/Knew I should have listened to my mother and followed Dad into the construction business./Former Detective Ray Peterson thought grimly as he struggled to shove Sloan’s door open.

“Ed?”Ray called out as he finally opened the door wide enough so he could step through.

“In the living room.”Came Tate’s tense reply.

Ray tried to take a few steps forward and nearly broke an ankle on a volume of an enclypedia. “Man,you weren’t kidding when you said this place was trashed,”Ray commented as he gingerly walked into the living room,”How’s Sloan?”

“I don’t know.”Ed replied quietly.

Even with his police training it took Ray a full minute to find the young doctor among the debris. Tate was sitting on the floor next to the sofa,arms folded across his knees. Fear for his friend’s safety grew immensely as Ray saw the fear on Tate’s face.

“Ed? Where’s Sloan?”Peterson asked softly as he knelt next to the younger man.

The doctor shook his head,”I don’t know,Ray. I was supposed to pick her up for work this morning and found the place like this.”

Ray rubbed a hand over his face as he glanced around the living room,”Okay,let’s not panic here. Are you sure she was here last night? Could she have stayed somewhere else?”

Ed shook his head,”Sloan and I cut out early from work yesterday and headed to the beach. When we got back here about six good ol’ Tom was standing in the living room like he owned the place.”

Ray did a double take,”Daniels is back?”

Tate nodded,”Sloan wanted to talk to him alone so I respected her wishes and left.”

Ray saw where this was headed,”Ed,this is not your fault.”He said firmly.

Ed glared at him,”I *never* should have left her alone,Ray. Especially with him.”

“From what I’ve seen Tom would never hurt her.”Peterson replied softly.

Ed shot to his feet angerily gesturing to the pool of blood near the sofa,”Daniels is *not* like us!! What will it take to get that through your heads! Sloan had something serious to tell him. Daniels didn’t like it so he flipped out.........”

“Sleeping on the job?”

Tom Daniels jerked awake nearly smacking Lewis in the forehead in the process.

“What are you doing here?”Tom demanded glancing around the run down hotel room.

Lewis grinned as he leaned back in the chair folding his arms across his chest,”Just keeping an eye on my employee.”

Shaking sleep from his mind Tom slowly sat up in bed leaning against the wall. Absently he glanced at his watch,noting that it was barely seven thirty. “That’s not an answer to my question.”Tom replied quietly.

Lewis leaned forward,”I don’t really care if you like my answers or not, Tommy boy. You are in the city of angels to make sure Doctor Edward Tate has a slow and painful death,nothing more;nothing less. Is that perfectly clear?”

Daniels winced inwardly.Damn he hadn’t been as careful getting away from Sloan’s apartment as he had thought last night. If one of his kind had laid a finger on her....... “Crystal.”Tom replied briskly.

“Good.”Lewis replied with a smile as he stood,”Now that that’s settled why don’t we grab some breakfast?”

Tom glared at his former mentor,”I’m not hungry.”

Lewis shrugged as he picked up his black leather jacket,”Suit yourself. I will be near by in case you change your mind.”

“I won’t.”Daniels replied as he swung his legs over the side of the matterss.

Lewis merely began whistling an old irish folk song as he left the room.