Heartless Legacy (Heartless Heirs of Canyon Falls #4)

127. Thea

Chapter 127

Thea

T he adrenaline’s wearing off, and I’m feeling every one of my injuries. The medics gave me a quick once over. They confirmed two of my ribs are broken, and a piece of wood impaled me in my side. The wound is leaking like a sieve, and I need a tetanus shot. But none of that matters as Pax and I limp down the stairs to The Tomb, using the wall for support. I’m fighting double vision as we make our way to the inner chamber where the emergency session is happening. Even the smallest of movements hurt, but I compartmentalize the pain, and ignore the bone deep exhaustion I feel. I’m going to finish this. Passing out can wait.

I shove the door open more from the momentum of my body banging into it as opposed to actually using my arm with any efficacy. The noise ricochets through the space, cutting off the person talking, mid sentence.

All eyes swing towards us. I don’t look at the prospects, my attention focused solely on the elevations where the council members stand as I leave Pax’s side. Given what I’ve been through these last two days, it’s ironic that this room reminds me so much of a colosseum. The place where the council stands has them separated, just like the cavea, according to rank. The council is in ceremonial cloaks, masks pinned to their sides.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” The Sergeant of Arms huffs, walking towards me. I shove past him, walking right up to the dais and stand in the spot I was in a year ago when they issued the challenge for me to be penetrated by masked strangers or endure a beating.

That’s the day Pax stepped up to save me. Now I’m here to return the favor. I lower my hood and turn my head towards the spot where Malcolm stands.

“First Year Prospect LaReaux?” The recorder gasps.

“In the bruised and bloody flesh.”

“That’s- that’s impossible.”

“Why is that?” I already know why. But I want to hear him say it.

“We were told you were…. the reports say that you…”

I understand why he’s having a hard time articulating his thoughts. “The reports say I was brutally attacked and didn’t survive.” I finish for him.

Most of the guards Delta Team caught were loyal to the person signing their checks, but there was one who thought his chances of survival would be better if he told the truth. I know all about the lie they’ve been told to cover my latest disappearance. Lazarro never intended to let me walk out of that gauntlet. The only things in my future were the same as everyone else’s in those cages. Death or prostitution.

“They do.” The recorder confirms.

“Lucky for me, I was able to fight off my attackers.”

He scans my face and says, “You should be in the hospital.”

“I thought it was more important that I come straight here and file a formal grievance against the people who have been working so hard this past year to facilitate my death.”

Someone from the second level says, “A league challenge is not an order to death, Prospect LaReaux.”

Looking at him, I respond, “I’m not talking about within the process of competing in challenges.”

Slowly sweeping my gaze around the room and then from one end of the council box to the other, I call out names. “Leonardo Burke.” I point to a second council member, “Archibald Grant, Evan Bishop, and,” Malcolm stands stoic in place, as my attention falls to him. “Malcolm Cox, Jr.”

The second guy sputters, “This girl is irrational and delusional. It’s clear she’s unstable and should be immediately remanded to the Rockridge Psychiatric Facility.”

Giving him a chilling smile, I respond, “Been there. Done that. Got trafficked and tortured. Zero out of a million stars, do not recommend. But , I respect that you’re bringing the motion up for review in front of the rest of the council and prospects. There are some among you that would simply lock people away in Rockridge without notification. Isn’t that right, most honorable councilman Cox?”

“What is she talking about?” Joshua asks, stepping through the crowd.

He’s staring at the wrong Cox. He quickly realizes that, his head swiveling towards the younger one. I don’t need him backing me up, especially when I know it’s not because he actually gives a shit about me. Malcolm sending me to Rockridge without his knowledge was a show of disrespect. He’s acting on that emotion, and nothing more.

One of the council members on the second level asks, “Prospect LaReaux, what is the meaning of this disruption?”

Another asks, “Are you telling members of the council that you were late to session because you were in Rockridge this evening?”

“I was in Rockridge last year.” I explain, “And Malcolm Cox, Jr., is the person who put me there.”

“This an outlandish accusation,” Malcolm says, taking a step forward. “Prospect LaReaux is clearly suffering a head injury. Sergeant, escort her from chambers and get her some help.”

As the Sergeant at Arms moves towards me, Pax growls, “Don’t you dare lay a hand on her.” Addressing the council, he says, “You need to listen to what she has to say.”

Malcolm replies, “We don’t need to do a damn thing. This isn’t how sessions are conducted. You are both in breach of protocol, and do not have the floor.”

Looking to the people around him, he says, “This is what I was telling you. The girl is unwell. Unfit to join The League.” A few nod in agreement.

Shuffling closer to the dais, I ask, “Are you calling me a liar?”

“I am saying you are unwell and presenting conflicting information to what you’ve attested to at your tribunal.”

Archibald Grant, adds, “Council member Cox is right. You stood here at a tribunal and testified that you were incarcerated. Now you say you were in Rockridge, which is clearly untrue.”

Looking at him, I ask, “Is it?”

“It is.” He huffs. “We have your testimony and the official court record.”

I love that the paperwork is so realistic that they never questioned it. But now, it’s time to tear down the cover story we concocted. “Do you get notified of every single person admitted to and released from Rockridge?” I ask.

“We do.”

“I suppose you keep track of their care, which means your records are accurate.”

A few council members squirm in place when he answers, “They are.”

“And if we were to take a trip to Rockridge right now, we’d be able to set eyes on each and every person on your little list? The names will match and the guardian-ward relationships are properly established and approved by the council?”

His eyes dart towards Malcolm before answering. “We -”

Someone clears their throat, cutting off his answer. Looking to the right side of the platform, I continue. “Let’s put a pin in that lie, shall we? While I was away, I was incarcerated, but I was also in Rockridge Psychiatric Hospital, and an off books facility run by a man named Felix Lazarro. All of those things are true. I was tortured and drugged on a continuous basis. Malcolm Cox, Jr. was the catalyst of it all, and yes, I left that part out of my tribunal. I didn’t say anything when I came back, because I feared for my life.”

Someone says, “Prospect LaReaux. These are serious allegations. Perhaps we should take a break and allow you a moment to consult the rules in the archives before continuing.”

Pax responds, “I know the rules, and none of them tell you what to do when your father has you locked away against your will. If you want to question Thea’s statement. Fine. But he sent me to Rockridge four days ago, and I experienced the same things she did.”

Gesturing towards his face, he says, “These are courtesy of my father’s partner, Felix Lazarro. He’s in charge of the staff who violently discipline the patients in Rockridge, but his involvement with the hospital is all a cover for his real business. He takes patients he thinks no one will miss, out of Rockridge, and auctions them off to his despicable associates. This man, Lazarro, has been close friends with my father. He also has a relationship with my mother that he’s used to…” His gaze flicks to me before continuing. “To issue solo challenges to me for years. I thought I was working league jobs, but the two of them were pimping me out to women for information and access to valuable information or items held by league members.”

It takes everything in me not to react to what Pax is saying. To swallow my words, and the urge to hobble back to the surface and ask Alexz to deploy a drone strike and drop it on Pax’s parent’s house.

Malcolm scoffs, “You were never used to dishonor my league brethren by seducing their wives.” Looking imploringly at the members of the high council, he says, “These outrageous allegations are the rambling of someone with a severe drinking problem. It’s true that I arranged for my son’s stay at Rockridge, but it was to get him the help he needs.”

Pax counters with, “Don’t you mean the punishment you think I deserve for choosing to make my own decisions and threatening your status here?”

Parker Sullivan ignores their squabbling. Staring down at me, he says, “Prospect LaReaux, as my colleague from the security council has mentioned, there are protocols for bringing accusations in chambers. You’ve obviously been through an ordeal tonight, but your retconning of the timeline of your absence last summer implicates a member of my Trium, which would include me by default.”

He nods at the recorder and says, “Therefore, I would like to hear Malcolm’s response.”