Forbidden Legacy (2 page)

After all, the Trinity Masters was more than a fraternal society to him. More than a way of life. It was in his blood. The strictures and philosophies of the secret society were his religion. He believed in them, trusted that what the founding fathers had put in place over two centuries earlier was as vital to the success of the country as the Constitution. The members had a responsibility to use their intelligence, their drive, their talents—even their fortunes—for good and progress. It was their God-given duty.

His father had preached that to him from the time Harrison had been old enough to speak.

For two hundred years, his family had preserved the society, protected its values, kept the organization safe and strong.

And now, he was failing them all.

Someone not within the Trinity Masters had uncovered their existence, and it was clear their motives were deadly. Exposure would bring the downfall of the society, reveal members’ identities and destroy them.

It fell to Harrison to find the villain and bring him down. And he needed to do it quickly and quietly—without alerting the membership.

Unfortunately, he was facing another problem, one of his own making.

Price was on his way to his office, and Michael wouldn’t be far behind. Though he stood as the controlling force behind the secret society, no leader stood alone. Michael and Price were his conscience, his sounding boards. Sometimes they were his voice of reason.

Today, however, they weren’t coming to guide him, but to issue an ultimatum.

Not even the Grand Master was exempt from the Trinity Masters’ laws. And though he’d put this moment off as long as he could, time had finally run out.

Michael and Price were here to tell Harrison he needed to choose his mates and marry. The next few weeks weren’t going to be easy. He took a deep breath as he considered his course. There was only one way forward, but it was going to be a damned difficult road to walk.

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter,” he called.

“Grand Master?”

“Hello, Price.”

Price Bennett was a huge, imposing man. They’d met through the Trinity Masters and formed a solid relationship over the years. Price had recently been matched with his partners—a brilliant scientist and a sharp FBI agent. The trio had been instrumental in putting a stop to a dangerous religious zealot whose madness had led him to murder. Though Price had been resistant to the match initially, the nonstop smile he wore lately told Harrison things had worked out just fine.

“Is the Corzo situation still under control?”

Harrison was accustomed to Price’s straightforward manner. It actually appealed to Harrison and was one of the reasons he’d chosen Price as an adviser. There were times when life was simply too short to waste on niceties. This would be one such occasion. Michael was unaware of the threat to the Trinity Masters, and Harrison would prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible. If he figured it out too soon, Harrison’s plan would unravel before he had a chance to put the pieces in place.

Harrison had confided in Price about a blackmail situation within the Trinity Masters nearly a year ago. Price, an expert in security, had wanted to take charge of the investigation, but Harrison had rejected his offer, opting instead to use another’s expertise. The woman he’d enlisted, Tasha, had done her job very well, protecting two of the Trinity Masters’ most high-profile members—Damon Corzo and Marco Polin. In order to keep their identities safe, Harrison had matched Tasha with Damon and Marco. It was a good triad—a strong one. However, though the photos the blackmailer used had been destroyed and the attempt to frame Damon and Marco for murder had been stopped, the blackmailer had not been caught, nor had his identity been discovered, a fact that didn’t sit easy with Price—or Harrison.

“The problem seems to have been neutralized.” What Harrison didn’t bother to add was “for the moment.” It appeared the blackmailer’s plan to destroy Damon and Marco had simply been a way to flush out the bigger players. And it had worked, though Harrison hadn’t revealed as much to Price. Or to anyone for that matter.

The villain’s desire to uncover the Trinity Masters’ secrets wasn’t based on hatred for the club. Instead, the blackmailer’s anger appeared to be focused exclusively on Harrison, on baiting him, on pushing him into making a mistake. Something that had been abundantly clear when Tasha had discovered a check written by the blackmailer with the words
Hello, Harrison
in the memo line.

Harrison had told Price the blackmailer had disappeared. That wasn’t the truth, but it wasn’t Price’s concern. The next time the villain showed his face, Harrison would be the one to confront him, to stop him.

This fight was personal.

Price released a relieved sigh. “Very good. I’m happy to hear that problem has remained quiet. I spoke to Jonathan yesterday after the funeral.”

Harrison leaned back in his chair and the same heaviness that weighed on his chest whenever he thought of Jonathan reappeared. Jonathan, a member of the Trinity Masters, had just lost both of his wives. “How is he doing?”

Price’s shoulders drooped. “Not well.”

“That’s understandable. He’s just suffered a devastating loss.”

Price frowned. “It’s more than that. He seems almost disconnected from reality. Kept muttering about voices talking to him in the middle of the night and conspiracy theories.”

Harrison tapped his fingers together. “Voices?”

Price shrugged. “I questioned him about it, but he just kept muttering that God was seeking revenge, paying him back for his sins. None of it made any sense.”

Harrison suspected Jonathan was running on empty, that his grief was mingling with exhaustion. Clearly that combination was lending itself to paranoia. Even so, given recent events, Harrison thought it might be best to err on the side of caution. “Can you and Gunner keep an eye on him?”

Price appeared surprised by the request. “You think he poses a problem for us?”

“Honestly? No. Jonathan is one of the kindest, most rational men I’ve ever met. I think he’s simply worn out and overwhelmed by sorrow. Once some time has passed, he’ll bounce back, but it wouldn’t hurt to stay close until he does.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Take care of what?” Michael appeared at the doorway.

Harrison stalled a moment too long before lying to his best friend. “Price is checking into the arrangements for the quarterly meeting. It’s only three weeks away and we need to finalize the agenda and make sure everything is in place for the Winter Gala.” Four times a year, the senior members of the Trinity Masters gathered for a meeting that was followed immediately by a social soiree attended by everyone.

Michael nodded, though Harrison suspected his friend wasn’t fooled. Too many times in the past year, Michael had picked up on Harrison’s anxiety, the fact he was distracted. Michael had stopped asking what was wrong because he was no doubt sick of Harrison’s standard response of, “Nothing.”

Unlike Price, Harrison and Michael had been friends since childhood. Though Michael was a year younger, they’d been inseparable as boys. And even as adults. They’d attended the same schools from kindergarten through college. Most importantly, they’d always understood each other, recognizing what their lives meant. As legacies—children born of Trinity Masters—Michael and Harrison had embraced the philosophies and lifestyles of their parents. That shared heritage had solidified their bond, made them brothers in a way.

Which was why it was so hard for Harrison to keep a secret from his friend. However, some lessons—once instilled—were impossible to ignore. Harrison’s father had begun training him for his role as Grand Master from a very young age, stressing the importance of keeping his own counsel. Unlike Harrison, his father hadn’t selected advisers, had refused to share information regarding the Trinity Masters with anyone—not even his own partners.

Instead, Harrison had—in only a minute way—been his father’s counsel. Even then, his father had kept countless secrets, the majority of which resided in the file cabinet behind his desk. Distrustful of computers, his father had kept records the same way the founders of the Trinity Masters had—on paper.

After his father’s debilitating stroke, it had taken Harrison the better part of a year to work his way through the files and the secrets, bringing the organization up to speed in terms of technology—entering the most important information into a highly secure computer so that it wouldn’t be lost to future generations.

One of the members, Carly Kenan, a programming genius, had created and installed firewalls and security software in the Trinity Masters headquarters that would take even the best hacker days to crack, and it was designed to destroy the records if anyone got close. With her expertise, Harrison felt comfortable putting two hundred years’ worth of secrets on a computer.

His father had kept copious notes, so it was easy to transfer the information over. However, as he’d aged, his handwriting had become harder and harder to decipher. Harrison worried there were too many important details his father had forgotten to record or that had been lost in illegible scribbles.

He glanced at a file folder on his desk. It contained at least two-dozen pages of indecipherable notes his father had left. Harrison had poured over them more hours than he cared to count as he tried to figure out the secrets they held. He vowed he wouldn’t make the same mistake his father had. Every vital bit of information he’d collected during his tenure as Grand Master was accounted for within the files of the computer and backed up in three other locations.

For the past decade, Harrison had counted on Price and Michael to help him with the administrative duties required to run such a large organization, but he still played his cards close to his chest. His father’s admonitions, his warnings to trust only himself, had taken. With the current threat looming over his head, Harrison was glad he’d kept his silence. Too much was riding on his current plan, and one misstep could cause the entire foundation of the Trinity Masters to crumble.

“I’m glad to hear the meeting is well-organized. I’ll make sure the reminders go out in a couple of days.” Then his friend gave him a crooked grin that basically said it all. Michael wasn’t happy to be here, wasn’t pleased with what he had to say, but his friend would do his duty, wouldn’t shirk the responsibility just because it made him uncomfortable.

“Harrison.” Michael claimed his usual seat next to Price. Harrison was amused by the ease with which they all assumed their usual places. How many times had the three of them sat in this office, discussing current events, analyzing happenings in society and deciding the future of their members? He would miss these moments with them. “How are you doing?” Michael asked.

“I know why you’re here, Michael. We can skip the greetings.”

Michael leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “You have three months, Harrison. Cutting it a bit close, aren’t you?”

Harrison laced his fingers together, resting them on the surface of his large desk. “I’m perfectly aware of how much time is needed to form this relationship.”

Actually, he had less than three months. He needed to choose his partners and meet them at the altar one month prior to their formal bonding ceremony. All trios were given one month to get to know each other and put their affairs in order before they embarked on a lifetime together. Which meant Harrison needed to secure his partners quickly.

Michael frowned, his face revealing his concern. Michael had no doubt guessed what was holding Harrison back from solidifying his future.

Their
future.

But his friend’s suspicions were wrong.

Michael had never asked why Harrison hadn’t found matches for him. At forty-four, Michael’s days as a single man were about to come to an end as well. Harrison could only surmise Michael understood exactly why he’d been left unattached for so long. If that was true, it proved to Harrison just how solid their friendship was. Michael trusted him. Which made this all so much more difficult.

Price was relieved by Harrison’s easy acquiescence. “Then we can assume you have found suitable partners for yourself? As I mentioned last year, there is a bylaw that states two senior members can choose for you if you so desire. Michael and I would be happy to step in and do that.”

“And as I said last year, I don’t need help.” Even as Harrison spoke the words, he recognized the fallacy. He was sinking, was neck-deep in quicksand, and if he didn’t uncover the identity of the man trying to destroy him soon, he would be swallowed completely.

He didn’t just need help. He needed a miracle.

“Then we can trust you to set your affairs in order?” Michael’s tone let Harrison know he really didn’t want to have to issue this ultimatum again.

“You can.”

Price seemed appeased, but Michael didn’t appear as reassured. Regardless, both men rose, nodded and took their leave.

When the door closed behind them, Harrison closed his eyes, releasing a long sigh.

Then he imagined her face. For fifteen years, it had been her. Always her.

The first time they’d met, Harrison had still been a professor in Harvard’s School of Medicine. He’d held that position a decade before stepping up to assume his current duties as Dean of Admissions. Alexis had walked into his classroom and claimed a seat in the front row, her gaze challenging him to teach her something, anything.

Everything.

He’d never met a more intelligent woman, one with the desire to learn, the drive to succeed and the heart to excel in her field. She was clever and compassionate, talented and poised—all wrapped up in one beautiful package. She was everything the Trinity Masters sought in their membership.

Harrison had issued her an invitation to become a part of their society the night of her graduation from medical school.

And she’d refused to join.

Harrison had forced himself to accept her decision, ignoring his disappointment. His broken heart.

Alexis was the woman he couldn’t have, couldn’t share with his best friend, even though it was what he desired more than anything. She was the forbidden fruit.