Title: Dangerous Acquaintances
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Continuation of Someone To Lean On.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Ryan tried to stay calm as the man who had haunted his worst nightmares for the past year approached him, keeping his face impassive. The one thing that he didn't need to do was show his nervousness; his enemy would pick up on that immediately.

No, he had to try to seem as though he was completely nonchalant about their meeting. And he couldn't do or say anything that would lead the rest of the team to discover his true relationship with Greg. One wrong word could undo everything for them.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up as his nemesis moved nearer, not moving over when the other man sat down on the bench next to him. He was careful not to let himself look over at that swarthy, sardonic face too soon; he was going to play it calm, cool and collected.

The moment he looked at the other man's countenance, he knew that anger would rise within him, and it could very well blot out all of his good intentions. He had a tendency to act before he thought, and this was one time when he couldn't afford to do that.

He wasn't going to let his emotions get the best of him. He would play this cool, and no matter what happened, he would find a way to trap this bastard in the end. He would be behind bars, and there would be no more worries about the mayhem he might cause.

"Mr. Wolfe." The voice was low and husky, just as he remembered it. Just as it had sounded in his ear over a year ago, when this man had held him captive in a place where his team hadn't been able to find him, and had violated him with the barrel of a gun.

"Santos." Ryan kept his own voice low-pitched, trying to keep up the impression that he was utterly unconcerned with their meeting. "I'd say it's good to see you, but we both know it's not. I just want you out of Vegas and off my back."

"We have some unfinished business between us," Santos told him, his lips curving in a smile. "Or have you forgotten about that? I always finish what I start, Mr. Wolfe. And now it seems that I have double the reason to do so, now that you are .... not alone."

"Yeah, I've got a partner now," Ryan said, trying to keep his tone carefully controlled. He couldn't let anything spill about his personal relationship with Greg; hopefully, if Santos did, he could manage to deflect the words and cover up the truth.

He hated doing that; he knew that it hurt Greg to have to be so secretive about what they meant to each other. But it was necessary, and they both knew it, even though neither one of them liked the fact. He couldn't let Santos bring that relationship out into the open.

"I could just as easily have instructed your .... partner to meet me here," Santos said, his narrowed gaze focusing intently on Ryan. "Would he? Or would he have turned the situation over to you, in light of the fact that we have a prior history?"

"I don't know what Greg would have done," Ryan answered untruthfully. He knew very well that if Santos had demanded to meet with Greg, his boyfriend would have done so -- he would have put himself into the line of fire in a heartbeat, if it meant keeping Ryan safe.

"Oh, I believe you do," Santos said softly, his gaze never leaving Ryan's face. "I believe you're quite sure that he would sacrifice himself to keep you protected, because he knows the nature of the business that was left unfinished between us. I'm sure you've told him."

Ryan wasn't sure of what to say, so he simply leveled his own gaze at Santos, trying to stay calm. "I've told him," he said, keeping his voice carefully controlled. "And there isn't any 'unfinished business.' You took care of whatever business there was between us back in Miami."

"Ah, did you really think that I would let such a prize as you go with only that little warning?" Santos smiled, leaning closer to Ryan and raising a hand to his cheek. Ryan stiffened, forcing himself not to jerk away from that touch. He had to see this through.

"You're never going to have me, so you might as well forget about that," Ryan told him, his hopes that he could get Santos to somehow incriminate himself rising. All he had to do was get this man to admit out loud to his kidnapping and torture, and they'd have him.

"Don't be so sure that I can't get exactly what I want, Mr. Wolfe," Santos told him, leaning closer, his voice sinking to a whisper. "You should know by now that I'm a dangerous acquaintance to have. Once I make up my mind that I want something from you, I'm determined to get it."

Ryan's hands clenched involuntarily into fists; he didn't want to think about what this man wanted from him. He hadn't even been able to give that to Greg yet, as much as he loved and desired his boyfriend. Santos had taken that from him, in a way that no one should have to experience.

"I found out a long time ago that you're dangerous to know, Santos," he said, keeping his voice calm and even with a supreme effort. "I can't help wondering if I'm the only cop who's gotten acquainted with your .... way of getting the things you want."

Santos raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "That's not information that I'm prepared to give up, Mr. Wolfe," he retorted, leaning back against the bench and looking completely relaxed as he spoke. "But no, there haven't been any others. You're the one that I've always been interested in."

"Sorry, I'm not available." Ryan gave the man an insincere smile, feeling uncomfortable with the ground they were treading over. It was too close to talking about relationships, and that was the one thing that he most wanted to avoid doing.

"You don't have to be." Santos flashed him another insincere smile, sitting up and moving closer to Ryan on the bench. Too late, Ryan realized what he was doing -- but by the time he was sure of what was going on, it was too late for him to defend himself.

Santos' gun was pressing against his side, the other man's hand in his pocket. Ryan had no doubt that he was curling his finger around the trigger even now, and that the gun was equipped with a silencer. He couldn't move; if he did, he was sure that he'd be shot.

"You're going to come with me, Mr. Wolfe," Santos told him, that soft voice holding more than a hint of menace. "And we're going to finish what we started back in Miami. This time, there will be no one around but you and I. Just the two of us. One on one."

Ryan glanced around the park, trying to see if any of the team was within his range of sight, if they knew what was happening. Of course they knew, he told himself; they were listening in via the wire he was wearing. He just hoped that Santos didn't know that.

He got to his feet, Santos behind him, the gun pressing against his side. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nick, still ambling along slowly with his hands in his pockets as though he was just enjoying a stroll in the park. For just a moment, their gazes met.

Nick nodded, very slightly, just enough to let Ryan know that the team was aware of the situation. Ryan didn't relax, but he felt more confident in his ability to keep this under control. The team was backing him up; he wasn't alone; he had people to help him.

And Greg was out there, safe with Jim Brass. Greg was part of his backup; he wasn't in the line of fire, but he would be there when Santos was cornered. He was part of this, even if he wasn't directly out there on the front lines. They were in this together.

"You're going to find out just how dangerous an acquaintance I can be," Santos whispered into his ear, making Ryan wince. He couldn't stop a shiver from flashing down his spine; he didn't want this to end up in the same fashion that his last encounter with this man had.

"I can be pretty dangerous myself," Ryan countered, hoping that his words were true. Somehow, he had to find a way to get Santos to incriminate himself for some of his past crimes. If he couldn't, then this had all been for nothing. He wasn't going to let this opportunity go by.

"How many cops have you gotten rid of like this?" Ryan asked as Santos guided him out of the park and into the parking lot. "A lot? Or just a few? Or am I the first cop who's had the 'privilege' of you being so damn fascinated with them?"

"You'd be surprised at how many, Mr. Wolfe." That voice in his ear was a combination of silk and steel, the whisper more menacing than he wanted to admit. "You're certainly not the first, no matter what you'd like to think. And you'll be far from the last."

Gotcha, Ryan thought, almost heaving a sigh of relief. That was it. Santos had said the magic words; he'd admitted that Ryan wasn't the first person he'd tried to dispose of. That should be more than enough to keep him in jail while they gathered the proof.

Now all he had to do was to try to get himself out of this situation without any bullets flying -- at him or at anyone else. And that, Ryan told himself as Santos opened the car door and pressed the gun against his side to make him get in, might be harder to do than he wanted to believe.

***

Next story in series - Screaming Senses.