn’t fried, which means she can identify everyone who was there.”

Holden clicks his mouse in quick succession. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Finn. I’m saying we have to be careful how we go about proving you’re right. If Thea was there-.”

I shoot him a look, because we’re both doing it. We know she was, but since we have no fucking idea what was happening in that building, we also want to pretend, pray, and hope that she wasn’t.

“Whoever put Thea in that place had the money and means to do it without raising suspicions or leaving any trace.”

I nod, in complete agreement that some fucker with deep pockets had to be involved. He continues, “We don’t know how she escaped. So, before we go on this hunting expedition, we need to know who we’re hunting, what they were doing, and most of all, we need to be certain that Thea’s not in any danger.”

He gets no argument from me about that. Thea’s safety comes first. “I can agree to all of that, as long as hunting happens, and Thea gets to be a part of it.”

He clicks more buttons. “She will.”

Chapter 51

Thea

“Later.” Ryland says, squeezing my shoulder before walking away to join his friends. He doesn’t hover like I thought he might, trying to push for us to bond. He sees me, and he speaks when he has a moment, and treats our acquaintance like he’s any other guy on campus. I appreciate him letting me take things at my own pace.

I finish my drink and walk over to the trash to throw the empty can away. I enjoyed eating my lunch outside today, but my trip to the can means I have to pass by Eloise, who’s standing in front of the dining hall.

“God.” She snorts. “You’re still just as pathetic and desperate for attention as ever. Shaking your ass at a third year isn’t gonna help your abysmal scores.”

I’m desperate for attention, but she’s the one who can’t go five minutes without talking to me, or about me. “Are you sure? Because shaking my ass worked out pretty good for me last year.”

“You think you’re special because The Trium fucked you? You’re not. They were only using you, because you’re so easy and kept throwing yourself at them. That’s what they do. They fuck classless sluts like you and marry people like me.”

This argument is getting old. Doesn’t she have any other comeback lines? “You’re absolutely right. They marry people like you, after taking a turn with people like me to satisfy their every sexual need. When they get dissatisfied with their boring lives, they cheat with peoplelike me. They buy houses, cars, and pay bills for people like me. We get the fun and excitement. They do things withus slutsthat they never do with wiveslike you. I’m okay with being their party girl, because I’d hate to have to deal with them and suffer through a disappointing and unfulfilled marriage.”

She tosses her hair and sniffs. “It’s about time you finally admit you’re a whoring home wrecker.”

“I admit I’m not the marrying type and have no desires to tie myself to any of your precious heirs for the rest of my life. So while you’re suffering and stewing in your gilded cage of gold, I’ll be free and happy, having amazing experiences, and meeting other exciting people. I’ll be fucking whoever I want, while you negotiate which kink is acceptable or more likely to result in you getting the trip or house or other crystalized bullshit you want.”

She’s turning red, so I hammer home my point. “You enjoy your marriage to Pax. Just remember, when he tries to do something positively filthy to you; something so depraved you feel the need to bathe in holy water and confess to your priest afterwards thatI’mthe one who turned him out.”

I turn, nearly bumping into her future hubby’s chest. I can’t read the expression on his face, and I don’t care to waste time trying to figure it out.

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