“No, sometimes they come to be a lookout, but I try and keep them away from this life as much as I can.” He looked at me with a weak smile. “Vincent’s in college. Well, two-year college, but we are hoping he will transfer to State in a couple of years and then go to law school. And Jared is trying to get into school as well.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
“I know it’s not some fancy Ivy League school like you go to, but we’re trying.”
“Ivies are overrated.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” I sighed at his harsh words. But I knew he was just being honest. How many opportunities had I been afforded because I had been born into a well-to-do family? I had never had to want for anything, and yet I knew I didn’t feel as if my life were complete. I had still never had love, and to me love was everything. I stared at Logan in his faded blue jeans and black T-shirt and he looked even better in person than he had ever looked in photographs. It was weird, this connection I had with Logan, the closeness I felt to him.
“But yeah, my goal is that my brothers don’t have to go down this road as well.”
“So you would give it up if you could?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But what else would I do?”
“What else would you want to do?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Logan cleared his throat. “This is my fate or curse. My life was dictated by another. It seems only fitting that I do the same.” He clenched his fist and his eyes avoided mine. “I see a Lincoln Navigator over there. Wanna go check it out?”
“To steal?” I had a weird feeling in my stomach. Something didn’t feel quite right and I wasn’t sure what it was.
“No.” He turned to me and winked. “To borrow for an hour.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me close to him, and I felt his lips against my hair before he pulled back and looked into my eyes.
“An hour, huh?” I winked back at him. “I guess I’m a lucky girl.”
“Hurry.” He walked quickly. “We have to make sure no one sees us.”
“What if the owners come back while we’re in the car?”
“They won’t.” He laughed and grabbed my hand and started running. He let go of it as soon as we got to the car. I saw him pull something out of his pocket and he started fiddling with the lock.
“What are you doing?”
“Shhh.” He put a finger to his lips. “Don’t alert the world.”
“What should I do?” I asked excitedly, and he smiled at me.
“You’re such an eager beaver. Just stand there and be cool.” He pulled me towards him and kissed me passionately, and my body melted at his embrace. I felt his hand squeezing my ass and I moaned into his lips.
“Not yet, Maddie.” He grinned at me and pulled away. He started working on the car door again and I watched him work with admiration in my eyes. His biceps flexed as he tried to get the door open, and I took the time to admire his muscular body as he worked.
“Is everything okay here?” a deep voice asked behind us, and we both froze. I turned around slowly and saw a police officer behind us, and I thought I was going to faint.
“Good day, officer, I was just helping this young lady get into her car. She left her keys in the ignition.” Logan’s voice was cheerful, and the officer looked at him with narrow eyes before turning to me.
“Are you okay, ma’am?”
“Yes, officer, I locked my keys in the car by mistake.” I beamed at him. “I’m such a ditz.”
“This is your car?” He looked at me suspiciously and grabbed his radio from his belt.
I felt the blood rushing from my face as I stared at the officer and nodded. “Yes, of course this is my car. What do you think?”
“Do you have your license on you, ma’am?” His face softened a bit but he still looked suspicious.
“Uh, yeah.” I opened my purse and pulled out my wallet. “Don’t mind the photo, it was a bad hair day.”
“You from River Valley?” He looked down at my license, and I nodded. “Far away from home, aren’t you?”
“Well, I came to get some items from Walmart.” I smiled weakly. “They didn’t have them in my home store. And you can’t beat a rollback bargain.”
“Maddison Wright, hmm, any connection to James Wright?”
“Yes.” I smiled outwardly but groaned inwardly. “Mayor James Wright is my dad.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say?” He grinned at me as he handed back my license. “We love Mayor Wright around here.”
“Thank you.”
“He’s a great guy, takes care of his people, he does.”
“Yes.” I smiled at him. “He sure does.”
“Well you have a good day, Ms. Maddison Wright. You let me know if you need any help, you hear?”
“Yes, officer, thank you.”
“Oh, you can call me Tommy.” He nodded. “I’ll be up at the garden center if you need any more help.”
“Thanks, Tommy.” I blushed at his changed demeanor and he grinned back at me before walking away and back to his parked car.
“What do we do now?” I made a face at Logan, who was staring at me thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t he going to expect me to leave in this car?” I groaned. “And now he knows my name as well. What if he tells people I was with this strange guy and word gets back to my dad? He’ll know that I was lying in my voicemail.” My voice trailed off as I saw Logan’s lips twitching. “I sound like a mess, don’t I?”
“A little bit.” He smirked at me. “You’re not even close to a bad girl, are you, Maddie?”
I ignored his words and glared at him. “Are you going to get us into this Lincoln or not?”
“Calm down, sweet pea.” He rolled his eyes at me and went back to doing whatever he was doing before to get the door open. “This time please be a good lookout and tell me if anyone is coming.”
“You were the one who kissed me and distracted me.”
“Excuses, excuses.” He laughed and then I heard a click, and he opened the door. “Go around the other side and hop in.”
“I thought we weren’t going to steal it?”
“We have no choice now. Now hurry up and get in.”
I ran around to the passenger side and he opened the door for me. I jumped in and he was looking in the glove compartment for something. He looked up and saw my curious stare and smiled. “Spare key. You’d be shocked at how many people leave their spare key in their car. Aha!” He grinned as he pulled a key out. “Here we go.” He put the key in the ignition and the engine purred smoothly. “Buckle up.”
“Where are we going?”
“Wherever we want.”
“No quickie in the backseat?” I pouted and his eyes darkened as he stared at me.
“No,” He shook his head. “No quickie and no trip either.”
“What?”
“You’re going back home tonight.”
“What? Why?” I stared at him, and my stomach did a double flip. Was he done with me already? What had I done now?
“It wasn’t a good idea.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking properly when I suggested us being a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.”
“I want to go, though.” I frowned. “You’re not making me.”
“Just now, what you did, it was great. It was brave, and you saved my ass, but you also put your own ass on the line. You could have been in a lot of trouble.”
“I did it for you.” I shook my head in confusion. “I didn’t want the cop to arrest you.”
“He could have arrested both of us if he hadn’t believed your story.”
“But he did believe it. And if he hadn’t, well, I would have just had to deal with the consequences.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” He pulled out of the parking lot, and glanced at me quickly. “You had my back.”
“Of course I had your back.” I looked at him in shock. “Did you think I would turn you in?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re not that kind of person.” His voice was full of wonder and regret. “You’re a good person, Maddie Wright, you deserve better than to be messed up with someone like me.”
“What are you talking about, Logan?” I was worried. He sounded like he was second-guessing everything again. “Are we going down this road again?”
“I want to take you somewhere, and then we’ll go home.”
I felt tears well up in my eyes at his words. It seemed that no matter what I tried to do or say, something always popped into his head that made him back away from me.
“I already told my dad I’m going away; what do I say when I get home?”
“You had a change of plan.”
“I don’t want a change of plan.” I wanted to scream, I was so frustrated.
“Trust me, Maddie. It’s for your own good.” He shook his head. “You’re a good person. You make a good friend.”
“So, I’m just your friend again?” I sighed.
“It may be for the best.” He nodded. “I do like you, Maddie. It’s just complicated.”