Fraud

Gabriel

Ta

I’ve been standing here for ten minutes already banging on the wood, demanding he stop whatever he was doing to let me in.

Too angry to deal with his bullshit at the moment, I slam my palm against his chest and shove him inside.

“What the hell, Gabe? What’s your problem?”

Sliding past him, I head straight to the bar.  A drink is probably the last thing I need right now, but it’s also the only thing that might calm me down.

Ta

Three slammed drinks later and I turn to find both of them staring at me quietly.

“Call the guys,” I say, my voice careful despite the rage simmering in my veins. “Family fucking meeting right the fuck now.”

Thankfully, Ta

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on before finishing off that bottle?”

I glance at the bottle and back to him. But rather than tipping it to my mouth, I pour another drink and set both the bottle and the glass down.

“Governor Callahan has a recording of Ivy torching the pavilion.”

“The fuck?” Ta

Slowly spi

“No clue. Unfortunately when I pulled out my guitar to sing Kumbaya with the guy and tell each other all our secrets, he wasn’t into it. Do you really fucking thing he told me all of that?”

Ta

“That if I didn’t walk the fuck away and leave Ivy there, he would leak the tape and then arrest his own daughter to protect his interests.”

His pacing stops, his eyes locking to mine. “You’re joking.”

“Yeah, it’s my new stand-up routine. I’m sick of making millions as an attorney and have decided to hit the road for a world tour.”

Ignoring my bullshit, Ta

“Why did Ivy burn down a pavilion?”

“Because Gabriel set her up to do it in high school in order to trick her into asking me for a favor. I called in the price at the engagement party.”

Luca’s eyes snap to me. “Seriously? Again, I would expect that of Ta

Poor thing. I love Luca. She’s beautiful inside and out, but she’s deluding herself to think I’m part of this group in name only.

“They don’t call me Fraud for nothing, love. I led you to believe I’m not like them, just like I lead everybody to believe I’m someone I’m not. It’s not my fault you believed it.”

Her jaw drops and I smile. “You were always so cute, though, for trusting me.”

When I wink, her cheeks flash red, the reaction somehow shoving me away from a violent edge so that I can think more clearly.

“Okay, what is the statute of limitations on arson? Five years?”

Ta

“Five years, maybe,” I answer. “Plus, she was technically a minor when the incident happened.”

Ta

“Except for the ability to ruin her reputation,” I remind him. “Who the hell is going to hire the woman who burned her father’s pavilion? Or for that matter accept her into our circles?”

“Our criminal circles?” he asks, his brow arching.

“You know what I mean, Ta

And that’s the part that pisses me off the most. Yes, I’d originally done it with the intent to destroy her, but that was back when I didn’t understand how I felt about Ivy. If this destroys her now, it’s still by my hand, regardless of whether I want it or not.

I swallow the rest of my drink and slam the glass down on the counter. “We have to find a way to fix this. I did this to her. And after we’re done fixing this, I have to-“

Fuck...

What else is there to do than walk away from her? No matter what I try to do when it comes to Ivy, I end up hurting her.

“I need to stay the fuck away from her, so I don’t end up destroying her in some other way.”

Pouring another drink, my jaw tics because walking away is the last thing I want.

“Does she know you did this to her?” Luca asks, her voice soft.

Shrugging, I explain, “I admitted it to her the other day.”

“And she didn’t claw out your eyes?”

“Not while I was pissing her off about something else at the same time. Why?”

A bark of laughter shakes her shoulders.

“Let me clue you in to something, Gabe. Women can be mad about different things all at the same time. It’s a special talent. So why wasn’t she mad about you setting her up?”

“What does it matter?” Ta

“Of course, that’s all you’re worried about,” Luca tosses back.

Ta

When his stare meets mine, I nod in agreement. “All this time, I thought she was the spoiled princess. I never guessed she was as trapped as us.”

I’d treated her like crap the entire time, too. It’s just another thought that tightens my fist, sets my jaw, and makes me want to go back in time to see what had been standing in front of me all along.

The front door slams open, several sets of footsteps heading our direction. I turn to watch most of the guys shuffle in. It’s convenient we all live so close to each other. It makes moments like this possible.

After they all take seats around the room, I notice one is missing.

“Where’s Ezra?”

Damon’s amber stare shoots my direction, anger bright behind his eyes. “Not here. Let’s just get this over with so I can get back to what I was doing.”

Something has been rubbing at the twins for the past few weeks, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed.

We’ve kept an ear out to make sure their father has refrained from calling them, but with the promise of keeping Luca under thumb now gone, our leverage over William is gone too.

“What’s up with you?” Ta

Damon sits back in his seat and runs a hand over his head, his legs stretched out in front of him. Despite the relaxed posture, it’s obvious to everyone he’s on edge.

“Let’s stop worrying about me and get to the reason you told everybody to come over.”

My brow cocks to hear the razor edge to his voice.

The problem with the twins is they are live grenades that must be handled properly. Judging by the air around Damon now, it’s only a matter of time before he explodes.

Ta