“I care about you, Tess,” Georgia told me. “You’re very dear to people who are very dear to me.”
People who would scorch the earth to find the person responsible if anything ever happened to me.
The First Lady wouldn’t attack me. But she knew about Henry—and whether I was family or not, whether she cared about me or not, she’d come at him to get at me.
You really should talk to someone about everything you’ve been through.
I could tell Ivy what I suspected. I could tell the kingmaker. I could start them down the path of tying the First Lady to the attack on the president, maybe even the assassination of Justice Marquette.
Everything. Including the truth about Henry Marquette.
This was what it looked like to play five moves ahead. This was strategy. This was power.
I stood. Georgia came over and pressed a kiss to my cheek. All I could think, as I made my way out of the residence and was escorted onto the White House lawn, was that William Keyes had been right.
The queen is the most dangerous piece on the board.
CHAPTER 70
In the weeks that followed, I found myself going back over the conversation I’d had with Georgia Nolan: every word, every nuance, the expression on her face. There were days when I found myself wondering if I’d imagined the subtext to our exchange, the underlying threat. Georgia had admitted nothing. She’d said nothing incriminating. She’d told me I should talk to Ivy, to Adam, to the kingmaker. She’d done nothing but express concern.
And let me know that she knows about Henry.
She’d threatened me, so subtly that I couldn’t even use that as evidence against her. She had a light touch. She played to win. I could picture her, using that light touch to draw together three men, to plant the idea in their heads that together, they could get away with murder. I could see her pulling their strings. I could see her doing it all without leaving even a trace of evidence behind.
Months ago, I’d told Georgia that a dead Supreme Court justice was a problem, and she’d corrected me. Theo Marquette’s death is a tragedy, she’d said. And, quite frankly, it’s an opportunity, tragic though it may be.
I couldn’t prove anything. I couldn’t tell anyone. But in the pit of my stomach, I knew.
The First Lady was the most dangerous player in this game.
“In the past weeks, each and every one of you has demonstrated the qualities that the Hardwicke School values above all else: integrity, perseverance, courage.” The new headmaster spoke from the front of the chapel. “With the start of the new semester,” she continued, “we are looking forward, as a community, as a family, as a school. You are all survivors. I feel awed to be standing here in front of you, with you, as we move into the future.”
Beside me, Vivvie slipped a hand into mine. Asher sat on my other side, folding what appeared to be an origami flamingo. He bumped his shoulder into mine. On his other side, Henry eyed the flamingo with some level of distrust.
Henry’s eyes flitted briefly toward mine. I looked away.
“You are all changed,” the headmaster said. “What happened at this school will never leave you. You will carry it with you—but it isn’t a burden that any of you have to carry alone. You are part of a long tradition of excellence, a family of scholars, a community that will come through this stronger than ever. You,” the headmaster said, emphasizing the word, “are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Leaders. My mind went to the president, to the First Lady, to everything I suspected and knew and couldn’t tell.
“To that end, next week, we will begin anew with a fresh round of student council nominations. I hope that many of you will run, that your pride in your school—and yourselves—is stronger than ever, for what you have survived.”
My gaze found its way to Emilia. She was sitting a few rows in front of us, between Maya and Di.
Stronger than ever, for what you have survived.
Emilia deserved to win.
As chapel let out, and we began to walk back to the main campus, Henry fell in step beside me. “I won’t run,” he told me.
I heard what he didn’t say: Emilia deserves it. I don’t. I’m not what they think I am. I’m not what I thought I was. I don’t know who I am anymore.
I heard all that in those three words of Henry’s. I also heard the underlying assumption: that if he ran, he would win.
“Go ahead,” I told Henry. “Run.”
Emilia would beat him. Somehow, some way, I would make sure of it. Just like somehow, some way, I would find a way to prove what I suspected about Georgia Nolan.
Power. The First Lady had it. I didn’t. But I was Ivy Kendrick’s daughter. I’d been raised by Gramps and taught strategy by the kingmaker. When I saw a problem, I solved it.
I wouldn’t stay powerless for long.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Fixer books, more than any of my others, are stories that have been made in revision. I am incredibly grateful to Catherine Onder for her feedback and guidance as we zeroed in on Tess’s adventures in The Long Game. Special thanks also go out to Nick Thomas, who helped see this book from start to finish. As always, I’m indebted to my agent, Elizabeth Harding, who has fought incredibly hard for this series at every step along the way. Thanks also to Holly Frederick, Sarah Perillo, Kerry Cullen, and Jonathan Lyons at Curtis Brown, as well as the fabulous Ginger Clark, who’s been a huge advocate for The Fixer since day one. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Bloomsbury who has worked on these books and owe a special thank you to my publicist, Courtney Griffin.
This book could not have been written without the lovely Rachel Vincent, who kept me company (and kept me sane) as I wrote it! Rachel, I appreciate how many times you listened to me say “I just need to get the [spoiler] into the [spoiler]!” I truly could not have written this book without you.
I also owe a huge debt to my mother, Marsha Barnes, who took over planning my wedding (and made it the most incredible, perfect day) when I was on deadline. Thank you to my dad for spending nine hours stuffing invitations, ordering a flower girl dress, keeping track of RSVPs, and doing all of the table and menu arrangements, so that I could write and revise (and revise!) this book. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and am grateful for each and every one of you.
Finally, thank you to my husband, Anthony, for constant support, always being there to listen, and making me laugh every single day.
Also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Fixer
Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in the United States of America in June 2016
by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Barnes, Jennifer (Jennifer Lynn) author.
Title: The long game : a Fixer novel / by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Description: New York : Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2016.
Summary: Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington, DC, can fix just about any problem her classmates—or their power-wielding parents—might have, but when terrorism, assassination, and murder strike, she soon finds herself wrapped up in an intricate plot that may end up hitting closer to home than she could have ever imag
ined.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015025288
ISBN 978-1-61963-596-8 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-61963-597-5 (e-book)
Subjects: | CYAC: Families—Fiction. | High schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Wealth—Fiction. | Washington (D.C.)—Fiction. | Mystery and detective stories. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION/Family/Siblings. | JUVENILE FICTION/Mysteries & Detective Stories. | JUVENILE FICTION/Law & Crime.
Classification: LCC PZ7.B26225 Lo 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015025288
Book design by Amanda Bartlett/Andrea Tsurumi
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The Long Game Page 27