"I'm sorry for ambushing you like that," said Lupita as she hugged Logan later that evening. "You know I worry about you. I just want you to be safe and happy. After not seeing you for so long I thought for sure any day someone was going to show up and tell me you were dead. Or worse, I'd just never hear from you again and never know one way or the other." The elderly woman sounded as if she was on the verge of tears.

True to his word. Detective Fuentes had already arranged for a safe house in one of the hotels. There was plenty of surveillance, the room was booked under a fake name, and the detective and his partner were waiting just outside the doors to the soup kitchen to escort him safely there.

"I know," said Logan, as he gingerly squeezed the woman who had been more like a parent to him than anyone else in his life. "I'm sorry for making you worry. Everything's going to be okay now."

"Logan, you poor sweet thing. I just...your father would be proud of you." Lupita held him at arms' length and looked at him with a shining expression in her tearful eyes.

Logan, however, felt a dagger of ice plunge into his heart. "I asked you not to talk about him anymore," he said as he shrugged away her hands. "I barely remember him. It doesn't matter if he would be proud of me or not."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just...that detective reminded me of something. I don't know if you remember or not. It was just so long ago." Lupita seemed thoughtful for a moment before she continued. "I was your father's babysitter, I told you that didn't I?"

"About a hundred times, Lupita." Logan was growing annoyed. He hated it when she brought up the past and the man that had died before his son was barely ten years old.

"Yes, well, then he had me babysit you when you were growing up," Lupita continued.

Logan nodded. As much as he cared for Lupita, there were times when he wanted to avoid talking to her as much as possible. This was one of those times. The past had no bearing on the present. Moving on and moving forward was the only way you survived. Listening to her stories of things he couldn't even remember was pointless.

"Your father was a cop though, a detective just like the one that came to see you today."

"I remember, Lupita. Please, is there something specific you're trying to tell me?" asked Logan.

"You don't have to be so rude," pouted Lupita. "I was just trying to tell you that your father had a partner. His last name was Fuentes and you used to play with his son sometimes. What was his name...Romeo?"

Logan's heart rate spiked. He didn't remember this. "Ramos?" he ventured.

"Yes, that's it. Ramos." She looked pleased with herself as if she'd remembered the name on her own.

Logan, however, was struggling to keep up. His father and Ramos' had been partners? He supposed it was possible. Ramos looked like the kind of guy who would take following in his father's footsteps pretty seriously.

"Are you sure?" Logan frowned at her. "Why don't I remember?"

Lupita pressed her lips into a thin line and her face took on that sort of sad, apologetic, look she got whenever she talked about Logan's deceased parents. "They were partnered up just a few weeks before...then after I think you were so traumatized by the whole thing. I..." Lupita's voice trailed off.

Logan had always gotten the feeling that talking about the past was more difficult for her than it was for him. For him, his parents were people that had died when he was very young. He had been too young to have many memories with them. They'd been busy, active, young and he'd spent most of the day with Lupita while they were working. The few memories he did have with them were happy, but ultimately he had long ago let go of any sadness in relation to their deaths. He'd gone over twenty-five years without them. It was pointless to be sad any longer about losing people who were practically strangers to him.

"I only brought it up because I thought it might be helpful," continued Lupita as she dabbed at the corner of her eyes were tears had begun to form.

How was any of that helpful? None of it really had any bearing on his current situation. It didn't make the prospect of entrusting his life to Fuentes and the chuckle-heads in the La Bonita police department any more positive. If anything it was mildly interesting at best.

"I appreciate it, Lupita," said Logan, forcing a smile. He reached out and rubbed her arm reassuringly. He couldn't bring himself to tell her how he really felt though. She meant well. "Don't worry about me too much while I'm gone."

"Just stay in one piece, okay?" she looked at him through tearful eyes. "I worried about you so much while you were gone. The few rumors I heard were troubling. Please promise me you won't disappear without saying anything again?"

"I'll try not to." Logan wasn't one for making promises. If living on the streets had taught him anything, it's that promises were worth almost nothing. There were no promises in life, nothing was certain. He would do his best to live up to her expectations, but he wasn't going to promise. Especially not with how large the risk to his life actually was.

"Take care," he said as he gave her one last hug. She smiled at him and waved him on as he turned and made his way outside.

"Ready?" Fuentes asked almost as soon as Logan had set foot on the front porch of the soup kitchen. It was after dark and the heat of day was already beginning to lessen. The sound of the ocean pounding the shore could be heard in the distance accompanied by the dull murmur of La Bonita's vibrant night-life. Parties would rage on through the early morning. The bars and clubs would be nearly full to capacity right now.

Just a few nights ago, Logan had been sitting beside Julio in his bar. The constant stream of people, the loud music, and the dancing had created a party-like environment. Every single night for the past year of his life had been one constant party. He'd been able to lose himself in the endless cycle of dancing, drinking, and socializing. Sometimes he'd even been able to let himself forget what his admission fee to this never-ending party actually was. It all seemed so empty now.

"Yeah," Logan said as he exhaled forcefully. "Let's get on with this."

Fuentes turned and began walking up the street and Logan fell into step a few feet behind him. Fuentes' partner, Pescado, brought up the rear. The three of them walked in silence save for the sound of their footfalls on the pavement.

Logan had to admit that Fuentes had taken him by surprise earlier. He'd had him pegged for an alpha the moment they met, but he'd assumed that someone as striking, broad shouldered, and principled as Fuentes seemed to be, would have been taken. Probably by some meek little house-omega that didn't mind the strong silent act.

The fact that he'd come on so strongly up in the bedroom had been a little overwhelming. Logan was almost certain that Fuentes wasn't the type to cheat on a significant other. So his initial assumption must've been wrong.

He didn't hate the idea of sleeping with Fuentes. The detective had a certain mystique about him that made him desirable on a physical level. Sure, it had been kind of unexpected and out of the blue, but he'd been willing. He needed some sort of stress relief after the day he'd been through.

The detective had left just as things were starting to heat up though. His excuse had been in the interests of professionalism, but Logan got the sense that there was more to it than that. He wasn't sure what it was precisely, but it had made him curious enough to want to stick around. The enigma that was Ramos Fuentes would be an interesting puzzle to solve while he tried to keep his mind off the fact that he might not live through the next few days.

Their near sexual encounter was ultimately what had caused him to change his mind about helping the police. Well, not the police exactly. Just Fuentes. For better or worse, the detective was committed to his job. The sort of commitment that would allow him to completely pull out of an extremely arousing situation with all the composure of someone getting milk from the grocery store.

Whatever else was about to happen, Logan felt confident that Fuentes would do everything in his power to keep him safe.

* * *

Logan wasn't expecting anything fancy. He'd thought it would be one of the mid-lister hotels at least. He hadn't even been aware that there were hotels like this on the island. What they'd brought him to was what people in the US might refer to as a "roach motel."

There were stains on the carpet, though carpet was a generous term. It looked more like someone had painted a carpet-like pattern on linoleum. The wallpaper was peeling in spots. The queen sized bed look comfortable enough and the sheets looked clean so that, at least, was reassuring. The bathroom was also clean, but Logan got the distinct impression that he'd seen something like it in a murder scene on a TV show.

Overall the impression wasn't positive.

"I know it's not much, but until you give us something we can use, this is all the department is willing to spring for," explained Fuentes as he hovered near the doorway. "There's a mini-fridge and a microwave. Pescado is heading to the grocery store to pick up some things for you. You should be safe here for now."

"So what? I just sit in this dump until you guys decide you're ready for me?" Logan knew he was pretty much at their beck and call right now, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He was the one putting his life on the line after all.

"Just for tonight," Fuentes assured him. "We'll take you to meet with Aguado somewhere secluded tomorrow. After you give her something she can work with, we'll talk about getting you moved."

"No." Logan shook his head emphatically and paced across the room until he was standing toe to toe with Fuentes. "I don't want to talk with Aguado. She's incompetent and not skilled enough for the job she's in. I'm not talking to anyone except for you." Logan wasn't sure why, but his heart rate spiked when he said those words.

"Aguado is the one heading up the task force," said Fuentes, stepping back as Logan invaded his personal space. "I'm just a grunt in this. You've got to talk to her directly."

"Look," said Logan, stepping forward once more. "I'm the one taking all the risk here. You promised you'd keep me safe, right? So do it. Keep me safe. Don't let that walking catastrophe anywhere near me." He knew he was probably being a little unfair to Lacey. She likely wasn't as completely incompetent as he was making out. But given the choice between a rookie who had been given a job she didn’t seem ready for and the detective that looked like he had been in the trenches for years, the decision was easy.

Fuentes took a deep breath. "I'll see what I can do, but I'm not promising you anything. If they're not willing to play ball you may just find yourself right back on the street with no protection at all."

"I haven't given anything up yet," said Logan with a shrug. "I'll survive. The only one that loses here is the police department." He grinned and moved back towards the window. Fuentes had closed the curtains as soon as they entered the room so no one could see in.

"It's late," said Fuentes after a moment. "We've both had a long day. I'll bring you a change of clothes tomorrow. Pescado will be here soon with your food." He crossed the room towards the door. "Don't answer the door unless it's one of us. I'll see about getting you a cell phone so we can stay in contact."

"I had a perfectly good one when you guys raided the bar," Logan said, absently.

"Yes and it had text messages from Julio on it. It was taken as evidence in connection with the case," retorted Fuentes with his hand on the door knob.

"It had sexts and nude photos," said Logan, raising an eyebrow. "I bet every gay man in the department's downloaded a copy for 'personal use.'" He grinned cattily as he met Fuentes' gaze.

The detective's cheeks were beginning to redden. It was obvious he was undressing Logan with his eyes and it was making him uncomfortable. Fuentes forced himself to stare at the door and Logan couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.

"I...I'm going now. Don't open this door--"

"For anyone other than you or Pescado, I got it already. Get out of here before you get a nosebleed or something," Logan teased.

As soon as Fuentes left, Logan burst into laughter. Teasing the pent up, sexually frustrated, Alpha was going to be a lot more fun than he'd thought.