Destiny rocks
Ch. 12
A/N: there were two chapters posted/revised. Make sure to read ready chapter 11 first much has ben added!
Veronica
After she'd gained some of her sense back, she attempted to clean up and noticed that her jeans were all rumpled out. She searched the pockets but it wasn't there. "That asshole took it." She grabbed at her head, "shit." Logan had found her pendent which Mac took so he knew she'd had contact with Mac.
"Shit! Shit."
Twenty minutes passed when they brought Mac back in. "I think we need to move you. It's not safe and Logan found the pendent." A body guard was beside her and he looked like a ton of exploded muscles. Veins were everywhere, and she visibly shook with inward disgust. Veronica shook her head, he must be on steroids. It was too much.
"What?" Mac stated, her eyes grew wide. "I just gave it to you."
"Yeah," Veronica started, "I had to change." She indicated her robe and face still covered in a night mask.
Mac looked at her face, "I see." She tried not to laugh. "Take that mask off...I cannot talk to you straight with it on." She sniffed the air, "is that melon?"
"What of it?" Veronica began to pack Mac's things as her tone was clipped and defensive. "I just thought you liked marshmallows."
Veronica sighed, "I can't like my old things. Remember this is a role, not a choice."
Mac watched her frantic movements, "I didn't realize you had to change everything." Her eyes narrowed at the slight tremor in her hands. "Slow down, you'd think you wanted to get rid of me."
Veronica's eyes jerked up to meet hers. "I have to keep you safe."
"What's," she wagged her finger around, "going on here?" She looked for Terry.
Terry came to stand in the door way, "V?"
"He was here. That rotten scumbag…" she lost her footing when the feeling in her legs gave out. They'd gone numb as the adrenalin kicked in.
Terry ran over, but Mac lifted a hand to stop him from touching her. "Not when she is like this." Mac realized by Terry's actions that Veronica must have held it at bay with her band mates. Damn, that's commitment and strength. Veronica's breaths came in pants as she struggled to breath. "It's him, isn't it? He's…"
Veronica choked, "…One of them."
Mac knelt beside her, "anything I can do, Veronica?"
She covered her face, "I don't want you to see me like this."
"I've seen you all ways. Even after. I'll see you when you get better too."
Terry retreated as his face grew red with rage. He was close enough to hear the girls and wanted to glean what he could.
"Who is the real Man who hurt you and set the dogs on you?" She knelt before Veronica still not touching her.
"Why do you care?" Veronica sniffed, "I don't want to talk about it."
"You need to name the guy who did this." Mac's voice was soft but firm. Terry smiled at the amount of trust and encouragement her friend gave her. It was rare to meet people that would stand by you like this. To his shock, Veronica began to talk about things she never spoke of.
"Remember when we were young there were always summer caps?"
Mac nodded. "I do."
"Well everyone thought he was just the best thing ever. We never saw what he's been doing for decades." She cleared her thought and stared the carpet down trying to find the strength to speak of it. After a beat, she continued.
"I had snuck into where my dad keeps the files, you know? Typical kid stuff. What I found…well let's just say it reeks of molestation. And not just a guy, but a group. Trafficking and drugs too. This ties into the stuff you found as he is an alumina of that same group of people. They have this group that is like Skull and Bones. In fact, he learned really fast how to manipulate back. Soon he had just as much on them as they did on him."
She cleared her throat and continued.
"It started with the boys, and he'd tape them. He'd sell it. I tried to get some of the students to talk without dad knowing. But then they died. And dad died." Her face crumped then. "I never found out who killed them. It's my fault. I just had to dig." She cried earnestly with her sobs shaking her entire body.
Mac looked up to see Terry had turned with a surprised look on his face. "So, he got to dad." She sniffed. "He died because I couldn't be quiet. Some of the kids didn't want to be found out-or he got to them-he must have. They made all these lies up about me. Made Lily hate me. It started way back then because he hated what my dad was doing. He must have been close. They found out about me…the rest is history. It explains why he adopted me."
Mac's eyes were wide, "Veronica, I had no idea how deep and long ago this went back."
"He adopted me that summer, if you remember. He tormented me and I had no idea why. He's so sick. I think he brought me back at least five times when I nearly died. Girls weren't this thing, but I guess he liked torture. He'd bring boys after he locked me in the closet for days. He'd make me watch how he hurt them. I just started to remember." She heaved slightly and used her arm to cover her mouth. After a second, she swallowed sure she wasn't going to be sick. "he is the one that tried to kill me. Then he brought in others. They liked girls so he moved me. At one of the parties, like the video, he let them take turns with girls-only it was my turn. He likes to video shit." She looked away then.
"So, I've discovered," Mac stated blandly. "We have a lot of sick fucks in this town. What is his name? You never told us, never let us over."
Veronica stared at her friend for a long time, "Woody Goodman." Mac's surprised expression told her everything. "I know. I didn't see him coming either." Veronica let her head fall, "I want to be alone now."
Mac nodded and patted her shoulder, "ok."
When she left the room and closed the door, she asked Terry to bring over her computer and filled him in.
Veronica
As she sat alone, she could hear Mac and Terry. She didn't mind it, but she felt the weight of the tiredness settle over her. Aaron and Woody both. That was two of the five she knew of. Woody must have had something to prove, since he was not interested in girls. Or it was a balance of sorts to protect every one of the participants. I thought he had a daughter too, she thought back on. Yeah, a real stuck up air head.
But coming back in to the present, she thought on how to keep Mac safe.
"Even if something happens to me, they will be ruined. I have to get Logan to trust me." She stared at the ceiling never being one to pray often. "Please, let something go right here."
She changed her clothes and decided to risk herself for her friend. It was going to come out anyway, she thought as she dressed. I feel so dirty having been in the same room with him. Aaron, he sodomized me and beat Logan. What kind of people can do that?
"I'm going out," she stated rather than waiting for them to argue. "Get Mac out to another room or hotel. Please be safe," She said to her friend. She looked over the body guard and shrugged. He let her pass on Terry's nod.
"You too. I've got video of Woody being touchy with boys. Nothing concrete but I am on it."
She smiled and closed the door adored with large glasses and a wig.
Logan
Logan rounded the corner to his room after listening to the lawyer bitch about getting tossed out earlier. Dad hadn't beat him, but he also now stayed here since their house had been burnt up. "Lucky me." Sarcasm was heavy in his tone.
What he found on his doorstep was a girl with large glasses and bad hair. "Duncan isn't here. He only likes blonds anyway."
She reached for him when he put the key in the door. He looked from her hand to his arm, and then the glasses. "Who are you?" he leaned against the door leisurely. "Oh, is someone angry that I took something that belongs to a friend of mine?"
The girl seemed to find this interesting.
She held up her album and Logan smiled slightly. "So you not gonna talk here either. Hmm, I may need an encore then. What do you have under-"?
She slapped his hand hard.
"Guess that's a no."
She sighed loudly and hit him on the head with the album case. He frowned as she pushed her way in and he cocked his head feeling a sense of familiarity with that motion. The spot throbbed and he rubbed at it as he closed the door.
"So Harlequin…"
She flicked him off and paced.
"I want to know how you got this" he dangled the necklace up "and where she is. What do you know about any of this? Why are you playing here of all places?"
She stopped pacing and held her hand out. He laughed at her and bypassed her to open the French doors. She withdrew her hand. It was a clear day with hardly any clouds. He spoke to the window rather than her. "There was a girl who was in hiding and no one can find her. There are a lot of girls that have gone missing. I think she had information on some things like this. I think she is hiding, too."
Veronica nodded at this.
"Oh, you've so graced me with your nods. How thrilling!" He stood on his toes for a second and raised a fist with fake joy. After a moment, his face returned to one of thinking.
Seriously he asked, "Is she ok?"
Veronica nodded yes again.
He raised a bow, "Do you mean her harm?"
Veronica shook her head no.
"So, you are protecting her?"
She nodded yes again.
"Why? Why won't you talk? Why is your band involved-and hitting me? You know I wouldn't hurt her."
He began to back her up to the wall with each word. Veronica began to feel cornered when she hit the wall. He placed a hand on either side of her head. Instead of the feeling fight, something stirred inside of her. This isn't right, she thought with him so close. Since her rape, no one male had come this close. Unable to resist coming at him like she always did, Veronica lashed back out.
"I don't know that. Believe me, I have personal experience with your notions, actions, and words."
Logan stepped back almost shocked when she pulled her glasses from her face and met Logan's stare head on. She did the same motion and stood on her toes, "Hello asshole. Surprise!"