Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,30

clings with scrabbling hands as she fights the urge to spit it out.

But then she looks at me and lets out an angry grunt, her eyes rolling as she whips her gaze back to the clerk.

“You know what? That’s fine. Anything to get away from that annoying as all hell man standing behind me. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

Slapping the credit card down on the counter, Ivy misses the change in the desk clerk’s expression.

Anger colors the woman’s cheeks a healthy red, her eyes flicking to me where I stand like the unwanted war hero, a poor neglected man who was cast aside by the woman he’d worked his ass off to chase down.

It only makes her angrier.

Snatching the card, she inserts it into the reader, a bark of laughter bursting from her lips when a beep sounds from the computer.

Slapping it back down on the counter, she locks a pissed off glare on Ivy. “Declined.”

“What?”

The one-word question is a shriek of sound that echoes through the lobby.

I cover my mouth to hide my smile, my shoulders shaking with silent laughter that I play off as soft sobs when the desk clerk peeks my way again. Thankfully, my eyes are watering, but not for the reason she thinks.

“How could you do that?” the clerk asks, truly upset that I’m being treated so poorly.

Ivy’s brows tug together as she pulls out another card and slaps it down.

“Do what? Try that one.”

The clerk runs the new card only for the computer to beep again.

“Also declined.”

“What?” Another shrieked question and Ivy is drawing attention as her panic attack ratchets higher.

I should be filming this for posterity’s sake. It’s almost too perfect to believe.

They go through three more cards, Ivy’s panic at full volume when all are declined.

Given she was staying in a suite that costs one thousand dollars per night, two weeks is a hell of a lot of nights to pay for when you have no money to your name.

After running through the sea of worthless plastic that fills her wallet, Ivy’s panic subsides just enough for her thoughts to catch up.

She spins my direction, her face a lovely shade of red while those aqua blue eyes narrow on my face with pure hatred.

“What did you do?”

If I were a cartoon, light would flash off my halo with the innocent smile I give her.

“Me? I’ve done nothing.”

Huffing out her rabid disbelief, she spins back to the clerk.

“I just need to make a quick phone call to settle this problem. I’m sure it’s all a giant misunderstanding.”

Oh, this should be fun. The grand finale is always the best part of the show.

Ivy marches off with her phone in hand.

I’m sure she’s calling her father and is seconds away from finding out just how alone she is in this fight. And while I’d love to follow after her and listen to the conversation, I decide to head to the front desk instead to smooth over the problem I created.

Resting my forearms against the counter, I lean down so I can level my eyes with the woman who has unexpectedly become my best friend in this part of the game.

“There has to be a way to work this out. Fourteen days is a lot of money when, clearly, she can’t pay. Can we just pay for the one night and be done with it?”

She cuts her stare to Ivy and back to me.

“Why should I give her that courtesy?” Her eyes tear up. “I can’t believe she turned you down.”

I frown. “Yes, it was extremely disappointing, but I’ll move on. There has to be true love for me out there somewhere.”

Reaching over, she touches my arm.

“Oh, you’re so brave. There’s a woman out there that’s perfect for you, I’m sure.”

“Thanks for that. So, about the bill.”

I pull out my wallet and open it.

“Ivy never should have stayed here. She obviously can’t pay for it, but it’s like I told you earlier. She has mental issues. I don’t have a lot of money. You know how it is. The Army doesn’t pay very well. But I can manage one night, if we can settle for that?”

From behind me, Ivy’s voice blares across the lobby. “Dad! You can’t do this to me! I haven’t done anything wrong!”

Intentionally dropping my expression so I look pained at the outburst, I wait until the clerk looks at me again.

“See what I mean? Her dad died over three years ago. I have no idea who she’s talking to. Nobody