Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,47
too exhausted to push open our doors and immediately get out.
Beside us, her younger brother’s car is parked crooked, the front end mangled so bad that a headlight hangs out. Swinging softly in the breeze of an approaching storm, it dangles on thin wires, drawing my attention.
“It didn’t take Dylan much time to wreck his new car, I see. I bet your parents are pissed.”
Light rain continues to fall on the windshield, and when Emily turns to me, it drips over her skin as a moving shadow.
“They spent almost ninety thousand dollars on that car, and he wrecked it within five weeks. He’s the baby of the family, so as usual, my parents haven’t done anything about it. They would have slaughtered me, but Dylan didn’t get so much as a slap on the wrist. If we run into him in the common areas, just ignore him. He’s been a complete ass lately. He keeps pushing Ezra and Damon’s buttons every time they come over like he would stand a chance against either of them.”
My brows tug together at that. “Why don’t you just go to their place to stay away from Dylan?”
Her expression falls. “It’s complicated. Things haven’t been all fun and games lately, and they always fight with each other. To avoid it, I invite them over here, but only one at a time.”
I can’t decide if she’s brave or stupid. The twins were always a little aggressive in high school, but things got a lot worse in our senior year. They both scare the hell out of me. Emily seems equipped to handle them, though.
At least, she was until recently.
Every time I bring them up, her mood sours.
“Guess we should go in,” she says, her eyes glancing my direction. “And get you some dry clothes. Are you allowed to go to your house and get your stuff?”
Damn it…
As soon as she mentions it, I remember that I left all my bags in the trunk of Gabriel’s car. Normally, I’d just say screw it and buy new stuff. Unfortunately, that’s impossible with all my credit cards cut off.
Knowing I can’t last like this, I wonder how easy it will be to find a job. There are a lot of things I can do with my degree. I just need to figure out what field I want to go into.
“I have no idea. My dad might think that’s me taking advantage of what he’s given me. Most of my stuff is already packed, though. The only problem is that Gabriel has it.”
She blinks in my direction, her shoulders shaking on a laugh. I glare at her for thinking any of this is funny.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at you. It’s just that this keeps getting worse and worse, and it’s like watching a damn soap opera. He really fucked you up good this time.”
Shooting her another warning glare, I shake my head.
“I’m so glad I can entertain you.”
“Oh, honey. The two of you have been entertaining all of us for years. I can’t believe it’s still going on. Why did you get involved with him again? I warned you at the party.”
She still doesn’t know about the favor Tanner did for me, the reason I had to ask for it in the first place, or the price he’s making me pay for having fixed my mistake all those years ago. Regardless of how much I want to tell her the truth, I keep my mouth shut.
“I was just being stupid, I guess. Silly me for thinking Gabriel can change.”
She straightens her posture and runs her hands through her frizzy, tangled hair. The rain has left both of us looking like a hot mess.
“He changed. But not in a good way. If you ask me, he’s worse.”
Maybe.
Maybe not.
He was pretty damn bad when he was younger, too.
“Let’s go inside and get out of these wet clothes.”
Nodding at that, she shoves her door open while I open mine, both of us trudging along toward the house with a heavy weight on our shoulders.
Obviously, mine is this situation with Gabriel, but I suspect hers has everything to do with whatever is going on with the twins. Once we’re in warm clothes and better moods, I’ll be sure to interrogate her more about what’s happening.
As soon as we step inside the house, we wave our hands in front of our faces to dispel the thick cloud of pot smoke that fills the halls.
Emily growls and marches directly to the rec room, her eyes