Fraud (Antihero Inferno Book 2)

by Lily White

  Eventually, I choose to do neither and begrudgingly climb into the car to play a game that needs to be played.

  I’m going to hell for this.

  It’s important for everybody to know that.

  The direct route. I’m too horrible to even get a restful layover in purgatory.

  The car has barely started pulling forward when Ivy moves to straddle my lap.

  I’ll admit it’s shock at first that has me holding out my hands to my sides to keep from touching her. After that, it’s the guilt of taking advantage of someone so mentally deficient that she believes it’s safe to be on my lap in the first place.

  “Don’t you think it’s better for you to be on your side of the car safely buckled in?”

  Or maybe in a child’s car seat, I don’t add, images of her little feet kicking that causes my dick to retreat fully into my body.

  Ivy rolls her eyes and leans down to brush her mouth against my ear, her tits pressing up against my throat with the reminder that she might be dimwitted, but she has the body of a goddess.

  My body reacts, and I toss up a silent prayer of thanks that her behavior hasn’t broken me entirely.

  “I really need you to help me, Gabriel.”

  Her voice is a whisper of sound in my ear, my hands slowly moving to take possession of her hips.

  A lot of men love a woman’s tits, her ass, her pussy or mouth. But this is my favorite part. Gripping my hands down on Ivy’s full hips gives me all the control I need of this woman, of her body, of the speed we’ll take when I slide my way inside her.

  Just as long as she doesn’t talk. Normally, I like a woman to be vocal, but in Ivy’s case, silence is preferable.

  “We should discuss that later,” I whisper back, a groan climbing up my throat when she rolls her hips and her teeth lightly nip my ear.

  She doesn’t let the subject go. “I can’t give Tanner what he wants. It will ruin me...”

  That was the plan.

  “...and I’ve been so good for the past few years...”

  A little creepy, actually, but if she stops talking, I can look past it.

  “...and I know it’s stupid of me to trust you after everything that’s happened between us, but those days are over, right?”

  Her hips roll again, and my head falls back against the seat, my fingers clamping down on the full, soft flesh of her body.

  Also, yes. It’s extremely stupid of her to trust me, which is precisely why I can’t talk about this right now.

  I open my eyes to dance with her seductive gaze and almost lose my breath at the sight of a face I’ve both hated and wanted for years.

  Forcing myself to remember who she used to be so that my dick doesn’t retreat again into flaccid refusal, I release one of her hips to grip the back of her head and bring those full lips down to mine.

  Ivy doesn’t fight against me, but she’s still a fucking tease, her breath colliding with mine as her tongue flicks out to tempt my lips. But before I can kiss her fully, she pulls back just enough to taunt me with everything she knows I want.

  “Maybe if you just tell me what information Tanner hopes to find out, I can prove I know nothing.”

  She needs to shut the hell up before she ruins this. I tug her down again, forcing her mouth to mine, and it’s an explosive kiss, one that has been coming for so many years, our mouths opening wide as our tongues sweep together in a clash of hatred and need.

  Have you ever waited your entire life for something and finally got it? Do you know that rush? The drumming beat of your heart, the absolutely insanity that comes with tasting something that you have craved and dreamed of for years?

  That’s what this moment is.

  It’s victory and fate and conquest.

  Despite who Ivy has become.

  Despite the fact I can’t let her speak again for fear of destroying the illusion.

  This is something I’ve wanted since the night I first destroyed her.

  My body comes to life with such ravenous passion that I lose my fucking mind when her hips roll again, our bodies so close to connecting right where I need them.

  Shoving forward because I have absolutely zero patience in this, I surprise Ivy by dropping her down to the seat, my mouth devouring hers as my body moves between her legs.

  A squeal of shock escapes her lips, but I swallow that and make sure her mouth is kept busy. One ridiculous word and she’ll fuck this up.

  My cock comes to life again, the hard ridge of it pressed against her panties. As my fingers grip into her hair, my other hand pins her hip in place so that I’m the bastard leading this dance.

  Is this dangerous? You better fucking believe it. I’m well aware we’re in the back of a car being driven by her psychopath bodyguard, but I can’t think straight with the noises climbing up her throat, can’t give a shit when her hands move from my shoulders to my hair, her mouth pulling away from mine so she can take a breath.

  Running my mouth down the line of her throat, I pin her down tighter, barely noticing when the car pulls to a stop.

  “Gabriel,” she whispers just as my thoughts are catching up to me. Dragging my gaze up so that our eyes lock, I snap my teeth at her as a threat.

  She shakes her head and smiles, her eyes searching my face. “Gabriel,” she says again as I move to kiss her.

  Fucking hell. Please don’t say anything stupid.

  “What?” I growl.

  Soft laughter shakes her shoulders. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”

  It takes a second for my blood to travel from my dick up to my brain and with it the understanding of what she just said.

  My eyes round just as the door is yanked open behind me and a cloth bag is forced over my head.

  Dragged out of the car by my ankle on one hell of a strong tug, I’m dropped to the ground just before a forearm is jammed against my throat and a heavy weight pins my body.

  Fuck!

  I don’t ask what is going on because I already fucking know.

  The bitch.

  I can’t be sure, but I have a feeling there’s more than just one person holding me down. I’m a big guy. Quite strong actually, so unless her serial killer for a driver suddenly grew two more sets of hands, there is no way he can pin down all the places of my body that are shoved to the ground.

  “You know,” Ivy’s voice is above me, a touch of humor lining her words, “I honestly thought you would see past that.”

  She’s fully laughing now, the sound moving closer as I assume she kneels down next to me.

  Once again, I try to kick my way free, but it’s useless.

  “I’m going to kill you for this,” I mumble against the inside of the bag.

  Laughing again, she says, “Oh, Gabe. I know. Which is why I have to make this as enjoyable as possible.”

  I can hear her move around me and when a set of fingers lock down on the buckle of my belt, I thrash to break free while also failing miserably at the effort. Knowing my struggle will only amuse her, I relax.

  This shit is going to happen, and I have no idea what she plans for me.

  “First off,” she says while unbuckling my belt and pants to yank them down my legs, “telling me Tanner’s house was yours was just lazy. Even for you, Gabe. Did you really think I wouldn’t look up the address?”

  I had a sneaking suspicion she might, but blew it off as a non-concern.

  She yanks my boxer briefs down next, the cool night air impacting sharply against my cock.

  “You know, if you want to get in my pants this badly, you don’t need a team of people to help. I would have let you suck my cock if you just asked nicely.”

  Am I embarrassed my junk is out in the open in front of who knows how many people? No. It’s not the first time, even though I don’t often talk about the other times it’s happened.

  It’s just another mark against Ivy, though. She should know from experience that I’m keeping score.

  Slowly, she begins unbuttoning my sh
irt, her voice a purr of sound that conveys just how much she’s enjoying this.

  “You could only be so lucky for that to happen. But let’s keep going about why you’re getting your ass handed to you now.”

  I briefly wonder how she plans on pulling my shirt off without someone letting go of my arms.

  “Oh, love, you might be winning now, but you know I’ll get even.”

  “You can try,” she says sweetly, the sharp sound of scissors slicing through the night just before she begins cutting my shirt off.

  I’ll hand it to her. That’s a smart move.

  “You’ve lied to me in answer to every question I’ve asked you tonight.”

  She’s not wrong.

  “And that’s fine, I knew you were lying. Unlike you, who actually believed I’ve somehow become the most annoying woman on the planet.”

  I laugh. “It wasn’t too difficult to believe. You’ve always been annoying.”

  The tips of the scissors jam into my skin, but not enough to cut me.

  “My point is, you can go fuck yourself, Gabriel. The entire Inferno can if you think I’m going to pay whatever ridiculous price you demand of me.”

  I’m entirely naked at this point, Ivy’s voice above me again as she says, “Turn him over.”

  My body is flipped to my front as my wrists and ankles are held together. Within a minute or two, I’m completely tied up, the hands that previously held me down finally letting go.

  “I’m using you to deliver a message to Tanner. So hold still while I write this out.”

  The tip of a marker scrawls across my back, the side of my face jammed against the ground as the bag they used scratches my skin.

  “Take him to the van.”

  As they lift me up, I can’t help but fuck with her. “So wait, we’re not having some weird captive group orgy, because I thought that’s where this was leading?”

  “Idiot,” Ivy grumbles as I’m tossed into the back of van, not so delicately, I might add.

  I feel a mouth press against my ear from over the bag, Ivy’s soft voice reminding me just how much I hate the bitch.

  “Tell Tanner and everybody else I said hi.”

  Turning my head so that I can answer, I warn her, “I hope you know you’ve just started something I plan to finish.”

  I don’t need to see her to know she’s wearing a grin I’ve seen far too many times.

  How did I not see this coming?

  Either old age has knocked me off my game, or Ivy’s become a better player.

  “Good luck with that, Gabe. I highly doubt you’ll find me.”

  The van door slams just before it takes off, and I’m driven to God knows where.

  Eventually we reach our destination, and I’m dumped unceremoniously onto the ground, my skin bare against what feels like neatly mowed grass. The van takes off on a squeal of tires and heavy laughter, Tanner’s voice sounding next, which only makes me cringe.

  At least Ivy dumped me somewhere I could be quickly taken care of. It means she’s going soft. The woman I used to know would have left me in the middle of Times Square complete with a neon arrow flashing down at me to ensure every person takes a good, long look.

  Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes for Tanner to untie me. I sit up after Luca runs inside the house, most likely to laugh her ass off, and gratefully take the shirt Tanner hands me as his eyes meet mine.

  Covering my cock with it, I wait for the son of a bitch to stop laughing.

  “How in the hell did this happen?” he asks, every word difficult for him to speak clearly because he still has a bad case of the chuckles.

  Asshole.

  “She pretended like she was mentally deficient, and it threw me off my game. It won’t happen again.”

  Tanner shakes his head and pushes up to his feet, reaching down to grab my hand and tug me to mine.

  “I warned you she hasn’t changed. So what are you going to do now to fix this problem?”

  After brushing a few blades of grass from my skin, I breathe out a heavy sigh and wrap the shirt around my waist. “I have a feeling she’s about to run. At least, that’s what she told me.”

  We’re walking back to the house when I remember something else Ivy did.

  “Oh, hey, do me a favor. Tell me what she wrote on my back. She said it’s a message for you.”

  As soon as I turn around, Tanner laughs again, the sound of it doing nothing to make me feel better.

  “What does it fucking say?”

  He gains control of himself finally and answers, “It says here’s an asshole you can shove your demands in. Fuck you all. Love Ivy.”

  My lips quirk at the words.

  But only because she’s a dead woman the next time I get my hands on her.

  Ivy

  What a dumbass, I think as I climb from the back of a rental car to step out into the warm sunshine of Miami.

  It’s been a little over a month since I bagged and tagged Gabriel before dumping him on Tanner’s lawn, and I shouldn’t be thinking of him anymore.

  Yet, I am.

  On a daily basis.

  Fine, more like constantly, unfortunately, my thoughts happily moving along throughout the day only for a glimpse of him to ride in like one of the four horsemen to ruin my peace and serenity.

  Not all the thoughts are the same, though. They change with each passing day.

  Some are memories of the past, all painful, hilarious or bittersweet. While others are of the date we had, a toxic stew of conflicting emotions I haven’t yet been able to manage.

  Today, my thoughts are disbelief.

  Mostly I can’t believe he fell for my game. Gabriel has always been smarter than that, and it makes me wonder if he had been playing me the entire time.

  I wouldn’t put it past him to play along for the exact purpose of forcing me to strike out. That way, he has an excuse to wreck my life to get even.

  When it comes to Gabriel, there is one golden rule you must always follow:

  Never believe him.

  Not even once.

  To do so is to guarantee your world is about to be ruined.

  It was smart of me to run the next day. That, I know for sure.

  Telling my father that I needed a little rest and relaxation, I set off for a six-month leisurely tour of all the best beaches the States have to offer.

  Really, I’m just keeping moving because it’s easier than constantly watching my back.

  So while the first month was spent traveling the lengthy shores of sunny California, I soon packed my bags and headed to Florida where I plan to enjoy more of the same, plus make some memories indulging myself in the chaotic pulse of the many nightclubs.

  After this, I have no idea where I’ll go, just that I’ll keep going. And honestly, when the six months are up, I might just head out of country.

  This is the Inferno we’re talking about, and anybody with any level of intelligence knows pissing them off by not paying their price is a very bad idea.

  Was it stupid of me to poke the angry bear?

  You better fucking believe it.

  But was it something that had to be done?

  Also a yes, because I refuse to let the Inferno bully me.

  Thankfully, Ava has been keeping me apprised of all their ongoings, a warning sent out when Gabriel left the state a few weeks ago, which turned out to be nothing.

  At least, according to Ava, it was nothing. To me, it was another sign that running the hell away from them was the best decision I have ever made.

  The problem with having a family that’s involved with shady people is that they do shady things. Things I wouldn’t know about if I hadn’t walked down the wrong hall, on the wrong day, at the wrong time.

  I don’t want to know the things I know, and I’m not sure Gabriel and the rest of his group would be opposed to physically torturing me to get me to spill the details.

  For what reason? I’m not sure. But as soon as Ava mentioned Gabriel went t
o Georgia, I knew the only thing that would keep me safe is to never stop moving around so that he can never find me.

  And that’s what I’m doing.

  The skies above my head are a pristine blue with a speckling of white clouds chasing the distance, the sunshine radiant where it paints my skin, now tan from the weeks I’ve spent vacationing.

  I walk into the luxury hotel that sits front and center on a picturesque stretch of beach, with white sand, blue water and carefree days spread out like heaven in front of me.

  Scott trails at my back, my luggage stacked in a rolling cart, my strappy heels clicking merrily across the glimmering polished marble floors as I approach the desk to check in.

  The front desk attendant is a younger man with a pressed uniform, thick brown hair and honey brown eyes. His smile is insanely charming, but not quite as stunning as Gabriel’s.

  Then again, nobody’s smile compares to the liar’s.

  I wouldn’t be surprised to know he stares in the mirror on the regular just to perfect it.

  And there I go thinking about him again.

  This shit needs to end.

  “Checking in?”

  I return the friendly grin and answer, “There should be a reservation for Ivy Callahan. Room 14B.”

  He taps his agile fingers over the computer keyboard, his smile stretching wider to confirm I’m a big spender. 14B is one of the coveted corner suites with a large wraparound balcony providing a breathtaking view of the ocean.

  “Yes, Miss Callahan. We’ll need a credit card on file to book your room.”

  Digging through my wallet, I grab my father’s black card, which is an endless supply of cash that never lets me down.

  The attendant swipes it, clicks a few keys, and is printing me out an electronic key within seconds.

  “Enjoy your stay, Miss Callahan. If there’s anything we can do for you, please let us know.”

  Scott and I head up to my suite, and after depositing my bags, Scott does his usual disappearing act after confirming he’ll pick me up again later to drive me around town. I have no idea where he stays when we’re out of state. It’s just never the same place as me.

  I’ve always found that odd, but then he’s not really a bodyguard like we led Gabriel to believe, he’s just a regular driver who happens to be in really good shape. For that reason, he has no need to be at my side 24/7. He only needs to be available when I want to go somewhere.