Author's Note 1: I apologize for the long update. I've been ill for a while and taking care of my health. I hope I will be able to update more, wish me luck. That being said, I hope you'd enjoy this chapter and leave some reviews. Reviews give me strength to continue. Thanks!

Author's Note 2: I was watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and I couldn't stop laughing when during an undercover mission, Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago are pretending to be engaged and they make up stories as they go. So I thought I want to put Logan and Veronica in a similar situation.

Previously on 'To Neptune and Back': Logan is an assassin. After a botch job in NYC, he discovers that Veronica is an assassin too. He immediately goes home to Neptune to investigate and finds out that she is married to a notorious Russian mafia boss, Gory Sorokin. Without telling each other about their side jobs, Logan and Veronica are working together to investigate the paintball pranks that have been terrorizing Neptune. Logan is determined to find out what happened to Veronica; why and how she became an assassin. At the same time, he realizes that he is still in love with her.

In the past, Logan wakes up in a mysterious hospital after his platoon was ambushed by the rebels. Veronica killed Mercer, and Gory is helping her getting rid of the body. At the same time, Gory realize his own feelings towards Veronica. He is falling in love with her.

Neptune Boardwalk

Logan and Veronica were walking together, talking freely while eating cotton candy. Nobody was bothering them, although there were some glances towards Logan. People who didn't know them would think that they were a couple having a nice day at the boardwalk. They seemed to be in-sync together; Logan and Veronica were wearing leather jackets and sunglasses. They looked like a perfect handsome couple. The only difference was Veronica wore a wedding ring while Logan didn't wear any ring…

Nobody noticed that – except maybe Vinnie Van Lowe.

He was sitting near some vendors, holding a bucket of popcorn. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a black vest and a pair of Zumba pants. His hair was slicked back, and even though he looked like he was enjoying the view from behind his sunglasses, he actually was discreetly taking pictures of Logan and Veronica. "Come on, papa needs a brand new laptop."

He popped a kernel into his mouth and took some pictures at the same time. His camera was on his lap, and he expertly took pictures with one hand. Logan and Veronica walked past him without realizing that someone was taking pictures. He was actually taking pictures of Logan. According to gossip mills, Logan was dating Cindy MacKenzie, the CEO of Neptune Connection, yet here he was, strolling with his ex-girlfriend, Veronica Sorokin, née Mars.

Vinnie was humming a song when he saw two guys, walking behind about 10 feet from them. There was something about the guys that rubbed him the wrong way like they didn't belong there at the boardwalk. They looked like tourists, but they didn't seem to pay attention to their surroundings. They were looking at the man and the woman in front of them, and they seemed to focus on them.

Paparazzi?

He didn't think so. They didn't bring any cameras. He should know because he was a paparazzi slash private detective. A good one – Vinnie thought of himself very highly. So he lacked tact and finesse, but he'd get the job done.

He took pictures of those guys too.

Vinnie saw Logan and Veronica walked into a very colorful building. He recognized it as a paintball game thing that had just opened a month ago. Vinnie realized he could get a better view if he'd sneak in there – there might be some hanky-panky. But he was rather comfortable with his position, so he decided to wait for them.

He saw the men walked into the building too.

Sorokin Mansion (Lev Sorokin's House)

Dax, Darrel, and Ryan ransacked the kitchen and made a mess out of everything. The kitchen cabinets were opened, the fridge was emptied, and the kitchen island was messy with food and soft drinks. Dax slapped some mayonnaise and squirted some ketchup onto a piece of bread and then piled up some tomatoes, smoked beef, few slices of cheese, and some lettuce; he then opened his mouth wide and tried to bite the whole sandwich. Ryan was cutting some meatloaf and piled it with some Cheetos, and then chewed noisily. Darrell was mixing some Pepsi and Dr. Pepper and drank it thirstily. The kitchen was a mess, especially after Dax made some popcorn.

"I just got a new mini movie theater –" Dax began while chewing.

Ryan choked on his Cheetos, "You got what?"

"A mini movie theater – we can watch movies there with a big screen and shit. Want to see it?"

"Hell yeah!" Ryan yelled. Darrell nodded too.

"'Kay, let's grab some popcorn."

They grabbed some popcorn buckets and carelessly poured the popcorn and butter into it when someone shrieked, "Dax! What the fuck are you doing?! You made a mess!"

The three boys looked behind them, and a woman with a big hair, big boobs, big nails, and big jewelry stood outside the kitchen with her mouth open. "Oh, hey Medusa – you just woke up?" Dax checked his watch, "It's noon."

"Don't you call me that, you little brat. You're lucky your father is not here. Or else." Mischka pointed her forefinger, showing a very long fingernail. "Who is that?" She pointed to Darrell. Ryan was hiding behind the fridge door, chewing slowly.

"That's Darrell." Dax shrugged. "He's the sheriff's son."

"Sheriff's son? But he's…"

"Black?" Ryan almost choked on his sausage, while Darrell just grinned when he saw Mischka look at Dax in horror. "Yeah, interracial marriage is a thing. Keep up, Medusa." He signaled Darrell and Ryan to go with him.

"How dare you…" She was going to say something but the three of them already scurried away from the kitchen, still carrying popcorn buckets. She looked around at the messy kitchen and then yelled, "Clean this mess up!"

Dax showed the other boys a big room with a huge screen and a dozen theater seats. It was definitely like a movie theater. Ryan opened his mouth and chewed at the same time, "Wow! You have your own movie theater!"

"I know, right! Perks of living with Medusa and my old man – he's very old; the man can't get it up without those pills and he lacks human emotion. But I do love his money." Dax sat in the middle and then pushed some buttons on the armrest. A monitor suddenly appeared from the armrest, like one of those TV monitors on commercial flights. He touched the screen and said, "So I got some classic action, classic porn, new action, porn without plots, sci-fi, porn sci-fi, fantasy, porn fantasy, classic fantasy…"

"You got porn?" Darrell looked at him with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Ryan practically sunk into the plush chair, he didn't care about anything.

"You're right, it's noon – I don't think porn is a good idea," Dax muttered. "Although those Pirates XXX movies were okay – good solid CGI and acting, but really..." Dax touched the screen again. "'Breaking Point' starring Aaron Echolls? That's a classic."

"No to Aaron Echolls' movies." Darrell made a face.

Ryan sighed as he rubbed the armrests, "This is heaven."

"And what do you mean porn is not a good idea? Porn is ALWAYS a good idea!" Darrell said.

Dax rolled his eyes, "A little decorum, Mars. Let's be civilized." He tapped the screen again, "Ah. How about 'Legally Blonde'?"

Both Darrell and Ryan looked at him weirdly for a few seconds before they shrugged, "Sure."

Neptune Paintball Game Zone

Logan watched as the guy who worked behind the counter answered Veronica's questions. She was using her girly voice and occasionally flirting and flipping her hair, giggling when the counter guy named Todd was making jokes. Logan smirked to see her magic.

They were in Neptune Paintball Game Zone that just opened more than a month ago, and the place was rather small albeit crowded. It was an indoor paintball game; Logan read the brochure and noticed that they host birthday parties. Veronica was asking questions about the paintball game and according to her, she was excited that this would be her first experience playing the game.

Todd looked at Logan and asked, "So you… and your boyfriend… are gonna play?"

"Oh, this is my fiancée." Veronica gave a shrill laugh, which made Logan cringe a little. "This is my Johann, he's from Solvang," Logan smiled widely, and Todd nodded. "He wants to know about the American games here." Logan opened his mouth to say something, but Veronica patted his cheek instead. "He doesn't speak English." He shut his mouth immediately. Veronica then smiled teasingly to Todd. "I'm always fascinated with the hardcore game of paintballs… I was wondering whether you can give us a quickie slot, so we don't have to wait in line like the rest of these losers."

While Todd nervously typed something into the computer, Logan glared at Veronica, who only gave him a sweet smile.

"Just the two of you?" He asked. Veronica nodded. "I'm sorry, Miss. But you need at least four people to play. You and your team of four will play against another team."

"Oh, that's a damn shame. My friends don't like playing paintballs." Veronica clucked her tongue. "My relatives are still teenagers; can they play and be on our team?"

"Sure, but their parents have to sign a waiver or legal guardian if they are under the age of 18."

"Really? I thought this isn't dangerous?" She gasped.

"No, no. Not at all. We specialize in Low Impact Paintball. The paintballs we use are smaller in size so the impact is much less than the standard paintballs. Even kids can play with them." He pointed around the place, "This is a family place. We even have birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs. The paintballs won't hurt the kids."

"Oooh. Where do you think we can get those balls?"

The way Veronica said balls made Logan look away and hide his smile.

Todd cleared his throat. "Uhmm… Well, we sell those there." He pointed a room where they sell some paint-guns and ammo.

"Oooh, thank you. I'll look!" She bounced to the mini store while grabbing Logan's hand. Todd wanted to say something, but other customers were already waiting for his service.

"You do know that Solvang is near Santa Barbara?" Logan whispered in her ear. "And why the hell do I have to be your Swedish fiancée?"

"I dunno – it just came to me, Johann," Veronica said while staring at the guns that mounted on the wall and ammo in the glass shelves. "Look at this equipment. Those high-schoolers can just buy these paint guns."

"Not without credit cards and IDs."

"Right. I don't think they have credit cards."

"But they can use their parents' credit cards. I mean, this is Neptune." Logan looked at her. "This is America – the land of weapons; where you can buy guns without background checks. They can even buy the paint guns online. Including the paint pellets." He shrugged. "We need to find someone who gave them paints in large quantities. Not like these." He showed her bags full of paint pellets. "These are cheap, and only what, few dozen bullets? The paints that were used for the school prank was in barrels. We're talking thousands of dollars."

"Fantastic," Veronica muttered and saw the counter guy hurriedly coming towards them. "Hey! Do you have pink balls? I want to play with those!"

Logan shook his head and pretended to look around the mini store. He saw several different guns and ammo in different colors and styles. He grabbed one of the guns, which looked like a toy gun, and twirled it expertly. He knew a thing or two about buying weapons and bullets. It wasn't like he was buying weapons at K-Mart, but there were arms dealers out there for professionals like him. They were untraceable and that what was important.

Nowadays, civilians could buy guns anywhere without background checks. Thank the congress for that: protecting the right to bear arms so idiots from the street could buy assault weapons like buying groceries.

The people who were responsible for the Mayor attack and the school prank probably were practicing with paint guns and bullets, before they were trying the real ones. Logan didn't voice his opinion to Veronica because he didn't want her to be worried. And he was also worried that she might do something about it. She was a professional killer… who knows what she would do to them?

That was when he felt a vibe.

He whipped his body around and scanned the area. Some people, mostly tourists with their families, were in the lobby. He heard general chatter and excitement as they waited for their turn to get into the battle area. One of the employees put a safety vest on a squirming child, while his family took selfies while posing with their equipment and helmets. The instructor gave safety instructions and briefed the groups who were checking in. Logan narrowed his eyes when he saw two men who didn't seem to belong there. They looked like tourists, but their behavior seemed odd; Logan couldn't put his finger on it, but he could feel vibes from these two – obviously they weren't tourists.

Before he could check them out, someone was standing in his way.

"Mr. Echolls."

Logan widened his eyes to see a tall man with a magnificent mustache.

"Deputy… Mustache."

Sacks looked at the young man in front of him, annoyed. He curled his lips and wanted to give a retort when Leo stood beside him. "Mr. Echolls. Fancy meeting you here." He was holding a form and a pen. "You look well. Haven't seen you since…"

"A decade," Logan answered quietly, remembering Deputy Leo, while glancing over to Veronica and Todd. Veronica saw Leo and Sacks; she gasped theatrically.

"There you are! It's our group!" Veronica ran towards them, and from Todd who seemed to be grabby.

"Veroni -?" Before Leo could finish saying her name, Veronica cut him off.

"Hey!" Veronica all smile. "Glad that you made it here to play with me - your lovely cousin Amber." Leo widened his eyes and Sacks wanted to say something, but Veronica hugged them both and whispered, "Just nod and follow my lead." Sacks almost couldn't breathe because Veronica hugged him so tight. She was pretty strong for a tiny woman. Logan looked away, not knowing whether to laugh or cry because Veronica was definitely the type who makes up something along the way. It convinced him that she was under someone's thumb as an assassin – she was working for someone else. "I see you've met my fiancé, Johann." She poked at Logan. "He doesn't speak English."

Leo opened his mouth and closed it again.

Logan rolled his eyes and shook Leo's hand. "Tjänare." That made Veronica raise her eyebrow because she was surprised to hear Logan speaking another language. Logan smirked, and he had a challenging look on his face 'Yeah, how do you like them.' Years of listening to Sven the Swedish assassin on his earpiece made him a bit of an expert.

"Oh, what's this?" She recovered and snatched Leo's form. "I'm gonna fill this in. You can help me, right Todd?" Veronica waved the form. "I mean, we don't have to wait for another 3 hours to play right...?" She winked. "Did I ever tell you that Johann is related to a Danish royalty? I bet we can book some sort of royalty tag games or something. How about you ask your manager whether he wants a celebrity to endorse this place." Logan looked at Veronica with amusement, because she was bullshitting like crazy.

Todd stammered and watched groups of families standing impatiently near the waiting room. "I'll... I'll be right back." He hurriedly went to the back, probably to talk to the manager.

"Hey, Leo. Deputy Sacks." Veronica finally greeted them. "Looking good with crocodiles on your shirts." She commented on the LACOSTE shirts they were wearing.

"What is going on?" Leo crossed his arms and tried to look stern.

"Is that how you greet a friend? Come on. We haven't seen each other for a while, and lo and behold, you pop in here."

"Johann? Amber? What's going on, damn it." He asked with an accusatory tone towards Logan.

Logan raised his hands in a mock surrender, "Hey. Don't look at me, look at the small blonde Pekingese here." That earned him a punch in the arm from her. "I'm just following orders." His eyes were scanning the area, looking for the two mysterious men. Their vibes still lingered.

"Look, I found out that this company produced their own ammo but they got the paints from that paint store near the dock. I asked whether it's possible to buy all the pink bullets... balls." Veronica snorted. "People must get their ammo from someone who works here."

"What are you doing? Are you investigating the school prank and the Mayor attack?!" Leo stage-whispered. "You can't do that! This is official police business."

Veronica waved a dismissive hand. "No, I just want to know where people get their BALLS." Leo and Sacks were going to protest when she just raised her hand to shut them up. "I am so glad to see both of you here, it makes the job so much easier. Did dad tell you to come?"

Leo made a face, "No. Me and Jerry volunteered to do some undercover."

"Your name is Jerry?" Logan asked Sacks. "This is a brand new information!"

Sacks rolled his eyes. He never liked Logan; he had known him since he was a teenager. He was still an ass.

"And dad told you to investigate, huh? Interesting." Veronica smirked. "He's such a softie."

The three men stared at the smirking Veronica. She looked dangerous.

Shit, I'm turned on. Logan thought.

"Mr. Grabby Hands also told me from our brief interaction that the business has been booming for the past month because the same groups of teenagers practice here every week," Veronica told the three men. "Worth checking those group of teens."

"You got that from the short time you were talking to him?! I was over here for a minute!" Logan exclaimed.

"Don't underestimate men's ability to chatter when they are in the presence of boobs."

"Oh, god." Leo looked upward.

"I promise. I will never underestimate boobs." Logan said as he put his right hand on his heart.

"You two are weirdos." Sacks commented.

"Yeah... Very suspicious." Leo said, looking at them both. "Your husband okay with him being your fiancee?" He asked maliciously.

"Wow." Veronica laughed. "You went there." Logan made a move like he wanted to punch Leo, but Veronica held his arm, and she smiled. "I gotta say, Leo... You'll make a fine Sheriff someday."

One thing that the people in Veronica's life knew was: never ever trying to piss her off. She was all smiles but she was ruthless. Not to mention that her husband was a dangerous man.

"Sorry. I was being a jackass." Leo mumbled. "I was surprised to see you investigating this."

"Well, I do anything to help Darrell and dad."

"Yeah, I know. Friends?" Leo offered his hand. Veronica smiled a genuine smile and hugged him instead. Everyone in her life knew, even when she was ruthless, she was a marshmallow.

"Yeah, buddy. Glad to see you again." Veronica patted his cheeks. "Come on, let's seduce Mr. Grabby Hand and hopefully we can find more information about who sold the ammo."

"That's your department. I don't have boobs."

Veronica turned to Logan, "I'm gonna ask Mr. Chatty McGrabby; you try to find any kind of info about the teens. Chat with the employees or something."

"It would be tough as I don't speak English, apparently," Logan said, a bit annoyed. "But I can do something better. You just do your thing." He was standing awkwardly and didn't budge.

Veronica frowned but didn't say anything. She shrugged and turned around to find Todd. Todd was talking to a manager. Veronica approached them with her butt swaying and a mega-watt smile. Logan was watching her with an odd expression.

"Careful, Mr. Echolls. You really don't want to get sucked into the Veronica Vortex." Leo said quietly.

Logan gritted his teeth; he had enough people telling him to be careful around Veronica. The worst part was, they were right – he couldn't stand straight right now because he was upset and turned on. Not to mentioned he was hyper aware of people with weird vibes. His body was humming with anticipation, and he didn't like that one bit.

"Veronica and I are best friends, Deputy. I'm just here to help her with the case."

Leo nodded, knowing that it was not really the truth. But he didn't say anything, instead, he joined Veronica to talk with the manager and the employee, Todd.

"I'm just gonna stand over there." Sacks pointed at the vending machine and left.

Logan hated the fact that it seems everyone could guess that he'd still have feelings for Veronica. And he hated the fact that people have been warning him not to be too close to Veronica. Hated the fact that his intentions were questioned.

He wanted to help her investigate this case, and then hopefully he could open her eyes about her husband. Maybe mend the relationship between her and family.

But everyone thought that he was some sort of love sick puppy who was being friendzoned. He didn't like that idea one bit.

No, Logan would never stop being a friend to her no matter what. He would never be one of those guys who pretended to be friends with a girl just to get into her pants and then get upset when the girl didn't have any interest. He and Veronica had been friends before, and judging from her behavior, she forgave him and they were friendly again. That was the ultimate goal; being her friend – when her friends and family were too afraid to even talk to her. He would never pursue Veronica, knowing that she was married...

"That never stopped you before."

Dick's words stabbed his heart. The words hurt especially coming from Dick.

Kendall was a blotch on his life and was one sore spot that couldn't be removed.

The thing was, Kendall didn't mean anything to him. She was a warm body to distract him from his real life. It could have been anybody; it didn't matter to him back then. Kendall was easy and available.

And he regretted it. People would always remember him as someone who was having an affair with a married woman. And not just any married woman; it was Kendall Casablancas.

But Veronica...

She was his friend. Best friend since childhood. A lover when he was young and in love. Someone who was constantly in his mind. Someone who saved him when he was in the army, even only in spirit. She meant a lot to him, and he would never jeopardize their friendship. Yes, it was a slippery slope between a friend who would support her and a friend who knew she was an assassin. Slippery slope indeed.

But right now wasn't the time.

The men with the vibes were here, and Logan didn't know who they were. He spotted them chatting casually with other people, while writing on some forms. Their vibes were gone, and they seemed harmless. But Logan wouldn't underestimate them – he needed to put his guard up. The men were talking and laughing while standing in the waiting area with other people; one of them handed their forms to an employee.

Logan saw that Veronica and Leo were talking to the manager and Todd. It was obvious that Veronica was flirting with Todd, and surprisingly, Leo was fake flirting with the manager.

The manager was an older man, and his face was flushing red – caught between embarrassment and maybe liking the flirt. Logan admitted that Leo was a pretty good actor. He didn't understand why Leo stayed as a Deputy. He'd make a good detective or some sort.

Sacks was walking around slowly with a drink from the vending machine, and he struck up a conversation with the employee who was taking the forms.

This was Logan's chance to sneak into the back area.

Logan cursed because they didn't have any plans, but just using dumb luck. He knew that he should only be talking to the employees, just like Veronica and the Deputies, to collect info, but he was rather impatient.

He was a goddamn hitman; there were better ways to get information than just chatting up employees.

The back area was very quiet; most of the employees were out in the lobby. He was walking down the hallway and saw several doors. He saw a door with MANAGER written on it and hoped nobody would catch him. He opened the door slowly and went straight to the computer. Logan plugged a device the size of a marble into the back of the computer under the desk; it was his hacking device that he always carried. Worked like a magnet to suck up any kind of data and files – he had put it on Mac's supercomputer too.

Logan had made a decision when he came back to Neptune to get to know who and what he was dealing with regarding Veronica's involvement with the assassin world. And so far, he got squat regarding the whole thing. He'd been asking around through the assassin underworld about who hired Veronica for the mafia hit back in NYC, and he told Patricia to dig deep. He decided to tap into Mac's super computer, just in case there were whispers regarding Veronica and everyone else.

Logan thanked his lucky stars that Mac was the CEO of the biggest social media enterprise in California since Facebook. Her computer was connected to the main frame of every Neptunian's social media accounts. This way he could tap into their accounts and probably discover something. It was a slim chance, but he was desperate. His usual contacts weren't able to give him any information, but he'd take any kind of lead. His friendship with Mac gave him an easy access.

Today's hacking was not really in his plan. He just wanted to help Veronica with this strange case.

Anything for Veronica.

Logan finished with the hacking device, put it in his pocket, and then silently walked out from the office. He was glad that there were no CCTV cameras around in the back area. The moment he walked into the building, he scanned for cameras and security.

Before he could walk out freely, the door to the lobby was opened.

Sorokin Mansion (Lev Sorokin's Home)

Ryan fell asleep in his huge chair, and he was sprawled in the chair while holding his popcorn bucket, with his mouth open although he didn't snore. Dax seemed to be into the movie so much, while Darrell slurped his soda. He saw Dax mouthing some of the dialogues from the movie, and shook his head. For a troubled Goth teen, Dax really liked chick-flicks.

"Hey, dude…" Darrell poked Dax with his finger.

"Shhh!" Dax shushed him as he was concentrating watching the scene in front of him.

"I just wanna ask where the bathroom is." Darrell rolled his eyes.

Dax waved a dismissive hand. "Go right down the hall, third room in the corner."

The sodas really made Darrell want to pee badly so he hurriedly walked down the hallway. The bathroom was really beautiful with marbles and golden accents. As he peed, he saw there was a movie poster of 'Scarface'.

What is it with mafia and Scarface? Darrell thought.

Darrell washed his hands as he heard voices outside. He dried his hands with a towel, walked out, and almost collided with an older man. The man looked at him with wide eyes, surprised to see a black boy in his house.

"Who the fuck are you?" He said in a booming voice.

Before Darrell could answer, the person next to the older man answered, "I am sorry, sir. This is your son's friend. They are watching a movie in the theater."

Lev Sorokin was more surprised about the fact that his son had friends over, "Dax has friends?" He couldn't help but ask. His bodyguard didn't know how to answer that. Lev frowned, "Have I seen you before?"

"Yes, sir…" Darrell answered politely. "I am Keith Mars' son – and Gory's brother-in-law." He added hastily, especially when he saw Lev widen his eyes again.

"I see… I see." Lev obviously wanted to say something offensive, but he held his tongue when he saw Dax walk hurriedly down the hall. "Of course I remember. Gory really knows how to pick 'em."

"Dad. You're home." Dax looked at his dad with anger, as he continued to walk towards them. His hand formed a fist shaking noticeably. "Unexpectedly. I thought you were in the office."

"I'm going to have lunch with your stepmother," Lev answered. He still looked Darrell up and down, like he was trying to size him up, calculating whether talking to him was worth it or not. "Well, you are welcome to have lunch with us. After all, you are family." Lev said it with a condescending tone.

"I think we're cool, dad. We just ate. We're going to the Boardwalk after this." Dax made up an excuse on the spot, while Darrell didn't say anything. "There's that Paintball game there that just opened, and we…"

"Yeah, yeah. Come home before dinner." Lev glanced at Darrell again and then walked away to his study room with his bodyguard trailing behind.

Dax exhaled hard, "Sorry about my dad… He's an asshole."

Darrell grimaced, "That's okay."

"No, it's not okay," Dax muttered. "He was about to say something fucked up, especially about your family and cousin Gory."

Darrell looked at him, "Your dad doesn't like Gory?"

Dax looked uncomfortable. "Well, you heard about what happened to him right? When he married your sister?" When Darrell shook his head, he looked surprised. "I thought you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Gory was kicked out from the family."

Darrell was surprised. "He was? I never heard of it."

Dax shrugged and walked together with Darrell back to the theater. "Yeah, I mean, it was kinda complicated. My uncle Lex – Gory's dad – told him that either he chose the family or… your sister." They walked into the theater and saw Ryan was still napping. "And he chose her…"

"But now they're taking him back?"

"Uncle Lex died after Gory left the family. But my dad was trying to groom him and his brothers to become the next head of the family or something - who the fuck cares."

"And yet he doesn't like Gory?"

"What do you expect? Your dad is the sheriff in this town. And Gory is married to his daughter. It's like Romeo and Juliet."

"You did know that they end up in double suicides?"

"What? That's not romantic." Dax woke Ryan up, "Dude. The movie is over."

Ryan woke up with a start, "Don't hurt me, Medusa!"

Both Dax and Darrell laughed, "Relax. My step-mother is nowhere here."

Ryan looked at him, confused. "No, I was dreaming about your scary-ass spider."

"Believe me; you're better off with my spider."

Darrell spoke up, "So thanks for taking us around your house and letting us watch a movie and stuff. But we better get going. We still have some work to do - interviewing some people."

"Hey, how about I come with you?" Dax asked. "Then we can cover more ground. Let me help."

Both Darrell and Ryan glanced at each other. "Dude, thanks for the offer… but I really can't take you both and Ryan on my bike."

Dax scoffed. "Let's take my car. I'll drive." When both of them didn't answer, he shrugged. "My car is a Bugatti Veyron."

"I call shotgun!" Ryan yelled.

Flashback

Sorokin Villa/Cabin, 2013

Gorya was pacing back and forth outside the bedroom where Dr. Ilya was examining Veronica. They both found Veronica unconscious in the bathtub. When they both carried her to the bed, Gorya was assured by the doctor that she was fine. She had actually just fallen asleep, probably from exhaustion. After a few attempts, they managed to wake her up. Gorya covered her with towels and blankets and fussed over her until the doctor kicked him out from the bedroom.

"I got this. Wait outside, Gory." Dr. Ilya calmly told him. Veronica wrapped a towel around herself to cover her body. She looked away so she didn't have to see his face. Gorya thought that she was ashamed that both men found her sleeping in the bathtub, naked. But he didn't think of anything – he was in panic when he saw her slumped down in the bathtub with the water overflowed on the bathroom tiles.

So after he took a quick shower downstairs, he was now outside the bedroom, walking back and forth, and trying to hear their conversation. Footsteps coming from the stairs made him take a step back from the door. He saw Boris approaching with a tray and he widened his eyes when he saw he was wearing a flowery apron. His seven feet tall enforcer was wearing an apron, and carrying a tray of food.

"How is she?" Boris asked.

"What are you wearing?" Gorya exclaimed, wide eyes still fixed on him.

Boris looked down to his apron. "What? I just cooked for her – I don't think she can eat pizza. And I don't want to get any food all over my shirt." Noticing that Gorya was basically stressed out, he asked, "Why are you outside?"

"Dr. Ilya is checking up on her. She fainted in the bathroom."

Boris nodded, "Tough night for her. I get it." He looked at the tray of food on his hands. "What are we gonna do with…" He looked up and stared at his boss. "…you know – the impact of this? Everyone is looking for her. Are we gonna get involved with this?"

Gorya sighed and sat on the floor with his back against the wall. "I don't know… I haven't talked about it with her yet."

"Boss… I don't want us to fall down over this." Gorya didn't answer – he just stared at the door. Boris sighed and said, "That guy was an asshole and he deserved to die. But we didn't kill him. And the fact that we're basically accomplices for… whatever this is…"

Gorya knocked the back of his head to the wall over and over again, "Whatever what…?"

Boris paused a bit and then put the food tray on the floor. He stood up and folded his arms. "Gory… You know your men are loyal to you. And they would do anything for you. We killed for you. We buried people for you. You never have to wash another human being's blood off your hands – you have us." He looked at his boss. "But if this backfired on you, it means it would backfire on us… and we won't go down for that." He paused again, "So my question is this: is this worth it?"

"Yes," Gorya answered without missing a beat.

"I'm just saying… if somehow this thing gets sniffed out by her dad, I don't want to get pinched."

"We won't."

Boris nodded and was about to leave when the door opened, and Gorya immediately stood up. Dr. Ilya raised his eyebrows to see the two men outside the bedroom.

"How is she?"

"She is actually fine, except with her ankle. She sprained it, so I wrapped it with a bandage. She needs to rest for a few days."

"A few days? She needs to go back to Neptune tomorrow. Everyone is looking for her." Boris said.

"Boris. I need to talk to Dr. Ilya, can you leave us?" Gorya cut him out. Boris looked at his boss slash friend and then shrugged in defeat. He turned around and walked down the stairs. Gorya could hear him greet his men downstairs, ordering them to clean up the mess in Russian.

"Gory, I checked her vitals and everything. She's healthy, nothing dangerous – only minor cuts, bruises, and a sprained ankle. She's going to be fine but she needs some rest." Dr. Ilya told him in a quiet voice.

"What about her…" Gorya gestured his hand around and pointed to his own temple. "She's been through a lot."

"I'm not a psychiatrist, but yes she's been… responsive." The Doctor looked at Gorya. "She had a history of mental breakdowns?"

Gorya nodded. "She's… being treated at Thallasa." He fidgeted. "She ran away with this lunatic to this place. I tracked her down. And now everyone is looking for her… Her father is the local sheriff in Neptune."

"You didn't tell her father that you were searching for her."

Gorya shook his head. "This is… personal."

"Okay… What are you going to tell the Sheriff when she returns to Neptune with a story of how a bunch of Russian men rescued her from a cabin and then instead taking her directly to Neptune, you brought her here in the middle of nowhere with a doctor to treat her wounds?"

Gory raised his hand, "If you say it like that, it seem shady."

"I don't want my name mentioned, Gory."

Gory went quiet for a while and then muttered. "You won't. I promise." He looked at the Doctor. "We've been doing this for a while, doc. You know how it is."

Dr. Ilya nodded and then pointed at the room with his thumb. "You can come in now, but only for a sec 'kay? Let her eat something and then let her rest."

The Doctor then patted Gorya's shoulder and walked downstairs. Gorya sighed and picked up the food tray and walked into the bedroom quietly. He saw Veronica was lying on the bed with her back facing him. He put the tray on the nightstand and then he stepped back, not knowing what to do next. Veronica didn't turn around, but he knew that she was awake. After a while, he cleared his throat.

"Uh… I brought you some food." Veronica didn't answer. She didn't even move. Gorya rubbed his face with his hand and exhaled. "Doc said that you needed to eat something." Gorya looked at the woman; her hair was wet and she was wearing an oversized sweater that belonged to Valentina. She was tucked in with a quilted blanket. Gorya remembered that he and Valentina used to play under that blanket, hiding from his brothers, giggling and laughing when they were teens. "Look, uh, Boris made these… we got a cup of chicken soup – so you can just drink it safely, and some sandwiches… He's not really a good cook, but it's edible. My chef Oleg is a better cook, but Boris is okay if you're hungry…"

"I'm not hungry." Veronica finally murmured.

Gorya nodded and scratch his head. "Can I eat, instead? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. I'll just… grab this sandwich if you don't mind. Feel free to join me if you want, I mean the guys downstairs are buying some pizza from the next town, but I think you should drink some soup if you haven't eaten anything because your stomach won't be able to digest anything heavy and if you –"

"If I drink your damn soup, will you stop talking?" Veronica turned around and stared hard at Gorya. "You're babbling."

"Please eat something, Veronica…"

Veronica sat down and drew her knees up to her chin. "I'll have that soup then."

Gorya sat down on the bed and handed a cup of soup to her – their hands briefly touched, which made them jostle a little bit. "T-the soup is kinda hot." Gorya awkwardly pulled his hands back. Veronica didn't say anything but she put the cup to her chest, feeling the warmth of the hot liquid seeping onto her hands. She slowly drank the soup and then closed her eyes.

She looked like she wanted to cry.

Gorya sat on the edge of the bed and ate the sandwich. Neither of them said anything.

After a while, she quietly said, "I need a favor."

"Anything."

Her eyes were glassy as she sipped her soup. She swallowed and let the liquid warm her belly. After a while, she said in a near whisper, "I want you to burn my clothes… what's left of them."

Gorya nodded and finished his sandwich. Without answering her, he went to the bathroom to grab her clothes. The tiles floor was wet; he gathered her bra, underwear, and bloody jeans from the floor and then put it in a plastic bag from the trash bin. He stood at the door and said, "I'll clean the bathroom later. You just need to finish your soup and then get some rest."

Veronica nodded. She stared at him with her blue eyes, which made Gorya's heart skip a beat. "Thanks. I'll…finish this and then get some sleep."

"Can we talk after this?"

"Yeah…" She nodded.

Gorya gave a little smile and then walked out from the bedroom. Outside, he exhaled and closed his eyes. "What am I getting myself into?"

He went downstairs and found his men eating pizza and watching TV. They chattered quietly in Russian, but Gorya knew that they were talking about him and Veronica. He didn't have time to think about his own men, so he went outside with the plastic bag. There was a fire pit built outside the cabin where they used to toast marshmallows, so he went there and dumped the content of the plastic bag into the pit. Her bra and panties were bunched up together along with her bloody jeans. He lit a fire to the wet clothes, and immediately a thick smoke formed. Gorya stepped back while the clothes were burning, and he looked up at the smoke when he saw the window of the second floor.

Veronica was watching the fire. And him.

They were staring at each other as the fire seemed to burn their souls…

Gorya stared at the window, and suddenly his legs were moving on his own and he ran back to the villa. The door was opened with a bang, and his men jumped in surprise – Boris almost dropped his plate and Dr. Ilya was holding onto his chest in surprise.

Gorya ran upstairs and stopped right in front of Veronica's room. He inhaled hard in an effort to even out his breathing. He then opened the door knob slowly, and Veronica was standing in the middle of the room, staring at him.

He closed the door, but he was still trying to control his breath – and perhaps the desire in his heart – he couldn't look away from Veronica, who was only wearing an oversized sweater, a pajamas bottom, and completely barefoot.

Veronica was staring at him, not knowing what to do, and a look of uncertainty clearly shown on her face. She too was breathing hard.

Gorya made the first move, as he approached her and stood right in front of her. Their noses were almost touching, but he didn't kiss her although their lips were so close. His hand touched her cheek and she made a little gasp, and her hand grabbed his shirt to balance herself.

His other hand circled her waist so that now he was hugging her and holding her close.

Veronica felt the heat from her own body and she wanted some sort of physical contact with someone after the grueling and bloody event today. She wanted to feel safe and protected after Mercer violated her. Gorya saved her, he didn't care that she just killed someone, he didn't ask a lot of questions, and he went after her after she ran away from the hospital…

And yet, she wasn't sure.

She just killed a person. Mercer might be a rapist and probably deserved to die… but she killed him.

And right now, even when she wanted some sort of connection with another human being after feeling so angry and numb, she felt… empty.

"Veronica…" Gorya pleaded to her as he hugged her closer. He touched his forehead with hers. "Veronica… Please." Both of them closed their eyes. She was about to let him kiss her when…

Veronica…

Flash of images suddenly appear in her eyes: her father, her late husband, Lilly, her family, her friends, Logan… calling her.

She snapped her eyes open and gasped.

Gorya looked down at her – her eyes were teary when she let go of him and took a step back. His heart clenched so hard, he thought he was about to have a heart attack.

"I'm sorry… I can't… I'm… I'm…" Veronica sat on the bed with her back against the wall. She shook her head and clenched her jaws. She hit the mattress in anger. "I'm sorry!"

Gorya shook his head and approached her, "No, don't say sorry. This is my fault. What the hell was I thinking?!" He sat next to her and circled his arm around her – she tucked her head under his chin and she hit his chest angrily. "It's okay…" He was trying to calm her down and tried to hold her fist. "Veronica, please." She finally stopped and Gorya raised her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand gently. "You're okay now…" He murmured. "I'm right here."

They sat for a while each drowning in their own thoughts.

Gorya whispered to her ear, "Did you take your medicine?" Veronica only nodded. Gorya saw a bottle of pills from Dr. Ilya, probably pain killers. "Do you want to talk now?" He asked quietly. Veronica shook her head.

"I don't want to talk now."

"Do you want to talk tomorrow?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah…"

"Okay." Gorya made a move to get up, but Veronica held him and looked at his eyes, "Veronica?"

"Stay."

Gorya looked away. BAD IDEA to stay in the same bed or even in the same room with her. "Veronica… You need some rest, not distractions." Veronica blinked – it seemed he could read her mind or something. "I know… I know how you feel. I mean… the impact of it. The… emptiness after you've done something you regret. You want to fill it with something, anything. And to tell you the truth, I want to give you that." He moved so that he was facing her. He touched her face with his fingers, gently. "I want to be with you." He kissed her forehead as they closed their eyes. "But you're not ready for this…"

"Gory…"

"Veronica… we were about to do something that we both can't take back. I don't think I can… control myself if I were to stay in this room, in a very close proximity to you." He looked at her beautiful eyes. "God knows I want to do this badly. I…lo…I care about you so much." Veronica looked down – of course she heard that slip. "I want to hold you close right now." He bluntly said it and swallowed. "… and kiss you senseless. I want to touch you…"

Veronica put a finger on his lips. "Stop."

Gorya kissed her finger. "Exactly. We need to stop. I need to stop." He looked at her sadly, but he was smiling to assure her that everything was alright. "Go to sleep, okay?" Veronica nodded and he laid her gently and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead, the kiss lingered for a moment. "I'll be in the bedroom across the hall. If you need me, just holler." He turned off the light from the nightstand and then walked out from the room. Before he closes the door, he saw Veronica sighed, closed her eyes, and immediately fall asleep.

He closed the door quietly and went to the other room. He shut the door and sat on the bed. The villa was quiet – the men must've gone to bed. Gorya looked at his watch, it was almost midnight. He exhaled and inhaled, trying to compose himself. He knew he wanted this – he wanted to sleep with her so badly but he knew that she was in a fragile condition and probably confused with the whole thing; there was no way he would take an advantage from her. He was a proud man and too much of a character to behave like a horny asshole. Yes, he treats other women like trash – but there was no way he'd do the same thing with her. He cares about her too much. She just experienced a traumatic event – she killed a man and gained her memory back. There was too much happening this night alone, and there was no way he would add another life changing experience to her night… even when he desperately wanted to.

When he looked into her eyes, he just wanted to be with her. The sexual and emotional tensions were too high along with the risks.

His hands were burning; he wanted to touch her properly, kiss her like she was never been kissed before, fuck her like his life depends on it.

But he couldn't.

He stood up and went to the bathroom – he needed a cold shower and relieved himself from the tension. Hopefully in the morning, he could think clearly.

Present

Neptune Paintball Game Zone, 2016

Veronica popped her head from the door and puffed her cheeks at Logan. It looked hilarious if he didn't remember the situation was kind of tense. "What are you doing here?" She whispered tersely and pushed Logan further to the hall. They stopped next to a broom closet. "I saw you sneaked in here, and I had to make that creepy guy Todd focusing on my boobs so he wouldn't see you." Logan's eyes immediately looked down at her chest. Veronica huffed and pushed his face sideways. "Logan!"

"Sorry, you said 'boobs' and I just automatically –"

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to ask the employees."

"I don't speak English, remember?" He whispered back. "Relax, I got everything."

"What? What do you got?"

Before he could answer, they heard voices coming from the behind the lobby door. Veronica grabbed Logan and pushed him into a broom closet. They closed the door but only leave a crack open so they could see outside. The closet was so small and cramped; Veronica had to stand on Logan's feet. Her bag was against his side. Her heels hurt Logan's feet, so he grimaced. Even with high heels boots and standing on his feet, she was still shorter than him. Her head only reached his nose, and he could actually smell her shampoo. A mix between coconut and aloe vera scents attacked his nostril; he had to hold himself together so he wouldn't sniff her hair like a pervert. Veronica's cheek was pressed on his shoulder blade and she had her arms around his torso. Logan didn't know what to do, but he slowly put his arms around her too.

He felt her tense as she held her breath.

Logan looked down and his heart was beating so fast to see her looking up at him. They were caught off guard with the whole situation; they just realized that they were in really close proximity. And in a few seconds, they were reminded that they were intimate a decade ago. A wave of nostalgia and memory suddenly flickered around their minds, like fast photo slides coming through.

They were twelve, meeting for the first time at the soccer field.

They were thirteen, riding a rollercoaster.

They were fourteen, dancing like crazy at the beach.

They were fifteen, swimming with Duncan and Lilly.

They were sixteen, laughing together in a limo.

They were seventeen, kissing at the Camelot.

They were eighteen, watching Cassidy fall down to his death.

They had so much history between them, and yet they were like strangers now. But after all these years, this estrangement, they were together again. Logan couldn't believe that they were close again, even as friends. But touching her like this, made his mind and heart go overboard with so many thoughts and feelings that he couldn't explain.

Veronica couldn't believe that they were hugging together like this, inside a broom closet. They hugged before, like when they were in her gallery. But it was more of a friend hug… was it? And now… for some reason, there was some sort of electricity running through her when he touched her. Her body reacted to some kind of chemical reaction between them, and she didn't know what to think.

And before she could think more, Logan closed his eyes, touched his forehead to hers, and tightened his embrace.

Veronica gasped quietly.

They stayed that way for a while. They could hear chatter from outside the closet, but they didn't budge. Logan's forehead touched hers, and he breathed evenly.

It felt normal. It felt like it was supposed to be like this.

And without thinking, Veronica tightened her embrace too…

Before Logan could prolong the moment, he decided that it was inappropriate. He backed away, pushed the closet door open, and walked out. Obviously, he almost collided with someone outside. An employee exclaimed when he saw Logan came out from the closet with Veronica. "Hey! You're not supposed to be here!"

Logan's ears were red.

He was a professional hitman who had experience with so many unthinkable things. But right now he was out of his game and couldn't even speak.

Veronica came out from the closet, pretending to fix her hair. "Oh my god, I am so embarrassed! We were…" Veronica gasped and put her hands on her mouth. "Johann, this is so… oh, I am so sorry. We were just looking for privacy."

The employee made a face and pointed the lobby door. "Please exit this hallway and get back to the lobby, ma'am. You're lucky that I don't call the security to escort you out from this building." He looked scandalous. "This is a family place."

"Right, we're so sorry. We're going back to the lobby and will play the game. Sorry, please don't call the security." She grabbed Logan's hand and walked away to the lobby. Logan, still silent, let her drag him away. When they arrived at the lobby, people seemed to multiply. People were walking back and forth near them and really noisy. People were laughing, talking, and general chattering filled the lobby. Logan and Veronica were still holding hands without realizing it as they were drowning in their own thoughts.

Everything and everyone seemed to be in a whirl surround them.

Logan looked down at their hands still intertwined together. Then he looked at her face; she was in a haze. Logan squeezed their hands, and she looked up to see him. They both stared at each other.

Before he could say anything, Leo came over to see them. "Hey, we're next to play. We should gear up. Did you guys find any information?"

They both immediately released their hands, and Veronica put on her smiling mask. "Not much. How about you?"

Leo sighed, "I can't wait to shoot some kids."

Veronica chuckled hearing that.

Logan didn't say anything. He was looking everywhere but at Veronica and Leo. He saw deputy Mustache approaching.

"We're up next. We're gonna team up against those family and those dudes." Sacks pointed to changing room where there were twelve people. Logan squinted as he recognized the two men in the group were the ones he sensed the vibes.

"So I guess we better…" Veronica pointed the changing room. Before she finished her sentence, Logan already walked towards the room. Veronica pursed her lips together and followed him. Leo and Sacks were talking about some pointers, so they didn't pay attention to their weird behavior. Logan grabbed some of the protective gear and started to put them on. Veronica cleared her throat, but he didn't even look at her.

Logan actually felt a shiver; not because of what happened with Veronica before, but because the mysterious men with the vibes were sitting on a bench not far from them. At first glance, they looked normal. However, Logan knew better.

He needed to be careful. His gut was telling him these men were dangerous. The fact that they were here in this public place made him uncomfortable.

"Logan…" Veronica tried to get his attention.

Logan blinked and turned around to see her. She was already wearing her protective gear, and she looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Yeah?"

"Are you… are you okay?"

No, I am not.

"Yeah." He forced himself to smile.

In one corner, what just happened between them was really magnetic. They were hugging in the closet, and then holding hands. And yet those touches meant so much to him; more than just a friendly hug – there was something in the air between them and he knew that Veronica could feel it too. And it was inappropriate… At least he thought it was.

In another corner, Logan didn't know what was would happen when they entered the main room – those two men really gave a strange vibe, and he would not like it one bit if something bad happened.

Veronica still looked at him. Her stare seemed to penetrate his soul, and it made his heart ache. Before either could say anything, Leo grunted. "Let's do this! I wanna kick some asses."

The door for the main room was opened, and a supervisor walked in. "Okay, everyone. Let me remind you that no personal items allowed inside. Please put your personal belongings inside the lockers here. No phones inside, so no selfies and pictures. Just like we were talking about in the brief room, we get in there, each team take a corner with the same color on your gear –" Everyone looked at the colors on their gear. Veronica's team was wearing the color Blue. "—each team has their own flag, which the other team needs to steal. You have to decide amongst yourselves who will guard the flag, who will defend the corner, who will attack the enemy, and so on. The team who can steal the most flags wins. Or the team who is still standing wins. Okay?"

Other teams were yelling in agreement. Veronica shook her fist weakly, "Yaaay…"

The supervisor signaled the teams to follow him. When they walked into the room, they were in awe. The room was actually a really big warehouse space that was decorated like a jungle; with fake vines and trees. There were big drums and fake rocks scattered all over the place. The floor was hard cement covered with mulch and dry leaves. The music was so loud; they could hardly hear themselves talking. And then there were lasers and the colorful disco lights above them, it was really surreal and chaotic.

Veronica, Logan, Leo, and Sacks went to their corner and there was a small blue flag perched on a fake rock.

Leo's body hummed with excitement. "Okay, okay, great. Let's do this. Let's do this." He was pumped and had itchy fingers.

"Okay, Annie Oakley. Calm your tits." Logan snarked. "I think we should play defensive instead offensive. We should guard our flag, and then when their defenses are down, we can take their flags."

"Hey, why are you in charge all of a sudden?" Leo asked, annoyed at Logan.

"Because I've been in many real life war situations so I know some strategy," Logan explained. Leo made a mocking face but didn't say anything, because he knew that Logan was right. Veronica and Sacks grinned seeing Leo was vibrating. "Right. I think it's best that you and Deputy Mustache here –"

"My name is Jerry."

"—should be in front; you both will immediately go in front of the line, shoot anyone who approaches. I will be in the middle, protecting you guys from behind and sideways. And you –" He pointed at Veronica, and paused. Veronica looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something. "You will guard the flag. Shoot anybody who approaches."

"Sounds legit." Leo moved his feet side to side.

"I don't want to guard the flag!" She protested. "I want to be in action."

"You're a girl. You should stay guarding the corner." Leo said without thinking.

"I'm gonna punch your teeth for that." Veronica poked Leo on the chest.

"Sorry, sorry. But come on, please! I wanna shoot something!"

"Veronica, just do it. There are many people who will attack our corner, so please protect the flag. I know you can shoot many targets; I've seen you do it." Logan said without realizing what he said.

Veronica frowned hearing that. "What do you mean?"

"THE GAME IS STARTING IN TEN SECONDS. TAKE YOUR PLACES!" The supervisor's voice was booming from the speakers. And then the music started again. 2Unlimited started to play, and the famous intro of 'Get Ready' was blaring all over the building.

"My god, I hate this song," Logan muttered. "Let's go." He put his helmet on and started to walk to his position. He pointed Sacks and Leo to their positions. He pointed Veronica to the flag. Veronica shook her head, but then put her helmet on and gave a thumb up.

"TEN!"

Leo and Sacks put their helmets on and started to run while pointing their paint guns to some fake rocks. Logan followed about 20 feet behind.

"NINE!"

At Logan's signal, Leo and Sacks split and went sideways to cover their team. Logan stayed in the middle still a bit far from them. He looked behind to see Veronica crouched next to the flag.

"EIGHT!"

For a moment, Logan watched Veronica guard the flag and felt a pang of guilt. What happened to them? What happened to their lives?

"SEVEN!"

Their lives weren't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to live a normal life. Well, normal as they could be. After all, this was Neptune. But this wasn't the life he wanted for her. She was supposed to live a happy life. She was supposed to marry someone who wasn't a bad guy. She wasn't supposed to be a killer…

"SIX!"

That moment in the dark closet with her… it was a short moment, but it felt like forever for him back then. Their foreheads touched and she didn't shove him away. She didn't run away; which was supposed to be her theme. He remembered when he wanted to kiss her back then, a decade ago at Alterna-Prom, when she wore that beautiful dark gown, and he wore that white tux, like yin and yang, a perfect moment… and she bolted before they even kissed.

"FIVE!"

But today she didn't run. She didn't even push him away. He thought that he could feel her hug him closer, but maybe he was imagining it. All Logan knew and felt was the best moment – very close and intimate.

"FOUR!"

And it was also inappropriate. He was supposed to be her friend, not someone who was being friendzoned. No, he didn't want to think that. He wasn't one of those douches who pretend to be someone's friend but then lash out when the girl didn't want to be with the guy. No, he would always cherish Veronica as his friend.

"THREE!"

That was why this shouldn't happen… He would apologize to her later after the game. He was behaving like an idiot. That forehead touching… it wasn't supposed to happen. But he couldn't help it. They were very close and he couldn't hide the fact that she was beautiful and how much he felt attracted to her.

"TWO!"

He was still in love with her.

He held his breath for a while when he noticed that she was watching him too. She was holding her paint gun to her chest, like a protection to her feelings…and she was staring at him.

"ONE!"

Logan looked away. Not now, not now. He had to push away that feeling. Finish the game first, and then maybe they could talk about what happened. He didn't know what he would say to her, but it definitely would not be a fun conversation.

"GO!"

Before Logan could react, everything seemed chaotic. The music hit a crescendo, the teams screamed, the lasers blinked rapidly, smoke came from every corner and made it hard to see. Everyone heard guns fire and the sounds of pellets hit the surface of everything.

Several people yelled as they got hit by pellets.

"HA HA HA! I got one!" Leo yelled and dodged around behind the rocks. Sacks was laughing – he obviously was having fun.

Logan was lowering his body and watched everything from behind a fake tree. The situation reminded him of one of his duty tours, minus the laser and music. He saw some guys approach carefully, so he shot them with fast precision. He looked behind and saw Veronica shooting some people too.

Logan signaled Sacks to run towards the yellow team and get the flag. Sacks nodded and then ran as fast he could towards the yellow flag. One of the yellow team was a really chubby woman who was shooting like crazy but without aiming. Sacks had a magnificent evasive maneuver and then shot her several times in the chest. The chubby lady yelped and cursed at the same time while Sacks grabbed the flag and ran back to his position. The yellow flag was in his possession now. Sacks yelled, "I'm awesome!"

Logan then gave a signal to Leo to proceed and attack the green team. Leo gave out a war scream and wildly ran zigzag towards the corner of the green team. Before the green team could shoot him, Logan shot them. The group groaned and yelled in frustration when they got hit. Leo grabbed the green flag and ran back to his post, laughing like a maniac. "I'M INVINCIBLE!"

They already got the green and yellow flags. There were only two teams now; the red team and the blue team.

The supervisor stopped the music and his booming voice could be heard from the loudspeaker. "OKAY, THE LOSING TEAMS PLEASE LEAVE THE PREMISE THROUGH THE EXIT DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE NEAR THE T-REX."

There were grumbles and annoyed chatters coming from the losing teams.

"That's right! Leave the premise, losers!" Leo laughed.

The Red team was also laughing.

Logan didn't laugh, but he was paying attention to the two guys in the Red team. It seems the other two in the Red team weren't their friends. He knew sometimes they put strangers in a team so they could have four people in the group.

"YOU WILL BE GIVEN ONE MINUTE TO REGROUP AND THEN WE START AGAIN!"

Leo, Sacks, and Logan jogged back to Veronica's spot. She took off her helmet and exhaled. "I think I hit some of them, but the red team managed to dodge my shots."

Leo excitedly said, "We got three flags, we should already win!"

Sacks shook his head, "No, there will be a Sudden Death round. The other surviving team is still complete with their members, so they will try to take our flags."

"What are we gonna do, Logan?" Veronica asked.

Logan looked at her and then looked at his team. He felt a sense of déjà vu – he remembered his platoon all of sudden. When he was in Africa, they were ambushed by many child soldiers. He remembered the cave, and then the hospital, and then…

"Echolls, yo!" Leo said. "We still have a game here."

"Right. Sorry, I was someplace else for a sec there." Logan cleared his throat and shook his head. "I had a war flashback for a moment."

"Dude…" Sacks grimaced.

Veronica touched his arm and it jolted him. "You're okay?"

"I'm cool. Let's get this over with." He cracked his fingers. He was actually excited about the whole thing. He was glad that he still could work with a team. He'd been working alone for a while; he forgot how it feels to be working with a group. "I'd say we go with the offense now."

"Yeah!" Leo shook his fist.

"You and… Jerry, go attack their area – they are near the mini volcano. You go to the left, and you go to the right." He pointed to Leo and Sacks. "Me and Veronica are going to attack from behind them by circling the volcano."

Veronica's hand was still on his arm, and she squeezed it.

Leo and Sacks were pretending not to seen the gesture because they were too preoccupied with the game, and it wasn't their business to judge.

"Let's go!" Both Leo and Sacks ran towards their spots.

As Logan about to follow, Veronica held his arm. He stopped and looked back to her. "Logan…"

"TEN SECONDS!" The voice was booming.

"We gotta go," Logan said and was about to leave again when Veronica held her stance.

"Logan… I…"

Logan faced towards her and held her arm, "This is not the time or the place. But… if you don't want to talk about it, I get it."

Veronica blinked. "I wasn't going to say that."

"What were you going to say?" Logan asked quietly. Before Veronica could answer, the music and the countdown started.

And the lights were suddenly off.

They were in total darkness.

"What the fuck?" They could hear Leo and few members of the Red team cursed.

The warehouse was very dark, they couldn't even see themselves. The only lights were coming from the glow of the dark paints that splattered all over the surface, the volcano, the lasers, and their protective gears. Everything else was dark.

Logan looked down at Veronica. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her outline and feature.

The next thing surprised him so much, he couldn't say anything. Veronica stood on her tippy toes and then kissed him on his cheek.

"I want to talk about it." She said shortly. She then put her helmet on and ran to her position. Logan stood there in the middle of the fake jungle, speechless.

Veronica usually never wanted to talk things. That was her M.O. She either runs or completely ignores problems. But this…

Logan put his helmet on and tried to shake any kind of emotions he was feeling right now. He swallowed and tried to get over the kiss on his cheek. This wasn't like a kiss when they were at Camelot. The kiss that changed everything… His life changed when she kissed him.

This was like a friendly peck.

Right? She was only giving him a friendly peck to calm him down.

Logan tried to breathe normal – but everything that happened seems jumbled up. His life, his army life, his assassin life, the whole paintball game that was happening right now, Veronica… He realized how much he still loved her. But what would she say after this?

He almost didn't hear the countdown from the speaker. When it reached ONE, Logan snapped back to reality and tried to find Veronica who was a bit far near the volcano, ready to go and circle the area leading to the enemy's area. The area was dark, illuminated only by the glow in the dark paints.

"GO!"

Everyone was moving around in the dark, and apparently, the other team was also going on the offensive. The house music was thumping, the lights were blinking, and there were yelling. Logan stayed in his place for a moment, trying to figure out where Veronica was. He saw her silhouette near the volcano, and she seemed to signal to him to circle around.

There were some shooting, and one of the members of the Red team yelled. "I'm hit!" followed by Leo's laughter.

Logan was going to the Red team area when he heard another shot, and Sacks yelled. "Fuck! No!"

"Are you hit?!" Leo yelled.

"Yeah… I'm out. They took the flag."

"Sonofabitch!"

Logan couldn't see everyone, and Veronica moved really fast between the drums and fake trees. He couldn't hear anything because of the music. He could feel her around 20 feet from him, as she moved swiftly. He saw a movement, and then he pulled a shot. The member of the Red team groaned in frustration. "Damn it!" He then walked away with his shoulders slumped.

Logan walked briskly again, and then he heard rapid shots fired followed by Leo cursing in Italian. "I got hit! Motherfucker!"

"I got the flag, hahaha!" A Red team member was laughing as he grabbed the flag from Leo.

Logan shot that man, which made him groan. Leo yelled, "Ha!" The man threw the flag on the floor and stomped away. Leo waved away, "Good luck both of you! Win this thing!"

Logan walked carefully behind the drums and wooden planks and then grabbed the flag. And now there were four of them. The Blue team was Logan and Veronica, and the Red team was those two mysterious guys.

Both teams had two flags each.

"SUDDEN DEATH!"

Logan couldn't see where Veronica was amidst the chaotic scene. They released some smoke from the fog machines above, so now it was extra hard to see. Logan wished that he had a night vision or a heat vision goggle to see. So he had to depend on his other senses like his hearing, which was hard because of the music. But he was an experienced soldier, so he moved carefully. He walked again circling the fake volcano.

All of sudden, he felt a strong vibe.

The vibe was so strong, it made him want to hurl.

It wasn't just a regular vibe; this was a murderous vibe attacking his senses.

Veronica!

She was in danger – there were dangerous men in this warehouse. Logan ran towards Veronica's spot but couldn't find her. He frantically looked for her. "Veronica?" He yelled.

Logan felt a movement behind him. He turned around and dodged a fist coming towards his face. Logan jumped backward and held his paint gun in front of him to protect him. The man who was a member of the Red team was the one who threw a punch.

"You're Logan Echolls."

"Dude, it's only a game. You don't need to be violent!"

The guy didn't reply, but he removed his helmet and dropped his paint gun. He was a tall man with dark hair and had really thick eyebrows. He smirked to see Logan and then pulled out a butterfly knife from the back of his pocket. "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see you, but holy shit you are vibing all over the place."

Logan froze up. "What?"

The vibe was something that Logan thought he had – where he could feel someone's presence especially when they were professional killers. And the term of 'vibe' was basically something he made up. And yet this man knew about the vibe.

"You are a hitman. Who would've thought, that a rich man like you actually an assassin!"

Logan was watching the man in front him warily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you here to kill Veronica?"

The question surprised him. "What?!"

"Leave her alone. She is not to be touched." He pointed his forefinger to Logan. "She's a good asset to our organization. I don't know who are you worked for, but I am so gonna kick your ass right now."

Logan, his blood was boiling, and his ears were ringing hearing that. "I don't know who you are, but I am Veronica's friend. Whatever it is that you're doing, you are using her." He took off his helmet and dropped his paint gun to the floor. "I will help her no matter what."

The guy was surprised to hear Logan. "You're not here to kill her?"

"No, but I'm gonna kill you if you don't tell me who the fuck are you."

The guy smirked hearing him. He posed for a fighting stance, and so did Logan. "Boss will be happy to hear this. Logan Echolls, the famous movie director is actually a Pro." He was waving his knife. "Something happened to you when you were in the army?"

The music was blaring, but Logan could hear him perfectly. "You've been investigating me."

"We want to know everything, including the people who are close to her. She is a Pro, but not a good one – do you know how many times we helped her? She only knows how to shoot, but not really good at tactics."

"I seriously don't care. You made her like this…"

"She is special."

It made Logan angry. He wanted to kill this man, who made her life like this. Veronica shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't be an assassin.

"Gabriel!" Another guy appeared beside him. "What the fuck?"

"Where's Veronica?" Gabriel asked.

"We can't do this here, goddamn it."

"He's a Pro, Dante. I was right."

Dante looked at Logan. He took off his helmet. "Holy shit. You're right."

The two of them were facing off Logan. Logan looked at the dark chaotic scene around him, and his heart was beating so fast. He could kill these men fast, but this was neither the time nor the place. Especially when Veronica was in very close proximity…

"What shall we do with him?" Gabriel asked.

"Leave him be. We can't do this in public. And there's no order from the top. Our job is to protect Veronica." Gabriel put his knife away.

"Why are you protecting her and yet making her a killer?" Logan asked.

Gabriel and Dante looked at Logan. "Because she is special."

"Not to mention her husband is valuable to us."

Logan was going to push again when he heard Veronica. "Logan?!"

Before he could react, Dante shot him with the paint gun. Logan looked down at his protective gear – it was splattered with red paint like blood. Dante walked slowly towards him and grabbed the flag from his pocket. "We won." He spoke very close to his face.

Veronica appeared from behind a fake tree, and she was ready to shoot the Red team members when she saw Logan, sans helmet, standing nose to nose with a guy, who was also without his helmet, and he was holding their flag. "Logan?"

"We got the flag!" Gabriel yelled. "We're the Red team!"

The lights went back on, the music stopped, the lasers stopped blinking, and the supervisor's voice was booming on the speaker, "CONGRATULATIONS RED TEAM! PLEASE COLLECT YOUR REWARDS AT THE LOBBY!"

"See you around, Echolls," Dante grinned. He waved the flag in front of Logan's nose. Gabriel looked at Veronica who just took off her helmet. He winked at her and walked away with Dante. Veronica looked confused and nudged at Logan.

"Logan, what's happening? Do you know those men?" Logan didn't answer. He was staring hard at Gabriel and Dante; his look was murderous. Veronica blinked to see his face – it was like when she saw him a decade ago when he was a really loose-canon boy. "Logan…"

Logan walked away to the exit door, leaving Veronica in confusion.

When he arrived at the changing room, Gabriel and Dante already were gone – there were several new people who were putting their gears on. Logan roughly threw the gears into a bin and grabbed his wallet, phone, and sunglasses from the locker. He put his leather jacket on and breathed hard. Veronica walked behind him, took her gear off, and then touched his shoulder.

Logan didn't budge, but Veronica turned him around.

"Veronica, I can't talk right now."

"Logan… it was only a game." She whispered. "I'm sorry if it brought bad memories…"

Logan looked at her – she must've thought that he was remembering the war and being upset about it. He was upset because he was so close to the men who were responsible for Veronica being a professional killer. They called her and Logan 'Pro'. And they knew about the vibe… Not many people actually could feel the vibe. But they immediately knew that Logan was a professional killer.

"It's nothing, Veronica. I just… have a lot of things on my mind."

Veronica looked at him and then touched his arm. "Okay." Logan looked at her hand on his arm, and he felt a sense of sadness. "I am sorry to involve you with this stupid case."

Logan chuckled. "It's okay, Veronica. I want to help."

"I am sorry if everything brings back bad memories… I didn't mean it."

Logan stared at her. Even in this situation, she was thinking about his feelings? "Veronica… Listen to me. This is not about the game. It's about… something else." He held her shoulders. "I am fine."

"You can tell me." She looked up at him. "We're friends, right?"

Logan didn't realize that he brushed away some hair from her face, and his eyes were soft looking at her. "Absolutely."

They both stared at each other. To outsiders, they seemed to form a bubble for their own world.

Their bubble burst when Leo came over and shoved a stuffed bear to Veronica. "Second prize!" Veronica's mouth was open and she squealed in delight. "We all got one." He gave Logan a bear too. Veronica had a red bear, Leo had a green bear, and Sacks had a blue bear.

Logan got a pink bear. "Thanks."

"Hey, I want that one!" Veronica reached for his bear, but he held it high above his head so she couldn't reach it.

"Hey, I like this one."

"It's pink! I have the birthright for that."

"It's 2016, guys can wear pink too." Logan looked at the pink bear. "I like him. I'm gonna call it Butch."

Veronica mocked gasp. "You can't name a pink bear Butch!"

"It's my pink bear."

"Okay, kids. Knock it off. I swear to god, you are a bunch of twelve-year-olds." Leo said. "We better go to the photo room to take our picture together." He scoffed. "I can't believe we are second place."

"What's the first prize?" Asked Veronica.

"A giant bear." Sacks shook his head. "Unlike this." He held the bear in the palm of his hand.

"They don't deserve the first prize!" Leo grunted. "We had won already until the Sudden Death round and those muscle heads took over."

"Where are they now?" Logan asked casually, but it made Veronica glanced at him.

"The last two guys bolted – didn't want to take their picture with their team. They only took the giant bear." Leo shrugged. "Come on, I want my face immortalized and put on the wall of fame." He circled his arms around Veronica and walked together, "I also promised your dad that I would win him a bear."

Veronica laughed and walked together with Leo, followed by Sacks.

Logan walked behind them without saying a word. He didn't feel any vibe anymore – the men, Gabriel and Dante, definitely had left the place. One thing that surprised him was that they thought he was here to kill Veronica. And they said that they were protecting her because she was special.

Special?

Was it because she married Gorya Sorokin, so they had a connection with the mafia? Or was it something else? He would get to the bottom of this. He would find those men, and if he had to kill and torture them, he would. Nobody should mess with Logan Echolls and his friends.

He had to help Veronica.

He watched her joking around with Leo and Sacks as they waited in line to get their picture taken. When he joined them, he smiled at her in assurance that everything was fine. She smiled back at him.

"Alright, Blue Team please come here and get ready." The photographer said.

"Can we change the name of the team please?" Veronica asked giddily while they were standing in front of a screen.

"Sure, whatever." The photographer sounds bored.

"We are Team Marshmallow!"

Leo made a face. "That's a weird name."

"I don't care. I like it. Agree with me." She elbowed Leo.

"Fine!"

They posed for the picture. Veronica was in the middle while Logan, Leo, and Sacks were behind her, holding their bears. "Okay, say cheese everyone." The photographer said.

"MARSHMALLOW!" Veronica said loudly.

Titan Tower

Gabriel and Dante arrived at the building and immediately went to the private elevator. Inside, they pulled out a card key and had their retinas scanned. The elevator immediately took them to the highest floor.

"That was actually a great game." Dante made a comment.

"You got some paint." Gabriel pointed his hair.

"Ugh, I hope this washes out with a nice shower." He pulled sticky paint from his hair.

"It was a great game, I actually had fun." Gabriel smiled. "We won a giant bear. I'm keeping it."

"I can't believe that Echolls is actually a Pro." Dante chuckled. "Who knew?"

"Yeah. He was vibing all over the place – he shouldn't. My guess is because he was emotional near her."

"Well, he managed to vibe us. And we weren't emotional. We shouldn't underestimate him."

The elevator door opened as they arrived at their destination. They walked past a receptionist who greeted them in a friendly way. The workplace looked casual with many people working. Both of them then stopped in front of a door to someone's office.

Dante knocked on the door and waited.

Someone answered, "Enter."

He opened the door, and both of them walked into the office. The office was actually very simple and standard; a huge desk, a couch, few plants, and a bookshelf. The only modern thing was dozens of monitors near the window.

Someone was sitting in a chair, facing the monitors. He was watching the monitors while his fingers were tapping the desk – there was Casey Gant talking on the phone in his office, Roman and Valentin Sorokin were talking in Gorya Sorokin's office, and other people in many different offices in the tower.

"What do you want?"

"You won't believe what just happened today," Gabriel said. He was smiling, "We just met Logan Echolls. You know, the movie director?"

"And?"

"Apparently, he's a Pro," Dante said.

His fingers stopped tapping the desk, and he turned his chair around to face his agents. "Logan Echolls?"

"Yep. He was with Veronica Sorokin, playing some paintball war. Naturally, we had to play the game too. You should've been there. He was vibing all over the place."

The tall black man narrowed his eyes when he heard that. "He could feel your presence?"

"Yes. And we could feel him too. It was amazing – we saw what he could do; he moved very fast and almost undetected. I think we found a perfect Pro, Mr. Wiedman."

Clarence Wiedman set his jaws. "I don't like this at all. I can't believe it. Logan Echolls is a Pro?"

"Not very surprising, he was in the army, right?"

"Not everyone who was in the army can be a Pro. Get me some info about him; I want to know where he worked, where he was stationed, his employers, which agency he worked, and how he became a Pro."

"What about Veronica Sorokin?"

Wiedman looked at the monitor where he was watching Roman and Valentin Sorokin. Gorya wasn't in the office yet, he noticed. "Does he know about Veronica being a Pro?"

"We clashed with him because we thought he was going to kill her. Apparently, it wasn't the case." Gabriel said. "I apologize for this. I shouldn't have clashed with him because now he knows about our existence." Wiedman frowned but didn't say anything. "He mentioned that he is protecting her."

"Of course." Wiedman shook his head. "This is Logan Echolls we're talking about."

"Sir?"

"I met him today. I didn't feel anything or some sort of vibe that indicates he's a Pro."

"Like I mentioned, I think he's a perfect Pro. He could be useful for us."

Wiedman shook his head. "Logan Echolls is never a team player. He could work well with a team, but he's never a team player." His eyes turned dark. "Especially when he finds out about us, who we are, and what we represent."

"What should we do?"

Wiedman looked up to both of his trusted agents. "Keep a low profile for now. Don't follow him or Veronica Sorokin for a while. You need to gather information about him first."

"What are you going to do now?"

Wiedman sighed. "I need to inform Jake Kane."