Well, so sorry it took a while to update this story. There have been a whirlwind of personal issues I have had to deal with that have kept me from writing much lately. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for your patience.
The hammering dance music assaulted Veronica's ears as she walked through the door of the club. Her hand fell to her baby bump, hidden under a billowy black camisole top.
"If this baby develops a thing for Electronica, I'll be pissed," she yelled above the music at Logan.
Logan's mouth turned up in a smirk and he rested his hand on her hip, guiding her through the crowd. The two wove their way to the long bar that was crammed with people two-deep trying to get the attention of the shirtless male bartenders.
"What do you want?" Logan yelled in her ear, causing her to flinch.
"Club soda," she yelled back, transfixed by the shimmering perspiration dancing on the pecs of the bartenders. "Ice. No bartender sweat, if possible."
Logan kissed the side of her head and gave her hip a squeeze before releasing his hand. "I'll give you your own personal show later," he teased.
Veronica puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. He responded with a playful wink and turned to wade through the crowd of young partiers. It took only a few seconds before some girl with pink streaks in her long blond hair, placed her hand on Logan's bicep – stretched under a plain black t-shirt – and reached up to whisper in his ear. Logan looked down at her and shook his head, a kind smile on his lips as he rejected her advances. It was times like this that Veronica regretted not putting a ring on it.
Turning towards the club action, she glanced around at the undulating crowd of people around her, highlighted by strobing coloured lights. At midnight on a Friday night, it seemed that everyone was moving, even if they were sitting down.
Veronica never had a taste for this life, even when she was in her twenties. Back in the day, Piz had taken her to see a few bands at the clubs, when they lived together in New York, but she was more interested in people watching than actually dancing or listening to the band. Maybe it was her mother's alcoholism – the memory of finding Lianne in a seedy dive bar when she left them all those years ago – or the number of times she snapped photos of cheating spouses sharing a drink with their lovers, huddled in dark corners of the bars. Or maybe it was the one time she and Logan went to a club, with their fake I.D.s back in college, and the entire night was spent watching girls hit on her boyfriend with no regard for her presence.
"Didn't run off with anyone while I was gone?" Logan spoke in her ear, holding her drink out in front of her.
Veronica took the glass with a chuckle. "Not a lot of people hitting on pregnant old women."
"Really?" he replied, leaning down to kiss the expose nape of her neck. "Because I'm pretty sure you're still the sexiest girl here."
Veronica let out a sigh and rolled her eyes as a tingle of satisfaction ran through her.
"How about this –" Logan said, bringing his lips to her ear. "We find Sean, rake him over the coals, then rent a cheap hotel room and spent the next few hours having crazy, noisy, sex."
Veronica shifted, pressing her back against Logan's body, feeling his excitement at this idea. The kids were safely tucked into bed, and Mac was sleeping over in their guest room to babysit all night.
Turning quickly to face her partner, Veronica threw him a predatory glance, her tongue darting from her mouth to moisten her lips. The second trimester of her pregnancies always brought with it a voracious sexual appetite, and by the way her body and mind responded to Logan's idea, this pregnancy would be no different.
Pressing her lips to his, they lingered for a moment together, the beat of the music vibrating their bodies. Pulling away, a wicked smile stretched across her face.
"I think I'm further along then the doctor estimated."
Logan laughed before taking a quick swig from the bottle of his lite beer. "Come on," he said, taking her hand. "Let's go find Sean."
Veronica and Logan wove their way through the crowds of people, scanning the tables around the perimeter of the large club. Jerking her head skyward, Veronica directed Logan's attention to a mirrored balcony jutting from a second floor. Nodding, Logan glanced around, scanning for the stairs to the second floor. Taking Veronica by the arm, he led them towards a lit hallway on the other side of the club. The "exit" sign glowed bright over the red emergency door, but to the left, a black swinging door blended in with the surrounding hallway walls.
"I'll go first," Logan said, pushing the door open and glancing up the dark staircase.
"Okay," Veronica replied, a shiver of adrenaline running through her.
At the top, Logan pushed another swinging door open, confidently striding into the large room. A glass wall overlooked the club and the lights from the ground illuminated the space. Young women were dancing to the music streaming through the speakers; men hanging around the edges, sipping their drinks and watching. Leather couches ran along the opposite wall and there, in the middle of it all, sat Sean Freidrich, arms spread across the back of one of the large sofas, looking like a low rent Jim Morrison, surrounded by peons and posers.
A muscular hand caught Logan's arm and he swung around to face a burly bouncer.
"Who the fuck are you?" the bearded bouncer growled into Logan's face.
A smirk twisted across Logan's face and Veronica held her breath, wondering if he was going to deck the guy or negotiate.
"Old high school friend of Sean's," Logan snarked loudly. "Here for the reunion."
The bouncer's unibrow wrinkled as he eyed the couple. Releasing Logan's arm, he focused across the room to Sean and waved his giant hand in his direction. Sean squinted, his smiling lips dropping to a tight line as he met Logan's stare. His hand gestured for them to come towards him, before waving off the people draped around him.
Logan's hand slipped to Veronica's lower back, making their way past the scantily clad girls on the dance floor. As they approached Sean, Veronica felt Logan's body stiffen with military control. She glanced up to see his eyes go hard and cold at the sight of Sean.
Stopping in front of the glass coffee table, Veronica's eyes dropped to take an inventory of the drugs that lay scattered on top. Ashtrays with discarded roaches; several baggies with colourful pills; a small bowl of coke and spoons.
"Quite the set up you have going here Sean," she said above the noise.
Sean rubbed his nose and tossed Logan a crooked grin. "You looking to party Logan? The whole wifey and kiddies thing getting a little too boring for you?"
Logan stepped past the coffee table so he was toe to toe with Sean, his imposing frame dominating the space.
"Fuck you, Sean. You know why I'm here," Logan spat at him.
Sean spread his arms across the back of the couch again and looked up at Logan. "No. I don't. I thought your beef with me died with Carrie."
This time, Veronica placed her hand on Logan's back to steady him. She felt his muscles twitch and she knew that every fibre of his body was holding him back from punching Sean.
"What happened with those girls? Dick gave you a lot of money over the years for your clubs. Did your credit run out with him? Or was it the drugs?"
"Look, I know it may be hard for you to believe, but I had nothing to do with those girls. Nothing," Sean said, rolling his glassy eyes at Logan.
In an instant, Logan dropped one hand past Sean, grabbing the back of the couch.
"Then who the fuck did?" Logan growled in Sean's face. "Dick's life is on the line you asshole! I don't care what you told the police. I want whatever it was you didn't tell them because I know there is more to it. And if I have to dig it up myself, I will come back and hang you by your balls from the ceiling of this club, you hear me?"
Sean's face went pale and fear darted across his eyes. Veronica knew full well that the butler's son was full of bravado, but when confronted, he would shrink from any serious fight.
"Want me to get rid of them, boss?" the bouncer's voice boomed from behind Veronica. Her eyes stayed fixed on the scene between Logan and Sean, waiting to intercede if needed.
Sean's eyes darted between Logan and the bouncer before Logan eased himself back upright.
"No - we're - cool," Sean stammered slightly.
Logan dropped to sit beside Sean and Veronica joined him, staying close so she could hear what he had to say.
Sean looked around before bending his head closer to them. "The girls were couriers. They were the ones who brought my drug order that night."
"So the Fitzpatricks sent them?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah. Usually it's some dude named Chris who couriers for them, but for some reason, they sent the girls instead," Sean said.
"Why?" asked Logan.
"Don't know." Sean shrugged. "Maybe they wanted to come to the club opening. They were really eager to stay and party so I let them, because, hey, the more hot girls the better."
Veronica cringed. "Even if they were under age?"
Sean shrugged again but said nothing.
"Did you or Dick owe the Fitzpatricks money?" asked Logan.
Sean shook his head. "Nope. Liam loves us. We pay our bills and we send people who want product at the club to him. Win, win situation."
Veronica exhaled deeply. "That's a lovely marketing arrangement you got there, Sean."
"You know anyone who would want to set up Dick?" Logan said.
"Hell no," Sean replied. "Everyone loved Dick."
Logan glanced back at Veronica, his tired eyes fixed on her. She patted his knee and gave him a tight smile.
"I think we have what we came for," she said.
Logan nodded to her and stood, turning his attention back to Sean.
"Look Sean – this isn't about you and me. It's about Dick. So if you think of anything else, let me know."
Sean's eyes narrowed suspiciously but he nodded his understanding.
Logan turned, winding his arm around Veronica's waist. The two made their way past the bouncer, down the stairs, and out of the club. The cold night air gave Veronica goosebumps and she crossed her arms around herself and shivered.
"Now what?" she asked, looking up at Logan.
Logan's forehead wrinkled, glancing down at her seriously for a moment before his face softened. Placing a kiss on her forehead, he gave her a tight smile.
"Come on. Let's go somewhere private and unwind," he said, wrapping her in his arms.
Veronica closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. Her mind was spinning. Fitzpatricks. Drugs. Sean. Dick. This could all turn very dangerous very quickly. She pushed the thoughts out of her brain for a moment.
"Good idea," she murmured. "Let's go."
Veronica lay naked, staring at the ceiling of the motel, her body humming happily, her mind a wonderful blank state of nothing. Near the end of the bed, Logan ran his fingers gently up her foot, along her calf, turning at her knee, and brushing back down. She reached out beside her and dropped her hand down to his knee, her head shifting slightly to rest against his foot next to her on the pillow.
"Well, that was fun," he chuckled.
Veronica turned and kissed the side of his foot. "I miss making noise during sex. Now we have to be quiet with to her kids around."
"Well, we could be louder, but I don't feel like explaining to the kids why Mommy was screaming at Daddy for 'more' in the middle of the night."
"Agreed." Veronica giggled. She closed her eyes and focused on Logan's fingers tracing her body.
They lay quietly for a few moments, each savoring the afterglow, before Logan broke the silence.
"You know, its been a while since you and the kids visited Lianne and Hunter. Maybe you can take some time away from the office and go with them for a week, soon."
Veronica opened her eyes and let out a sigh. "If you think I'm going to let you take on the Fitzpatricks on your own, you're crazy. We've been in tight situations before. It'll be fine."
Logan's hand travelled up her thigh to rest on her protruding stomach, his thumb rubbing circles around her navel.
"Yes, but if it isn't -"
"I'm telling you, it will," she stated firmly, her hand coming to rest over top of his. "We can do this safely. I know you're worried about me and the kids, but don't. We've had difficult cases before and its been fine."
A heavy silence fell in the room.
"Just promise me, if it shows an inkling of danger..."
"...the kids and I will pack up and leave." Veronica finished his thought. "I promise."
Logan sat up, moving his long naked body so it hovered over Veronica's, his face now lingering above hers. Softly, he brushed his lips across hers before she caught them gently with her teeth. Dropping his hips between hers, he slipped easily into her again and she let out a small gasp as they connected.
That was the last they spoke of the case for the rest of the night, focusing instead on each other, letting the rest of the world fall away for a little while longer.