Crazy Beautiful Love (10 page)

“Hey.” The guy
nodded at me.

“Hey.” I took in
his dirty appearance and nodded. “You called me about the car?”

“Yeah.” He looked it
over. “It runs well?”

“Yeah, smooth as a
Ferrari, only twenty thousand miles as well.”

“You want five
grand?”

“I want ten grand,
but I’ll accept five.” I stared at him, and he stared back at me with a glint
of something in his eyes.

“What about three
grand?”

“No deal.”

“You got no
papers.”

“So?”

“Two grand.”

“I don’t have time
for games, five grand or nothing.” My voice rose, and then I noticed his hands
were full of grease. “I’m going to go.”

“I wouldn’t be so
quick to leave, Logan.” He stepped towards me with a menacing stare. “Marty’s
not happy that you didn’t give him a call.”

“Marty?” I held my
ground as I stared at the man, as I realized where I knew him from. He was one
of Marty’s mechanics/henchmen.

“Yeah.” His voice
was menacing. “You get a lot of protection in River Valley because of Marty. I
wouldn’t like to think you were disrespecting him.”

“I don’t need
Marty’s help.”

“Marty wants this
car, and he’s willing to give you a grand.”

“You’ve got to be
joking.”

“You’ll take the
grand, and be grateful you’re getting that. Next time, Marty won’t be so nice.”

“Forget about it.”
I turned away from him, angry.

“We don’t want
Vincent to get into any trouble now, do we? I’d hate to see his college dreams
come crashing down as he sits in a jail cell.”

“Leave my brother
out of this.” I turned around, heart racing. “What do you want?”

“I want you to
give me this car, and Marty wants you to consider this a warning.”

“Piss off.”

“You think we’re
playing with you?” His voice was full of venom. “We know Jared’s been messing
around with Joey Kennedy. I’d hate for him to go down as well. Two brothers in
jail? Well, how would that feel, Logan? No one would be surprised. In fact,
everyone would just be waiting to see when the third and final
Martelli
brother made it to jail.”

I stared at him
with my blood boiling. If Maddie hadn’t been in the car, I would have decked
him, not caring what would have happened next. But I didn’t want her to see the
blood.

“You want the car,
you can have it.” I took a deep breath. I was pissed at myself for caving, but
I needed the money.

“Here.” He pulled
out a stack of twenties and handed them to me. “Leave the car in the parking lot,
we’ll have it picked up and towed tonight.”

“This is only five
hundred.” I glared at him.

“Be thankful you
got anything.” He came towards me and bent down and whispered in my ear. “I’d
get out of the car business if I was you. Next time, Marty won’t be so nice.”
He turned around and walked to his car. It took everything in me to not chase
him down. I took another deep breath as I watched him drive away. I walked back
to the car, opened the car door, and saw Maddie crouched over still.

“You can sit up,
he’s gone.”

“Okay.” Her voice
was cold and she jumped out of the car. “Did he decide not to buy it?”

“He bought it,
he’ll pick it up later.”

“Oh.” She looked
at me and then away again. “That’s good, then.”

“Yeah.” I stared
at her standing in front of me, clutching her plate of cookies. “Look, I want
to apologize.”

“Don’t bother.”
Her eyes flashed in anger. “I’m glad you were honest with me.”

“You’re mad.”

“Does it matter?”

I bit my lip as I
stared at her. Damn, Maddie was making things hard for me. “We can be friends.”
I sighed.

She looked up at
me in surprise. “You want to be friends?”

“I didn’t say all
that. I said we can be friends.”

“I guess that’s a
start.” She grinned and linked her arm through mine. “I knew you couldn’t
resist me.”

“Well, you knew
wrong.” I shook my head at her. “Don’t go getting any ideas.”

“Did you get a lot
of money for the car?”

“No.” I turned
away from her, frustrated. I needed to be alone. I needed to think about
everything that had just happened and where I went from here. I knew that I was
a threat to Marty now, and my brothers and I were his targets. Frustration ran
through me, along with another emotion—I was scared. I had no idea where to go
from here. And I had no one to turn to for help. There wasn’t time for Vincent
to get through college and law school anymore. Our lives were in the balance,
and it was all the mayor’s fault. I stared at Maddie, and Jared’s words came
crashing down on me. It was true; Maddie was the apple of the mayor’s eye. If
anything happened to her, he would be crushed. I knew that a simple heartache
wouldn’t do the trick, though. He had screwed my father over and ruined his
life. If I wanted to get revenge for my father, mother, and my brothers, I had
to make sure it would be something that affected the rest of his life, just
like he had affected mine. Ideas crashed through my mind, and suddenly it
struck me. What would make the mayor’s blood boil more than anything? A baby. A
Martelli
baby in his family. And as I watched Maddie,
smiling down at me, with her seductive purple-blue eyes, I knew exactly what I
had to do.

Chapter 7

Maddie

I was so angry
that I had a hard time looking at Logan. He was insufferable and I was fast
losing my patience and the ability to just get over it. I hadn’t expected my
feelings to be so hurt at his words; I mean, I knew he had issues, and I had
told myself that I could wait it out. I could make him fall in love with me if
I had enough time. At least that is what I had told myself. I heard the sounds
of a family walking towards us, and I turned to smile at them, needing to focus
on someone else, if just for a few moments. I stepped away from Logan, glad I
didn’t have to pretend I was okay for a second. I smiled at the little girl
skipping along and blowing bubbles, and I was reminded that I used to be that
girl: innocent, carefree and happy. I could still be that girl if I wanted to,
but I knew that too much had happened and I wouldn’t change any of it.

“Let’s go find a
car.” Logan grabbed my arm and I looked at his face. I couldn’t read his eyes
or the expression on his face, and I wondered if he was okay. There was so much
going on with him, and I wished he would trust me enough to let me in. But I
suppose that would all happen in good time.

“A car?”

“That’s what I
said.”

“I thought we were
taking the bus back.” I paused. “Are we going to steal another one then?” I
whispered and looked around to make sure no one was around to hear me.

“No.” He grinned
at me, and this time his eyes were sparkling with mirth. “We won’t be stealing
it.”

“So then why are
we looking for a car?”

“So we can window
shop.” Logan shook his head. “What’s up with all the questions?”

“Do you think you
can just talk to me however you like and I’m just going to take it?” The words
spurted out of my mouth angrily and I let out a deep breath. I guess it was
harder for me to keep it in than I thought it would be.

“Huh?” He frowned
at me, and I could see a brief flash of anger and respect in his eyes.

“You practically
went off on me in the car earlier. Do you really think I’m going to just be
friends
with you and we could go look at
potential cars for you to steal? I know you think I’m some silly girl who is
kinda
crazy and infatuated with you. But
lookey
here, mister, I’m not a doormat, and I’m not going
to allow you to talk to me however you want. You want to go off on me because
of something I’ve done to you, then fine. But to take out the issues that you
have with my dad on me, which I don’t even know about, well that’s fucked up.”
I took a breath and looked at the shock in Logan’s eyes and I grew even more
incensed. “I don’t know why you’re so shocked. Did you think you were the only
one who could get angry and spout off?”

“Are you done?”

“Look, if you just
wanted to have some fun with me, then fine. We had fun. I’m not pushing you for
anything else. I don’t need you to be my
friend
.”

“It was your idea
to be friends.” He looked at me in confusion, and I stared at his handsome
face. How I loved his face, it was so expressive, so gorgeous. Even when I was
angry at mad at him, all I wanted to do was kiss him and feel his lips against
mine. Logan
Martelli
drove me crazy.

“I wanted to be
friends because I thought that would be a good way to show you that you could
trust me.” I shook my head. “I don’t need your pity friendship.”

“My pity
friendship?” He laughed gruffly. “You’re the one that’s—”

“Oh, shut up.” I
grabbed ahold of his shirt and pulled him towards me. I looked up at his handsome
face and pressed my lips against him, relishing the feel of him as I kissed him
lightly. He reached his hands around my waist and pulled me towards him, and
his tongue darted into my mouth as his hands ran up and down my back. I reached
my hands up to his hair and I kissed him back feverishly, wanting him to know
exactly how he made me feel. I pulled back reluctantly after a few minutes, and
he looked down at me with a dazed and dark expression.

“I have to have
you now.” He pulled me towards him and his hands ran up and down my back and
shoulders as he kissed my neck. “What are you doing to me, Maddie?” He groaned
and ran his hands through his hair.

“Driving you
crazy.” I smiled at him impishly, trying to suppress the sudden joy in my
heart. There was a part of me that felt that maybe I was getting to him as much
as he had gotten to me.

“That you are.” He
grabbed my hand again. “Come.”

“Are we going to
look for another car?”

 
“No.” He shook his head. “I need to get you
home.”

“Why?”

“The car idea, it
was a bad idea, sometimes I don’t think I’m in my right mind.” He grimaced and
I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I was scared he wouldn’t tell me.

“You’ve got a lot
going on.” I squeezed his hand, and he looked down at me gratefully. His hands
felt warm and strong, and I was delighted that he hadn’t snatched it away from
me.

“Why did you have
to be a Wright?” he sighed as he looked at me regretfully.

“Does it really
make that much of a difference?” I stared up into his eyes. I just didn’t
understand why he hated my father so much, and I didn’t understand what he had
said about my father being the reason why he had his scar. I was so confused,
and all I wanted was for him to share everything with me.

“I can’t think
about it right now.” His eyes were far away. “I have more pressing issues.”

“Oh?”

“Like how I’m
going to make money.” He laughed manically.

“The offer is
still open for me to talk to my dad,” I said softly.

“Maddie, I’m not
going to tell you this again …” Logan pulled away from me and his voice was
harsh.

“You don’t know my
dad like I do, Logan. He’s a good guy!” I cried out, annoyed at him.

“Many times, we
don’t know the people closest to us, Maddie. Many times we’d be surprised at
how many skeletons those we love the most have in their closet.”

“So tell me.” I
held my breath and my heart was racing. “Tell me.”

“You wouldn’t want
to know.” His voice crushed me with its hollowness.

“I think you’re
just making it up. I bet you’re just mad because my family is rich and yours is
poor. That’s not my fault. I’m so fed up with your shit, Logan. Why won’t you
give me a fair chance? I don’t care if you’re poor; I don’t think that makes
you a bad guy. Let me in, goddammit.”

“You know why I
wanted to go find a car?” Logan leaned in towards me with narrowed eyes. I
shook my head. “I wanted to find a backseat to fuck you in.” I swallowed hard
as he whispered into my ear. “I wanted to take you in the backseat of a luxury
car and fuck you on the seats of some brand new leather.” His eyes looked into
mine, searching for my response. “I wanted to fuck you like some easy slut, in
broad daylight. Do you still think I’m a good guy? Do you like it when I’m
honest?”

I bit my lip as I
stared up at him. I hated it when Logan became this guy, and I found it really
hard to give him the benefit of the doubt. If it wasn’t for the brief
hesitation in his eyes and the nervous throb in his throat, I would have
slapped him hard and told him where to get off. As it was, I knew this wasn’t
the real him. For some reason, he was trying to get me to hate him, and I
didn’t understand why he was fighting the mutual attraction we both felt. An
attraction that was about more than sex.

“I, uh, I don’t
know what to say.” My eyes widened at him as he pulled me towards him again.

“I told you before,
Maddie, I’m not the typical guy you meet. I can do bad things to you, very bad
things.”

“Maybe I like it
when you do bad things to me,” I breathed into his ear and he stopped still.
“Maybe I want you to take me to that backseat right now. Maybe I’d like to
choose the car.” I wanted him to know that I wasn’t scared of him, and that I
could take it. He wasn’t going to scare me away, and if anything, I was
slightly turned on. I didn’t want to analyze what that said about me.

“Come away with
me.” He looked into my eyes.

“What do you
mean?”

“Let’s go away
somewhere, just the two of us.” His eyes issued me a challenge. “If you really
want to be a bad girl, if you really want to get to know me.”

“I can’t just go
away.” I bit my lip, thinking about my parents. They were back in town and I
knew my dad would flip a switch if I just left town. “But maybe if I go home
and tell them I’m going to a friend’s place for a week.”

“No, you can’t go
home.” He shook his head. “You can call them and let them know you’re going out
of town, but you can’t go home.”

“But I don’t have
anything on me.” I stared at Logan with my heart pounding with excitement; did
I dare go with him? I wanted to, but I was scared about the reality of just
leaving with him.

“Neither do I. If you
like me like you said, then come away with me. Forget about everything and
everyone else.”

“But my dad will
be so pissed,” I mumbled, not sure what he expected from me. Did he think I
could just up and leave? “And what about your brothers and your dad?”

“I’ll call them.”
He stood there, tapping his feet. “We can just leave and really get to know
each other, without thinking about anyone else.”

“How long will we
be gone?”

“I don’t know.”
His tone was serious. “A week? A month? Whatever we decide.”

“A month.” I
swallowed hard. My dad would freak out if I was gone a month. He would get the
FBI involved! “Where would we go?”

“Wherever.”

“Where would we
stay?”

“Wherever.” His
eyes lit up and he grinned at me. “We could break into empty houses.”

“What?” My voice
rose, and I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not.

“So, are you in?”
His tone was light but I knew everything depended on my answer. I was freaking
out inside from excitement and worry. But I had to put the worry aside if I
wanted to show Logan that I was in this for real.

“Yes.” I spoke
loudly and confidently. I was shocked at how sure I was about this decision.
Part of me knew it was foolish. What smart girl in her right mind would agree
to just take off with a guy she barely knew; a guy she was just screaming at a
few minutes ago?

“Good.” He smiled
and ran a finger along my cheek. “I’ll have you screaming my name all night
long.”

“All night? Are
you sure about that?”

“It can be all
night and day if you want.” He laughed and his fingers traced the lines of my
lips. I opened my mouth and his finger slid in past my lips and I nibbled on
his finger delicately and then sucked on it hard, watching as his eyes grew
darker as he stared at me.

“Or I may have you
screaming out my name.” I winked at him and leaned towards him and whispered
against his lips. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with either, Logan
Martelli
.”

He stared into my
eyes and we stood there for a few minutes, not saying anything. I studied his
face and noticed the small mole on the left side of his cheek and reached up my
hand to touch it lightly. I then ran my hand along the stubble on his jawline
and across his upper lip. He reached up to my face and ran his fingers across
my eyebrows lightly, and then down the curve of my nose. Running his fingers
through my hair, he tucked it behind my ears carefully.

“You’re beautiful,
Maddie. You will have beautiful babies.” His smile was light and he turned away
from me quickly and I heard him whisper something under his breath, but I
couldn’t quite hear what he had said. My stomach had butterflies as he talked
about babies. Was he now envisioning a future for us?

“I should call my
dad.” I fumbled around in my bag looking for my phone, trying to think up
something to tell him that wouldn’t make him completely lose his mind.

“That would be a
good idea.”

“He’s going to
flip.”

“That’s a shame.”
Logan cracked a smile, and he turned away. “That’s not going to be the only
thing he’s flipping out about.”

“What?” I looked
at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” He
looked back at me and laughed. “I was just thinking about how crazy life can be
sometimes. You just never know what’s going to happen.”

“Yeah, that’s
true.”

“Who would have
thought that the two of us would be going on a road trip together? Logan
Martelli
and Maddison Wright.” He laughed. “It’s almost too
good to be true.”

“I guess.” I
paused as I stared at him. There was something in his voice that made me shiver.
“Are you going to call your brother?”

“Yeah.” He pulled
out his phone and pressed some numbers. “Hey, Jared, it’s me. I thought about
what you said, and I’ve got it sorted.” He paused and gave me a small smile. “I
won’t be home for a few weeks. Take care of things, okay?” He hung up and
stared at me. “Your turn.”

“Yeah.” I took a
breath and dialed my dad’s number. I almost fainted with relief when his
answering machine picked up. “Hey, Dad, it’s me Maddie, ha, ha, your daughter.
I, uh, I just met up with Brittany and Ellen, and they, uh, surprised me with a,
uh, surprise trip, to Brittany’s dad’s place in Martha’s Vineyard, ha, so, I,
uh, am going to just hang out there for the next couple of weeks. See you soon.
Love to you and Mom.” I hung up quickly and saw Logan staring at me quietly.

“Your dad is going
to be pissed, huh?” Logan’s eyes were serious but there was a glint of a smile
in them.

“Yeah.” I nodded.
“But he likes Brittany and Ellen, and this is the sort of thing they would do,
so he should buy it.”

“You don’t have to
come, Maddie.” He shook his head as if clearing it. “I can get you home if you
want.” He paused and ran his hand down my arm. “But I would rather you stay.”