Veronica

Logan instructs the taxi van to drop us all off about a block away from the warehouse. And so we all pile out into the street—me, Mac, Parker, Logan, Wallace, and Jeff—after paying the man with the last remaining money on my stipend card. It means that we'll be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a few days until I can get it reloaded, but this is a necessary expense. Finding out the truth about what is happening with Duncan and Piz, and their involvement with this group, has become an obsession.

Leading up to this, Duncan has been quiet. Too quiet. All week, he's barely said anything to me, choosing instead to sit near the front of the lecture hall, never turning around. Usually, he would meet Piz for lunch or sit with me, but this week, he's been returning to his dorm room during that time. I know because I followed him once when Logan couldn't meet me for lunch. My impulse was to knock on the door and confront him—accuse him of planning the bomb scare—but I chickened out. I didn't want to cause a scene. It was bad enough to be one half of the Loud Sex Couple in our dorm. I didn't want to be the Irrationally Yelling Woman in this dormitory too.

Turning to the group on the sidewalk, I rub the indentation on my finger where my ring usually sits. It felt weird not to wear it now. I actually had to put some make-up on the spot to cover the white band of skin that was underneath, just as a precaution. For a few hours tonight, I was unmatched. Even if my match was following close behind.

"We'll go in first," I say as Mac and Parker link hands next to me. "Give us five minutes, then you guys follow. Okay?"

"We'll give you two minutes," Logan says, holding up his fingers in a V. "I don't like the idea of you guys being in there too long without us."

I know he's worried, but I still want to roll my eyes. "We'll be fine for the three extra minutes."

"Split the difference, and we'll come in after four." Wallace chuckles, rubbing his hands together in the cold night. "I don't want to become a popsicle while you guys are inside."

"Neither do I. Let's call it a deal and go." Parker turns with Mac, and they start down the street, moving quickly towards the warehouse.

I shoot a final glance and a nod at Logan, and he frowns and nods back. His concern sits heavily between us. He was so quiet and contemplative as we were getting ready. This plan is consuming him. The night before, he tried to convince me not to come, and I shot him down, causing another round of silence. But when he reached for me in the middle of the night, to slowly make love to me, I knew it wasn't because of any machismo masculine pride that he wanted to do this alone. I knew it was because the idea of something happening to me filled him with deep fear.

"It'll be fine," I state and then turn, not waiting for his response as I hurry to catch up with the girls.

A few buildings away, we can hear the heavy bass music thumping against the concrete and brick on the street, and see colourful light flashing through the tempered panes of glass. We follow the sidewalk towards the front of the building, and even though the lights are off, the sign on the front door says, "Open."

Parker reaches into her back pocket under her jacket and pulls out the wrinkled invitation, dropping her arm from Mac's. "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we can be," I reply with a heavy sigh.

Pulling open the front door, we are greeted by the dim light from a flashlight and a husky voice from the darkness.

"Hello, ladies. Glad you could join us."

A shiver runs down my spine, but we push on into the room towards the light. On the other side of the desk is a tall man wearing a blue plaid sports jacket over a baby-blue shirt. He has on an orange nameplate that says 'Vinnie - Customer Service and Sales', and when he grins at us, I can see the creases in his skin. He looks to be at least a generation older than us, which gives me the creeps that he's at a party that's supposed to be for college students.

"Hi!" Parker replies in her perkiest voice as she shoves the invitation his way. "We're here for the party."

"Of course you are," he smirks, licking his lips, and for a second, I think he's going to pounce over the desk and eat one of us. "Here's your stamp."

Having never attended a party like this before, none of us know what to do until he grabs Parker's hand roughly, pulls it toward him, and brings a wooden stamp down on her skin. Her sharp squeak of pain echos as he lifts the seal up to reveal a giant black happy face looking back at us. The image is so incongruent with the mood that I can't help but snicker as I hold out the back of my hand. With a wiggle of his eyebrows, Vinnie bangs the stamp onto an ink pad and then smashes it on my hand so hard that I'm sure it will be bruised under the face tomorrow, and I wince, not giving him the satisfaction of yelling. When he does it for Mac, there's a look in her eye that makes me think she may pull her hand away just for kicks, but she takes her stamp with nary a flinch.

"You're good. The stamp gets you one free drink at the bar," he states, jerking his hand towards a solid black door just a few feet away. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," I mutter and start towards the door. The girls follow, and together we step through the doorway into a well-lit hall. On the right are the women's washrooms, on the left are the men's, and at the end are the lights and sounds of the party, already in full swing.

Emerging into the open warehouse area, we stop and scan the room, taking in the party. The concrete floor is stained with black blotches that look like oil, and thick chains still hang from the tall metal rafters, catching the flashing lights. The thick concrete walls ricochet with the sound of the music, so the entire room seems to vibrate as the thumping hits the thick panes of glass located high on the walls. There's the faint aroma of industrial cleaning products and the acetic bite of metal, probably permanently embedded into the structure from decades of previous use. At the far end to the left is a small makeshift stage, with Piz perched on top, spinning his party tunes. It's actually not bad, and I find myself bobbing my head to the old-school dance music from the 1980s, with its electronic beats and catchy lyrics. On our right, against one wall, is a bar that looks like it was salvaged from some fancy old casino; it's red lacquer and black leather with little flashing lights around the edge. Behind it is a big fridge filled with cans of drinks. Throughout the room are men and women mingling and talking. Some are dancing, others are sitting on folding chairs scattered throughout the space. There looks to be about a hundred people—mainly men but also women—and I'm shocked that there are this many unmatched people in the area, looking for partners on their own and not just waiting for Orwell to set their future.

"Veronica?"

I spin around to find Duncan standing behind me and I suck in a sharp breath in shock. He must have been in the men's bathroom when we arrived. I had expected to see him—just not this soon.

"Hey, Duncan!" I say, as chipper as I can manage. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" he responds, incredulous, confusion crossing his face. "This is for single people."

"Yeah! And these are my two single friends." I gesture towards Parker and Mac and they smile and wave. "Parker got an invitation from Piz, and I just figured I would join them for a night out. A little dancing. Maybe a drink or two…"

His eyes dart between us for a second before fixing on Parker. The thought crosses my mind that he may go and get that Vinnie guy to kick us out, but his scowl turns to a grin, and he offers his hand to her.

"I'm Duncan. I think I've seen you around campus a few times."

"Yeah. You have. I'm Parker. Nice to meet you." Parker plasters on a huge grin and shakes his hand, and I finally exhale.

"Why don't we get our drinks," I suggest and start to walk away from the entrance, knowing Logan and his gang were going to be arriving in a second.

"Yes! Let's do that. Are you coming with us, Duncan?" Parker says as she skips over to join me, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she moves.

Damn, she was good.

"Yeah. Sure!" he answers and catches up, falling into sync with her as she walks.

Mac joins me on my left, and she rolls her eyes as I stifle a giggle. There's a line for the bar, and we all fall in. Even with the chilly Fall night, I'm starting to get warm already in the heat of the warehouse, and I shrug off my jacket and sweater, revealing my pink camisole and jeans. Parker does the same, but she's chosen a black off-the-shoulder stretchy top to go with her pleather pants. Mac refused to "dress up" for this event, and as such, is in a t-shirt and baggy jeans.

Duncan's eyes fall immediately to Parker's ample breasts, perky and braless under the shirt, and I shake my head. If nothing else, at least Parker would provide a good distraction for him while I checked out the place. They begin to chat about classes, and I can barely make out what they are saying above the din of the music.

On the surface, everyone looks happy. I scan the small group of women hanging out near the bar, and they are all chatting and laughing as if they don't have a care in the world. The men are keeping a respectful distance and even the ones who are dancing seem to be enjoying each other's company.

For now, I relax. Maybe I was reading too much into things. Perhaps this was all a figment of my imagination. My father always said I was good at making up stories when I was little. It could be my brain just spinning another tale.

When the line clears, I approach the bar and show the bartender my stamp. "Great! What'll you have?" he yells above the music, smiling broadly.

"Just soda, please," I shout back, and he gives me the thumbs up.

Swivelling, he grabs a red can from the fridge, opens it, and places it on the bar. As I go to pick it up, he takes a marker and sweeps it across my happy face.

"That was your free one," he hollers, and I nod.

"Thanks!"

Stepping away from the bar, I glance back towards the entrance as everyone else gets their drinks and spy Logan, Wallace, and Jeff as they enter. They, too, are captivated by it all and stand at the end of the hallway, taking it all in.

"Well, hello there…"

I jump, startled by the deep voice behind me and turn to see a man with dark piercing eyes looking down at me. When he smiles, his eyebrow arches in a way that creeps me out, and I step back ever so slightly.

"Um, hello." I can barely get the words out. Immediately, Mac is by my side, clutching my arm protectively.

"Hey!" she says with forced enthusiasm. "Cool party, huh!"

"Thanks!" the man thunders at us. "I organized it, so I take that as a compliment."

"Veronica. Mac. This is my friend, Gory Sorokin."

Duncan steps next to us with Parker, and Gory's sight shifts from me to her. His eyes skim her body in a way that makes my stomach tighten, and I hold on to Mac a little tighter.

"Duncan! I didn't know you knew so many lovely ladies," Gory says, running his fingers through his thick dark hair, his attention coming back to me.

"Veronica and I are friends from high school, and she came with friends," Duncan states. "Piz invited all of them."

As he takes a sip of his beer, Gory nods at me, his smile growing wider. "Well, maybe by the end of the night, she'll be my friend too. Would you like to dance?"

He offers his hand, and for a second, I balk before taking it with my right hand, trying to hide any markings left by my ring. When I take it, he chuckles and kisses my knuckles, and now I'm really uncomfortable. But he's the mastermind behind all of this. If anyone knows anything, it's him. It's just a matter of how much I can get from him in a place like this.

Turning to Mac, I hand her my drink and my jacket. "Watch this for me, will you?"

She nods, her eyes big with fear as I walk away with Gory, onto the dance floor. As we walk, I catch sight of Logan, near a darkened corner of the room, staring at me like he's about to stride over and punch this guy in the face. Pursing my lips, I shake my head slightly, in silent communication, making sure he stays put. His response is to pull off his jacket and toss it over a chair, turning his back to me as Wallace and Jeff continue to watch my progression.

I realize that Gory is leading me too close to Piz, and so I stop, pulling on his hand, and he jerks around. His white dress shirt is open a few extra buttons, and I can see his chest hair peeking through. The whole scene reminds me of some messed up movie from my mother's youth—the kind she used to show me in junior high school while I picked out all the misogynist and racist tropes. He grips my hand and pulls me close to him as the music starts to change from a fast-paced one to a slower tempo. His other hand drops to my waist, and he squeezes so tightly that I'm sure there'll be bruising tomorrow. Trying to play along, I drape one hand over his shoulder and gather myself to allow him to touch me for the next five minutes.

"So…you organized this party?" I coo, trying to play things cool. "My friend Parker invited me, so I don't know much."

Gory grins down at me and guides my body closer to his. He smells like cheap cologne and beer, and I mentally start counting the seconds until this is over.

"Yeah. This is all me. I'm the President of the Chicago chapter of C.H.A.D. My family owned this warehouse before the government fucked them over. But the joke is on them…no one ever used it, so I just used my keys and fixed it up for this purpose."

"Oh. Wow," I say and glance around. "So I take it you're not a fan of the New Democracy."

Gory scoffs and pulls me harder against his body, and I can feel his erection through his pants. Sweat pools on the back of my neck as I start to realize precisely what I may have gotten myself into with a dance.

"That's an understatement. My family was rich before they took it all away. Now we don't even have the privilege of a good home; just some shanty they stuck us in before I was born. They lost everything, and to add insult to injury, they tried to match me with some dark-skinned girl from the Southern zone. Like I'd ever partner with that." I'm at a complete loss for words. This type of hate was not at all what I was expecting, and so out of fear and shock, I let him ramble some more. "That's why I got involved with this group. I want to pick the kind of woman I want." He licks his lips and grins down at me. "Someone white and blond and pure…"

I wriggle away from him a bit, but he's too strong, and he pulls me back to him. The juxtaposition of the romantic song filling the room, as other couples dance near us, with the fear that is now shaking through me is throwing my brain off balance. All I know is I need to get away from Gory. Now.

"You know, that sounds great," I say, as I try and squirm away from his hard fly. "I'm sure you'll find that girl eventually."

"Veronica! Baby!" Logan steps into my periphery, and Gory stops cold, staring him in the eye. "I can't believe you're here!"

"You know this girl?" Gory spits.

And then it happens. The jackass grin that taunted me all through school crosses Logan's face. "Oh, I know this girl. Intimately, if you know what I mean." He arches his eyebrow at me and winks. "We hooked up a time or two in high school. I just can't believe that we met again here."

"Interesting." Gory stares down at me as I blush.

"What can I say. I wanted to try out some of those positions we all read about."

Taking my chance, I slip away from Gory, and I'm surprised he allows me. Instantly, Logan's arm is around my waist, pulling me closer to him as his lips dip near my ear.

"We should get reacquainted, Vee. It's been too long."

My eyes flutter as the warmth of his breath passes over my cheek, and he holds me close. Safe. I feel safe again. With his arm around me tightly, I know that he won't let Gory anywhere near me again tonight. Not without blood being shed.

"You're welcome to her." Gory chuckles and steps away, holding up his palms. "I like mine new and tight, if you know what I mean."

The bile that rises in my throat tells me that I know precisely what the asshole means, and I pity whatever women found themselves in his bed.

"Good luck with that," I state and wave my fingers in the air at him as he walks away, chuckling to himself.

Logan wastes no time in pulling me close. He makes his hug seem like we're dancing, and we start to move in small circles as the song changes.

"You aren't leaving my sight again," he states firmly. "Got it?"

I want to argue. I want to tell him I'm capable of handling myself. But I can't. Where we are, doesn't play by the same rules as outside. Here, I need to let him help me to keep us all safe until I find out what the hell is happening here.

Logan

I'm so fucking mad. I'm mad at Veronica. I'm mad at Duncan. And I'm super mad at whoever the asshole was that I just chased off from groping her on the dance floor. Why did she have to be so stubborn and try and do this alone? Thank God I didn't listen and insisted we come. It's like this place is filled with carbon copies of Aaron. There are still so many more men to women at this party that it creeps me out, but so far, it seems like the women are having fun. Mercifully, Veronica's back was turned when one of them hit on me, but I promptly turned the woman down to focus on her and Gory.

"You're being quiet," she says, her head resting against my chest as we dance. "But your heart is racing."

"Adrenaline. Just staying ready in case I have to crack any skulls tonight."

"Logan…."

"Veronica…."

She raises her eyes to me, and I frown. As she opens her mouth to speak, I release her from our dance and grab her hand.

"Not here," I mutter and drag her back to Mac, who is standing near some chairs beside Parker and Duncan. "We're going home."

Squinting at me, Duncan frowns. "Logan?"

"Yeah. Later," I state and grab Veronica's jacket from the pile on the chair. "Right now, we have to go."

"What? No, we don't!" She wrenches her hand away from mine and steps back. "You can't just burst in here and dictate what's going to happen."

"I can if I see you dancing with some creep that's trying to fuck you!"

The group gasps, and I instantly regret my words. Veronica's lip curls as she snarls back at me.

"While I appreciate your help, he wasn't going to fuck me, you idiot. We're in the middle of a party! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Look, I know that kind of guy! It doesn't matter if you don't want to fuck, he's going to find a way to fuck you, whether you want it or not."

The implication of my words makes her gasp, and for a second, I think I've gotten through to her. But then, she throws me a harsh glare and grabs her jacket from my hands.

"I'm going to freshen up," she yells, glancing at Parker and Mac.

As she stalks off, the girls follow close behind, the lights from the room flashing across their bodies as they move. When they disappear into the hallway, I heave a heavy sigh and turn around towards Duncan.

"What the fuck was that, dude?" he asks and wanders over to me.

Rubbing my hands with my face, I shake my head. "I honestly don't know, Duncan. I really don't."

Veronica

The bathroom door bangs against the wall as I push it open and let out a growl of frustration. This was not the plan. An argument with Logan was definitely not the plan at all. Finding out what the fuck was happening—that was the plan—and I feel like we aren't going to find out anything at all tonight.

Walking over to the far sink, I stop and stare at my reflection. After being touched by Gory, I feel gross, and all I want to do is take a hot shower to wash the scent of him off me. No one has ever handled me like that, and my entire body feels icky.

Is this how it really was, back in the time that my mother would have been going to parties and bars? What did she warn me about? It seemed as though Gory felt that those were probably the good old days when his family was wealthy and he would be able to do whatever he wanted with women. But it wasn't that anymore. At least, that was what we were told.

"You okay?" Mac places her hand on my shoulder, and I twitch at the feeling of another person touching me.

"Yes. No. I just feel all…." My whole body shimmies and shakes in revulsion at the thought of Gory's hard body pressed against me. "Blah. Just blah."

"He's a pretty gross guy," Parker concurs, leaning against the edge of the sink next to me. "We saw him groping you on the dance floor. I was pretty sure Duncan was about to jump to your defence, but then he saw Logan cross the room and do it instead."

"Uhg. Did Duncan say anything about the fact that Logan and I didn't arrive together?"

Parker grins. "Yeah. I said you guys were doing some kinky sexy role-playing and came separately to pretend and hook up."

I cringe. It was a good lie, but right now, the thought of hooking up with anyone, including my own partner, is unappealing.

"What did he say?"

"He kind of made the face you just did and then went back to asking me about my classes." Parker shrugs. "Duncan actually seems like a nice guy."

"He is a nice guy. Was a nice guy. In high school, he was one of my best friends. And honestly, everything that has been happening is so out of character from the guy I once knew, that it makes me even more suspicious of what's going on."

"I mean, we haven't been here too long, Veronica, but when I was looking around, it just seems like people who weren't matched are hooking up. That's it."

Turning to the mirror, I shake my head at my own reflection. Maybe I was wrong. "I don't know. Maybe…"

A loud sniffle ricochets in the room, and someone blows their nose. The girls and I look at each other and then to the closed bathroom stall. Shit. Someone was in here with us.

"Ummm…hello?" Mac calls, and another sniffle fills the room.

Slowly, the grey metal door opens, and a petite brunette emerges, in jeans and a tight red sweater. A wad of toilet paper is balled in her hand, and her pale skin is puffy and red from crying. It takes her a second to make eye contact, but when we do, I realized that I've seen her before.

"I'm sorry, but I think I know you…" The name is on the tip of my brain, but I can't really remember.

"I'm Susan. Susan Knight. We were in the same high school for a while before I transferred. You're Veronica Mars. I recognized you immediately when I saw you on the dance floor. And your name is hard to forget."

My eyes grow wide at the revelation. Now, it all came together. Susan was part of a crowd of girls that Lilly and I didn't hang out with much—artistic, smart, and savage. Susan and her buddies kept to themselves, mainly because they didn't much like others. But there was something else about her.

"You were partnered with Eli Navarro…" I murmur, forgetting to keep the thought in my head.

She wipes a tear from her eye and nods. "Yeah. I was. But my family forced me to reject him."

"What?" The three of us gasp in unison.

Susan shrugs. "I had to. And I've regretted it every day since."

I feel like I should say something or hug her, but I'm frozen to my spot. A reason was never given to Eli about why his match rejected him, causing him to spiral for several months into a deep, dark depression. At one point, Lilly told me she had heard that teachers had to intervene when he arrived at school, drunk and angry. Apparently, he may have had reason to drink.

"If you regretted it, then why did you do it?" I ask, folding my arms across my chest, hugging my jacket to my body.

"I had no choice," Susan replies quietly, just loud enough to be heard about the hum of the music outside. "My parents said if I partnered with him, they would never speak to me again. They would cut me off from my little sister. They said they wouldn't even let me take my stuff—they would just kick me out and leave me with him."

"But Eli is a nice guy," I state. "He's smart and hilarious and passionate about engineering…."

"And brown," Susan adds. "My parents wouldn't let me partner with him because his family is Hispanic. They said that being partnered with him was a government plot to muddy American blood. My ancestors came over on the Mayflower. My father was so livid when he found out. My mother just cried."

Now I was really sick. Covering my mouth with the back of my hand, I choke back the rising juices churning up from my stomach. So much hate. So much racism. It was like the entryway to this party was a portal to take people back in time.

"That's terrible," Mac offered, placing a comforting hand on Susan's shoulder. "You obviously didn't feel the same."

"No! That's why I've been coming to these stupid C.H.A.D. meetings—to find someone. I rejected my one heterosexual match, and now I have to find someone on my own," she sniffles, her eyes filling with tears. "But Gory and the rest of them are crazy, and I can't take it anymore."

"Crazy? How crazy?" Parker asks. "Like, normal dumbass crazy? Or, sell-you-for-sex-slavery?"

Susan gasps, and I press my palm to my forehead. It was a good thing Parker wasn't fixing to be a lawyer —she lacked any subtly.

"I…I don't know if I should say," Susan whispers, glancing towards the door.

"On it." Mac steps across the room and places the heel of her boot at the bottom lip of the door, leaning her body into it. "Okay. We're secure. Tell us what you know."

"It's okay, Susan," I say, mustering whatever calm I can. "You can tell us."

She releases a heavy sigh and steps towards Parker and me. Her nervous glance moves back and forth between us and Mac at the door.

"At first, I thought Gory and his friends were like my parents—racist and still angry about the war. But then I realized that it was more than that. Gory is connected to something bigger. I tried dating him for a while, and he always had a second stipend card that he used, that had an X on it. When I asked why he had two, he said he didn't want the government tracking his purchases." Susan pauses, her eyes wide as she checks at the door again before proceeding. "But then, last week, I went over to his place, and there was some sort of meeting happening. He said I could stay if I locked myself in the bedroom. Well, I did, but I could still hear them talking about convincing some of the members to set off bombs around town."

Perspiration bursts from my pores, and my mouth goes dry. This was so much more than I thought. This was so much worse than I could imagine.

"C.H.A.D. is a terrorist group," I whisper in shock.

"They haven't done anything yet." Susan places her palms up in defence. "But I think they're planning on doing something soon, but I don't know where or when."

"What did you do after that?" I ask, pressing on.

"I waited for Gory, and we had sex, and when we were done, I left. I called him the next day and told him I decided to pursue someone else. We were by no means exclusive, so he agreed, and that was the end of it. That's why I'm here tonight. But it was a mistake." She sighs. "I saw him dancing with you, and earlier with some other girls, and I knew it was a mistake. Not because I'm in love with him or anything, but I realized that it was all just bad news."

"Why haven't you gone to the police?" I continue. "They could do something."

"With what evidence?" Susan shrugs and rolls her eyes. "They won't believe me."

"They'll believe you!" I state and grab her upper arm. "You have to go to them, Susan. Lives may be at stake."

She wrenches her arm away from being and stumbles towards the door. "No way. I'm not getting involved. If you want to do it, that's fine, Veronica. I'm not getting mixed up in anything having to do with Gory ever again."

"Susan!" I walk quickly after her, but she reaches the door first, and Mac steps aside, allowing her to grab the handle.

"No way, Veronica. Just leave me out of it." Susan pulls the door open, almost hitting Mac in the process, before disappearing into the hallway.

I move to follow, but then I realize Logan's leaning against the wall across from the bathroom, and I stop my pursuit, letting my gaze fall to his. His dark eyes are filled with sadness, and I know in my heart that he regrets tonight almost as much as I do.

I reach for his hand, and when he reaches back, my heart starts to flutter. There were discussions that needed to happen. Things that needed to be said. But for now, I knew what we needed.

"I changed my mind. Take me home. Please, Logan. Just take me home."