Wicked Rules (Wicked Bay Book 2)

by L A Cotton

  “Any news from Gentry?”

  Lips pressed in a flat line he shook his head. Time was running out. We hadn’t talked about what would happen if Gentry’s guy couldn’t find a loophole, but the clock was ticking.

  “Maybe we should talk about—”

  “No,” he said running a brisk hand over his head.

  “Maverick, come on. Graduation is in eight weeks. Time is running—”

  “I said no.” He stalked toward me until there was a sliver of space between us. “They’ll figure it out. They have to.” His eyes held mine, silently telling me everything he couldn’t say. “They have to find a way.”

  I reached for his hand, tangling our fingers together. Maverick played his part well but if people looked closely, past his cool exterior, they’d see the cracks. They’d see he was just a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. And he was one second away from being crushed under the pressure.

  Slipping my arms around his waist, I buried my face against his chest, not daring myself to speak.

  “I got in,” his voice was so quiet, muffled by my hair, I barely heard it.

  “What did you say?” I pulled away and stared up into his eyes.

  “I got in, the letter was waiting for me when I got home.”

  “You got in?” I breathed. This was everything. Maverick’s shot at basketball, at a future he wanted.

  A future he deserved.

  I raised up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his, showing him how proud I was of him. “You deserve this, Maverick. You deserve it so damn much.” He swallowed my words, his tongue parting my lips, swirling with my own. And I felt the urgency in his kiss, the desperation. But most of all, I felt the relief flowing out of him and into me.

  He got in. Not because his father was an alumnus or donor. Not because Coach Callahan pulled the right strings. Because he worked hard and went after it. Even with the odds stacked against him, Maverick didn’t give up.

  Breaking the kiss, I eased back and smiled up at him. “This is it, your ticket to freedom.”

  We just needed Gentry to come through. But I understood the conviction in Maverick’s voice now, when he’d arrived. He didn’t want to consider Gentry’s plan wouldn’t work because it had to.

  “They’ll figure it out,” I said with a half-smile as he tucked me back into his chest.

  Not because I believed it.

  But because right now, in this moment, Maverick needed to hear it.

  ~

  “Seriously, Prince, you can’t just let someone else win?” Kyle threw his cards down, grumbling a string of cuss words under his breath.

  “You’re such a sore loser, babe,” Laurie stroked his hair the way you would a wounded puppy and shot me an amused look. I laughed, relieved to see they seemed to be back to their usual back and forth. She promised me she was done texting Jared and from the way she and Kyle had been looking at one another tonight, they seemed good.

  Maverick slipped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “What time is it?”

  “Like eight,” Nick said.

  “I’m going to order pizza.” Maverick pulled me up with him.

  “This is nice,” I said as we went to the small kitchen counter while he dug out a menu. After coming over to the house to tell me about his acceptance letter, Maverick had surprised me by saying he wanted to celebrate.

  “Yeah, all we need now is for Macey to hook up with someone,” he smirked.

  “When hell freezes over,” I grumbled, and he said, “She’ll come around.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I wasn’t expecting that day to come anytime soon. She might have cared about her brother but since collaring me at the party, Macey had made next to no effort to talk to me again.

  Maverick ordered pizza, and I went to join the others, but his hand caught me, and he hooked his fingers through my belt loops. I arched my eyebrow at him and his eyes darkened, a challenge there, causing shivers to roll up my spine. When he hung up, his voice turned husky. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Back to the others.”

  “Two minutes.” He leaned in and I swallowed.

  “Maver—”

  His lips came down hard on mine as he yanked me flush against his body. My hands slipped under his t-shirt running over the taut muscle, exploring and touching.

  “Seriously, guys, I don’t know how much more of this my eyes can take,” Kyle’s voice boomed, and I laughed, dropping my face into the crook of Maverick’s neck.

  “I think it’s cute,” Summer shouted. She’d been angry at me for all of two-minutes, when I finally came clean to her about me and Maverick. She knew there was more to it but unlike Macey, she knew Maverick wouldn’t shut her out unless it was for a good reason.

  “Cute? It’s fucking disgusting. They’re practically dry humping.”

  “Stone,” Maverick warned over my head.

  “You’re only jealous, babe.”

  “Jealous? I’ll show you jeal—”

  “Kyle, you disgusting pig,” Laurie’s shrieks filled the pool house followed by Summer and Nick’s laughter, and I craned my head back, trying to see what was going on.

  “Come on,” Maverick’s voice was low in my ear as he curled his body over mine. “I guess I’ll have to share you until they go, which is when by the way?”

  I playfully punched his arm, stealing one more kiss. “It was your idea to invite them.”

  “I’m an idiot,” he mumbled as I led him back to the others.

  We’d been playing cards for the last hour, but Kyle was right, Maverick wiped the floor with us. Nick was the only one who came close to beating him. But it was fun. More than that, it felt normal.

  When the pizza arrived, Kyle put on a film and the six of us ate and chatted and laughed. It was the most normal my life had been in weeks. And hope blossomed in my chest. But then, out of nowhere, Nick said, “So have you guys made plans for prom yet?”

  Summer elbowed him in the ribs and he spluttered, “What?” Confusion shining in his eyes.

  “Nick,” she hissed, and realisation flooded his face.

  “My bad… I… shit, I really put my foot in it, didn’t I?” He looked from me to Maverick and then raked a hand through his messy hair, averting his gaze. Awkward silence descended over us.

  Summer gave me a sympathetic smile while Laurie’s mouth hung open like a fish. Even Kyle had no witty reply, and the silent boy beside me went rigid, anger radiating from him. He got up and stalked away.

  And just like that the bubble burst.

  “Shit, Lo, I’m sor—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Nick.” I offered him a weak smile as I went after Maverick. There weren’t many places to hide in the pool house and I found him sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes fixated on the carpet.

  “Mav—”

  “Don’t.”

  “It’s fine,” I said going to him.

  “Nothing about this is fine,” he whispered finally meeting my eyes as I sat in the chair I’d sat in so many times when I helped him study for the SAT.

  “You got in, Maverick. Steinbeck chose you. This is a huge deal. I won’t let them ruin it. Not tonight.” My fingers danced over his arm. “You deserve to celebrate. You deserve one night of normal.”

  His eyes stayed on mine. Dark and hard. Two intense inky pools pulling me in, holding me captive.

  “It shouldn’t be like this.”

  “But it is.” He flinched, but I went on. “And I can live with it. If all this means you get your shot at a future you want, I can live with it.”

  “I love you, Lo. I love you so fucking much it scares the shit out of me. If I lose—”

  “You’re not losing me. I’m right here.” I leaned in closer, ghosting my nose across his cheek. He turned and our lips hovered millimetres apart.

  “I won’t lose you.” The conviction in his voice stunned me. But then he was kissing me, sweeping me away in his touch, and I gave o
ver. Because even though I knew the road was only going to get harder, Maverick was right. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  Maverick

  I eyed Lo as I headed out of Wicked Bay and pulled onto the highway. We needed this. Time away from my father and Caitlin. The shit with her Dad and Stella.

  We needed space to remember how good things could be between us.

  Fucking Nick and his big mouth. I knew the kid didn’t mean it. He was tangled up in a web of lies and secrets he didn’t understand, but everything came crashing down the second the question about prom left his mouth. Lo tried to reassure me it was okay but nothing about this mess was okay.

  “Where are we going?” she finally broke the silence, and I replied around a smirk, “You’ll see.”

  Kyle had pushed for this time away as much as I had. He was worried about her.

  We both were.

  After that night, we’d spent another week of pretending, of walking the school hallways trying not search one another out. I’d told Lo I couldn’t lose her, and she’d promised she wasn’t going anywhere, that she was right here with me, but words only held so much power. I needed to hold her. To touch her. To lose myself in her. So much I ached for it.

  For her.

  So I made a split decision. It wasn’t easy. We needed our parents to buy our cover stories. As far as Mom and Gentry were concerned, I was staying at Luke’s for the night and Lo was over at Laurie’s. It was a risk, but one worth taking.

  “It won’t take us long,” I added, and she flashed me a strained smile. Because despite how much we clung onto the hope everything would work out, time was running away, and Gentry was no closer to a solution.

  But that’s what tonight was about, finding one another again. Of reminding ourselves of what we were fighting for. With only six weeks left before graduation, we’d come too far to let him win.

  Forty minutes later, Lo straightened in her seat. “Hollywood? You brought me to Hollywood?” Her eyes widened on a soft gasp, taking everything in.

  “Yes and no,” I said following the GPS to our hotel. “This traffic is insane.” If we wanted to make the show, we’d need to hurry.

  “This is… just when I think my life can’t get any stranger, it does.”

  “Strange? That’s not quite the reaction I was hoping for.”

  She threw me an amused look. “You know what I mean. This isn’t real life, Maverick. Not for me.”

  “But it is, Lo. Your life is in Wicked Bay now.”

  She settled her gaze back on the sights. I’d been here enough times not to be wowed anymore. But seeing the sparkle in Lo’s eyes was worth it.

  I just hoped she enjoyed the rest of the night.

  ~

  Lo stared at the door, her eyes wide. Confusion imprinted on her soft features. “Lo?” I said, and she took a couple of steps back. Retreating.

  Beats didn’t look like much from the outside, but it was one of the best live music venues in the whole of LA.

  “I- I can’t go in there.” Her hand hovered in front of her as if she was physically protecting herself.

  “But, this is the surprise.” I raked a hand over my head feeling as confused as she looked. “I got tickets to see Three Steps Back, they’re pretty awesome.”

  “I- I’m sorry.” Her arms shot out, wrapping around her waist. “I can’t do it, Maverick.”

  “What? I don’t—”

  And then it hit me like a wrecking ball.

  I’d fucked up.

  “The accident…” my voice trailed off.

  “Can we just go, please?” Her eyes were skittish, glazed with unshed tears I knew she was fighting to hold back, and people were starting to stare. I went to her and wrapped an arm around her. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Fuck, how could I have gotten it so wrong?

  Her discomfort in crowds. How she’d come off the ride at Disney, pale and terrified.

  We walked back to the hotel in awkward silence. Surrounded by dazzling lights and the noise of downtown LA, I’d never felt more helpless. Lo had disappeared into herself, lost to her memories of what she’d survived.

  When Gentry got the call about the accident, he’d told us all, but he hadn’t gone into detail. Lo’s mom and brother died. She suffered life threatening injuries resulting in a long stay in the hospital. That’s as much as we got. Back then, they weren’t real people to me. It was tragic, and it affected Gentry the way it would any brother who found out his sister-in-law and nephew were gone, but they weren’t real to me—or so I thought.

  Now all I could see was the girl I loved, hurt. Laying in some sterile bed, hooked up to machines and tubes. A deep shudder rolled through me. I’d never pushed her about what happened. But whatever Lo had experienced left deep scars, and not just physical ones.

  The hotel came into view and I went ahead, holding the door open for her. She didn’t make eye contact as she slipped inside and waited for me to guide us to our room. As soon as the door closed behind us, Lo disappeared into the bathroom. I paced, rubbing the back of my neck, wondering what the hell to do.

  Was she having a panic attack?

  Did I need to call someone?

  Jesus, how had this blown up so epically? Because you’re a fuck-up, Prince, my father’s voice echoed in my head. It was funny how once, he’d been the person who lifted me up and made me want to be better. Now he was the person who made me doubt myself. The devil on my shoulder. Taunting and teasing.

  “Lo?” I rapped my knuckles on the door, pressing my ear to the wood.

  “I just need a minute.”

  A minute.

  I could give her that.

  But when five minutes had passed, and I’d burned a hole in the carpet from pacing, I knocked again. “L—” The door swung open and Lo stood there.

  “I’m hungry, shall we order room service?”

  What. The. Actual. Fuck?

  I stared at her, searching her face for any signs she’d been crying. But all I saw was Lo’s indifferent mask. The one she usually reserved for family dinners with Stella.

  “Lo…”

  “Maverick.” She folded her arms over her chest, building her walls higher. But if she thought she could keep me out, she was wrong.

  So fucking wrong.

  I straightened, filling the doorway, refusing to let her through. There was no way in hell we were just going to pretend that didn’t just happen. I’d given her time, I’d waited for her to open up to me, but watching her go into herself like that freaked the shit out of me. I couldn’t just forget that.

  Not again.

  “What happened back there?” My voice was hard, and anger flashed in her eyes. I didn’t blame her. I was being a dick. But sometimes it was the only way I knew how to reach her. When she still didn’t respond, my head dropped, the fight leaving me. I could own the court. Trample over some of the best defensive players in the state. But I couldn’t find a way to reach my girlfriend.

  “What’s the matter?”

  My head snapped up, our eyes colliding. “You’re asking me what’s the matter?”

  “You have this look…”

  “I don’t know how to do this, Lo.”

  “Do what?” her voice was soft.

  “Be who you need me to be.”

  “I just need you, Maverick.” She leaned into me, letting me wrap my arms around her. We were both broken. Worn down by our pasts and our messy presents. But here, like this, everything made sense.

  “Come on.” I led us to the bed. “Let’s feed you. And then we talk.”

  She didn’t answer but I could have sworn I felt the small movement of a nod.

  We ordered room service. Lo only picked at the plates. Her hunger disappeared the second the food was delivered. But it eased the tension, and we ate in comfort, sticking to safe topics. We didn’t mention Caitlin, or my father, or Lo’s freak out. It wasn’t exactly what I had planned for our night in LA, but I’d take it.

  “I’m sorry.” Lo s
aid as I cleaned the plates away.

  “Sorry?” I stalked back to the bed and sat on the edge.

  “For earlier. I ruined your plans.”

  “It’s my fault. I should have realized, should’ve known...”

  “Maverick, it isn’t your fault. It’s not something I talk about. Ever.”

  “I know, and I get it, I do. But talking might help you deal with it.”

  “I write things down. In the journal you gave me.” Her eyes dropped away. “It helps to sort through my feelings. It’s been over a year, you know…”

  “Shit, Lo, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She shrugged, the small movement cutting me in two. “It’s not something I want to celebrate, but it’s made everything seem… I don’t know, more somehow.”

  “Hey, hey. Come here.” I kicked my legs up and shuffled back up the bed to sit beside her. “I’m right here. Whenever you’re ready.”

  “I just... I haven’t really ever dealt with it.” Lo lifted her face and what I saw crushed my chest. She was hurting—Lo was still hurting so much and I’d been too preoccupied to notice.

  Silence enveloped us and after a few minutes I thought she might never talk. But then she started, her voice barely a whisper.

  “It was my brother’s idea. We’d been talking about our regrets over dinner one night and Mum said she regretted not hearing more live music. Elliot was a doer and before the night was over, he’d convinced me and Mum to go to this local venue with him. They had live mic nights, jam sessions, that kind of thing. Dad thought we were mad. But it was always hard to say no to Elliot.

  “It was busy. The band playing was a local favourite. Mum was so excited, it was nice to see her happy. Things between her and Dad had been strained. They didn’t tell us, but we saw it.”

  I reached for her hand and rested it between our legs. “What happened?”

  “Everything was fine, at first. The band was great. The crowd was amped. I slipped away to go to the toilet but there was a queue. I was washing my hands when I heard the first screams.”

  Lo’s body trembled, and I smoothed circles over her hand. Grounding her.

  “I ran back into the room and it was chaos. Smoke ... there was so much smoke. I’d been gone less than ten minutes. I didn’t understand what had happened, but people were running, screaming... and the smell.