Mars Residence
Darrell looked at his cereal bowl during breakfast. He was thinking about yesterday when he managed to persuade Ryan to be his photographer for the school magazine. He had to twist Ryan's hand, figuratively of course, during the phone call yesterday. Ryan wasn't too happy about it, because he knew that Darrell would snoop around and endanger his ass. Ryan didn't like the idea of investigating something. "Why can't you be a normal kid?" He asked. Darrell just laughed when he heard him saying that.
Ryan was his buddy; they had been friends since they started Neptune high. Ryan was chased by some bullies who wanted to put his head into the toilet, and Darrell defended him by taking two bullies at once. He pulled their collars and head butted both of them. Other bullies scattered away when they saw this menacing tall black kid and had just kicked their friends' asses. Ever since then, Ryan and Darrell had been friends. Bonus points when they discovered that their sisters were friends too. Ryan was the captain of the Lacrosse team, but he was never considered to be popular because he was a non-09ers. Same thing with Darrell – everyone knew him as the Sheriff's son but he wasn't popular either. In Neptune high, you need to be a 09er first to be considered popular.
He watched his pops reading a newspaper, but he didn't talk to him. He was a little bit miffed that his pops pulled him out from the prank case. He just scowled and ate his cereal silently.
Alicia looked at both men at the table warily. "Who wants some pancakes?"
"I'm cool." Darrel said.
"No thank you honey." Keith mumbled.
Alicia nodded and pursed her lips while stabbing some bacon. "Any plans for today?"
"Work." Keith answered.
"School magazine." Darrell said.
That got Keith's attention. He looked up from his newspaper and looked at his son. "I didn't know that you're in school magazine."
"I just started today." Darrell looked at his watch. "I better go."
"I didn't know that you wanted to be in school magazine." Keith narrowed his eyes.
Darrell lifted his eyebrow, "It's nothing. I just don't want twiddling my thumbs doing nothing during the school break." He looked at his pops. "They're gonna re-open the school this week before the weekend."
"What about your basketball practice?"
"I go practice every day." Darrell said. He was familiar with his dad's interrogation tone. "Because the school gym is being repainted, the team is gonna practice at the YMCA." He stood up and put the bowl in the kitchen sink. "I better go. Ryan is waiting." He then looked at his parents. "I can ride my motorcycle, right? I don't want to bother Ryan all the time."
Alicia looked at Keith, who was looking at Darrell. "Sure."
"Good." He kissed his mom's cheek and walked out from the kitchen. "See ya."
Both Keith and Alicia heard him as he greeted Backup in the living room, and then heard his motorcycle revved up. Alicia looked at her husband, "What's with the interrogation?"
"Whadaya' mean?" Keith busied himself with his newspaper. Alicia gave him a look. "Nothing. I think it's good that he keeps himself busy." Keith smiled to his wife and folded his newspaper. "I have to take Backup for a walk. I'm going to the dog beach, okay?" Without waiting for his wife's reply, he kissed her head and walked out from the kitchen. Alicia could hear Backup bark in excitement while Keith talked to Backup, "Okay, okay. Hold your horses."
She sighed and cleaned the table. Sometimes she had to endure her family stubbornness.
Sorokin Mansion
Gorya opened his eyes and groaned. His body was aching all over the place. He took some painkillers last night before bed and just knocked out cold. He didn't want to go to the doctor because it would worry Veronica. Goddamn Fitzpatrick, he thought bitterly. He would definitely destroy that family soon. Thanks to Kieran's little black book that Trina gave him, he could do that.
As he tried to stretch his body, he noticed Veronica was still sleeping next to him. He smiled and kissed her head. She stirred a little but didn't wake up. He knew his wife was not a morning person, but she was usually very disciplined with working time. This time, he was glad that she slept longer. He nuzzled his head to hers, and she mumbled, "Egg rolls…"
Gorya smirked to hear her mumbles. Leave it to Veronica to sleep talking about food. Where the hell does she keep the food in her tiny body?
He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Wants some pancakes for breakfast?"
Veronica, still sleeping, nodded and mumbled, "With whip cream."
Gorya smiled and kissed her nose. He climbed down from the bed, groaned again and cracked his back. "Damn it." He tip-toed to the bathroom and noticed his cell phone buzzed. He took the cell phone to the bathroom and noticed several text messages from Roman.
"GET YOUR ASS TO THE OFFICE NOW. WE HAVE A PROBLEM."
Gorya snorted. YOU have a problem, he thought. He could guess what happened. Probably he was going to be reprimand about Kieran Fitzpatrick. Whatever, he thought. He closed the bathroom door, not noticing his wife mumbled again in their bed.
"Logan… don't eat all the egg rolls…"
Logan stood on the balcony of his hotel room when he heard a knock. He finished his drink, walked to the door, and then opened it. Veronica was standing there and she looked at him with a pleading look.
A longing look.
A loving look.
Neither of them said anything; just stared at each other.
And then she made a move, and jumped into his arms. She kissed him hard as he also kissed her back. Logan couldn't believe this; the woman of his dream, Veronica, kissing him so hard. Her body felt so solid in his arms, touching his own, and desperately wanting to be with him – and he wanting to be with her desperately too.
"God… Veronica…" He kissed her neck and she sighed. His hands were roaming all over her body, and he pulled her into his own. "God I missed you… I still love you… I want you so bad…" Veronica broke the kiss and Logan blinked. She looked at him with in confusion and released him. "Veronica?"
"You're not the one I want…"
"Veronica…?"
She stepped back and put her hands on her mouth, and she cried. "You were gone for so long… I don't even remember you…"
"No… It's me, Logan." Logan watched as Veronica looked at him with teary eyes. She shook her head and opened the door as she walked hurriedly to the elevator. Logan remembered the day after the prom, where she ran away and he didn't stop her. Logan decided not to make the same mistake. He chased after her but it seemed the hall stretched and become longer and longer… Logan watched as Veronica ran towards the elevator. "Veronica! No, wait! Don't run!"
"It's too late!" She cried. "You abandoned me! Again!"
"NO! I didn't abandon you!" Logan screamed. He tried to reach Veronica and grab her, but she was running away from him. "Listen to me, Veronica! I didn't abandon you! No… please, listen to me!"
Veronica walked into the elevator where a man stood. His arms were wide open, and he embraced her. Logan stopped and watched as both the man and Veronica hugged each other. She looked at Logan with sad eyes. "No, Logan…." Logan watched as the man pulled her closer – his heart couldn't take it as he watched the woman he loved was with someone else. She put her head on his chest and whispered, "You are no longer important in my life. I don't remember you anymore… You left… and you never came back."
"NO, I am here! I am here now!" Logan yelled. Veronica and the man stood together in the elevator as the door closed. Her look was the same look she gave when she found out about Kendall.
Logan couldn't see the man's face. It was blurry, but it didn't matter – when Logan left, Veronica had moved on. She had moved on from him… and she loved her husband or any other men beside him. Logan stared at the elevator's door sadly. "No… come back… Please come back…"
Logan woke up with a start.
He wiped some sweat from his forehead and sighed.
He muttered, "Damn it…"
Dog Beach
One day after his little reunion with Veronica, Logan found himself running on the beach, passing many beach goers and their dogs in the morning. Logan usually exercised at his home gym back in Utah. But here, in Neptune, he decided that he needed more fresh air. They didn't recognize him as this superstar or celebrity. Who would remember the son of a movie star like Aaron Echolls? Unless you were being shown prominently on TV or magazines, nobody cares. Everyone knew about Paris Hilton, but people hardly recognized her brothers, Barron and Conrad. Everyone knew about the Olsen Twins, but people hardly recognized their siblings. Same thing with Logan – after a decade, who would remember that he was the son of a murderer slash movie star.
Logan enjoyed his fame as a movie director. Directors mostly worked behind the scene, and he enjoyed the anonymity of it. People recognize a movie or television star not the director. And it gave him some kind of benefits too: he could go to different places without people becoming suspicious about his job as a hitman. He could go to foreign countries and cities like Monaco or St. Petersburg without anyone questioning him.
But he was still a professional killer for hire.
Logan ran even he almost didn't feel his legs and his arms wanted to fall off from his body. He was wearing his green t-shirt and his jogging shorts from the army. He was listening to music from his iPod, but he wasn't listening at all. His mind was somewhere else. Logan remembered his meeting with Veronica yesterday at the gallery; he could still remember her blonde hair, her smile, her accidental touch, her giggles, her laughs…..
Veronica was wearing a wig and shot that mob lawyer in New York, and then shot the window where he was hiding.
Those two images – Veronica who smiled and laughed with him in the gallery with Veronica in New York who killed that mob lawyer- seemed jumbled out together.
Yesterday after he went back to his hotel from her gallery; he found that Patricia already sent many boxes of files about Veronica. He read the files until morning and couldn't sleep afterwards.
What happened to her… was a stuff of horror. The files documented what happened to Veronica after she was kidnapped and raped by Mercerano Hayes, a rich 09er who went to the same university with her. Mercerano Hayes, alias Mercer, was the son of a wealthy judge, Francesco Hayes, a.k.a Judge Frank, the rumored corrupt judge in Neptune.
Veronica was investigating the rapes at Hearst when she was in high school and she was trying to find some evidence to prove Troy Vandergraff was innocent. Logan couldn't believe that Troy was accused for rape. Damn Troy… he always in trouble, Logan thought bitterly. But Veronica couldn't find the culprit; only found out that Troy wasn't the rapist. It wasn't until she failed to get the Kane scholarship that she decided to go to Hearst University. The string of rapes happened again, and this time Mac's roommate was raped and she decided to investigate it. It was a big mistake, as Mercer decided that she was a thorn in his side and did more than just roofied her and rape her. No, he had kidnapped her, kept her in captivity, and used her as his sexual slave. The document files had many photographs of Veronica in a very poor condition. Logan saw many bruises and the examiner's explanations along with it. Mercer was sentenced for only five years because the juries were bribed – and it made him sick to his stomach.
He also read that Veronica got married to the former sheriff of Neptune, Don Lamb. Another tragedy happened when he was killed in a domestic dispute by the Mannings. Veronica got depressed and spent some time in a private Sanatorium. Apparently, Dick paid for the whole thing. Logan read that she was missingfor a few days from that private institution and went back to the sanatorium all cured and normal again. Her condition was gone, and she seemed fine.
Patricia underlined this: Mercer was missing too. And nobody until this day knew his whereabouts.
Logan suspected that her current husband had something to do with that. From what he gathered, Gorya Sorokin was desperately in love with Veronica. Almost had a fall out from his own family because he married the sheriff's daughter… This ruthless but quiet man attended Hearst but he was older than Veronica. When she was a freshman, he was a junior in college.
The files didn't have anything about Veronica being an assassin.
There was no way this witty and smart woman turned into this dark character in a course of a decade… But then again, Logan himself was a hitman.
Logan kept running even though his whole body was covered in sweat. When he couldn't stand the pain, he stopped and panted. He breathed hard and tried to focus on anything else beside the pain.
He was used to pain.
When Aaron beat him up ever since he reached puberty, he learned to shut down the pain. He could just shut his eyes and think about Lilly, Duncan, Veronica, and his mother while Aaron whipped him with a belt.
In the army, he learned to shut down the pain whenever he was ambushed by his fellow soldiers and beaten up behind the barracks. He could just shut his eyes and think about Veronica…
And now he was back in Neptune and he learned to shut down his pain from all the memories and heartaches. He could just shut his eyes and think about…
Logan opened his eyes.
For the first time in his life, he couldn't shut down his pain.
Hot tears were forming in the corner of his eyes and he felt pain his chest. "I shouldn't have left…"
He sat down on the beach and watched the waves. He wiped out the tears roughly and forced himself to shut down his pain. The pain wasn't physical… the pain was in his heart. He hurt so many people by leaving them behind, and it hurt him so bad. How could he be so selfish? He didn't want to face the fact and the truth about Cassidy, about Felix, about Meg, about Duncan… and about Aaron. So he left.
Fuck Neptune. This city could be burned for all he cared. But when he left the mess, he left his loved ones to be burned in the mess.
Logan didn't know how long he had been sitting on that beach when he saw from afar; a man walking down the beach with his dog. He didn't pay any attention to them at first, but suddenly the dog ran towards him.
Logan was a hitman; he could sense danger and react to it. So when 185 pounds of slobbery dog suddenly ran and jumped on him and then licked him, he didn't feel that his life was in danger. His brain, however, couldn't comprehend what happened when he was attacked by love and saliva from this dog. He chuckled but still couldn't understand why this big dog was all over him.
"BACKUP! Heel! What the hell are you doing, boy?! Get off of him!"
Logan opened his eyes and saw a bald man run towards him with a leash. The dog was still excited and pushed him to the sand. Logan laughed when the dog licked his face. "Backup? Is that you?" The dog panted excitedly and slobbered all over his handsome face. "Who is the man killer, huh? Who's the man killer?" Logan cooed and petted the dog that was happy. The bald man stopped and stood near him. It was apparent that he was shocked to see Logan at the beach, but he recovered quickly. Logan looked up and saw Keith Mars stood there watching them interact. "Mr. Mars."
"Logan."
Keith put the leash back, and Backup whined in protest. Logan petted his head and stood up slowly. He pursed his lips and looked at the father of the woman he loved awkwardly. "How are you, Mr. Mars? You look great."
"I'm great. How are you, Logan?" Keith wasn't exactly friendly towards him, but he wasn't hostile either. He gave Logan a tight-lipped smile. He hadn't seen this boy – man – for ten years, but he looked so… mature. Logan was more beefed up and seriously packing guns – his biceps were big – product of army training probably. Keith saw that Logan definitely had grown up; he looked different from high school. The last time he saw him was when he was in his apartment, and Keith found out about what happened at the Grand.
Then Logan was gone and broke his daughter's heart.
After Lilly died and then Duncan left… Logan was the only connection from her past. When Logan left without saying goodbye, it was like a punch to the gut, and Veronica found herself dealing with the aftermath of Cassidy's suicide alone.
Keith didn't think he could forgive Logan for breaking Veronica's heart. But of course it was ridiculous for having this kind of feeling to a boy – man – for a decade. So he learned to forget about it and focused more on Veronica.
"I am good, Mr. Mars."
"I heard you were back in town."
"Yes… I called your office and your assistant answered."
"My son, actually. Darrell."
Logan smiled. "I heard you married Wallace's mother. Very nice."
"Ah, I forgot you knew Wallace."
"We were… lab buddies when we were in high school." Logan nodded and shoved his hands into his shorts. "I told your son… that I wanted to talk to you last week."
"Yeah, I got your message. Sorry I've been busy with stuff…"
"I saw the news about the prank and the shooting, Mr. Mars. Are you okay?" Logan asked in a concerned tone.
"As you can see, I'm alive and well. Can't say the same thing about my uniform though – dry cleaner is expensive." Backup nudged Logan's hand with his nose and whimpered. Logan immediately scratched his ears and the dog was happy again. "Backup remembers you, apparently. He hardly behaves like this anymore. He's very old now."
"Yeah… time passed by very quickly." Logan said in a sad tone. He smiled at Backup who was panting happily while he let his hand be licked.
"So what do you want to talk about?"
"Huh?"
"You told Darrell that you wanted to talk to me?"
"Oh, yes…Umm…" Logan suddenly felt awkward. He and Keith didn't actually have good terms with each other. Keith never liked Logan dating his daughter, and the whole violent tantrum he had in their apartment after she broke up with him solidified their estranged relationship. And not to mention Logan erased Lilly and Aaron's sex tape – after the whole trouble Keith and Veronica had done to obtain the tapes. Aaron almost killed Veronica and Keith… and Logan erased the tapes. He was a stupid boy. "Just wanted to know how everyone's been doing."
"A lot of things have changed." Keith said.
Logan nodded. "Yeah… I mean, dude. There's a phallic building in the middle of the town." He grimaced. Why did I call him 'dude'? "I mean, Mr. Mars."
"It's Sheriff Mars now."
Logan nodded again. "Of course…. Sheriff."
"I heard you were in the army." He looked at Logan's appearance. Logan was wearing his green t-shirt and a dog tag. He definitely looked like a soldier. "I would never peg you as someone who would be in the army."
"Yeah… Dick and Veronica told me that too."
Before he realized that it was too late, he saw Keith's face changed. "You saw Veronica?"
Shit.
"Uh, yeah. I met her at this Chinese restaurant when I went there with Dick and Mac." He was telling a half-truth. He didn't want to alarm the man who owned guns in his house and basically could arrest him just because he didn't like him.
"You know she's married." That wasn't a question, but a statement.
"Yes."
"Then you know that she's married to whom."
"Yes, I do."
"Logan, I don't need to say this… right?" Keith asked.
"Say what, Mr. Mars?" Logan asked, a little bit defiantly.
Keith narrowed his eyes. He knew Logan too well. He knew him since he was a little boy. Logan could hide things like his abusive past, but he knew something was up. "Nothing." Keith said. Logan pursed his lips uncomfortably; it seemed that Keith would never trust him. Ten years had passed but he felt like a teenage boy in front of him.
"We were supposed to have a reunion… but it was cancelled because of the prank." Logan said. "I had dinner with Dick and Mac, but I met Veronica in that restaurant. She told me that the reunion was cancelled." He looked at him. "She looked great."
"I wouldn't know. I haven't talk to her for almost a year." Keith said bitterly. He didn't bother to hide his disdain and the reason. He was sure that Logan knew about what happened from Dick.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Mars. Dick and Mac told me about the whole thing."
"Like I said… a lot of things have changed."
Like her being kidnapped and raped and then marrying her nemesis Don fucking Lamb and then went to a mental hospital and THEN marrying a mob? Logan screamed inside his own head.
"I heard you have a grandson now, Mr. Mars. Congratulations." Logan changed the subject. And it worked as Keith smiled a little.
"Yes. Theodore. He's a very exuberant baby." Keith reached for his wallet and showed Logan a cute baby picture of Theodore.
Logan grinned to see the photo. "Oh, that's definitely Wallace." They both chuckled. "I'm glad that everything works out for him."
Keith nodded and looked at the ocean. He had a faraway look on his face. "Yeah… Everything works out fine." Logan looked at him, and then looked at the ocean. They both pondered about their lives for a while.
Their daydreaming was cut off when Backup barked and Logan's cell phone rang.
"Excuse me." Logan was going to pick up the phone, but Keith shook his head.
"I have to go anyway to work. It's… nice to see you, Logan."
"Mr. Mars…" Logan wanted to say something but the phone kept ringing.
"No, no, you go ahead and answer it. I have to go. I'll see you later, Logan." Without waiting for his answer, Keith pulled Backup and walked away. Backup whined but followed his master. Logan looked sad as he watched the man he called a traitor back then, and then a father to a girl he loved for a long time, and then a man he desperately wished was the father he never had, walked away.
"I'll see you later, Keith…" He said quietly. He answered his phone without looking at the ID. "Hello?"
"Logan? This is Casey Gant."
The Projects (Olympus Apartment Complex)
Darrell climbed down from his motorcycle with Ryan, who was shaking and a little wobbly. Ryan pulled out his helmet and gave it to Darrell. "I don't understand why we couldn't use my car. I got bugs on my teeth!"
"Sure, if you want your car in several different pieces in this place." He pointed the area. They were in more a shady area of Neptune. Ryan could see a porn store in the corner and several pawn shops. He couldn't understand why there was a porn store when you could just download porn from the internet. There were definitely no Starbucks in the area. Ryan and Darrell weren't exactly rich – by Neptune standard-but they were lucky compared to other residents of Neptune who lived in the 02 zip code.
Ryan nodded, "Ah. Good point. Care to let me know why we're here? We've been interviewing several of our school mates; I don't know why we're here." He looked around nervously – it seemed that he was the only white blonde boy in the area.
"I have to meet Thashaun; you know him, he's a member of the basketball team who happens to be in the auto-shop class." He grimaced. "And he's a conspiracy theory nut, so he's probably gonna tell us the suspects."
"I don't know your friends. We're in a different circle."
"Chill out, Ryan. He's okay."
"How do you know he's okay? You're gonna interview him."
"No, you're gonna interview him." Ryan looked at him with wide eyes. "You're the editor, I'm just the photographer." He walked away with Ryan tagging along hurriedly. "Beside, this would give me some time to snoop around – your words – while you distract him."
"I hate you!"
The apartment complex had people hanging around in the front of the building. Some hip-hop music was blasting from one of the windows of the apartment, and some of the people who were sitting on the front step were dancing a bit and laughing. One of the guys had an Afro pick stuck in his hair. Everyone was looking at Ryan and Darrell, because they looked like sore thumbs but they didn't bother them. They made some comments about a white boy in the building, and then guffawed about it.
Darrell and Ryan climbed up some stairs and went to their friend's apartment. Darrell knocked on a door and waited. Ryan was fidgeting next to him until Darrell elbowed him. The door opened and a cute little girl appeared.
"Yes?" She looked up to Darrell and Ryan. She had a cute Afro and she looked at Darrell wide eyed because he was so tall and at Ryan because he was Caucasian.
"Hey, is your brother home? We already called."
Without answering Darrell, the little girl yelled. "THASHAUN! Your friends are here to see you!"
Thashaun answered from inside, "What do they look like?!"
"One is tall and one is white!"
Thashaun was a well-built boy, not as tall as Darrell, but he was a good basketball player. "D-Man! Hey, yo. Wassup?!" They slapped their hands and shoulders bumped each other. He shooed the little girl back inside, "Sorry 'bout my sister. She likes to yell." He pointed to Ryan. "Who's this?"
"You know Ryan Mackenzie. He's the editor of the school magz." Ryan was going to high five Thashaun, but Darrell gave him a look, so he didn't do it. "And Captain of the Lacrosse team."
"Aw, shit. I saw you playing. That was dope man when you beat Pan High. Come in, come in." Thashaun ushered both Ryan and Darrell inside. There were some other boys playing video games in the living room, and they ignored their guests. "My cousins – say hello boys." The boys ignored them. "Yo! Say hello boys! This is Darrell, my team mate!"
"Yeah, yeah, we're playing!" One of the boys said. Darrell knew them as freshmen at Neptune High named Jackson and Shondrell.
"Hey, have respect to one of our finest b-ball player in school and your upperclassman." He kicked one of his cousin's legs. "Sorry 'bout that. My family is stupid."
Ryan and Darrell only grimaced.
"We're here to interview you for the school magazine – about the recent pranks that happened in our school. What do you think about it, and we need sound bytes from our best player." Ryan said smoothly. Darrell pulled out his camera from his backpack and started tinkering with it.
"Owwhh, the pranks were dope man!" One of the cousins sounded off while he still kept his eyes on the video game. "Whoever it is who's responsible, we got free days of school!"
"Hey, I'm the one who's being interviewed, so shut your pie hole!" He grabbed some sodas from the fridge and gave them to Ryan and Darrell. "So you gonna put my face on the cover?"
"Son, of course." Darrell said which made Ryan glared at him. "You're our top player. The school has the right to know YOUR opinion about the school prank."
"Aww, yeah. Shit man, that'll be awesome. I'm gonna get a lot of booties." He grinned. "I am the best, y'know?"
"Not to mention modest!" Ryan said cheerily.
"Fire away." Thashaun pointed to the kitchen, and both Ryan and Thashaun sat at the kitchen table while Darrell started to take some pictures. And not just the pictures of Thashaun, but his apartment too, looking for clues. Somehow he doubted that Thashaun was a member of The Tritons, but he had to look from every aspect and angle.
Ryan read the questions that Darrell had already written in his notebook. "Where were you when the prank happened?" Thashaun frowned to hear the question. "Meaning, tell us how you felt when the prank happened and what were you doing at the time so the readers can feel...exactly like you felt." Ryan glanced to Darrell who rolled his eyes.
"Damn, son. I was in the auto-shop class with everyone else because we had to fix this engine when the fire alarm went off and everything suddenly GREEN!" He guffawed. "Remember that?"
"Yes." Both Ryan and Darrell answered.
"Anyway, everyone was like in panic and Mr. Crane was cursing – the words that came out of that old man's mouth…" He shook his head. "I went home with my homies there –" he pointed to his cousins. "- by BUS looking like Swamp Thing and my momma went nuts. You know how hard it is to clean up that shit?"
"Yes." Again, both Ryan and Darrell answered.
"Mom had to box his ears!" The little girl suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
"Mikaela! I told you to go to your room!"
The little girl rolled her eyes, grabbed a juice box from the fridge, and then stuck her tongue out to her brother. Thashaun sighed and put his feet on the table with a bang, surprising Ryan. Darrell immediately snapped some pictures, which made Thashaun pose like a gangsta rapper. He didn't know that Darrell was taking pictures of his shoes. Ryan cleared his throat, "Your sister doesn't go to school?"
"She has flu. That's why me and my stupid cuz aren't going anywhere; we're babysitting her."
"Okay… moving on." Ryan looked at the questions on his notebook. "Do you know anyone who might've done the prank? That was an excellent prank, by the way. Did you see anything or anyone suspicious?"
"I don't know. But whoever it is… we have some vacation time, imma rite?"
"What about the whole thing with this… Cassidy Casablancas prank?"
"Oooh, yeah – that's nasty isn't?" Thashaun grimaced. "EVERYONE was talking about it in the hood. I mean, that was some fucked up prank with our school and the mayor's office. You think it's related?"
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"Some fucked up shit is happening, man. I tell you. And I ain't gonna be there when it's happening."
"What's gonna happen?" Ryan asked.
"How the hell I know? This is Neptune, man." He widened his eyes deliberately. "I think it's the government trying to fuck us up in the ass."
"The government sprayed the school with green paint?"
"No, no. I mean, the shit with the mayor thing when he was shot by paintballs."
"So why they sprayed paint to the school?"
"How the fuck should I know, man? But I know someone in my class who's happy."
Darrell perked up, "Who?"
"That stupid white boy Billy Drake or something in my auto-shop class; you know, the kid whose dad owned that yacht company?"
Darrell narrowed his eyes, "Yeah… he is dating Lindsay Benedict."
"That fine ass Lindsay. That's the one. The kid has been running his mouth that he hates the school and blah blah blah fish cake. Now, I ain't accusing him of doing the prank because he's dumb. But if you want to ask about who's responsible with the prank, you better ask him."
"Why?"
"Because he's a racist snob motherfucker who don't even know the difference between a hammer and a saw, but he always got nice grades." Thashaun shrugged. "And he mentioned that he hates the school so much. ALL THE TIME."
"How the hell he got good grades then? Did he bribe the teacher?"
"Nah, he usually lets his lackey do his project. What's his name…?" Thashaun pondered. "Oh yeah, that skinny quiet Russian kid. Talented kid but creepin' me out. All white dudes creepin' me out – no offense, son." Ryan shook his head. "His name is Dax Sorensen or something."
"Sorokin?!" Ryan and Darrell asked at the same time.
"Yeah, that's the one." He looked at both of them. "So do you wanna hear about my personal life? Didja know that I used to date that ho Rashonda? Bitch cheated on me with a college frat dude with pale complexion."
Sorokin Mansion
The day after her meeting with Logan, Veronica found herself a little out of focus. She had been daydreaming a few times, but then she snapped out of it. It wasn't because she had feelings for him or something, but it was because… she missed him. It had been ten years since she saw him last in that apartment after what happened at the Grand. She was emotional, confused, happy to found out that her dad was still alive, and then… Poof! Logan left without saying goodbye.
Ten years later, he was having Chinese food takeouts in her gallery.
Veronica didn't know what to think. Should she see him again? They were friends after all, right?
"I forgot to tell you that we're having a family gathering this weekend."
Gorya's voice cut her off from her daydreaming. They were sitting in the kitchen, having breakfast. He was reading a newspaper while Veronica was tinkering with her tablet computer. He was already wearing a suit and a tie. There was a half-eaten toast in front of him, while Veronica was eating pancakes. Veronica frowned to hear this news. "Well, thanks a lot for letting me know in such short time, Gory." She sarcastically said. "I have a photo shoot this weekend."
"So cancel it." He didn't look up from his newspaper.
"I can't cancel my appointment."
"They'll understand." He murmured while reading.
"Gory, SERIOUSLY."
"Tell them you're sick or something." He finally looked up and saw his wife was looking at him like he was crazy. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about this."
"Do you know what would happen if I cancelled my photo shoot? A bunch of pissed off clients and I would lose them. And if I don't show up to this family gathering, everyone from your side of family will be giving me a hard time!"
"Baby, I am sorry. It slipped my mind." He pointed to his wounds. "It really slipped my mind." Veronica grunted, stood up, and was about to walk away when Gorya grabbed her hand. "Baby… I'm sorry." He kissed her hand as an apology. "I am sorry."
Veronica looked at him as she pulled her hand, "You're always saying sorry."
She walked out from the kitchen and Gorya sighed heavily. Veronica almost bumped Domonick on her way out. Domonick greeted her good morning, but she only growled. He looked at her retreating form and asked, "What's got her panties in a twist?"
"I forgot to tell her about the gathering."
"For crying out loud." Domonick shook his head. The preppy man sat in front of Gorya and said, "I heard that Roman is pissed about the deal with the Four Pillars."
Gorya snorted, "Yeah, he texted me. Not telling me what happened, but I can guess. Serves him right. He didn't want to send me to see them, and now their lawyer is brutally murdered by an assassin during his restaurant opening." He flipped the page of his newspaper and said, "The killer probably hates Chow-Mein." He hummed gleefully. "And Roman's deal with the Chinese is kaput." He showed the headline from the newspaper:
LAWYER FOR ALLEGED ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY WAS GUNNED DOWN YESTERDAY DURING A RESTAURANT OPENING. KILLER IS STILL AT LARGE.
"I'm concerned about my life, Gory." Domonick said.
Gorya looked up from his newspaper. "What do you mean?"
"Man, you've heard the news. Lawyers from every important family from East Coast and West Coast are being whacked by professional killers! Hello, I'm a lawyer."
Gorya smirked. "Well, they'd love a hammerhead shark if it had a nice smile." He said while quoting a TV show, a reference Domonick didn't get as he only looked at Gorya blankly. "You know, shark – as in lawyer."
"Oh, ha-ha. Very funny. I'm dying right here." Domonick said in a flat tone.
"Relax. Nobody wants to harm us." Gorya shrugged.
Domonick looked at him suspiciously. "You know something?"
"Because… Nobody puts baby on the corner."
"I'm sick of your popular culture references!" Domonick huffed. Gorya just chuckled and continued to read his newspaper. Domonick grabbed a cookie from the table and bit it. His eyes watered from the deliciousness. "Your wife is a good baker." He chewed.
"I know, right?" Gorya smiled from the compliment. He patted his own stomach. "She's been indulging me with out of this world baking."
"Hmmm… Lucky you." Domonick grabbed few cookies and wrapped them in a napkin for later.
"So… did you find anything about that Echolls guy?" Gorya asked.
"Yeah, I dig up something about him. Apparently he was in the army."
"Army?" Gorya looked up with a frown.
"It's on public record. He joined the army after graduating high school. Spent about 5 years for Tour of Duty. Being released with honor, and then made a bunch of indie flicks." Domonick shrugged.
"Released with honor?"
"Apparently he saved bunch of soldiers and got himself a badge of honor or something. Who cares? He's goodie-goodie two shoes. But before that, well – it's interesting. His rap sheet is very long." He looked at his boss. "What do you want with this information? There's nothing new."
"Nothing. I just want to know what kind of guy I'm dealing with."
Domonick rolled his eyes. "You're always fucking jealous, it's not funny. Your wife loves you."
"I know that." Gorya murmured. "It's the other guys that I don't trust."
"That's your problem." He stood up carrying the cookies. "I'll see you at the office."
Gorya watched Domonick leave the kitchen while he pondered about his wife. He then drank his orange juice and was ready to leave for the office when he saw Veronica talking on the phone in the home office.
"Just goddamn cancel it. Tell them I have meningitis!" Veronica slammed the phone down on the table while she put her earrings back on. Gorya circled his arms around her waist from behind. Veronica made a move to avoid his touch but Gorya wouldn't give up. He turned her around and tried to kiss her. "Damn it, Gory. No."
"I'm sorry, baby. I really am…" He kissed her softly. Veronica let him kissed her, although she had her hands on his chest, ready to push him. "I'm sorry…" He kissed her. "I'm so sorry…" He kissed her again. Veronica closed her eyes, and he kissed her eyes. And then he kissed her neck and murmured, "I need you."
"Gory…"
"I need you at that party… I need you, baby…" He kissed her all over face and neck, and Veronica sighed. She circled her arms around his neck and let her husband kiss her passionately.
"You're supposed to go to work…" Veronica said.
"Not important…" He lifted her to the table and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. "I want to fuck you right now." Gorya breathlessly said.
Few blocks from the Sorokin Mansion
The FBI was listening to the conversation in the kitchen and the living room from a van a few blocks from the house. One of the feds who were listening chuckled to hear Veronica and Gorya's conversation.
"Yeah, baby," He made a comment.
"Turn that off." Someone said.
"Hey, I've been stuck in this van for weeks now. I deserve some entertainment, Ratner."
"Don't be a putz, Sid. Turn that off."
Sid could hear Veronica moan from his headset, as Jeff moved and turned off the recording. "Hey! Ratner, you're an ass!"
"For fuck's sake, Sid. The woman suffered enough."
"Didn't sound suffering to me."
"You're a FEDERAL AGENT. Not a pervert."
Sid threw his headset to the wall of the van. "Nothing happens beside conversation about the Bratvas having a gathering this weekend. What's good for us?"
"I know you've been on this case for few months now, but don't show everyone how dumb you are." Jeff Ratner shook his head and started to write his report. Sid looked at him annoyed. "Just record the other rooms and we'll know when they're finished."
"That would take a while. I mean, who has sex in the morning?!"
"Not you, apparently." Jeff muttered. Sid just grunted and opened the van door and walked out. He slammed the van hard which made Jeff gritted his teeth. They had been stuck in the van for weeks now, trying to find any incriminating evidence about the Sorokins. They also tapped other Sorokin's houses, Roman and Valentin. They couldn't bug the club or the restaurant for now, but they were trying to. The family had been watched by the FBI for years. There were much evidence and many recording tapes that could put the family to prison for a while, but they needed to build the case which really takes years.
Jeff Ratner didn't like Veronica, but he sympathized with her. He knew her from college – as this scary little blonde girl just pissing off everyone left and right including him. He remembered her when she used to stay over at The Grand with Duncan Kane, her boyfriend at the time. It seemed wherever she went, she made people pissed. Jeff read her dossier and case files – she had a complicated life and it seemed trouble always followed her. Jeff used to work at Neptune Grand, and used to serve Duncan Kane and Logan Echolls. He was there serving the rich 09ers to pay his college tuition. He took the same classes with Veronica, and discovered how annoying Veronica was. Not everybody loves Veronica Mars….
When she was kidnapped and raped, Jeff tried to help sheriff Mars find her. He looked for clues, interviewed some people, and even helped that Latino guy with the tattoos whose name Jeff had already forgotten solve the case. It was ten years ago. When they found out that Mercer Hayes was the serial rapist who kidnapped Veronica, Jeff followed the case intently. He discovered how rotten and corrupt Neptune was. Mercer Hayes was released after 5 years.
His accomplice, Moe, however…
Jeff remembered Moe. This quiet and stringy Jewish nerd boy who nobody would ever suspect as a rapist – who knew that he was Mercer's accomplice and a rapist too? He got a longer sentence because he didn't come from a rich family.
Moe was murdered in prison.
A bunch of Latinos in prison stuck a shiv to his back during a lockdown.
The prison made a statement that Moe Flater was a victim of prison riot. Nobody cried over a rapist and the matter was buried.
Jeff knew better. Some of the Latinos were ex-members of PCHers.
Jeff decided to take an internship at the FBI. He wanted to help the people of Neptune, who seemed cursed no matter what. This is Chinatown… he thought at the time. He wanted to clean the city. He became a Federal Agent, and he joined the Organized Crime Task Force.
Imagine his surprise when he found out that Veronica Mars had married the most notorious mobster, Gorya Sorokin. It was like a conflict of interest for her; her father was the Sheriff of this town, and her husband was a mobster. For years he studied her case… And he only had sympathy for her. It didn't mean that he liked her or anything. No, the woman was still annoying. But she was a victim of circumstances. And Jeff would like to help her.
Jeff put his headset on and turned on the sound. He could hear Gorya and Veronica just finished their morning activity in the living room. He could hear Gorya whisper, "I love you…. I need you…" Jeff heard kissing sounds and Veronica sighed. "Baby, I love you… You love me, right?" His voice was small and desperate.
One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi…. Ding Dong the witch is dead…
"Yeah…" She answered after a while.
Jeff listened as Gorya kissed her and whispered some things. He realized how much this man loves his wife and probably would do anything for her…
Even murder.
"I need a favor, baby." Jeff heard Veronica said to her husband.
"Yeah?" Gorya reluctantly released his wife and pulled up his pants and fixed his tie. Veronica smoothed her hair, pulled up her panties, and pulled down her skirt.
"If you want me to go to the family gathering, I need you to support me."
"Name it."
"I'm going to investigate the prank and those people who shot my dad." She said seriously.
"Veronica…"
"I will do it anyway, with or without your consent."
"JEEZ, Veronica…"
"The sooner I investigate this, the sooner this will be over."
Gorya looked at her in disbelief. "Veronica… can't you just let this go? Let the cops handle it."
"No."
"Veronica."
"Either you support this, or I stay at home NOT attending the gathering."
"DAMN IT." He threw his hands up.
"I told you that I'm going to investigate this." She quietly said. "I need to help Darrell..." Gorya didn't say anything. Veronica walked to him and circled her arms around him from behind. "You like Darrell, right?" He nodded. "Then let me help him."
Gorya sighed, "What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. Leave it to me. I just need your support that's all."
"You know I will always support you…." He murmured and turned around. He looked down at her and gave her a chaste kiss.
"Thank you, Gory…" She returned his kiss. Gorya sighed – his wife was so stubborn.
Sorokin Mansion (Lev Sorokin Place)
Darrell stopped his motorcycle in front of the gate. Ryan, who was sitting on the back, looked up to see the beautiful mansion. "Sonofabitch."
Darrell pressed the intercom button in front of the gate. Someone replied, "Yes?"
"I'd like to see Dax, please." Both he and Ryan took off their helmets.
"Mr. Sorokin doesn't see guest without appointment."
"I'm his… cousin."
The guards were watching from inside the mansion behind the monitors saw a black kid on a motorcycle. "Try harder, kid."
Darrell rolled his eyes. "My name is Darrell Mars. Gorya Sorokin is my brother in law."
There was a pause from the other side, and Darrell sighed. Well, at least he tried. Ryan just shrugged; Darrell was ready to turn around and leave when the gates opened. Ryan opened his mouth in awe. Darrell didn't have time to be mesmerized; he immediately rode his bike to the front of the mansion. They parked the motorcycle and headed to the front door when Dax hurriedly walked out from the mansion. "Hey guys! What's going on?"
"Hey, Dax. Remember me?" Darrell offered his hand. Dax shook his hand enthusiastically. "You remember Ryan Mackenzie?"
"Yeah, you're Captain of the Lacrosse team."
"Indeed I am." Ryan smirked.
"So, what brings you here?"
"We're from the school magazine. We want to interview you. Sorry we didn't call before."
"For what?"
"About the school prank." Darrell said. Dax seemed surprised to hear it, and nervously cast a glance inside the mansion. "We're interviewing most students to get their sound bytes. Are you willing to give us some time?"
"Err…. Sure…." Dax was unsure. "Come on in."
Author's Note: I know it's an abrupt ending instead of the usual... ending, but somehow this chapter is WAY over my head as I feel a little bit under the weather. Just a reminder that this is a LoVe triangle story, with a present and flashback going back and forth. Next chapter will be a flashback and the pinnacle of the story. And also a reminder... every character in this story has some kind of significant role, so if you read somebody being mentioned in a passing or reading OC... there's a possibility that character will appear again, and it's important. Oh, and also just FYI - the people in the van like Ratner are FBI. The people who saved V (Gabriel and Dante) are not. They're not exactly hitmen either, but I can't tell you about them yet. Yes, I know it's frustrating. I apologize. And because this is a crime noir drama, I suggest you don't get too attached with the characters...
As always, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews and subscribing. I really appreciate it. Your reviews means a lot to me. Thank you again.