Fraud (Antihero Inferno Book 2)

by Lily White

  He gives me a pointed stare.

  “...were there to witness it. Including Ivy. But that doesn’t mean she’s going through the same shit because of you. Her dad’s an asshole. Just like ours. Take your anger out on him, and leave her out of it.”

  “She wouldn’t have been in that position-“

  “Yeah, she’d still be trapped in a life where she’s nothing more than a brainless socialite, there to look pretty and nothing else,” he argues, cutting me off. “If you ask me, both of you have done more favors for each other than you’re willing to admit.”

  “I didn’t ask you.”

  “Too bad, I told you anyway.”

  The car swings across two lanes so Tanner can take the exit leading into the wealthy suburbs. Thankfully, traffic is light, and his reckless driving doesn’t get us both killed.

  Nothing else is said as he navigates his way to the Governor’s mansion, our arrival unexpected and unannounced.

  We pull up to the main gate, the guard giving us side eye before he calls ahead to alert the governor of our presence. I’m half of the mind that the guard will be given an order to call the cops, that or, at the least, turn us away, but surprise lifts my brows when the gate slides open.

  Tanner shoots me a grin because he never doubted Ivy’s father would want to see us. Anger does that to a person, makes them welcome their opponent in when the game board has changed and the pieces have been rearranged.

  At this moment, we have the upper hand, and I’m sure it’s as uncomfortable for Thomas Callahan as walking around with a stick jammed firmly up his ass.

  My fingers tap on the armrest of the door as the car winds up the long driveway, my eyes scanning over the manicured lawn and sporadic gardens.

  It was only yesterday that Ivy and I had driven this path, my promise to be on the same team with her now sounding hollow even in my own head.

  I hadn’t lied to her about how I felt, but I also refuse to continue dragging her into my bullshit where she can be hurt.

  Thomas will be lucky if I leave this house without introducing my fist to his face. The asshole deserves it for touching Ivy.

  “No violence until we get what we want,” Tanner warns as we pull up to the front of the house, his dark gaze sliding my way as his mouth tips into a knowing smirk.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  He doesn’t answer. Instead, Tanner grabs the paperwork we drafted against the governor and steps out the car. He’s halfway up the stairs when I let myself out, my ground-eating stride easily catching up to him before he reaches the door.

  We don’t have to knock. The butler pulls the door open before we have the chance, anger written into the line of his mouth.

  “Mr. Caine,” he says before his eyes slide my direction. “And Mr. Dane.”

  “Save it, Jeeves,” Tanner says as he slips into the house with me behind him.

  “My name is Harrison.”

  “You say that like I give a shit. Where’s Governor Callahan?”

  The question is barely out of Tanner’s mouth by the time Thomas is storming down the large staircase in the center of the room, his dark eyes locked directly on me.

  “Harrison, I’ll take care of our guests. You’re excused.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  When Thomas reaches the bottom floor, his stride closing the distance and the sides of his jacket flying out with the swiftness of his steps, he flicks a dismissive glance at Tanner before demanding, “You should both tell me right now why I shouldn’t call the cops and have you arrested for conspiracy to commit burglary.”

  “Probably because while they’re here, we’ll explain your involvement in mail fraud, extortion and murder.”

  Governor Callahan stops in place, his stare locking to mine. To be honest, I have no idea if he was involved in two of those crimes. I’d just tossed them in because it sounded good. Judging by the look on his face, I’m not too far from the truth.

  Tanner’s voice slides into the tense silence. “We might also explain how we’re here to personally serve you with papers being filed against you on behalf of Luca Bailey.”

  His stare flicks to Tanner again, but my voice draws his attention back to me. “And we’ll definitely explain how there’s a woman out there with bruises on her face from your abusive hand.”

  Flashing me a mocking grin, he dismisses the notion of that. “Ivy deserved it for stepping out of line. She knows her place.”

  Rage races down my spine, my body lunging forward, only to be stopped when Tanner throws an arm out to block me.

  He glares at me in warning before schooling his expression to look back at Thomas. “You might want to invite us somewhere private for the rest of this conversation.”

  “There is no person in my house who will talk. This is as private as it gets.”

  “Good to know your staff is as dirty as you,” Tanner practically purrs. “Then you won’t mind explaining your involvement with JJB Tech.”

  He laughs at that, his haughty behavior just as disgusting as our fathers. “What makes you think I owe you an explanation for anything? You two still have a lot to learn about how things work around here.”

  Unfortunately for him, he’s about to learn just how much we’ve already learned.

  “You can fuck off with the bullshit speech about being superior. I heard it yesterday and was as bored with it then as I am now.”

  His grin calls me out on the lie. “Yet you couldn’t run away fast enough to leave Ivy with her abusive father. Your words, not mine.”

  Emphasizing the word, he practically tosses the accusation back in my face. It’s a pity for him I won’t react, not with my mask in place, not with the mocking grin I allow to stretch my lips.

  When I don’t respond, he slips a hand in his pocket, a strand of his dark hair slipping out of place. Dark circles permeate the skin beneath his eyes, and I realize something kept this son of a bitch up last night just like me.

  Whatever Ivy stole is riding his last nerve, and I’m more than interested to see what those files are after Taylor finishes decrypting them.

  “You’ve always been a problem for her. Every ounce of trouble Ivy has been in during her life had your name somehow attached to it. I wasn’t surprised to watch you run off and leave her to face what you helped cause.”

  I would have responded if not for Tanner stepping back into the conversation and redirecting it where it should be.

  “JJB Tech, Governor. If you don’t want me to file these papers complete with evidence proving your involvement with them as well as proof that you managed to get your hands on a personal letter intended for Luca from the day her father was murdered, you’ll stop bitching about your daughter’s love life and start singing a different tune.”

  “You can’t prove anything,” he answers smoothly, his focus dancing to Tanner.

  “Try me.”

  I chuckle at that and add my own thoughts. “Sadly, just the accusation will be enough to cause a media storm. And you know how the press are these days. They need a good scandal, and you’re their favorite target. It’s going to suck when you’re busy fielding that problem while photos come out showing the damage you inflicted on your daughter’s face. I already have the press release set to go. The one that claims you were so angry about her engagement that you lost your temper and attempted to put her in her place.”

  Pulling a voice recorder from my pocket, I grin and mock him. “Your words, Governor. Not mine.”

  Narrowing his stare on me, he manages to hide his reaction beyond that. “Recording a person’s voice without their permission is illegal-“

  “Do you think the vultures care? They’ll broadcast it everywhere without worry about that particular law.”

  Unfortunately, I’m full of shit at the moment and hadn’t actually recorded what he said. Which sucks because it would have been mighty helpful. But he doesn’t know that, so I play it off that my anger hadn’t prevented me from thinking ahead. The only reason the
recorder is in my pocket is so I could dictate the documents we drafted up earlier to be transcribed by my assistant.

  “Turn the fucking thing off or this conversation is over.”

  Pretending to stop the recording, I slip the device back in my pocket. “Tell us what we want to know.”

  His gaze dances between us again, his shoulders rigid beneath his white shirt.

  “There’s nothing to tell, unfortunately. I was chasing down a suspicion when you two arrogant fucks got involved and lost the servers.”

  Surprised by that, I glance at Tanner and back to the Governor. “You were working with Jerry Thornton.”

  “Until something scared him off,” he barks. “It probably had something to do with your fathers killing his partner. I don’t know what the hell John was thinking working with your families, but whatever the hell he had has interested them for some time.”

  “Wait,” Tanner interjects, his eyes locked on Thomas. “Are you saying you know Jerry has the servers? And if you’re not still in contact with him, how?”

  Thomas laughs. “Like I said, you two have a lot to learn. I keep my enemies close. How else can I watch and keep tabs? Meanwhile, your group is running around like puppets on strings you don’t know are there. My advice is for you to cut the fucking strings and open your damn eyes for once!”

  His voice is a boom of sound on the last words, the echo of them reverberating against the vaulted, architectural ceilings and plaster walls.

  “I had Jerry sink John’s business because I needed whatever surveillance he was doing for your fathers to stop. After that, John’s wife died, and he was too distracted to realize Jerry was attempting to access the records, but then he tried bringing the business back and Jerry had to give up his efforts. I want what’s on those servers.”

  Tanner’s voice is a cool whisper of sound. “What the hell is on them?”

  “I don’t know,” Thomas barks. “Everything is encrypted. But whatever the hell it is, your fathers want it, which means I want it, too.”

  On that I can agree with him.

  “I’m not the person who murdered John Bailey. I think we all know who did that. But after he died, Jerry had agreed to continue trying to access the records, at least until Luca called and spooked him. Now I have no idea where he is, and the records are lost. I’m sure I have you two to thank for that.”

  A thought occurs to me. “Why did you have that flash drive? How the hell did you get it?”

  “Jerry got it. He found it while packing up what was left of the office. Apparently John dropped it in a stack of mail to be sent, but was never picked up. He sent it to me with the hope that, through my connections, I could find somebody to decrypt it. Once we had the key, he’d have access to the rest of it, but nobody has been able to do it.”

  “So then all of this has been you attempting to sink our fathers?”

  His gaze snaps to Tanner. “I wouldn’t mind taking all of you down. I’m sure whatever you’re doing in your office isn’t legal.”

  Gaze snapping to me, he steps forward. “Which is why you need to stay the fuck away from my daughter before you get her killed. I finally had her controlled until you showed up again. You are not good for her, and I refuse-“

  I lunge forward, not even Tanner fast enough to stop me. Rage is lining my spine like steel, infecting my blood like a drug.

  With my forearm against the Governor’s throat, I slam him back against a wall, the tips of our noses coming together as his lips part to drag in a breath.

  Tanner grabs my shoulder, and I see security move into the periphery, but the Governor waves them away weakly as our eyes lock.

  I’m not cutting off his ability to breathe, but the threat is there. Beyond this shit with our fathers, I hate this man for the damage he’d inflicted on a person I love.

  My smile slides in place, sinuous and psychotic, a warning rolling off my silver tongue as smooth as a silken promise.

  “I won’t hurt you right now for bruising her, only because Ivy still loves you. But her loyalty to you is done. Her subservience to you is fucking over. For her entire life, all you’ve done is dress her up like a pretty trinket, something you can keep on a fucking pedestal instead of letting her be herself. You controlled her. And what you missed while dismissing her as a woman who needs to be in her place is that she is so far above you that you might as well be buried in the ground.”

  The beat of our breath collides, anger painting his face red while I still wear a mask of casual indifference. The only change in the game is that I’m not fucking lying this time.

  I’ve never been more honest before in my life.

  “Don’t tell me to stay away from the woman who has been in my life since the beginning. Unlike you, I’ve never damaged her. Unlike you, I’ve never doubted her, and unlike you, I’ve challenged her to be what I know she can be. I see her as an equal, as a threat, and as a worthy opponent, while you saw her as nothing more than a doll to be dressed up and a voice to be silenced. So no. I won’t stay away from Ivy. From now on, I’ll be the person standing beside her, the strength following behind her, the person building her the fuck up so she doesn’t fall victim to assholes like you ever again. So take that for the warning it is because if you so much as lay a finger on her again, I’ll be the person you’ll answer to for it. I can’t promise I won’t hurt you then.”

  My forearm tightens against his throat and I slam him back against the wall once more before I release him and step away.

  He steps forward to catch his balance, his hand moving to run at the skin of his neck.

  “Get out of my house. Both of you. And I’d watch your backs after this. It’s not a smart move to piss me off.”

  Tanner’s grip on my shoulder tightens, not that he has to drag me away. I’m more than happy to walk out of this place and never look back, especially now that we know he’s lost track of Jerry.

  Letting ourselves out onto the porch, neither Tanner nor I say anything, our steps a quick rhythm until we climb in the car and are pulling away.

  Tanner speaks through clenched teeth, obviously pissed. “What happened to no violence until after we get the information we need?”

  “We got it. He doesn’t know where Jerry is.”

  Silent for a second, Tanner sighs. “We didn’t ask about Everly.”

  Fuck.

  Jase is going to flip his shit.

  It isn’t until we’re pulling off on the exit that leads to my house, that Tanner clears his throat, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter that only makes my teeth clench.

  “Don’t fucking say it.”

  “What? I have nothing to say.”

  Liar.

  “I just think it’s funny, that’s all.”

  “Nothing’s funny.”

  He laughs softly again, a choked sound as if he can’t keep it in. “That was a very pretty speech you gave.”

  My voice is a warning growl. “Fuck off, Tanner.”

  Another chuckle. “Seriously, I was inspired.”

  “I swear to God, if you don’t shut your whore mouth-“

  “You’ll what? Get mad and admit more of the truth about how much you love Ivy? I’m terrified,” he deadpans. “Please, stop threatening me before I shit myself.”

  My head snaps his direction. “I didn’t admit anything.”

  Mocking me, he speaks in falsetto. “So no. I won’t stay away from Ivy. From now on, I’ll be the person standing beside her, the strength following behind her, the person building her the fuck up so she doesn’t fall victim to assholes like you ever again...”

  I can’t help my grin despite how pissed off I am. “You memorized it?”

  “Like I said, it was inspiring. Seriously, statues should be erected in your honor. One with a big ass plaque engraved beneath calling you the world’s most pathetic liar.”

  His laughter fills the car. “You’ll let her go, my ass. You’re such a fucking fraud, you believed yourself.”

 
We turn down my driveway just as twilight swallows the skies. Pulling up behind my car, he kills the engine and leans back in his seat, his head swiveling my direction.

  “Well, shit. Now that I know you actually do love her, I almost feel bad.”

  Suspicion douses me. “For what?”

  If he tells me one of the twins touched her, there won’t be a corner on the planet they’ll be able to run to without me finding them and burying them in a shallow grave.

  “Giving Ivy the key to your place.”

  Fuck...

  That’s even worse.

  I’m out of the car and running toward my house before Tanner can say another word, my feet coming to a quick stop when I spot something white on the ground, a dust cloud kicking up from the dirt as I lean over to pick it up.

  No.

  She fucking wouldn’t.

  Not that shit again.

  My eyes snap up to the house, my teeth slamming together as I crush the feather in my fingers and run up the steps to the porch.

  Throwing the door open so hard it slams against the wall and rattles the windows, my heart drops into my stomach, anger gripping down on every muscle of my body to see piles of feathers covering the floors, several of them flying up and gently falling down from the breeze of the opening door.

  Utter silence fills the house, my nerves on edge, my head tilting to the side when I hear a single muted cluck coming from upstairs.

  Behind me, loud steps come to a halt, snorting laughter setting my teeth together harder before Tanner says, “Oh, fuck. She did it again.”

  Ivy’s a dead woman.

  Her and the fucking chickens.

  Hauling ass upstairs, I hear another cluck coming from the direction of the guest rooms, a trail of feathers flying up around my feet as I run in that direction and turn right to slam a door open. My eyes lock with Ivy’s mischievous smirk, my hand balling into a fist as I take a few steps forward.

  I’m almost across the room and on top of her when I get slammed from behind by two heavy bodies, my body spun, and my arms lifted above my head as I’m shoved against a wall.

  It isn’t until I hear the metallic click that I remember the cuffs I had installed, and when I look down from where I’m now locked in place, I see Tanner, Ivy and Ezra smiling back at me.