The drive home straight from Berkley on Saturday was long, and by the time Logan and Veronica walked into their loft, they only had the energy to change into comfortable clothing before collapsing into bed. The couple spent Sunday morning snuggling, then set about doing some thing around the loft, going out to buy groceries, and unpacking the car from the trip. When they arrived at Keith and Alicia's house for dinner that evening, they were feeling comfortably domestic.
Alicia greeted them at the door with big hugs. "Logan, sweetheart, why don't you go help Keith with the steaks while Veronica and I have some time together." She put her arm around Logan and started guiding him to the back door, showing he really had no choice in the matter.
"Uh, sure." He agreed hesitantly and made his way to the back yard.
Keith was standing next to the barbecue, a beer in one hand, a long spearing device in the other. Logan, sensing something was up, mentally prepared himself to be on the receiving end of the implement. "Logan! Good to see you, son. How was your road trip?" Keith smiled, putting down his beer and patting his son-in-law on the shoulder.
Logan exhaled. "Good. Got our evidence pretty quickly, so we were able to just enjoy ourselves. Get away from everything for a while."
Keith nodded as he listened, flipping the vegetables on the grill with his poker. "And how's Veronica doing?"
Logan ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay. It was good to leave town and work together." He leaned against the house and looked down at his feet. "It's been a few days since she burst into tears, so emotionally, she's doing better too."
"And how about you, son? How are you doing?" Keith asked kindly, putting down the poker and giving him his full attention.
"Good. I guess. Keeping busy helps. And Veronica feeling better helps my mood too." He smiled a bit to himself. "We were able to talk and just have fun. I feel like we're a couple again, and not just two wounded animals trapped in the same cage together."
Keith walked up Logan. "I'm glad to hear that, because you guys are about to have something thrown at you by Duncan."
Logan's face sank. "Sweet Jesus, what is he up to now?"
Keith took a deep breath before talking, trying to find the right words without becoming accusatory. "I overheard Duncan buy some photos of you from Vinnie Van Lowe, Friday night. Apparently, Vinnie took them when you were chasing a bounty. I don't know what they are or what he will do with them, but Duncan was pretty pleased with whatever they showed you doing, which can't be good." Confusion washed over Logan's face and Keith knew exactly what he was doing in his head. "Logan, is there anything that happened while you were bounty hunting that Veronica would think was...unseemly?"
The wind was knocked out of Logan. "You know what it's like on the road...you find yourself in some pretty crazy places; drug houses, whore houses, pay-by-the-hour hotels." Keith nodded, remembering his time on the hunt. "Anything that he has a photo of can be explained. I can't remember anything happening, but I never did anything with anyone, or to anyone, I swear!"
Keith put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "It's okay. The main thing is we know and we can prepare Veronica for it so she's not taken aback and caused even more stress."
Logan nodded silently, already in his head, mentally trying to beat the information out of himself. "I should go in and tell Veronica." He muttered.
"Alicia is already doing that. I wanted to tell you both separately so you could each deal with it alone before reacting in front of the other. Every time you both get upset, Duncan wins." Keith said and turned back to the grill to start pulling food off.
Logan turned and headed back inside, the words 'Duncan wins' echoing in his ears. Alicia and Veronica were a few steps away from the back door, in the kitchen, their backs to him, working at the island on salads and desserts. The sound of the door opening made Veronica turn. Seeing it was her husband, she immediately dropped what she was doing and threw herself into his arms.
"He won't come between us." She whispered into his chest.
Logan closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. "I hope not." He responded.
The neon red numbers said 4:17 am. Veronica realized that Logan's side of the bed was cold. She sat up and looked around the loft. There was no light coming from under the bathroom door. He wasn't watching the iPad on the couch. Not fixing himself a snack. She saw the light to the elevator glowing. The gym. She rolled out of bed and stretched. She was back to wearing yoga pants and his ripped "Go Navy" t-shirt to bed. Frowning at the chill, she looked around and grabbed a small blanket that was laying across the back of their couch, then made her way to the elevator doors.
The whirring of the elevator mechanical didn't stop Logan in his mission. He heard the doors open and his wife yell across the garage. "What are you doing?"
He continued pummelling the heavy bag with all his might. "Beating...the shit...out...of...Duncan!" He yelled back.
Veronica began approaching him but he didn't turn around. The gym set up was in the far corner of the garage space and held just enough equipment to keep Logan happy. He was shirtless, only wearing his sports shorts, and barefoot. Sweat was pouring from his skin and he shone under the florescent lights. His muscles were flexing red and purple, indicating he had been doing this a while; his hair soaking wet and plastered to his head. She knew he wasn't just beating up Duncan in his head, he was beating himself; pushing himself physically until he was in pain.
Veronica came close enough to touch him gently on the shoulder and he finally released, panting and gasping for breath. He dropped his hands to his side and she saw that, even though he had taped them, his knuckles were bloody. He wouldn't turn to look at her so she walked over to the small fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She tore the top off as she headed back to him and stood at his side. Gently, she took his right hand and lifted it up, seeing the mess of blood and bandages. She poured some of the cold water over his hand and he let out a gasp. She then unwound the tape easily and poured more water on the wounds. When she was done, she kissed his knuckles and dropped his hand. Raising her hand to him, he placed his left hand in hers and she repeated the process. This time, when she was done, she didn't let go.
"We'll deal with it." She said quietly, kissing his knuckles again. "Whatever he thinks he has on you, we will deal with it."
Logan wanted nothing more than to sweep his wife into his arms and make love to her on the mats below them. But instead, he settled for leaning down and giving her a passionate kiss on the lips. Veronica lost herself momentarily, and responded by reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, dropping her blanket to the ground. He placed his mangled hands on her behind and lifted her; she snaked her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together behind him. Moving slowly, he walked her over to his Mercedes, parked a few feet away, and planted her down on the hood. She released her legs and lay back on the car, seductively. Logan stood back and laughed. Veronica had crazy bed head, in his ratty t-shirt, and she was covered in his sweat. She looked hotter than hell. "Let's remember this for later, Bobcat."
Veronica struck an exaggerated pin-up pose and stuck her tongue out. "What? Doesn't my morning breath turn you on?"
Logan gave her a lecherous grin. "EVERYTHING about you turns me on! That's the problem." He held out his hand to her and helped her off the car. "Let's go upstairs. I need a cold shower and some sleep."
Veronica wrapped her arms around his naked torso and kissed his moist chest, savouring the taste of salt on her lips. "Okay. You win this time." She smiled up at him and together they made their way back to the loft.
A day came and went and there was nothing from Duncan. Then a few days past. And then a full week. By the time Sunday dinner rolled around again, Logan was pretty sure this psychological warfare was part of Duncan's master plan to drive him insane. Every time a new client walked in the door, Logan was suspicious. Couriers delivering court documents to Veronica made him jumpy. And each phone call that was directed to her office, he wanted to put a glass to the wall and listen in. He had racked his brain day and night trying to think of something that could be in those photos, and he was still at a loss. He barely slept and his nerves were shot.
He thought Veronica was taking everything in her stride until Monday morning when he woke up to hear her crying in the bathroom. Climbing out of bed, he made his way toward his sobbing wife. Standing in the doorway, he saw her sitting on the edge of the giant bathtub, covering her face and sobbing. She must have taken a shower already because her hair was wet and she was wearing only black cotton panties and a matching bra. He came and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.
"It's done. It's all over." She sniffled, a tiny hicup escaping her.
Logan was tired and confused. "What's over?"
She looked into her palms, as if she had lost something she could grasp. "I'm not bleeding anymore. It's done."
Logan was at a loss for what to say. Two weeks of feeling physically miserable; he thought she would be happy it was over. "I'm sorry." Was all he could think to say in his half-asleep state. She inched closer to him and he wrapped both arms around her while she continued to cry a little. He soon realized that the edge of the tub was the worst place to cuddle and gently leaned down and scooped his wife up in his arms. She was surprised and grabbed him around the neck. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry. Just moving us somewhere more cosy." He murmured and carried her off through the loft. When they reached the couch, he easily sat, still holding her like a doll in his arms, and kissed her head once more. "That's better."
Veronica took a breath through her tears. "It means we can try again soon. In a few weeks, we can try again." She said so quietly that Logan almost didn't hear her.
He sighed. "Veronica...I don't think that's a good idea."
She looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I've been reading online and it said there is no reason why we can't try again, as soon as the doctor says it's okay."
Logan's words spilled out without him thinking. "I don't think that's a good idea. We are both still emotionally healing. Just please, before you start making plans, let's wait to talk to the doctor and see what she says before you start hoping for another baby."
Veronica's mouth dropped open as she choked out her words. "You don't want another baby do you?" She jumped off his lap and stood over him, half-naked, hands on her hips.
Logan dropped back on the cushions, his hands going up to his hair in shock. It was way too early in the morning to be having this discussion. "Veronica, we haven't even talked to the doctor. Don't start planning things based on what you read online. Let's hear what she has to say after she checks you out again, before we decide on anything. Maybe this was something that just happened or maybe it's something...deeper...that's wrong. Either way, she needs to tell us when we can try again...IF we can try again."
He could see her anger start to rise and felt helpless against it. "That's not an answer to the question I asked. Do. You. Want. Another. Baby?"
Logan looked at his wife, his eyes full of emotion. "No. Right now, just, no."
"Well." Veronica muttered down at her husband. "So I guess that's that." He glanced up at her to see tears forming in her eyes again. "You don't want kids and you think I'm defective. Glad we got that out in the open." She turned on her heels and headed straight for her armoire. He watched as she tossed open the doors with a bang and began aggressively moving around things, throwing an outfit onto the bed, then slamming the doors shut.
Logan felt like he weighed a thousand pounds as he pulled himself off the couch and lumbered towards Veronica. "I never said you were 'defective'."
She shot daggers at him with her eyes. "But there could be something physically wrong with me that stops me from carrying a child. A child, it sounds like, you never wanted anyway."
Logan's anger surged out of him from a place he didn't know was inside. "Don't you DARE say that I never wanted our child! I said I don't want to try and conceive another child, but that could change. Just give me TIME to process things." He looked at the clock. It was 7:45 in the morning. "And let me fucking wake up before we start talking about this!"
Veronica pulled on the black pencil skirt she had tossed on the bed and began putting on her navy blue blouse. "Fine. You take all the time in the world. Go back to bed! Sleep all day for all I care! Me and my twisted and damaged uterus are going downstairs to work." She yelled back and stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Logan collapsed on the bed and stuffed his head in a pillow, letting lose a steady stream of profanities. When he was done, he rolled on his back and closed his eyes. He really needed coffee before he opened his mouth again.
His thoughts of caffeine were interrupted by the sound of Veronica's heavy footsteps crashing through the loft, travelling from the bathroom to the door. He played possum as she put on her shoes, gathered her things, and slammed the door.
Maybe working would cool her off, he thought, then gathered himself together and went to make a big pot of coffee. He would give her some space and then go downstairs and talk to her when she had calmed down, he decided. And in the meantime, he would mentally prepare himself for the continuation of their discussion.
Veronica made a gross miscalculation in judgment. Running down to the cafe for breakfast and a coffee only made her feel worse, as she had to endure the sympathy stares from the staff and the insistent "I'm sorry for your loss" discussion with Millie. Veronica left feeling like she let down even more people by losing the baby, once again.
When she sat down at her desk, she had the urge to start throwing things off of it. This is what Logan must have felt like when he trashed his office, she thought, giving her husband some momentary empathy before remembering she was mad at him. With a big sigh, she turned on her computer and dove head first into her files.
Hours passed before Veronica looked up again. Her stomach started to indicate that maybe it was time for a lunch break soon. Stretching in her chair, she contemplated her options. Arching her back, she looked up at the ceiling, wondering what Logan was doing upstairs. They had spent so much time together lately that she missed him, in spite of beig mad at him still.
She eased herself out of the chair and made her way to the front door. Since they were technically closed, it was locked. As she approached, she saw an envelope lying on the ground a few inches from the entrance. It must have been slipped under the door, she thought. She wasn't expecting anything from the courier, or Cliff, or anyone else for that matter. She stood directly above it; looking down she realized there was writing on the outside.
"From a friend. You should know the type of man you married."
Veronica's stomach turned. It was here. The photos from Duncan that she had been warned about. Bending carefully, she picked up the heavy item and stared at it. She wondered what to do...open it here in private or go upstairs and open it with Logan.
Pacing over to Sandy's desk, she took the scissors out of a drawer and deftly slashed the envelope open on one side. She quickly put away the weapon and slammed the drawer shut. Ambling back to the middle of the lobby, she pulled out the photos. A cry of pain fell out of her mouth as she saw the image on top.
Logan was leaning on a bar stool in what looked to be a brothel. There were women in skimpy outfits around the room, draping themselves over other men. But Logan was only looking at the woman in front of him, his eyes were serious with a certain gleem, and he wore a seductive smirk on his lips. Thw woman was tall, with dark hair and bronze skin. She was wearing high red heels and a short red dress. The woman was touching the top of his thigh with one hand and grasping a big pile of cash in his hand with the other.
Veronica felt weak. She lowered herself down on the couch as she flipped to the next image of Logan whispering something in her ear, her head thrown back, laughing. Her hand now completely covered the hand he had the money in. The next photo was of the woman standing between Logan's legs, running her fingers through his hair while he spoke, his eyes meeting hers.
There must be an explanation, the thought and prayed. Then she flipped to the fourth picture and tears erupted. Logan and the woman were standing outside of a door, down a long hallway, kissing. Veronica felt her heart fall out of her body and roll away. The final image was of the woman leading him by the hand into the open room, his expression serious, following her form inside.
Big, ugly sobbing escaped Veronica. There couldn't be an explanation for this. She saw it with her own eyes, the lust in his; the way he let the woman touch him so intimately. She looked again at the first picture, realizing from his hair style that it must have been a few years ago, when he was still used to being in the Navy and was keeping his hair shortly trimmed. He was wearing his biker jacket and she figured he must have been chasing a bounty.
Her mind kicked into self-destruct mode. That must be why he loved chasing bounties, she thought, so he could have sex with other women with her not around. His story about losing his virginity in a brothel; maybe this was a side of him he had kept hidden from her all the see years. Maybe this was his kink and being with her was all an act.
It was like a switch flipped in her; with her heart demolished, her head was now out for blood. An anger rose in her like she hadn't felt in years. Grabbing the pictures, she ran to the door, flying through it, and loudly locking it behind her.
Logan was showered and dressed for thr day, quietly editing the video and photos from the Jefferies case on his laptop, when he heard the door open and slam. He just had time to stand up by the table when his wife launched herself at him, slapping him hard across the face.
"You asshole!" She screamed in an unhuman voice. He had only a second to react as he saw her move to grab him. He intercepted her, catching her wrists. In one hand, there was a mash of papers. He looked at his wife; her expression was wild. Veronica's face was streaked with tears and there was hate in her eyes.
"How could you?" She moaned, her voice thick with pain. He let go of one of her hands and pulled the photos from her grip. She dropped her hands to her sides and watched his face change from confusion to recognition to sheer terror.
"Veronica...I can explain..." He began.
"Explain? You can explain flirting with a hooker in a brothel, paying her, kissing her, then going into her room with her?" She cried in anguish, her arms now folded in front of her protectively.
Logan tried to keep calm as he spoke. "I recognize the place. It must have been when I was chasing that guy...Sebastian...something or other. He basically hopped from brothel to brothel from here to New Mexico. I ended up paying a lot of women a lot of money to keep on his tail, NOT for sex!"
Veronica grabbed the photos out of his hand. Flipping to the one where he was talking to the woman, she shoved it in his face. "Really? Because I have seen that look in your eye, and it usually ends in sex!" She hissed. "How about this one where you are kissing her? How do you explain that?"
Logan dropped his eyes, not able to look at his wife anymore. "She kissed me. I didn't kiss her back. That was as far as it went."
"And you just went to her room to 'interrogate' her for information? Tell me, was it HARD to get her to cooperate or did the money help LOOSEN her up?" She snarled, fangs completely bared and out for blood.
Logan could feel himself shrinking from a man to a boy. His voice lowered to a whisper, tears threatening to erupt. "Please, Veronica. You need to believe me. Nothing happened. It was just an act, a role, a character I play when I'm chasing a bounty. It's not me. It means nothing."
Veronica rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "A role, huh. Maybe you need an Oscar too. I'm convinced."
There was silence for a moment as Logan absorbed her words. "Compare me to my dad. Nice. Well played, Veronica." He said and turned his back on her so she wouldn't see his heart break into a thousand pieces. He covered his eyes and laughed ironically. "I guess you were wrong. I guess there was something Duncan could do to come between us." He whispered, his voice straining.
Veronica put her hands over her eyes too, knowing he was right, but not caring. "I can't deal with you right now. I gotta get out of here."
Logan swung around. "No! You can't leave! We need to work this out. If you leave then Duncan will have won."
Veronica laughed. "Let him 'win'. I don't care. I just know that I can't look at you anymore." She took the photos and flung them to the ground. Turning, she ran to the door, grabbing her keys and purse without looking back. For the second time today, the door slammed.
Logan watched in silence as his wife left. Once she was gone, he sunk to the floor in shame, the remnants of his mistakes strewn on the around him.
Alicia continued working on the baby blanket while she listened to Duncan flip papers, knitting quietly while she filled her head with thoughts of all her children - the ones she gave birth to and the ones she took in. She had faith there would be a grandchild someday and continuing to work on it gave her peace of mind and something to do when she relieved Keith for his lunch break.
The sound of the door opening broke through her thoughts of children and babies. "Mr. Kane. I just got word from our servailence team." Came Clarence Wiedman's voice.
Duncan clapped his hands together. "Excellent! What happened?"
Wiedman cleared his voice. "At approximately 7:30 am, servailence witnessed an argument between Ms. Mars and Mr. Echolls. As per your orders, the package was dropped at approximately 10:00 am at Mars Investigations, but Ms. Mars did not intercept the package until almost 11:30 am." Wiedman took a deep pause then continued. "Servailence caught a larger argument between Ms. Mars and Mr. Echolls shorty thereafter which concluded when Ms. Mars left the building in her Range Rover. She looked...distressed."
Alicia's heart stopped. A chill went through her as she thought of what kind of evil they were dealing with in Duncan Kane.
Duncan clapped his hands loudly and laughed. "Excellent! This is perfect! Is the tracking device on her car?"
"Yes sir. If you open the app on your phone you can see where she ends up."
"Good! You know, it's a shame Veronica had to find out Logan was a lying, cheating basted this way. But I'll be there to help her." Duncan said and there was the shuffling of movement and the sound of footsteps as he left.
Alicia dropped her knitting to the ground and ripped of her earphones. "KEITH!" She yelled into the other room. "We need to find Veronica and Logan! NOW!"