Broken Legacy: Dark Legacy Book Three Read online

  Broken Legacy

  Dark Legacy Book Three

  Jaymin Eve

  Tate James

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  5. Beck

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  19. Beck

  Chapter 20

  21. Beck

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  27. Beck

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  30. Beck

  Chapter 31

  32. Epilogue

  Sneak peak of Princess Ballot - Royals of Arbon Academy

  Also by the authors

  Jaymin Eve & Tate James

  Broken Legacy: Dark Legacy book 3

  Copyright © Jaymin Eve & Tate James 2019

  All rights reserved

  First published in 2019

  Eve, Jaymin

  James, Tate

  Broken Legacy: Dark Legacy #3

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. All characters in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cover: Tamara Kokic

  Editing: Heather Long (content) and Bookends Editing (line).

  For those that race through life like Riley.

  Never ease up on the gas until you cross the line first.

  Or die trying.

  1

  Shock held me immobile for many long moments. I’d just seen Catherine Deboise—my birth mother—kissing her brother. Graeme Huntley. And not a kiss-on-the-cheek-happy-to-see-family sort of kiss. Nope. This was some Game of Thrones, incest as fuck, brother and sister making out.

  My stomach lurched, and I swallowed hard to stop the bile from rising any farther.

  A million questions ran through my head, and the general theme was making my stomach churn even harder.

  Was I the product of an incestuous relationship?

  Was Oscar?

  Did Richard know about the relationship?

  Was Catherine the spy?

  She had to be the spy.

  She was kissing the man who ran the company trying to destroy Delta. What the fuck else could that mean?

  After Graeme left in a rush of expensive sports car, I remained where I was, pressed into the grass of the Deboise estate, hidden behind some well-trimmed hedges. Thankfully, Catherine didn’t linger on her doorstep, returning inside before his car had even cleared the gate. Somehow, she hadn’t figured out that I was out here—for once, the laziness of the guards was working in my favor.

  Or maybe Richard told them not to announce me. Who knew what that crazy bastard was up to?

  A slight scuff of dirt behind me alerted me to the new presence, and I managed not to scream as I swung my head toward the noise, already reaching for the gun tucked into the front pocket of my hoodie.

  Their faces were creased in hard, angry lines.

  “Riley,” Beck murmured, his gaze running across me like he was assessing for injuries. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Dylan was right beside him, both of them in a similar position to me, pressed close to the ground.

  “I came to see Catherine,” I started breathlessly. “I was going to confront her about Dante. Get the truth out of that slimy bitch.”

  I sounded shocked, my voice vapid.

  Beck immediately noticed. “What happened?” he demanded, somehow managing to keep his voice low despite his obvious pissed-off-ness.

  “Catherine and Graeme,” I whispered, the images of them kissing strong in my mind. “Catherine and fucking Graeme Huntley,” I finished louder.

  Both guys turned to look toward the impressive mansion, their eyes tracking in that hunter survivalist way they had.

  “I thought that was his car,” Beck muttered, “when we were jumping the fence.”

  I nodded like a bobble-head toy. “Yep, he just left.”

  “She’s in shock,” Dylan said softly. “We need to get her out of here. Give her a chance to calm down.”

  Beck found his feet and lifted me with ease, cradling me against his chest.

  “What about Catherine?” I gasped, because we were not hiding at all.

  Beck made a disparaging sound. “Fuck Catherine. She doesn’t scare us. We were in stealth mode until we knew you were okay, but now...”

  Fair enough.

  He followed Dylan; they moved fast and soundlessly, able to step in just the right way as to not create any sort of disturbance. I did not have this skill. Which was the only reason I didn’t ask him to put me down. Right now my body felt like jelly, and I’d probably trip and break another limb if I was left to my own devices.

  I gave Dylan the front gate code, and he entered it so we could leave. Beck’s Bugatti was parked right beside the butterfly, and he dropped me into the passenger seat before holding out a hand for my keys. He wanted Dylan to drive my car.

  I started to shake my head—I was the one who drove the butterfly. She’d only just been returned to me after being totaled, and I was feeling a little possessive, but as my head spun, I realized that I wasn’t really in the best position to be focusing on things like traffic and pedestrians. Plus, I wanted to be close to Beck. I needed the comfort.

  When I surrendered the keys, Dylan shot me one last worried look before he turned and hopped in the butterfly.

  “Talk to me, baby,” Beck said as he started up his Bugatti. “Tell me what you saw.”

  The burn of acid assaulted my throat again, my stomach contents wanting to expel from my body. I’d never quite realized how weak my stomach was until I entered this world. I’d probably thrown up more in the last few months than I had in the ten years before that. All of this insane shit was really taking a toll on me.

  Beck had his unfathomable expression focused on me still, and I tried to organize my scattered thoughts. “When I got there, Catherine was standing on the front porch with a man. I knew immediately it wasn’t Richard, and I figured she was having an affair. You know, rich wife cliché that she is.”

  Beck nodded, slowing down as we exited the main gates of the Delta compound.

  “Then he turned around and … it was Graeme,” I whispered.

  Beck’s expression twisted slightly into confusion, and not because I said Graeme, he’d already known he was there, but because of the way I said it.

  I turned in my chair and met his gaze full on. “She kissed him, Sebastian. Kissed him passionately… like a lover.”

  I waited for him to flinch, or call me crazy, or act disgusted.

  But he did none of those things.

  Either his mind hadn’t immediately gone to me being a possible incest baby, or he was much better than me at hiding his emotions, because right now, his expression was unreadable.

  I jumped when he reached out and captured my hand. “We will get to the bottom of this, Butterf
ly,” he told me, his voice as serious as I’d ever heard it. “And I promise you, Catherine Deboise is going to fucking pay for what she’s done to you. To all of us.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, trying my best to get those images out of my head. “She’s literally the most fucked up human I’ve ever met. And considering the world I’ve been in lately...”

  That was really saying something.

  Actually, Graeme Huntley was about the same, so there were two fucked up Huntleys wandering around. Fucked up Huntleys that might be my pare—

  I gagged again, and knowing I couldn’t live like this any longer, I reached into the center of the car and grabbed for Beck’s phone. He didn’t question me or try and take the phone back; he just let me scroll through until I found the number I needed.

  The phone rang three times before a deep, familiar voice answered.

  “Beck!” Richard Deboise said quickly. “Is everything okay with Riley?”

  Hearing his voice had my stomach churning once more, not just because the last time I’d seen him he’d tried to drug me, but because he might not be my father, and if he wasn’t, that meant…

  “I need you to tell me the truth,” I said without preamble. “For once in my life, I need the honest truth. You fucking owe me after our last meeting.”

  That got Beck’s attention—I could practically feel his steely gaze slamming into the side of my head, but I ignored him, waiting for Richard’s answer.

  There was a beat of silence and then: “Okay.”

  “Did you know about Catherine and Graeme Huntley?’

  The silence was longer this time. Much longer.

  “Yes. I have known since before we were married.”

  The phone was on speaker, and Beck’s angry sound reached Richard. “Who is with you, Riley?” he asked, more bite in his tone.

  “Just Sebastian,” I replied.

  “It’s not safe to talk on the phone,” Richard continued then. “Meet me at the red-zone Delta house. Beck knows what I’m talking about.”

  The line went dead, and with trembling hands, I dropped it back where it usually sat. “He knew about it.” My voice rasped. “He knew she was fucking her brother, and he still married her.”

  Everything about this day was blowing my mind, but there was one positive in Richard already knowing—hopefully he would have some answers to the many questions spinning around my head.

  Beck was the one to reach for the phone this time. “Can you send Dylan a text? I’m not going in there without backup. Not when your safety is in question.”

  With a nod, I took the device and opened his messages. “I need you to use these words only, okay?” Beck said before he rattled off a bunch of shit that made no sense to me.

  “Are you sure?” I said, almost smiling at the gibberish in the text.

  Beck managed to curl one corner of his perfect lips. “Yeah, we have our own way of communicating, Butterfly. Unless you’re a codebreaker, you won’t figure it out.”

  I chuckled this time. “How did you know? Codebreaker is my middle name.”

  Yeah, right? This life of crime was definitely new to me, and I doubted I’d ever catch up to my guys—the experts.

  “What did you mean about Richard owing you?” Beck said, diverting our conversation. I managed not to groan, because I’d been hoping he wouldn’t really catch onto that … or at least not push me about it.

  I should have known better.

  “The truth, Riley,” he added when I didn’t answer straight away.

  I could tell by his tone that he was not going to let me get away with any half, bullshit type answers.

  Deep breath. “Turns out Richard is as much of a psycho as the rest of you all,” I said quickly. When Beck’s eyes darkened, I continued in a rush, “He didn’t hurt me, just scared the fuck out of me. And he threatened you, Beck, so I think it’s best if I don’t tell you all the details.”

  I waited for him to explode, and there was definitely a tense moment of silence, but Beck surprised me when his grip on the wheel loosened and he let out an amused, derisive laugh.

  “You are going to have to have more faith in me, Butterfly. Richard thinks he has it over me and the guys, but he doesn’t have a fucking clue what we’re capable of. He’s never bothered to pay attention.” I got his full attention then, and I was slightly afraid for anyone on the road, because Beck was not watching it at all. “Don’t ever keep anything like this from me again.”

  I returned his glare with one of my own.

  “You keep shit from me all the time in the pretense of ‘protecting me.’ I was just doing the same fucking thing.”

  Beck’s lips twitched, and he nodded. “Touché, baby.”

  I thought that was the end of it, but I should have known better. “You’re not to be alone with Richard again.”

  Arrogant fuck.

  I hadn’t even told Beck what happened, not specifics, but somehow, he still knew that it was something fucked up and weird. Enough to make his demand. I didn’t bother to answer, because today, I couldn’t make that promise.

  With a shake of his head, he let it go, and silence fell between us as we crossed through the main town of Jefferson. We left suburbia for a less urban area—long fields of green and crops that appeared to be in the early stages of sprouting, spring only just making an appearance.

  “What does the red-zone mean?” I asked Beck, needing to break the silence.

  He stared ahead, relaxed as we sped along. “We have multiple safe houses, drop off zones, and delivery routes mapped around Jefferson. Red-zone is for private use only. Delta meetings mainly. It’s regularly searched for wiretaps, bugs, and unauthorized surveillance equipment. It’s probably the closest thing we have to a safe place to talk.”

  Good. That meant Richard had something important to say. Or he was luring us out here to try and kill us. I wouldn’t put it past him, but at least we were prepared now for his underhandedness. Neither of us trusted Richard and that gave us an edge.

  Beck turned off the main road, entering a small cleared area surrounded by trees. Unless you were looking for it, you’d never have seen it there. We followed this path through the trees for a long time, and as I sat higher in my seat to look around, I was relieved to see Dylan behind us, the butterfly gleaming in the early morning sunlight that filtered through the dense vegetation.

  Seeing him reminded me of something. “How did you know to follow me to Catherine’s?” I asked as a building appeared in the distance. I’d been so sure Beck was sound asleep when I’d left this morning.

  His expression darkened—I’d just reminded him that I’d snuck out into danger. “It was a combination of things. You asking about your gun was the first tip off, and then when we were kissing, there was something off in your expression. Like you thought it was the last time we’d ever touch. My mistake was in expecting you’d get some sleep before you snuck out—that’s why I was a few minutes late catching up to you. And Dylan heard your car and was down in the parking lot at almost the same time as me.”

  Fuck. I was never going to be able to hide anything from them.

  “I’m sorry I took off,” I told him, recognizing that it had been pretty stupid. “I just figured that Catherine would never talk to me truthfully with you guys there. Like everyone else, she would be scared that you’d kick her ass or something.”

  Beck’s chest rumbled, and it almost looked like he was counting to ten in his head to try and calm down. “Don’t do that again, Riley. Catherine is dangerous. Everyone in our world is, and you shouldn’t trust any of them except us. The four of us will always have your back.”

  After everything that had happened in the last few months, those words had my body warm and glowing. Somehow these rich, arrogant fuckers had buried themselves deep in my heart.

  Beck pulled to a stop in front of the safe house. “We’re in this shit together,” he said as he turned the engine off. “I would have gone with you. Any of us would ha
ve.”

  “I thought you’d stop me,” I admitted. “You can be pretty bossy when it comes to safety.”

  Beck shifted around so he was facing me fully, his beautiful eyes awash in gray storm clouds. They got like that when he was pissed or upset. Right now I was pretty sure he was both.

  “I’m bossy because I fucking love you, Butterfly. I’m not letting anyone take you away from me. But … if it was important to you, I wouldn’t have stood in your way. I would have just made sure that we were prepared for anything. I would have had backup.” He reached out and cupped my face, his hand rough and soft at the same time. “I won’t stand in your way, baby, but I will stand at your side, where I belong.”

  Well, fuck. What did someone say to that?

  “I love you, Sebastian.”

  The words slipped out. I hadn’t said it back to him earlier, even though I’d felt it, but now there was no way to keep it inside.

  He stilled, the storminess of his eyes fading to something almost silvery. That was how they looked when he was happy. Content.

  He reached up, his other hand cupping my face, too, and in true Beck style, he slammed our mouths together. The kiss was hard and punishing at first before it gentled to loving touches of lips and tongue and hands.

  A firm knock on the window beside my head was the only thing that pulled us apart, because we were not stopping on our own. Dylan stood there with an exasperated look on his face, and he jerked his head toward the door of the safe house, indicating that Richard was already there waiting for us.

  Reluctantly, I pulled away from Beck, and climbed out of the car. The safe house was small, looking a lot like an old brown barn that had been sitting out here in the elements for decades. It was run down on the outside, but something told me that was part of its “blend in and not get found” camouflage.

 
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