Fraud

Gabriel

Dylan really is a decent kid. And it’s insanely helpful that he hates Ivy as much as I do.

All it took was one phone call from Sawyer and he was on board to help us out.

Unfortunately, the little shit is also a shrewd businessman. It pissed me off, but also made me respect him a little more. I would have done the same thing at his age.

For the low-low price of five hundred dollars, Dylan let me know immediately when Emily and Ivy returned to the house, as well as unlocked the front door for me. I’m sure if I’d dropped another five hundred on top, he would have rolled out a red carpet and given me a celebrity welcome.

I didn’t need all that, though.

Just Ivy.

And now I have her.

Sawyer, thankfully, was more than happy to come along because I wasn’t lying when I told Ivy that he gets his pot from Dylan.

I’m not always a liar and a fraud.

Only about certain things.

Sadly, I never pla

Unlike Ta

Unfortunately for Ivy, circumstances changed, and I had to move quicker than expected.

“Why are you doing this, Gabriel? Have you lost your mind? This is a little nuts, even for you.”

Laughing at the rage in her voice, I turn a corner and head toward the highway that will take me closer to home.

“Somebody’s been lying, Ivy, and for the first time, it’s not me.”

She grows quiet for a second, and I can hear her shuffling around on the seat. A heavy thud sounds immediately after.

“Fuck! Watch it! You kicked me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says with that sweet voice that always affects me in ways it shouldn’t, “did I hurt you?”

“Yes,” Sawyer grumbles.

Another thud and he yells again.

“The fuck! Stop.”

“Then I suggest you remove your hand from my ass before I kick you again.”

My eyes shoot to the rearview mirror, and Sawyer’s stare meets mine, his lips stretched into a shit-eating grin. He’s enjoying the abduction a little too much.

I narrow my eyes in warning, and when he laughs, I finally understand why Ta

“I haven’t been lying about anything,” she lies, presumably after Sawyer removes his hand.

Gri

“Really? Then you won’t mind explaining to me what co

And she goes silent again.

Just like I thought she would.

I’m counting down the seconds in my head until the next lie rolls off her lips. Reaching one, my ears prick at the sound of her voice.

“Why would I know anything like that? My dad tells me nothing.”

Traffic comes to a standstill, and I hit the brakes.

“It’s interesting you immediately assumed your dad has the co

Silence fills the car again as her mind scrambles for the next excuse.

“My dad is better co

Not a lie.

“...and my mom knows nothing about technology...”

Also not a lie.

“...so assuming it was my dad would be a better bet...”

Half a lie.

“...but still I know nothing.”

Full lie.

She knows something, and the only reason I know that is because she’s no longer threatening to kill me for abducting her.

I’ll admit Ivy is a damn good dancer when it comes to dodging the truth, but she’s not as good as me.

Whatever she’s worried about is more important than the fact she’s currently being held down in the backseat of my car with a bag over her head as I drive us to an undisclosed location.

Actually, I’m just taking her to my house since Ta

The fact that she’s not tells me everything I need to know.

We cross a bridge that leads away from the expensive suburban neighborhoods closer to the city, the storm that had been rolling in earlier even closer now. In the distance, thunder shakes the sky, a flash of lightning high up in the cloud layer cracking through the twilight.

Another fifteen minutes has me pulling down a private, tree-lined drive that leads to my house, the property surrounded by a thin ring of woods that gives it the appearance of seclusion. It’s not as flashy as Ta

Only the guys know I live here, the deed written in the name of a fake business I set up to ensure nobody can run a simple internet search and find me.

The chicken incident taught me well, but more than that is the need I feel to hide. A need nobody knows about.

Except Ivy.

Which is why it pains me that she exists.

We pull up to the house, a two-story Tudor-style mansion that looks like it was pulled from a page in history rather than built specific to my tastes.

Only the outside looks old. The inside is more modern with sleeks lines, ample natural lighting and a spectrum of grey color that is understated compared to the design of Ta

Don’t ask me why the interior doesn’t match the exterior. I try not to think that it’s a representation of the man who owns it.

Sawyer taps my shoulder in goodbye and jumps out of the car as soon as it stops, his long legs easily covering the distance to his car where it’s parked on the other side of the driveway.

I’d only brought him to Emily’s to ensure grabbing Ivy would be as quick and quiet as possible, but now that we’re here, I have no need for him to stay.

His taillights retreat into the distance as he drives off, another sharp crack of lightning splitting the sky just before thunder rolls over our heads, shaking the car beneath us.

“The storm seems fitting, don’t you think?”

Surprisingly, Ivy hasn’t moved from where she’s laid across the backseat, the bag still over her head that I thought she’d pull off immediately.

She goes quiet at the sound of the storm and my question, her voice cautious a few seconds later when she says, “It’s best we don’t bring that up.”

It really is.

“Aren’t you going to pull the bag off and fight to escape?”

“So I can see the woods you plan to chase me through? No thanks.”

I laugh. I hadn’t pla

“Let me guess: the rest of the guys are here? How big is the gauntlet party? What’s the theme? And I’m not drinking that green shit, just so you know.”

“We only do that when someone refuses to pay the price. And if I want to, I’ll hold you down and dump it down your throat.”

“Well, I’m still not paying the price, and I’ll spit that shit back in your pretty face, so where the hell does that leave us?”

Fuck, she’s stubborn.

Always has been.

“You think I’m pretty?”

“Screw off, Gabe.”

My lips curl. “No, actually, I won’t. I happen to like where this conversation is going. Tell me more.”