Author's Note 1: Happy New Year, everyone! I'm sorry for the lateness. My mother was hospitalized twice last year, and I've been very busy. I was a Backer for the Veronica Mars Movie, until something happened and I wasn't anymore. I was so sad because I was no longer a Backer, but we're getting the movie anyway, so I guess there's that to be thankful. I can't wait for the movie!

Author's Note 2: This is a HUGE chapter - probably around 55 pages and around 18,000 words. Massive thanks to my beta Layoung13 who is so patient with me! And humongous thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story. Writers get their strength and energy from feedbacks and reviews, so I humbly ask for yours. Even if you only write short review/feedback, I don't mind. I won't get upset if I don't get any feedback. I am happy enough that you've taken your time to read this and following this story. But it would give me tremendous boost of energy because I worked hard for this and I will definitely update quickly. Either way, thanks for reading this!

Flashback,

Cabin In The Middle of Nowhere II, 2013

"We're here." Boris announced. The sun was already set when they arrived at the area. They parked their cars near the muddy road, and they could see a dark SUV parked in front of the cabin. They turned off the ignition and the car lights and waited. "What's the plan?" Boris asked as he put away the tracker device.

Gorya shook his head, "Save Veronica. Kill the bastard."

"Good plan. Excellent plan. Amazing plan. Greatest plan of all. Why didn't I think about that? And how do we propose of doing this? If we're coming in gung-ho style, he could hurt her."

Gorya pulled out his gun and checked its magazine. "Take the others to surround the cabin. Check the windows, assume the position, and I'll come through the front door." Before Boris could protest, Gorya nodded to the cabin. "It's dark. The cabin is dark too. Maybe they're sleeping, so I need the element of surprise before he could hurt her. Okay?"

"Boss…"

"Just do it, Boris."

Gorya climbed out from the car, and closed the door slowly. Several bodyguards from the car behind followed suit. Gorya signed them to follow Boris while he walked towards the cabin. He could see from the shadows of the woods that his bodyguards were running without sounds to the cabin. Gorya looked up, saw the dark trees, and heard the sounds of leaves rustling. He counted the steps quietly; saw there were several flowerpots on the stony path. From outside, the cabin looked very nice. It was a comfortable place to spend a holiday in a place near the lake.

Gorya stood on the porch without a sound. He could see from the window that inside of the cabin was gloomy and there was no movement whatsoever. He was beginning to doubt whether Veronica was in this cabin – but the tracking device lead them here. He exhaled quietly and pulled out his gun. He didn't bother to put a silencer. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Boris approached him with his gun too.

He widened his eyes and signaled Boris to go away. Boris shook his head and gave him a look.

They stood side by side in front of the door, guns in their hand, ready to get in.

Boris was a huge man and really strong. And he was also very loyal to his boss slash friend Gorya, so he wouldn't let anything bad happen to him even when he was always impulsive. Boris kicked the door several times until it opened and charged inside. Both of them pointed their guns inside the dark cabin – they could hear the others were yelling something about the place was clear. After their eyes adjusted the dark room, they could see that the cabin was trashed.

They could see broken glasses and some of the furniture overturned. The only 'normal' thing in the room was the ceiling fan spinning quietly.

Boris saw a body near the fireplace. A pool of blood was underneath the body. Before Gorya could move, Boris put his hand on his chest to prevent him running towards the body. Gorya was going to run anyway, when other bodyguards already walked in and grabbed him. "Veronica?!"

Boris squatted and checked the body. It was a man. He was already dead, and there was a letter opener stuck on his neck. He looked up and shook his head to Gorya. "Not her."

Gorya exhaled in relief and the bodyguards let him go. He put his gun back inside his jacket and looked around, "Where is she?"

One of the bodyguards, Yegor, pointed the window in the corner of the cabin. "Over there."

They didn't see her at first, because it seemed like she was blending into the background. Then they could see her blonde hair and her silhouette in the dark; she was sitting with her back against the wall, her knees under her chin, and she was asleep. Gorya was in front of her in a second – and he was on his haunch disregarding all the bloods around them.

"Veronica…?"

He held her shoulders and tried to wake her up. She had her eyes closed and her hair was messy and sticky with blood. Her body covered with blood and bruises. She had dried tears and blood on her cheeks; her lips were chapped like she hadn't had any fluid for a day. Gorya brushed some hair from her face and her eyes fluttered open.

"Logan…?" She rasped. Veronica opened her eyes, but her eyes looked hazy and it seemed like she didn't realize what happened. "Where's my dad…?"

"Veronica. It's me." Gorya whispered. He held her upper arms carefully, just in case she was hurt.

She looked at him directly, but it was obvious that her look was empty. "Don….." She whispered and tears fell down to her cheek. "Is that you?"

Gorya bit the inside of his cheek and softly said, "It's me. It's Gory." He touched her cheek and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "You pressed the watch, remember? And I'm here. I'm here, Veronica."

She opened her mouth and looked at him. Really looked at him, and she choked. "Gory?" Her voice was so tiny; he almost couldn't hear her. "Gory…"

"Shhh… It's okay, you're okay. You're safe."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and Gorya's heart couldn't take it. "Help me… Gory, please help me." Veronica reached for him with blood all over her. Her eyes looked empty as if she didn't realize what happened to her.

"It's okay, baby... It's okay… I am here." Gorya whispered to her as he picked her up from the bloody floor. She cried and wrapped her bloody arms around his neck. She was very light like a feather and he didn't have a problem carrying her in his arms. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again while sniffling and she tightened her arms around his neck. Yegor grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her, covering her almost naked body. Gorya carried her to the door.

She made a mistake of looking back and saw Boris was squatting next to Mercer's body, and the memories rushed back to her head, and she started to shake violently. "Mercer… Mercer… Mercer…" She said his name over and over again. "I didn't mean to… He's okay, right?" Gorya didn't answer but he hurriedly carried her outside, towards his car. Veronica cried on his shoulder, "Mercer…!"

Gorya didn't understand why she was crying over a dead rapist – then realized that she was in shock. She probably killed Mercer in self-defense, and it made her shock to the core. He held her more tightly and walked hurriedly to the car while Veronica was sobbing. Yegor followed them, while Boris and few others stayed in the cabin.

Veronica felt like déjà vu; a few years back Don carried her out from a cabin in a similar situation. Why does history always repeat itself? This time it wasn't Don who carried her away from the cabin. It was Gorya, a friend of hers, who managed to find her in the middle of nowhere. And right now, she felt grateful that he was there for her. She tightened her embrace, and whispered. "Don't let go…"

Gorya looked at her, and he pressed his forehead to hers while Yegor opened the car's door. "I won't." He whispered to her. "I will never let you go."

He deposited her to the backseat of his car and covered her with a blanket. His SUV had leather seats, and right now, they were covered with blood. He may have to bleach everything or change the interior or buy a new car altogether. Gorya used his jacket as a pillow for her head, as she lay down in the backseat, shivering. "I'm cold…"

Gorya turned to Yegor, "Give me your jacket." His bodyguard obeyed and gave him his jacket. Yegor was a small man but still bigger than Veronica, so his jacket would fit her. Gorya put the jacket on her and tried to keep her warm. "We're going to the hospital and call your father, okay? Let him know that you're safe."

He was surprised when Veronica grabbed his arm and whispered in panic, "No… no… no, please… no hospital. I'm okay, I'm okay… I'm not hurt."

"Veronica, you have so many bruises… and blood. We need to go to the hospital and check whether there are…"

"NO! Please, no hospital." Her face fell and she choked a sob. "And please don't call my dad," Her tears fell again, and Gorya almost lost his emotion. "Please, Gory… Don't call him. I don't want him to know."

"Veronica, you've been gone for a day and everyone is looking for you. I think the best thing is to call your dad and you will be home soon."

Veronica cried on the verge of hysteria. She tried so hard to compose her emotions. She didn't want to be a victim anymore. If she lost it, Mercer would win. She wrapped her arms around Gorya's neck and hugged him so tight, he almost couldn't breathe. Yegor looked away awkwardly, but still maintained his stance. Gorya soothed her hair while she sobbed in his arms. "No… I can't… I can't let him know that I… Please I'm begging you… Gory… please…"

Gorya closed his eyes and breathed evenly in her hair. Veronica was holding him so tight; to tell the truth, he didn't want to let her go. "Okay… okay, baby… What do you want? Tell me. Tell me what you want me to do." He kissed her head and murmured something to calm her down.

She let him go slowly. Gorya stared at her beautiful teary and bruised face and somehow he decided if she asked for a moon or his left pinky or his heart, he would give it to her right away, no questions asked.

Veronica looked at him and whispered, "Get rid of everything."

Present,

The Titan Tower, 2016

Logan looked up at the tall building right in the middle of the city. He shook his head; it was like seeing a giant penis erected in the center of the town. This was supposed to be a small town; yet after a decade, it became a witness to corruption and power. Jake Kane really had done it, Logan thought bitterly. The rich were getting richer.

This morning he received a call from Casey Gant, the CEO of Gant Publishing Company. He demanded a meeting with Logan at his office located in The Titan Tower. He knew Casey would not stop bothering him if he said no, so he agreed to meet today.

Logan looked up again and just wanted to hurl. He then looked around in front of the building before he entered the lobby; a giant statue of King Triton with his trident was placed on top of a fountain. Logan thought Jake Kane must have something to prove or to compensate for something. He sighed and nodded to the valet who gave him a token.

The lobby was huge. Logan approached the receptionist to check himself. "I have a meeting with Casey Gant. My name is Echolls."

The receptionist typed something on the computer and smiled. "Please take elevator number four, Mr. Echolls, and go to 13th floor. I already informed Mr. Gant's office." Logan thanked the receptionist and looked for the elevators.

As he entered the elevator, someone said hurriedly, "Hold the elevator!" Logan held the door for the person to walk in. "Thanks buddy. Ten please." Logan nodded and pressed the number 10, glanced to the name of the floor he just pushed: "VUTOZA KAVIAR."

Caviar, hmm… Logan thought. He knew the brand. He didn't know that the company office was in this building. He then read the names of the companies on the elevator buttons; he recognized Gant Publishing Company, and then several high top companies – and then on the top, on the highest floor of the building:

KANE SOFTWARE

For a second his finger traced the largest button on the panel. He wanted to push it and maybe…

"You need a special card for that."

Logan's hand retracted and he looked beside him. The man was texting someone from his phone. "Pardon?"

"If you wanna go to the top floor and meet the king." He looked up and pointed at the panel. "Kane Software is restricted for public."

"I thought his company went public?"

"Technically. But that's not how the world works." He chuckled at Logan, who was slightly taller than he was. "The firms and companies in this building usually are just the front office or head office. They mostly have their own buildings. Kane Software – the real Kane Software is few blocks from here, but still in the area. I work in this building but I hardly met the man. I think he has his own elevator, or might use a helicopter to work."

Logan raised his eyebrow to the chatty man. "Is that so?"

"I know so." He grinned. "Domonick Desante." He offered his hand. "Don't tell me that you're going to apply for a job there."

Logan smiled and shook his hand. "No, I don't think that's a good idea." Domonick smiled, and Logan noticed that he looked like a weasel. "Logan Echolls."

"I know who you are. War hero slash movie director." Logan noticed there was a mock undertone from him. The elevator door was open on Domonick's floor, and he saluted Logan. "Well, in this building, everyone is Jake Kane's subjects." He walked out from the elevator. Logan didn't say anything when the door closes again.

Neptune High

Veronica parked her car near the campus. She turned off the ignition and sighed as she looked at the building. Never in a million years would she think that she would be in this place again – she thought she left high school behind a decade ago. If she didn't want to help Darrell, she wouldn't be in this place. Neptune High was a hell pit – especially after Lilly's death. Then it became worse and worse after all that happened with Cassidy. Many students didn't live to see their graduation –or ran away from the law with their love child.

Veronica narrowed her eyes towards the entrance. Many workers were coming in and out cleaning the building. She saw someone she knew at the entrance and decided to meet him.

Principal Clemmons noticed her Porsche in the parking lot near the quad, but he didn't recognize the driver at first, not until she climbed out from the expensive car and her blonde hair was visible; he pursed his lips in preparation.

"Veronica Mars. As I live and breathe." Principal Clemmons greeted her. "It's been a while."

Veronica smiled and shook her former principal's hand. "I can't get away from this place, apparently." She then added, "It's Sorokin now, by the way."

Principal Clemmons nodded. "Ah yes, my apology Mrs. Sorokin."

"Just… Veronica would suffice." She cleared her throat.

"Veronica." He nodded. "Just like old times." He looked at her and tried not to look suspicious. "What are you doing here? I can assume this is not a trip down a memory lane?"

"I am here for unofficial business." She answered lightly. "Nice decoration, by the way." She pointed to the messy hallway where the painters and workers were painting and cleaning the school. "The color is nice. Really brings out your eyes." She shrugged, "Personally I don't really care for green, but what can you say – it's the official school color."

"May I ask what you are doing here, Veronica?" Principal Clemmons was ignoring her sarcasm. Ten years later, and she still had a sharp tongue.

"Oh, you know. I had an urge to see the place where I spent four years of my life being an outcast, being treated as a leper, and watching the kids of America become symbols of corruption and nepotism." She smirked when Principal Clemmons glared at her.

"Nice that you still have wit."

"As much that I love talking about the past, I am here to check out things… namely the infamous prank. Saw it on TV and thought, 'Hey that's my old school where I got my education and lost my scholarship. I wonder what is going on nowadays - students running amok, shooting paintballs, and paint bombing the school. Someone must hate school very much – or very artsy-fartsy.'"

"I doubt there's a future Banksy amongst the students." Principal Clemmons deadpanned.

"I doubt that whoever did this knows anything about neo-urban arts." Veronica made a retort. Both former student and principal looked at each other, until he started to sigh and she smirked widely. "I really like our decade long banter, sir. But I am here to help someone."

"Of course you are." He said softly. "How can I help you, Veronica?"

"Starting with the prank, then the cancellation of our reunion party, and finally the whole Cassidy poster thing – what can you tell me about it?"

"It all started a few weeks ago when someone changed the keys for the lockers so students couldn't open them, then the gym was TP'ed, then the sprinklers were turned on during a test…."

"Sprinklers again?"

"My guess is that they were trying to experiment first using the sprinklers." He grimaced. "The next sprinkler prank happened when I was at the gym with Ms. Madison Sinclair. You remember her?"

"I try not to."

"We were talking about the reunion event; she was the party coordinator. It was supposed to be at the gym. Next thing you know, the sprinklers were turned on, and we were green."

"Not everyone can turn on the sprinklers."

"Right; the sprinklers are set automatically when there's a fire or when someone tinkers with the setting."

"Cops already checked the sprinklers?"

"Darrell did." He looked at Veronica. "He's a smart boy. But he found nothing, except…"

"Except…?"

Principal Clemmons looked at the short blonde in front of him. She looked different and yet looked the same. There was a telltale of aging and he could see some hardness in her features. But she still looked like the short blonde teenager who found the mascot from Pan High. Her tenacity of finding clues and solving cases were well known amongst her school peers. She had a few of the teachers fired like that sleaze Mr. Rooks, that thief Mrs. Hauser, or that cult teacher…whose name escaped him at the moment. She also made several enemies amongst the students when she tried to solve Lilly Kane's murder. And she made several unusual allies such as the PCH-ers… and Logan Echolls. That was one relationship he could never understand; she and Logan Echolls were the stuff of legend - daughter of the former sheriff and the son of the actor who murdered Lilly Kane. Her determination to solve cases was legendary.

Therefore, against his better judgment, he decided to tell her.

"Have you ever heard about The Tritons?"

Veronica's eyes widened.

Sorokin Mansion

Gorya got out of the bathroom after taking his second shower this morning. He didn't plan a morning quickie with his wife, but it felt good. He had his towel wrapped around his waist as he opened the cabinet to find some painkillers. His bruises were visible around his face and body; they had yellow and blue-ish marks. His cheeks were puffy and tender; he had to stop himself touching them. He looked at his hands that covered with bruises. Veronica tended his wound last night and this morning he removed the gauze. His fight with Liam was brutal; he was so lucky that he walked out from the fight with minimal bruises. He guessed because he used to fight on the street when he was a teenager.

Street smart and book smart; those were Gorya's traits. Not to mention cold and calculated. Gorya could look someone in the eyes, and they would step away in fear.

Veronica was the only one who treated him differently – she treated him like a human being and not a monster. And to think that he almost lost her….

Veronica took a quick shower again and then left for work. Gorya took longer than she did because he didn't feel like going to the office and meeting Roman there. Besides, his body still ached. He needed to find some painkillers. He took some last night, but he thinks he needs to see a doctor. Preferably without Veronica knowing because he didn't want to worry her.

Gorya rummaged the cabinet looking for some painkillers. He saw an orange bottle that belonged to Veronica but decided to ignore it. He knew what was inside, and he didn't want to look at it. When he didn't find the painkillers, he moved to other drawers. As he searched, he found something that made him pause.

Gorya stared at the dialpak on his hand.

His wife had been taking birth control pills.

Gorya remembered that they just had a quickie this morning. He didn't wear a condom, but he knew that he would not impregnate her. The doctors already confirmed that they would have difficulties having children. At least he wanted the option open…

He felt sad that Veronica was still using birth control pills to make sure she couldn't get pregnant.

It was true that they never actually talked about having a baby, but surely, she knew that he wanted a baby. He gave her so many hints and talked about children in passing, but she always managed to change the subject. He wanted to have some sort of security that she would never leave him. Even after all these years, Gorya had nightmares that his wife would leave him….especially after what he did to her family. He couldn't afford to lose her after what they had been through. Gorya had been asking around about fertility treatments. Plenty of couples couldn't have children at first but science and medicines nowadays changed so fast, he thought they would be able to have a baby.

Gorya put the dialpak back inside the drawer and covered it with other things.

He didn't want to think about this now. Sooner or later, they would need to discuss this.

Sorokin Mansion (Lev Sorokin's House)

"Wow."

Ryan's mouth was open when he walked into the huge foyer with Darrell and Dax. Dax seemed uncomfortable with his wealth as he walked beside them with his shoulders slouched and his head down. Darrell looked at him weirdly – rich people were weird. Most 09ers were usually snobbish and would proudly display their wealth. At school, every 09er had no qualms of showing off. Apparently, Dax was a bit different.

"Yeah… well, welcome." Dax waved his hand.

"Dude, you have an awesome crib." Ryan said in an over excited tone; Darrel just shook his head at him to be quiet.

"It's my dad's, not mine." Dax shrugged. "Anyway, you said that you wanna interview me or something for the school magazine?"

Darrell and Ryan looked at each other briefly and then smiled. "Can we go someplace so we can interview you?" Darrel asked as he pulled out his camera from his bag pack.

"Err, sure. My room?"

They walked past a fireplace when a huge painting of a blonde woman above the mantle caught their eyes. "Whoa…. She's beautiful." Ryan made a comment.

Dax smiled and said, "My late sister, Valentina."

"Oh, sorry man."

"That's okay, you didn't know. I didn't know her well either. She died a few years back."

"How did she die?"

"She hung herself."

Ryan shut his mouth immediately and stood there awkwardly but Dax didn't seem to realize the awkwardness. Darrell shook his head again and looked at Ryan in disbelief. Ryan shrugged sheepishly as they climbed to the second floor to Dax's room.

Sheriff Department

Keith walked into the office with Backup, who immediately jumped onto a seat in the corner. Backup put his head down and closed his eyes – the morning exercise made him tired, especially after he met his favorite human, the man who used to come over to the old apartment and fed him bacon, even when his mistress always forbid him. Backup remembered one night that he carried the mistress home and they were sitting on the couch years ago...

Flashback,

Mars Apartment, 2006

Veronica was sleeping on Logan's lap for a while and then he put her in her bedroom. His favorite human then slept on the couch, holding the red pillow that Backup occasionally chewed. He slept uncomfortably because he had long legs. Backup even jumped onto the couch and snuggled next to him. It was in the middle of the night when his master Keith Mars got back and saw them snuggled.

Keith paused, and Backup welcomed him by wagging his tail.

He even asked, "Traitor. You didn't attack him?" Backup knew that his master didn't like his favorite human, so he only tilted his head. Keith shook his head. "You know I can't resist the head tilting." He then went to check up on his daughter before he went to his own room to sleep.

In the morning when Backup's favorite human cooked breakfast, there was a commotion and with crying and hugging. His favorite human then walked out from the apartment, and Backup never saw him again, until this morning.

Present,

Sheriff Department, 2016

Backup was snoring on the couch and Keith looked at him annoyed but didn't say anything as he was signing some papers on his desk. Leo knocked on the doorframe and was about to say something when he caught Backup snoring.

"You brought the old boy?"

"I have to; Alicia is baby-sitting Theodore at Wallace's house. I'm stuck with this drool bag."

"What are you going to do with the tool bag in the drunk tank?"

Keith groaned. "Damn, I forgot about Liam Fitzpatrick. Did he ask for an attorney?"

"No. He knows we got nothing except that he spit on Deputy Jamal."

"How's Jamal?"

"He's fine." Leo shrugged. "You know, I can always go to that Paintball Game near the boardwalk and look for some information."

"Leo…"

"Come on. Kids go there and maybe we can find some of those who shot you."

Keith pursed his mouth sideways and exhaled loudly. "Okay, fine." Leo shook his fist happily. "But remember; you're for an official reason."

"Pshaw, of course." Leo almost giddy because he was able to do some investigating and playing at the same time. "I'll win that stuffed bear you always wanted, Sheriff!" He pointed to Keith and winked.

"Get out from here!"

Leo laughed and walked out from the room. Keith shook his head and signed some papers when Leo popped his head back on. "The dog needs to lose some weight. He's fat."

"He's not fat!" Keith threw a pencil at him but Leo already closed the door. Keith looked at Backup who woke up and stared at him. "You're not fat. You're just… big bone. Blame my wife for spoiling you." Backup yawned. "Although you really need to cut out the bacon." Backup lifted his head and growled. "Ugh, you need more exercise. Come on, boy."

Orion Suite

Mac opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She didn't feel like going to the office today. She was feeling horrible – her phone wouldn't stop ringing, she had to turn it off.

Ten calls from her parents – nine she ignored, until she answered and they bombarded her with many questions about Logan Echolls. Her mom was asking whether it was true that she and Logan were together, and she had to convince both of them that it wasn't true. It was no use because Natalie insisted that she should come to family dinner – with Logan. Mac almost screamed when she said that she didn't have any romantic relationship with Logan.

Other calls were from Oliver, some reporters, and possibly Mark Zuckerberg who left her many messages and asked her whether she was dating Logan Echolls. She didn't return their calls.

Mac saw gossip channels on TV yesterday. They aired a video of her and Logan holding hands in front of her building as they tried to avoid the paparazzi. Her twitter and Neptune Connection feeds filled with almost three thousand messages and tweets. She received hundreds of text messages and emails asking her about her relationship with Logan Echolls.

Logan. Fucking. Echolls.

Mac sat on her bed and turned on her TV. Big mistake. The headline from the local news channel was screaming "AARON ECHOLLS' SON IS DATING INTERNET MOGUL CINDY MACKENZIE: DO WE HEAR WEDDING BELLS?'

"What the fuck? FUCKING REALLY?!" Mac threw the remote control to the floor and pulled the blanket on top of her head. When the bell door started ringing, she groaned hard. She already told the concierge and security door not to allowed strangers to her apartment. The only people who could come in were Dick Casablancas, her parents, and well, Logan. Dick had a key so he could barge in – but maybe he was ringing the doorbell to be polite.

Mac stood up and walked lazily towards her living room. She was wearing a short kimono and her hair was a mess. She had bunny slippers on and hoped that Dick would bring her a strong Irish coffee or something…. maybe some bagels. Dick was always dependable – at least whenever he wanted to be.

She opened the door and froze to see the person who stood on her doorstep.

A tall man stood there carried a box of donuts. He looked at her and smiled. "Hey…" Mac slammed the door closed, but before the door actually closed, he caught it with his foot. "Cindy…"

"Get out." She walked back to her living room and picked up her landline. "Before anyone sees you. Do you want me to call the security? How the hell did you get in?"

He sighed and closed the door, walked to the kitchen and put the box on the kitchen counter. He knew his way around, and Mac didn't like that one bit. "I'm here because I'm worried." He said quietly. "I saw the news."

"As you can see – I am spectacular. Now, go."

He walked towards Mac, and she bristled. She didn't have feelings for him… it was just a fling between them. Occasionally they would hook up but never actually became serious. Mac liked it that way. It was wrong, she knew it, but she couldn't help it. She was an adult, and she didn't hurt anyone. They were two consenting adults doing what adults do when they were feeling lonely. Nevertheless, it seemed he wanted more. "Cindy, tell me it's not true that you're with Echolls."

Mac looked up to him. She raised her eyebrow apprehensively. She never liked him but…. Sometimes you'd do crazy things when you were feeling lonely. Mac was never a popular girl back then, and she was not feeling popular or desirable now. She dated many men after college – most of them carried the same traits like… Cassidy. Quiet, nerdy, held many secrets….

She dated Max on and off during college. However, in the end, she decided Max wasn't the one for her – he kept doing the same thing over and over again. Right now, he was running from the law and probably frolicking around in Barcelona. She dated Bronson again after college – trying to rekindle the flame they had during their first year of college. But Bronson was an environment activist, and last time she heard, Bronson moved to Juneau, Alaska. The funny thing was, he forgot to tell her that he moved to Alaska until he was there, so they broke up through emails.

Dick was the one who was there for her. Someone she could depend on, but she only thought of him as a friend. Dick was very close with everyone, and he would do anything for everyone. Totally different from what he was during high school when he was a full-fledged jackass. She guessed when you lost someone in your life, especially when that someone was a mass murderer, it could change your perspective.

"I'm with Logan."

He stopped in his track and studied her face. Then he laughed. "No, you're not!"

Mac opened her mouth in disbelief. "Yes, I am!"

"Cindy, I know you. You hate attention. Dating Logan? That boy is a scandal magnet."

"He's not a boy."

"You're not his type."

Mac's eyes widened and she wanted to slap this snob son of a bitch. She growled, "Get the fuck out of my apartment, Daniel." She added angrily, "Lamb. You don't deserve first name basis."

Dan Lamb raised his hands in defeat but he still had the smirk plastered on his face. "Cindy, I like you. More than that actually, but you're just so stubborn." He pinched her nose, and Mac swatted his hand in fury. "We're both exactly the same. We have brilliant minds. We're smart. We're…"

"Not interested." Mac pushed him towards the door. "And you're married."

"Was married, Cindy."

"I don't care. It was a mistake to get involved with you." Mac shook her head. "And you're Don Lamb's brother. What would people say?!"

"You didn't seem to mind when we hooked up after my brother's funeral." This time his voice was hard, but his smile never left his handsome face.

Mac looked at him and shook her head. "You have got to be kidding me. Are you really going to throw that in my face?"

Dan sighed and shook his head. "Of course not…I like you too much for that."

"Out."

He sighed again and he pointed a finger to her. "Someday…"

"Never."

Mac meant it. She would never be with this man ever again. It was a fling back then, a moment of insanity, she was lonely, and he was there. There was no way she would let anyone know about this. Her friends and family would have cardiac arrest together and she'd probably jump from a bridge to erase her shame.

Dan didn't say anything. Only shook his head again and walked out of her apartment. She locked the door immediately and exhaled loudly. She walked inside her bedroom and noticed the TV was still on. She looked at Logan's handsome face and felt a tug on her heartstring. She needed to get rid of her crush on Logan. Because she didn't need this kind of drama; she needed normal.

Titan Tower (Gant Publishing Company)

"This is the worst fucking story I've ever read."

Casey Gant, a handsome and tall man who was sitting behind an immense oak desk, slammed down a thick script. Logan only raised his eyebrow. He was in Casey's office less than a minute before he realized that Casey was furious.

"You know, you could have told me that over the phone and saved me this trip."

"How the hell was I supposed to tell you over the phone when you didn't pick up? I was so lucky this morning that I decided to call. I'm the goddamn CEO of this company, and I had to break a sweat to call you because my editor gave up. Your agent and your assistant have been dodging my phone calls and emails too."

"Bless them." Logan smirked. He looked outside the window. He could see the whole city layout from this building; he could even see Mac's office few blocks from Titan Tower. He wondered whether Mac was in the office after the whole brouhaha yesterday. "So… you don't like the story?"

Casey gave him a dirty look. "For an Award winning Screenwriter and Director, this is the worst story I've ever read from you. What the hell, Logan? You promised me a good story."

"What? It's good! What's with the hate?"

"What's with the hate?" Casey grabbed the script and flipped the pages, "Here's why:" Casey put his reading glasses on. Logan was a bit mesmerized that Casey was already wearing reading glasses. "Here's what you wrote: 'Both women walk slowly towards each other, naked, desire in their eyes, and they crush their lips together in a passionate kiss. THEIR TONGUES FIGHT FOR DOMINANCE. Their hands find their clits and they start to rub each other.'" Casey shut the script close and slammed it again on the desk, and then he shuddered. "What the hell?" He put away his reading glasses in a huff. "Their tongues fight for dominance!? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Logan laughed. "You don't like fighting dominant tongues?"

"Logan. This is amateur porn."

"No, I would say more of… exquisite eroticism."

"You say tomato I say fucking crap." Casey leaned back into his leather chair and formed a triangle with his fingers. "And you said this is supposed to be your autobiography? What's with the lesbian hookers?"

"Those charming ladies I met in Budapest preferred to be called 'Performing Escorts'."

Logan smirked at Casey Gant, who was staring him back. Logan never liked Casey – the self-proclaimed reformed jackass who used to hang out with him and everyone else during high school – was now richer than ever as the owner of Gant Publishing Company. Logan was one of his clients – one who made a lot of money for the company. Logan's films and books were always in demand, and Casey wouldn't want to lose his precious client.

The problem was that they didn't like each other.

Casey called this morning, demanded a meeting, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Logan had been dodging his calls for almost two weeks. Patricia took his calls, and Casey always gave her his sarcastic comments. If Logan weren't his company's client, Casey wouldn't bother calling him. "Logan, you signed a contract with our publishing company and you're on a deadline to publish an autobiography about your life. So far, I am not impressed."

"Look, I'm sorry that my life is boring. What can I say?"

"You went to the army. Why don't you write a story about that?"

Logan paused, and then shook his head. "Nothing interesting happened."

Casey didn't pursue this, but he just huffed. "Okay. Then I want you to tweak the story a bit. Don't put some shitty porn in here. Just write some humane stories. I doubt you have them, but please – try."

"Fine."

Logan watched the view outside the window again. He didn't feel like finishing his book or even writing a book. His manager, Tomas, was the one who pushed him to write a memoir of some sort. Logan thought it was so pretentious to write an autobiography about his life. Sure, he made an award winning movie and several other amazing movies that people really enjoyed. So what? Tomas thought Logan had a good story to tell after his movie Neptune Noir got so many praises and it showed a glimpse of his real life. Book offers and movie offers came through like rivers of wine. Many people wanted to make movies about his life or sign book deals because his life was fascinating.

Logan hated the attention that people were giving just because he had a 'fascinating' life. He never considered his life fascinating. He wanted to forget about his past life. Living with an abusive and murderous parent wasn't fascinating just because Aaron was a fucking movie star. Aaron wasn't even Tom fucking Cruise. He was just stupid Aaron Echolls. And yet, up until this day, people still considered him a legend, especially after his mysterious death.

Logan remembered he watched a Lifetime movie based on Aaron Echolls that starred Trina. He wanted to vomit when he saw Aaron depicted as this man seduced by a teen. In the movie, 'Aaron' was innocent and it was his mother who committed the murder because she found out about the affair. She killed 'Lilly Kane', and then jumped off the bridge. 'Aaron' had to prove that he didn't kill 'Lilly', and only Trina supported him while 'Logan' spent his teenage life sleeping with married women. It was like a cheap production of 'Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita'. It was obvious that Aaron was the Joey Buttafuoco character and Lilly was the Amy Fisher character. It was a pathetic TV-movie, but the ratings were so high, they actually made a sequel where Aaron lives. The upside was they didn't speak with a fake New York accent.

The only reason that he half-heartedly agreed to write the book was Tomas promised to give the profits of the book to charity. Maybe he would lie his ass off writing this book, but Casey was basically breathing down his neck. Casey was part of his life too once upon a time, so he might know if he pulled something out of his ass.

Logan pressed his forehead on the glass window. He then banged his head on the window several times. Casey looked at him annoyed while he talked on the phone. Logan watched the street down there – people looked like ants from up here.

Neptune Noir was his validation in this world. For the first time in his life, he wasn't living under Aaron's shadow. When he was nominated for an Independent Movie Award, then actually won the award, he felt like the burden on his shoulders was lifted. He felt that his hard work really paid off.

But not without sacrifice.

Logan closed his eyes. He remembered the army days – it was horrifying. He didn't want to remember it. There was a reason why his army days turned him into this…person; an assassin without remorse.

Sorokin Mansion

Gorya walked into the garage and twirled the car key for his Audi. He preferred the Porsche, but Veronica was using it. Boris approached him and frowned, "You're gonna drive by yourself?" Gorya reached inside his pocket and gave Boris the little black book that belonged to Kieran. "You want me to take care of this?"

"Yes." He put his sunglasses on and climbed inside his car. He turned on the ignition, and the car purred. "But let me know when you find Kieran – although I doubt we will find him."

Boris tapped the black book on the roof the car. "What about the dope?"

Gorya scoffed, "The kid probably already snorted the whole thing." He revved the car. He just loved hearing the sound, although he preferred the sound of a sport car. "Take everything. All of it."

He drove away.

Neptune High

Veronica walked slowly inside the school building. She looked at the yellow lockers lined on the wall. Nothing had changed after all these years. Van Clemmons gave her permission to check the school; he knew that giving her access to the building was less of a hassle than having her break in.

Veronica stared at her old locker.

For a moment, she thought that she saw Logan, Lilly, and Duncan standing there and smiling.

She shook her head and walked away. High school was a long time ago. She had cut every connection with high school, but somehow it always came back to her in a big way. If she didn't want to help Darrell, she wouldn't be in this place at all.

Van Clemmons told her about the Tritons. She couldn't believe after all these years, that stupid secret club still existed. At least back then Duncan and the others were just being rich assholes. They never hurt anyone; only caused some pranks. This time however, their pranks went into dangerous territory – especially since it seemed they tried to copy Cassidy Casablancas.

Veronica walked into the library; the only room that didn't get paint bombed.

She guessed Tritons used the library for their meetings. Even rich pricks considered books priceless. She saw a woman sitting at a desk and noticed it was Ms. Lewinsky. She hadn't changed much after all these years; she still looked like a spinster.

"Ms. Lewinsky," Veronica greeted.

The older woman looked up, frowned, and then recognized the blonde woman who stood in front of her. "Veronica Marssss…" She drawled her last name. "Why, I'm not surprised."

"Well, my guess is that you've seen it all, haven't you, ma'am?" She smirked.

The librarian took off her glasses and stared at her, "You haven't changed a bit." Veronica stiffened a little. That remark always made her uncomfortable. "Still beautiful."

"You were always the nice one, ma'am." Veronica remembered that she spent times in the library alone after Lilly died when nobody wanted to talk to her. The librarian let her eat her lunch here sometimes, and even they would eat together if she didn't have her break in the teacher's lounge. "I'm here for…"

"You're investigating the pranks in school, right? My guess as a favor for Darrell Mars, your step brother?"

"Something like that."

"I'm glad that the principal is letting you roam the school." The librarian winked.

Veronica smirked, "I think he knows that it's no use to say no to me."

"What can I do to help?"

"Well, for starter… I need some information. Where were you when they paint bombed the whole school?"

The librarian widened her eyes in surprise, "Am I a suspect?"

"I don't know. You know I have to cover all the grounds." Veronica shrugged, "And maybe you saw something that you don't realize."

"Always the Sheriff's daughter, Ms. Mars."

She paused a bit and then said, "It's Sorokin now."

"Hmm…" The librarian didn't reply to that comment. "I was at the teacher's lounge when they paint bombed the whole school, because it was the last period. I figured nobody wanted to spend last period in the library so I locked the door. The fire alarm rang; some of us looked at each other in confusion, and then the paint sprayed us. We ran outside to the quad; all the kids were soaked in paint." She explained. "I didn't check the library, not until the cops were called. I was surprised that the library was intact."

"What about the first prank with the sprinkles?"

"It was few weeks ago. We didn't think much about it. We thought some kids were just playing around. Well, we know better now…"

"Was the library sprinkled too?"

"No. I remember this, because I was in the library when I heard the fire alarm go off and the sprinklers turned on, then everyone started screaming. I looked outside the library and everyone was soaking wet."

"Was there anyone in the library beside you at that time?"

Ms. Lewinsky put her glasses on and typed something on the old computer. Veronica thought of donating computers to the school, because apparently they were still using a big chunky-ass monitor. Darrell deserved a good education, she thought. "This is the student log. As you know, students must sign in whenever they're using the library." She printed the attendance list, and the printer made a very loud noise. Veronica looked at the old printer that printed very slowly as it made screeching sounds. Ms. Lewinsky tore the print sheet and gave it to Veronica.

"This is from a few weeks ago?" Veronica asked.

"And from the day when they paint bombed the school."

Veronica read the names from the print list, folded the piece of paper and put it inside her leather jacket. "Thank you, Ms. Lewinsky. I guess I owe you a computer and a new printer."

The librarian frowned, "What's wrong with the old ones?"

"They're begging to be killed."

After bidding goodbye to the librarian, Veronica walked around the school building. The painters were painting the wall in the hallway, and she had to dodge some of the paint buckets. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand because the smell of paint was nauseating. One of the painters was listening to tango music from a boom box, and the music echoed in the hallway. A few workers saw Veronica walking around and gave her appreciative looks.

Veronica pushed the exit door to the quad open and immediately saw the principal talking to someone near the flagpole. She narrowed her eyes when she realized who the person was.

Both Principal Clemmons and the older man looked towards the door.

"Veronica. Are you done with the sight-seeing?"

"Not yet." She approached them and smiled politely to the other older man. "Mr. Casablancas. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" Richard Casablancas, Sr. looked at her.

There was no love lost between them. They didn't like each other, but they remained polite whenever they met in social settings. Dick used to live with her and considered himself part of the Mars family instead. Richard felt jealous that his only remaining son preferred to be with the Mars family instead of with him – especially when this woman was responsible for the Casablancas family's downfall.

"I'm fine, thank you." Veronica replied. Her face was stony, and Richard knew that the little woman didn't like him. He could say what he was thinking every time he met her, but her husband was very scary

"Mr. Casablancas is kind enough to pay for all the reparation and renovation. He is just here to see the progress." Van Clemmons explained.

"It's the least I can do." Richard said. His eyes never looked away from Veronica. "Someone is using my dead son's name as a cruel prank. All I can do is give back to the society." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm investigating the prank."

"Aren't you too old to investigating high school pranks?"

"I'm not too old to investigate people who shot the mayor and MY father the sheriff with paints." Veronica answered in a flat tone. She nodded to both men, and then walked away.

Richard Casablancas watched her walk towards the gym. For some reason, his heart clenched. This woman used to be a friend of his family. Moreover, she was still a friend and a family for Dick, but now they hated each other…

Van Clemmons cleared his throat and said, "I really appreciate what you're doing, Mr. Casablancas. The renovation will be finished by this Wednesday."

"Glad to hear it." Richard looked at the school. "I'm going to have a press conference."

Sorokin Mansion (Uncle Lev's Place)

Ryan couldn't help but touched everything in Dax's room. Dax's room was so big and a dream for every boy in the world:; a huge flat screen TV on the wall, a king-sized bed, a computer with a very comfortable game chair, plush carpet from wall to wall, and a huge closet with dozens of sneakers. Ryan couldn't stop saying wow while he was bouncing on Dax's bed.

Darrell put his bag down and pulled out a camera. "Great room, man." Dax just shrugged. "Although… y'know, beside the horror posters, the rest of the room doesn't scream you."

Dax didn't look like other rich 09ers. One glance, he looked like an Emo kid with dark hair and dark clothes. He had tattoos, pierced chin, and hair that almost covered his eyes. He even wore guyliners. Nobody would suspect that he was the son of one of the most notorious mob bosses. Students in Neptune High never knew him; he usually sat alone during lunch break and hardly talked to anyone. He joined the art club, but even then, the students avoided him because he usually drew something weird.

Dax sat on his game chair and shrugged again. "My step mom threw away all of my stuff when she married my dad, and then she hired a decorator to decorate my room." He swirled his chair facing the desk and opened his drawer. "At least my dad let me keep my tarantula."

Ryan jumped and backed away to the corner when he saw Dax was holding a tarantula. Darrell thought it was fascinating, so he took a picture of Dax holding his pet. "Wow. You're very brave."

"She's harmless. Medusa is very docile." He put the tarantula in the glass container and then put it back in the drawer. "I named my pet Medusa, just like my stepmom." He sniggered.

"Well, I'm glad you don't have a pet snake or lizard or something like that. Why can't you have a dog or something?"

"Dad doesn't like pets. I mean, we don't even have guard dogs."

"Only bodyguards."

Dax shrugged again, "My dad has a lot of enemies." He looked at the taller boy. "But you're not here about my family. What can I do for you?"

"We want to interview you – get your sound-bites about the recent pranks that happened in our school."

Dax nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty awesome." He looked at Darrell and realized something, "Sorry about your dad."

Darrell looked at him, "My pops is fine. Thanks."

Ryan managed to keep his heartbeat in check, and he sat down on the bed calmly, "Can you tell us where you were when we got sprayed by paints?" Dax frowned to hear that question so Ryan added hurriedly, "So we want to know what your feelings were at the time – surprised, shocked, angry…"

"Liberated."

"Okay, that works too." Ryan made a face.

"No, I mean it was so stressful at the school. It was the last period, and I was glad that we could go home early." Dax went to his closet and grabbed his boots, "I went home, covered with paints, and I walked inside the house with these boots and made a mess everywhere. Medusa, my stepmom, was basically screeching." He chuckled. "It was great."

"Geez, you really hate your stepmom." Ryan commented. Dax just laughed. "So any idea who might do this?"

"No clue."

Darrell quietly said, "Do you anyone who hates the school and is ballsy enough to do this?"

Dax scoffed, "I don't know about ballsy enough. But I know someone who hates the school so much."

Ryan and Darrell exchanged a look. "Who?"

Dax clucked his tongue, "If you're referring to the king of Neptune High himself, Billy Drake… well."

"I don't know about the whole King of Neptune High but let's play along," Darrell said.

Dax smiled hearing Darrell say that. "I am sure you heard stories of me being Billy Drake's Santa's Little Helper." He reclined in his game chair and shrugged. "You must be wondering why the hell the son of the most powerful family in Neptune is okay being the errand boy for the dumbest guy in Neptune."

"Thought crossed my mind." Darrell said.

"Two words: Lindsay Benedict." Dax showed two fingers. "Billy said that I can have her if I help him graduate high school." He shrugged. "You know; because he's dumb."

Darrell and Ryan choked back laughter. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute: Drake is hoe-ing his girlfriend Lindsay to you?" Ryan said.

"I won't say exactly that, but yeah." Dax looked at his painted fingernails. "I like Lindsay, but she doesn't go with guy like me. She likes Jocks. And I am more like…" He waved to himself. "Acquired taste."

"I don't know why girls don't want to be with you, man. You're loaded."

"And you're the Captain of the Lacrosse team. I don't see girls lining up to date you." Dax spat. Ryan grimaced and nodded in agreement. "I think we ought to agree that there's such a thing as hierarchy in high school – and we're not exactly on top of the food chain."

"So you're helping him with school work…" Darrell made a face.

"Hey, he promised me Lindsay. I have no problem tappin' that ass." Dax put his boots back in the closet. "I'm guessing you're investigating the pranks, huh?"

"No." Darrell answered innocently.

Ryan jumped immediately, "We're doing an article about the pranks and we're interviewing everyone from the school, including teachers and students, about how the pranks affect students and…"

"Am I a suspect?" Dax asked.

Ryan cleared his throat, "Like I said, we're doing an article about the pranks…"

"Do you know something about it?" Darrell asked. Ryan rolled his eyes and walked towards the window. He saw the beautiful garden and huge swimming pool.

Dax smirked, sat again on his game chair, and swirled the chair around. Darrell thought he looked like a Gothic version of a James Bond villain. Dax could act as if he was different from his family – but don't forget; he was a Sorokin. They couldn't be trusted – they were like snakes. "I don't know anything actually. However, since you're here, probably suspecting Billy Drake because he is well known for hating the school openly. Let me tell you something though – he is dumb. I don't think he could do anything besides tie his shoe laces."

"What about you?"

Dax grinned, "If I'd done it, I wouldn't keep it secret. Come on, Mars." He waved dismissively. "I don't do things discreetly. I would make an announcement!"

"Why?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"It would be good for my street cred." He chuckled. "But I'm too lazy to do all those pranks. All I want to do is graduate fast, bang Lindsay, and get the hell outta this town and far away from Medusa."

"You can always have your friends do your dirty work." Darrell said. Ryan looked at his best friend in disbelief. Why the hell did he accuse a mobster's son of a crime right in his home with all the bodyguards? Somehow, Dax appreciated his honesty and seemed happy to have some people hanging out in his house.

"Friends? Yeah, I don't have that luxury." He smiled. "They hear my last name, take a look of my tats, and run up the hill."

"I don't know. I think you're pretty cool." Ryan said honestly. Dax looked at him as if he wanted to hug him. "It doesn't mean we should exchange friendship bracelets or something."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Darrell tinkered with his camera. Should he believe him? After all, he was the son of a mobster. "Do you have any idea who would do the pranks?"

"No." Dax answered. "But… I can ask around."

Both Ryan and Darrell looked at him. "It's not necessary."

"I know you don't believe me, but I don't care. I want to help."

"Why?" Ryan asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm bored." Dax answered honestly. "I have no friends. I have no girlfriend. The only exciting thing happening right now is the pranks – sorry what happened to your dad, the sheriff – but whoever did the pranks actually sparks my interest."

Ryan and Darrell didn't say anything; they glanced at each other without words. Dax sighed, shrugged, and slouched down again. Darrell noticed that behind the guyliners, hair gels, black nails, black clothes, tattoos, piercing, and the Gothic bravado, Dax was actually low with self-esteem.

Before Darrell could response, Ryan's stomach made a loud grumble sound.

Dax and Darrell looked at him with wide eyes. Ryan sheepishly looked at both of them. "I haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

Dax laughed and stood up, "Come on. Let's go to the kitchen."

Sheriff Department

Keith was reading a report while he stood beside the reception desk with Backup near his feet. Backup was lying down with his tongue out, so everyone who walked by petted his head. Inga, who was wearing a hearing aid, started to talk loudly about how much she needed an assistant for filing. Keith assured her, more like yelling at her, that she would get an assistant soon.

"Oh mein Gott!" Inga almost tripped from Backup. "Sheriff, you need to stop feeding him like this. He's fat!"

Keith was about to retort when Leo yelled from the back of the room, "I told you!"

"Stop saying he's fat! He's very sensitive." Keith said without looking up from his report.

A man walked into the reception area, a man with a crisp suit. Inga didn't see him at first because she was trying to clean the papers from her desk. She muttered something in German when the man greeted her softly, "Guten morgen."

"Ja, guten morgen. How may I help….." Inga looked up and her eyes widened. "….you?"

Keith looked up when Backup made a low growl and saw his son-in-law Gorya standing in front of the reception desk. Gorya was smiling, albeit a tired smile, as he looked at his wife's father. The conversation in the office went silent when everyone looked at him. Leo and Sacks were surprised to see Gorya Sorokin in the sheriff department, alone.

"What are you doing here?" Keith asked.

"I need to see you, Keith." Gorya said politely. "Can we talk somewhere?" Backup growled but Gorya only looked at the dog and smiled. "Hello, Backup. How are you?" He reached down to pet the dog. Everyone was expecting the dog would snap at him. Backup was a good judge of character – he would bite or bark towards people he didn't like. Everyone was surprised to see Gorya was brave to pet him, and Backup didn't bark. He was just growling, and then closed his eyes, letting Gorya pet him. "I miss you, old boy." Backup looked up, and then licked Gorya's hand. Gorya smiled and scratched the dog behind the ear. "Yeah, you like that right?" He crouched and rubbed Backup's neck. "Such a good dog."

Keith watched the interaction between his son-in-law and his loyal dog. Sometimes he couldn't figure out his own dog – why he didn't want to attack this…bad man. "What do you want, Gory?" Gorya looked up; he almost forgot that he wanted to see his father-in-law.

"Ah, yes. Can we go somewhere?" Keith signaled Gorya to follow him to his office.

Backup stood up to follow them, when Keith pointed to the corner of the reception area. "No, stay." Backup looked at him with his big dog eyes; he didn't understand why he couldn't follow his master. He whined a bit, and it made Keith feel a bit guilty.

Inga immediately grabbed Backup's collar, "Kommen auf Backup. Let's get you some cookies from the detectives." Backup walked slowly towards the hallway, stopped to look behind, and saw his master already closed the door of his office.

Gorya stood in the middle of the office as his father-in-law closed the door. "What do you want now, Gory?"

Gorya pursed his lips together, a bit hurt that Keith was being rude to him. "May I sit down?" Keith didn't answer, but he just gestured the chair, while he sat down on his own chair. Gorya sat down and nodded. "How are you, Keith?"

"Get to the point, Gory. What do you want?"

"Well, I thought we could exchange some pleasantries, but I guess I was wrong." Gorya nodded in defeat. "I have something to tell you about Veronica." Keith didn't say anything but he bit the inside of his cheek and restrained himself for not lunging towards Gorya. "Veronica just told me this morning that she's investigating the pranks."

Keith didn't say anything at first. This was hardly surprising; after all, Darrell went to her gallery few days ago, soaked with green paint. Of course, he asked for her help, and Veronica would help him. He reclined to his seat. "What exactly did she say to you?"

"She said that she wants to help Darrell."

"And what did you say to her?"

Gorya remembered their little quickie this morning and cleared his throat, "I told her that I support her."

"And yet you are here, reporting this to me." Keith looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"I just want to know… Is it dangerous?" He asked quietly.

"What is it to you?"

Gorya frowned, "I would like to know. I mean, it's Veronica… If it's dangerous…"

"We don't know yet."

"But you fired Darrell. If this case is just a harmless prank…"

"I didn't fire Darrell, his school principal did. I only respect his decision. And I won't say public disturbance against government officials is harmless." Keith folded his arms. "And this is an official police business; I'd rather everyone stay out of it."

"I really can't tell her to drop this, Keith." He grimaced. "Veronica can rather be… persuasive."

Keith pulled a face. "I really don't want to know about anything behind closed doors." Gorya just nodded. "I haven't seen you or heard of you for quite sometimes. And then suddenly you are here, asking me about a case?"

Gorya didn't say anything for a while. He pondered something and then nodded again. He stood up, walked towards the window, and stared outside. "I almost died yesterday."

Keith bit his tongue so he wouldn't say 'why didn't you die', but he managed to say something diplomatic. "I'm sorry to hear that." He looked at his son-in-law's face. "Is that why your face looks like a punching bag?"

Gorya looked at his own bruised knuckles and grimaced, "Something like that."

"You know anything you say can be used against you in court."

Gorya nodded and smiled. "I'm not planning to go to jail." He reached to his inside pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He gave it to Keith and said, "Sometimes when you almost die, you have a different perspective in life."

"What's this?"

"Yesterday I had an altercation with a certain Irish man. I didn't have a beef with him, at first. I was looking for his brother. He has something I want."

"And what is that?"

"I can't tell you that." Gorya smirked. Keith just rolled his eyes. "But this certain Irish man made a crude comment about Veronica. And… I kinda lost it." He shrugged. "We fought."

Keith realized that Gorya was talking about Liam Fitzpatrick and he set his jaws. "What's that got to do with the prank case?"

"Nothing, actually. I'm just pissed that this flat foot managed to get to me and I almost died because of it." He sat down again. "Anyway, I managed to get a little black book from someone – a little black book containing information about the Irish man's businesses. Illegal businesses."

Keith looked at the piece of paper, and there were names and addresses. "This is hardly a little black book."

"Of course not. It's only a page. But imagine what the police can do with this information. Imagine what the police can do to shut down illegal businesses of this… certain Irish man."

"You know I can't use this in court."

"Just tell the DA and the judge that you got an anonymous tip and that piece of paper fell into your lap, and you'll get your search warrant."

"And what are you getting back?"

"That Irish man will get what he deserves." He shrugged. "And I want to help."

"Why?"

"Because I care a lot about Veronica and Darrell."

"Maybe you should say the same thing about Wallace."

Gorya looked down – he seemed ashamed for a second. And then he looked up, and Keith couldn't read his face. "I am sorry for what happened to Wallace."

"You're sorry?" Keith stood up. He was ready to throw Gorya out from his office.

"Yes."

"No you're not. You're just a scum, who married my daughter and managed to keep her away from her own family, and then…" Keith was ready to explode, when Gorya cut his sentence.

"Keith, I'm not here to fight. I am here to help."

"I don't need your help."

"Yes you do." Gorya looked at Keith. "I don't know what's going on with this case, but it seems whoever is doing the pranks is targeting the officials. And I got a feeling that this is not a simple prank case – especially involving people who are using that Casablancas kid's name." He said. "And with my sources and my…networking, I can help you, Veronica, and Darrell and we might solve this case quickly."

Say what you want about Gorya Sorokin, but Keith had to admit that he was a smart man. Keith read the piece of paper again. If he wanted to get any information about the weapons and guns that The Tritons kids were using, he needed to check these places out. The Fitzpatricks were well-known arms dealers; Keith tried to bust them for a long time, but they were pretty slippery. If he followed Gorya's info, he could get weapons off the street and he probably would get the Tritons. The mayor's deadline was approaching, and he didn't want the mayor to leak the Triton video to the press.

Keith sat down again, and looked at the piece of paper on his desk. He was pondering what the right decision was.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I told you…"

"I heard what you said. But really, why are you doing this?"

Gorya sighed and sat comfortably in his chair. "Yesterday… when I had this altercation with the Irish man… I almost died. I may have minor injuries, but…" Gorya shrugged. "Anyway, I went to pick up Veronica. And I realized that… how much it would make her sad if I was gone."

You're so full of shit, Keith thought.

"I don't want to make her sad. I don't want any troubles from other people. I want to make her happy. And if this means I have to help her solve this case, so be it."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I heard you and Veronica went to the house few days ago and met Wallace. He had to kick her out and she was crying." Keith's eyes bore to Gorya's head, as if he wanted to destroy it with his mind. "Because he remembered what you did to him. And he remembered that he needed to stay away from her and even pretend to hate her. Is that what you mean about making her happy?"

"Keith…"

"You told us to stay away from Veronica." Keith looked at him sharply. "You sent your goons, Gory. To my department. To this office. And they told ME, the sheriff of this town, to stay away from my only daughter."

"Listen, Keith…"

"If you think I'm going to accept your help solving this case, you're wrong. I'm not that desperate."

"You told me to stay away from Veronica." Gorya said quietly, but his voice was full of emotion. "I was… I was angry." He swallowed hard. "I love my wife. I love her. You know that, everyone knows that." His hand formed a fist and he struggled to control his emotion. He didn't want to show his anger to his father-in-law. "When your family told me to stay away from her, my own wife…"

"You know the reason WHY." Keith reminded him about their past. "Anya told me…"

"Yes," Gorya cut him off – he didn't want to hear her name. "I'm not proud of what I have done." He looked at Keith. "But I've been thinking…"

"Probably after you almost died?" Keith asked. "You're suddenly hit by some sort of conscience?" Gorya didn't answer, but Keith continued. "This gesture and this info are some sort of – atonement? Repentance?"

Gorya sighed. "I'm not a saint, Keith. I am what I am." He looked at Keith. "But Veronica doesn't care about that. She cares about me regardless whether I'm a saint or not."

"Veronica cares about you. You just neglected telling her about the real you." Keith stared at Gorya. "And you are scared shitless that she will find out about the real you."

Gorya went silent. He looked down and played with his wedding ring. For a minute, he didn't say anything, just touched his ring. When he looked up, Keith could see briefly that his eyes were glassy. But that disappeared as soon he opened his mouth. "I'm here to help. But if you don't want my help, that's your choice. I will, however, help her – in any ways I can." He stood up, fixed his suit, and then opened the door. Before he walked out from the office, he turned around. "You don't have to believe this, Keith. But there was a time that I wanted to be a part of the Mars family." He then said quietly. "And then I realized that it was a foolish hope. Veronica is my family now. And I will do anything for her."

And you can't take her away from me.

He didn't have to say it; but the threat still existed.

He walked away and passed Inga and Backup. Backup was wagging his tail; he had his tongue out, waiting for Gorya to pet him. Gorya ignored him and walked away from the reception area fast. Backup followed him to the hallway and then stopped, watching Gorya kept walking. His tail stopped wagging and was down. Gorya might not be his favorite human, but there were times when he was really nice to him and his mistress, Veronica. There were times when he used to live with them together; Gorya was a good master.

Humans changed, apparently. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Gorya walked briskly to his car and stopped beside it. He tried to control his temper, but he wanted to hit something. How dare Keith say Anya's name… that was ancient history and he tried to forget about her – how she made his life miserable. Anya… who made his family kick him out. Anya… who made Veronica…

Gorya kicked his tire.

He climbed into his car and exhaled loudly. Sooner or later, Keith would need his help. But until that time, he needed to take care of some business first.

Liam was lying down on his cot in the jail cell, holding his head as it was pounding. Yesterday's fight with Gorya was really brutal. He almost died – if only Danny had not helped him, he might already have followed Cormac to the grave. And he didn't like the idea of dying at the hands of that Russian kid.

A kid.

He was just a kid.

Ten years ago, the Sorokin family was second rate in Neptune. They were connected with the families in Brighton Beach back East, but it was always the Fitzpatricks who ruled the city – they had the connection with the Irish Fitzpatricks back in Dublin. They controlled the guns and weapons in California directly from Ireland. Business was good until this kid and his family came to Neptune.

The Fitzpatricks ruled the drugs, the guns, and the alcohol in Neptune. The Sorokins were handling legitimate businesses like caviars, clubs, and restaurants. The three brothers Sorokin… Roman, Gorya, and Valentin were the worst kind. They were young, smart, charming, and had talent for legal business. Compare that to the Fitzpatrick clans who were raw brutes who never went to college. In no time, the Sorokins were taking over the business. With their money and power, it was so much easier to take over several illegal businesses in Neptune.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." He muttered with his eyes closed, trying to sleep. His head was still pounding from the hangover.

"You said something?"

Liam opened one of his eyes and saw Sheriff Mars leaned back on a desk outside the jail cell. A huge dog sat next him and he seemed unfriendly.

"Well, our great Sheriff of Neptune is gracing us with his presence." Liam waved his hand. "I'm innocent, by the way! Why did I spend a night here?"

"You are here for public intoxication. That, and you spat on one of my deputies." Keith watched him warily. "Your bond hearing will be in the afternoon. Your lawyer and your cousin will probably post bail."

"Good 'ole, Danny." Liam closed his eyes and chuckled. "Nothing is better than a loyal family, don't you agree Sheriff?"

Keith didn't answer, but he walked closer to the bars and leaned his shoulder on them. He stared at the Irish man on the cot-brutally beaten, drunk, and smelly. "You want to tell me who started the fight?"

Liam just chuckled. "Maybe you should ask your son-in-law, Sheriff."

Keith didn't react but he asked again, "Are you telling me that Gory Sorokin did this?"

"You need to keep a leash around your son-in-law's neck, Sheriff. That kid is whack. Can't take a joke."

"What was he doing at your bar?"

"He was looking for my baby brother, Kieran." He said loudly. "My stupid brother stole something from him."

"What did he steal?"

Liam groaned; he didn't feel like telling the sheriff about the dope and money. "Stamps?" He turned his head towards Keith. "My idiot brother is a stamp collector."

Keith didn't say anything. He didn't want to know what was what and what was not about Gorya – all he cared was about was the arms dealing and The Tritons. "So why were you fighting?"

"Because I told him that I fucked his wife." He cackled. "What a loser."

Keith closed his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't lose his temper. "You mean MY DAUGHTER?"

Liam snapped his fingers, "Oh right! Hahaha."

Keith wanted to bounce Liam's head against the wall, but he realized that Liam might enjoy police brutality. The man was a sociopath; he killed his own brother without remorse because of money. He almost killed him – Keith remembered that night where he begged Liam not to kill him because he had a daughter, and he just laughed; then the next thing he knew they were crashing out the window of Kendall's house – that whole family was crazy. And the craziest thing was that he couldn't prove Liam killed Cormac.

He needed to focus more on the situation that he was dealing with now, The Tritons. But that last comment about Veronica…

"What can you tell me about a paintball minigun? Where can you get it?" Keith asked Liam.

Liam frowned, "A paintball minigun?" He scoffed. "What's a matter, Sheriff? You ran out fake arms dealer so you ask me?"

"Are you saying that you're a real arms dealer?"

Liam laughed. "No, I'm just saying that paintball is for pansy ass."

"Well, you seem to know more about guns."

"As a hobby. I'm a real man, Sheriff." He grinned psychotically, "I mean, I fucked your daughter and she liked it." He laughed again, and then coughed violently because he choked on his own saliva.

Liam was trying to bait him, but Keith dug his fingernails to his thigh and asked again, "Fine. What can you tell me about it anyway?"

"First of all, it's not called a paintball minigun. It's called a paintball Gatling Gun." Liam sat up. "Second of all, it's cheap; it cost around 5 grand."

"Where can you get it?"

"Paintball store or the internet." Liam looked up and grinned, "Sheriff, seriously. You could do better."

"What if you want to buy real guns?"

"That's more like it." He stood up and walked towards Keith. He grabbed the bars and loomed over Keith in a threatening way. "Sheriff, stop beating around the bush and ask me what you want to ask me."

"Fine. Did you sell any firearms to high school kids lately?"

Liam laughed very hard; his whole body shook. "Oh wow, Sheriff. You really got nothing, huh? You think I would roll over and say something about nothing? I am not an arms dealer. A, I ain't got nothing to say to you. Two, you ain't got anything on me. And D, either you charge me with something or you need to let me out as soon as possible."

"I'm just having a conversation with you."

"Oh yeah? Then let me ask you, Sheriff." He leaned forward to face Keith, "Ten years ago your beautiful daughter was kidnapped by a judge's son. Why didn't you offer any rewards for her return? Instead you let motherfucking Jake Kane go on TV and he offered a reward." His eyes twinkled crazily. "Why didn't you offer a reward? You have 8 Million Dollars."

"I don't, Liam." Keith gritted his teeth.

"What kind of father lets his own daughter be kidnapped by a mad rapist? And let's not forget your first son-in-law, the corruptible Sheriff Lamb – if she was my daughter, I wouldn't have let her marry that guy, I mean, I'm an idealist." He shrugged. "And then there's son-in-law number two…" Liam watched Keith's eyes turned dark. "I don't understand your family, Sheriff. It seems y'all got a thing with bad boys." He put his hand on his chest. "Do I have a shot? Do you think I can be your son-in-law number three? I mean…" His eyes were gleaming, "I fucked her so hard, she begged for an encore."

Keith's hands reached behind the bars and grabbed Liam's collar. He pulled his collar and slammed Liam's head to the bars. Liam just laughed. "I swear to God, Liam. I am going to kill you someday."

"Word of advice, Sheriff: you better do it instead of just talking. Because who knows, someone else might kill you instead." He struggled from Keith's grip, but he was smiling. Backup growled and barked loudly, and he was ready to charge the man.

"Backup, heel." Keith released his grip. The dog licked his mouth but still growled. He eyed Liam's legs behind bars. They heard footsteps running to the room. Leo burst into the room, and saw Keith's face was red and Liam was laughing as he went back to his cot.

"Good luck, Sheriff!" Liam guffawed and plopped back on his cot. "I hope you find these high schoolers. I mean, we don't know whether they're responsible for the pranks."

Keith narrowed his eyes. He never said anything about pranks. He nodded, turned around sharply, and brushed past Leo who was confused. Leo grabbed Backup's leash and pulled him out the room. He overheard Keith angrily talking on the phone, "Get me Judge McFadden now. It's Sheriff Mars."

Titan Café

Logan and Casey were having brunch at Titan Café, which was located in the Titan Tower building. Logan didn't want to eat with Casey, but apparently Casey was doing his passive-aggressive tactic to force him to spend some time with him – he didn't want Logan to slip out from his grasp again – by saying they needed to catch up with everyone or he would not stop bugging Logan.

"So I heard that you're dating Cindy MacKenzie, the CEO of Neptune Connection." Casey took a bite of his chicken salad.

Logan rolled his eyes, "No. I'm not dating Mac."

"Mac?" Casey chuckled. "What kind of name is that? Is that her nickname or something?"

"Casey, she was in our school. You don't remember her?" Logan asked.

Casey frowned, "Nu-uh. I would remember a hottie like that."

Logan's eyebrows shot upward. Yes, Mac was hot now, even when she didn't realize it, but back then she was more reserved than hot. "Dude, she dated Cassidy Casablancas. It was a mess, really."

Casey frowned, "Dick's brother? I don't remember that. Is this after I graduated?"

"Oh yeah, this is after you went to college." Logan drank his water and looked at the salads in front of them. "What did you order for us?"

"Salads."

"I'm not a goat. Since when are we eating healthy?"

"Hey, green is good for you."

"You know you sound like Mac."

Casey's eyes widened. "You even know her food?"

"Knock it off, dude." Logan sighed exasperatedly. "There's nothing going on between me and Mac. We're friends. And I don't think Dick would like the idea of me being with Mac because he's so in love with…" He immediately shut his mouth when he let Dick's name slipped. Casey looked at him like he just heard juicy gossip. Fuck this; Logan preferred hippie Casey from back then, instead of this jackass Casey. "On second thought, I think I might like salads." He gave him a look that challenged him to say something.

Casey didn't say anything; he had this smirk placed on his face, like he would use this knowledge someday. Maybe he could blackmail Logan to finish the book quickly.

"Okay, because you're my friend, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of our legally binding contract by giving you leeway. I will let you finish your draft…" Casey rolled his eyes. "In a week."

"Gee, thanks." Logan answered in a deadpan manner. "I am grateful for that."

"Don't be such an ass, Logan. I'm in the right here."

Logan was going to argue when his phone buzzed, and he checked it. He saw that it was Veronica calling. His eyes widened, and he smiled. "I gotta take this." Without waiting for Casey's response, he stood up and walked away from their table. "Hey." He greeted when he was near the window; he could see the whole city, and for once he thought the town looked beautiful even during the day.

"Hey, I need a favor."

Logan almost laughed hearing her saying that; it was like a blast from the past hearing her saying that famous line. "Okay." He chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"You and your favors."

"Oh, shut up. I hardly ask for favors… anymore." Logan could feel that she was smiling on the other end.

"What can I do for you, Captain?"

Veronica snorted, "You sickle wit." Logan smiled. "How do you feel about playing some paintballs?"

"Unexpected, but intrigued."

"There's a new paintball game near the boardwalk that just opened. I was wondering whether you can accompany me to that place…"

"Okay." He answered before she could finish.

"Well, that was easy."

"I am easy."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"Ha-ha." Logan laughed.

Casey watched Logan as he stood near the window and noticed he was smiling, chatting, and laughing. He couldn't read lips but he could've sworn that Logan's lips formed the words 'Ve-ro-ni-ca' when he was talking. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Okay, I'll see you at the boardwalk in an hour? We can have lunch too."

"Lunch sounds great."

"I'll see you later."

"Bye." When Logan hung up, he had the biggest smile on his face. He was still smiling when he returned to his table. Casey pretended to be busy with his own phone as he checked his messages. "I'm gonna bolt now. As much I like our salad brunch, Gant – I'm having lunch with someone else. So, toodles." He dropped some money on the table and stood up.

"You're having lunch with Veronica Sorokin?"

That made Logan pause. He looked at Casey who was chewing his salad, "I never said who I'm having lunch with."

"You weren't exactly discreet over there," Casey pointed to the window.

"If you're going to preach –"

Casey chuckled, "I'm not gonna say anything, Echolls. You can do whatever the hell you want, I'm not judging." He put his fork down and stared at him. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to my client because he is going out with a mobster's wife. We still have our contract."

Logan smiled and gritted his teeth, "You'll get your book, Gant."

"Good. Have a nice day."

Logan walked away from Casey. Great – he had been in Neptune for two weeks and everyone seemed to know that he was hanging out with Veronica Sorokin. He was going to have a harmless lunch and maybe play a little bit of paintball game, what was wrong with that?!

Casey chuckled to himself. Logan might be a different person now; a former soldier, a movie director, et cetera et cetera, but deep down inside he was still a jackass towards his peers. Casey didn't like it when someone disrespected him – and Logan was obviously disrespecting him. One thing about Casey Gant, he wasn't that gullible kid who gave away money to a hippie cult anymore. He was CEO of Gant Publishers and owner of several magazines and tabloids as well as a shareholder for several companies in Neptune, including Neptune Connection and Kane Software. He demanded respect.

Casey searched for a name on his phone and called someone. When that someone answered, he faked a cheerful greeting, "Dick! How's it going, buddy?" He listened for a while and then cut his rambling, "That's nice. Wanna have lunch? Logan was just here and he bailed. He has a date with Veronica." He smiled and pierced a carrot on his plate with his fork. "Yes, that Veronica. So I guess he never get over her, huh? Even when she's married to that guy and he's having a relationship with Cindy MacKenzie. What's that? I don't know where he is. So how about lunch?"

Neptune High

Veronica smiled and hung up on her phone.

Logan…

Maybe because she was in this building, in this high school, and she just passed by the toilet, her nostalgia got the better of her, and without thinking she dialed Logan's number. There was nothing wrong having lunch with an old friend. Especially since she needed a friend; her friends scattered and avoided her since she married Gorya. Logan seemed unbiased against her husband and wasn't afraid of his name.

Veronica had to admit; she had a blind spot for her husband.

Veronica then looked at the boiler room she was in and noticed the barrels in front of her. Darrell must've inspected them and probably found some clues. She didn't know whether Darrell or anyone else liked the idea that she was helping them; it was a sensitive matter for everyone – she was already out from the PI business. She hardly talked to the family, but she needed to do this, helping Darrell. She crouched and took a picture of a barrel. There was a name, probably a shop name. She scratched the letters on the barrel and squinted.

"Purple Rain?" She typed 'Purple Rain Neptune' on her phone search engine and got dozens of results, but only one that sells paints near the boardwalk. She decided that she would go there and do a little sleuthing. She didn't know what it was, but she felt energy surging inside her; she wanted to do this to help her family and solve a case. When she walked from the campus building to the parking lot, she felt better than she had years.

Apparently going back to the place you hate wasn't that bad after all.

Orion Suite

Mac heard the key in the lock and the door open; she groaned from her room. Many guests were coming uninvited to her place. She needed to have a word with the concierge downstair about keeping people out of her room. She walked out and saw Dick, looking very distraught. "Dick, you should've called."

"Is it true?" Dick asked immediately. He looked like a mess; his hair was sticking out everywhere, he was wearing dark sunglasses, a t-shirt, and shorts.

"What are you wearing?"

"Is it true that you're dating Logan?"

Mac groaned. "Not this again, come on!"

Dick was a mess and he gulped several times, "Are you?" He whispered ask.

"No, I'm not." She was going to yell at Dick for asking that question when she saw him looking miserable. "Are you drunk?"

"No… I was drunk yesterday." Dick answered. "I'm having a massive hangover."

"Why?"

"Because…"

I'm in love with you, damn it. Fuck a duck, why can't you see that?!

Dick didn't say anything for a while, which made Mac confused. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Dick?"

Dick blinked and put his hand over his mouth. "I need to go to the bathroom." He dashed towards her bathroom and shut the door. Mac heard Dick hurling, and she made a face. When Dick stopped throwing up, she knocked quietly on the bathroom door. And then she heard the flushing sound.

"Dick… are you okay?"

"I'm awesome." He weakly answered.

Mac opened the bathroom door and found Dick was sitting on the tile floor, he rested his head on the edge of the bathtub. She walked in and sat on the edge of the bathtub; Dick immediately rested his head on her lap. "What's wrong, Dick…?" She asked.

Dick rubbed her knee and it gave her a shiver. "Don't… don't date Logan."

Mac smoothed his blond hair and said, "I'm not dating him, Dick…" She exhaled. "I don't think I want to now. I really don't need drama in my life."

"It's just… Logan is still in love with Veronica."

Mac nodded, "Yeah… I know."

"You do?"

"It shows."

"Are you… are you okay with that?"

Mac smiled hearing Dick asking that. He was really a good friend, concerned about her well-being. She bent down and kissed Dick on the head. "Yes, silly goose. I'm super." She ruffled his hair and Dick buried his face in her lap, which made her laugh. "But I don't know about Logan. This is a dangerous game he's playing."

"Logan never cares about danger. He had an affair with Kendall when she was still with my dad."

Mac nodded and grimaced. "This is way more than that… We're talking about Gory here."

"I told him about Gory. I don't think he cares about Gory." Dick mumbled. "Dude got a death wish."

"Don't say that…" Mac said quietly. "Logan doesn't have any idea what Veronica has been through. He only heard the stories but he wasn't there… And Gory, like it or not, was there for her."

"Don't defend him."

"I'm not," Mac answered. "But I think as his friends, we need to remind Logan about the reality of the situation."

"Is it possible… that after all these years, a guy is still in love with the same chick?" Dick mumbled again.

"Anything is possible."

"What a loser."

Mac chuckled and then tapped his shoulder, "Come on you big lug. Let's get you something for your hangover." She stood up and held out her hand. Dick looked at her hand and thought how this hand saved and helped him through the years. How the owner of the hand looked after him without asking any return. How this woman stole his heart during college. How this woman became his friend and…

I love you, Mac.

"Please…. Not the celery and shallot juice…" Dick begged while he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. Mac laughed and hugged the tall blond. Dick closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair.

"Wuss."

Rosemary Baby Flower Shop, Downtown Neptune

Kieran was hiding in a small flat above the flower shop. He was pacing back and forth and checking out the window every five minutes. Nobody knew where he was hiding – he didn't tell anyone about this place, except when he wrote this flat as a hiding place in his little black book. He looked at the mirror and checked out his face; his face was full of bruises with cuts on his cheek and upper lip.

"Fucking Liam…" He touched his swollen bruised face and winced.

He needed a few days before he left the country. He wanted the situation simmered down first; the Russian and his family probably were killing each other, so he would rather avoid the bloodbath while he could. He needed to hide first and then leave.

Kieran looked at a picture of him and Trina on his phone. It was a shame really; Trina was going to introduce him to several famous people in Hollywood – some of the major players in the movie industry still respected the Aaron Echolls name, and Kieran would definitely love the idea of coat riding their fame. Unfortunately, Liam was squeezing him for money and Trina was collateral damage. Liam beat Trina when he didn't give him money, and there was a possibility that he raped her too. Kieran didn't see what happened because he had passed out. But her silence seemed to prove that Liam had done something to her. There was nothing he could do; he needed to get out from this crazy family. He asked his brother, Patrick, for help. But Patrick, the man of God himself, Father Patrick of Holy Saint Pious himself, told him to repent and change his ways and all that bullshit and then he would help him. Patrick acted holier-than-thou on a daily basis – apparently he forgot that he used to be a bad man. So what if he found God? Kieran thought the whole family was crazy anyway. Cormac died and everyone suspected it was Liam because he was a psychopath. Of course it was Liam who killed Cormac; who else?

Kieran needed out.

He held his stamp book collection tight to his chest. His stamps collection was the only valuable thing in his life – he would fight tooth and nail if someone was trying to steal it from him. Liam wouldn't understand about his stamp passion.

Someone knocked on the door, and Kieran froze. He didn't answer the knock and waited until the person behind the door left. Kieran could see shadows under the door – there were several people there. Kieran moved to the window and ready to bolt through fire escape. He saw the shadows disappear… Kieran exhaled in relief.

But his relief was short term, because a second later the door was kicked in hard and a giant man stepped into the room, followed by a few mean looking men. Kieran scrambled towards the window and was ready to run when a hand grabbed his collar and pulled him away from the fire escape. "Nu-uh, come here!"

"No! No! Don't hurt me!"

The giant man shoved him towards other men. "You're so lucky that your brother already beat you up. We just want to talk."

"I got nothing to say."

Boris rolled his eyes. He nodded to the others, who dragged Kieran out the door. "Word of advice: Next time don't write down your hiding place in a book and then hide it in your ex-girlfriend's apartment."

"Trina and I haven't broken up!"

Boris and the rest were laughing hard while they took Kieran away.

Outside Lev Sorokin Mansion

Eli was sitting in his car, watching the Sorokin mansion's gate and saw no guards whatsoever. He guessed cameras were nearby. He opened his notebook and wrote down what he witnessed. Keith wouldn't like this; the idea that his step son took his investigation towards a Sorokin. He followed Darrell and Ryan to The Projects and then to the 09ers area.

Talk about heaven and earth.

His phone was ringing and he saw Keith was calling. Eli just grimaced and answered his phone.

"Sheriff."

"How's everything, Eli?"

"I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it: Darrell is at the Sorokin's."

There was a long pause from Keith side. When Keith asked again, his voice was steady. "Gory's?"

"No, his uncle – Lev."

"Hmm… His son goes to Neptune high with Darrell. Figures."

"Yes… I will look into this. What's the relation between the Tritons and Lev Sorokin's son?"

"Darrell is probably following a lead. Lev Sorokin's son is not necessary a suspect. Anyway, just keep me posted." Keith paused again. "I also need some info."

"Yeah?"

"Gory just came by to the office today."

"What?"

"He wants to get involved with the investigation."

"Why?"

"Because he's Gory."

"And you said no, right?"

"I did. But… something came up."

Eli shifted in his car seat and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Keith exhaled loudly. "I'll tell you later. In the meantime," Keith was sitting in his office, and he glanced at the piece of paper Gorya gave him. "There are several places I need you to check out when you're done with Darrell. I need some proof of The Fitzpatricks' illegal activities of before I raid the places."

"The Fitzpatricks?" Eli frowned. "What's with the Fitzpatricks?"

Keith read the piece of paper. "Get something for me – anything. They're selling guns to those Tritons kids; I need some proof. If I don't get them, at least we can shut down their operations. I'll text you the list."

"I'm on it, Sheriff."

"Thank you, Eli."

"No problem, Sheriff." Eli glanced at the mansion and saw Darrell's motorcycle parked in front of the stair.

"One more thing; Gory just told me that Veronica is investigating this prank case."

"What?"

"I need you… to help her if necessary."

"But what about her husband? I thought he hates it when Vee does this kind of thing?"

"Gory is…" Keith remembered that he told him that he almost died yesterday. "Well… he's fine by it, apparently. And I have to admit that I need all the help I can get to solve this case. The mayor has been breathing down my neck for days. Maybe it's okay if Gory is involved, but don't want anything bad happening to her, but you gotta admit that she's a good detective."

"If she's a good detective, she should know what kind of person her husband is."

"I'm tired discussing this. Veronica is stubborn. But I still need you to help her if she asks."

Eli huffed and nodded, even when Keith couldn't see him. "Okay, Sheriff." Eli watched himself on the rear view mirror. "You know I will."

Sheriff Department

They hung up and Keith pondered a little about whether he was doing the right thing allowing Gorya to get involved with the investigation. Not only was Gorya a civilian, he was also a mobster. He shouldn't get involved with an ongoing investigation just because his father in law was Sheriff and his wife was a private detective. Keith wondered whether Veronica already renewed her PI license…

Sacks knocked on his door frame and quietly said, "DCA is here."

Keith rolled his eyes hard. He hated the new Balboa Deputy County Attorney. "Send him in."

Sacks grimaced and nodded. He knew that the new DCA and Sheriff Mars resented each other, even though they were technically family.

"Keith. It's good to see you again. It's been a while." A man with a fine suit walked in and immediately shook Keith's hand, even when Keith did not stand up from his chair. Keith was glad that Backup was with Leo, because he knew the dog always barked whenever the DCA was around.

"Daniel. How are you? Please, sit down." He gestured Don's brother, the new DCA, to sit in front of him.

Daniel Lamb grinned while he crossed his legs, "So… I just got back from Texas and heard government officials were shot?" He showed his white teeth. "By paint bullets? How...peculiar."

Briefing Room, 4th Floor of Neptune Grand

FBI Agent Jeff Ratner sat in front of a huge desk where he reported his surveillance this morning to FBI Deputy Director Warner Brostoff. A Bratva Family Tree was erected behind the Deputy Director with black and white old photos of deceased Russian mafia leaders on top. Under them there were photos of the Sorokin family, where the newest photos of the family were marked. Jeff could see photos of Lex (who was deceased) and Lev Sorokin, who was now the leader of the Sorokin family in West Coast, were full of notes and scribbles.

"Lex and Lev Sorokin are rumored to have ordered in excess one hundred contract murders. Lex died few years ago before we could build a case against him and Lev…" Brostoff shook his head. "I want The Sorokin family in prison, Agent Ratner." He looked at him with his glasses. "Every last one of them."

"Yes. But that would be tricky considering one of the Sorokins is married to the Sheriff's daughter." Jeff distributed a file.

Brostoff read the file. "Gory Sorokin… right?"

"He's married to Veronica Mars. Daughter of Sheriff Keith Mars."

"You knew the Mars family?"

"Well… years ago." Jeff shrugged. "I used to work in this hotel to pay for my tuition. She was involved with many salient bachelors of this town who were regulars here."

"Are they corrupt?"

"The Mars family? No." Jeff shook his head. "I can safely say that."

"And yet, she is married to the most notorious mobster." Jeff didn't answer, only shook his head. He didn't even understand the reason. "Fine; we'll handle the Mars family later. How are we with the surveillance?"

"There will be a Bratvas meeting this week, probably in this hotel. Plenty of the Sorokin family and other Russian organized families will be attending. We are preparing for the massive gathering."

Brostoff nodded, "And we'll be ready for them."