A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! I have truly appreciated the reviews, favorites and follows and the feedback regarding some things in the previous chapters. To the reviewer who caught the mistakes; I owe you one! I gotta stop writing in the early hours of the morning, my brain doesn't always work. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

The disorientation I felt upon waking up from my half-drunk stupor was debilitating.

The colors of the sky outside my bedroom window were purples and oranges, I couldn't tell how long I had been asleep for. I reached for my phone and saw that I had several missed calls, all from Eli.

It was 6:03pm, which meant I had effectively ruined my normal circadian rhythm and it would take weeks for me to sleep right again. I sat up and dialed his number.

"V? Are you okay?" his voice shook.

"Yes? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I called you a bunch of times and no answer. Got kinda concerned you were cutting me out like you did everyone else." Ouch, I felt that one.

"I wouldn't cut you off when I'm working on your case. Have you heard anything further on who Clyde is getting to sell the drugs?"

"It's the teenagers that hang around the shop. The wannabe PCH'ers. They're trying to show they're tough and that they can do badass shit and get away with it."

"Is this an assumption or did you see a deal happen?"

"I saw it happen today when I was chopping a ca-" I cut him off immediately.

"Weevil, you can't be serious." My tone grew angry. "How can you expect me to take on your case that involves drugs when you're chopping stolen cars and selling the parts? Is that a lesser crime to you? Is that where the Weevil moral code is drawn?" I spat into the receiver.

"You knew damn well what you were signing on for with me. You knew my hands weren't clean and hadn't been clean in years since Jade left. I gotta do what I gotta do to get back on my feet so that I can be that person I was 5 years ago and leave this shit behind me. So, you can either deal with it, or you can jet off to New York to escape like you did after you graduated."

"I'm not continuing the conversation over the phone." My anger was about to get the best of me and the last time that happened, I almost ruined our friendship. "Meet me at the office in an hour and you better be forthcoming about all the seedy shit you're a part of. I'm done helping real criminals walk." I didn't give him a chance to respond as I click the call closed.

In my head I had worked out that at the very least, his entire shop was a fraud. They stole cars and then broke them down and sold the parts as needed. On the other hand, I had to come to terms with the fact that if Clyde was behind the shop, the stakes could be much greater, as the shop could be a front for his drug business in order to launder the money before making deposits. Either way I looked at this, it seemed less and less worth my sanity or lack thereof.

I arrived at the office early. My dad wasn't there, I am pretty sure he was somewhere north of Neptune, hunting down a missing husband. Not usually something we do around here, but after the news story of the Mars family defusing a bomb and saving lives, the clientele had doubled if not tripled since that story aired. Today seemed relatively slow, I hadn't been interrupted by a phone since I got here, and I was able to dig further into who Clyde was.

He didn't lie to my dad; he was an extremely smart bank robber. He made a small fortune over the course of 7 years and even upon his arrest they couldn't track down the stolen funds. Unarmed robberies typically don't carry the substantial amount of time in prison that Clyde was sentenced to. The heist amount had to have been significant for him to receive that kind of sentence.

When I plugged his name into an average search engine, not much came up other than his mugshot. When I typed his name into my private investigator's search engine, more things came to light. Not only was he arrested with robbery charges, but he was also charged with drug related offenses earlier in his criminal history. It looks like his favorite drug was Cocaine, several charges and stints in rehab facilities all over southern California. Only one charge that came with "intent to sell" and that was about a year before he was sent to Chino for the bank robberies.

It became glaringly obvious to me that this was going to be tricky. This guy avoided major jailtime until he was 50, even with crimes dating back to his 23rd birthday. He was a smart guy, even if he did get involved with the wrong crowd. I heard the door open slowly and immediately dismissed it.

"Mr. Mars is out of town for an unknown amount of time, I'm on… leave and I'm not really here. Jot your name down and I'll let him know to call you when he returns." I spoke, without letting my eyes leave my laptop.

"That how you greet everyone? Or am I just special?" Weevil sauntered around the corner to my office. My eyes left the laptop screen and met his; I felt the regret from his gaze. I shook it off and motioned for him to sit. "So, are we still going to go after Clyde and his team of teenagers or are you gonna be bitchy about the way I live my life?" Weevil snarked.

I smirked. "No, I'm going to be direct with you about this." I shut my laptop for a nice touch of overdramatic angst. "Do you realize how hard it is going to be for me to figure out what Clyde is up to, or who is involved without unearthing the fraud that is your car shop?" His face fell.

"That's the only income I got right now. I can't give it up yet."

"How can you not give it up? Where is all the money going that you're supposedly getting from chopping cars?" I sighed. "This is why it is a struggle for me to believe that you aren't up to more dangerous shit and you just came to me because you realized you were in over your head and I would be the one to play captain save a hoe."

"Captain, what now?" Eli raised his brow.

"Captain save a hoe. It's a thing. That's not really what I wanted you to focus on from what I just told you." I spoke, spewing frustration with very word.

"What? You want my solemn vow that I won't go back to a life of crime and live above the law, and start paying taxes and shit like that?" I dropped my head to my hands; I guess tax evasion was another thing that didn't rate very high on the Weevil moral code either.

"During this case, you need to keep your hands clean. You need to stay away from the shop and anyone who might foil this plan to unravel the truth about Clyde. I understand that you have to provide for a lot of people in your family but you need to take a step back for your own safety so that I can figure out what the truth is and you can get acquitted of the crimes you've been accused of."

"So, you're tellin' me I gotta stop working and then what? What happens to the family that relies on me? What happens to the bills and all the stuff that I'm responsible for? These things don't stop just cuz I gotta stay on the right path for a while."

I inhaled and knew immediately what I should do here to ease his worries. I opened my laptop and check my bank account. I had been living comfortably after the 250k my dad and I received in reward money, and it had also helped that Maloof was paying a small fortune per day to keep me on the case to find the bomber.

"What if I funded your family for a while?" I asked, cautiously. I didn't want Weevil to feel like a charity case.

"Logan leave you a chunk of money from his trust fund?" Weevil spoke and regretted as soon as the words came out of his mouth. "Alright, that was a low blow and I'm sorry for that. I feel kinda low that I can't support my own family unless I'm being a criminal." Even though we were married, Logan didn't have the same kind of money he had in high school. Him dying didn't make me an instant millionaire like everyone seemed to think.

"My dad and I received a nice fee for working the bombing cases and figuring out who the bomber was. They can't live lavishly and order lobster and steak for dinner every night; the payout wasn't that great." I joked. It seemed to ease Weevil as I saw his shoulders relax.

"How long you think this is gonna take?"

"I mean, it could be relatively easy and take a week or it could have some unforeseen issues and take a month or more. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because the longer it takes the more money, I'm gonna owe to you. I'm not really a fan of owing people money." He glanced up at me. "Especially money to you."

"I'm not expecting you to pay me back, this isn't what this is about." I hurriedly said and then it hit me what he had last said to me. "Wait, why am I the issue here?"

"I remember at our reunion, me telling you that I had a wife and a daughter and a legit business." He smiled. "It felt good to come back to you ten years later and finally tell you that I went soft. I got straight…. You were always the best of both worlds. You got arrested in school and then went on to be in the running for the Kane scholarship. I kinda wanted you to see that I could be both too." He said shyly.

"That's the thing Eli… I never doubted for a minute that you could be soft if you wanted to be. I never doubted that you could be successful in your life and you proved me to be correct about you. You always had the softness in you, it just took meeting the right girl and becoming a dad to bring it out – it happens to the best of us. We're all marshmallows in some aspect." A moment of silence took over the room. It was nice to sit and bask in the friendship we had re-developed over the past couple of weeks.

It then occurred to me that it had been two weeks since I saw Jane. Which meant a week since I missed my appointment, and I'm sure she is not pleased as I was making such progress with my kickboxing idea. I made a mental note to call her the following day and explain what happened, and maybe reschedule.

"You can promise me that if I let you do this, I'll walk free?"

"Unless there is a bunch of stuff you're not telling me; you're not going to go to jail for selling drugs if you don't sell drugs. And the less you're in that shop, the better."

"But even if I'm not at the shop, I'm still gonna get asked questions at home. How do you suppose I avoid that?"

"Perhaps a hotel would work?" I opened my laptop to look for openings for tonight.

"Yeah, get me the finest suite at the Neptune Grande – now we're talkin'" Weevil joked as he hiked his feet up on my desk.

"Or perhaps my couch?" I offered, turning the laptop to him to show that now that Spring Break was over, it was inching in on summer vacation. And while there were less rowdy college kids, there were several more families staying extended periods in Neptune because it was cheaper than other cities in California.

"If I order room service will you bring it to me?" He joked.

"That would be a hell no, and I also won't be offering any additional massage packages for your stay at Casa Mars."

"You're taking all the fun out of my vacation." He shook his head in fake dismay.

"So, speaking financially, how much would tide your family over until you're able to return?" I feared his response. While I had the money to provide, the last thing I wanted was to squander it away on my hope in Eli reforming his life, much like I did for my mother years ago.

"I'm guessing 6 grand would get them through the month." He shrugged. My eyes bugged out of my head.

"Where the hell do you guys live? In Beverly Hills?" I questioned, wondering if he had ulterior motives to the money I would be giving him.

"The house isn't the expensive part – it's the people that live in it. I promise I'm not trying anything funny here, if I wanted to skim off the top for my own benefit, I'd have asked for at least 10."

"I'm going to boldly assume that you don't have a bank account…" I looked over at him for a nod of affirmation. "Alright, so tomorrow I will get the cash out and give it to you and then you'll be going straight there, hand it to Hector or whoever else is responsible enough and then tell whomever that is that you'll be gone for a while, that you're trying to get your life back on track."

"You think its possible for me to do that?" He questioned.

"I've told you several hundred times that I think it's possible. But for now, that's just your cover story in case you ever do wanna slide back down that slippery slope, but that won't be my business because I'll be long gone by then." I smiled sweetly. "Let's pack it up and go to my place, I need food if we are going to work anymore tonight."

When we got to my house, it wasn't a surprise that my dad was nowhere to be found. Pony was snoring lightly on his dog bed; he was never much of an attack dog.

"So, this will be your room." I motioned to the couch in a Vanna White-esque gesture. Doing this reminded me that we had just fallen asleep together there the previous night. "Dad is on the no cable kick, so feel free to use and abuse Netflix and Hulu if the mood strikes you." I spoke as I rummaged through one of the kitchen drawers to find a food menu.

"I really appreciate all you're doing for me V, and for my family." A half smile crept across his face. "I don't know if I ever apologized like I shoulda for calling you gutter trash, or whatever I said in rage. I hope you know I wouldn't ever think of you like that." He approached me and made sure our gaze met.

"Bygones…" I spoke softly, almost unable to hear myself. The moment between us wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't awkward. I wasn't sure what to do or say next because everything in my brain was on overload thinking that Eli Navarro was about to kiss me. I'd never ventured down that road with him; either in person or in my daydreams. He wasn't the hot deputy; he wasn't a son of a millionaire – he was the shady criminal from the wrong side of the tracks and by my bad boy standards, he should have been the first one I went for in Neptune.

Before I had a chance to continue the thought process. He broke the silence and brought me back down to earth. The earth where he wasn't about to kiss me and my confused, heartbroken brain just thought he was.

"You may have mentioned food earlier – is this still a thing?" Eli questioned

"Yeah, that's actually what I was in the middle of doing before you got all gooey on me." I smirked. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I handed Eli the menu for Lim's Chinese down the road and walked back into the living room. It was Wallace. Had my nearly 5 week shut out been enough? I conceded and answered.

"Hi there."

"Holy shit, Veronica? Is that you? This ain't your voicemail? Me and her were getting really close these days." His voice sounded both worried and friendly.

"I'm sorry I've been so vacant these days. I've been a hot mess."

"I wouldn't expect anything less after what you've been through, but you can't cut out everyone in your life because you lose someone. Your friends love you too, ya know." He spoke matter-of-factly.

"I know and I promise to be around more, for you, For Mac, for everyone that I have neglected the past month." I glanced over at Eli, who was still browsing the menu. "I'm actually working a case right now."

"Damn girl, you're already back at it, just like that?" He seemed stunned. Knowing that my last case directly affected Logan's demise.

"It's for a friend, I'm not back in the business for good…" I trailed off. I didn't want to tell Wallace my plan to leave Neptune over the phone. He deserved to hear it from me in person.

"Well can we please catch up. I need to make sure you're alright. Your dad is getting sick of me just stopping by – the case must be pretty involved because you're never home when I stop by." I suddenly felt very relived he hadn't stopped by the previous night to see Eli and I cuddled up on the couch.

"I can spare some time for my oldest friend, how does tomorrow sound?"

"I can make tomorrow work. Text me where and when, and don't leave me hangin'!" Wallace joked.

"I promise the shut out is over, I'll be a better friend, you have my word." I wasn't sure what my word was worth these days since I was inevitably going to tell him my plan to leave tomorrow.

"I'm just glad to hear your voice, you had me worried. Don't dip out on life like that again without at least a warning text to those of us that are close to you, okay?"

"You've got my word. I'll see you tomorrow." With that I ended the call and returned to Eli in the kitchen. "I gave you ample time to decide on what you want to eat tonight…"

"Surprise me." He said and handed the menu back, with a devious smile on his face. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I let it go. I ripped him from his everyday norm today, I figured that allowed him to feel however he wanted to. "It's kinda cool that you and Wallace are still close." He mentioned as he sat down and started flipping through the Netflix originals.

"It's only gonna be cool until I tell him the truth about me leaving." I sighed and joined him on the couch. "He was pretty thrilled when Logan and I relocated here permanently, and he's gotten really used to having me here."

"Well you shut him out cold for several weeks and he still kept calling, I'd say that's a pretty great friendship." He had a valid point, that I couldn't deny.

"Why didn't you keep in touch after the reunion?" I questioned him, curious as to what happened after we reconnected.

"Well for starters, I was healing from being shot and seeking revenge." He laughed "Obviously that didn't work, I took the money and rolled with it, I did everything I could." His eyes filled with sadness. "Jade helped me turn my shit around. She showed up in my life when I was deep in the business. She supported me making my money the way I needed to, but when she got pregnant, she told me it all had to stop and I didn't argue. I sold my bike and used the funds I got to buy the broken-down shop that was once my pride and joy. Put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that building and by the time the reunion came around – it was a success." He shrugged. "I married up and I was forever grateful she let me be her husband. I did my best and gave it my all. After I was shot, things got rough. I couldn't work like I used to when I was first released. And she wasn't thrilled that I was spending most of my time with you and your dad trying to get this case dismissed and off my record." He looked up at me, "I didn't settle because I sold out, I settled so I could keep my family together. I wanted to see the thing through but the time I spent with her was less; in an average week I saw more of you than I did her. When the money came through, you effectively told me to get out of your life and that you didn't understand or respect my decision and I knew it wasn't the time to explain things to you." He paused. "I did what I had to do, but the money didn't last and before I knew it, I was using my shop to chop cars. At first the money was great and it kept us together, but eventually I wasn't getting enough cars in to sell parts – it went under and when it did she saw me as a failure and left; not before accusing me of sleeping with you, however." He smirked.

"Well, cut short the last few words, which I'll pretend you never said – I wish I had known a lot of this earlier. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about your reasoning behind settling outside of court." I reached out and grabbed a hold of his forearm. "I missed you over the past few years ya know." I reassured him.

"I missed you too, and I'm glad we still got this thing between us." He smiled and put his hand over mine. Again, the uncomfortable yet not awkward lull played between us. In the movies, this would be the lull that everyone waits for. The lull in which everyone waits for the lead characters to kiss.

I realized quickly that this wasn't the movies, and Eli was not my leading man when the doorbell rang several times in a row. I walked over to the door to answer it.

"Is it in your policy to deafen all the occupants of the home as you deliver?" I snarked at the driver and then threw him his tip and shut the door. "How annoying was that." I shook my head.

"Got something on your mind, V? Usually takes more than a loud doorbell to rile you up." Eli spoke as he walked over to where I had placed the food.

"I think I'm just over sensitive right now. Everything around me seems to be going 200 miles an hour, and my brain can't keep up. This last month has been so frustrating, every single thing is bothering me, and I can't seem to push forward." I opened, willingly and not inebriated. I looked over at Eli, he seemed to be just as surprised as I was about what I had said.

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to say much so I'm not prepared on how to help you." He told me. I giggled lightly.

"You don't need to say anything back, it's just nice to have a listening ear every once in a while." I smiled as I grabbed my container of food and pair of chop sticks and headed to the table to eat. We enjoyed our dinner in silence, it appeared as though neither of us were really in the mood to chat. This continued until I decided I needed to sleep.

"Alright, roomie." I said as I patted his leg and stood up from the couch. "I need to get some of that beauty sleep these kids keep talking about, or maybe I need smart sleep, who knows; I could use a little of both." I joked.

"You don't need none of that." He paused "Roomie." He said with a wink. I gave him a smirk and one of my world-famous head tilts. "If you need someone to keep you warm tonight, all you gotta do is ask."

"Well aren't you just all accommodating?" I turned to leave the room. "Good night, Eli." I spoke lightly.

"Good night, Veronica." He kicked back against one side of the couch and put his arms behind his head. I walked to my bedroom, unable to shake the thought of Eli sleeping in my living room. I wasn't sure what bothered me more; the fact that he was there and would be there for an unforeseeable amount of time, or the fact that he wasn't here, in my bed with me.

That thought alone made me question my sanity. The love of my life died a gruesome death not even 6 weeks ago, what am I thinking about doing with Eli? I physically shook my head in hopes that it would help me shake the thoughts I was having. It still felt wrong, it still felt like I was cheating on Logan, it still felt like he would walk in at any time and lose his shit over the thug sleeping on the couch.

Everything in me still loved Logan. But everything in me felt like I should love Eli.