Page 95 of Heartless Legacy

Finn cocks his head to the side, sizing Pax up. I take a step back in case he lets a knife loose. I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. “It’s kind of hard to move on when we don’t actually know what the fuck happened.” He bites out. “It’s beennine months,and you never said what led you to make this move against us. You won’t even admit that you’d been sleeping with my fiancé behind my back, and that the two of you conspired against us for however long she’s been riding your dick.”

Pax sighs, “I didn’t betray you like that.”

“Like what? Physically? But emotionally you did? Was Thea right? Has Eloise been your end game all along?”

Pax won’t answer that question. I wouldn’t either. Finn doesn’t care about Eloise, but he cares about the betrayal, and I’m not sure he’ll stop himself before he does some serious damage with Pax. I’m conflicted because I don’t want to care about Pax’s wellbeing, but I do. Years and years of history between us are hard to erase.

Pax says, “None of that matters. I made a choice and the high council approved it.”

“Why?” I ask, back pressed against the wall, arms folded across my chest. “Why did they think this was a good fit? What did you say on your application to convince them that this was such a beneficial match? Why didn’t they force you to challenge Finn? What was the deciding factor for them to sign off on it no questions asked?”

“I don’t know.” He says with such nonchalance, but I get the impression that he means it. He really doesn’t know. “You didn’t submit the paperwork?”

“I signed the paperwork.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“You know how these things go, Holden. The lawyers get together. They draft pages and pages of clauses and requirements. I made sure they got my name and birthdate right, acknowledged I understood what was at stake if I didn’t hold up my end of the deal, and signed where the X’s were. Now here we are.”

Finn’s twirling the point of his knife against his finger, and says, “The penalties. That’s what you cared about? Some legal bullshit and not the risk that ruining our friendship would pose to everything we had planned? To everything we want to do and accomplish as The Trium? The few hundred grand you’d have topay out to Eloise was the bigger issue, and the reason you didn’t say no?”

While Finn’s ranting, I’m turning over the words Pax used. Here. We. Are. He signed the paperwork, acknowledged he understood what was at stake. And here. We. Are. What was at stake?

He rakes his fingers through his hair and sighs. “I get it. It’s fucked up the way you two found out about it, and I probably should have said something beforehand, but there wasn’t time. As for why the council agreed?” He shrugs. “It’s not for us to question their decisions.”

Finn and I have been questioning a lot of decisions lately, and we probably wouldn’t be watching the destruction of a lifelong friendship if Pax had asked some questions, too.

Finn voices the question he asked me when Thea came back. “Does any part of you even feel bad about this? About how hurt Thea must be?”

“Thea was fun, but she was never gonna be a good fit for me. Eloise and I have more in common. She’s loyal, and she understands the way things work. That’s what I need. Not someone I’m fighting with every step of the way.”

Finn’s nostrils flare. He’s agitated, skating the edge, but I make no move to intervene. I’m still watching Pax for signs of… something.Anythingto prove it’s him and not some version of his father standing before us.

Pax expels a puff of air. “This is about more than Thea. Fuck, man. What do I have to do to be done with this topic once and for all? What will it take for us to move past this and get back to normal?”

I answer before Finn can. “You’ve made the decision that’s right for you. We’ll do the same.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means things can never go back to the way they were before.”

I watch as Pax’s face transforms. It hardens, his jaw ticks. Then there’s nothing. “Fine.” He turns and lets himself into his room. Finn follows me into mine. Shaking his head, he drops onto the couch and says, “You don’t have to say it. I know Pax has a point. Thea hasn’t expressed any interest in us since she came back.”

I take the seat next to him, pulling my laptop into my lap. “She hasn’t stabbed you yet.”

“She threatened to.”

“But she didn’t. And you’re still eating at her table with her friends when she’s not there. They haven’t put a stop to that out of fear of betraying her.”

“She knows I sit there. She mentioned it today. Said I was breaking up our routine. And I sit next to her in class. She hasn’t changed seats.” His tone lightens as he says the last part. “You’re right. She is still interested in me.” I snort. Of course, he’s only focusing on what this means for him. Which is exactly what Pax has been saying. He’s focused on what his actions mean for him. I guess we’re all selfish in that way.

“You need to up your game, Holden, or it’s just gonna be me riding off with Thea.”

“Don’t worry about my game.”

“Oh, but I do, since you have none.”

“I have what I need, and that’s an irrefutable knowledge of Thea’s habits and routines, and limitless ideas on how to force her to do what I want. ”

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