Heartless Legacy (Heartless Heirs of Canyon Falls #4)

9. Deacon

Chapter 9

Deacon

I give a curt nod, acknowledging the fighters who greet me as I make my way through the gym towards my office. I toss my duffel bag on the floor by my desk and drop into my seat. Another trip, and I’ve returned empty-handed, much to The League’s disappointment.

The guardian program lost another five candidates this month. They dropped off the grid, and nobody has any idea how or why. They’re losing candidates faster than they can replace them and looking for people to blame. A lot of that blame is falling at my feet because I’m the one who hasn’t landed a single recruit in the last two months.

It’s kind of hard to serve up bodies when I’m distracted. Not even the threat of losing my gym is enough to motivate me. Tank’s been taking care of it all summer. If it weren’t for the fighters and members who train here, I’d have already told The League they can have this place. Being here is a depressing reminder of the girl who I initially refused to train.

Thea’s gone. She left without saying goodbye to anyone and didn’t bother taking anything with her. LJ helped her parents clear out her dorm room. They found her passports, fake IDs, and a stack of cash and credit cards in the safe. She left her car in a parking lot in Palm Springs.

For the first few weeks, we assumed she was just decompressing after final exams and a strenuous challenge season. Then LJ suggested she added on a few more days because of Pax going public with Eloise. That only makes sense if she caught them together, since she didn’t show up for the league meeting where the announcement was made.

After three weeks, everyone decided Thea ran, like she’d been threatening to do from the beginning. I don’t buy that, and neither does Sasha, who also hasn’t heard from her. She insists that while it’s possible for Thea to vanish into thin air, she wouldn’t do it without letting Sasha know she’s alright. It’s some kind of safety protocol they set up. I didn’t ask why they need safety protocols and she didn’t volunteer the information.

If the one person I know Thea trusts most in the world says her absence is suspect, then I’m inclined to agree. As far as The League is concerned, I’m on recruiting trips, but what I’m really doing is looking for my girl.

Sasha is doing some digging with her computer friends, and I’m boots on the ground in the other cities where Guardian training camps are located. The League may have let Thea pledge, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have sent her off for survival training with the Guardians at their equivalent of summer camp, and not to tell anyone about it.

Wherever she is, I’ll find her. If it turns out she ditched us all, that’s fine. That’s her choice, but she’ll need to tell me to my face. Until that happens, I’m operating off of what she told me. That whatever the future holds, she wants me there too.

I hit ignore on my phone. Nothing Dean Gibson has to say will convince me to come back to school this semester. I thought I would go back, but as June turned into July with still no leads on Thea, I realized I couldn’t focus on anything else. I also knew I might take my frustrations out on the students. Taking a sabbatical was in everyone’s best interest.

I change my clothes and go for a long overdue workout. By the time I’m done with my shower and get back to my office, I have two more missed calls. Those are from the football coach and basketball coach. I ignore them both. I don’t have shit to say to them either, especially if they’re only calling because the dean put them up to it.

Clearing those notifications doesn’t silence the beeping sound. I pick up my phone again and frown at the blank screen. Listening closely, I realize the noise is coming from inside my desk drawer. I pull it open, clenching my teeth as I drag out the device I keep shoved in the back.

I stare at the text. It’s a five-digit code on a phone I’d all but forgotten about. It’s been almost a year since the last time someone contacted me on this phone. Now it’s blinking. The protocol is clear. I have twenty-four hours to respond or the job goes to the next person. There’s only one number programmed into the phone. I hesitate before dialing it and read off the code when prompted. A nasally voice, says, “Please hold.” There’s a series of clicks and beeps as the call routes to a secure channel.

When it finally connects, a brusk voice comes over the line. “Perimeter support.”

“Not interested.”

“Two-fifty.”

A quarter of a million dollars to work the perimeter? That’s not shady at all. I don’t have time for shady. “Still not interested.”

“Fine.” The voice huffs in irritation. “Name your price.”

“I don’t have time-”

“Name. Your. Price.”

I hear the underlying strain in his voice. There’s plenty of people who can do this. So why does he want me?

“Anything, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I need to find someone. I want access to your resources to do it.”

“That’ll never-”

“You want me on this job? That’s what it’ll take.”

“Fine. I’ll give you basic access for thirty days. Whatever leads come up, you’ll have to hunt them down on your own.”

That’s what I’ve been doing all summer, but their infrastructure is better than Sasha’s black-hat hacking. I need to keep what I’m doing off of The League’s radar, which is why I haven’t gone to my grandfather or the police. If he really grants me access to his system, then I’ll be able to expand my search. “Deal. When’s the job?”

“I’ll contact you as soon as the mission is in play.”

I disconnect the call and toss the phone on my desk. Looks like I’m going on another trip.