Chapter 1
Logan
I like to clear my mind at night, so I usually go for a long walk down by the pier. It’s not my favorite spot, but it’s easy to blend into the crowds of people there. I’m unassuming in a crowd; no one looks at me too hard or too suspiciously. At the pier, I’m just another guy. No one’s whispering that I look like one of the Martelli brothers. No one’s pointing and saying, “I think that’s Logan Martelli,” in awe-struck tones as if I were Al Capone or some mafia boss. It’s laughable how many people know me or know of me. I almost feel famous but not in the good way. That’s the problem with living in a small town like River Valley. Everyone thinks they know you, but really they know nothing at all.
I stared out at the water and studied the moonlit ripples as they ebbed and flowed. There was a certain magic in the water that entranced me. Maybe it was because the water didn’t lie. What you saw reflected in her murky, silvery depths was what you got. Like tonight, the moon glowed in all its ominous glory, and there was nothing hidden. The same thing couldn’t be said of human beings. There were always so many secrets hidden inside that weren’t reflected in the seemingly happy and perfect surfaces. I looked around at the couples holding hands and saw Roger Martin walking with his girlfriend Bella Casey. She was giggling up at him, and he was grinning at her lovingly. Anyone watching them would think that they were deeply in love, only I knew better. Roger was a barely-able-to-keep-it-together drunk, and Bella was in love with my brother, Jared. She called him and stalked him so much that she was lucky that he was a Martelli. Martellis didn’t go to the police and file restraining orders; even if we did, the police would laugh in our faces.
I turned to look at the water again when I saw a glimpse of someone darting by me. And when I say dart, I mean running like lightning. I watched as the figure looked back quickly, and I was startled by the intense blue eyes that connected with mine for the briefest second. It wasn’t the stare that shook me, but the fact that it was a girl. She winked at me and continued running, and I stood there and watched as two policemen rushed past me and ran after her. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the chase that was happening; people everywhere were stopping and gaping, whispering ferociously. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, and I had to admit I was curious as well. Why were the police chasing a girl? She wasn’t anyone I knew, and I knew most of the bad folks in town.
I saw Old Man Roberts hobbling up to a couple a few feet away from me, his face red and animated. “He tried to steal a cop car,” he gasped out. “He got in the car and drove off, but he wasn’t smart enough to—”
“Who, who?” The male of the couple was loud and excited. “Who was it?”
“Well, I don’t know. But I bet it was Logan Martelli.” Old Man Roberts’s voice was loud. I clenched my fist; of course I would get the blame. If it wasn’t me, it would be one of my brothers, Vincent or Jared. I wanted to laugh at the irony. I would love to steal a cop car for all their harassment against my family, but I’d never been brave enough. Not like this girl, whoever she was. Poor girl. I shook my head, as I walked back up the pier. There was no way she wouldn’t get caught. There was no way she could outrun two guys. Especially on a night like tonight when the pathways were so packed with people. What a poor choice of locale. Didn’t she know you needed to pick a place where you wouldn’t be seen, and where you could have a clean getaway when you stole a car? I laughed to myself as I cut across the pathway and headed to the parking lot. Though I should thank her; she’d made it easier for me tonight.
I spotted the black Toyota Corolla and walked over to it slowly and casually, running my hands through my dark blond hair. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. Tonight’s take was going to be easy. I pulled out my lock pick and glanced around casually to make sure no one was coming. I tried the different keys, almost laughing as the third one opened the door. I loved Toyotas. Always so easy to break into. I got into the car quickly and closed the door. I reached over to the glove compartment and opened it to see if my luck was going to continue. It was. I felt the spare key in my fingers and pulled it out quickly and started the car. I reversed and pulled out of the parking lot, laughing once again at my good luck. Thanks to good ol’ blue eyes, this was the easiest car I had ever stolen. Nobody would be expecting it, not when they thought I was being chased down by the police at that very moment.
I turned on the radio as I pulled onto the main road and listened to the smooth sounds of Kenny G on the saxophone playing through the tinny speakers. I sighed as the speakers strained when I turned the sound up. That was the problem with these cheap cars; they just didn’t stand up to the more expensive cars.
I never stole expensive cars with better stereo systems; it wasn’t worth it. Expensive cars were too hard to pass on. People became more paranoid about buying a Mercedes or BMW without papers. I didn’t mind, I still did well with the Toyotas and Hondas. I cruised down Main Street and thought about the girl who had tried to steal the cop car. I could still picture the look in her eyes, in the quick glance we had exchanged. She had looked excited and scared, and I could sense the exhilaration and adrenaline coursing through her body. It was the same exhilaration I used to feel when I started stealing cars with my dad ten years ago. The fear of getting caught mingled with the excitement of doing something bad was better than any drug. At least, it used to be.
I was distracted from driving as I saw something or someone running down the street. I pulled over to the side of the street and slowed down to see who or what was running. I knew I was being dumb. I couldn’t afford to get caught in this car. I needed to keep going, but something in me had to know. A part of me thought it might be the girl again, but I knew there was no way it could be the girl from the pier. There was no way she could have run all this way this quickly. I heard the sirens before I saw the lights and I cursed as I saw the cop cars speeding down the street. I pulled over quickly, turned off the engine and the lights, and crouched down in my seat, hoping they were looking for the girl and didn’t know about the stolen Toyota yet. I laughed at the irony as I crouched down. They probably thought they were chasing me anyway. Stupid cops!
Knock, knock, knock. The sound sent my heart racing. What the fuck? I looked over to the passenger side and saw the girl.
“Open the door,” she hissed at me loudly. I stared at her in shock. What was she doing? Was she crazy? She didn’t even know me. I pressed the unlock button and she jumped into the car. “Shit, took you long enough to open the door.”
“What are you doing?” I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was definitely the same girl. I would recognize her vivid blue-purple eyes anywhere. She was actually more beautiful than I remembered. She had long black hair and her skin was flushed red. She was wearing tight black jeans and a tight black tank top. Her chest was heaving and I could tell she was out of breath.
“I’m trying to escape the cops, duh.”
“Oh?” I looked at her curiously.
“You were following me?” She turned to me with slanted eyes. “I saw you slow down, pull over, and turn off your lights.”
“I don’t even know you. I wasn’t following you.” I shook my head in disgust. “And why would you get in a car with someone who was following you? Are you dumb?”
“I tried to steal a cop car.” She sighed and leaned back in the seat in shock. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I don’t know.” She started laughing hysterically. “I am going to be in deep shit if my parents find out.”
I stared at her, not sure what to say. I swallowed hard as I stared at the na**d length of her neck and chest. I turned away, upset with myself for being turned on by this crazy, beautiful girl.
“What’s your name?” I asked her finally, not sure how much longer I could stay in this weird situation.
“Maddie.” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “You?”
“Logan,” I bit out, waiting for the inevitable recognition. The widening eyes that would turn her half-smile into a frown, and the worry that would cross her mind when she realized who she was with.
“Logan?” She smiled. “You don’t look like a Logan.”
“I don’t?” The words tripped out of my mouth in surprise.
“You look like a Brandon or something.” She laughed and then rubbed her eyes. “Don’t mind me, I’m rambling now.”
“Why do I look like a Brandon?” I felt like laughing. This was turning into one of the weirdest nights I had ever had. And Maddie seemed to be living up to her name; she was quite mad to be sitting here in a car with me, a guy she didn’t know.
“ ’Cause you’re hot.” She giggled and leaned towards me. “I’m not coming on to you or anything. I’m sure plenty of girls come on to you and say that. But I’m not one of those girls. But you’re hot. Like James Dean.”
“James Dean?”
“He was an actor—”
“I know who he is, or was.” I frowned. “I just don’t think I look like James Dean.”
“You’ve got that air about you.” She nodded. “Definitely a James Dean look: dark blond hair, shimmering, hooded green eyes, slight stubble, and you look like trouble.”
“I look like trouble?” I raised an eyebrow at this strange but honest girl.
“I know, right? It’s ironic.” She laughed. “Here I am, running from the cops, and you’re here sitting in your car, and I’m saying you’re trouble.”
“Ironic is a fitting word.” I nodded and tried not to smile. “Do you need a ride?”
“Yeah.” She sat up, and I think the seriousness of the moment finally hit her, because her body froze and she looked at me carefully with an extremely worried expression. “Shit. Shit. Shit,” she cussed under her breath, and she stared at me with wide eyes.
“No longer feeling like you made a good decision tonight?” I asked her softly. I knew that she was experiencing the crash. The adrenaline and excitement was fading now and she was starting to feel panicky and worried.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bit her bottom lip. “I was just walking, and I saw the cop car, and something just came over me.” She shook her head. “I’m going to be in deep trouble.”
“Do they know it was you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did you do it?” I looked at her curiously. She didn’t look like the sort of girl who would steal a car.
“For fun?” She made a face. “You probably think I’m a horrible person, right? I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to call the cops on me.”
“I’m not going to call the cops.” I laughed.
“You have a baby?” She surveyed the car and I looked at her in shock.
“No, no baby.” I shuddered.
“So why do you have a baby seat in the back?” She frowned and I turned to look in the backseat.
“Oh.” I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. “About the car.”
“Yeah?” She leaned towards me. Her eyes looked even more purple up close. I could smell her minty breath on my lips, and I had a sudden urge to kiss her. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I studied her eyelashes. They highlighted her eyes and I wanted to feel them against my cheek, to see if they were as soft as they looked.
I leaned back away from her and gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t own this car.”
“You borrowed it from a friend?” She cocked her head at me, and I shook my head. “You rented it?
“No.”
“Then what?” She looked puzzled and I watched as realization hit her. “You weren’t following me, were you?” She sat back and looked dazed. “Shit, you pulled over because of the cops? You— you stole this car?” Her voice was amazed and loud. I didn’t look at her because I didn’t want to see the reproach in her eyes. I knew what people like her were like. It was okay for them to commit crimes because it was just for fun. But when it came to people like me, it was a big deal. It was a bad thing. A really bad thing.
“That is f**king crazy.” She started laughing and I turned to look at her in shock. Was she insane?
“Did you escape from a mental institute?” I asked her seriously, worried that I had perhaps picked up a real crazy person.
“A mental institute?” Her eyes glittered as she stared at me. “Maybe.” She laughed even harder and gasped out, “Maybe I should be in one, indeed.”
“Why aren’t you jumping out of the car? I’m a bad guy.” I looked at her, unsmiling. This wasn’t a joke. Maddie made me uncomfortable, and I didn’t like feeling uncomfortable.
“I thought you were going to give me a ride home?” She buckled her seatbelt.
“Are you crazy? I just told you I stole this car, and you want to stay in here with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I just told you I tried to steal a cop car.”
“But that’s different.” I started the engine and sighed. “You did it for fun.”
“This is your career?” She sounded surprised.
“Yes,” I bit out and pulled away from the curb. “This is my career.”
“Well, no wonder you’re better than me at stealing cars.”
“Where do you live?” I studied the road ahead of me. I didn’t understand this girl. Why didn’t she have more common sense?