Not Always What They Seem
Chapters 16 - 20
 

Tensions were escalating between Danny and the other families. He knew that Carlos had cocaine and heroin dealers from across the country in his pocket, but what he lacked was a way to distribute their products effectively. The Santos family controlled the only stable city-wide distribution system. Carlos needed Danny to make this arrangement financially feasible and viable, a fact that infuriated him. His speeches about destiny, good business, and loyalty to the families had fallen on deaf ears. Danny had his own definition of family loyalty: loyalty to a little girl who never got the chance for a real life, loyalty to his mother who swore that drugs would never be a part of her family again, loyalty to the woman that he loved and to the life he hoped they would build together, and loyalty to himself to try to get out of this life before it claimed his entire soul. Danny knew he didn’t have much time. He would never capitulate and Carlos would not negotiate. More blood lay on the horizon, and this time, it would probably be Danny’s own.

Danny heard the doorbell ring and a few minutes later, Dietz came into the room holding a package.
“I checked it, Boss. It’s clean.”
Danny took it from him and looked at the formal letters that spelled a name above the return address: Benjamin Warren, Attorney at Law. He rolled his eyes reflexively.

Ben and Carmen had become “involved” while he had been handling some legal matters for the family. Mama had been anxious to have someone in her life for years, and Ben had a smooth line for everything. Danny was sure that Ben didn’t return Carmen’s feelings. He had been along for the ride, but Danny had kept his mouth shut and the two men had managed to coexist.

Danny opened the box and saw a stack of files and a bunch of audiotapes. On top of everything was an envelope written in Carmen’s hand. “To be opened only by my son Daniel Santos in the event of my death,” it read. Danny slit through the seal with Carmen’s letter opener and began to read.

Jimmy sat outside Company, keeping an eye on his assignment. She had been in there for about an hour. He remembered the joy on Michelle’s face when he had brought her Danny’s note, and he knew that no other woman captivated and inspired Danny like Michelle did. He hoped that the two of them would be able to have the life they deserved.

As he gazed out over the parking lot, he saw a black sedan pull into a space. One glance at the license plate told him all he needed to know. In a flash, he was inside, throwing a five-dollar bill on the counter next to Michelle and physically taking her coffee cup out of her hands.
“What the…?”
He spoke in her ear quickly. “Michelle, I don’t have time to explain. It is very important that you leave right now.” Jimmy stood directly behind her blocking her from view.
“Stand up, but do not turn around.”
She obeyed, forcing her unsteady legs to support her.

His arm came around her waist and she could feel the gun at his side. “We’re going to calmly walk out the back door. If anyone questions you, I’m here to pick you up for an appointment. Do you understand?”
Michelle nodded and allowed him to lead her out of harm’s way.

Danny’s private line rang insistently, demanding his attention.
“Santos,” he answered abruptly.
“Danny, it’s me. We’ve got a situation. Carlos is getting closer.”
“Closer to what?”
“Michelle. His guys showed up at Company today when she was there.”
“What?” Danny’s voice rose and he began to pace nervously. “Jimmy, if they hurt her, I’ll…”
“Calm down, Danny. I got her out of there. She’s fine, but she’s really scared. Whatever you’ve got planned, you’d better do it soon.”
“Let me talk to Michelle.”
“Danny, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
“Put her on the phone!”
The sound of her voice made him want to cry. “Danny, what’s going on? Who were those men? What did they want with me?”
“Baby, I can’t talk long. I know you’re scared, but Jimmy’s going to take very good care of you, I promise. I love you.”

Danny hung up the phone, then walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. He felt his fingers tighten around the glass, then he turned and threw it across the room. It shattered, raining shards of glass over his mother’s desk. Danny walked over and plucked Carmen’s letter from the chaos. Carlos Sandoval would pay for frightening Michelle. Danny would see to that.

Michelle closed Jimmy’s cell phone and turned toward him. “Well, Jim-my,” she said, pronouncing the syllables in his name, “would you care to tell me why we’re here?” Jimmy had brought her to an old warehouse near the edge of town. It was in a far corner of the territory controlled by the Santoses, and the family didn’t use it that much anymore. Any surroundings that were familiar to Michelle were now familiar to Carlos as well. Jimmy was hoping that the remote location would buy Danny the time that he needed to put an end to this situation.

The warehouse had an office that held a desk, a bed, an old filing cabinet, and two chairs. Danny’s father had often slept here if he was in the middle of a business deal. Michelle took a seat on the bed, while Jimmy leaned against the desk.
“Who said my name is Jimmy?” he said, making an attempt to feign innocence.
Michelle wasn’t in the mood for games. “Danny did. He must have used your name by mistake. I repeat, why are we here?”
“Michelle, I can’t tell you that. Danny would kill me if he found out that you knew what was going on. It’s…”

She had had it with all of the secrets. “If the next word out of your mouth is ANY word that begins with the letter ‘c’, you won’t have to worry about Danny at all, because I’ll kill you first!” Her voice continued to climb in volume and intensity. “In the past month, my boyfriend has left me and won’t tell me where he is going. His mother is shot and killed in a Mafia hit that the paper said was about drugs, and you show up around town to give me a message from Danny and make sure Carlos’ guys don’t know where I am!” Michelle now stood inches from Jimmy, her eyes blazing with anger. She spoke through clenched teeth. “Who is Carlos and what the HELL is going on?”

Jimmy saw that Michelle wasn’t about to back down. “All right, Michelle. I will tell you some things, but I won’t answer your question about Carlos. That information is way too dangerous. Danny is trying to honor three of the most important women in his life: his mother, his niece, and you.”
“What? How do his mother, Caroline, and I fit into all of this?”
“Do you know how Caroline died?”
“Yes.”
“The name ‘Carmen Santos’ struck fear in a lot of people in Springfield. What those people didn’t know was that Carmen Santos never got over the death of her granddaughter. She never allowed drugs to come into the business, and she made Danny swear to do the same in the future. She didn’t want the Santos family to be responsible for the suffering of innocent children. This decision did not sit well with the other families, Michelle. It’s the reason Carmen was killed.”

“Now that he’s in charge of the business, the other families are pressuring Danny now, right?”
“Yes, but I’m sure he’s told you that he never wanted to be in charge of that side of the business.”
She nodded.
“Danny went back to school to get his MBA so he could take over the Santos businesses that are completely legitimate. Over time, he hoped to make all his family’s holdings legally profitable and move the Santos name away from the Mafia. When the other families began to have doubts about Carmen, Danny felt he had to protect her physical safety and the future economic livelihood that he hoped to create. He thought that the drug issue would be resolved, Carmen would go back to being completely in charge, and he’d gradually begin to control things later. He wasn’t expecting to fight a turf war.”

Michelle was quiet as she thought about the precarious position that Danny was in. “How bad is it?” she whispered.
“Danny wants to build a life with you, Michelle—a good life, an honest life, but that process is extremely dangerous. There’s a very good possibility that he might not be able to get out.” Jimmy gave Michelle a hard, penetrating stare. “Things could end very badly for him.”

She knew what Jimmy was telling her, and she started to run toward the office door. “Jimmy, please! I’ve got to get to Danny. I love him! I want to be with him! He needs me!”
He blocked her path. She tried to move around him and he firmly grabbed her wrists.
“Let me go!”
“Don’t fight me, Michelle! You’re absolutely right, Danny does need you. He needs you to be alive and well. You said you wanted to know about Carlos? Well, Carlos knows all about you! He knows that you are Danny’s Achilles heel just like Caroline was Carmen’s. Those men were probably five minutes away from kidnapping you or worse, because Carlos knows that Danny would be devastated if anything ever happened to you!”
She jerked out of his hold. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working!” she screamed, a little more boldly than she actually felt.
“Good, I’m glad!” he shot back, “Danny needs a strong woman to keep him in line!”

Their verbal battle left them both gasping for air. After taking a minute to compose herself, Michelle spoke.
“Thank you, Jimmy.”
“For what?”
“For telling me the things you did and for being such a good friend to Danny.”
“Yeah, well something tells me that Danny isn’t going to be quite as appreciative as you are about my spilling the beans. I’ll deal with it, though. I just wanted you to realize that Danny does have reasons for what he does. In his mind, he didn’t leave you, he protected you. He’s doing all of this because he loves you.”
“I know.”
Michelle then curled up on the bed, praying that the love she and Danny shared would be enough to see them through this dark time.




She punched the numbers into the cell phone, anxious to hear his voice. It was still too dangerous for her to see Danny, but Michelle had convinced Jimmy to allow her to make a short surprise phone call. Another person on Danny’s security team had just let Jimmy know that it was safe for Michelle to proceed. He had stepped out of the office to give her some privacy, but not before he had gone over her instructions with her one last time.

“Do not talk about where you are or who is with you. Danny knows that already. We don’t need anyone else knowing it too. For obvious reasons, don’t say anything too specific. Stick to general conversation. This has got to be short, Michelle, five minutes at the max. Finally, and this is probably the most important thing, if someone other than Danny answers, do not open your mouth. Hang up the phone right away, got it?”
“Got it. Thanks for setting this up, Jimmy.”
He grinned. “The things I do for love. Have a good time, Michelle,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

Danny picked up the phone on the second ring.
“Santos.”
“Hi Danny.”
“Michelle, what are you doing?” he exclaimed. What’s wrong? Are you OK?”
“Please don’t be upset. I’m fine. I just needed to hear your voice, so…” Remembering Jimmy’s warnings, she paused to find another word. “…someone helped me surprise you.”
“Well, I’m definitely surprised. You know what else?”
“What?”
“I love you.”

Her face lit up as she heard those words. I love you too, Danny. Very, very much. I need to tell you something.”
“What Sweetie?”
“I know about things.” She emphasized the last word so that he would understand what she meant.
Danny’s voice became tense. “How? Who told you?”
“A friend.”
“How much do you know?”
“Enough.”

Michelle heard Danny let out a frustrated sigh. She could tell he was angry. “Your friend should not have done that,” he said slowly.
“Don’t be mad. I made him tell me. He wouldn’t have had to do that if you’d told me first.”
“Michelle, things are dangerous right now. I just want you to be safe.”
“I know that Danny, but we’re in this together, and hiding things from me doesn’t help. I can handle this.”
“You’re amazing, but it’s time for you to go. I love you, Michelle.”
Michelle blinked back tears. She didn’t want to say good-bye. “I love you too, Danny,” she said, her voice quavering a little.
“Just hang in there a little while longer, Baby,” he soothed. This will all be over soon.”

Michelle was confused and a little frightened. Jimmy had brought her to the lighthouse in the middle of the night. “What’s going on?” she asked. “I thought you said it wasn’t safe for me to be here.”
He smiled and opened the door. “Don’t worry. It’s safe.”
She gave him a questioning look. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Go on inside.”

She walked into the room with slow, deliberate steps. After the events of the past few days, she wasn’t sure about much of anything and she wondered how Jimmy could be so confident.
“Michelle, I’ll be right back. I left something downstairs.”
“Wait, you’re leaving me alone?” Jimmy hadn’t been more than a few feet away from Michelle since the day he walked her out of Company. Suddenly, she felt very vulnerable. He looked at her with kind eyes. “Trust me, Michelle. You won’t even know I’m gone,” he said, as he disappeared out the door.

She paced around the room nervously. The thought of even spending a few minutes by herself made her anxious these days. The door creaked as it opened wide to let someone in. “Jimmy?” Michelle called, uncertainty in her voice.
“No, but I can tell him to come back if you want.” Michelle had never heard a more incredible sound. Though barely aware that she moved, she somehow crossed the room to the waiting arms that she knew so well.

“Danny! Oh, thank God!” She hugged him with all her might as he twirled her around in his arms. His kisses covered her face—forehead, eyes, ears, chin, and finally lips. Danny’s fingers danced in her curls, while Michelle’s desperately stroked the back of his neck. He smiled as he planted another kiss on her forehead.
“So was my surprise as good as yours?”
“Better! I can’t believe that you’re really here.” She rubbed his arms over and over again to make sure he wasn’t a figment of her imagination.
“I promise you, Sweetie, I’m very real.”
“How did this happen? I thought you said it was too dangerous to meet.”
“After your phone call yesterday, I couldn’t go one more day without seeing you. Dietz checked this place out earlier today, and I brought several of my best men with me. Think of them as your own personal army. You’re very safe.”

“Danny, what’s happening with Car…?” The last half of her sentence was swallowed by another passionate kiss.
He stroked her face and looked deep into her eyes. “No business, Michelle.” Their mouths met again, then Danny’s lips began to gently travel down Michelle’s neck to her shoulders. She let out a soft moan as he traced the edge of her collarbone with his fingers.
“Danny, how much time do we have together?”
“A couple of hours. I want Jimmy to get you out of here before first light, though.”
“Where did you tell the army to go? I mean, can they hear us?” She looked down, a little embarrassed by her question.
He lifted her chin up and spoke in a soft voice. “They’re around, honey, but I promise, they’re not spying on you. Why?”

“Remember when we went to get our grades and I told you that I wanted to wait to be together because I wanted our first time to be special?”
He nodded.
“Well tonight is special because God kept you safe and brought you back to me. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us with everything that we’re going through, but I do know this. Danny Santos, I want you to make love to me.”
Small tears rolled down Danny’s cheeks as he kissed her tenderly. “My beautiful Michelle, there is nothing in this world that I would rather do. I love you.”
Danny picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, where he spent every remaining minute of their time together showing Michelle how truly special she was.

Danny sat staring at the mantle behind the desk. He watched as the second hand of the clock made its repetitive journey around the circular face over and over again and thought of all the precious seconds he had had with Michelle two days ago. The light scent of her perfume still hung in his nose, and his fingers remembered the softness of her skin. Jimmy literally had to pry the two of them apart when it had been time for Michelle to leave. To be together only to be ripped apart again a short time later seemed to be an especially cruel reality, but Danny knew it was a necessary one. If he was to have the woman that was in his heart, he needed to think with his head.

“Daniel,” Carlos said as he entered the room with three of his men. “I’m so glad you finally decided to discuss the terms of our arrangement. Your mother’s death was so tragic. It would be a shame if you were also to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Danny left the tranquility of his lighthouse memories to return to the volatile present of Casa Santos. He stood, buttoned his suit jacket, and came from behind the desk to shake Carlos’ hand. Dietz and three of his men were spread out around the room, marking Danny’s territory. Carlos took a seat while Danny remained standing. “Yes, Carlos, let’s discuss business, shall we?” he said with calm intensity. “My distribution operation is now yours. Use it to ship almost anything you want, cigars, electronics, whatever. Anything, that is, except for drugs.”

The smile that had begun to curl Carlos’ lips suddenly faded. “Daniel, such a decision would be very unwise.”
Danny gave Carlos a cold stare. “It would be very unwise, Carlos, for you to interrupt me,” he growled before continuing. “True, you could continue this war between our two families, and yes, you might even succeed in killing me. However, do not think that the Santos name would end with my mother’s last son. My uncle, Frederico Santos, and his sons will fight my mother’s cause if I cannot. If you were to act rashly, you would still not possess the network you so desperately desire, and the Santoses and the Sandovals would forever be enemies.”

Carlos abandoned the pleasantries of formal respect in favor of even more blatant intimidation. “Does Pilar enjoy Spain, Danny? I hear it’s lovely there this time of year. I hope your grandmother is well, also. Accidents can happen so easily at her age. Oh, forgive me! I forgot to ask about Michelle. Such a lovely young woman. She seems to enjoy double lattes.”
Danny forced his face to remain void of emotion. His eyes were stern and his mouth and jaw were set with a new sense of purpose.
“Ah, Carlos. If you were foolish enough to harm someone I care about, that would prove just how little you know about the Santos Family.” Danny turned and reached for a folder on the desk. “As her son, I can tell you that it was always a mistake to underestimate Carmen Santos. She had lots of friends, friends in Springfield, friends in Chicago, friends in New York, friends in many places.”

Danny paused and began to thumb through the folder. “I bet Juan Riveria would be very interested to know that you set his son Nino up to take the fall for the gambling mishap the two of you had last year. I also happened to speak with Jorge Diaz from Chicago today. It seems that his family is missing $3 million. I can’t imagine where it might be, can you?”
Carlos was completely silent and an unsettled expression seemed to creep over his face.
“New York is a fabulous city, Carlos. You must love it too since you spent so much time there meeting with both the Russians and the Cosa Nostra.” Danny held an audiotape up for Carlos to see. “Your conversations with them are quite fascinating. I wonder if your business partners will appreciate how skilled you are at brokering deals with opposing groups, then playing both ends against the middle by selling secrets to each side. They’d probably be astounded at how loyal you are.”

Carlos found his voice again and he began to appeal to Danny by using the long-standing sense of history that existed in their world. “Danny, you were once very close to my family. You were engaged to my brother’s Teresa. Surely, we can be reasonable about this.”

Danny crossed his arms and learned back against the desk. “Yes Carlos, out of respect for your family and your niece, I believe I can be a reasonable man. My mother left me this information as insurance against any outside threats to our power. I, however, have a different use for it. In exchange for allowing me to take Sancorp and my entire family and walk away from the business, I will give you the Santos distribution network, along with all of our non-legitimate holdings. My only other stipulation is that drugs can never become part of your operation. If I or anyone who acts in my name ever finds that you have violated this clause of our agreement, or if anything happens to me or any member of my family, I’ve instructed lawyers in various parts of the world to forward copies of these materials to the appropriate associates.”

Danny held the folder out to Carlos. With a look of hatred mixed with a hint of resignation in his eyes, Carlos accepted it. “Consider my proposal carefully, Carlos. Read the documents. You can choose to fight a bloody turf war, you can choose to have your treachery revealed to people who will become powerful adversaries, or you can choose to become a very rich, influential man by simply honoring two requests. The decision is yours, but you only have twenty-four hours to make it. After that, I’m prepared to place you at everyone’s mercy.”

Danny extended his hand. “Thank you for coming Carlos. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
Carlos stood and gripped Danny’s hand, nodded curtly to his men, and then left. Now the only thing left for Danny to do was wait. One way or another, the Santos family would be forever changed in the next twenty-four hours. A life with Michelle seemed to be within Danny’s reach. He only hoped he’d have the chance to grab it.

The bells tolled outside St. Michael’s Church. It was almost time to begin. Michelle watched Ray at the altar as she made her way down the aisle. Her mind drifted back to those awful days after the lighthouse. There had been absolutely no word from Danny at all. Jimmy had kept her spirits up as best he could, telling her about the adventures he had with Danny when they were younger and reminding Michelle of how much Danny loved her, but the enormous, eerie silence had kept threatening to drown her. Three days after her joyous lighthouse reunion, the phone rang. Jimmy had hugged her close, and Michelle’s tears had sprinkled his shoulder when he told her it was all over.

Michelle entered the pew and carefully sat down as Ray began to speak. “We are here today to help God welcome the newest member of His spiritual family.” A hand reached over and gently grasped hers, and when she looked into his eyes, she knew it had all been worth it. So much had changed in two years.

With either his economic survival or very life at stake, Carlos had taken Danny’s offer. Danny had SanCorp, his family, and Michelle, while Carlos was making a fortune smuggling stolen diamonds, rubies, and other gems through Springfield. As President and CEO of SanCorp, along with Ross Marler as his new in-house attorney, Danny had been overseeing a complete overhaul of the company so that it might legally compete with Spaulding Enterprises and Lewis Oil. Jimmy was now by his side as head of security. Dietz had remained in the service of the other families, but thanks to a regular monetary incentive and a fierce loyalty to Carmen, he kept Danny very up-to-date on Carlos’ activities.

It was not a perfect solution, but Michelle had learned to accept that she had not married the boy next door. Carlos had not been the only one to make a choice. The only other options for Danny, to remain as head of the Santos business or to turn state’s evidence and enter the Witness Protection Program, had never been true options at all. They both couldn’t include the one person Danny could never live without.

He had told her about the deal and his use of blackmail months before he proposed. Just like at the cemetery, at the park and in her room, Michelle had had to again confront information that was very difficult to hear. As Carmen Santos’ son and former head of her Mafia empire, it would be impossible for Danny to ever be completely free of that world. Michelle trusted that SanCorp would become the legitimate legacy that Danny had always craved, and she knew that he would strive to give her the most loving, happy, and typical life that was possible. For that to happen, however, Michelle would also have to put a small amount of trust in the darkness that Danny had left behind.

It had not been an easy decision for her to make. Danny had waited three months for Michelle’s answer. Being associated with anything questionable, no matter how remote or relatively small it might be, was almost incomprehensible to Michelle. Accepting such a situation might result in significant consequences for the rest of her life. In the end, though, she realized that life without Danny Santos was just as incomprehensible. Simply put, she loved this man like she had no other and she wanted to be with him. Michelle had thought back to the last words that Jimmy had said to her on that day at Laurel Falls. “Trust him,” and she did.

Six months later, she had become Mrs. Daniel Santos in this very church. Michelle now stood and walked up the steps of the altar with Danny, where Ray again waited to preside over another wonderful moment for the two of them. Ray began the ceremony, and Michelle’s heart was filled with love and gratitude that God had given her this moment and a life with the husband she loved. She looked over and could see Danny’s eyes filling with emotion as well.

“Maria Caroline Santos, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
As the holy water from the baptismal font trickled across her forehead, Danny and Michelle’s lace-covered cherub let out a small giggle and a yawn. Michelle looked at the group of people assembled around her daughter. Ray, the man who had officially joined her and Danny together for the rest of their lives. Jimmy, a true friend to both she and Danny when they had needed him the most. There wasn’t a more appropriate person to be Maria’s godfather and protector. Then there was Pilar. Danny was making up for lost time with his sister, and he and Michelle hoped that making Pilar Maria’s godmother would bring them all closer together.

Michelle’s eyes swept across the congregation, wanting to share this special moment with Rick, Abby, and Meta. She then saw Danny’s gaze move upward for an instant. Michelle laced her fingers with his and joined his view as they both thought of their daughter’s guardian angel with whom she now shared a name and an overjoyed grandmother looking down on her newest grandchild. Everything was, as it seemed.

THE END