The Inheritance Games Chapter Rewrites

Chasing Ghosts (Ch. 21 of THL)

Summary: A rewrite of Ch. 21 of The Hawthorne Legacy featuring a conversation between Avery and Oren.

My head of security laid it out for me. "Tobias Hawthorne the Second. You think he's alive."

"I know he is."

Oren was silent for a long moment. "Have I told you how I came to be in Mr. Hawthorne's employ?"

I had no idea where that question had come from. "No."

"I was career military, ages eighteen to thirty-two. I would have stayed in until I hit twenty years, but there was an incident." The way Oren said the word incident sent ice down my spine. "Everyone in my unit was killed except me. By the time Mr. Hawthorne found me a year later, I was in bad shape."

I couldn't picture Oren out of control. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," Oren said, "I need you to understand that I owe Mr. Hawthorne my life. He gave me a purpose. He dragged me back into the light. And the last thing he asked of me was that I stay on to head your security team." Oren let that sink in. "Whatever I have to do to keep you safe," he continued, his voice low, "I will do it."

"Do you think there's a threat?" I asked him. "A real one? Are you worried about whoever left that heart?"

"I'm worried," Oren replied, "about what you and the boys are doing. About the ghosts you're digging up."

I scoffed at that and shook my head. "Speak of the ironies, Oren. Haven't you concluded yet that the so-called "ghosts" we're digging up are because of your former boss? Why do you think me and the brothers have been going at this for three weeks? Because Tobias requested it. You know what Xander's clue was after the first game? Find Tobias Hawthorne the Second. Why would he want his own grandson who would be put in a perilous position to find his uncle if he didn't want him to dig up said ghosts?"

He gave me a long hard look but stayed quiet. I continued, "You say that he saved your life and for that you owe him. So tell me why the same man just asked another to risk theirs?" I was scared for Xander. If Oren was right about one thing, this mission was a dangerous one. We were digging up the past and when that was a billionaire's past, only God knew what that would bring up from the depths. Blackmail, shady dealings, dark web connections, the list went on. I shivered at the thought.

Oren sighed. "Mr. Hawthorne had a... particular way of doing things. They weren't always savory. That extends to the way he raised them. The boys, as good as they are, never really learned not getting their way, at least in the case of his games."

I considered that. The brothers weren't all bad and for all the assumptions I may have had about rich boys, they were the best bunch to be around. However, the amount of family drama they had clearly influenced certain behaviors and attitudes. "This is why I'm concerned for your safety. These boys, they're grieving and while I'm sure this final hurrah of his helps them cope with his death, it's not wise to pick up a cold case. Somebody could get involved that he crossed, that's why we have the List. And furthermore, his son being alive could mean your ironclad status as heir could be very easily dismantled. Why risk it?"

Yes, why risk it all? I rolled the question around in my mind, thinking up the insinuations, the consequences, the pros, the answers we'd get if we solved it, the questions if we didn't. But there was something more. "I have to know," I whispered.

"What was that?"

"I need to know. Oren..." I looked up and met his gaze. "I'm sorry." I shuffled around the desk and made my way to the door.

"Where are you going?" he called after me. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry, Oren. I'm so sorry but I got to do this. I can't give this up."

"Avery, explain what you're thinking. What are you doin-" The last part of his question cut off as I found the nearest passage and the entrance turned back into the wall. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Then I reached for my phone and texted Jameson.