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Chapter no 19

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, 1)

That night, I took the longest shower of my life. The hot-water supply was endless. The glass doors on the shower held in the steam. It was like having my own personal sauna. After drying off with plush, oversized towels, I put on my ratty pajamas and flopped down on what I was pretty sure were Egyptian cotton sheets.

I wasnโ€™t sure how long Iโ€™d been lying there when I heard it. A voice. โ€œPull the candlestick.โ€

I was on my feet in an instant, whirling to put my back to the wall. On instinct, I grabbed the keys Iโ€™d left on the nightstand, in case I needed a weapon. My eyes scanned the room for the person whoโ€™d spoken, and came up empty.

โ€œPull the candlestick on the fireplace, Heiress. Unless youย wantย me stuck back here?โ€

Annoyance replaced my initial fight-or-flight response. I narrowed my eyes at the stone fireplace at the back of my room. Sure enough, there was a candelabra on the mantel.

โ€œPretty sure this qualifies as stalking,โ€ I told the fireplaceโ€”or, more accurately, the boy on the other side of it. Still, I couldnโ€™tย notย pull the candlestick. Who could resist something like that? I wrapped my hand around the base of the candelabra. I was met with resistance, and another suggestion came from behind the fireplace.

โ€œDonโ€™t just pull forward. Angle it down.โ€

I did as I was instructed. The candelabra rotated, and then I heard aย click, and the back of the fireplace separated from its floor, just by an inch. A moment later, I saw fingertips in the gap, and I watched as the back of the fireplace was lifted up and disappeared behind the mantel. Now at the back of the fireplace there was an opening. Jameson Hawthorne stepped through. He straightened, then returned the candle to its upright position, and the

entry heโ€™d just used was slowly covered once more.

โ€œSecret passage,โ€ he explained unnecessarily. โ€œThe house is full of them.โ€

โ€œAm I supposed to find that comforting?โ€ I asked him. โ€œOr terrifying?โ€ โ€œYou tell me, Mystery Girl. Are you comforted or terrified?โ€ He let me

sit with that for a moment. โ€œOr is it possible that youโ€™re intrigued?โ€

The first time Iโ€™d met Jameson Hawthorne, he was drunk. This time, I didnโ€™t smell alcohol on his breath, but I wondered how much heโ€™d slept since the reading of the will. His hair was behaving itself, but there was something wild in his glinting green eyes.

โ€œYouโ€™re not asking about the keys.โ€ Jameson offered me a crooked little smile. โ€œI expected you to ask about the keys.โ€

I held them up. โ€œThis was your doing.โ€

Not a questionโ€”and he didnโ€™t treat it like one. โ€œItโ€™s a little bit of a family tradition.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not family.โ€

He tilted his head to one side. โ€œDo you believe that?โ€

I thought about Tobias Hawthorneโ€”about the DNA test that Zaraโ€™s husband was already running. โ€œI donโ€™t know.โ€

โ€œIt would be a shame,โ€ Jameson commented, โ€œif we were related.โ€ He spared another smile for me, slow and sharp-edged. โ€œDonโ€™t you think?โ€

What was it with me and Hawthorne boys?ย Stop thinking about his smile. Stop looking at his lips. Justโ€”stop.

โ€œI think that you already have more family than you can deal with.โ€ I crossed my arms. โ€œI also think youโ€™re a lot less smooth than you think are. You want something.โ€

Iโ€™d always been good at math. Iโ€™d always been logical. He was here, in my room, flirting for a reason.

โ€œEveryone is going to want something from you soon, Heiress.โ€ Jameson smiled. โ€œThe question is: How many of us want something youโ€™re willing to give?โ€

Even just the sound of his voice, the way he phrased thingsโ€”I could feel myself wanting to lean toward him. This wasย ridiculous.

โ€œStop calling me Heiress,โ€ I shot back. โ€œAnd if you turn answering my question into some kind of riddle, Iโ€™m calling security.โ€

โ€œThatโ€™s the thing, Mystery Girl. I donโ€™t think Iโ€™m turning anything into a

riddle. I donโ€™t think I have to. You are a riddle, a puzzle, a gameโ€”my grandfatherโ€™s last.โ€

He was looking at me so intently now, I didnโ€™t dare look away.

โ€œWhy do you think this house has so many secret passages? Why are there so many keys that donโ€™t work in any of the locks? Every desk my grandfather ever bought has secret compartments. Thereโ€™s an organ in the theater, and if you play a specific sequence of notes, it unlocks a hidden drawer. Every Saturday morning, from the time I was a kid until the night my grandfather died, he sat my brothers and me down and gave us a riddle, a puzzle, an impossible challengeโ€”something to solve. And then he died. And thenโ€ฆโ€ Jameson took a step toward me. โ€œThere was you.โ€

Me.

โ€œGrayson thinks youโ€™re some master manipulator. My aunt is convinced you must have Hawthorne blood. But I think youโ€™re the old manโ€™s final riddleโ€”one last puzzle to be solved.โ€ He took another step, bringing the two of us that much closer. โ€œHe chose you for a reason, Avery. Youโ€™re special, and I think he wanted usโ€”wantedย meโ€”to figure out why.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not a puzzle.โ€ I could feel my heart beating in my neck. He was close enough now to see my pulse.

โ€œSure you are,โ€ Jameson replied. โ€œWe all are. Donโ€™t tell me that some part of you hasnโ€™t been trying to figure us out. Grayson. Me. Maybe even Xander.โ€

โ€œIs this all just a game to you?โ€ I put my hand out to stop him from advancing farther. He took one last step, forcing my palm to his chest.

โ€œEverythingโ€™s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.โ€ He reached up to brush the hair from my face, and I jerked back.

โ€œGet out,โ€ I said lowly. โ€œUse the normal door this time.โ€ My entire life, no one had touched me as gently as he had a moment before.

โ€œYouโ€™re angry,โ€ Jameson said.

โ€œI told youโ€”if you want something, ask. Donโ€™t come in here talking about how Iโ€™m special. Donโ€™t touch my face.โ€

โ€œYouย areย special.โ€ Jameson kept his hands to himself, but the heady expression in his eyes never shifted. โ€œAnd what Iย wantย is to figure out why. Why you, Avery?โ€ He took a step back, giving me space. โ€œDonโ€™t tell me you donโ€™t want to know, too.โ€

I did. Of course I did.

โ€œIโ€™m going to leave this here.โ€ Jameson held up an envelope. He laid it carefully on the mantel. โ€œRead it, and then tell me this isnโ€™t a game to be won. Tell me this isnโ€™t a riddle.โ€ Jameson reached for the candelabra, and as the fireplace passage opened once more, he offered a targeted, parting shot. โ€œHe left you the fortune, Avery, and all he left us isย you.โ€

โ€Œ

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