Author's Note: To Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, if you read this story, PLEASE write MORE Veronica Mars books! Thank you :) And that being said, the long update is unfortunate, and it is a long fic. But I can't really control the internet as the site is being blocked in my country, and I have to maneuver the site using a fake IP address. It's a hassle. I will try to update the fic as often as I can. Maybe I might post it frequently on A03 instead. Please leave me some reviews, your kind and constructive words give me energy to update faster. As for the flashbacks and present timeline, which we are going back and forth, it is what it is. I'm not going to get rid of those. I actually follow the show's format; and if you all remember, the show even had FLASHBACK WITHIN FLASHBACK. I'm not gonna do it, though :)) This story is not perfect, and there's always room for improvement. I really want to show everyone from different lights, hence the flashback. I am glad that many people love it so far.

Present,

Neptune Boardwalk, 2016

It wasn't very crowded at Sao Restaurant. Logan and Veronica found a table outside under an umbrella near the railing where they could see the beautiful ocean. It was a sunny day, and they didn't want to waste the weather inside. Veronica opened her leather jacket and put it with her bag and camera next to her while Logan just looked at her. She looked really pretty.

A waitress took their orders; Logan ordered a slider with Long Island tea, while Veronica ordered a Big Kahuna cheeseburger with mineral water and a side of salad, which made Logan grimace.

"What's wrong with salads?"

"Nothing, but I just had a semi brunch with Casey Gant before I came here. Dude apparently a healthy freak or something." Logan nodded to the waitress and she went inside. "Forced me to eat some salads – I got nothing against veggies, I mean, I love steam Kale and Broccoli, but I don't like it when he was being condescending if I don't eat vegetables."

Veronica laughed, "You had a brunch with Casey? How is he?"

"Richer." Logan answered. "I am under contract with his publishing company to write another book, which I am nowhere finished."

"What's the book about?"

"Gant asked me to write for an autobiography – which I think it's a bad idea. I am not very comfortable publishing my dirty laundry."

"Then write something else." She said. "You're a good writer."

Logan played with the toothpicks on the table; he was a bit nervous. How would he approach Veronica about the subject of her husband and as well the assassin thing?

"I'm not sure." He shrugged. "Maybe I should just get out from my contract. It would piss Gant off, but like I care."

Veronica chuckled, "Come on Logan. You just got here." She then said in a serious tone, "You need to be nice with the townies."

"I'm always nice with the townies… especially townie girls. I remember one time when I used to go out with this townie girl; blonde, petite, really loves to eat, and smelled good – most of the time."

She kicked him under the table, which made him laughed. "I said nice, not jackass!"

They found themselves chatting very easily, which was not surprising after they spent some time at her gallery – they were now at ease with each other, despite still treading the subject of her family and husband very carefully. But Logan needn't worry as Veronica seemed more open now; especially they were treating each other as friends first.

"So after lunch, we're gonna check out that Paintball game?" Logan pointed at a building near the tattoo parlor. "Kinda small for a Paintball game, isn't it?"

"I read that it was supposed to be a smaller branch or something. Darrell had been talking about wanting to play at that place – but after what happened at school…" Veronica looked at the building too.

"Why are we checking that particular place?"

"The paints that were used came from a paint store near the docks called 'Purple Rain'." She rolled her eyes. "…and one of the clients is that particular establishment – I went to the store and asked around, had to flip my hair and everything, that's why I was late. Which is fitting; considering what happened recently with the whole drive-by shooting towards the officials."

"I wonder who planned all these. I mean, why the school? Why the Mayor?"

Veronica looked at him now, "Have you ever heard about The Tritons?"

Logan frowned, "Not really, no. Why?"

She bit her upper lip and said, "Did Duncan ever talked to you about The Tritons back in the day?"

Logan widened his eyes, "What's Donut got to do with anything?"

She chuckled a bit. "Back when we were Junior, I was framed by this kid named Rick. Rick Mondragon, Rick something? He planted fake IDs in my locker and then Don arrested me..."

"Wait." He put his hand up, and a grin broke out from his face. "I remember that." He took off his sunglasses and looked at her, "Oh my god, of course I remember. You were being hauled away, it was after third period." He put his hands on his chest. "Best day ever!"

Veronica looked at him, annoyed. "If you're finished…"

"I think I have a picture of you when your hands were cuffed." Veronica kicked him again, but this time he ignored it. "You were pretty cute with those tennis balls for your hairstyle."

"Do you wanna know the story or not?"

Logan grinned. He couldn't stop teasing her; she was so cute back then, and even now. "Please continue."

She glared at him, "As I was saying – Rick framed me for a crime I didn't commit. He told the cops that I was the ring leader for this fake IDs operation. And after I asked the douche, he told me that a secret society from school called 'The Tritons', where rich students were apparently members, told him to blame me because he wanted to join the group."

"Jeez…" Logan shook his head, "How come I've never heard of this stupid society?"

"They only approach the smart kids." She grinned jokingly, knowing that Logan was a smart student.

"Hey!"

"Anyway, apparently Duncan was a member of that society." Veronica looked at Logan's look of bewilderment and laughed. "He never told you, huh?" He shook his head slowly. "I tracked him down in some karaoke place, asked around, and long story short, I found out that they weren't responsible for the frame out. But it was Rick all along because he had a personal vendetta against The Tritons and my dad – he was angry that The Tritons rejected him, and his dad was arrested by my dad for embezzlement. So he thought that he would punish me instead."

"I wish you would've told me, so I could beat him up."

She snorted, "Nah, that's fine." She decided not to tell Logan about how The Tritons locked her in the trunk of her car – therefore it made Duncan responsible too.

"So what's that got to do with Darrell and the school?" He asked.

Veronica leaned closer and started to whisper, "Darrell went to school to investigate the pranks when he stumbled upon The Tritons doing some sort of initiation and chants. It was straight from the movie 'Suspiria' basically. And it freaked him out, especially when he found out that they brought real guns to school."

"Whoa."

"Right? And the worst part is…" She paused, and Logan leaned closer. "They were carrying Cassidy Casablancas' picture and praised him like he was some sort of hero."

Logan opened his mouth to react, but then closed it again.

Cassidy. Now that was the name that he didn't expect to encounter again beside from his nightmares back in the day.

Logan pondered for a while – the story shocked him a bit. He needed to digest this news clearly. Veronica nodded and leaned back again to her chair. She saw the waitress came back with their orders and said thank you. Logan didn't pay any attention to the food in front of him; he seemed to be in a deep thought.

"I saw the news about the whole Cassidy Casablancas' posters. Dick was pretty concerned. He called his dad straight away." He watched her eating her salad first. "Where did you get all of this information?"

"I just got back from Neptune High and met Clemmons there. He told me everything, which is surprising. Probably he thought it was better to tell me about it than having me snooping around in school." She chewed her greens slowly. "Dick's dad was also there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently he paid for the whole school renovations. I know Richard Casablancas feels bad about what happened a decade ago. I guess he's trying to look good in front of the public."

"You're not a fan of him, huh?"

Veronica shrugged. "I could barely tolerate Dick Junior back then, let alone his dad. But he's a different person now. Dick, I mean."

"We're all different people now." Logan said softly. "Everyone's changed."

She stared at him for a while. "Have you? Have you changed?"

He didn't answer at first. When he answered, he was quiet. "War changes everyone, Veronica."

Veronica widened her eyes as she put down her fork. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked.

Logan smiled and touched her cheek. "Maybe some other time." He pulled away his hand, realizing it was too late, but pretended like it was normal. "I don't want this food to get cold."

Veronica watched him take a bite of one of the sliders, but didn't comment. She finished her salad and started her big burger. Logan chewed his burger and closed his eyes as the wind blew his hair. He missed this; eating junk food, hanging out with his friends, the smell of the ocean, the sound of seagulls, and the sound of the waves.

Veronica was thinking about what he said about 'war changes everyone'. She had her own war to deal with, and it started after that fate night at the cabin...

For a while, they were eating in silence, just enjoying the food, the scenery, and each other's company.

And then with a mouthful of food, Veronica said, "This is nice."

Logan nodded in agreement. They smiled at each other, their cheeks puffed as they chewed.

Flashback,

Cabin in the middle of nowhere, 2013

"Get rid of everything?" Gorya parroted what Veronica said, not understanding the meaning. They were in his car, and she felt cold as she only wore her bras and jeans. Gorya covered her with his bodyguard's jacket and a blanket. He opened a bottle of water and tried to make her drink. Veronica sipped the water and coughed a little.

Veronica set her jaws and closed her eyes.

She could still remember what happened just a moment ago; she killed Mercer. She watched as she stabbed Mercer on the neck. Watched him as blood sprouting from his neck like a fountain, spraying everywhere, including to her – watched him as he made a chocking sound and tried to grab her while she jumped away from the bed. She watched as the bed sheets turned red and the blood from his neck sprayed the nearby wall. She watched in horror as he fell down the bed and flapped around on the floor, clutching the letter opener on his neck – and pulled the damn thing out – which was a big mistake because the blood then just burst out like a dam, and Veronica felt the blood sprayed her face and her hair. She watched as Mercer had his mouth open and tried to call her name, but he could only choke in his own blood. She watched him dying in front of him.

And instead of feeling satisfied, she felt like a cold hand reached down into her heart and squeezed it.

Mercer spent another few minutes in agony. The blood was flowing out from his neck wound and mouth like a spilled wine. His other hand which didn't hold the letter opener was opening and closing slowly. His mouth was opening and closing too, like a fish. And then Veronica watched as he stared at her, and she could see the lights from his eyes turned dim.

Mercer finally died.

Veronica walked towards the body numbly. She stood there with her bloody bras and jeans, and her hair sticky, staring at the dead body in front of her. She then walked slowly to a nearby window, and slid down the wall. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Veronica…"

Veronica opened her eyes again, and looked at Gorya's face. She quietly said to him, "Get rid of everything." Her voice was determined. "No evidence."

Gorya stared at her. His eyes fixed on her, and instead seeing a scared and a weak woman, he saw an angry woman. He thought because she was just killed a man, and maybe her adrenaline shot through the roof. But he wouldn't question her… Gorya realized that if she went home, they'd find out that she killed him, and she would be a subject of investigation. She went with Mercer willingly. They put Mercer in prison in a short time even when he kidnapped and raped her years before. She became the subject of humiliation during college – and he witnessed this. Everyone called her a slut because they didn't believe her… especially after the video tape that was spread around… The prosecutor could think that this was an act of revenge instead of another kidnapping.

This time, he would help her. This was his way to repent for the sex tape… It wasn't him who spread it, but he felt responsible nonetheless… Veronica didn't know who spread the sex tape, and she would never know. Gorya would make sure of it.

He nodded slowly, touched both her cheeks, and kissed her forehead. Veronica closed her eyes again and held his hands – she felt safe now.

Yegor was pretending not to watch the interaction but he couldn't help it. This was the first time he saw his boss showing affection towards a woman. Not even to that horrible woman, Anya, whom everyone was afraid of. For a second Yegor remembered Anya and shuddered.

"I'll be right back. Stay in the car, okay? Get some rest. I'll take care of everything. You just get some rest."

Veronica held his arms and touched her forehead to his chest. "Please… just get rid of everything."

"Get some rest, Veronica." He whispered. Gorya tucked Veronica with the blanket from the cabin and climbed out from the car. He closed the door and exhaled. He looked at Yegor and said quietly, "Guard this car."

"Boss…"

Gorya walked passed by Yegor and went straight to the cabin. Yegor sighed and lit his cigarette. He glanced to the car, but the car windows were tinted so he couldn't see Veronica inside.

Veronica watched Gorya from inside the car, and saw that a small bodyguard smoking a cigarette. She couldn't see his face as it was so dark outside. She bit her lower lip and shivered and wrapped the blanket more tightly around her body. "Daddy, I'm sorry…" She made a fist and hit the seat angrily.

Inside the cabin, Boris was crouching and inspecting Mercer's body; he was wearing a leather glove and checked out the letter opener. He pressed a handkerchief onto his nose because of the blood's smell. The body was still fresh, but the blood already stinks. He pushed Mercer's head side to side, "You got killed by a girl." He stood up and saw Gorya was climbing the steps to the cabin. Gorya framed the doorway and watched his bodyguards inside the cabin. Boris asked him, "What do you want us to do?"

Gorya nodded. "Grab the stuff in the trunk."

The other bodyguards immediately walked out the cabin and went to their car to grab some shovels, tarps, a chainsaw, gasoline, and duct tapes. Boris watched them from the cabin and then looked at Gorya who was staring at the dead body. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"She's okay?"

"She's…" Gorya pursed his lips. "She doesn't want her father to know about this."

"I don't understand."

"We need to get rid of everything; don't let anyone knows that she was here."

Boris looked at him. "Gory, everyone knows that he took her."

"Not everyone knows that she killed him."

"In self-defense, I might add." Boris pointed to the floor where the body was. "I think even a small-time cockroach lawyer could defend her."

"I'm not gonna let her see a court and being humiliated again, do you hear me?" Gorya gritted his teeth. "I know how this works. They will think that she faked her amnesia and lured this bastard out to kill him. And if I can think this kind of scenario, so does the D.A." Gorya walked to Mercer's body and kicked his side. "His old man is a judge. A Neptune judge and you know how it works."

"She's not a family."

"She's my friend."

"Is she really, Gory? Or is she more than a friend?"

Gorya looked at Boris; his enforcer, bodyguard, confidant, and close friend with a mixed emotion. "Do what I say, Boris."

Boris looked at Gorya – he'd known him for a long time. And he knew that Gorya was the most intelligent and much quieter than the rest of the brothers. Roman was more about power and brute strength. Valentin was more about charm and easy going life. Gorya was a calculated man, but he was also the most emotional one. Valentina and Veronica were the examples.

The bodyguards returned with the stuff from the trunk. Boris knew that there would be blood spill tonight, so he'd come prepared. "Cut him off, bag him, put him in a hole, and burn him." Boris ordered to his men. The bodyguards nodded – this was their job and they were used to it. They laid down a tarp on the floor, opened up some plastic bags, and they dragged Mercer's body on the tarp. Boris and Gorya watched as one of them started to turn on the chainsaw. The loud noise filled the area and echoing around the woods and lake.

Veronica gasped when she heard the chainsaw.

It was unmistakable sound.

She closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands. "Forgive me, dad… Forgive me." She curled herself in the backseat of the car and wrapped herself in the blanket. She felt so cold, angry, and guilty about everything especially when the chainsaw noise seemed to cut through her bones. Tears started to flow and she cried silently, "I'm sorry, daddy…"

Veronica felt the sound lasted forever. So when it stopped, she heard ringing in her ears. She sat up slowly and looked behind the car at the cabin. Few men went back and forth carrying bunch of plastic bags to the back of the cabin. She shut her eyes and laid down again on the backseat.

They dug a hole in the backyard of the cabin and dumped all the plastic bags into it. One of the bodyguards looked around and mumbled, "Whoa. What a view. Look at the lake."

Inside the cabin, Boris was ransacking the kitchen cabinet. He found a bottle of whiskey, opened it, sniffed it, and then drank it. He made a disgusted face and spit to the floor. He then poured the liquid to the floor until the bottle was empty. He also threw some plates to the floor, found some spices in the cabinet and took some of them, "I need these." He muttered. He opened the fridge and found some food and started to gathered them and put them into a plastic bag.

"Boris." Gorya made a face. "Really?"

"Don't waste food." He shrugged. "My mother taught me."

Gorya just shook his head and stared at the floor where Mercer's body once occupied. The only evidence of Mercer was his blood. He looked at the window and saw that the bodyguards poured gasoline into a hole and lit a fire. And then they went back to the front door and greeted Gorya. "We're done."

"One more thing," He pointed the room.

They started to pour gasoline inside the cabin – the bed, the kitchen, the bathroom, the floor, in every surface. Boris took a bite of an onion and chewed it, while he turned on the gas of the burner and the oven. He also turned on the heater under the window. Everyone went outside, while some of them basically emptied the gasoline in the porch, and threw the cans inside the cabin. Boris pointed to his men some of the flower pots, "Can you bring those to the car?" Gorya looked at him in disbelief. Boris shrugged, "They're nice flowers. Will you have me these?"

"God, do whatever the fuck you want." When the men finished dousing the cabin, they stood next to their boss, waiting for the next order. Gorya put some cigarettes into their mouths and lit them. "Gentlemen, thank you for everything." The men nodded, watching their boss lit his own cigarette. He spoke again after a few puffs, "I'm starving. Let's get something to eat."

He burned the whole matchbox and threw it to the porch.

The fire made a whoosh sound and started to burn everything. They didn't wait to watch the cabin engulfed in a fire, but immediately climbed into their cars and drove away.

Gorya was sitting next to Veronica in the backseat, while Boris was driving. He had a plastic bag full of food and some flower pots on the passenger seat. Veronica sat up and looked behind as she watched the cabin on fire. Her eyes widened as she looked at the bright fire. The area surround the cabin was pitch black, and seeing the fire was like seeing a candle in the woods. Veronica saw another car was following Gorya's car, but she was shocked to see the fire. "Veronica…" Gorya said quietly and pulled her gently onto his side. "Don't look back." She rested her head on his chest and he held her warmly. "Don't ever look back." He whispered. Veronica nodded shortly and buried her face to his chest. She startled a bit when she heard a loud bang from behind them, but Gorya kept his hug firm. "Don't look back, Veronica." He kissed her forehead. "I am here. You're safe now. It's over. He won't hurt you anymore."

"He won't?" She said numbly.

"I promise."

Boris looked at the rear view mirror and saw the cabin exploded from the gas. It was a tiny explosion but still the fire made a lot of smoke that reached into thousands feet to the sky. They needed to get out from the area fast before they attract any attention, like from the forest rangers. He also saw Gorya whispered some things as Veronica tucked her head under his chin. Boris shook his head seeing his boss seriously treating this woman like porcelain – judging from his story, Veronica was anything BUT porcelain. And yet he was so kind towards her. Anya is going to kill him, Boris thought darkly.

The cars drove away towards the main road, away from the fire.

Briefing Room, 4th Floor of Neptune Grand

FBI Deputy Director Warner Brostoff, better known as Deputy Director WB, was reading the dossier that Agent Ratner brought to him. Jeff Ratner was texting across him and warily looking at the pictures behind him.

There were pictures of Veronica and Keith Mars. Both of them were circled with red pen.

"Something wrong, agent Ratner?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just…" Jeff pointed at Veronica and Keith's pictures. "Somehow I doubt that they are involved with any kind of organized crime."

"She's married to Gory Sorokin, just like you said." WB tapped their pictures with his long wooden pointer. The man was old and also old school, he didn't like using computers or even laser pointer. He had been chasing and building the RICO case against The Sorokins since the early 90s. "You really don't think they don't know what kind of business the Sorokins have?" WB snorted. "Somehow I find it hard to believe that a Sheriff and a former private investigator don't know that they are part of this mob family."

"As you can see from the files I gave you, sir – Gory Sorokin left the Sorokins several years ago when he began a relationship with Ms. Mars." Jeff explained. "His family didn't approve of their relationship, and they briefly severed ties with him." He shrugged, "Her family didn't approve either but it seemed Gory didn't care."

"Yes, yes. I can read all of it." WB muttered while reading. "It's very dramatic. After his father died, his family took him back. I don't particularly enjoy reading his love life, but we are after his family."

"So far, Gory Sorokin is pretty 'clean'. Well, cleaner than his brothers. He owns a legitimate business with the Caviar Production Company, Votuza. According to sources, he is taking care of the legal business but not really included with the family business – probably because of his connection with the Mars family."

"Must've pissed him off…" WB closed the file. "I really don't care about his personal life. You really think we shouldn't go after him and the Mars family?"

Jeff paused, "I wouldn't say that, sir. They are after all 'related' to the mob. However, I think we should focus more on Lev Sorokin, the commandant of the family and the oldest brother Roman. They are in charge of the family." He shrugged, "The Mars family and Gory are not our priorities."

"You really think that Gory is clean, Agent?" WB shook his head. "The whole family is rotten."

"True, but why waste resources and men on him?" Jeff curled his lips. "I spent several weeks listening to him make cooing voices to his wife. Gory is particularly smitten with her. She's the moon goddess to him. And I think he's trying his best not to get on his wife's bad side." Jeff grimaced, "His wife is scary." WB raised his eyebrows; he didn't understand the statement. "I know her, sir. She is not just the Sheriff's daughter. She is… some sort of legend. You heard about the Lilly Kane murder?" WB nodded, glanced at the file. "Well, she solved it. And she is very vengeful." Jeff chuckled a bit, remembering how much Veronica was like a thorn to his side during college. "And Gory will do anything not to piss her off."

"You don't think he has any illegal businesses that his wife doesn't know about it?" WB shook his head. The woman was so small and yet many men feared her; he read her file – plenty of men apparently were in prison or had left the country because of her. "That's hard to believe."

"I think he has some businesses, and he desperately wants to prove himself to the family. His uncle Lev was trying to take him under his wing after his father died. He is ruthless and very cold according to the psychological report – but he has this hero complex towards his wife and his cousin, Valentina." Jeff shook his head. "But again, I must underline this – he's not our priority nor his wife and her family." Jeff pushed few a dossiers towards his boss. "I'd suggest that we focus more on Lev and Roman, and pursue Gory and the Mars family some other time – if the Mars family actually has something to do with the mob business."

"What about the youngest of the Sorokins? Valentin Sorokin?"

Jeff smiled, "He's anchovy. But I think we can get to our big fishes by him."

"How?"

"His girlfriend, Lizzie Manning. She wants to make a deal with us."

"In exchange for?"

"Her sister Grace Manning." Jeff pushed another file towards his boss. "Lizzie is Valentin's sort of girlfriend slash stripper. She'd been a part of that family for years now, and she'd help us as long that we'd get her sister back from the clutch of her religious family."

WB read her file and frowned. "I must say, agent Ratner… You managed to give me something interesting with all of these… characters." He looked at him from his reading glasses. "You seem to have private knowledge about them."

"This is Neptune, sir. Everyone knows everyone here." Jeff smiled bitterly. "When you were invisible for years working as a servant, sir… Sometimes you'd get around without anyone noticing you."

WB nodded, "Hmm… No wonder you want to be assigned here. This would be the stepping stones of your career."

"It's better than serving buffalo burger at 2 A.M in the morning and getting a lousy tip." Jeff said without any hint of sarcasm. "You have no idea what kind of dirty laundry I saw working in this hotel."

WB chuckled, "Save me those stories for another time. Well, you have my permission to continue with the RICO case against the Sorokins. I've been trying to nail them since you were still in a diaper. Do whatever you want. Make deals, I don't care. Just give me fucking results before I retire."

"Yes, sir."

"Although I want to know…. why are you are after The Sorokins in this town? There are plenty of families here-The Fitzpatricks, The Gutierrezes, and many more …"

"Like you said, The Sorokins have been around since before I was born. You handled it before. They were based in New York back in the 80s and 90s. And now they have been in this town for almost a decade and already took over the whole drugs and racketeering businesses." Jeff curled his lips, "Other organization might be dangerous as well, but I am ready to cut off one old snake head first before going for another."

WB didn't reply after hearing Jeff's statement. Agent Jeff Ratner was young and an ambitious FBI agent – at first glance he didn't look like someone who people thought an agent should look like. He looked like a pencil pusher. With his pale complexion, curly hair, and freckles, he was easy to underestimate but WB knew that agent Ratner was actually pretty efficient in the field. He wasn't the strongest or the fastest – but he was very meticulous and intelligent. He was a clever agent; he solved many FBI cases before he transferred to the Organized Crime division. WB saw the man's potential as an agent, and he'd seen him in action.

WB tapped on a newspaper. "What about these… murders for the mob lawyers?"

Jeff shook his head slowly. "We don't know, sir. Nothing from our division or any other biros has any information about that."

"So these murders…"

"Personal? Maybe…Or revenge murders? They are not our priorities. As long it's not directly involved with our case, let the local authorities handle it."

"Hmm. Just keep your eyes open. I don't believe in coincidence."

"Yes sir."

Cygnus Club

Backstage, Lizzie was sitting at her vanity, ignoring everyone else around her. Her colleagues were frantically preparing for the next show – it was lunchtime; the wealthy men of Neptune expected entertainment from these girls while they ate. One girl was shouting, "Anyone seen my shell bra? I'm playing The Little Mermaid!"

A girl who was putting on her wig muttered quietly, "You do smell like fish down there."

Lizzie didn't comment. She was texting Valentin.

"WHERE YOU AT?"

Lizzie looked at a picture of her, Meg, and Grace from ten years ago. She taped the photograph on the mirror along with her other pics with Valentin. She looked at the picture sadly. Meg was forever beautiful and pink; Lizzie stood next to her with full make-up on and bright red lipstick. Grace was just a little girl with a pink bow in her hair; she was smiling and there was a gap between her teeth.

She missed them dearly.

Valentin had been her boyfriend for a few years, although they were never actually exclusive. Lizzie knew that Valentin slept with many girls, and to be honest, she didn't care much. She slept with Dick Casablancas and other Neptune bachelors to kill time.

Valentin was young, charming, and rich. No different from other guys in Neptune – but he was in a mob, and Lizzie needed that connection for a personal reason.

Her phone made a pinging sound:

"BUSY. AT GORY'S OFFICE W/ ROMAN. GORY IS NOT HERE YET. IS HE THERE?"

Lizzie frowned and stuck her tongue out,

"UGH. NO. WHY WOULD HE?"

Ping.

"I DUNNO. ROMAN IS BEING AN ASS. YELLING & SCREAMING. GORY ISN'T ANSWERING HIS PHONE N HE'S NOT AT THE OFFICE. I MIGHT BE A WHILE"

Lizzie looked around at her surroundings. Some of the girls had already moved to the stage and some were eating lunch in front of their mirrors while putting on their make-up. Her shift didn't start until this afternoon, when only a few people were watching. She preferred it that way.

She texted again,

"I'M AT WORK. MY SHIFT DOESN'T START UNTIL 3. CAN I TAKE A NAP IN YOUR OFFICE?"

She didn't have to wait long before her phone pinged again.

"SURE THING, BABE. YOU GOT THE KEYS. BUT SEND ME A PIC OF YOUR TITS WILL YA? I'M BORED."

Lizzie rolled her eyes hard. She lifted her t-shirt, took a selfie, and then sent it to Valentin. "Enjoy the titties, you bastard." She muttered. Valentin replied with an emoji of him being happy. Lizzie shook her head and exhaled loudly.

When she stood up, a girl next to her who was eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese asked her while chewing, "You're up next?"

"No, I'm gonna take a nap in Valentin's office."

The girl replied, "You're so lucky, girl. You can come in and come out like you own the place." There was sarcasm under her tone, but Lizzie chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, lucky me…"

Valentin's office; where most of the Sorokin's brothers and their uncle have some meetings. Lizzie knew that the family viewed her as this ditzy, blonde girl who didn't know her surroundings, and she preferred it that way. She knew that the family was one of the most powerful families in Neptune, and that was one of the reasons why she was close to Valentin.

She opened the door, entered the room, and immediately locked the door. She let out a breath that she was holding, and then she scanned the room. She had been in this office so many times. Usually for some afternoon delight with Valentin.

Lizzie sat on the couch and pondered something.

Her life wasn't exactly perfect. She was a stripper for crying out loud. Exotic dancer, whatever you want to call it, but it wasn't Lizzie's first choice of career. She had no choice when her parents kicked her out of her own home. When her parents died, she received her trust fund, but it wasn't much since her parents apparently donated almost all of their money to the church cult.

She ran out of money in a year because she had to pay lawyers for legal consultations to fight for full custody of Grace. It was a waste of time because she lost the custody battle and had no choice but to let her aunt Christina take Grace away to Seattle.

Lizzie dialed a number, put the phone to her ear, and started biting her fingernails.

A woman picked up the phone after a few rings, "Hello?"

Lizzie exhaled and greeted her aunt, "Aunt Chris… It's me."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Lizzie, sweetheart… It's nice to hear your voice."

"How are you, auntie?"

"I'm fine. You know how it is."

"Great, great…" She paused. "How's Gracie?"

There was a hesitation from her aunt before she answered, "She's fine, dear."

"Can I talk to her, please?"

"She's at the store right now. Can I take a message?"

"I left several messages before, auntie. Did she get them?"

Another pause, which made Lizzie, agitated. "Yes, dear. She got them."

"And…?"

"And what, dear?"

"And what did she say? Why hasn't she called or written me? I left her my email address and my cellphone numbers."

"She's very busy at the store, sweetheart. She's very good at doing her job." Her aunt answered in a flat tone, and Lizzie felt like choking her aunt through the telephone. She knew Grace worked at her aunt and uncle's souvenir store.

"She doesn't have a few seconds to send a text message?"

"Lizzie…" Her aunt hesitated for a while and then she quietly said, "I think it's best that you don't contact us anymore."

Lizzie closed her eyes as she rubbed her temple. "I'm your family, Aunt Chris."

"You are welcome to come to Seattle. We can get you a job here. You need to leave Neptune… and your occupation." Her aunt begged. "Leave that devil's work. You are selling your body… like a… like a common whore." She choked.

Lizzie stood up and paced around. "I gave you a huge amount of money for Grace's college tuition. What did you do with all that money? How come she's not in college?"

"That's… Your uncle and I decided that Gracie should not go to college. I mean, after all that's happened the past few years, I think it's best that she stays with us. We don't want Gracie to fall down a deep hole in college experience – with all the sex and drugs and parties…"

"Where's the money, Aunt Chris?"

Her aunt gave a long shudder exhale. "It's sin money, Elizabeth… We have to give it away."

Lizzie leaned back and closed her eyes again. "Then you're no different than mom and dad."

"My sister… abused Grace. We would never do that! We think of her as our own child. And you, Elizabeth – we love you so much. Please come to Seattle. Be normal, don't be… like that." Her aunt sniffled. "Meg wrote those letters. She wanted to raise Faith and be with you and Gracie in Seattle. She wanted a normal life with us. Why are you insisting on staying in Neptune? There's nothing there but misery." Lizzie could hear her aunt crying now. "Oh, I can imagine Meg's daughter now. She must be around 10 years old. We never saw her again after… after that boy took her. I lost my sister, my niece, and my grandniece. I won't lose you too. Please leave that town, Lizzie. Stay with us."

Lizzie wiped her tears quickly. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Lizzie didn't know the answer. She didn't know why she stayed in this god-forsaken town that brought nothing but despair. She just… couldn't stay away. Maybe because she could be herself-someone who didn't give a fuck about anyone, someone who could do whatever she wanted… No more pretenses. No more pretending that everything was perfect when everything wasn't. If she went to Seattle, then she would not be herself anymore… Or maybe it just scared the shit out of her, or she was used to self-sabotaging. Maybe she liked the lifestyle of being Valentin's girlfriend whom he showered with expensive things, and she didn't need to worry about rent, clothes, and food. She had lived in that motel for so long, and then worked as a waitress so she could take care of Gracie after their parents' death… When she lost the custody battle, her aunt and uncle refused to take her too. They blamed her for her parents' death.

No, Lizzie would never leave Neptune and live with a family who blamed her for everything.

"Because I don't want to be like you." Lizzie answered. She heard gasp from the other end of the line. "I will get Gracie back, Aunt Chris. You can count on it."

She hung up the phone.

For a few seconds, she sat there staring at the wall until she broke down, put her hands over her face, and cried silently. She had never felt so alone, and she missed her sister so much.

She missed Don Lamb so much, too.

Lizzie stared at her phone and then she scrolled through her text messages, looking for one from years ago.

"LIZZIE… I CAN'T BE WITH YOU. I LOVE HER. I'M SORRY"

"Yeah…" She whispered. "I'm sorry too."

Lizzie never deleted the text message. After a few years, she didn't know why she kept it. It was the last message from Don before he died protecting her and Gracie. She still remembered that he fought her dad, and her dad shot him.

She remembered blood – so much blood.

If only… If only she, Gracie, and Don… If only he left her. If only they left Neptune together and built lives.

Don would never betray his wife. It was only a fantasy of hers. A fantasy that Don would leave Veronica, be with her and Gracie, and be a family; a family she desperately wanted.

She remembered a decade ago when Don found out about the Manning family's secret; he was the Sheriff and parked his car in front of their house every night, for several weeks. Lizzie remembered watching him from her window – dreaming that one day he would save her from her own family. She had to endure quiet and tense family dinners every night with her parents. Her dad scowled knowing a cop was parked outside his house and he could do nothing about it. Her mother always glanced at the empty chair at the dinner table where Meg used to sit. Gracie ate in silence; she was trying to swallow the food, but was too weak to chew, and her; she sat trying so hard not to scream and stab herself with a fork.

When Don finally stopped intimidating their family, her father kicked her out after she graduated from prep-school. Her parents didn't come to her graduation ceremony; she received her diploma only with polite applause from her teachers and few students. She walked away without taking pictures with any of her classmates. Her suitcase was already packed; she lived in a motel with the money she had saved and what was left of her trust fund.

She remembered partying so hard; bouncing from one party to another, mostly 09er parties, enjoying her independence. Even the 09ers knew that she had fallen from grace and social status though; especially after they found out she was working as a waitress and was no longer living in the 09er area. She could feel their stares, judging her; her sister Meg was dead, the richest boy in Neptune took her niece away and ran off from Neptune, her family's involvement with a cult church was starting to spread out – and she didn't care.

When she attended Neptune High, she was well-known as the bitch or whore sister of angelic Meg. She was okay with that. It was her form of rebellion from her parents and she tried so hard not to be like Meg, even when she loved her sister.

Lizzie remembered when her parents yanked her from Neptune High and enrolled her in a private school after Meg's accident—no make-up or curling irons, no more music or parties, and no more freedom. Then Meg died, and Duncan fucking Kane decided to take Faith away and run, while she was rotting in Neptune.

Selfish bastard, she thought. Duncan didn't even care about Grace and her…

When her parents died, Lizzie had to work twice as hard for herself and her sister. Her money ran out fast after paying all the lawyers. She didn't go to college and worked full time. Her aunt started to make noise about adopting Grace, but didn't want Lizzie. Her aunt blamed her for her parents' death. Nothing surprised her anymore – everyone was always blaming her, even when the sun shined and there were double rainbows.

Lizzie met Valentin Sorokin when he went to the diner where she worked. He immediately liked her when she waited on his table and so he offered her a job as an exotic dancer at his club. She didn't know that he was a part of a Russian mob family when she took the job. She didn't care anymore – all she cared about was her sister. This life was not perfect – Valentin could be rough sometimes, but she got herself a nice apartment, a good lifestyle, and she would never starve again. One day she would get Grace back and they would live together again as a family.

Lizzie made up her mind.

She stood up, grabbed a screwdriver, and went to an air-vent in the corner of the office. After opening it, she put a small bug inside before closing it again

Lizzie walked backwards and stared at the vent, and hoped that Valentin, or anyone else, wouldn't find out about the bug. She immediately texted someone;

"IT'S DONE. I WANT MY DEAL."

A few minutes later, she got a reply text:

"COME BY THE GRAND. YOU GOT YOUR DEAL."

Lizzie closed her eyes. She had just betrayed Valentin to the FBI, but she would do anything for Gracie. She would get Gracie back, and the Feds were her only hope.

Flashback,

Sorokin Villa, 2013

"Veronica…" Gorya whispered to her. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. They have stopped in front of big cabin-villa in the woods. "We're going to take a rest here. We can go back to Neptune tomorrow morning, okay? This is my family's villa."

Veronica didn't say anything. Only looked at the huge wooden cabin-villa in the middle of nowhere from inside the car. "Gory… I don't know."

"I told one of my men to call a doctor…"

Veronica immediately shook her head, "No. Gory, no."

"Veronica, you might be hurt." He said quietly. "Please let my doctor check up on you. It's a family doctor, I told him to come all the way from Neptune and meet us here."

"I'm not hurt. I don't feel…" Veronica swallowed. "I don't feel anything."

Gorya held her head and kissed her forehead. "Please, Veronica. Let the doctor check up on you. And then we'll talk about what happened, okay?"

Veronica was going to say no again, when she looked at his eyes and saw a genuine concern. She looked down and nodded. "My feet hurt. I think I sprained my ankle or broke it, I don't know." She said quietly. "I kicked Mercer's face, and…" She started to shiver, and Gorya hugged her.

"It's okay, it's okay. The doctor will check up on you, alright?" He waited and then she nodded. She didn't want to look weak; she didn't want Gorya and his men to think of her as this weak victim. But both of her feet were really hurt. She covered herself with the jacket and the blanket. Yegor opened the car door and Gorya climbed out the car, while holding her hand. "Come on." He gently lifted her up and carried her to the villa, followed by the other men.

"I don't… I can…"

"You can't walk." Gorya said shortly.

Veronica was frustrated. Gorya treated her like she was incapable of doing anything, and it angered her. But she kept her feeling inside. "Okay."

Yegor opened the front wooden door, and they walked in. It was a huge wooden and stone cabin-villa with wooden furniture and fireplace. The kitchen looked modern and there was a flat screen TV above the fireplace. The furniture was covered with white sheets as the place hadn't been visited for a while. Yegor uncovered the furniture and sneezed from the dust. "Veronica, I'm gonna take you to your room upstairs while everyone is going to stay downstairs, okay? They're gonna wait for the doctor, and also clean themselves up. They're going to sleep in the living room. Some of them are gonna buy some food from nearby town, alright? What do you want to eat?"

Veronica shook her head. "I'm not hungry…"

Gorya turned around and told his men, "Junk food."

Veronica tightened her jaws. Gorya dismissed her request, and she wasn't happy about it. But she was too tired to protest. Beside, he helped her tonight; he got rid of Mercer and the evidence, plus he rescued her from that cabin.

The men grunted some approval. Boris put some food he took from the cabin into the fridge. He also put some flower pots on the table. One of the men was soaked in blood, and he went to the downstairs' bathroom to clean up. Veronica guessed he was the one who…

"I call the bathroom!" He called out. Veronica blinked and looked away.

Gorya carried her upstairs and walked into a room. But instead putting her on the bed, he carried her to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet. "Wait here." He went back to the bedroom again and Veronica looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

She was a mess. She was soaked in blood; her blond hair was now strawberry blonde because of the blood, and her jeans were so tight and bloody red – Mercer's blood – and she looked like she just went back to hell and came back. Veronica stood up and winced when her foot touched the cold tile; she walked on one foot and held the sink to keep her balance. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

Gorya walked back in carrying some clothes and a towel. He paused to see Veronica stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He put the clothes on the toilet seat and gently guided her to the bathtub. Veronica wanted to scream at him to stop treating her so gently, but she bit her lip. She sat on the edge of the bathtub while Gorya on his knees, turning on the water to fill the bathtub. "The doctor is coming soon. He's now at the next town, and will be here in an hour." He glanced at Veronica who was staring at the wall, biting her lip. "I brought you some clothes from the next room." He paused. "It's Valentina's clothes, I hope they'll fit."

Veronica turned around to look at him. "What?"

Gorya busied himself checking the temperature of the water. His own clothes were wet from the splash, and there were some dry blood on his shirt. "When we were teens, the family used to go here. Some of us left our clothes here." He looked up and saw Veronica was looking down at him. "I hope they're not too small. I mean, there are some undergarments there…"

"Why are you doing this?"

Gorya blinked and then continued to check the water.

"We're friends, Veronica." He looked up. "I told you how much I care about you."

Veronica looked away again and said quietly, "I remember everything." She looked down to her bloody knuckles. "My memory came back in that cabin. I remember all of it." She chuckled. "He was right, you know? He said that he could bring my memory back if I just go with him. And I did…"

"Veronica…"

"I remember everything… Lilly, Duncan, my family, Don, Logan…" She sniffled a little and looked at the dry blood on her hands. "And I remember what Mercer did to me; days when he tortured me. I was so… angry that I fell into his trap again. So I wanted to kill him."

"And you did. He's dead now."

Veronica looked at him again. "I shouldn't have… I pressed that watch that you gave me. But nothing happened, Gory." She shivered, "You said if I had an urge to do something wrong, I should press that button. And somehow…"

"I'm here, Veronica."

Veronica shook her head. "I shouldn't have done that. I watched him die."

"He deserved it!" She went quiet from his outburst, and he regretted it. Gorya turned off the water and then sat on the edge of the bathtub next to her. "You know if you didn't kill him, either it would be me or your father or anyone else who would kill him."

Veronica didn't answer.

For a long time they just stood there on the edge of the bathtub, until she hoarsely said. "Thank you for the bath. I'm going to clean myself now."

Gorya nodded slowly. He could feel how upset and angry Veronica was.

He kissed her temple and then walked out from the bathroom and closed the door. Veronica stared at the door numbly. She threw the blanket and the jacket on the floor, and then reached back to unclasp her bra. She then shimmied down her jeans – they were sticky with blood – and she let it piled up on the blanket, and then covered it. She decided to burn down those clothes later.

She was naked and bloody.

She stood in the middle of the bathroom and watched herself in the mirror. Veronica felt like she was starring in a horror film with all the blood. She made a fist with her hand and she punched the mirror. It didn't break at all, and she hurt her hand instead. She groaned in pain and tears rolled down her cheek. She sniffled as she gingerly climbed into the bathtub. The water was warm and welcoming, but she felt like shit. She sat down and grabbed a loofah and squeezed a glob of soap onto it; she then scrubbed her skin very hard. She wanted to get rid of dirt, blood, and his scent off of her. She turned on the shower and the water washed off the blood off her hair. She closed her eyes, and she could see Mercer staring at her…

Veronica rubbed a shampoo on her head, and the foam started to hit her eyes, and she felt her eyes burnt. She closed her eyes, and cried – she didn't know whether it was the shampoo or because she just killed a man. Her emotion was all over the place, and she hated the feeling. She hated that she killed Mercer, and she didn't know whether she was glad he was dead or was angry because he managed to hurt her first. And then she was sad because she had to face her father.

What would her father think?

She didn't want her father to know that she killed Mercer. She didn't want her family to face public's scrutiny again. Her dad, Alicia, Wallace, Darrell…. She wondered why she had forgotten them after Don died…

Don…

This was one of the reasons why he didn't want to help her revenge. He knew that she would regret it.

But did she really regret killing Mercer?

Veronica closed her eyes and leaned back while the water still running.

She was so angry and yet she was numb at the same time.

"She's in her room, I'll take you there." Gorya greeted the doctor who just arrived. "Thanks for coming, Dr. Ilya." They climbed the stairs to the second floor. "She said that she twisted her ankle."

"No problem, Gory." Doctor Ilya was a middle age man who had been a family doctor to the Sorokin family. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. She's the one who needs checking up." They arrived at her front door, and Gorya knocked on her door. "Veronica? The doctor is here. Can you open the door?" There was no answer, and Gorya frowned. Gorya knocked again, and then opened the door. The room was empty and the bed was still made. Gorya walked to the bathroom and knocked. "Veronica? Are you still taking a bath?" There was no answer, and Gorya inhaled as his heart beating so fast. He opened the door, and found her half drowning in the bathtub. Gorya ran inside and grabbed her hand, almost slipped because of the puddle. "VERONICA!?"