Pilar parked in the alley and waited. Her contact had said he wod be here in fifiten minutes. She didn't like meeting here. Usually he would just come to the house at night but after her fight with Danny, it was impossible. She needed a fix badly. Her stash was all gone now. She had partied with some friends last night and now she was empty. She had been low on cash also . She had had to "borrow" Danny's ATM card again. She had figured out his pin number. For someone who was so business smart he really had no common sense somtimes. He had used the four digits of his birthday of all things. 2970. How lame could you get. She had felt bad about it the first couple of times and was scared to death he would find out but since the accident, he wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to some things. After awhile, it got easier and the transactions got larger when the need to party had become more frequent and it had taken more stuff to get her to the high than it had only taken her just a few months ago.
She hadn't meant to become addicted to those damn pills. She had needed somehing to calm her after Bill had left. She still loved him so much, but she hated him also for not fighting for her. She hadn't done anything wrong except be born a Santos. He hadn't been able to handle it. He had suggested a separation time while he was away at college. He's broken off their engagement along with her heart. She had trieto get someone, anyone to care about the pain she had been in. She could fine noone. Determind not to lose the only man she had ever loved, she had went to thh college he had gone away to intent on surprising him. It had been she who had been surprised. When she had knocked on his door at the dorm, a blonde cheerleader type girl answered the door wearing no top and clutching Bill's shirt to cover herself. She knew that shirt well. She had given it to him for his birthday.
She had run from the college and gone straight back home where she had cried in mama's arms. Mama had convinced her to move back home and there she had stayed living out a daily nightmare. Then Danny had had his accident and nobody remembered Pilar anymore. She was shoved to the background again, like she had been when they had shipped her off to school. She hadn't even been allowed to come home for papa's funeral, she remembered.
The pills has made her feel better after Bill had left. They started out just a few here and there, just to take the edge off, she told herself. Danny's injury hadn't helped any and soon she was fully addicted. She started stealing money from Carmen to support her habit. Little at first but then it became a lot. She had already gone through all of her trust fund money and had pawned almost all of her jewelry.
She remembered the night Carmen found out what she had been doing, the pills, the stealing, everything. Her stupid lawyer had taken her to dinner and she had gotten one of her stupid headaches and he had brought her home early. They found her buying from her supplier. There had been an awful fight with Carmen threatening to put her in jail to straighten her out. Pilar had freaked out and well, she really had not had a choice. She had become a true Santos that night. The gun hadn't even made a sound. The red stain spreading on Carmen's white satin dress was the only evidence to prove that the gun had actually gone off.
Ben had wrestled with her for the gun and it had fired again. Quite by accident this time. His death had truly been an accident but she had to do something with the bodies. She placed them in Carmen's cadillac and put a brick on the accelerator and let them drive themselves straight into the middle of Lake Springfield.
Ben Warren and Crmen Santos hadn't even been missed and the story of them running away together had never been questioned. Pilar figured it was becuase Sprinfield was just glad to get rid of them that they didnt really care what happened. Danny hadn't even questioned it but Pilar knew that those two bodies would never be found.
She had devoted herself to her brother then. He had never suspected anything was going on with her other than her deep misery from missing Bill and since he was going through something similar, he never had a clue.
The headlights that went down the street turned around and came into the alley. About damn time, Pilar thought.
Her contact jumped out and gave her the clear bags full of pills. She gave him the $2,000 she had stolen from Danny's account and darted out of the alley. She would go home and apologize to Danny for her bratty behavior eariler. He would forgive her and then she would decide what to do about Michelle. And if she stood in the way, then she would just have to do something about that too
* * * * * * * * * * *
Danny finished everything in the kitchen with Sarah and decided to step out for some dinner. Sarah had helped him gather everything he would need for tomorrow night. They went over the menu together. He wanted it to be special. He was going to cook the meal himself. He had given every one the night off tomorrow. Pilar was gone and he wans't even sure when she would be back. They had had fights before, after all they were brother and sister and it was natural, but he absolutely would not tolerate her speaking about Michelle the way that she had. Michelle was his wife and Pilar had better get used to it.
He didn't want to spend his last night before Michelle came home by himself. The clock would tick off the seconds but they would seem like hours. He would get some dinner at Towers then come home and hopefully finish the Lewis deal.
He hoped Pilar would be home tonight when he came back. He didn't want to leave things with her the way they had been left. He hoped for an opportunity to talk before Michelle's coming home.
He arrived at Towers and rode the elevator up to the lounge. He walked in and got the shock of his life. There Michelle sat, looking drop dead gorgeous in a crushed velvet sky blue dress that showed entirely too much of her shoulders for his liking, sittng with a man he had never seen before. A very handsome, young, blonde man and she was laughing. She was laughing like he hadn't seen her laugh before and she playfully pushed at the unknown man's arm and then left her hand on his shoulder while she continued to laugh.
Danny saw red. His gaze turned icy and finally she turned around and met his gaze and her expression froze in place. She looked guilty. He began to walk over to the table.
Michelle was horrified at the expression on Danny's face. He was angry. At her? Why? She broke the gaze first and looked at Josh and realized her hand was still on his shoulder and removed it quickly.
The three of them had been having a lovely dinner. Any was wonderful. Josh was absolutely crazy about her and Michelle could see that the feeling was reciprocated. This is what two poeple in love should be like, she had thought to herself earlier. Any had excused herself for a minute to call her mother. That's when Danny had walked in. Michelle noticed that he had his cane with him. Great, she thought. He already thinks the worst of me. He looked very angry but she would just explain who Josh was and all would be well.
She never got a chance to get a word in. Danny didn't even say hello or even acknowledge poor Josh. He stood there arrogantly, cane in hand and said. "Enjoy your last night of freedom Michelle. I intend to keep you much too busy for you to be entertaining your "friends" he said. He had emphasized the word friends in a way that she couldnt misinterpret what kind of friend he thought Josh was to her. He limped away then towards the bar. Michelle could see him struggle to walk straight in front of the other man and her heart broke for him. He thought she was entertaining Josh on her last night before he expected her to move back in with him.
Danny thought he had to compete with Josh. She ached to go to him and tell him who Josh was but she knew it would just cause a scene, so she just sat there.
"So" Josh said breaking the awkward silence " That was Danny".
"That's him" she confirmed. She had spent most of the evening talking about Danny and filling Josh and Amy in on all of the events that had transpired since she came back to Springfield.
Amy returned at that moment and the three of them tried to recapture the comraderie that they had felt before Danny had arrived and assumed the worst. It was no use however and Michelle suggested they leave.
As they were about to enter the elevator, Michelle felt his eyes on her. She turned around to see him staring at her. He lifted his drink up to her in a salute and brought it up to his lips and looked away.
Great, now what was she going to do??
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The drink was hitting his empty stomach hard. He had been so excited about Michelle coming home tomorrow that he hadn't been able to eat. He watched her leave. He realized now that she had been with this young man and the young man's girlfriend. That young man had had eyes only for the other girl. Danny thought that young man was a fool. Michelle clearly was the most beautiful girl in the room, in Springfield, hell anywhere.
She had read his thoughts. She knew he had been jealous. He hated that he was but seeing her in the company of any man, even a friend was enough to make him furiuos. It fed on all of his insecurities about his scars. There were so many whole men out there that Michelle could be with and he was going to hold her to him like a prisoner. He felt awful.
He paid his tab and walked over to the elevator to leave. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be in the house that Michelle would be in. He grabbed his cane, and stubbornly walked into the elevator without it. He wanted to be whole again, damn it, he would sell his soul if he could just to whole again for Michelle.