Fraud

Ivy

“I need you to take me to my dad’s house right now. And fast. Don’t even stop for red lights. Just slam the gas pedal down and go.”

My voice is shaking as I tell Emily what to do, the anger I feel so strong that my teeth are grinding together, and my hands are fisting.

Gabriel has done a lot of fucked up things to me through the years, but I never once thought he’d stoop so low and do something like this.

“Girl, I saw the articles this morning. I tried calling you because I knew there was no way in hell they were true.”

Emily’s long red hair partially hides her face as she races down the road. Both our bodies slide in our seats as she cuts the wheel left to take a sharp corner, the wheels of the car sliding over the cement before the engine roars to speed up again.

“I saw your calls, but I couldn’t answer them. I was in the process of getting abducted by Gabriel.”

I’m in tears at this point.

How Gabriel knew to do something like this is a mystery to me. While my mother would love to see me with one of the Inferno boys because of the status of their families, my father had secretly forbidden me from having anything to do with them.

Their families are criminals. Everybody knows it, but nobody is brave enough to do anything about it. And while my dad isn’t exactly squeaky clean, he is a lot quieter about the shit he does.

No wonder he cut me off without bothering to call me.

I saw the photos while scrolling through social media, saw the links to the articles and then read the bullshit lies about me.

It all looks perfectly real and legitimate. I’m not surprised, though. With Taylor in that group, those assholes can pull off just about anything.

“Your dad is bound to understand, Ivy. Just as soon as you tell him what happened, I’m sure he’ll fix this for you.”

Emily is trying to calm me down and assure me that everything will be all right, but I don’t believe her. I know my dad. It won’t matter if the photos are fake. Just the thought of a public co

This is another scandal that will be thrown in his face as Governor of the state, and he’ll hold my feet to the fire for letting it happen.

This is especially bad after everything I did in high school, all of it co

My father knows it.

I know it.

And he won’t stand for it.

Fuck...

“Honey, seriously. It’ll be fine. I’ll go in his house with you. I’m sure once you explain that Gabriel is pulling another fucked-up stunt like he always does, your dad will see that you are i

She has a point. Scott most likely returned to the mansion to be an alternate driver for my mom or dad. He would know that Gabriel wasn’t with me.

I’m just not sure it will matter. The articles are out. The co

Dread rolls through me hard as we race down the streets, a crack of lightning shooting across the sky just before the clouds open up and release their rain.

Emily has to slow down so we don’t slide across the pavement and wreck the car, the extra time it adds to our commute driving me insane.

I stare out at the sheets of rain and want to cry. For this situation mostly, but also for the memories the rain always causes.

Even while I was away at college and a hundred miles separated Gabriel and me, the storms always brought him closer, the lightning striking down always planting him right next to me.

He hurts my heart, even when he’s nowhere near me. He twists my soul when he draws close. It’s the reason I fight so hard against him. I’m not only trying to remove him from my life, I’m attempting to erase his name from the places he’d carved it into my bones.

I get why he hides. And I understand why he’s such as co

People piss him off all the time. The Inferno is known for their bullshit. But when it comes to Gabriel and me, the war is on an entirely new level, and I don’t think I’ve done anything to deserve it.

Not to this extreme, at least.

Emily comes to a screeching stop at the gate to my father’s mansion. The security guard gives us a quick glance before hitting the button to let us in. The gates slide open slowly, and Emily almost clips one with the car in her bid to get to the house faster.

She’s always been like this. In my corner. Our problems and victories are shared because we’ve always stuck up for one another.

Ava used to be in that mix as well, but since her relationship with Mason, she hasn’t been as close as she used to be.

Pulling up to the front porch, Emily throws the car in park, and we both jump out to run through the rain and up the steps, our clothes and hair fully soaked by the time the butler opens the door.

“Miss Callahan and Miss Donahue,” he says with censure in his tone. “Can I get you a towel before you leave puddles all over the floors?”

“That would be great, Harrison. Thank you.”

He nods his head as we stand drip-drying over the foyer rug, both of us shivering from the cold.

Emily’s hair is plastered to her back, and my dress is stuck to my legs, but I can’t worry that we both look like a mess when my entire life is the biggest mess at the moment.

Harrison returns with two large towels. Wrapping myself in one of them, I ask, “Is my dad upstairs?”

“He is,” Harrison nods. “You’ll find him in his office. Although, just in fair warning, he’s in a mood. It seems he has a bit of drama to deal with at the moment.”

Cocking his brow, he makes it clear that drama has my name written all over it.

Exhaling on a heavy sigh, I fight the urge to cower like a child being scolded by the staff. I’m twenty-seven years old, damn it. The days of na

“I didn’t do anything,” I say.

“That’s what you said when you were younger, as I recall.”

I want to slap the smirk off the bastard’s face.

Harrison is a good guy. And he’s been with my family for as long as I can remember. But I get the sneaking suspicion that he enjoys the drama just a little too much.

I guess I’ve always kept things interesting for him.

Emily finishes drying her hair, and we hand the soaked towels back to Harrison before hauling ass upstairs to face my dad.

Bracing myself as I approach the double doors to his office, I cringe to hear the clipped tone of his voice. Judging by the conversation, he has other problems besides me, but I’m sure I haven’t made things easier for him.

Emily and I look at each other, her expression grim as I lift my hand to knock on the door and flinch when my father barks for me to walk in.

“Take a deep breath,” she whispers. “We can do this.”

Sadly, I don’t believe her, but the effort to believe it will all turn out okay is admirable on her part.

My hand lands on the handle to the door, and I shove it down to let the wood swing open. The second my dad’s eyes land on my face, the tension in the room explodes out so that I’m crushed beneath it.

This is not going to go well.