Julio Romero was not an unattractive man. He wasn't Ramos' type, but he did exude the sort of alpha-dominance that seemed to attract omegas like moths to a flame.

The drug lord grinned broadly as he was forced to sit down across from Ramos in the small interview room in the Catalejo island penitentiary. A prison guard fastened Julio's handcuffs to the table and then stepped back and hovered along the back wall just in case he was needed.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure detective...?" Julio raised an eyebrow and waited for Ramos to fill in the blank.

"I think you likely already know the answer to that question," said Ramos. He was sitting straight-backed, doing his best to exude confidence as he stared down one of the worst criminals in the island's history.

"Come now, my friend," Julio scoffed and leaned back in his chair with a laugh. "How are we to have a pleasant conversation if you don't want to properly introduce yourself? It doesn't matter if your reputation already precedes you. All that truly matters to me is that you and I are able to come to an understanding."

Ramos did his best to maintain the facade of calm he had perfected over the years. "Right now, the guards are searching your cell," he began, without raising his voice or altering his inflection. "After that, they're going to strip search you. If they still haven't found your cell phone after that, they're going to toss you in solitary confinement while they search the rest of the prison."

"I don't think you realize the situation here, my friend," said Julio as he leaned across the table. "I'm not trying to hide anything. They'll find the phone in my cell. The thing is, I don't need it anymore. By the time we're finished talking here, your special little friend is going to be no more."

"I think you underestimate me," countered Ramos, unable to help the slight smile that touched his lips. "Logan is safe for now. You're not going to be able to touch him."

Julio threw back his head and laughed. It was a long, loud, deeply disturbing sound that shook something primal inside of Ramos. Something was wrong.

"You think you're so intelligent, don't you?" Julio's mask of friendliness had been tossed aside. There was a wild look in his eyes that made him seem more than a little crazy. "Well here's a newsflash for you, Detective Fuentes. You've always been under my thumb even when you didn't realize it. Everything you've done since the raid, every choice you've made, I've had my eyes on you. Even before then, I had my birdie in place to nudge things in my direction whenever I needed them to. Such a quiet, unassuming, little bird. The kind you might come to trust implicitly. But turns out, he's no canary in the mine there to save your life. He's a bird of prey there to snatch up what's precious when you least expect it!"

Julio's raving was almost incomprehensible, but it continued to nudge that primal part of Ramos. He instinctively became aware of some threat against Logan. The very thought made his blood begin to boil.

Ramos clenched his jaw and curled his hands into fists beneath the table. He had known that Julio wanted to kill Logan. That was the whole reason he'd made this trip. Somehow, despite all of his precautions the threat had only grown worse.

"Ah, there it is," Julio chuckled as he once again leaned forward. "That glint in your eye. You've already laid claim to him, haven't you? It's easy to see. An inexperienced alpha like you, trying to navigate these waters and figure everything out. No wonder my bird was able to pick up on your relationship so easily. Then again, after ten years together it would be a shame if something so obvious slipped his notice."

Ramos' blood ran cold. This was just Julio trying to get under his skin. The drug lord was just trying to plant seeds of doubt in his brain. Ramos hated to admit it, but it was working. The very thought of doubting Nacho made him sick to his stomach, but there were things that made a little more sense if he allowed himself to consider the possibility.

No one could have known that Logan was talking. They had been extremely careful to make sure they weren't followed or seen. No one could have known that Logan had gotten his cell phone back. Ramos had texted him right before Nacho had headed home after the incident at the soup kitchen.

Even their plan this afternoon. Sending Nacho to meet watch over Logan hadn't been Ramos' original plan. He'd only changed it because Nacho didn't seem satisfied with the suggestion.

Ramos rose from his chair and immediately left the interview room. The prison warden was waiting for him in the hallway.

"We found the cellphone," said the warden as he held up an evidence bag with the item in question. "It wasn't even that well hidden. Like he wanted it to be found."

"He did," said Ramos. He could barely speak. He felt as if his throat was beginning to seize. Panic was flooding his veins. "Lock him up and throw away the key," he said as he stumbled towards the exit.

Ramos didn't wait to hear what the warden had to say. An absolute certainty had settled in his gut like a rock. If Nacho was Julio's assassin, then Logan was already dead by now.

As soon as Ramos set foot outside, the fresh air washed over him and cleared his senses. He couldn't allow himself to give in to despair, not yet. Not until he'd had a chance to see for himself.

The Catalejo island penitentiary was located on a hill on the south side of the island. Sheer cliffs to one side dropped down into the water hundreds of feet below. The constant crashing of the waves and whipping of the wind made it one of the least popular locations on the island which was why it had originally been selected as the building sight for the prison.

The island rarely got enough prisoners to fill all one-hundred and fifty beds. Right now, however, there was a long line of new arrivals being processed into the facility. Most of them would be short term visitors, staying just long enough for the deportation papers to come through. Then they would be back on a boat heading for wherever they had come from.

Julio Romero, however, was likely to be executed. There were more than a dozen murders, attempted murders, and disappearances linked to him in one way or another. The chances of him avoiding a death sentence were very slim.

That thought alone brought comfort to Ramos as he sprinted across the small parking lot towards the taxi he had left waiting.

Giving the driver orders to go as quickly as possible, Ramos sat back in his seat and wrung his hands in frustration. He dug out his cell phone and dialed Logan's number.

No answer.

Again.

Silence.

Again.

He left a message.

As the driver rounded a bend in the road and turned the car back towards La Bonita, Ramos pounded his fist into the seat beside him in frustration. He swore under his breath and fought back the furious tears welling in his eyes.

He barely even knew Logan, he tried to remind himself. Losing an informant was always difficult, but in reality this wouldn't be much different than that. Except he'd never slept with an informant before. He'd never felt such a strong, visceral attachment to anyone. He had to admit to himself that Logan had become more to him. Whether it was an illness or he was honest-to-God falling in love, Logan was more to him than just an informant.

That frustrating realization only made the agonizingly slow drive to town that much more frustrating. He knew the driver was pushing the car as fast as he dared on the winding roads, but that didn't change the fact that he felt helpless. He was just a passenger, unable to do or change anything, meanwhile his omega's life was on the line.

The ride seemed to drag on forever. When at last they entered the familiar suburb it took every ounce of restraint for Ramos to keep from leaping out of the car and sprinting the rest of the way home.

The driver slammed on the brakes at the end of the block. Ramos was nearly flung into the back of the seat in front of him.

"Road's blocked," the driver announced.

Ramos sprang from the car without a moment's hesitation. Two police vehicles were parked nose to nose at the end of the street. A pair of familiar looking uniformed officers were standing by.

"Detective Fuentes, sir. You probably don't want to go down there. It's...it's bad..." one of them said, avoiding Ramos' gaze.

Ramos circled around the end of one of thee cars. He sprinted down the street towards his house. The familiar menagerie of emergency vehicles and flashing lights was gathered outside of his house. A barricade of police tape formed a wide perimeter around the front yard.

"Fuentes!" Aguado? What was she doing here?

"Fuentes, stop!" Aguado, flanked by a pair of officers, blocked his path before he could reach the front door.

"Why didn't someone call me!?" Ramos frothed as he tried to step around the officers in his path, only to find himself blocked again. "It's my house, let me through!"

"Fuentes, please..." Aguado laid a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do."

Ramos met her gaze with a dark expression that caused her to withdraw her hand.

"Where is Logan?" he asked. His voice was calm but there was an underlying tone to it that seemed to suggest violence.

"Listen, Detective, you're going to have to answer some questions. Then I suggest you go find somewhere else to stay for a few days," continued Aguado without answering him.

"Lacey, don't mess around with me. Where is Logan?" Ramos felt like he was going to punch someone if he didn't get some answers soon.

Lacey stepped back and pointed towards the ambulance.

Without waiting for another word, Ramos ran forward. Aguado and her entourage were hot on his heels. He didn't care though. As he circled around the end of the ambulance, he locked eyes with Logan.

The little omega's expression immediately brightened when he caught sight of Ramos, but he didn't move from where he sat on the tail of the ambulance. His face was blood splattered, his eyes looked haunted, there was a smile on his lips but it didn't extend past his cheeks, he was handcuffed and two officers were standing beside him as an EMT took his pulse.

"What's going on? Why is he wearing those?" Ramos stepped towards him but was immediately intercepted by Aguado.

"Because, Ramos..." she sighed and shook her head slowly, "He murdered your partner."

The words hit Ramos like a ton of bricks. A few minutes ago he had been willing to kill Nacho himself if Logan was dead. Now, however, the thought of losing the only true friend he had was like a punch to the gut. He didn't have words to describe what he was feeling. There was only a hollow cavern inside of him that made him want to cry out in agony.

Nacho was dead.

Henrietta had lost her husband. His children had lost their father, and Ramos had lost the only partner he'd ever had.

He swallowed back the lump of emotion in his throat and narrowed his eyes at Aguado. "I..." he coughed and swallowed again, "I...have information that..." he didn't want to turn on Nacho. Now that he was dead and gone, the thought of saying such awful things about him made Ramos want to vomit. "I...just came from an interview with Julio Romero," he began again. "I...I have information that...that Ignacio Pescado was working for him and intended to kill Logan Morales."

The accusation caught everyone off guard. They all flinched at his words and turned to look at him. Everyone except for Logan, that is. The omega continued to try and smile at Ramos, but it was clear that whatever had happened between him and Nacho had left him feeling raw.

"Fuentes...your partner is barely even cold and you're saying stuff like that..." Aguado's voice trailed off.

Ramos' vision blurred as he tried to gather his thoughts and figure his way forward. "I'm saying it because it's true," he managed at last. "I...Nacho was my best friend. I wouldn't make such an accusation lightly. I had taken Logan Morales into my care because I became aware of a potential threat against his life as a result of our investigation into Julio Romero."

Ramos knew that he sounded like some dry professional merely reciting the facts of a case. It was the only way he knew how to get through what he had to say next. "Earlier today, Logan messaged me to say he had received a threatening text from Mr. Romero. Nacho offered to watch over Logan while I went to confront Julio. During the interview, Julio revealed the truth about Nacho's allegiances to me."

Taking a deep breath, he looked Aguado in the eye. "There is no doubt in my mind that whatever happened here...Logan acted in self defense."