I spotted the black Toyota Corolla and walked over to it slowly and casually, running my hands through my dark blond hair. Though I should thank her she’d made it easier for me tonight. 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. Especially on a night like tonight when the pathways were so packed with people. There was no way she could outrun two guys. There was no way she wouldn’t get caught. I shook my head, as I walked back up the pier. I would love to steal a cop car for all their harassment against my family, but I’d never been brave enough. If it wasn’t me, it would be one of my brothers, Vincent or Jared. I clenched my fist of course I would get the blame. But I bet it was Logan Martelli.” Old Man Roberts’s voice was loud. “Who, who?” The male of the couple was loud and excited. “He got in the car and drove off, but he wasn’t smart enough to-” “He tried to steal a cop car,” he gasped out. I saw Old Man Roberts hobbling up to a couple a few feet away from me, his face red and animated. Why were the police chasing a girl? She wasn’t anyone I knew, and I knew most of the bad folks in town. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, and I had to admit I was curious as well. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the chase that was happening people everywhere were stopping and gaping, whispering ferociously. She winked at me and continued running, and I stood there and watched as two policemen rushed past me and ran after her. It wasn’t the stare that shook me, but the fact that it was a girl. 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. And when I say dart, I mean running like lightning.
I turned to look at the water again when I saw a glimpse of someone darting by me. Martellis didn’t go to the police and file restraining orders even if we did, the police would laugh in our faces. She called him and stalked him so much that she was lucky that he was a Martelli.
Roger was a barely-able-to-keep-it-together drunk, and Bella was in love with my brother, Jared. Anyone watching them would think that they were deeply in love, only I knew better. She was giggling up at him, and he was grinning at her lovingly. I looked around at the couples holding hands and saw Roger Martin walking with his girlfriend Bella Casey. There were always so many secrets hidden inside that weren’t reflected in the seemingly happy and perfect surfaces. The same thing couldn’t be said of human beings. Like tonight, the moon glowed in all its ominous glory, and there was nothing hidden. What you saw reflected in her murky, silvery depths was what you got. Maybe it was because the water didn’t lie. There was a certain magic in the water that entranced me. I stared out at the water and studied the moonlit ripples as they ebbed and flowed. Everyone thinks they know you, but really they know nothing at all. That’s the problem with living in a small town like River Valley. I almost feel famous but not in the good way. It’s laughable how many people know me or know of me. 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. No one’s whispering that I look like one of the Martelli brothers. I’m unassuming in a crowd no one looks at me too hard or too suspiciously. It’s not my favorite spot, but it’s easy to blend into the crowds of people there. I like to clear my mind at night, so I usually go for a long walk down by the pier.