*Unedited*

After a long hard game of Water basketball with their new friends Jason and Darla, Tamara left with her new lady friend to get ready for their evening out, leaving the two boys at the bar. Jason and Logan watched the two girls stroll across the deck arm in arm.

"I still can't get the image of the two of them kissing out of my head," Jason grinned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Think they'll do that again if we play hard to get?"

Logan wasn't sure whether to laugh or hit him in the shoulder. It was hot, but he wasn't about to share his woman with anyone. "You'll have to find another lady to fix your fetish."

Jason beat him to the punch in the shoulder. "Hey, you liked it as much as I did."

What guy doesn't like two girls making out? But her lips were his property only and if any tongues were going to make her mouth their home, it was his. He honestly couldn't wait to see how revved up she was by tonight. He made sure that when they were playing basketball, he slipped a hand between her legs every now and then. Beneath the water line, it was a no holds barred battle. It made them both drop the ball more than once.

Taking a swig of his beer, Logan slid off his stool. "Well, I better go get ready for tonight. What are you guys doing?"

"Not sure. Darla is kind of giving me the run around today."

"Ya, I kinda saw that in the water. She beat your ass," Logan smirked.

So did your little lady."

"Touché. Well, catch ya later! By the way, try not to discuss the military while Tamara is around. It's a topic you know I can't talk about."

Jason eyes widened. "You accepted the special ops position?"

"I was surprised to see that you didn't."

"I only went into the military to please my dad," his friend replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The man had serious talent. Logan had been shocked when he showed up for their first training exercise and Jason wasn't there. He had actually disappeared. His bunk was emptied of his things and he was gone.

"Where did you go?"

"Here, there and everywhere really. I settled in Los Angeles about two years ago and started up my own business."

"Let me guess, surfing?" Logan said with a grin.

"I'm a private detective slash bodyguard."

It was good to know that he didn't completely toss the baby out with the bathwater. The man really was the best in the business. "How'd you wind up doing that?"

"Fell into it really. When I was leaving one of the casinos, I heard a gunshot and found a lady barely alive in the alley. I made it my mission to find out who shot her."

"Sounds like something you'd do." Logan commented.

Jason was never one for following hard core rules, even if he was special ops material. Even his appearance had the word 'rogue' written all over him. Giving his friend a pat on the back, Logan said, "I better go. Catch you later."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Jason called after him as Logan strolled towards the door.

Shaking his head, he pushed open the door and ran smack dab into one of the guys that had been sitting at the corner table with the group of men. The force of their collision knocked the smaller guy to the ground.

The man's shifty eyes gave him a once over before scrambling to his feet, mumbling sorry. As the guy scrambled to rearrange his clothes, Logan caught a glimpse of metal tucked into his pants. Before he had a chance to say anything, the guy took off out the door.

It took a second for him to get his butt in gear. "Jason," he shouted as he hightailed it across the deck. Everyone around them glanced in their direction before returning to their lounging experience.

When the two men met up at the door, Logan whispered. "Gun!"

"That little peewee?"

They entered the hallway and Logan carefully peeked around the corner. He gestured with his head towards the men's washroom, while he pointed from himself to the woman's washroom. Logan lifted up a three fingers to indicate that they'd shove open the doors on the third count.

One.

Two.

Logan and Jason slammed open the doors, only to find the rooms empty.

"Damn," Logan hit his fist on the wall. They had wasted valuable time and now the chances of finding him with the gun were slim. He'd probably stash it somewhere or in his room. "We better talk to security."

"I'll keep looking for him. Let me know what they say."

Jason held out his fist and Logan bumped it before parting ways. He wasn't quite sure what type of security detail they had on board, but hopefully they had a protocol for weapons. How on earth did they manage to smuggle weapons on board? They were strictly prohibited.

Hoofing it down to the security desk, he wandered over to a tall gentleman, fairly skinny, dressed in his official scrubs, with a security badge on the black shoulder of his suit jacket. "I think we may have a situation on board," Logan stated, placing his hands on the counter.

"How so?"

"I accidentally knocked someone down as I was going through a door, and it looked like he had the butt end of a Glock sticking out of his pants."

Without even a look of concern or batting an eyelash, the man pulled out his notebook. "What did he look like?"

"He was short, maybe 5'6, approximately 140 pounds. A tooth pick of a guy. He had brown hair and was wearing a Gray light jacket and a white t-shirt with black jeans." He rattled off a few more characteristics before pausing.

A look of recognition passed through the man's eyes and Logan waited for him to elaborate on it, but he didn't. That was never a good sign. He'd been through enough sting operations to know when someone was playing him. "Well?"

"It could have just been his belt buckle or something he bought on board." the security officer stated. "But, I'll check into it. Thanks for letting us know."

Logan's eyes narrowed as the man went back to typing on his computer, seemingly unaffected by his declaration. He slammed his fist on the desk. "Use your radio, damn it!"

"Sir, I'm going to need you to remain calm. I promise you that we'll look into it. You can move along now," he said, pulling his lips tight.

A few cruise goers had stopped to watch the action. He really didn't want to create a scene, but the man didn't appear to be taking him seriously enough. "I'll just take it to the captain then."

The guard looked from Logan to the computer screen, typed a few keys, and then turned to look at him once again. "I just messaged my supervisor and cc'd the captain. Don't worry, sir. We'll take every precaution."

"That's all I ask. By the way, I believe he may have just boarded while we were in Aruba, so check for rooms that were booked recently."

"Sir, I appreciate your concern, but I know how to do my job," he said in an ice filled tone, warding off any further comments from Logan.

He hated know-it-alls. His hand itched to pull out his Identification, but something made him hold back. "I'll be back later to check on your progress." With that, he tapped the desk and walked away. Tamara had to be looking for him by now. He was a few minutes late for their dinner and he wasn't even dressed properly yet. He'd wanted to create the perfect night for her, but now it was ruined. There was no way he wanted her to roam around the ship while a gun-toting madman.

Rushing back to his cabin, he hoped that she was still there. They did have plans to meet at the restaurant, but he'd rather eat in his suite than be caught in some mad crossfire somehow. Why would a man need a gun unless he was planning something?

If he had a weapon, chances were his buddies did to. And if they did, they would have had to have found a way past customs. That would have taken some in-depth planning. Damn. Now he wished he'd found a way to smuggle his own gun on board.

Bursting into the room, he called her name. Silence echoed back at him. Glancing around, he saw a few clothes strewn about on her bed. They were the only sign that she'd returned to their room. His nerves kicked up a notch. What if...

Logan shook his head. He was getting a head of himself. There was no point in letting his emotions get the better of him. Nothing had really happened so far and nothing might ever happen. Maybe they were planning something at the next port and the boat was just their method of transport.

A growl emanated from deep in his chest. His gut told him that something was up, but that could just be his warrior spirit coming to the forefront. He came from a long line of warriors. It was in his blood. That's what also made it challenging when it came to correcting his mistakes.

Glancing down at his watch, he zipped into action. There wasn't much time for him to get down to the restaurant. She'd likely already be waiting for him. His ass would be handed to him on a platter if he was late for the date he'd organized.

After throwing on a new pair of black dress pants and a nice light blue silk shirt, he put on some deodorant and then ran his hand through his wayward hair before giving himself a small nod in the mirror. He didn't look half bad.

Tapping his fingers on the counter, he heard a clanging metal noise. As he looked down, his solid gold wedding band sparkled up at him from the overhead light. Logan ran his thumb over the ring. He still felt like this was a dream. He'd been certain she'd fight him, rather more like deck him for reappearing in her life. But instead she agreed to marry him. It still boggled his mind.

And there was a feeling inside him, almost like waiting for the other shoe to drop; something to get in their way. Did he imagine the gun, like seriously? He slipped on his shoes and then pulled open the door. Sticking his head out, he looked up and down the hallway.

It was eerily quiet. "It's all in your head, man!" he mumbled.

Logan wandered down the hall towards the elevators in the center of the large boat. The ones at the back wouldn't take him to the floor their restaurant was on. The cabin deck had absolutely no activity. Usually he passed at least one or two people, but today, nada.

His brows pulled together and he frowned. Something couldn't have already happened, could it? Taking a deep breath, he walked into a waiting elevator and took it up to the third deck. When the doors opened, a swarm of people walked by and Logan signed in relief.

The last thing he needed was to be stuck on a ghost ship, like the ones they'd occasionally been sent to investigate when he was on duty. He let out an uneasy chuckle. Maybe it was time to look for another line of work. Something more normal.

He walked down the hall and paused at the doorway of the restaurant while the hostess seated the people in front of him. When she returned, she asked, "Can I help you?"

"Hi, I have a reservation for 6pm. Logan Dupon."

She checked the list and then flashed him a bright smile. "Right his way."

"Has my wife arrived yet?"

"Not to my knowledge."

His heart clenched, and he drew in a rattled breath. "Damn," he muttered.

----

A/N

Just a heads up, I'm currently involved in another writing project, but I should be back to updating at the end of next week. (Friday, April 25, 2019).

Thanks for all your support. ♥️