Chapter 4: Weevil Explains
*****Where We Left Off*****
Logan woke up as he was rolling down a hill. He came to a stop. Head pounding, he waited a moment before he took off the bag that was still on his head. Wait until he gets his hands on Weevil! He's a dead man!
"Nothing will go wrong, my ass!" Logan grumbled to himself. "He'll be fine. Don't worry...I'll show him fine when I see him next." He hurt everywhere. Every twinge made his anger increase. So much for not letting him get hurt too much!
He made his way up the incline he was thrown down. He was on a deserted road. He felt his pockets for his phone. Luckily, it was still there. Unfortunately, he had no signal. He started walking toward town, or what he thought was the direction of town.
After twenty minutes, he saw a single light getting closer to him. A loud engine indicated it was a motorcycle. It had better be Weevil.
The motorcycle came to a stop when it reached Logan. The driver pulled off his helmet and revealed Weevil's smug face. Seething, Logan had to take a deep breath to keep from hitting him. He didn't want to walk all the way home. "Was that your idea of a good plan?" he asked Weevil. He couldn't disguise the glower.
"It worked, didn't it? You convinced them," Weevil said satisfied. "Get on. I'll take you home."
When they pulled up to Logan's house, Weevil parked the bike and pulled off his helmet. Logan got off the bike. Then he turned and slugged Weevil hard across the face. "Okay, I deserve that," Weevil said. Logan hit him again. "Look, I know it didn't go exactly as we planned."
"You set me up. This better be the end of this because if this is an example of you doing what you say you'll do, we're done," Logan said angrily. Then he turned and went in the house, not trusting himself to not hit Weevil again.
Weevil watched him go in with mixed feelings. Logan always managed to piss him off. But he knew that if their positions were reversed, he'd feel the same way.
*****The Next Day*****
Veronica hung up the phone with a pleased smile on her face. Meg finally took her call. Mainly because she'd heard that Veronica had been shot. Veronica wasn't too shameless to play up her injury. She was determined to work things out with Meg. Although she'd made a new friend last year, well two counting Mac, she didn't want to lose Meg. They'd been friends for a long time. Lilly had never liked her too much, but even she couldn't be rude to Meg. She said Meg's complete goodness made her uncomfortable. Veronica had laughed and reminded Lilly that she was a good girl, too. Lilly had given her a knowing look and insisted that Veronica was a bad girl pretending to be good. In her mind, there was a difference. Veronica sometimes wondered if she would have found her inner bad girl if Lilly hadn't died in such a gruesome fashion.
Her doorbell rang. She got up to answer it, expecting it to be Logan. He hadn't called her last night like he normally did, nor had he answered her texts. She was beginning to worry. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Mac. "Hey! This is a nice surprise. Come in," Veronica said, opening the door wider.
"I heard what happened. I was out of town with my parents camping when it happened, or I would've came by sooner," Mac said. "How are you feeling?" She observed Veronica's arm that was still in the sling.
"I'm fine now. This sling will be gone after my check-up tomorrow. I'll have a cool scar. Do you want to see?" Veronica asked, giving Mac a mischevious grin.
"I'll pass but thanks," Mac said with a shy smile.
"Too soon, huh? Maybe after you've known me longer," Veronica teased. "Have a seat. Would you like a coke or water?"
"Sure. Water will be fine," Mac said. "So what happened?"
"You know that the 09ers and PCHers have been at war since Logan got the charges dropped for Felix's murder, right?" Veronica inquired.
"I know things have been tense. Some of my neighbors were venting to my parents before we left. I didn't realize things were getting violent," Mac said.
"Yeah, well, Weevil is a friend of sorts of mine. Or rather we sometimes help each other. He wasn't responsible for this. He was mad to discover that one of his guys shot at Logan's car. When he talked to his guys, he found out that no one meant to actually shoot Logan. They thought we were inside my place," Veronica explained.
"That's insane!" Mac exclaimed. "You could've been killed. Did anyone get arrested?"
"Weevil wouldn't tell us who did it, but he is working with Logan to convince his guys of Logan's innocence so that things will calm down. Then we'll be able to focus on solving Felix's murder," Veronica said.
"Let me know if I can help with that. I could use a summer project," Mac said.
"You're my Q, don't worry. I'll call you if I need some help," Veronica assured her. "So do you want to go grab some lunch?"
"Sure," Mac said.
Veronica got out her phone to text her dad in case he came home at lunch, so he wouldn't worry. They made it to Mac's car when a car horn blared. Veronica looked up to see Dick Casablancas pull up in his monster pick-up truck.
"Yo, Mars Bar!" he yelled out his window. Veronica and Mac turned toward him and waited. He parked his truck and got out. He flashed them a grin. "Wow, Ronnie! You really have moved down low on the totem pole. I thought I'd never find your place."
He noticed Mac. "Hey, Ghost World!" This was the chic with the colorful hair. She reminded him of that chick off Ghost World.
"Her name is Cindy," Veronica corrected with annoyance.
"Most people call me Mac," Mac said with a shy smile.
"Okay, Macalicious. I need to talk to Ronnie for a minute," Dick said with a friendly smile.
Veronica never trusted Dick when he was polite. Her spidey sense was tingling. Something was up. "What's wrong, Dick?" she asked.
"You tell me. What happened to Logan?" Dick asked.
"What do you mean what happened? Is he okay? He hasn't answered my texts or called me," Veronica said in concern.
"Well, I just left his house and someone worked him over pretty good. Since his dad's in the slammer, I figured he got jumped by the PCHers. But he wouldn't tell me," Dick said. "I figure since you're such pals with their Dark Lord, Weevil, you'd know what was the dealio. Whose ass do I need to find and kick?"
Veronica was dismayed and upset at the news. "I don't know anything. I'll go find out," Veronica said grimly. She turned to Mac. "Rain check on lunch? I'm sorry."
"No worries. I hope he's okay. Call me later," Mac said.
"Hey, if you want a lunch date, I'm available. Madison and I broke up. I am now a free man," Dick boasted to Mac. "You're not my type, but I like to try new things." He looked her up and down as if assessing her value. He decided she had definite potential and gave her a flirtatious leer.
Mac curled her lips in disgust. "It's a good thing for me that I don't," she told him. She got into her car and waved goodbye to Veronica.
"So that's a no?" Dick called out as she backed out.
Veronica shook her head at Dick's attempt to pick up Mac. "You're wasting your time, Dick. You are not going to get anywhere with Mac. At least not with those lame pick-up lines you like to use. Smart girls don't respond to them and Mac is smarter than just about everyone," Veronica told him. "I'll go check on Logan. Thanks for telling me."
"No problemo," Dick said. "So how did Logan win you over?"
Veronica walked over to her car and opened the door. Dick didn't think she was going to answer. Then she flashed him an impish grin. "Two words. Hot kisses." Then she got in her car and drove off.
Dick grinned after her. He knew it! "Hot kisses? I can so do that!"
*****Logan's*****
Before Veronica got out of her car at Logan's, she took out her phone and text Weevil. Either he was responsible for Logan's condition or he needed to know. Both scenarios required his immediate presence. Come to Logan's Asap! She didn't know if he'd show, but if he was serious about peace, then he'd come.
Logan eyed her warily when he opened his door. Veronica gasped when she saw his face. He had two black eyes and bruising on his lower jaw. "Why didn't you call me?" she demanded.
"I'm okay. You've been through too much already. I didn't want to upset you," he said. She went into his arms and hugged him tight. He suppressed a wince. Even with one good arm, she was suprisingly strong. "Not so tight. I got thrown down an embankment."
She pulled back and looked at him in dismay. "You what?" she demanded. "Okay, let's sit down, so you can tell me what happened. And for the record, when I don't hear from you, that's when I worry. For once, I'm actually grateful for Dick and his big mouth. He came to see me and told me about your condition."
"That little narc!" Logan complained.
"He's not as dumb as he looks. He knows who has the power in this relationship!" she teased. "So what happened?"
"Let's just say, Weevil has a creative interpretation of the plan he gave us," Logan said grimly. Then he proceeded to tell her all about the events that occurred. He had no inclination to protect Weevil from her wrath, so he relished in telling her every gory detail.
The more she heard, the angrier she got. "Although I know Weevil wouldn't have actually killed you, I can imagine what you thought since you and he aren't exactly pals," she remarked.
"That's an understatement," Logan said. "However, I did punch him twice when we got back to my place."
"For once I approve!" she remarked. "I text him and told him to come here. If he doesn't show, I'm going to track him down and give him a piece of my mind."
"Well, let's just hope it ends up being worth it," Logan said.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? Do you need an icepack?" Veronica asked in concern.
"You can kiss it and make it better," Logan suggested with a grin.
"Now I know you'll be okay," she replied, smiling. "But I think I can accommodate you." She leaned over and kissed his jaw, moving up to place feather like kisses on his eyes and his forehead. Then she moved to his lips. "This is for me," she whispered. She placed her lips over his and kissed him softly.
"I went rolling down an embankment with a hood over my head," Logan reminded her. "I deserve better than that." She smiled and gave him the kiss that he was looking for. After a few minutes of enjoying her kiss, Logan pulled her across him so that she was lying on top of him. Her shoulder gave a slight twinge, but it wasn't enough to make her stop.
Just when Logan was about to reverse their positions, his doorbell rang. Veronica jumped up. "I'll get it," she said. She grabbed her bag just in case. Before she opened the door, she looked through the peephole. It was Weevil. She pulled out her taser and had it ready. The door opened, and before Weevil had a chance to react, she tasered him. "That's for sticking a loaded gun to my boyfriend's head!" she yelled down at his prone figure.
Logan came up behind her in time to see Weevil fall. He bit back the laughter that threatened to choke him. No need to encourage her. One day she may be mad enough to use it on him. As a matter of fact, it's a wonder she never did at one point last year when he was a colosal ass.
"Now, Sugarpuss, you know Weevil can't help his thug-like tendencies. He's from a broken home," Logan said with false cheer.
Weevil looked up at him and flipped him off. But he held up his hand to ward off Veronica in case she took offense. "Calm down, V! Give me a chance to explain before you go all ninja on me," Weevil begged, getting to his feet.
Veronica put her taser back in her bag and eyed him in disgust. "We trusted you! I trusted you!" she exclaimed.
Weevil got to his feet. "I'm sorry. I know that wasn't exactly the plan," he said apologetically.
"Little Logan and I do not accept your apology!" Logan exclaimed with a smirk. He was enjoying seeing Weevil on the receiving end of Veronica's wrath for once.
"Come in and tell me why we should trust you again," Veronica ordered sternly. She turned and walked into the living, expecting both boys to follow.
"I didn't veer that much from the plan. I promised he wouldn't get hurt too much, and he didn't," Weevil said.
"Are you joking? Look at him!" Veronica yelled.
"I am, and all I see are some bruises. There's no broken bones or serious injuries. I had to make it real, V, if it was going to work. None of the boys had a loaded gun. I personally held the gun when it was loaded. They had to believe I was serious, or it would've all been for nothing," Weevil insisted. When the two of them just looked at him without speaking, he got annoyed. "Look, I'm sorry! I don't know what you want from me. You try managing a bunch of hotheaded teenage boys and see how well you do!"
"Oh, I think I'd do just fine!" Veronica boasted, a small smile on her face.
Weevil rolled his eyes. He so wasn't going there. "Look, I didn't think you'd be this mad," he said to Logan, an apologetic note in his voice.
"I thought you were actually going to kill me!" Logan explained, the anger still there.
"Why would you think that? That wasn't the plan," Weevil replied easily.
"Why would I think that? Are you stupid or what? Being knocked unconscious wasn't a part of the plan. Endangering my ability to reproduce wasn't the plan. Nor was holding a loaded gun to my head or throwing me down an embankment! Your kind sure don't take direction well!" Logan said scornfully.
Weevil took a step toward Logan; he was about to wipe his smug look off his face. Veronica stepped between them. "Okay, Logan. There's no need to be so insulting. We got to get past this," she said sternly.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Logan asked. He threw himself down on the couch.
Veronica thought for a minute. "Well, we can use your genuine dislike of each other to our advantage. Publicly, you'll still be adversaries," she advised.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Weevil said grimly.
"Did you find out anything from your boys?" she asked Weevil.
"Well, Hector was there when we interrogated Logan. Next to Felix, he's the one I trust the most. He confessed to me that he didn't know what to think. He never saw Logan kill Felix, but he knows if Logan didn't what the implications are," Weevil shared. "I think he'll be watching the guys closely. If something is off, I think we can count on him to come to me about it."
"Who do you suspect the most?" Veronica asked.
"The guy behind shooting you openly challenged my leadership by going behind my back," Weevil said. "I'm going to see what else the little weasel's been up to."
"You do that. I think we need to find out exactly who all was on that bridge the night Felix died. We got to find that witness," Veronica said.
The three of them looked at one another other in silent contemplation. The witness would know the truth. He was the key to ending the war.
******More To Come*****