by Lily White
Silence passes between us, his eyes still locked to mine, his fingers still grasping my chin. He taps his thumb against my jaw one time before the smile is in place again, his voice so fucking gentle when he answers that it sends a thousand icy fingers skittering down my spine.
“That was the wrong decision, love. Because I still win. You think you walked into that trap for me?” He laughs softly. “You did it because of me.”
I shake my head to argue, but he presses a finger against my lips before I can talk.
“Listen to what I’m telling you for once. Regardless of what you felt, and your reasoning, or whether you believe you could trap me by giving me what I wanted, the end result is that I still win. I’ll get what I want while your life falls to shit. You are still destroyed regardless of how it happened. Was your little speech supposed to surprise me? Or did you just admit something I’ve known?”
His head lowers more, our breath colliding. “I still get what I want, when the sad truth is that I’ve been using you all along. You can’t go home. Your own father wants to arrest you. The only thing you can do now is give us what we want with the hope that we’ll help you enough in the end so that you’re not completely destroyed. And you gave that to me willingly. But don’t fool yourself into thinking it was for me. It was because of me.”
My heart sinks into my stomach at the lack of emotion in his voice, the air caught in my lungs ice cold.
“No,” I beg, “that’s not true. You wouldn’t do that.”
Tears finally leak from my eyes, and Gabriel’s stare tracks one before he catches it with a finger and flicks it away.
“I would. And I have. And the only choice you have now is to accept it.”
All I feel in this moment is pain. It clenches my chest and clogs my throat. It tears at my muscles and locks its steely hands over my bones.
Pain.
Undiluted.
So fucking raw that I’m drowning in it.
He wouldn’t do this.
Despite the refusal whispering in my head that he wouldn’t is the doubt I now hear screaming that he would.
The door opens behind us, and Tanner’s voice breaks the silence.
“You two ready for this? Or are you planning on having an hour-long discussion on my front porch, which, by the way, I’ll film and upload to some porn site online because I might as well make money on the giant waste of my fucking time.”
Gabriel’s eyes don’t leave mine when he pushes away and answers Tanner.
“No worries. Ivy and I are done here.”
He says several different statements with those last few words.
We’re done here.
Done pretending.
Done being on the same side.
Done moving toward each other instead of being the opponents we always were.
The war is over.
And the broken prince won.
Stepping back, Gabriel extends a hand for me to walk inside ahead of him. It doesn’t matter that my heart is crushed and broken at his feet. And it doesn’t matter that he practically ripped my soul in half with words I never believed he’d say.
He just stares at me and silently waits for me to walk past while accepting what he’s done.
When I don’t move, he gives me a gentle reminder. “You have nothing left. Don’t make it worse for yourself.”
I stare at him for several seconds waiting for the mask to crack and let me see past it. Except there’s nothing to see. This is the truth of him, I realize. And the weight of it breaks me.
“Fine,” I hiss as I push away from the pillar and walk toward the front door.
Tanner has gone back inside, and I hesitate at the threshold, unsure of whether to walk to my execution or run like hell.
Gabriel’s heat impacts my back as I stand still, his mouth dropping to my ear on a whisper.
“Ladies first.”
A tear rolls down my cheek to slide along my jaw.
“Always the gentleman,” I say, my eyes clenching shut.
“Only for you,” he reminds me, trashing what’s left of my heart.
Gabriel
It had to be done. Nobody can blame me for what happened and I refuse to back down now.
Walking behind Ivy, I keep my eyes trained straight ahead, my fingers curling into my palms as we round the corner into the living to see all the guys sitting in wait.
Tanner’s stare finds me first, his brow arched in question when I direct Ivy to sit next to Luca for the interrogation we need to complete.
Rather than staying near her, I cross the room to stand in my usual place, ice clinking into the glass before I pour another drink. I bring the rim to lips and swallow down the liquid bullshit I need to ingest in order to finish this game and get it over with.
My eyes close for a brief second, and all I can think is that she knew. She fucking knew what I was doing to her, and yet she tossed herself out like some damn sacrifice with the hope of what?
That I wouldn’t destroy her?
That I wouldn’t hide behind the mask when all was said and done?
What the fuck was she thinking?
Rage rolls through me with the rumble of thunder, pain striking down with an electric spark. But in the end, the truth is that I’m what ruined her, and what’s best for Ivy is to run.
It’s time one of us faces the grim reality that the war isn’t good for us, and if I have to be the one to fire the last shot, I’ll do what’s necessary to end the war
Regardless of what it does to me for protecting her.
Tanner casts me another quick glance, a question written in his expression. Rather than explaining my sudden standoffish behavior, I lift my glass to tell him to get on with it.
The sooner this is over, the better.
Quickly glancing Ivy’s direction, I see silent tears rolling down her face that can’t matter. Luca watches her with concern, that blue stare sliding my way with accusation behind it.
It can’t matter.
I am who I’ve always been.
It was stupid of me to think I could change for anyone.
Thankfully, Tanner doesn’t delay the inevitable any longer, his mind spinning back to the matter at hand, the problem that needs to be solved so everybody can move on with their lives and deal with this.
“You said you have something that can help us, Ivy. Or more importantly at this point, help you with what’s happened.”
Slapping a tear away, Ivy grits her teeth, a muscle jumping in her jaw before she nods and silently digs in her bag to pull out a stack of paperwork and an unsealed manila envelope.
“I found this,” she says weakly, but rather than explaining what this is, she hands it over to Tanner.
Confusion tugs his brows together at her behavior, his eyes cutting my way again.
I say nothing, just swallow down more of my drink and wait to see what she gave him.
Stepping back, he leans against a wall opposite where everybody sits and reads the label on the envelope.
“Where the hell did you get this? Did you see what it is?”
Another nod. “It’s exactly why I grabbed it out of my father’s safe in his office. As soon as I saw the name, I realized you’ll need it. And if it’s enough to keep my father from whatever it is he plans to do to me, even better.”
Tanner tucks the papers beneath his arm, but holds the envelope carefully. His eyes flick up to Luca and back down, his jaw tight before saying, “I’m not the one who should open this.”
Intrigued by that, I watch him step across the room and hand the envelope to Luca. Her eyes lift to him, confusion obvious in her expression.
Slowly, she reaches up to take it from him, and when she looks at the label, raw pain widens her eyes as her hand flies up to cover her mouth.
Without saying a word, Luca stands up and walks from the room, tears leaking down her cheeks.
Tanner follows after her, his voice edged dangerously when he says, “Give us a minute.”
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I immediately glance at Ivy, but her head is down, her blond hair a curtain shielding her face. It drives me fucking mad to see her that way, but I fight the urge to walk to her and rip her up from the couch so I can scream at her for what she’s done.
All I can see in my head are the damn bruises on her cheeks, the damage my role in her life has caused. Why the fuck would she even want me around when all I’ve done is abuse her?
Just like I was abused.
I took the spoiled princess and broke her just as efficiently as my father broke me.
The only difference is she’d chosen to let me do it.
What the fuck is wrong with her?
My nostrils flare on a heavy breath, and I slide my gaze to where Damon and Ezra sit separately. Between them, Sawyer, Mason and Jase are on edge, everybody noticing how the twins continue to glare at each other.
Fucking hell. Maybe the only way to fix all of this is to kick both Ivy and Emily out of our lives so we don’t self-destruct.
The bottom of my glass clicks softly against the wet bar, and I’m getting close to finishing off the bottle when Tanner and Luca return. Luca’s eyes are puffy and red, and Tanner looks like he’s about to murder someone.
I feel like Brad Pitt in the movie Se7en, waiting in that damn field for Morgan Freeman to tell me how I’m fucked. But I stay quiet because I’m sure they’ll come out with it eventually and tell us what was in the envelope.
Removing a flash drive from the envelope, Tanner tosses it to Taylor. “Take a look at what’s on there.” He turns to Ivy, “Do you have any idea how your father ended up with that?”
Ivy shakes her head, but all I can see is her hair. My hand tightens around my glass, my jaw clenching at her silence, but I say nothing.
It’s what’s best for her.
All eyes are on Taylor as he pulls his computer from his bag to open on his lap, his eyes scanning the logo written across the flash drive, a low whistle blowing over his lips.
After pressing a few buttons, Taylor clicks it into the side of his computer, the screen lighting up to reflect against his glasses.
“It’s encrypted,” he finally explains, his eyes rounding with excitement. “Holy shit, this is impressive.”
Tapping a few more buttons, Taylor’s brows crash down, another click pulling up something that concerns him. “All but one file, at least.”
“What’s the file?”
“A letter,” Taylor answers, his voice careful.
Okay. I can’t take it anymore.
“What’s in the fucking box?” I ask, mimicking the movie, a grin tugging at my lips when Tanner flashes me a look that all but promises me he’ll punch me in the face if I don’t shut up.
Flinging the envelope to me, he grabs the computer to look at the letter while I glance at the address label, shock rendering me silent for a few seconds.
Tanner was right to ask how Governor Callahan ended up with an envelope from John Bailey at JJB Tech, Ltd. that is addressed to his daughter, Luca.
The postmark is dated the day Luca’s father died, so how the fuck was it stolen?
“I’m going to go print this out and then bring the computer back so you can get to work decrypting the rest.”
Tanner storms from the room. His heavy steps stomp up the stairs en route to his home office. Rather than standing around and waiting to see what it says, I set my drink down and chase after him.
Dark green eyes lift to mine as soon as I step foot into the room.
“First, you’re going to tell me what’s going on between you and Ivy, and when you get done doing that, I’ll tell you what this letter says.”
He’s in battle mode, straight and to the point.
“I’m letting her go,” I answer, dropping my weight onto the chair opposite him. “What’s the letter say?”
Laughing at that, Tanner shakes his head. “If you think I’ll accept that as an actual explanation, you’re an idiot.”
He grabs a pen to flip through his fingers, the printer quietly running beside him. “What happened?”
“She knew I set her up back in high school.”
His brows lift, a silent gesture to tell me something he doesn’t know. “You told her that. So what?”
I sigh. “She knew before she set the fire and ran to you for a favor.”
Brows lifting higher, he sits back in his seat, that damn pen flipping faster. “The fuck? Why would she do something so stupid?”
Laughing at him asking the exact same question that ran through my head, I tell him, “Because she knew it meant we would resurface eventually, and she was trying to hold on to me. Ivy admitted she never hated me in high school. That she -“
I can’t even fucking say it. I glance past Tanner at the window behind him, my jaw tight because the truth is too infuriating.
“So what’s the problem? You never hated her either.”
My eyes shoot to his, and he laughs. “What? Everybody knew it. You wouldn’t have given her the time of day if you hadn’t. So I’ll ask again: What’s the fucking problem?”
Refusing to hear what he’s saying, and also refusing to consider the truth of it, I cross my ankle over a knee and nudge my chin at the printer. “I told you what you wanted to know. What’s the letter?”
“I think you’re being an idiot,” he says, his stare holding mine before he grabs the papers from the printer and admits, “It’s a letter to Luca from her dad. Apparently, it wasn’t just our fathers trying to kill him.”
Son of a bitch. “Who else?”
“I suspect Governor Callahan,” Tanner growls, “but the letter doesn’t specify. It just tells her to get out of state.”
“Georgia?”
“Here,” he says, the pen almost snapping in his hand. Tossing it on his desk, he grabs a rubber band and winds that through his fingers instead.
“And she hasn’t seen the letter yet,” I say, thinking out loud more than asking a question.
“After we decide the game plan, you all will need to leave. She’s not going to want company while reading this.”
“I agree.” Pushing to my feet to go downstairs, I’m stopped when he says my name.
Tanner’s stare is locked on my face. “You can’t walk away from Ivy. She’s family now. You said so yourself.”
All I can think about is the marks on her face. If not for me, they wouldn’t be there. Now she’s no better than I was on the day we met, and I’m the only person who can be blamed.
Obviously, her father already knew about the fire, but if not for me, she wouldn’t have challenged him with our fake engagement and put herself in a position where he would use it against her, or become angry enough to bruise her face.
Given the amount of bullshit I’ve caused in Ivy’s life, walking away is the biggest favor I can ever do for her.
“I’ve made my decision. And being my best friend, you’ll back it up.”
He grins. “You sure about that?”
I smile in return. “Yeah, actually. I am.”
Tense silence settles between us before he says, “Fuck you, Gabe. Fine. But don’t come crying to me like a little bitch when you realize you did something stupid.”
We both head out of the office and are running downstairs when another question occurs to me.
“What were the other papers Ivy gave you?”
We reach the bottom floor before he answers. ”They were invoices for finished jobs.”
“Were they important?” I ask, pressing for more details.
“Not sure,” he says as we turn the corner into the living room, “but I assume so given that two of the people who ordered the jobs were Warbucks and Daddy Dearest.”
Fuck...
Ivy
I can’t even look at Gabriel when he walks back into the room next to Tanner. I’m still in too much shock, still fighting tears that sting the rims of my eyes.
I told him everything. How I feel. What I’ve done. How long I’ve cared for him. And he
ripped out my heart with a smile on his face.
Guess it was stupid of me to believe I could see past the mask. While I was protecting myself against one disguise, I fell for another I never expected.
Resisting the urge to rub my palm over my chest because my heart fucking hurts to be anywhere near him, I remain still, my long hair hanging down to cover my face, a curtain that separates me from the sight of Gabe when he walks to stand near the bar again.
Now that Gabriel is out of view, I dare to peek up to see Tanner hand the laptop back to Taylor, his green eyes sliding my way with something unspoken behind them.
That same gaze flicks to Gabriel for only a second before returning to me, his arms crossing over his chest as he leans back against a wall.
“Will your dad know you took all that stuff?”
I cringe at how soft his voice is. Tanner is always a dick, no matter the circumstances, so for him to be nice to me must mean this thing with Gabe is worse than I realize.
Whatever. It is what it is, and I won’t break down and cry as entertainment for the rest of them.
“Most likely. I left the safe door wide open as a message to him.”
The corner of Tanner’s mouth twitches. “You’ve got balls. I’ll give you that.”
Okay. Can somebody please tell me when I stepped into the Twilight Zone?
Tanner Caine doesn’t compliment anybody, and especially not me.
Glancing around, I’m looking for Rod Serling to pop up before the creepy music starts playing.