Heartless Legacy (Heartless Heirs of Canyon Falls #4)

10. Holden

Chapter 10

Holden

I hear a door close in the hallway. Seconds later, the elevator alert pings on my phone. A quick swipe of the mouse brings up the hallway camera feed. I watch as Finn steps onto the elevator. It’s mealtime hours, so he’s probably heading to The Rock. He’s stopped asking me if I’m coming out to eat, because I’ve blown him off every day since returning to campus. I’ll need to show my face in the dining hall today since I’m out of food.

I’ll head out to eat just as soon as I’m finished with this last file. I want to make sure I get it into the right hands before the deadline. There’s no guilt. Not even a smidge of remorse for what I’ve already done or for what I’ll continue to do until I get answers.

That night at The Tombs was just the start of me seeing The League in a different light. In one night, Pax has shown that the oaths we gave don’t mean shit. That the loyalty we’ve promised each other is as shaky as a seedling in a hard wind. There have been other things I witnessed over the summer. Snippets of conversations I’ve heard. The details were vague, but the giddiness with which they spoke about dealing with their problems was enough to make me question just how much backstabbing is really going on.

I’ve always reveled in the respect that my family name and status as a Trium gave me with the league members and other prospects. I never thought about how hard everyone else would have to fight to get even a modicum of the respect that I did until Thea joined. She asked for harder challenges, hoping to amass a lot of points quickly, so that she’d be on an even level with us.

She didn’t say it, but I imagine she also wanted distance from her prospect year group. Thea might not like many people around, but she would’ve collaborated if she had the chance. It pisses me off that she felt safer doing things alone, and none of the leadership bothered to pull her aside and explain networking was also a part of the evaluation process.

The backbone of our society is loyalty to each other. No one expressed any loyalty to Thea while she was here, just like nobody was suspicious about her sudden disappearance. The council has been quick to assume the worst of her. Called her disloyal. A problem to be dealt with, and someone to be made an example of, if she ever turns up. Finn and I can’t openly defend her absence without being brought under suspicion ourselves. We can’t mention the plans we had for her, because Pax’s new relationship status contradicts our story.

That’s another problem I have. The League didn’t even question the change. They supported it, without blinking an eye. Pax is now tied to Eloise and nobody checked on Finn to see how he was dealing with it. He’s ecstatic, but they don’t know that, because he never gave them a reason to think he wasn’t happy with Eloise. We might be top of the food chain among our peers, but we’re still just tools for the little games the council members play and status symbols of power they show off to make others feel inferior.

It’s interesting that something as simple as a marriage contract has always been a point of contention with the Triums. We thought it was because the members all had fundamental differences about what they wanted from their wives. Pax, Finn, and I were one and the same. We had one vision for our lives. Or rather, that’s what Pax said. His actions suggest he’s been lying to us for years.

I don’t know how I feel about being part of an organization that makes you swear an oath of loyalty, but doesn’t even bat an eye at the severing of lifelong friendships in a quest for power. Something needs to change. I knew this. I’ve always known this. But I’m no longer sure that I’m in a position to be a part of that change. Pax screwed us over in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

I can’t renege on my oath and leave The League of the Daggered Raven. Not without hurting my family or Finn’s, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to accept how things are any more. I can’t do anything about The League, but the members of Zeta Nu aren’t so insulated.

If Thea comes back, this campus will be safer for her. I’m gonna expose and purge that sorority of each and every Eloise clone. Then, I’m moving on to the guys that were there the night she was attacked, and anyone else who knew, heard or suspected what was going on and kept silent.

Finn

I lasted a week sitting at my regular table, before I couldn’t do it any longer. Holden locked himself in his room and is skipping meals, which left me dealing with Eloise and Pax alone. Yesterday, I finally moved to the other side of the room.

I sit on Austin’s right, across from Thea’s favorite chair. It’s a sacred spot, just like the one at the end of the legacy table. After hearing me yell at Eloise’s friend, Rachel, everyone has taken to leaving the end seat empty. The first day I approached this table, LJ put her backpack in Thea’s chair to block me from trying to sit there. Smart girl. I wouldn’t dare try to put my ass in it, even if it would have made me feel closer to her.

I’ve already eaten. Don’t ask me what, I barely tasted it. I’ve got time to kill, so I’m just sitting here whetting my knife while everyone else eats. I’ve just shaved off another minuscule layer of metal when Austin asks, “What do you mean he took a leave of absence?”

LJ answers, “That’s all I know. He turned his clients over to Tank for the summer, but then last week he sent a message to Dean Gibson that said he wasn’t coming back. I heard from one of the TA’s in the math department that the football coach said, Coach Wolfe took a leave of absence for this semester. I don’t even know if the school’s still going to offer Physical Enhancement classes.”

I lift my head from my task when LJ mentions Coach Wolfe’s gym. I vaguely remember that she went there sometimes with Thea, but I didn’t realize she was actually training there, too.

What has Deacon Wolfe been up to this summer? He’s Thea’s mentor, so the High Council questioned him about her disappearance. Is he avoiding work, for the same reason I’m not interested in going to classes? This campus sucks without my girl roaming the halls.

I don’t even care if I don’t graduate on time or my ranking slips with The League. What good will rankings do me anyway, when the only reason I wanted to be the best was to help my Trium be the best? Look where all that team spirit and solidarity got me. With an axe plunged into my back by the very person who swore to always watch it.

If it weren’t for Holden, I wouldn’t even be here. School is an outlet for all his genius energy, so I’m here supporting him. Otherwise, fuck this shit. Who cares about learning? I’d much rather go on a stabbing spree.

I look up and see everyone at the table staring at me. Connor and Austin have horrified looks on their faces. I must’ve said that last part out loud. LJ gives me a pity smile. “We all miss her, Finn, and if you feel like you need to stab some people to cope, you go right along and do that.” Her eyes flick to the table where I used to sit.

“Thanks.” I settle back in my seat, returning my attention to my knife. Austin and Connor might think I’m crazy, but my outburst didn’t scare LJ one bit. She gets it. Probably because her best friend is team stabby too.

Holden comes through the door, eyes flicking around the dining hall as he walks to the head of the line to order his food. I see the indecision on his face when he spots me. He’s trying to decide where to sit. I’m not surprised or upset when he chooses our usual table. He’s methodical about everything he does, and unlike me, he’s perfectly fine with sitting there and not interacting with anyone.

He’s glued to his tablet while he eats his lunch. My phone pings and I glance at the notification about Albright Financial, in Ohio, filing for bankruptcy. My gaze swings over to Holden. Somebody’s been online with his little hactivist friends, ruining billionaires again. It’s how he’s coping with the changes. Although, I’m sure this is no random billionaire or company.

The downfall of the one-percenters has followed a theme this summer. They’ve all had ties to the legacy family of a Zeta Nu member. Tomorrow, all the ladies of Zeta Nu will wake up to an email asking for the names of the people who were involved in Thea’s attack on Mayhem Night. It’s the same email they’ve received all summer.

After a week with no response, the next billionaire target will find his funds magically depleted, or evidence of his financial or humanitarian crimes made public knowledge, and the email to the Zeta Nus will follow.

I admire the sorority members keeping quiet, but pretty soon one of Holden’s targets will hit too close to mommy and daddy’s checkbook. It’s only a matter of time before someone cracks, and when they do, my knives and I will be there, taking notes.