The Inheritance Games, #3
The Final Gambit
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
CHAPTER 32
Overview
The scandal linking Grayson, Jameson, Eve, and Emily’s death hits the group hard, but Avery recognizes it as Luke’s calculated distraction. Rather than let the public fallout consume them, the group frames it as a messy diversion meant to run down the clock on Toby’s life.
Eve’s exposure raises the stakes personally and publicly, while Grayson and Jameson’s guilt over Emily resurfaces. The chapter ends with the group choosing urgency over damage control and returning to Luke’s message.
Summary
Avery texts Alisa about the gossip-site scandal because managing public crises is part of Alisa’s job. Then Avery tells the Hawthorne brothers and Eve, finding it much harder because the story falsely ties Grayson and Jameson to Emily’s death and exposes Eve’s resemblance to Emily.
Nash immediately challenges the accusation, while Grayson and Jameson respond with controlled, defensive denial of pain. Eve reads the article and asks why it says Grayson and Jameson killed Emily. Grayson answers harshly that they did, but Nash rejects that guilt.
Avery concludes that Luke must be behind the scandal because the timing is too precise. Nash invokes the Hawthorne rule that there is no such thing as fighting dirty if you win, and Avery recognizes that she wants to defeat Luke, rescue Toby, and stop the damage he is causing.
Xander calls the scandal a “glitter cannon”: a messy distraction designed to spread everywhere and consume time. Grayson, Libby, Nash, and Xander expand the metaphor, making clear that Luke’s attack is meant to bog them down while the timer continues ticking.
Eve, shaken by the possibility that her face will be everywhere, rejects wasting time on the scandal. She says she does not want to find out what happens to Toby when the countdown reaches zero. Xander replays Luke’s call, and the group refocuses on solving the riddle.
Who Appears
- Avery Kylie GrambsRecognizes the scandal as Luke’s distraction and refocuses everyone on saving Toby.
- EveShaken by public exposure and her resemblance to Emily, but insists Toby comes first.
- Grayson HawthorneResponds coldly to the scandal and carries visible guilt over Emily’s death.
- Jameson HawthorneMasks the scandal’s impact with sharp sarcasm and follows the group’s renewed focus.
- Nash HawthorneDefends his brothers and invokes the Hawthorne rule about fighting dirty to win.
- Xander HawthorneExplains the scandal as a “glitter cannon” distraction and replays Luke’s call.
- Libby GrambsOffers quiet empathy and understands the lasting damage the scandal could cause.
- LukeUnseen antagonist whose staged scandal appears designed to distract the group.
- Alisa OrtegaContacted by Avery to handle the emerging media scandal.
- Toby HawthorneKidnapping victim whose fate depends on the countdown and Luke’s next riddle.