Mercedes
“SO, YOU’RE GABRIEL OWENS’ new step daughter?” a tiny blonde with a pixie hair cut asked me as I served her at Madame Jory’s just before closing on Saturday. It was hot as hell out all day and the girl had a long-sleeved sweater and jeans on. I wasn’t a fashionista, but damn! This was shorts and t-shirt weather. “Mercedes James?” she asked with a small smile.
I had only been working at Madame Jory’s a little over three weeks, and already, I had lost count of the number of times I’d been asked that question. Ocean Bay was a tight knitted town and people were curious.
“Yep,” I replied, handing over her tall mocha latte.
“Wow,” the girl replied with a heavy sigh. “That must suck.”
“Suck is an understatement,” I replied, taking the twenty-dollar bill she was holding before quickly depositing it in the cash register and returning her change.
Wiping down the countertop, I took a quick peek at my phone and mentally sighed.
7:02. Home time.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go home. Scratch that; I knew I absolutely did not want to go home. Going home meant seeing Rourke, and seeing Rourke gave me anxiety.
I lifted my gaze from the counter and noticed the girl was still standing there.
“Can I get you anything else?” I offered, feeling awkward. What was she doing? Why was she just standing around? “We’re about to close.”
“Oh!” Shaking her head, she smiled bashfully. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be weird; it comes naturally.” Chuckling, she stretched her hand out. “I’m Molly Peterson. I live about a mile from Rourke’s house – well, your house now, too, I guess.”
“For now,” I corrected as I removed my apron.
Alec appeared then and smiled down at me. “Good work today, Mercy.”
“Thanks,” I shot back with a smile. “I’ll head off now if that’s okay?” I grinned like a dope up at him. “Are you okay to lock up on your own?”
“Of course.” He smiled again, brighter this time. “See you after school on Monday.”
Hot damn.
“Hey – do you want to walk home with me?” Molly offered then, surprising the heck out of me. I hadn’t realized she was still there. “I have to go past your place to get to mine, so it wouldn’t be completely stalkerish of me.”
“I have a car.” Don’t do it, Mercy. Don’t do it… “But…” Shit, I was going to do it. Those damn puppy eyes had my conscience screaming. “I can give you a ride if you like?”
Molly’s face lit up. “That would be awesome. Thank you!”
“No problem.”
“YOU PROBABLY THINK I’m a complete weirdo for just coming up and introducing myself like I just did,” Molly rambled as she fastened her seatbelt. “But I figured since you’re new here, you might not know many people and could use a friend. And while I’m not technically new here, I too could use a friend. You’re starting the Academy when school starts back up, right? Me too. Well, I’m not starting there, I’m just continuing. We’re going to be in the same grade. You’re going to be a senior, right? I’m not overly popular with the it crowd, and since Rourke’s in the it crowd and you’re his step sis –”
“Molly?”
“Yeah?” She bit down on her lip almost nervously and flashed me with those huge, puppy dog brown eyes.
“It’s cool.” Cranking the engine, I turned and smiled at her. “I could use a friend, too.”
“Really?” She beamed at me. “You’re sure?”
I cocked a brow before pulling out of my parking space. “Um, yeah? Why not?”
“Oh, no reason.” Blushing, she tucked tiny pieces of hair behind her ears. It was only then, when the long sleeve of her shirt slipped up, that I noticed the welts on her wrists. “I’m just not…I’m not the coolest person in the world to hang around with. I probably should have mentioned that before accepting the ride home, huh?”
“Says who?” I replied, pretending I hadn’t seen the marks on her wrists.
“Everyone that matters,” she told me with a heavy sigh. “I grew up in Ocean Bay. We, um, moved away when I was nine. When my family finally moved back, I was fifteen, and by then everyone at school had formed their own cliques and groups.” She worried on her lip again. “It’s not easy being the newbie.”
“No.” Frowning at her words, I concentrated on taking the right turns back to our road. “But that’s okay.” I turned and smiled at her. “Who cares if you don’t fit in here?” Shrugging, I added, “That just means you’re bigger than their small minds.”
“Sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” Molly offered quietly.
“I’ve moved around – a lot.”
We were quiet then until Molly said, “So this car is insane, huh? Is it a classic?”
I felt myself smile sincerely for the first time since I arrived. “Yeah. It’s a 1963 Mercury Comet convertible.”
“I wish I had a car.” She sighed wistfully. “My father is completely against the idea.”
“Why?”
“Wow, you really don’t know who I am, do you?” she whispered in a tone that resembled awe.
I frowned. “Should I?” Who was this girl? Should I know about her?
“I figured Rourke would have filled you in on who’s who in the town by now,” was all she replied.
“Rourke and I don’t exactly get along,” I bit out. Understatement of the century.
She smiled knowingly. “You mean he’s an ass.”
I laughed. “You could say that.” And more. A lot more…
“He’s not a bad guy, Mercy,” she offered then. “Rourke? I mean, sure, he has a really bad temper and has been in some trouble…but he’s not the worst of them. He’s actually a pretty decent guy.”
“The worst of them?” I asked. “Who’s them?”
“The cool kids,” she replied with a hint of annoyance. “Ocean Bay’s ‘it’ crowd.’”
Oh my god!
Shaking my head, I bit back a groan. “Molly, tell me you’re not one of those girls who wants to be friends with the cool kids?” Casting a glance sideways, I winked, “Because if you are, you may need to rethink hanging around with me. I’m not exactly Rourke’s favorite person.”
“As if!” She laughed loudly. “No way. I’m just saying; Rourke’s one of the better ones. If you think he’s bad, wait until school starts back up and you meet the girls.” Molly shuddered at the thought. “They can be really…cruel, Mercy, and really territorial – especially Brittany Beckitt. Her and Ashley Thomas are the worst. Brittany’s the captain of the cheerleading squad and a real bitch. Her family are huge investors in Ocean Bay Academy – almost as big as Rourke’s family. Anyways, with the exception of Rourke, Daryl King, Bear Martinez, Reebo Rose, and Mason Starr – those guys are Rourke’s best friends and practically run the school – Brittany’s word is law. She and Rourke have been dating since middle school. Honestly, they’re more off than they are on, but she’s incredibly territorial of him.”
My heart sank into my ass. There was that Britt girl again. “What’s so great about this Britt girl?” I tossed out, hating the jealously in my own voice.
“You mean, apart from being physically perfect?” Molly shot back with a sigh. “She’s gorgeous, she’s rich, she’s from a well do-to family, and she’s captain of the cheerleading team.”
“Is that all?” I drawled sarcastically, feeling inferior for a brief moment before slapping the feeling away. What the hell did I have to feel inferior about? I didn’t even like Rourke.
“Oh, she also models.”
“Wonderful.”
Molly smiled and nodded. “But on the other side; she’s rude, obnoxious, bossy, extremely controlling, and a huge man-eater – not to mention loose, if you know what I mean. And she has a horrible temper.” Leaning closer, Molly said, “Last year, when she and Rourke were going through one of their off periods, he invited Tammy Guest to the homecoming dance with him. Britt flipped and attacked Tammy right there on the dancefloor. Ended up breaking her nose. For a skinny bitch, she’s freakishly strong. It was horrendous.” Molly’s eyes widened as she spoke and I had a hard time concentrating on the road when I was fully committed to this conversation. “The poor girl had to switch schools in the middle of junior year because she was getting so much hell from Britt and her squad of bitches.”
“What’s her problem?” I tightened my hands on the wheel. “They were off at the time, weren’t they?”
“Brittany’s problem is that she thinks she owns Rourke.” Molly scrunched her nose up in distaste. “Like own-owns him. She picks him up when she wants him and tosses him aside when she’s done. Why Rourke puts up with her shit, I will never understand because the boy is beyond beautiful and could quite easily have any girl in school he wanted.” She huffed out a breath then and I got the sense she meant he could have her, too.
I smirked to myself.
I liked Molly – even if she was a little gossipy. I wasn’t about to flip out and grow jealous bitch claws on the first potential friend I had made since I got here because she happened to like the same guy I did– didn’t! I didn’t like him. Dammit... “She sounds like a bitch.”
“She is.” Molly looked me up and down and grinned. “And I have a feeling that she’s really not going to like you, Mercy James.”
I mewled over Molly’s words for a moment before saying, “First day of school should be a barrel of laughs then.”
“I’d say! Have you met Amelia?”
I nodded. “She’s…nice.” There was no other word to describe Rourke’s younger sister. “It’s hard to believe they’re related.”
She nodded. “Rourke’s super protective of her, huh?”
“Yeah, I gathered that,” I muttered, driving past my house. “How far to your place?”
“Keep going straight. Another couple hundred yards,” Molly confirmed before adding, “That’s because she was abused.”
I almost crashed the car. “Come again?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“No.” I gaped. “When?” I shook my head. “Who?”
“Their stepbrother,” Molly replied quietly. “I’m the next house on the right.”
“Oh, my fucking god,” I whispered as I flicked on my blinker and slowed right down. “I can’t believe this.” I was reeling. Amelia had been abused? And by their stepbrother? God, no wonder Rourke didn’t want me in his home. “Poor Amelia.”
“It all came out last year,” Molly filled in as I pulled into her driveway. Another beach house mansion. “Although, word is it had been going on for a lot longer than that – if you know what I mean.”
I did. I knew exactly what she meant and it made me want to puke. “What happened?” I managed to squeeze out.
“Rourke flipped. He tore up their house and then went and trashed the school. Beat the shit out of his stepbrother. He was almost expelled, but Coach pulled some strings – couldn’t do without their star wide receiver, after all.” Molly shook her head and sighed. “Yeah, Rourke was in a really bad way for a while.”
Jacking the handbrake, I sat back in my seat and stared blindly ahead, barely able to comprehend what I had just learned. “I can’t believe I didn’t know this.”
“Me too,” she told me. “It’s common knowledge around here.”
“Was he arrested?” I turned and looked her in the eye. “The stepbrother?”
“Yeah, but the D.A never took it further.” Molly scrunched her nose up in disgust. “Not enough evidence apparently – and Josh stuck to the same story; they were in a secret relationship and Amelia was too afraid of her violent older brother to admit the truth. Josh was fifteen at the time, and Rourke has a record of losing his temper, so the D.A bought it.”
“That’s bullshit.” My voice rose like my temper. “That’s exactly why women don’t come forward; because of assholes like that.” I leaned my head back and sighed. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“About Rourke?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “No wonder he was so allergic to Mom and me moving in with them.” He’d been burned before. Worse than burned; his little sister had been sexually exploited. “Ugh. Okay, now I’m kind of wishing you never told me.”
“Why?”
“Because now, I’m starting to see the man behind the monster and it was much easier when it was just monster.”
“He’s some man though, right?” Molly teased. “Have you seen him without a shirt on?”
“Don’t remind me.” The image of Rourke’s sculpted abs and sexy treasure trail were imprinted in my memory for life. “He has the V, Molly. You know; that really hot V some guys have beneath their navel?” I swallowed deeply. “Rourke’s is the best I’ve ever seen.”
“I know.” Molly sighed. “It’s so defined, I want to lick it.”
“But he’s a prick,” I added dejectedly. A prick who hates you, a voice in my head hissed.
“He is,” she agreed solemnly. “So, do you think you’d like to hang out some time before school starts?” Molly unfastened her seatbelt and climbed out. “If you want to, that is.” She hovered at the passenger door. “Obviously, you don’t have to, but if you wanted to –”
“Molly, slow down.” I smirked at her bashfulness. “I would love to.”
Her eyes lit up. “You would?”
I nodded. “Have you got a cell?”
“Yes.” Digging her hand into her jeans pocket, she retrieved a shiny iPhone and passed it to me.
“I’m gonna call my number,” I explained as I dialed my own cell and waited for it to vibrate in my pocket before ending the call and handing it back to her. “I’ll text you the next day I’m off work and come pick you up.”
“That sounds awesome!” She bounced excitedly from foot to foot. “And good luck with the whole stepbrother hating on you situation.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, even though I had a feeling I would need a lot more than luck to deal with Rourke Owens. “See you soon.”