Chapter 34 #2
"The investigation has uncovered that Miss Turner has no blood legacy tie to the Trivium, despite her placement in Courts House, which is exclusively reserved for legacy students."
"Her grandfather is Bruce Turner," I countered. "Known to some as The Gavel. He's Trivium." A flicker of surprise crossed Whitehall's features at the mention of The Gavel, but he recovered quickly.
"Mr Turner severed his ties with the Trivium many years ago. Even if he hadn't, Miss Turner would not have been eligible to claim the legacy through her grandfather unless special dispensation had been granted. The line must not skip generations without prior approval."
"Her mother is Alyssa Knotty," I said, the name bitter on my tongue. "She's Trivium." Whitehall's eyebrows rose slightly.
"That's... an interesting claim, Mr Bale. One that would certainly change the nature of this investigation, if proven true."
"What do you need as proof?" Cole asked.
"Mrs Knotty would need to come forward personally to claim Miss Turner as her daughter, and be willing to give a DNA test in order to confirm it," Whitehall replied. "Given the serious nature of the charges, nothing less would suffice."
"And if she doesn't?" I pressed, though I already knew the answer.
"Then Miss Turner will be convicted of fraud against the Trivium," Whitehall said, his voice matter-of-fact. "The penalty for which is imprisonment in the Hole."
The Hole. The place where the Trivium sent those who betrayed them, those who knew too much, those they wanted to make disappear. I'd heard the stories, everyone had. No one came back from the Hole the same, if they came back at all.
"How long do we have?" I asked, my voice tight.
"As I said, the hearing is in forty-eight hours. If Mrs Knotty were to come forward before then..." He left the sentence hanging, the implication clear.
"We'll find her," I said, already calculating our next move. "And when we do, this witch hunt ends. Immediately." Whitehall inclined his head slightly.
"That would be for the council to decide, Mr Bale. But it would certainly strengthen Miss Turner's case."
I stood, signalling the end of our conversation.
"We'll be back. With Alyssa Knotty." Cole and Ryder followed suit, both radiating a dangerous energy that made Whitehall shift uncomfortably in his chair.
"Mr Bale," he called as we reached the door. "One more thing." I turned, my hand on the doorknob.
"I would advise against involving your father in this matter," Whitehall said, his tone carefully neutral. "The Trivium values its independence from... external influences." I smiled, cold and sharp.
"Noted." We left without another word, the door closing behind us with a soft click that belied the storm raging inside me.
Outside the Trivium Headquarters, the three of us huddled in the shadow of the imposing building, the evening air crisp against my face. The gravity of our situation settled over us like a physical weight.
"Forty-eight hours," Cole muttered, running a hand through his hair. "That's not much time."
"It's a setup," Ryder said, his voice tight with barely controlled rage. "My father and Blackwood, working together to destroy us. To destroy Cade."
"We need a plan," I said, forcing my mind to focus despite the exhaustion and fury clouding my thoughts. "We need to find Alyssa Knotty and convince her to claim Cade as her daughter."
"And if she refuses?" Cole asked quietly.
The question hung between us, heavy with implication. Alyssa Knotty had abandoned Cade once already and had tried to sell her to Dominic Blake as a child. Why would she help now?
"Then we make her," I replied, my voice hard. "Whatever it takes." Ryder was already shaking his head.
"I need to see my father first. He's here in London for the hearing, staying at his club. If I can get him to withdraw the accusations-"
"You really think he'll listen to you?" Cole asked skeptically.
"No," Ryder admitted, his expression grim.
"But I have to try. Before I kill him." The casual way he said it sent a chill down my spine.
Not because I doubted his sincerity, Ryder was absolutely capable of murder, as we all were, but because I knew what it would cost him, especially now that the Trivium was breathing down our necks. .
"I'll go with you," I offered. "Make sure you don't do anything we can't undo." Ryder shook his head.
"No. This is between him and me." His gaze shifted to Cole. "You two need to find Alyssa Knotty. That's our best shot at getting Cade out of this." I hesitated, torn between my instinct to keep Ryder from self-destructing and the urgent need to find Alyssa. Cole made the decision for me.
"He's right, Logan," he said quietly. "You should come with me to see Alyssa.
Given our... history, I could use the backup.
" I understood what he wasn't saying. Alyssa Knotty was one of Cole's abusers from his time in the Underground.
Facing her would be its own kind of hell for him.
But we also knew that he was our best way of getting to speak to her.
"Are you sure about this, Ry?" I asked, searching his face for any sign that he might be about to do something irreversible. Ryder's smile was cold, devoid of his usual manic energy.
"Nope. But I'm doing it anyway." I nodded, recognising the futility of arguing further.
"Call us if things go south. And Ry?" I caught his arm as he turned to leave.
"Don't kill him. Not yet. Not until we get Cade out.
" Something flickered in Ryder's eyes, acknowledgment, maybe, or a promise.
Then he was gone, striding away into the gathering darkness with deadly purpose in every step.
I turned to Cole, whose eyes were shadowed with exhaustion and dread.
"You ready for this?"
"No," he echoed Ryder's response. "But we're doing it anyway."