Chapter 10: On the tenth day of Christmas, creepy sociopaths gave to me...ten restraining orders and Conner a date with the cute deputy
Thursday, December 23rd
Veronica woke up in the pool house curled up next to Conner. It wasn't as nice as if it had been Logan, but Conner was like a security blanket; just his presence gave her a great deal of comfort. She heard her phone ding and she reached over to pull it off of the nightstand.
Two texts...The first was a picture of Logan holding up a drink carrier full of coffees from Java the Hut. The second was from her mother.
Mom: 'Aaron just arrived. Bring Conner up to the house. Sheriff on his way.'
Veronica groaned and poked Conner. "Action hero boyfriend! Time to get up. Our favorite sheriff's son is on his way with caffeine, and my dad is here."
Conner threw a hand across his eyes. "Don't wanna. Exhausted from family time with the Mackenzies. And eating like a real human for the first time in like two months. Cornbread and chili, Veronica. Cornbread and chili," he said blissfully. "And it had those Hatch chilis, and Natalie made this like lime sour cream. Dairy Veronica! Dairy!"
"Man up, and keep your food fetish to yourself, Conner. Besides, there's no way am I facing Aaron without you...especially with Logan and his dad on their way over. What if I mess up about the Piz stuff? Actually, have you spoken to him since that night?"
Conner sat up slowly. "Yeah, I saw him just before the Vanity Fair shoot. He sends his apologies again, and swears he was very convincing with Aaron. Whatever that means." Conner stretched and then dropped dramatically back onto the bed.
"Well, sleepy-head. As much as I want to hide out here all day, we've got things to do."
Logan followed his dad into the Echolls' large great room. Or maybe ballroom? Logan wondered. He hadn't really been in this part of the house before. There were people everywhere hanging up garland and decorating large fake trees.
"Mrs. Echolls," Keith called while Logan continued to look around for Veronica and Conner.
"Oh, Sheriff, no need for such formality; Lynn is just fine. What do you think? Doesn't it just look like a winter wonderland in here?" she asked cheerfully.
"It does indeed, Lynn. Is Aaron home? I really wanted to share what we've learned with you both," Keith pushed, and then turned a slightly disapproving look at Logan.
Right, time for me to make my exit.
Logan turned to head towards the back of the house as he heard 'Deck the halls with boughs of holly / fa la la la.'
"Sheriff! Lynn didn't get you over here about that letter, did she? I get letters like that all the time." Logan watched as Aaron Echolls—action movie hero, two time Academy Award winner, child abuser—schmoozed with his dad; he really hoped his dad didn't buy it. Logan knew that he should go find Veronica, but standing just twenty feet away from her abuser was setting off sparks of anger alternating with disgust at the fact that there was nothing he could do that wouldn't hurt Veronica's trust in him.
Just as he was regaining control of his temper, he felt a small hand graze his fingers and a larger one clap his back. "Well, Veronica, look what the law dragged in," Conner teased.
"Should we shoot him?" Veronica played along.
"So violent," Logan whispered in her ear, letting his lips drag along the delicate shell, causing her to shudder lightly. Logan pulled back and smiled smugly at her glare and looked up to see his dad waving them over.
Conner pouted. "Okay, you two. Enough of that. Let's get this over with, and then I believe we need to have a chat with Miss Lilly Kane. Or maybe I can just go help Mac with something? I really don't want to deal with Lilly," he complained as they walked across the room to the sheriff and Veronica's parents.
"But you're part of the bait. I think she might let more slip if she's distracted by flirting with you. Not to mention that we don't want to risk pissing her off and having her tell anyone about our little arrangement here," Logan explained.
"After everything, you don't think she—" Veronica stopped speaking, a look of horror on her face.
A voice from across the room distracted him, "What do you mean spending so much time together!?" Logan's eyes swept to their parents to see that Aaron's face had turned quite dark and Lynn looked distressed.
"I just mean, as a fellow parent, I felt like it was my place to be upfront about my concerns regarding how much unsupervised time they've been spending—"
Conner groaned. "I take it you never explained how this works to your dad…" he whispered, leaving Logan to feel like he'd been punched in the stomach. Logan shook his head.
"Veronica, explain immediately!" Aaron's voice boomed across the large room, causing her to jump and everyone to stop what they were doing.
"Aaron, dear, why don't we all go into the family room; this isn't a discussion for in front of the help." Lynn placed a hand on Aaron's forearm which he pulled away as he turned on her. Then he stopped abruptly, a smile growing across his face. It was the same smile that Logan had seen in so many of Aaron's movies. Logan glanced at his father and saw the moment of recognition.
"Goodness, you know what, Lynn? I could really use a glass of water." Keith held out his arm to Lynn in a friendly manner and started leading her out of the room.
Logan and Conner quickly shifted to so that one of them was on either side of Veronica and followed behind them. They arrived in the kitchen seconds after Keith and Lynn and heard Lynn say in a low voice, "Aaron is not privy to much of Veronica's personal life…"
"I'm so sorry, Dad, we should have told you," Logan started to explain.
"I think I need an explanation," Aaron said tightly as he entered the kitchen behind them all.
Logan turned desperately to Veronica and Conner, not sure what the right thing to do was. Logan saw a light in Conner's eyes as he stepped forward.
"Yes, you do, Aaron. And I think I'm the one to give it to you." Conner looked around conspiratorially. "It's rather sensitive. I know Trina would not want this to leave the room. Um...Sheriff, maybe you and Lynn could finish up with the stalker business while I explain everything to Aaron."
Logan could tell his father was uncomfortable with the idea, but he nodded and escorted Lynn out of the room.
"What about my Trina?" Aaron still looked angry, but clearly the deflection was working.
Veronica moved in next to Conner. "She came home yesterday morning and it looked like someone had beat her up. She admitted to me that it was that creepy boyfriend she left in Australia," Veronica said, concern oozing out of her words.
"What does the sheriff's son have to do with this?"
"I have access to background check search engines and stuff through my dad. Veronica and Conner asked me to help. They wanted to know who the guy was before approaching you." Logan stood up straight and realized he was taller and broader than Aaron, which gave him a small amount of confidence. "I actually have the file with me." Logan reached into the messenger bag that was slung across his shoulder.
Aaron accepted the file and began flipping through the pages. "This bastard hurt my little girl?"
Logan swallowed back the bile that was threatening to come up his throat. How can he be so worried about this but not see what he does to Veronica is the same thing?
"Yes, Aaron. And we thought you might have a few words for Mr. Goran. Logan included his current contact information in the file," Conner offered.
"Too right you are, Conner. If you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make." Aaron strode out of the room.
Conner grabbed Logan's arm and pulled him and Veronica along just behind Aaron, who was headed back to the room being decorated. A startled scream turned their attention to where Keith and Lynn were standing.
Sitting on top of a large decorative gift box was a giant pumpkin with Aaron's likeness carved into it in surprisingly intricate detail. Logan was impressed until he saw the large meat cleaver bisecting pumpkin Aaron's forehead.
"Well that's not normal," Keith said; everyone else stood speechless.
Veronica leaned her head back against the headrest while they waited at a red light.
"I think that went well, all things considered," Conner said from the backseat. He was sitting in the middle, and kept popping his head up between Veronica and Logan when he wanted to speak.
"I'm so sorry, Veronica. I had no idea my dad was going to go all crazy-parent on us like that. I guess that after last night I should have realized that he'd say something. He'd agreed a little too easily to me going along with him this morning."
Veronica reached over and took Logan's hand. "At least we had the Trina card to play this time." Veronica took a deep breath. "We need to talk to your dad. I'm just not sure what to say."
"Isn't it obvious? We need to tell him, Veronica. He saw Aaron—the real Aaron—today, even if it was only for a moment." Logan sounded almost excited.
"No, Logan. Do you know what will happen if your dad goes after Aaron? He'll find something on him. And he won't care that it hurts you. In fact, once he figures out what's between us, he'll use you to make me do what he wants and he'll probably do everything he can to hurt you. And with what you've told me about your mom…" Veronica shook her head sadly. "I'm pretty sure it won't be that hard for Aaron to spin that into something really ugly."
"Please, Veronica. He'll understand everything if we explain. Maybe we can get him to agree not to…" Logan turned away and pressed his face to the window, a heavy breath exhaled against the glass. "Who am I kidding? My dad wouldn't stop until he's nailed Aaron to the wall."
The light changed and Veronica continued her route to the Kane Estate. She'd called Lilly earlier and knew she was home and apparently willing to talk...at least after she'd heard that Conner would be with them. "Logan, we'll figure it out. But I don't want you to tell your dad. Just remember it's only two more days. On Saturday, Aaron and my mom are headed to Aspen or Whistler...whatever. They won't be back until shooting resumes after the new year, so we'll have more than a week to figure out what to do next."
"Mac said she'd help with getting my dad to come around, too." Veronica noticed as she pulled up to the security gate that, much to her relief, a small smile had formed on Logan's face.
"Veronica Echolls," she said to the security guard. "Lilly should be expecting us,"
"Yes, Miss Kane is expecting you." The guard glanced into the back seat. "Larkin! Oh man, my lady and I saw Christmas Crossfire last night. You were great!"
"Thanks, man! I'm really glad you liked it. Is your lady a fan?" Conner asked, always ready to engage with fans.
"You know it!"
"I don't have any head shots with me today but if you give me your contact info I'll send you one."
Veronica smiled. Conner was so good with people. Even better than she was. If Logan were dating him, Keith would have loved Conner. She sighed sadly and Logan took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Wow! That would make her year. Thanks so much." The guard shook Conner's hand through the rear window and handed him a business card.
"It's my pleasure." Conner waved as the guard triggered the gate to open, and Veronica gave a small wave, too.
"Is it wrong that I hope that Duncan isn't home?" Conner asked, bending forward to lean between them and search the driveway for cars. "The guy gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, he used to be so different. I spent a lot of time here when we were younger," Logan said, hopping out of the car and jogging around to let Veronica out of the driver's side.
They didn't have time to knock on the door. It swung open to reveal a pinched-looking woman wearing a velour jumpsuit. She felt Logan tense up next to her and sighed, Mrs. Kane, I presume, Veronica smiled. No wonder Lilly is sneaky and conniving when she needs to be, if her role model is a frigid crone.
"Logan, and…friends?" the woman said tightly. "How…lovely."
"No need to lie, Celeste," a voice from within the house called out melodically, "or worry." When Mrs. Kane turned, Veronica saw that Lilly was standing behind her. Veronica almost laughed out loud at the challenging glare Lilly had directed at her mother. "They're here to see me, not corrupt your precious son."
"Oh, Lilly, must we always have such theatrics?" Mrs. Kane sighed dramatically and then turned and walked away.
Lilly winked at her guests. "Oh, I think we must," she called out to her retreating mother. "But if you're nice, I'll ask Veronica to sign your copy of Us Weekly for you that came in the mail today." Then she leaned in to whisper close to Conner's ear, "She just makes it too, too easy to rile her up."
Conner threw Veronica a look that shouted 'help!' but then smiled, playing along. "That's why I'm so happy to be far far away from my prying mother this holiday season. Though, I agree, it's fun to rile her up."
"I instinctively knew that you'd understand me, Conner." Lilly smiled widely. "Tell me, why haven't we gone out yet?" she asked, folding her arm through Conner's and leading him through the house.
"Um...because I'm publicly dating Veronica?" he said speculatively, nodding his head in Veronica's direction apologetically as he was dragged away.
"As if I'd ever let that stop me." Lilly winked at Veronica and waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Logan. When they reached the family room, Lilly spoke to Logan for the first time. "Lo-gan, I heard you stopped by yesterday to interrogate my little brother."
"Yes, and we'd like to talk to you about that, as well," Logan responded. "Is there somewhere we can go that's…" Logan turned his head and looked around, "maybe somewhere a little less...within Celeste's hearing range," he finished.
"Of course," she giggled. "I know you take your investigating very seriously." She grabbed Logan with the arm that wasn't wrapped through Conner and led them outside, leaving Veronica to take up the rear, solo.
Leave it to Lilly Kane to be the first person in history to make the fourth wheel feel left out, Veronica thought. It might be time to stake a claim; Lilly might respect such a move. Veronica reached out, grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him back to walk with her. "I'll take this one, if you don't mind." Veronica met Lilly's gaze when the blonde turned in surprise.
"Well played, Echolls." Lilly nodded approvingly.
Veronica smiled back at Lilly. Indeed, Lilly Kane, she rejoined silently.
It was a sunny winter's day, so it was beautiful outside. Lilly steered them all toward a group of loungers on the far side of the pool. When they were outside and safely far away from the house, Logan began questioning Lilly.
"So, Weevil," Logan started.
"So, Veronica," Lilly countered
"Touché," Logan laughed.
"I can't imagine you'd have a problem with me and Eli because you had your chance—several of them in fact." Lilly smiled and looked him up and down.
"And I have the emotional scars to prove it. Your sex life is no concern of mine, Lilly. I'm far more interested in if your relationship with him means that the two of you are working together to steal money. I noticed that Weevil didn't have you strip down." Logan's tone was matter of fact.
"Eli doesn't like to mix business with pleasure," Lilly cooed. "I can't think of anything that would convince you, so I'm just going to come right out and ask what you want from me."
Logan didn't miss a beat. "I want you to tell me what's going on with Duncan. The guy's like a zombie. When I was over here yesterday...well, let's just say that when Meg is the dominant one in the relationship, something's up."
Seriously, Logan? The girl said absolutely nothing about her and Weevil. Veronica fought to remain silent. She looked over at Lilly and saw that Logan had blindsided her. I guess he knows what he's doing, after all.
"You should have asked him," she responded tightly, her voice harder than Veronica had ever heard before.
"I'm asking you," he countered.
"If I tell you…" She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Listen, I'll tell you if it will convince you that Eli had nothing to do with the taking the poker money," she relented. "But you can't share."
Logan smiled.
Veronica smiled, too. Ah, now we're getting somewhere.
"I'd never tell anyone anything you told me in confidence," Conner said vehemently.
"Me, neither," Veronica vowed.
"Investigator-client privilege," Logan insisted, holding up three fingers like a boy scout.
"Meg's pregnant. Duncan's freaking out. My parents are freaking out. It's as if they can see their perfect, future-nobel-prize-winning son's future flittering away before their eyes," Lilly finished breathily, waving her fingers high above her head dramatically.
To Logan's credit, he remained totally silent; his features gave nothing away. Conner didn't look surprised, or interested, in the least, but Veronica's brain was spinning on overdrive. Duncan and Meg...pregnant.
"Guess they gave all those birth control lectures to the wrong kid," Logan finally said. "It would be almost funny…"
"If it weren't so sad," Lilly finished. "Yeah, I know."
"Well, thank you, Lilly. I don't know what else to say," Logan commiserated.
"It's okay, Lo. There's nothing else to say," she smiled sadly at him.
Another moment passed between them all, and Veronica felt increasingly awkward. Veronica didn't mind that Logan and Lilly shared a connection; Logan, Lilly and Duncan used to be good friends. This must be a shock. "I guess we'll be on our way then," Veronica said. Lilly's gaze flew to her. She'd clearly been lost in her own little world with Logan. Her eyes hardened again as she looked at Veronica more closely, as if sizing her up.
Conner must sensed the tension, because he moved to tuck Veronica under his arm and began walking to the door. But Lilly's last minute change of demeanor gave Veronica pause.
"Actually, hold on," Veronica pulled away from Conner. "I'd like a moment alone with Lilly." She looked over to Logan, "If that's okay with you, that is."
"Of course. We'll just meet you at the car. Thanks, Lil'," Logan replied, squeezing her shoulder before making his way back to the house with Conner.
"Hey, Logan," Lilly called out before he made it more than twenty yards. "Did you check up on Sean?"
"I still need to talk to him. Why?"
"He moved the money box. It was quick, but it happened when I was making drinks and everyone was digging through the pizza boxes. Just a thought," she called out. Logan nodded and gave a half wave before he continued into the house with Conner. When they were out of sight, Lilly turned to Veronica. "Okay, Veronica Echolls, let's hear it." Lilly struck a defensive pose.
"What's going on with you, Lilly? You were nice to me when I was new in school, and you helped me when your friends messed with me. But now—now I don't understand what is going on between us."
"Nothing is going on between us, Veronica," Lilly said, a disinterested expression on her face. Veronica didn't buy it. Lilly was holding back.
"You're just so mercurial. You helped with the poker party, and you're clearly using something against Dick."
That got her attention. "He told you that?"
"He didn't have to," Veronica countered, searching Lilly's face, willing her to give something up.
"What's between Cassidy Casablancas and I, Dick and I, is between us. You have no clue as to the things that kid does...what he's capable of doing, and already has done."
"Lilly, what does that mean?"
"I don't know how much Dick told you, but what it means is that if Dick wants me to keep my mouth shut about his brother's little 'problem', then he has to give me what I need, too. And I don't owe you any explanation, Veronica Echolls."
Wow. I suck at this investigating thing...either that, or I'm really good at it. "You're right, you don't," Veronica finished lamely. "Sorry for bringing it up."
Lilly instantly transformed back to her usual, outwardly peppy, self. "No problem at all."
With that, Veronica left. There was no point in pushing Lilly any further, and she had too much information in her head right now, anyway. She strode purposefully to the house, not stopping until she was back at her car. She clicked the doors unlocked, and, without a word to Conner or Logan, climbed into the driver's seat.
"You okay, babygirl?" Conner asked, placing a hand on her shoulder from the backseat.
"Just...letting all this new information soak in," she said truthfully.
She knew from the look on Logan's face that he knew there was more to the situation, but he just nodded. No doubt he was having trouble absorbing what he'd just heard as well. Once they were on the road and pointed toward Logan's side of town, he picked up his phone and dialed, immediately putting the call on speaker.
"Hey there! Did you make some headway?" Mac answered, sounding eager.
"Hey, Mac, I'm sending Conner back to you and Wallace to do some research. Veronica and I are going to make one more quick stop."
"Oh good, Wallace just arrived. We're at your place, contemplating the bulletin board."
"Perfect, we're going to need as many minds as we can on this."
"Yeah, sure; whatever you need."
"I need you to get me an address for Sean Friedrich."
"His address? Why?"
"Because I want to mail him a Christmas card, Mac," he said teasingly. "You know why—he's the last person we need to visit for this poker case, and I've got a feeling he's our guy.
"I'm just surprised, that's all. That's an unexpected twist. Why would the kid who's dropped off at school in a town car need six thousand dollars?"
"I'll not sure yet, but my gut tells me that he's the missing piece of this puzzle."
"We're on it. I'll have his address before you arrive to drop off Conner. Anything else?"
"Unfortunately, yes. How close are you to breaking into Duncan's computer?"
"I've just got one more thing I haven't been able to get at. I should be able to crack it soon, though."
"Great! Lilly dropped the bomb about Duncan. His behavior….Meg's behavior...he got her pregnant, Mac. I think we can rule Duncan out, but keep working on the laptop just in case."
"Holy hell. That's huge. I will—keep working on the laptop, I mean. See you soon."
"We make a good team Echolls!" Logan said, spinning Veronica in a circle as they reached his front door. They'd just gotten back from Sean's house and were ready to share what they'd learned with the rest of the team.
"Let's try to sneak up on them," Veronica said playfully. Logan quietly opened the door and they tiptoed down the hall. When Logan and Veronica burst through the door into Logan's bedroom, Mac, Wallace and Conner all jumped.
"We did it!" Logan said, obviously proud of himself.
"You're excited that you scared us?" Mac asked, skeptical.
"No, we're really close to solving the case."
"Do tell!" Conner stepped away from the bulletin board and sat down at Logan's desk, giving him his full attention.
Veronica started, "So, after Mac got us Sean's address, we went to his house. We sure were surprised when Sean's dad answered the door. He was wearing a suit."
"I'm not following," Conner said.
"Me neither," Mac spoke up from behind the laptop she was staring at intently.
"Think about it; why would Sean's Friedrich's dad be home in the middle of the day. Why wouldn't he be at work?" she asked.
The wreathed door swung open to reveal a man in a suit.
"Hi, we're here to visit Sean!" Logan said brightly.
The man looked alarmed. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. Sean's not permitted to receive guests at home."
Just then, a voice from inside the house called out, "Mr. Friedrich, who is it?"
Mr. Friedrich gave Logan and Veronica a curt nod and abruptly shut the door.
"So, Mr. Friedrich wasn't home from work during the middle of the day at all...he was already at work," Conner said, catching on.
"And they say you're just a pretty face," Logan made a kissy face at Conner.
"Who says that?" Conner chuckled.
"So, this is it! This is what we've been waiting for," Veronica exclaimed.
"It makes sense," Mac said. "The background check you asked me to run on him came back quite...colorful. It seems that Sean has a bit of a shoplifting problem. He's really bad at it."
"It's strange that my dad never mentioned it," Logan said. "I never saw him down at the station."
Mac pulled up the report again and looked at it closely. "It appears that Sean is smart enough to shoplift outside of the BC. These charges were filed in San Diego and Orange counties."
"Makes sense; it all adds up. Sean's dad is the chauffeur dropping him off at school every day. Sean's poor. Sean shoplifts. Therefore, Sean needs money," Wallace confirmed.
Logan began pacing. "Lilly saw him move the box on the table when she was making drinks. She didn't see him actually open it, but it's enough. He was drinking that cheap beer with the wide-necked bottle. He could have easily slid the roll of money into the bottle. No one would think to look at the trash, and he'd know that the money would just go out with the recycling. He'd just need to pick it up!" I think it's time to rally the masses." Logan smiled. He picked up his phone. "I'll send out a group text. Where should we all meet?"
"I say let's spice up this Echolls family Christmas," Conner said.
"Good idea! Invite them all to my family's Christmas Eve party for a poker rematch in the pool house. We can reveal all. Then we can enjoy the food at the party," she offered.
"Works for me," Logan stated, pulling out his phone to send out a group text. "Wallace and Mac, you can join us this time. After we eat, we can play poker for fun. I doubt anyone will want to stick around after we sell out Sean and collect our cut."
"Sounds fun to me!" Wallace spoke up.
"Mac I guess you can cool it with the laptop. I already pinned the whole thing on Sean," Logan said, tapping Sean's name on the bulletin board. "It's the only thing that makes sense...motive and opportunity. It's open and shut."
"Oh, no, I enjoy a challenge, and this laptop is just that. Duncan's been doing some online shopping...I see eBay," Mac said.
"Oh, boy! Check his eBay history," Conner said, interested. "I bet this whole Captain Dull is a cover for him being a total brony." He snickered at his own joke.
"Brony?" Mac stared at Conner.
"Yeah, you know. A 'My Little Pony' lover who isn't the target demo. Like twenty-two year old dudes dressing up like little cartoon ponies. I totally see Duncan being into the scene."
"Um...okay. Well, so far I'm not seeing any brony-tendencies. But I'll search through his purchases as I work to get past this last level of encryption on this huge file that I haven't been able to crack yet," she said, determined.
"If the reward isn't finding out he's buying weird shit, it just seems tedious. The guy is boring as hell...even when he's drunk." Conner shook his head.
"Not so boring that he didn't get a girl knocked up," Veronica stated plainly.
"I think...I think—shut the front door!" Mac shouted out, causing them all to jump.
Conner moved to sit down next to her, looking concerned. "You okay?"
"Yeah." she waved her arm at him distractedly. "I finally found something interesting. It seems that our pal Duncan has kept a pretty detailed journal on his laptop for quite some time…" Mac trailed off.
"Oh, is that all?" Conner flopped back in disappointment.
"Well that solves one mystery," Mac smiled.
"You mean the case of the guy who's too lazy to handwrite his journal like every normal person?" Veronica snarked.
"No, silly, the reason for all this encryption. Though it will take me a while to hunt through hundreds of pages of documents to find anything useful. We could search for some keywords, I guess...or just start by reading the most recent entries."
"We shouldn't read it at all," Logan protested. "Though if we did a search for the word 'Logan'..."
"No, search for 'Meg'," Veronica called out.
"Are have you all gone mad? Search for 'pregnant'," Conner stated.
"He's written a lot recently, and it's um...detailed." She tapped away on the keyboard some more. "I'm skimming through his latest entries, and it appears that Duncan has some form of epilepsy, and...wow!"
"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Wallace asked.
"Definitely! If we just asked everyone to show up, then they wouldn't have to look in each other's faces and own up to agreeing to participate in the rematch. Not to mention, I have a feeling we wouldn't have very many players, considering what we know about all of them now," Logan said in a hushed tone as they walked into Java the Hut.
"How'd you get everyone to show up here?" Conner asked from behind them.
"That'd be me," Weevil said, joining them. "Pretty boy here promised them I'd consider giving them all their stuff back if they met us. And I may have charmed Lilly a little."
"There they are." Mac pointed to the group of 09ers sitting around one of the larger tables near the back. "Wallace and I will be getting us all drinks. We'll be up front when you're done."
Logan took a deep breath. "You ready for this? They're going to be pissed when they don't actually get their stuff back."
"Let's get it over with, Mars." Weevil smiled and lead the way to the back table.
"Do you think there's a chance he could give me my watch back since he knows it wasn't me?" Conner whispered to Logan.
"I wouldn't hold my breath, Conner," Logan said, moving to the head of the table.
"So good news, bad news, everyone. The good news is that I know who took the money. The bad news is that I know who took the money. And also that Weevil isn't here to give you your stuff back."
"Fuck this bullshit! I'm out of here." Dick shoved back his chair and moved to leave.
"Sit your ass down, Richard," Lilly hissed, "I believe there's more…" Lilly waved her hand.
"Yeah, you can all have your shit back when Logan does his 'great' reveal tomorrow night at the Echolls Christmas Eve party. And then we do a rematch with Mars here taking the thief's place for a rematch." Weevil grinned at them all.
Sean scoffed. "You actually expect me to put up another grand just to get my watch back—"
"Well yeah, Sean, a Rolex Yachtmaster starts at like eight grand, so don't you care more about that than, say, two?" Logan asked, knowing of course that Sean's 'Rolex' actually was a 'Fauxlex' and couldn't have cost more than fifty bucks down at the boardwalk.
"God, Sean, you are so cheap. Just suck it up. What's another grand? That stupid fucking egg better be there tomorrow night, and in the same condition it left my house in," Dick sneered. "Can I leave now, Mistress Lilly?"
Lilly nodded and Dick got up and stalked out. I need to try and figure out what's going on between those two, Logan thought.
"So we'll be seeing the rest of you at my place tomorrow? And if you think about it, anyone who doesn't see this as a great offer is obviously the thief. Kind of a no-brainer, I mean seriously, even Dick got it." Veronica smiled at the rest of the group. "Besides everyone who isn't the thief will get to partake of the great catering at the party."
Logan let Conner lead him and Veronica away from the table to where Weevil had taken a seat next to Lilly.
"Is it weird to anyone else that Duncan didn't say a word that whole time?" Conner asked quietly as they approached Wallace and Mac.
"Weird, yes. Surprising? Not so much anymore," Logan commented. "Let's get out of here. I want to check in with my dad about the Madison/Lamb situation. And then I guess we all need to finish planning the reveal."
Logan walked into the station with Veronica and Conner trailing behind him. He was hoping that they could corner his father for a few minutes. It was imperative that they at least partially explain what was going on between himself, Conner and Veronica. They couldn't risk Aaron learning the truth. Keith needed to be made aware of the fact that Aaron had no knowledge of his daughter's life or comings-and-goings. And it was something that had to be done soon. Logan knew that his father would, despite having seen Aaron's reaction, surely make another attempt at speaking with Veronica's parents if he had an opportunity to. And that couldn't happen, at least not yet.
"Hey, Logan. And friends," Leo D'Amato's familiar voice called.
"Hey, Leo, is my dad around?" Logan asked, his eyes still scanning the bullpen.
"He's around here somewhere. I think he was taking a breather after giving Lamb his pink slip with prejudice." Leo smiled, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
"Huh? Oh, well you know Veronica. And this is—"
"Conner Larkin." Conner held out his hand. "Leo is it?" Conner held the handshake longer than typical.
"Deputy Leo D'Amato," Leo smirked, revealing big dimples.
"I do love to play a man in uniform." Conner winked.
Veronica gently hip checked Conner. "Hey, Leo, I bet Conner would love to hear all about what it's like to be a deputy. You know, research for a future role."
Logan smiled, had he told Veronica about Leo hitting on him? He couldn't remember, but clearly there was a spark between Conner and Leo. And if that freed up some alone time for him and Veronica, he would encourage it.
"Yeah, Leo! Aren't you off soon? Maybe you could entertain Conner for us tonight?" Logan gave Leo an encouraging smile.
"Yes, I am off soon. Um...that'd be cool. Conner, any chance I could talk you into getting coffee and maybe dinner with me?" Leo asked shyly.
"I would love to. Logan, Veronica, are you sure the two of you are fine without me for the evening?" Conner asked, his eyes never leaving Leo.
"I'm sure they'll manage." Keith's voice startled Logan.
"Dad! Just who we were here to see," Logan squeaked.
"Is that so? And what did you want to see me about?" Keith looked suspicious.
"Well, first to see if you'd found out anything more about Dylan Goran, and what the deal was with that creepy pumpkin," Logan said, regaining his confidence.
"Indeed. Why don't you and Veronica come to my office while D'Amato entertains Mr. Larkin?" Keith turned and started walking away.
Logan pressed his hand gently into the small of Veronica's back, feeling her hesitation. "It's fine. We're all in business mode."
"He's right, Veronica," Keith said as they shut the door behind them. "Whatever issues I may have with your relationship with my son, they do not in any way mitigate my concern for you and your family's safety. If anything, it enhances them, since Logan seems to be spending so much time with you. And, while we're on that subject, I want to know why your father—"
"Um...Dad, maybe we could tackle that bear later and just deal with one crisis at a time?" Logan interrupted.
Keith took a deep breath and straightened his back. "One crisis at a time? I'm not loving that phrasing, Son, but yes, let's deal with the stalker issues first. What you shared with me about Goran was correct. And Logan, you, Mac and I will be having a chat about using departmental resources; I had a very interesting conversation with Tony up in San Juan Capistrano earlier. It seems there is a problem with our database access that I was completely unaware of…"
Shit! "Oh, that...well—"
"Later, Logan. I wouldn't want Mac to miss out on all the fun," Keith said. Veronica giggled. "And don't think I didn't figure out that it's you who is so good at mimicking voices, Miss Echolls." Logan took his turn to laugh. "I heard you in the filing room with Logan the other day. If you ever decided to get into voice acting, I bet you'd do very well. Any chance you sing, too?"
"On occasion, Sheriff Mars," Veronica replied contritely.
"Well, for now, let's all keep our talents in the areas they belong. So, on that note, I want to reiterate my previous offer, Veronica; I don't think it's safe in your home at present. Mrs. Fennel and the Mackenzies have made open offers for you to stay with them at any time. It seems that, despite my own reservations, they all seem to like you a great deal." Keith rubbed his chin. "I'm going to trust Logan's judgement until we figure this out, and then I expect an explanation."
Logan swallowed and reached for Veronica's hand. "Okay, Dad. I'll do my best to deserve that trust."
"See that you do. Now, back to Goran and our mystery stalker. Goran did not deliver that pumpkin. But thanks to all the people at the Echolls estate, we do have a description, though it is fairly generic. The security team your parents employ has been beefed up, and I have BC deputies checking in regularly."
Logan let out a sigh of relief; that meant they would eventually catch this weirdo.
"What I do know is that Goran, in addition to the things you discovered he'd been charged with, has several additional complaints against him for stalking and harassment, though nothing seems to have come of them. No charges were ever filed. If he comes near you or anyone in your family, Veronica, I want you to call us immediately. And if he has been unwilling to accept your sister's decision to break contact with him, he may escalate his behavior. Men like this...they can be quite dangerous."
"Okay. Thank you, Sheriff Mars." Veronica squeezed Logan's hand.
Keith looked down at his watch, "All right, kids. I have to go. I have a very important house call to make before I have to head into San Diego. The ADA for the e-string killer case wants to meet with us all for some multi-departmental thing. I'm not sure how late it's going to go, but…" he sighed heavily, "I most likely will have to stay down there tonight. So I expect you to respect the house rules, Logan."
"You got it, Dad. House rules. Complete respect!"
Madison looked down at the text message she had just received and threw her phone at the wall. Lamb had one job! She stomped to her bathroom to sit in front of her magnifying mirror with the tweezers. But before she could start, her bedroom door swung open.
"Is everything okay, Madison? I heard a loud crash."
"Fine, Mom. Everything is fine. I just dropped my phone." Madison pointed to where her phone was on the floor, its case cracked. Madison heard her mother sigh and leave the room.
Finally.
Madison dropped the tweezers back onto the counter and considered her options. It was only a matter of time before the stupid bitch, Veronica, found a way to spread that video—if it existed at all. And now, with Lamb fired, her options for retribution were drying up. She'd even gotten a text from Dick earlier telling her to 'fuck off', so she couldn't use him either.
What she needed was to go shopping; that always made her feel better. She dressed quickly and started down the stairs. "Mom, I'm going out!" she called just before walking out the door, only to come face-to-face with Sheriff Mars. Madison gulped, This can't be good.
"Hello, Madison. Heading somewhere? I think you'd better stay. I need to have a chat about you with your parents," he said sternly.
"Sorry, Sheriff. They aren't home, and I've gotta go. Maybe another time." she smiled falsely.
"Then why were you just yelling to your mother just a moment ago?" he asked, his eyes narrow.
"Um…"
"Madison, who are you talking to?" Mrs. Sinclair came into the entry hall. "Keith! How are you?"
"I'm well, Ellen. Though what I'm here to discuss brings me no pleasure."
"Well, I'd better be going. Tell Logan I said hi!" Madison called cheerfully, trying to get around the sheriff.
Keith chuckled. "Nice try, Madison. Ellen, I think we should all go sit down. Is Charles here?"
"Goodness, Keith, what is this about?" Madison's father asked, coming into the room.
"I'm afraid Madison has gotten herself involved in something quite troubling," Keith said, setting a laptop down on the dining room table.
Madison felt her pulse race, queued up on the screen was an image of her outside Dick's pool house. Guess they weren't bluffing about recording that conversation, after all.
"They recorded me without my permission!"
"I'm not here in my legal capacity, Madison. I'm here because I'm worried about you, and your parents need to see this. Please, Ellen, Charles...have a seat and I think it will become clear." Keith pressed play and Madison paced as she heard every word of a conversation she'd been trying to forget.
"Oh my God! Madison, you drugged someone?" Ellen had tears running down her cheeks.
"Thank you, Keith. I think we need to talk to Madison alone." Her father sounded so disappointed.
"There is one more thing. The deputy she referred to in the video, Don Lamb; I fired him today. It turns out he was engaging in other illegal activities. But the thing that concerns me the most is that it appears that he and your daughter may have been having a physical relationship. I don't have proof of it, but I wanted to make you aware of the possibility," Keith explained as he got up. "If at any point you need copies of any of the information on this recording, just let me know. If Madison can attest to sexual activity with any employee of my department, current or former, I will see them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I'm sorry about all this." He took the laptop and left.
The door had barely closed behind him before her father turned on her. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what this could mean for your future? Not to mention the fact that you don't seem remorseful in the least that you endangered someone like that." Her father's face was red and her mother was silently weeping next to him.
"She's a bitch and was trying to steal my best friend!" Madison defended herself.
"That is no excuse!" her mother finally spoke. "Go to your room, I can't even look at you."
For the first time in a long time, Veronica didn't mind going home knowing Aaron would be there. Aaron was surely busy with the Trina-Dylan Goran situation, and Conner would be along later. And no matter what Aaron's current feelings were in regards to Veronica and Conner dating, he would welcome him with open arms at the Christmas Eve party. Things are looking up, she thought until she turned in the driver's seat and noticed that Logan was tapping his fingers on his knee rhythmically and his leg was bouncing.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "I mean, It's not too late to turn around. You heard my Dad. Even he's worried about you being at your house. And Dad won't be be back tonight so you can spend the night with me and get ready for the party tomorrow at my house. Or at Mac's. And Conner won't be back for a while if he's getting coffee and maybe dinner with Leo."
Veronica nodded and reached out to still his hand. "It'll be fine. Aaron might even be out. My mom is home; Trina is there. No worries, Logan. I'll sleep with Conner if it'll make you feel better—assuming he comes home tonight."
"Wow, it's a shitty state of affairs when my girlfriend sharing a bed with another guy is best-case scenario," he moaned, letting go of her hand to begin tapping it on his leg again while his other hand tugged at his hair.
"Logan, there is no way that Aaron will risk bruising me up before he hosts the party of the year," she said, reaching over to grab his hand again. "It's a huge photo-op. They'll have US Weekly back in the house taking pictures of us getting ready as a family and then a few of the party."
"Oh, I can take you home tonight and you'll be completely safe because your father won't beat you—you need to look nice for him tomorrow." Logan's tone was harsh. "Golly, I feel so much better now," he chirped with false excitement.
Veronica felt guilty. She wished there was a way to reassure him. She'd lived through this for so long that she could usually read the signs pretty well. Sure, she got blindsided from time to time, but it was rare. Swiftly, Veronica pulled over to the curb and shifted her little car into park. She looked over at him and saw his questioning gaze.
She shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute before we get to my place...before things get crazy and my family is involved," she pulled him by the shirt and kissed him lingeringly. She saw him smile as he pulled away and realized that she was smiling, too. "I love you, Logan. I'm being honest here. When I was nervous about being with Aaron, I avoided telling you all together. I'm not worried about it now. Besides, I have to be there tomorrow, but if it would make you feel better maybe we could all get ready at my house?"
At his nod, she shifted the car into gear and drove the last few blocks to her house. She was surprised when they rounded the driveway and she saw several unknown cars, including a bright red sports car. "See? He's here, but so are others. Everything's going to be fine." She reached over and unfastened her seatbelt.
"Hmm, you say that, but I still don't know." Logan looked nervously up at the house's front door.
"I know," she assured him. "I can feel it." She leaned in to kiss him, and when she tried to pull away he kissed her again.
"And you're never wrong?" he raised his eyebrows skeptically.
She shook her head, "Nope!" and then swung her car door open. Logan jumped out quickly and ran around the front of the car and held the door open for her.
"Remember? From the bonfire...chivalry!" He winked.
"My hero," she drawled out, batting her eyelashes at him, happy to see him being playful again.
They made their way into the house to find it empty. Veronica heard some voices out on the back porch. As she and Logan made their way through the family room, Veronica noted that the tiki torches lit up around the backyard. The door swung open, and the housekeeper appeared.
"Hi, Mrs. Navarro. I'm surprised you're still here. Are you cooking dinner tonight?" Veronica asked happily.
Mrs. Navarro threw her a nervous glance, but remained silent.
"What's going on? I saw cars outside. Do we have company?"
"Sí, Miss Veronica. It's just that...well, your father wanted to grill tonight." Veronica couldn't quite gauge the older woman's odd demeanor.
"Should I not go out there?" she asked, groaning inwardly that Logan was here to witness drama after her attempts to reassure him.
At Mrs. Navarro's silence, Veronica pushed past her and out onto the patio. The silky smooth voice of Dean Martin came through the outdoor speakers. Veronica saw her mother sitting nervously at a patio table, a tumbler of scotch in her hand. Veronica first reached Trina, who was standing at the edge of the steps. Trina was nervously chewing on her perfectly manicured nail, which gave Veronica pause. Trina turned and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Veronica and then a look of dread at the sight of Logan. "Trina's what's going on?"
"Oh, Veronica, it's not a good time for Logan to be here," Trina said, worriedly. She gave Veronica a warning glance, but said nothing else.
Please don't let this be another guy that Aaron's trying to pimp me out to, Veronica silently fear for Logan ratcheting up as she took in the look on his face, "Logan, I don't suppose there's any way that you would go back in the house for a minute?" she asked even though she knew it was futile.
"Like hell, I will!" Logan stepped closer, obviously scanning the yard behind her.
Veronica nodded, "Then will you stay here for a second while I talk to Trin—"
"Is that Veronica I hear?" Aaron's excited voice came from the grilling area. Then her father stepped out into the light where Veronica could see him. "You're home! Come say hello to our good friend, Dylan."
The momentary relief Veronica felt that it wasn't someone for her was short lived. This isn't good.
Veronica did as Aaron asked. She walked across the patio with Logan trailing slowly a few feet behind her. She motioned for him to stop and was relieved that he did. She took a few more steps, and, when she got to the line of three barbecue grills, she saw her dad flipping steaks. Aaron's smile lit up his whole face. He held out a long, pronged grilling knife and was waving it to the music like a conductor would a baton.
Oh shit, it's psychotic Aaron. Sadistic charm was literally oozing from his person. "Dylan, here," Aaron swung the knife in Dylan's direction, "has offered me a job. It's interesting. I'd be a junkie hitman with a conscience. And I'd only need to work...maybe three days, tops!"
Veronica stood, frozen in shock and looked over at Dylan, who also suddenly looked hesitant. She'd expected Aaron to make some phone calls...maybe expose Dylan's past publicly so that he'd never work in the industry again, not invite him to dinner. I should have known better...
"Sounds...interesting," Veronica finally responded diplomatically. It was odd to see her father's lunacy directed at someone else. She'd never seen it before, and yet his air was so familiar. She remained stone still, afraid that any sudden move might set him off.
"You know, it sounds a lot like my old man. I feel like I could draw from my experiences with him for this character. He used to beat my mom and then try to drink the demons away. My mom was so embarrassed...always wearing dark glasses around the house and trying to cover up bruises with makeup." Aaron wiped the long knife with a towel and carefully set the cloth down.
Veronica began to retreat slowly, backward, toward the steps to the house where Trina stood. She bumped into a strong body. Logan! whom she hadn't even heard approach. His arms enveloped her protectively and then guided her back farther as they retreated together, their arms tangled together across her chest.
Without warning, Aaron grabbed Dylan's face with his free hand, put his face close Dylan's and said, "You think you can hit my daughter?" His words were cool and calm, and Veronica fought the urge to turn and run.
"Daddy?" Trina whined.
"My daughter!" Aaron bellowed.
Veronica began to shake and Logan picked her up and continued to back up the steps. When they were next to Trina, she felt him release her with one arm, which he then used to grab Trina, still putting more distance between them and Aaron. Veronica looked over to her mom, who merely took a sip from her glass as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Daddy, don't kill him!" Trina shouted.
At her words, Aaron seemed to remember the knife in his hand and dropped it right before he began to pummel Dylan Goran. Aaron punched Dylan until he fell to the ground and then kicked him, only stopping when Dylan no longer tried to get up. Various lawn furniture was broken over the top of the young man, and Veronica flinched with each impact. When Dylan began to moan, Aaron took off his belt. After a few cracks, she could take it no longer.
"Enough," Veronica screamed, turning to bury her face in Logan's shirt.
Her plea, surprisingly, must have broken Aaron from his spell. There was silence for a moment, and Veronica finally turned enough to peek at him from where she stood in Logan's arms.
Aaron was panting and spent. He pulled his hair out of his face and then looked around at the people on the porch, seemingly surprised. "Oh, hey, honey; I didn't know you brought home a guest. Aren't you the sheriff's boy? You found the dirt on this prick?" Aaron kicked Goran in the stomach.
Veronica felt Logan nod to Aaron; obviously Logan was too shocked to speak.
"Well, I don't think we were formally introduced this morning," Aaron smiled. He casually stepped over Dylan's prone form and reached his hand out for Logan to shake. "Aaron Echolls," he said, as if it were like any other introduction. As if normal people beat young men to a bloody pulp and then finished grilling dinner.
Veronica could feel Logan's reluctance, but he eventually did reach out and let Aaron shake his hand. Then, Aaron turned and picked Dylan up by the shirt-collar to standing. "Trina's friend was just leaving; would you mind helping me show him to the door?"
After a moment of silence, Aaron nodded to the limp boy in his hands, encouraging Logan.
Logan gave Veronica a fleeting glance and then looked back at Aaron. "Um...sure, I'd be glad to," Logan finished, letting go of Veronica to sling one of Dylan's arms over his shoulder as Aaron lead them around the side of the house to the driveway.
She checked the mirror, yet again. Everything was perfectly in place. It had to be perfect for tomorrow. It had to be flawless. No, she had to be flawless. And she would be.
The whole plan was brilliant. Impeccable. Infallible, really. The wait staff uniform matched those of the real staff perfectly and she'd been able to add some minor adjustments for her own, personal benefit.
The usually form fitted pants were slightly baggy and had a homemade leather sheath sewn into a pocket so that she could safely carry her ice pick. The pants also flared slightly at the ankle a little more than was fashionable so that she could hide a knife there in case the ice pick didn't cut it or was discovered. The patterned red vest and tie she wore matched everyone else's, however. It was perfect down to the ugly, functional shoes and stupid Santa hat.
She'd wear her hair in two braids just as she'd done when she'd been an extra on his set just over a year before. The set where she'd fallen in love with him, and, despite the fact that he'd only fucked her in his trailer twice, she knew that he'd fallen in love with her, too.
If only he'd answered her calls and given in to his feelings. If he had they could have been together. It didn't need to be like this. It could have been so different—so happy.
But all of that was over. They were beyond that now. She assumed that her little gift had arrived this morning. That should prove to him, once and for all, how serious she was. Maybe now he'd take her seriously. She threw down the US Weekly magazine that she'd been holding which featuring Aaron Echolls and his perfect family.
She'd show them. She'd take down Aaron in his own home in front of hundreds of his doting friends. Then she'd watch him bleed out onto the floor, knowing that his beautiful wife and daughters were watching him die, too.
She looked down at the picture on the cover again from where the magazine lay on the floor. They wouldn't be smiling tomorrow. They wouldn't be smiling for long.
Logan was completely unnerved. He'd made it through the most frightening dinner of his life on a wing and a prayer...okay, maybe that was being overly dramatic. But the forced normalcy of Trina, Lynn, and Veronica while Aaron preened and sought compliments had been painful. Logan couldn't figure out how they all lived under the same roof with that man.
Oh right...they don't. Trina, from what Veronica had told him, hadn't spent much time at home since her early teens when she'd started acting. And Lynn and Veronica had moved to Neptune to get away from him. Even if he hadn't been an abusive fuck, Logan would have understood. Aaron Echolls is the most obnoxious person I've ever met.
Logan stood waiting in the entryway, hoping to avoid any more interactions with the Echollses while Veronica quickly packed a bag for the night. Even she hadn't argued when he'd strongly suggested staying with him again.
"So, Logan, you're still here?" Aaron's voice boomed from down the hall where his suite of rooms was located.
"Oh yeah. Veronica was my ride," he said cautiously.
"I see. And why did she so rudely leave you here to wait?" Logan's jaw tensed; he could feel anger his building but knew that reacting now would be the opposite of helpful.
"Oh, stop giving him a hard time, Daddy!" Trina's voice was the most welcome sound Logan could imagine in that moment.
"Well Treenie, I have to tease him a little, don't I? You don't mind do you, Logan?" Aaron said, his entire demeanor changed.
"Of course not, sir." Sir?
"I want to thank you again, Logan," Trina said. "Dylan was a terrible guy. And what you did...it meant a lot to me." Trina's words seemed simple enough, but Logan knew that she was trying to convey so much more. "I came down for a reason, though. Daddy, Harvey is on the phone."
"Oh, well, thank you." Aaron leaned over and kissed Trina on the top of the head. "I'm glad you could join us for dinner tonight, Logan. Tell your father I said hello," Aaron said before striding out of the room.
"Thank you, really. I know I act...well...Veronica...I'm glad she has you. If you break her heart, you'll regret it more than you can imagine," Trina said, her voice full of conviction, even as she limped away.
Time to blow this joint! Any more heart to hearts with any Echollses not named Veronica may make my head explode.
A few seconds later, Veronica skipped down the stairs, grabbed Logan's hand and dragged him out of the house.
Veronica parked her car in front of Logan's house, took a deep breath and then let it out, releasing all the tension she had built up with it.
"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding far from okay himself.
"Not particularly. But, we survived Aaron Echolls in full psycho mode. What did your dad mean about house rules?"
"No clue. He's never discussed any with me. So, I took that to mean it was at my discretion." Logan smiled brightly.
Veronica couldn't help but smile also. "Well in that case, I am in need of some serious stress releasing." She fluttered her eyelashes at Logan and got out of the car.
She heard Logan scrambling behind her, and over her shoulder, saw that he had her overnight bag in his hand as he jogged to catch up to her. At the door, Veronica turned to Logan. "I don't want to think about him once tonight. Do you think you can help me with that?"
Rather than speak, Logan captured her lips. He placed a series of soft kisses across her lips as he shifted their positions. Somewhere in the background, Veronica could hear the jangle of keys and felt the door give way behind her. She let Logan direct her backward into the house, where he unceremoniously dropped her bag and pulled her into his arms.
Veronica moaned as Logan spun them and pushed her against the door, his nimble fingers turning the lock then moving back to Veronica's bare thighs where his hand slid upward. His hands cupped her ass, lifting her up, and a different kind of tension began building inside of her. Logan kissed down her neck, finding all her favorite spots as he moved to tease his fingers along the edge of her boyshorts at her center. He moved back to her lips and kissed her deeply as he pushed the fabric away and slid a finger into her, his thumb moving to her clit. Veronica let her head fall back against the door and focused on the feeling of Logan's hand.
"Baby, let go," he whispered in her ear as he pressed a second finger inside of her and felt her anxiety melt away with her orgasm. She felt boneless and heavy in Logan's arms, but she couldn't seem to get her brain to communicate with the rest of her body as he slowly worked her down. Veronica was vaguely aware that they were moving but didn't fully comprehend anything in particular until Logan sat on his bed with her still in his arms.
"Do you want to try to get some sleep?" he asked softly, his lips brushing against her ear.
Veronica sat up, her limbs still felt like jelly, but she managed to remove her shirt. Logan eyes darkened with promise where moments earlier there had been only softness. Veronica grinned. "Not yet."