Lives Ruined, Bloodshed

Chapter 23

Mornings with Logan were quickly becoming Veronica's new favourite thing. It seemed that he liked to find new and exciting ways to pull her from the fog of her dreams and start the day with a mind-blowing orgasm. And it seemed, with their newfound determination to hold on to one another forever, Logan wanted to make her hold on for dear life.

Veronica had stirred when she felt Logan's teeth around her nipple. He was biting and sucking, swirling his tongue. And as she blinked open her eyes and lifted her hands to grasp the threads of his hair, he buried his length into her. The sensation of suddenly being filled to the brim shocked her awake, and the way the head of his cock found her bundle of nerves had the familiar coil inside her stomach already tightening.

There was no chance to think or really breathe as Logan thrust into her. His mouth ravaging her chest, his hands gripping her thighs, his cock stretching and driving her to a rapidly building orgasm. Logan suckled on the tip of her nipple, letting it go with a pop before lifting his head to smile down at her. But he didn't speak. He caught her lips in a deep kiss; he ran his tongue along her lower lip, biting down as he plunged into her again.

Veronica's back arched up as one of Logan's hands moved to her mound. His finger teased the edge of the skin just around her clit before pressing down and twisting. The coil in Veronica snapped, and her orgasm rocked through her. A small squeal of surprise at her quick release echoed into Logan's mouth as her walls clenched firmly around her and pulled Logan to his own orgasm.

Staying on top of Veronica, Logan broke their kiss and rested his head on her shoulder. They were both panting, Veronica's heart feeling so erratic and that she could barely hear anything beyond the thumping.

Logan pressed a kiss to the side of her face and said, "Good morning."

Veronica smiled. "That was a fantastic wake-up call." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Logan grinned. "I live to please you." He kissed her.

"Careful, I might have you peeling my grapes next," she teased.

Logan kissed her again. "While I'll happily peel grapes for you. How about we discover how many times I can make you cum before Dick complains about the noise?" He rocked his hips forward, his cock starting to harden inside her again.

Veronica bit down on his lip and nodded. That did sound like a great idea.

The answer was three. And while Veronica was intentionally louder than normal, she was impressed Dick waited so long before he thumped on Logan's door and told them to shut up. It had just made them both laugh before moving their morning fun to the shower.

Logan made them all breakfast again, this time going for Spanish omelettes, which Veronica was thoroughly enjoying as Logan fed hers to her. She couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous they no doubt looked as she sat on the counter, and he held out a fork for her to eat a mouthful.

Once the food was done, Veronica found herself wanting nothing more than to spend the day with Logan, but she had a case. The Kimberley's murder could wait around for another day, but there was no way to know that. So, Veronica dressed and kissed Logan goodbye beside her car, which took much longer than it should have done. Veronica's cheeks were still slightly flushed when she arrived at the office.

Walsh was sitting at her desk when Veronica walked in and sat down on the edge of the desk.

Walsh looked up at her and took in her expression. She said, "You look relaxed."

Veronica shrugged, the stupid grin on her face suddenly becoming very hard to relax. "I feel relaxed."

Walsh wiggled her eyebrows. "You and Logan have a good night?"

"A good night, a good morning, a good shower." Veronica smirked as Walsh's eyes widened.

"Going for a marathon?" she asked.

Veronica shrugged.

"Well, keep your bragging to yourself. This single mama spent most of her night dealing with a fevered four-year-old."

"Oh, is your little guy okay?" asked Veronica.

Walsh nodded. "Yeah, it's just a cold. He slept with me and was a boiling furnace that kept waking me up with all his kicking."

"Yeah, one of the many reasons I don't want children." Veronica crossed her legs. "So, any news on stalker boy yet?"

"Yes, actually. He was picked up by a few of our boys about ten minutes ago when he arrived for work. They are bringing him in as we speak," said Walsh.

Veronica clapped her hands. "Fantastic. All we need now is for him to confess, and we can clock off early."

"I wish. Can you imagine if all the guilty ones just admitted their crimes? We'd be out of a job."

Veronica shrugged. "And I'd be okay with that."

Perry Armstrong was walked into the field office twenty minutes later, escorted by two agents. Walsh directed them to an interrogation room, where Veronica and Walsh took a seat across from him. Perry was what you would expect of someone working in security, fit and buff. He had short black hair and a wide-set nose.

He said, "Whatever I'm here for, I didn't do nothing."

"Mr Armstrong, we wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Mrs Mandi Kimberley."

Perry smiled. "Pretty Mandi, did her husband complain again? Cause Mandi said, she sorted that out."

"Did you talk to Mandi a lot?" asked Veronica.

Perry nodded. "Yeah. She liked to call me a lot."

"You were friends?" she asked.

Perry smirked. "Sure, you can call us that."

"How would you define your relationship?"

"I would call her my girlfriend, but she didn't like me doing that."

"Girlfriend? So you were dating, even though she was married."

He shrugged. "Mandi said that her husband and her didn't share the same sexual appetite, so they both agreed to go elsewhere for those needs."

"And you filled Mandi's sexual appetites?"

"I did. Many times over." Perry smirked. "She liked the size of my cock."

Veronica internally cringed and held in the comment that she certainly didn't like him for his intelligence.

"When was the last time you saw Mandi?" asked Walsh.

Perry said, "A week ago. I picked her up from a café near Dog Beach and found the closest alley."

"Mandi's liked having sex in public?" asked Veronica.

"Yeah. She liked it when we got seen by other people. Liked it more when they stayed and watched."

"And her husband had no issue with this?"

Perry scoffed. "I don't know. After the guy threatened me, I never saw him again."

"What about other partners? Were you the only one Mandi was having sex with?"

He sighed and sat back in his chair. "For a while, yeah. She used to call me up a few times a week, but she only called me about once the last month or so. So either her husband finally got the memo, or she was fucking someone else."

"And where were you two nights ago between 8pm and 2 am?" asked Walsh.

"I was at my AA meeting," he said.

"Anyone who can confirm that?"

Perry frowned. "Why does it matter where I was? Has the husband complained about me? Trying to charge me with fucking his wife?"

"Mandi and her husband were found murdered two nights ago," said Veronica.

Perry's face turned sad, every inch of smug attitude dissipated, and he looked genuinely upset. "What?"

It was interesting how blunt honesty revealed a person's true motive. While acting like a pig-headed douche, Perry Armstrong liked to brag about having sex with Mandi but showed genuine heartbreak at her death. The change in his demeanour was too authentic for him to have faked such a response, and his sponsor was able to confirm that Perry showed up to the meeting at 7, stayed until 9 and ended up at a bar called The Pig's Head, where he drank until 12. The sponsor explained he had the task of getting Perry home and into bed. Which meant Perry wasn't their killer.

Ollie also confirmed that Amanda Brown had no current boyfriend who could have been upset about the only going arrangement between Amanda and Mr Kimberley. Any ex's hadn't visited California in the last twelve months. Lucille Butcher, while having a record with a few previous arrests, they were only for drug possession, and they had been in her early twenties.

This left them with two possible suspects. Veronica was comparing Jenson Kimberley, Tristan's brother, against Fredrick Hammond, Mandi's ex. Both men had suffered broken hearts because of the married couple; Fredrick believed that Tristan had stolen Mandi from him in college, and Jenson was in love with Mandi – and if they were to believe him – had never admitted his feelings to Mandi.

They didn't have anything solid that would give them probable cause to arrest or search either of them; the only possible evidence they might be able to find would be the object used on Mandi. Nothing from the home had fit the type of damage caused to Mandi's vaginal canal, which led Veronica to believe that the killer had taken it with him.

The rest of the day was spent looking for the case details and having Ollie do research for them, but by five o'clock, they hadn't found anything, so they called it. It was Friday night, and neither of them wanted to sit around and throw about ideas when they could go home. Walsh was going to take care of her son and was contemplating a movie night. Veronica was having dinner with Logan and her dad. It was going to be their first meal together, and Veronica wasn't sure how to feel. Back in college, she had been terrified to sit at the table with both of them, but now they had a good relationship which should make things a lot easier.

Veronica arrived at Keith's home ten minutes before six. She kissed her dad on the cheek as she passed him in the kitchen and went into the guest bedroom to change. She pulled on a pair of shorts with a white top before going back to help her dad prep the food. The food for dinner consisted of steaks and salad because steaks are what men cook together. Veronica had rolled her eyes at her dad as he puffed out his chest.

As Veronica set the table, Keith asked, "So, are you going to tell me what I can and can't say?"

Veronica glanced over at him and smiled. "Do I need to?"

Keith shrugged. "You were the one always worried that your boyfriend was going to say the wrong thing."

"Yeah, but you always wanted him to say the wrong thing. You were working against me," she accused.

Keith smirked. "Or maybe, you were really just paranoid and working against yourself."

Veronica narrowed her eyes. "You're the one who taught me to be paranoid, so still all on you."

Keith chuckled. "You got me there." He sprinkled salt onto the steak and said, "But this time around, I like Logan, so we should be fine."

"You like him as Logan, a young man that you have mentored. Not Logan, your daughter's boyfriend." Veronica walked over and set a bowl of salad on the table.

"Well, if those two Logan's are anything alike, then I'm sure that I will approve."

Veronica gripped the back of one chair and gave Keith a firm look before she smiled. "I'm glad you two get along."

Keith returned it. "I am too."

The doorbell rang, making Veronica's smile grow larger. She walked to the door and greeted Logan we a sweet kiss.

"Hi," she said.

Logan placed his hands on her hips and said, "Hi. How was your day?"

She sighed. "Uneventful, sadly."

"No progress?"

She shrugged. "We eliminated a suspect, but that was kind of it."

"Well, one less person to deal with."

"That is true."

Logan pressed another kiss to her lips and moved to head inside, but she stopped him. Logan smirked and said, "Let me guess. No jokes. No innuendoes. No quips. No alluding that I have seen every inch of your beautiful naked body?"

Veronica giggled. "No calling me Bobcat, no talk of my milky thighs."

Logan kissed her again, this one a little deeper and longer than the others. "Shall we?"

Veronica nodded and led him inside.

It warmed Veronica's heart when Logan walked in, and instead of a nod or a handshake, Keith pulled Logan in for a hug. They patted each other on the back before Logan moved to stand behind Veronica and wrap his arms around her. She leant into his embrace and enjoyed as her dad and Logan fell easily into a conversation.

"How's your day been, Keith?" asked Logan.

Keith smiled. "I caught myself two cheaters and got a new lead on a bail jumper, so I might be heading off to New York soon."

"You still spry enough to chase them jumpers down?" teased Veronica.

Keith pointed a set of tongs at her and said, "I'm like a fox. Stealth and speed."

"Likes to hide in the shadows and is scared easily?" Veronica smirked.

Logan chuckled. "Be nice to your father."

Keith smirked and nodded. "See, reason one to like Logan. He sticks up for me." Keith stuck out his tongue, which Veronica reciprocated, before picking up his plate of steaks and walking towards the back door. "How's your leave been, Logan?" asks Keith.

Veronica and Logan follow Keith out back onto the porch, Veronica taking a seat on the small outdoor lounge, pulling Logan down with her.

Logan said, "It's been nice. Been surfing my heart out."

Veronica leant her head on Logan's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Have you been looking at any more places?" asked Keith.

"Yeah, a few. I thought I might get an apartment in San Diego, but I like the idea of staying in Neptune too."

"How come you don't already have a place?" asked Veronica.

Logan said, "Never really saw the point of having something permanent when I was deployed half the time. When I moved out of the Grand, I originally rented a place and have generally done so in between deployments." He took Veronica's hand and laced their fingers together.

Keith said, "Well, I think you might have a good reason to get something more permanent now."

Veronica and Logan both looked at Keith with surprise. Keith smiled and started to place the steaks on the grill. Logan squeezed Veronica's hand and said, "It would be nice to have something that was mine…or ours."

Veronica smiled as she took the hinting in Logan's words. She hadn't mentioned the job offer to her father yet, but she knew Logan was all for it. And it seemed that if she moved to Neptune or San Diego, he wanted them to live together.

Keith said, "If you two are living together, wouldn't you be moving to Virginia?" He turned to look at them and frowned at the look on Veronica's face. "What don't I know?"

Veronica sighed and said, "I got a job offer…as the Unit Chief of the San Diego field office."

Keith's face burst with glee. "That's amazing."

Veronica nodded. "It is a great opportunity."

"So when do you start?" asked Keith.

Veronica shrugged. "I haven't accepted it yet."

Keith looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"It's a lot of responsibility. I would be in charge of a whole group of agents, that's a lot different than working as a part of a team. I would be overseeing multiple cases, managing agents and coordinating with other field offices," explained Veronica.

"And it sounds like something you would be great at," said Keith.

Veronica loves that her father is so confident in her, and there were so many reasons that she was ready to just go for it.

"What's holding you back?" asked Keith.

Logan's squeezed Veronica to comfort her. He rubbed his hand up and down her shoulder before pressing a kiss to their joint hands.

Veronica said, "I'm not sure. But it's a big change. Hitch gave me two weeks to think about it, and I thought it would be the smart thing to do. I'm already dealing with a lot of other stuff; adding one more thing at the moment seems like I'm going to tip the boat over."

Keith nodded. "Okay, makes sense. Just know that I support you whatever your decision."

Veronica smiles. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

"But if you were to move back, you would get my lasagne at least once a week."

Veronica laughs as Keith winks at her and turns back to the steaks to flip them. The best thing about taking the job would be that she would be back with her family; she would essentially be coming home. Turning to look at Logan, he smiled at her reassuringly, and she leant in and kissed him. It was time to stop running.

Dinner turned out to be a great time. It was like Veronica hadn't been gone and seeing the bond between Keith and Logan had made Veronica relax. She could never have imagined being so relaxed as a teenager having both of them in the room. It even made her smile when Logan cleaned up, dragging her to help and leaving Keith to move to the living room.

Veronica dried while Logan washed, and once they were done, they turned to hug one another. Logan pressed a kiss to her shoulder and whispered, "I keep thinking about what we did on this counter."

Veronica smirked. "And what was that?"

He smiled against her throat. "I would be glad to remind you; after all, you did mention something about a repeat, but I somehow feel your father would object."

"That's a shame." Veronica pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before stepping out from his grasp.

They spent the next hour with Keith, sitting and chatting before Keith decided to call it a night. Logan had been the one to bring an overnight bag and with Keith's wholehearted approval, he would stay with Veronica in the guest room. While Keith headed upstairs to bed, Veronica and Logan moved to sit outside and enjoy the nice night.

Veronica snuggled into Logan's side, and they changed between talking and kissing. Veronica found herself not wanting to move from their spot and brought herself closer to Logan. She felt so happy and content but couldn't stop her mind from wandering.

"What's coursing through that mind?" asked Logan.

Veronica smiled at his ability to just know that her mind was churning. "A lot of things."

"Like?" he nudged.

"The time we spent apart. What you went through."

Logan frowned and turned slightly, so they were facing each other. "You don't need to worry about that."

Veronica said, "But I do."

"Why?" he asked.

Veronica looked down, not wanting to see his eyes. She said, "Because I was the reason."

Logan cupped her chin, making her look at him. "My bad choices are not your fault."

"I disagree."

He shrugged, and a small smile touched his lips. "Well, that's too bad because you are wrong."

"Logan, I broke your heart and pushed you over the edge."

He shook his head. "It's not that simple. It wasn't just losing you that sent me over. I went through a lot in my life, even before I met you. Aaron beat me for years, my mum was never really there for me – she was too busy drowning her sorrows – and I was left to try and find my own way to survive. I learned, from my parents, that alcohol was how you dealt with the bad stuff. You drink enough, and you feel so numb that you can't even remember why you wanted to drink that much in the first place. I was already on a path towards that cliff; I was stumbling along, one stupid mistake after the other, trying to be better but not really believing I could be. When you left, my mistakes continued. Drugs were just another thing that let me numb the pain and forget, or even let me believe that for one night, you weren't gone. But like alcohol, the more you use, the higher your tolerance becomes and the more you need."

"Logan—"

"What I did, my past mistakes, weren't something you could stop. Even if you had been here, I think I was going to hit rock bottom at some point. I'm actually glad you weren't there to see it."

Veronica felt a tear fall down her cheek. She wanted to believe that if she had stayed, everything would have been fine; neither of them would have suffered unnecessarily, but they both had suffered a lot of trauma and that left wounds.

"The only thing that matters is that I made it through. I learned the healthy way to deal with my issues; my therapist, Jane, taught me how to face things and accept that I can't control everything." Logan stroked Veronica's cheek.

She said, "Maybe I should talk to her. Work out my control issues." She sniffed and smiled.

Logan chuckles. "If you wanted to talk to someone, even if it's just about us, Jane would be happy to refer you to someone."

Veronica didn't know if she liked that idea. The last therapist she had seen hadn't really helped; then again, she had only done so because she had to. Therapy seemed like the kind of thing that someone needed to be willingly for it to work, much like rehab.

Pressing her face into Logan's chest, Veronica closed her eyes and just breathed him in. There was time to work out what was next.

Thank you so much for reading.

I would love to hear what you think. Even if it's as simple as a 'can't wait' all feedback is appreciated.