Page 15 of Dangerous Secrets
Other than having a shade more polish,Vance looked much the same as when he’d enrolled at Sierra HighSchool halfway through his junior year.Theirs had been a smallschool and his arrival had made a splash.Since he’d attended localschools through sixth grade many knew him, but then he’d gone offto boarding school and returned wearing his entitled attitude likea crown.
Rumors had circulated he’d gotten intotrouble involving a girl at his school in Monterey and had beenkicked out.His punishment, meted out by his parents, had been tofinish his last year and a half at the local public school.He’dgraduated in the class ahead of Delaney and Keeley.
The man with Vance looked like abodybuilder.He had bulging biceps and a neck so thick it appearedto be the same width as his head.They paused inside the door, andVance scanned the room.He froze when he spotted Walker, then gavethe other man a nudge, nodding to where Walker was seated at thebar watching the game on the TV.
The curvy brunette Mateo had beentalking with had left.Ignoring Walker, Vance crossed to whereMateo sat at the bar, clapping him on the shoulder.Mateo tippedback his hat, brows rising when Vance greeted him in an overly loudvoice.“Hey there, bro.Long time, no see.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”Mateo sipped his beer.
“Hey, where you working,man?You should come see me.”Delaney had a feeling Vance wasplaying to the crowd as he scanned the room and seemed to gaugewhether the patrons were paying attention.He addressed Mateoagain.“I could use a guy like you.Let me hook you up with a goodgig.”
“Got a job,thanks.”
Vance set a business card on the barin front of Mateo.“You want to move up in the world, don’t you?Call me and I’ll see what I can do.Gotta keep the localshappy.”
“Vance is so oblivious,”Delaney muttered.“Mateo’s wearing a Sisters Fire Department hat,for god’s sake.I bet he doesn’t even remember Mateo’s name or thathe slept with his girlfriend after prom.”
Keeley used the straw to stir herdrink.“Agreed.People don’t change.Vance thought he was god’sgift in high school, and he still acts that way.He neverunderstood—no one was as impressed with him as he thought theyshould’ve been.”
Delaney thought Keeley had hit thenail on the head.As long as Delaney had known him, Vance Norrisalways seemed to be working to project an image, one that didn’talways jibe with his behavior.His insincerity made her distrusthim.
He continued his scan of the roomuntil his gaze landed on Delaney and stayed there.He gave acrooked smile that looked as fake as his perfectly straight teeth.She knew for a fact his top incisors were implants because Walkerhad knocked out the originals in a fight.Someone across the roomcalled to Vance.He gave a brief wave in acknowledgment, then beganweaving his way through tables toward her and Keeley.
“Shit, he’s coming thisway.”
“No way,” Keeley hissed asshe glanced up.“Oh crap, he is.Do we have time to escape to thebathroom?”
“No, dammit.Why didn’t Icome in with a hot muscley guy who’d squash him like abug?”
“Because we have eachother.Don’t worry.I can take him down for you.”
“You’re the best, Keel.”She bumped shoulders with her friend.“I never got why he alwaysseemed interested in me.”
“Pfft.You’ve got thisserene beauty thing going on guys see as a challenge.Plus you havegorgeous eyes, and you’re a good human being.But honestly?Allthat’s only a side benefit.He’s gone for you because Walker wentfor you.Whatever Walker had, he wanted.”
“I don’t know if I buy it.Walker was already out of high school by the time Vance showed up,and it was a couple years before Walker and I started dating, andeven then we were only together a few months.”
“Officially, yeah.Butwhen we were in high school, anyone with eyes in their heads knewhe had a thing for you.He picked you up every day from school andgave you a ride home on the back of his motorcycle.”
“We both lived at thefarm.It was convenient.”
Keeley gave her a pitying look.“Riiight.He arranged his schedule to be there when the final bellrang.He was staking his claim.You may’ve been oblivious, buteveryone knew you were his.Vance saw that as achallenge.”
Delaney remembered those exhilaratingrides, especially when they’d take a detour and Walker drove intothe hills.She’d been so young, thrilled to be sitting behind him,glued to his back with her arms wrapped around his waist as theyroared through the rolling foothills of the Sierras as pine treesand creeks whizzed past.She’d thought he’d been doing hergrandmother a favor picking her up from school.Looking back, shewondered if Keeley was right.
A shriek and a chair scraping thefloor pulled Delaney back into the present.Cyndi Lomeli launchedherself from her seat and teetered to Vance on skinny heels thenthrew her arms around him.Her blonde hair was in a poofy ponytailat the top of her head, and she was killing the Daisy Duke look.Short and curvy and with a bubbly personality, she was cheerful andfriendly to everyone, which made her the center of attentionwhenever she was in a group.And predictable.
“Wait for it,” Delaneymuttered.
Cyndi sucked in a breath and squealed,“Ooh, Vanny.”
Keeley snorted out a laugh.“Youcalled it.I can’t believe she still calls him Vanny.It makes himsound like a kindergartner.”
Cyndi loosened her hug and Vance’sgaze snagged on her cleavage.“Hey, gorgeous.”
“He probably forgot hername too.”Delaney snickered at Keeley’s whisperedcomment.
“Vanny, come sit with usand we can catch up,” Cyndi gushed.
