Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,12
of you to remember.”
He’s quiet for a second, but not because of what I said. I hear the distinctive clink of ice against a glass tumbler, his throat swallowing down the whiskey I know he’s drinking.
“It’s not your birthday.”
“Ah, well, you’ve forgotten for the past three years, so I thought that maybe this call would finally be the one when you show me you give a damn. I have Hallmark on speed dial for the day that happens. It would make a good movie.”
“Cut the shit, Gabriel. Tell me what’s going on with Ivy.”
“Nothing much at the moment,” I lie.
“What the hell is taking so long?”
“She’s a touch problematic,” I lie again.
The truth is that Ivy has been oddly agreeable this week. I’ve spent the past several days vacillating between the opinion that either the years truly have tamed a woman who used to breathe fire or she’s playing me.
The former would be a shame, and the latter is more probable, but Ivy has never been one to play such simple games.
Of all the pranks we’ve pulled and battles we’ve fought, not once has she pretended to tolerate me or be someone she’s not.
Most likely it’s because the one time she let down her guard around me, I taught her why it was a very bad idea.
“Maybe if you tell me what it is exactly that you’re wanting from her, I can use that to hurry her along.”
Our fathers have an annoying habit of giving us marching orders without telling us all the details. Whatever information they want from Ivy is important to them. I know that because of how often he calls about it. Which only means that information is important to us as well if we hope to one-up these bastards and get our revenge on them.
He sips from his drink again, and I hear the distinct slam of the tumbler down on whatever table he happens to be near.
I’ve pissed him off.
Good.
The asshole deserves that and more after all the shit he’s put us through.
One of these days, I might push him into a stroke, and I’ll laugh to know I caused it.
“I’ve already told you all you need to know. I want information on Governor Callahan. If Ivy knows what’s good for her, she’ll give it to us. Make sure you get it, Gabriel. We’re running out of patience.”
He hangs up before I can respond, and that’s perfectly fine by me. The less I have to talk to him, the better.
Unfortunately, I’m also now in a shitastic mood, which only spells trouble for Ivy.
After grabbing a joint from the center console, I tuck it behind my ear and get out of the car. I gave up smoking the shit after Yale, but every so often my nerves are rubbed raw, and I need to smoke to relax.
The door slams closed a little too hard, but that happens when I want to kill the fat fuck who contributed to my DNA.
I don’t call him Dad. Never will. None of us reference our fathers as anything more than an issue that needs to be crushed now that we have the means to do it.
Letting myself into Tanner’s house through a side door, I walk through the kitchen and into the dining room to see everybody gathered in the living room.
Most of the guys are standing on one side with both Luca and Ava keeping them company, but Tanner is seated all by his lonesome on the other side of the room like the loser kid nobody picks for their softball team. The sight of it makes me chuckle.
This shit with Luca is amusing, and seeing Tanner stewing over a woman who has driven him crazy since the day he met her helps ease some of my frustration.
Dropping my weight into a seat next to him, I cross an ankle over a knee just in time for Tanner to bark, “You all need to get the fuck out.”
Laughing at that, I relax in my seat and notice the hard stare Tanner has on Luca. The bastard is hunting, and while it’s clear as day to me, poor Luca has no idea what’s watching her.
“Still nothing, huh?”
Green eyes snap to me. “This is your fault.”
I cock a brow at that and grin.
“Right. Because I’m the one that’s fucked with her life since the moment I met her.”
In truth, I have, but nobody needs to know it. I’m the darling of the group, the easy smile and fast friendship. People want