The Fixer (The Fixer #1)(93)

I didn’t regret it. No matter who—or what—my paternal grandfather might be, I couldn’t regret it.

“Ivy.” William Keyes stepped forward and greeted Ivy with a cat-eating-canary smile. “You look well.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

He smiled. “I’m picking my granddaughter up from school.”

Ivy forgot about keeping her voice low. “I want you to stay away from her. You have no legal standing—”

“I’ll stay away from her when she asks me to stay away from her,” William Keyes replied.

Ivy looked at me. “Theresa,” she said, her voice low. “Tess Kendrick. Tell him.”

His name was on that list. But there were other names, too.

“I gave him my word,” I said. This was the bargain I’d struck: the kingmaker’s presence in my life in exchange for saving Ivy’s.

It was a deal I would make all over again.

“In this business,” Keyes told Ivy, still looking altogether too satisfied with himself, “your word is the most valuable asset you have.”

He gestured toward the limo, and I stepped toward it.

“What’s your endgame here?” Ivy asked the man she’d once worked for. “What do you want with my daughter?”

“The same thing I’ve always wanted, dear,” William replied. “An heir.”

Unlike the rest of us, he made no move whatsoever to lower his voice. All around us, my fellow students were buzzing.

“By the way,” the man who made kings told Ivy, “her name isn’t Tess Kendrick. She’s changing it—to Tess Kendrick Keyes.” He smiled smugly. “There’ll be a lovely profile of her—and her courageous father, God rest his soul—in tomorrow’s Post.”

For once, Ivy was speechless.

Nearby, someone snapped a picture of the three of us on a cell phone. Keyes opened the door to the limo. With one last look at Ivy, I climbed in. My paternal grandfather climbed in beside me.

“Ivy’s going to kill me,” I said.

“You’re a Keyes,” he replied smoothly. “We excel at thinking five steps ahead. I’m sure you can handle it.”

As the limo pulled away from Hardwicke, I could see Ivy’s mind racing, looking for a way to undo this—and quite possibly plotting my immediate demise. I thought about Justice Marquette and the likelihood that there was a fourth player who’d gotten away with his part in the murder.

I thought about the fact that the person in question might be sitting beside me in this car.

And then I settled back in my seat and responded to his assertion that I could handle it. “I can try.”





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, this book would not exist without the wonderful team who helped bring it into being. First and foremost, thank you to Catherine Onder, for seeing the potential in this book and working with me to make sure it lived up to that potential. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude (as do Vivvie, Henry, and Asher—not to mention the book’s plot!). Major thanks are also due to Anne Heltzel, who helped me take this book from its first revision to its final draft. Anne’s input was invaluable (and delivered on an extremely tight timetable to boot!).

I’m blessed to have worked with my incredible agent, Elizabeth Harding, on fourteen books now. As always, Elizabeth, I am so grateful for your help and support at every step in the process. Thank you also to Ginger Clark, whose passion for this project never failed to humble me and bring a smile to my face, and to Holly Frederick and everyone else at Curtis Brown for all their hard work!

Huge thanks to the writer friends who gave me pep talks, commiseration, and occasionally food and drink in their attempt to get me through the submission, drafting, and revision of this book! Thank you to BOB for company, day in and day out, Carrie Ryan and Rachel Hawkins for Arizona adventures, and Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, Josh Lewis, and Kelly Link for Cornwall! Lastly, I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to my Oklahoma girls, Ally Carter and Rachel Vincent, for deadline closets, Panera Thursdays, brainstorming, commiseration, and moral support. I love you guys dearly!

Finally, I am grateful for the support of my family and friends. Special thanks go to Ti30, Mom, Dad, Justin, Allison, and Anthony. And to Connor, for helping to drag Aunt Jen away from the book long enough to go to the zoo.