Crazy Beautiful Love (The Martelli Brothers #1)(61)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“Please?” I winked at her and she giggled.

“No.” She shook her head and I tickled her. She started laughing and twitching and her handbag fell to the ground, and her wallet and phone fell out. I helped pick up her phone and as I passed it to her, I decided to check out who had left her the missed call. I looked at the screen as I passed her the phone, and I nearly dropped it again when I saw Jared’s name.

“Why is Jared calling you?” I frowned.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe looking for you?”

“Yeah.” I nodded slowly, not believing it but not wanting to question her. “Dream of me tonight?” I traced my finger along her palm as we walked back over to her house.

“Of course.” She smiled back at me sweetly.

“Then I’ll meet you in my dreams tonight.” I smiled at her. “You’ll be naked and in a field.”

“And you’ll have some whipped cream.” She winked back at me, and my heart ached as I realized I wouldn’t be with her tonight. I hadn’t even left yet, but I already missed her.

“I can get some whipped cream now and come back,” I offered eagerly and she laughed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Logan.”

“I love you.” I kissed her and she nodded.

“I know.” She hurried away from me and I watched as she walked through the front door with my heart in my hand. I wanted to shout out and stop her. I wanted to hear her tell me she loved me as well. I needed to hear it again. I walked back to the car slowly and happy. I hadn’t lost her. I couldn’t quite believe how lighthearted I felt. I hadn’t lost her.

I got in and started the car but for some reason, I didn’t want to leave. A part of me felt that something wasn’t quite right. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I still didn’t really understand why she had dated Joey so quickly after we had fallen out or why had Jared called her. I didn’t believe he was calling her looking for me. How would he even have her number? I chewed on my lower lip and frowned. My stomach started churning, and an odd feeling of foreboding filled me. Something wasn’t quite right. I knew that with every fiber of my being. Maddie wasn’t telling me something. She hadn’t even really asked me any questions about our dads. Something was off, and I was scared that I wasn’t going to like the truth.

***

I tried calling Jared as I drove home, but he didn’t answer the phone. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw Vincent waiting for me and my heart started pounding.

“Where’s Jared?” I jumped out of the car, and ran up to Vincent.

“He left.” Vincent looked at me with a scared expression.

“What do you mean he left?” I shouted at him.

“I don’t know.” Vincent spoke hurriedly. “He was pissed when you left to go meet Maddie. He said you were going to f**k up everything. He called Joey to find out about the sale and when it was going to go down. I don’t know what happened, but he got really angry and hung up.”

“Why was he angry?” I questioned, my brain going a hundred miles a minute.

“I don’t know.” His tone was tense. “Then he tried calling you, and you didn’t answer.”

“I was busy.”

“With Maddie?”

“Yes, with Maddie.”

Vincent looked away and mumbled something, and I pushed his shoulder. “If you have something to say, tell me to my face.”

“Why don’t you just leave her alone?”

“I love her,” I bit out harshly.

“She’s bad news.”

“I thought you liked her.” My voice announced the betrayal I felt at his words, I had always known Jared hated Maddie, but I thought Vincent liked her.

“I do like her, but she’s the mayor’s daughter, Logan.” He sighed. “This isn’t the time to be focusing on her. We need all our wits about us.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I tried calling Jared’s number again, and I heard the phone ringing in Vincent’s pocket.

“Why do you have his phone?” I shouted at him.

“He left it with me.” Vincent looked scared. “He said there was something he needed to take care of. He told me that we were to do the exchange together without him. We just needed to wait for the call.”

“What the f**k? Where did he go?”

“I don’t know.” Vincent looked at me with wild eyes. “But he was crazy. He told me that now was the time to make everything right. He said if you weren’t going to do it, he would.”

“Do what?” I felt a chill run through my bones. “What is he going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Vincent grabbed my shoulders. “But he told me to tell you to trust him. He said that no matter what happens, remember that he is your brother and he loves you.”

“What the f**k does that mean?” I broke away from Vincent and paced up and down. “We need to find him.” I grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him towards me. “If you know where he is Vincent, you better tell me. By God, you better tell me.”

“I don’t know.” Vincent pushed me away from him. “I know you’re anxious, but threatening me is not going to help anything.”

“Give me his phone. I’m calling Joey.” I took the phone from Vincent and dialed Joey’s number. He answered on the second ring and started talking.

“Dude, you need to chill, okay? I’m only f**king with Maddie ’cause her dad wants me to, I told you that. I told you before, she is not my type. I like them skinny and blonde. She’s got big tits, but her ass is too big for me as well.” He laughed and I gripped the phone tightly, not saying anything. I wanted to see if he would say anything of importance and I didn’t want him to know that I wanted to knock his front teeth out. “Jared, you can be such a baby sometimes, stop being a pu**y. Do you want her or something? Does Logan even know you’ve been talking to her? I bet she wants to suck on your cock. Her dad would be pissed if she caught her with another Martelli. I wouldn’t do it, bro, he’ll f**k you up. Trust me. Let Logan fight that battle. Ha, ha, ha. Jared?”

“This is Logan.” My voice was tight and I wished I was with him so I could thump him so hard that I had him crying. I knew he was a piece of shit.

“Oh,” Joey paused. “Where’s Jared?”