The day quickly turned dark, and Jaiden sat around a campfire with Toni's father, brothers, and uncles while drinking beers. Their conversations flowed between English and Spanish seamlessly. 

Apparently, Toni never brought anyone home before, so it was a surprise to see Jaiden. When they announced their relationship, it was another sort of celebration. His mom insisted that Jaiden called her mamá and claimed that he was the best birthday present. She was worried that Toni was too focused on his job that he would never bring a lover home.

Most of the family thought the same, so they felt it was needed to toast and drink more. He was unanimously accepted into the family when Toni said he was his boyfriend, but he was adored when they found how easily he fit in with everyone else.

Toni was driving, so he watched his family clammer around Jaiden, asking him questions about his life. Jaiden would look at Toni helplessly, but he was patient and kind to everyone.

Toni's sister, Mercedes, stood next to him with a beer and nudged him.

"It's bullshit." She muttered.

Toni raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"You have been fucking around for a long time, never committing to anything. And then suddenly you bring home a man more gorgeous than I can hope to find. How the hell is that possible?" She said with a huff.

Toni chuckled. "Jealous?"

She frowned. "Immensely. I mean, look at him. He is handsome, tall, built, and speaks Spanish." She groaned. "I bet he looks like sex on legs in a uniform. Where did you snag that man?"

Toni was still smiling. "I held open the elevator door for him... in your apartment building, I must add."

She gasped and slapped his shoulder. "You ass! Just rub it in... Seriously though, when are you going to get tired of him? I want to comfort him afterward." She winked.

Toni glared down at her. "Never."

She froze, and her eyes widened a little. She let out a surprised 'oh' and clasped her hand over her mouth. "You're serious about him?"

He watched Jaiden talking with his uncles and laughing. His discomfort had long ago disappeared, and Toni's family warmly welcomed him.

"I've never met anyone like him before. Estoy loco por él." Toni said with a sigh.

Mercedes laughed. "You must be crazy for him. Look at you, sounding so sappy, hermano. I'm happy for you. I'm curious; what made you know that he was the one?"

Toni shifted uncomfortably. "I wouldn't say 'the one'... yet. I want him to be."

She snorted. "Stop beating around the bush. You're my twin, and I know you like I know myself. The way you look at him tells me everything. He's it for you. You know it, and I know it. I just want to know when you knew."

Toni sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You're not allowed to tease me."

She held up her hands. "I promise!"

"It was the moment I saw him for the first time."

"Shut the fuck up." She laughed. "That whole love at first sight thing is bullshit."

Toni clicked his tongue. "It wasn't that... I don't know if you remember that day, but I left your apartment in a foul mood."

"That was pretty much every fucking day after you came back from Colorado."

Toni shot her an unamused look. "I was just settling back in Burque after that shit in Denver and with Xavier. I was pissed because the case didn't end the way I wanted it to, my arm was killing me, and I was basically in time out from the force. I was angry and in pain. You gave me shit about something I can't remember now, and it rubbed me the wrong way, so I stormed out.

"I was stuck in your stupid elevator and as mad as a bull, and I needed to lash out. I punched the fucking wall in the elevator and stumbled back because of the pain. To stop me from falling like an idiot, I slapped my other hand against the wall but pressed the button on the twelfth floor accidentally. I was furious because your elevator is already slow as molasses, and now I had an extra stop."

She chuckled. "You have a bad habit of punching walls. Serves you right."

Toni smiled. "It hurt like a bitch, but it was the best accident ever. I waited inside the elevator as it stopped on the twelfth floor and the doors opened. I was about to press the button to close the doors but heard someone call out to hold the door. I was going to ignore it like an asshole, but for some reason, I didn't. I held it open and watched this foul-mouthed, beautiful whirlwind run inside. Mercedes, you should have seen him."

He chuckled from the memory. Jaiden called himself a mess that day, but it was the opposite for Toni. "You know those euphoric moments in those early mornings when there are scattered with clouds, and the sun rises over the Sandias just right to make the skies explode with colors? That's what it felt like when he finally made eye contact with me... hell, I still feel that way."

He rubbed his neck, a little embarrassed. "All the bullshit I was penting up just stopped, and I found myself picking up a conversation with him. But that slow as fuck elevator wasn't slow enough that day, and we had to part ways. I was entranced, which made me an idiot because I forgot to ask for his number. But I never forgot about him. He was like a song that's stuck in your head, the one where you catch yourself mindlessly humming its tune."

He watched Jaiden talking happily with one of his brothers. "I was surprised to see him at the bar I normally go to one night, and didn't hesitate that time... but he wasn't ready. I was willing to wait, so I let him walk away. But who would have thought I would enter a crime scene and reencounter him? A third coincidence is no longer coincidence."

Mercedes was looking at him like he was a stranger. "Hermano... you love him."

Toni jumped a little. "That's a little... I mean... He's not ready... and we just started..." He was floundering with his words. "Mierda."

Mercedes held on to his arm with a bright grin. "I'm happy for you, Toni. You deserve to have a little love in your life, even if you're too stubborn to notice it yourself."

On the other side, unaware of this conversation, Jaiden was chatting with Toni's brother. He popped off a beer bottle cap with his shoe and took a long drink. Toni's uncle was amid telling a joke when Jaiden felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out to see a text notification. As he was reading it, his face fell. He looked towards Toni, who was off to the side and was on the phone. He mirrored Jaiden's look.

Fuck. Another mutilation.

Sundays were starting to become bad luck. Jaiden bit back his curse and stood up while excusing himself. He walked towards Toni and placed and hand on his arm. "I can go and check it out while you stay here." He offered.

Toni shook his head. "Absolutely not. This is our case, and I'm not letting you go driving after drinking."

"But your mom-"

"-will understand, mi sol." Toni completed. "It's our duty, and she respects it. Besides, I will not make you go to a crime scene by yourself. Didn't you just give me hell about that?"

Jaiden frowned. "Fine. Then we should get going."

They said their goodbyes to the family and grabbed the gear they packed from the car before heading off to the new crime scene.

They stopped for some heavy espresso on the way to sober Jaiden up. He was drinking it with a grimace and exhaled sharply as he chugged it down. "I love coffee, but fuck, this is bitter."

Toni chuckled. "At least you didn't get shit-faced drunk. My family is good at doing that."

Jaiden smiled. "How did I do? Do you think they like me?"

Toni huffed a little. "Mamá has officially called me her favorite son because I brought you home. She was over the moon to meet you. Half of my siblings wanted to talk to you for longer. My sisters hoped we would break up so they could comfort you in bed. So yes, they liked you."

Jaiden laughed happily and held Toni's hand. "I liked them too... but your bed is the only one I want to be in."

Their headlights flashed through the streets, and when they saw the flashing lights of the police cars ahead. They pulled over and looked at the house. Jaiden frowned and pulled out a map he had stored in Toni's car and marked the house's location.

"It doesn't make fucking sense." He said.

Toni looked over the map. "I was wondering why you put that in the car.  You actually use a fold-out map?"

Jaiden rolled his eyes.  "Sometimes old school is better." He laughed to himself.  "Christ, Carlos would have been laughing at me now."

Toni smiled and leaned over his shoulder, looking at the map.  "Tanoan, Nob Hill, and now Taylor Ranch. You're right; it doesn't make sense.  There's no correlation between the neighborhoods.  They're not even close to each other."

"Maybe we can find a link with this victim," Jaiden said bitterly. This case was tormenting because they had nothing to go off of. They seemingly had to wait for another person to die.

They greeted the police officers and techs, but something seemed off—even more than the last crime scene. The atmosphere made them sigh a little, and like usual, they asked for the breakdown of the case.

"Hit me, Ruiz." Toni said.

The officer, Ruiz, shook a little. "Um... The house owner is a 52-year-old Pastor Ray Gibson, of a local church. He did not show up for services this morning. The... the victim is male, and we believe he died today."

Toni patted his shoulder. "You ok, Ruiz?"

Ruiz paled a little and shook his head. "I've never..." He looked at Toni and Jaiden earnestly. "We have to catch this monster."

Jaiden gave Ruiz's arm a reassuring squeeze. "We will."

As they walked in, the silence was overwhelming. All they heard was the quiet shuffling of the techs and cameras. The bloody smell was even worse than before, and Jaiden stumbled a little as the stench hit him like a wave. The alcohol that he drank churned with the coffee, and he grabbed on to Toni to stable himself.

"Fuck." He hissed.

Toni looked at him with worried eyes. "Mi..." He paused. He was going to call him like normal, but it was too quiet and too public. "Jaiden, what happened?"

Jaiden shook his head. "I'm not drinking again until this fucking case is done."

Toni gave him a sympathetic look. "Do you need to sit this one out?"

Jaiden rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what makes you think we will do anything alone on this case?"

Toni laughed a little. "Ok. But promise me you will tell me when it's too much."

Jaiden nodded. They didn't notice their surroundings and how people were closely watching their interactions. The cold asshole and the hardass were surprisingly getting along. They never thought they would live to see the day when the most feared detectives would worked in tandem.

This time, the crime scene was in the dining room so they followed the strong scent of blood to there.

However, when they entered, Jaiden immediately regretted not staying outside.

How the hell could this crime scene be worse than the mutilated and rotting corpse from before?

****

A/N

The Saturday night tequila made me want to drop another update.  

Burque = Albuquerque

Just wanted to drop a quick warning that the next chapter will have some graphic scenes.