Secrets & Surrender Read online

  I’d like to think I could do something like that. But staring down from the narrow ledge of the bridge with only Dillon and Chase’s hands keeping me from falling over was not my idea of fun. Balls or not, it was crazy. In the dark, there was no way to tell how far the drop was before I hit water.

  “Any last words you want me to share with your little girlfriend?” Seth asked.

  I glared at him, not caring about what was about to happen once they pushed me off the ledge. “Don’t you ever go near Mandi or my sister. I’m warning you.”

  He threw back his head, laughing. Then he got in my face. The sour smell of alcohol was heavy on his breath. “Watchya gonna do ’bout it, preppie?”

  He flicked the alligator Lacoste emblem on my polo shirt. I gave my arm a hard jerk, trying to loosen the rope. I wanted to beat the shit out of him so bad. My body swayed forward as I lost my footing. Dillon laughed as his arm clamped down on me so that I wouldn’t fall. They had total control over me, and they could do anything they wanted. There was only one thing I could think of to do. I swallowed hard, wishing that I didn’t have to resort to using my father’s powerful contacts to make threats.

  “Your father’s awfully fond of his job, isn’t he? Well, my father is very generous with his friends. But you should see what he does to his enemies.” I held his gaze as I spoke. “On second thought, you may not want to see it.”

  Seth paused. I could see the wheels in his head turning. He wasn’t stupid, but at the same time, he needed to save face. I had to let him appear like he had the upper hand, or no matter what happened, he’d still go after Bianca and maybe even Mandi. And the only way was to let him throw me off the bridge.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” I growled, squaring my shoulders. I said a silent prayer, hoping that the river wasn’t shallow and that I didn’t crack my skull on a rock. The ropes were loosening a little, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

  Before anyone could say I word, something slammed against my back, sending another searing pain down my spine, leaving me breathless. Then I was free falling into the darkness. My body and face stung as I hit the water. For a moment, I panicked as I sunk. I squirmed, not sure which way was up or down.

  Calm down. You can do this.

  I stilled and my body slowly drifted down. I oriented myself and kicked hard. Reaching the surface, I gasped. My head kept bobbing as I struggled to loosen the ropes. Then I heard splashing nearby.

  “Over here!”

  “You okay?” Cassie’s cowboy came into view.

  “Yeah, I just need you to loosen this one knot.”

  The cowboy moved behind me, working the ropes.

  “Hey, thanks for helping me out . . .”

  “Cody. Cody Wilde.”

  “Thanks, Cody.”

  When I was finally released, I looked toward the riverbank. It was lit by headlights. There was a line of rainbow colors waiting. Then an idea hit me. I could actually use this situation to my advantage. I mean, who could say “no” to a dying man? Or maybe it would all backfire. Who knew, but I had at least try.

  “Cody, wait.” Treading water, I paused, letting the plan formulate in my mind. “Do you know Mandi?”

  “Yeah. She’s good friends with Cassie.”

  Something inside of him seemed to light up his face when he said Cassie’s name, and I wondered if those two had ever been a couple.

  “I’ve been trying to find a way to get her to go out with me. I don’t think she has a boyfriend. Does she?”

  “Not that I know of. Why don’t you ask her out?”

  “I did.” Why do people keep asking me that? “Look, I know you don’t know me, but you’d really be doing me a solid if you carried me.”

  He blinked. “Uh, sorry, man. You seem cool and all, but I’m not into that kind of . . . uh . . . you know.”

  “What? No! No! Not that.” I laughed. I could see why Cassie liked him. He seemed to be a nice guy. Any other guy would’ve decked me, and then let me drown for even mentioning something like that. “What I meant to say was that if Mandi thinks I’ve drowned, then she’d have to face her real feelings about me.”

  “I don’t know. Sounds kinda mean to do that to someone.”

  “I’m desperate, dude. Didn’t you ever want something bad enough that you’d do anything for it?”

  He stared out toward the riverbank, his face twisting with longing. “Yeah, I get your point. But Mandi ain’t gonna like it. And she may be a little thing, but man when that girl is mad, you don’t want to be anywhere near her.”

  “That’s the point. I want to be near her: happy, mad, I don’t care. Anything but the cold shoulder she’s been giving me since I met her.”

  “Maybe she just ain’t interested.”

  “She is. I know she is. Something is stopping her. I just don’t know what.”

  He nodded as if he understood. “Okay, come on. Just remember I tried to warn ya.”

  It was pretty impressive how Cody lifted me into his arms with ease. I made a mental note to remember to ask him why he wasn’t on the football team.

  “Look! Over there!” I heard a voice shout when Cody emerged from the water and placed me down on the side of the bank. I sifted through the chorus of anxious voices, listening for Mandi’s. It was starting to get cold. My fingers dug into the ground, trying not to shiver. I hoped it was dark enough that no one noticed.

  “Nic, wake up! Nic!”

  In that brief moment, I felt a pang of guilt hearing Bianca’s cries. Maybe I didn’t think this out carefully enough. She sounded so scared. I was about to get up when I heard Mandi barking orders. I bit the inside of my mouth, fighting back a smile at her words.

  “I’m giving him CPR. Cody, drive to Mr. Wilson’s house and call 911. It’s the closest. Cassie, go with him and show him where it is.”

  I peeked through my lashes as Mandi explained to Cassie how she’d learned CPR from an episode of The Love Boat. I let out a quick breath, choking back a laugh. I was surprised she didn’t hear me and that no one seemed to notice. She was too busy yelling at Cody. “Why are you still here? Go! Move!”

  A pair of warm hands touched my chest, making my stomach quiver. It took everything I had to stay still while I listened to Mandi mumble as she pumped my chest. “Come on, Nic. Wake up.”

  I almost lost it when she pinched my nostrils closed and I couldn’t breathe. But then warm lips touched mine, and I was on fire. I clenched my fists, fighting every fiber of my being that wanted to throw my arms around her and kiss her senseless.

  When Mandi lifted her head, gasping for air, I shivered. It wasn’t the cool night air or because I was wet. It was deeper than that. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt so empty. It was as if Mandi’s touch had awakened a part of me that I didn’t even know was there. I wondered if Mandi felt the same way. I thought of the way she stiffened every time I leaned in to ask her a question in class, of all the stolen glances when she didn’t think I was paying attention, of how she always seemed to be flustered when she was around me and only me. She had to have felt something too when her lips touched mine.

  Her fierce voice growled near my ear as she hovered over me, her silky hair brushing against my cheek. “Don’t you die, Marcelli.”

  Then her lips were on mine again, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I jerked her to me, pressing her tightly against my chest. I kissed her long and hard. Her arms flailed, and her fists hit my arms as I laced my fingers underneath her hair. It was electrifying. A surge of passion swept through me like I’d never felt before. I held on tight, ignoring the whoops and whistles of the crowd, not knowing if this would be our first and last kiss.

  “Nic, you asshole!” Bianca’s voice was followed by a swift kick to my leg.

  Bianca’s kick was nothing compared to the pain I felt at each punch Mandi landed. Cody was right. It was amazing how her small hands could throw such powerful blows. But that kind of pain I could take. With each hit she made, it was finally getting int
o my head that Mandi didn’t like me. I must’ve read her signals wrong. Or maybe there weren’t any signals at all. She just wasn’t into me.

  Loosening my hold, I gave her one last gentle kiss goodbye. I had to let go. The thought of seeing her every day in class was bittersweet, knowing what it was like to touch her, to kiss her, to hold her, and knowing that nothing else would come of it.

  Just as I was about to let go, she weaved her fingers into my hair, deepening the kiss.

  Damn!

  My entire body was on fire as her full lips pressed hard against mine. She was so soft. Her hair, her lips, her cheeks. I slid my tongue along her sweet lips. She responded by opening slightly and letting me in. My chest rumbled with pleasure as my tongue explored every single crevice. She tasted so sweet. And then her tongue was in my mouth. I gripped my hand into a fist, feeling myself grow hard with just one single swipe of her tongue. Reluctantly, I pulled back, not trusting that I could keep control of myself if we continued to kiss like that.

  I held out my hand to her as I stood, helping her up. She looked dazed. Her legs seemed to shake as she stood. Her hair was all over the place. Her blouse was damp, clinging to her shapely body. I brushed back her hair, keeping my eyes locked with hers. “You’re missing a feather.”

  She didn’t say a word while I searched the ground. When I found it, I turned back to her. Her face was a mask. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cody standing next to Cassie. Both watched with anticipation. They looked worried for me.

  Confused, I turned my attention back to Mandi, and attached the feather to her headband. “So does that mean you’ll go out with me? I’m guessing you will . . . seeing as how you brought me back to life and all.” I grinned.

  Her mouth opened and closed as if she didn’t know what to say. Then she pressed her lips into a thin line and for a moment, I thought she was going to punch me again. And I would’ve deserved it, tricking her into kissing me like that. But when I gazed into her eyes, they were soft dark pools. It was then I knew. She did care, a lot, and for some reason she was fighting against it. Maybe Bianca was right. Maybe I had to show her that I cared for her too and that I wanted something more with her. With time, she’d see how much I cared if she just let her guard down a little bit.

  “Bite me, Marcelli.” She turned on her heel, her hoop earrings swinging as she marched away.

  Okay, so it was going to take a really long time.

  “Ah, progress.” I threw Cody and Cassie a smile before I ran after Mandi yelling, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight!”

  She stopped in front of a beat up old car that looked like it would fall apart a stiff breeze. “Did you drive here in that?”

  She swung around, snapping, “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “No, I’m just saying . . . uh, it’s a nice car, really.” Mandi fumed the more I talked. “Look, what I meant to say was that I’m sorry about what I did back there, but I really do want to go out with you.”

  “Oh, and assaulting me is supposed to make me fall over my feet to go out with you? Just because almost every single girl here is drooling whenever you walk by doesn’t mean I’m going to.”

  “You notice how other girls react to me?” I grinned.

  “Yes! No! Ugh!” Her face grew red. “Stop changing the subject. What you did is so not cool.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. But I do want to go out with you. It’s just a movie.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, Mandi. It’s Die Hard. Tough dude exploding things. Just one date, and if you don’t like it, I promise to lay off.” I crossed my fingers behind my back. Yeah, it was childish, but I had to keep myself covered.

  “Well . . . okay, but don’t pick me up. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want you to pick me up. I can drive myself to the drive-in.”

  “You’re going to sit in your car while I sit in mine on our date?”

  Man, oh, man. This woman was seriously nuts.

  I loved it!

  “Maybe.” Her lip twitched. “I might even park my car next to yours if you think your BMW could handle being seen with a Pinto.”

  “Really?” I glanced over at over the car. “Well, my beamer’s been eyeballing your Pinto all night. So I think he’ll be alright with that.”

  She laughed. “You’re one crazy dude, Marcelli.”

  “Me? Crazy? You’re the one anthropomorphizing our cars.”

  “Ooh, nice vocabulary there. Learn that at your fancy private school in New York?”

  “SAT vocabulary study cards. And you’re not serious about sitting in separate cars, are you?”

  Her lips curled into a sexy smile as she opened the car door. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  chapter 11

  Mandi

  “I can’t believe you’re actually taking separate cars to the drive-in on your date with Nic.”

  Cassie sat on the edge of the bed, shaking her head. She’d been saying the same thing for the past hour as she watched me get ready for my date.

  “Believe it.” I twirled a strand of hair around the curling iron.

  “Why?”

  “In case I want to make a fast get away.” I released the clip and quickly reached for the super sized can of Aqua Net.

  She laughed. “Mandi, you are too funny. You know you like him.”

  “Do not.”

  “Do too. You’re like that character in Hamlet who protests too much.”

  Glancing at Cassie’s reflection in the mirror, I scowled at the smug expression on her face. I let out a shot of spray, coughing as the room filled with a thick mist. “Yeah, well, I know for sure you like Cody, and I don’t see you doing anything about that.”

  Her face fell. “That’s different.”

  I placed the can of spray down and turned to face her. “Aww, Cassie. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m just pissed Nic tricked me into going out with him.”

  “Yeah, well, at least you know Nic likes you.”

  “Cody likes you.”

  “As a friend maybe.”

  “More than that, Cassie.” I waved a tube of mascara at her before I turned back to the mirror.

  “No, only as a friend.” She let out a sigh. “If it were more, he would’ve said something last night. I thought he was going to. It seemed like he was, but he didn’t. I think he likes Lynette.”

  “Ugh, don’t make me gag. I so do not like that girl. Seriously, Cody can do better than that. And if he’d just get a pair, he would’ve asked you out already. Actually, I should call him right now. I’ll cancel my date with Nic and go over to Cody’s house right now and help him find his balls.”

  Eyes widening, Cassie’s voice came out in shocked whisper. “Don’t you dare! You can’t force him to like me.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “Okay, so you probably can.” She laughed. “Seriously, don’t do anything. I guess it’s just not meant to be between Cody and me. And by the way, I see what you’re trying to do by being all sneaky.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tilted my head, brushing on my third layer of mascara.

  “You’re trying to back out of your date with Nic, and I’m not going to let you. You’ve been in front of the mirror putting on makeup for over an hour.”

  “I know.” I sighed, dropping my hands to my side. “I don’t want to go out with Nic and at the same time I do want to go out with him.”

  “You’re so messed up, Mandi.”

  I chuckled. “I know, right?”

  Cassie shifted on the bed, tucking her legs beneath her. “Okay, so I understand why you do want to go out with him. He’s super cute, and he’s not afraid to let everyone know that he likes you. And you do like him, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, he’s cool.”

  “So why’ve you been turning him down?”

  “The problem is if I go out with him, then I’ll pr
obably like him even more, and I just can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  I bounced onto the bed, sitting beside her. “I’ve told you before. He drives a BMW, and he wears those shirts with the alligator on them.”

  “Mandi! You can’t be serious about that.”

  “I’m totally serious. We’re from two different worlds. And the people in his world can hurt the people in mine.”

  The room grew silent as her brown eyes gazed into mine.

  “You mean the thing about your parents?” she asked softly.

  There were only two people in this world that I’ve trusted to hold my family’s secrets: Cassie and her father. Now that Deputy Strong was gone, Cassie was the only person who knew about my family. And I had every intention of keeping it that way.

  “Yeah.” I sighed.

  “You don’t have to tell him. It’s just a date.”

  “He’ll find out, especially if he gets close to my family. And if I go out with him, my parents will want to meet him. I like Nic. I really do.”

  “Oh, Mandi.” She placed an arm around me. “It’s not fair for you to carry the burden like this. You’re allowed to have a little fun.”

  “I’ll have fun after I get my college degree and earn enough money to help my family.” I hopped off the bed and reached into my purse. “One date and that’s it. Then no more of Nic Marcelli. He promised he’d back off.”

  I should’ve been happy that it was only one date and that I would never have to mess with him ever again. I wasn’t. Tonight was going to be the hardest night of my life because there was a part of me that didn’t want to let go.

  chapter 12

  Mandi

  “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

  Just as he promised, Nic was waiting for me at the drive-in. It was easy to spot his BMW among the dozens of pickup trucks. When the Pinto finally sputtered its last breath once I turned off the ignition, it took me five long minutes before I could gather the courage to go to him.

  “Well, hello to you too, beautiful.” He grinned as I slid in, slamming the door shut.