Living Without

Part Eight

By Ijeoma

Sunday, Sept 3rd

"Are you two going to be okay?" Frank asked as both he and Rick stood up from their seats.

Rick glanced at Frank and then in the direction that his wife had walked off to, and then let out a deep sigh.

"She's just really worried about Michelle. We're all going to be fine. I know Michelle is okay and that she'll be back in due time. Like I said to Abby, I'm sure she's just out somewhere trying to comprehend all that's been happening."

"What's been happening?"

"She's been really emotional with the children's birthdays coming up and she's just trying to deal with this whole situation the best that she can," Rick explained.

"It must be really hard for her."

"Michelle is a strong woman. She'll get through it."

"I hope so," Frank responded. "And I hope the two of you will be able to resolve whatever it was you had your squabble over."

"Just a big brother-little sister thing. You know how it is."

"Do I," Frank remarked with a comforting smile. "Uh, I better be getting back to the station," he said as he looked down at his watch. "You let me know if she calls, and if she isn't back by tonight...I'll then put out an APB. Let's just pray that it doesn't come down to that."

"Thanks for everything, man," Rick said as he let me out and closed the door behind him. "It looks like everything worked out as planned," he spoke cautiously into the phone. "You guys made it look pretty convincing; made everyone think it was a robbery. Great touch."

"Oh, did we? I'm sorry to disappoint you, old boy, but we never got your Michelle."

"What are you talking about? The agreement was that you and your men came and got her."

"Our guys were never there."

"What do you mean, they were never here?"

"I mean what I said," the person told him. "The idiots somehow went to the wrong address."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I'm very serious, Dr. Bauer. I was just about to call you to let you know."

"The hell you were..."

"So I take it your sister is not there? And what is this you're saying about a robbery?"

"My house was broken into," Rick replied nonchalantly, not knowing what to think of what this man was saying. "And no, Michelle is not here. Jesus, where could she be?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," the man said to him. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I must get back to what I was doing before I was interrupted by you and your accusations."

"You better not be lying to me-"

"I hint a threat lingering somewhere in your voice. You wouldn't be threatening me now, would you, Rick? We both know how far that WON'T get you. As for your sister, I'd wish her well wherever she was, but, I don't have much of a liking for her, so I won't. Oh, well. Good luck finding her."

"Wait!" Rick was saying when he heard the dial tone. He pressed off the phone and returned it to its base as he looked around himself at the mess made of his home.

The man must have been lying to him because it could not be a simple coincidence that he was supposedly robbed on the very night that his sister was scheduled to be taken away. No. He wasn't robbed and he was not going to allow himself to believe that, or that his sister was still blowing off steam as he tried to lead Abby and Frank to believe.

He had to find out what really happened last night and fast. He could already be out of time. If it were truly the Santos family behind the destruction of his home and they who had Michelle as Abby suspected, then his little sister could already be dead.

Rick couldn't think that way. Michelle was alive and well, and he was going to find her and fix this whole mess with her once and for all. Grabbing his jacket and keys, he dashed out of the house and towards his car.

***

"Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us..."

Everyone came to their feet and Carmen looked down at Danny when he remained kneeling. She nudged at him to get his attention and he was shaken out of his daze. He glanced around him to find that everyone was up and he then stood as well. Carmen rubbed his back soothingly and he turned briefly to give her a small smile before returning his attention to Ray.

He wasn't okay, Carmen knew. Ever since they walked out of the house that morning, she sensed that something was bothering her son. He had been zoning out for minutes at a time, not at all aware of what was happening around him. He seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts that she could only guess at. Maybe whatever was going on with he and Mario at SanCorp may explain it. Or maybe it was the Rodriguez deal that he was thinking about. No matter, she was going to ask him what had his attention through half of the mass dedicated to his daughter.

"...thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven," Carmen recited along with everyone else and she glanced down at her grandchildren and found them with their hands put together in prayer, they going along as best they could with what words they knew of the Lord's Prayer.

Ten minutes from that time, mass was over and everyone started out after Ray made his way down the aisle. At the door, he greeted each attendee as they exited, shaking their hands and exchanging words.

"Tía," Ray said once he got to Carmen and they shared a hug.

"Wonderful mass today, Raymond," she said when they pulled away from one another.

"A wonderful mass as usual."

"Abuela," Ray greeted as he got down to her level to give her a hug and a kiss. "That means a lot coming from you. It's nice to finally see you under the sun."

"Para mi nieta mayor, I'd swim with sharks," Maria replied with a smile.

"Too bad she doesn't feel that way about us," Danny said to Ray.

"I love my children all the same," Maria let Danny know as she patted him on the hand. "It's nice to see you, Raymond."

"It is always nice to see you, abuelita."

"Uncle Ray!" Danielle exclaimed once she caught sight of him and he crouched down to get both she and her brother in his arms.

"Hay mis pequeños primos preferidos! Cómo es ustedes?"

"Estamos muy bien!"

"Muy bueno!" Ray clapped at her response. "Very good! So did you really hear what I asked, or did your grandmama tell you what to say back as she always does? You can't lie now," he teased. "You just came out of church."

"And you're speaking to a priest no less," Carmen added as she surveyed the other faces that were walking past her or standing at some distance.

"I had nothing to do with it this time," Maria remarked, washing her hands of the matter. "She was on her own."

"Juan Carlos Alvarez!" Carmen called with extended hands when she sighted the familiar face approaching her.

"Señora Santos," he greeted back.

"My goodness! You're...you're so big now. The last time I saw you had to have been ages ago. Maria, look who it is! You remember Juan. His father is Ramon Alvarez. Miguel used to do business with them a long time ago."

"Yes, yes. Hello, child. Cómo es su papa?" Maria asked.

"He is well."

"That's good to hear."

After a few more exchanges of words, Juan excused himself and he and Danny went back into the church. They found themselves a pew and sat down. Juan stared up at the crucifix that was in front of them while Danny looked at him from the corner of his eye, though he was facing forward.

"Nice service," Juan spoke first.

"I thought you hadn't showed up," Danny remarked.

"Have I ever went back on my word?" Juan asked and he got no response. "I know I said that the package will be delivered by this morning," he continued. "But-"

"But!?" Danny all but yelled, his voice echoing throughout the church and Juan looked around to see if any attention had been gotten. "You told me that you'd have it there by this morning."

"Hear me out," he said as Danny stared at him with those hard, dark, unreadable eyes of his. "It'll be there this evening," he told him and Danny sat back against the pew. "I have my reasons, man," Juan added while glancing around to be sure that no one was lingering close enough to hear them. "I got word that a robbery was reported by your favorite family last night."

"Yeah? So?"

"They're not convinced that it was as random as police think it was. They're claiming that something very priceless was taken from the house, and if that certain something doesn't show up by tonight, police will be putting out an APB. Care to guess one of the places they'll choose to stop at during their search tour?"

"Juan, what are you trying to say?"

"Go to your daughter's birthday party," he replied as he came to his feet. "And make sure she has a good time."

"And the package?"

"Be at the Springs by six. You'll get it then," Juan told him, adjusting the collar of his jacket.

"I don't like these delays, Juan," Danny said as he stood up. "You wouldn't be hiding anything from me, would you? I mean, the package is still inhaling oxygen on its own, right?"

Juan smiled, shook his head, and patted Danny on the upper arm. "I'll see you later," he told him. "Wish your daughter a happy birthday for me, will ya?"

***

Feeling something wet dabbing against her forehead, Michelle forced open her eyes and they slowly came into focus.

"Who...who are you?" she ventured to ask, her words coming out lazily as her eyelids drifted open and close. "Where am I?"

"You shouldn't try to talk," the woman said softly as she laid a damp cloth across Michelle's forehead.

"I..."

"No! Don't get up," the woman ordered, holding Michelle back down on the bed. "You're not well. You must rest."

"Where am I?" Michelle asked again, she moving her head from one side to another in an effort to prevent the strange woman from touching her. "Please, let me take care of you. You still have a fever," she informed Michelle. "I won't hurt you."

"Tell me where I am," Michelle started to cry at her helplessness and the pain that she suddenly felt when the lady touched her arms.

"You're in a house. That's all I can say."

"Who are you? Who are you working for? What do you want from me?" Michelle rolled out the questions and the lady finally was able to get the cloth back on her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say any more than I have."

"I'll take it from here."

The woman looked at the door to find a man standing there. She immediately gathered up her things and walked towards him.

"She's awake. Finally."

"Yes. Her fever has gone down some, but she still needs to be watched," the woman let him know.

"Thank you," the person said and showed the woman out.

He then returned to the room and closed the door behind himself. He took a seat next to Michelle, who had her head turned in the opposite direction.

"Where am I? Who are you?" she asked again, the silence being unbearable.

"Don't worry about that right-"

"I want to know where I am!" Michelle cut him off. "Don't I have a right to know where the hell I am and who has me!?"

"You're...you're at Crystal Springs," he replied after much hesitation and silence quickly followed this revelation.

Michelle turned to see who she was speaking with and her heart leapt at the sight of the familiar face.

"Juan?" she asked, unsure if she were seeing correctly. "Juan Carlos? You're the one who has me?"

"Not exactly," he replied as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Then...w-who does? Is it Carmen? She has me, right? She has you working for her! She got you to turn against her son. Is that it? What am I doing HERE!?" Michelle asked in her confusion as she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around the room with her eyes. "Oh my God..." she breathed, her eyes quickly rounding every inch of the place she could see. "Th-this is ou-our r-room," she stuttered and then paused before adding, "You're not working for Carmen, are you?"

"Talk to your brother and let him know that you're okay," Juan ignored her questions as he handed her the phone.

"I don't even know what's going on here! You're not answering any of my questions, and you expect me to call up my family and tell them that I'm fine when I know that I'm not?"

"No, I don't work for Carmen. No, she hasn't turned me against her son. And what you're doing here, I don't know."

"Who has me?" Michelle asked. "Is it Dietz? Oh, man. I knew I shouldn't have come back here."

"Call them," Juan forced the phone into her hand. "Look, I won't hurt you."

"As much as I'd like to believe that, I don't."

"Well, if you don't believe that, then believe this!" Juan said, getting fed up with her. "If you don't make that call right now, your family is as good as dead. How's that for believing? Your brother, his wife, your nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles, Drew and Jesse, your father who happens to be in South Africa," he added and then smiled slyly at the surprise he saw on Michelle's face. "Didn't think we knew where he was, huh? Then there are those folks you care about so much...The Lewises, and the list just goes on. Shall I continue?"

Michelle stared at him in thought for the longest time and then rolled her eyes and looked down at the phone.

**

"We were so scared, Michelle! I thought something had happened to you. I was thinking that that violent Santos family had gotten you and even worse!"

"Imagine that," Michelle mumbled under here breath as she glanced up at Juan. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to get you guys all worried," she struggled to keep her voice from cracking.

"Where are you calling from?" Abby asked, looking at the caller ID to see that the number was blocked.

"I'm on the road somewhere," Michelle replied as her tears ran down her face.

"Are you sure that you're okay? You don't have to leave! You can come back and you and Rick could sort everything out."

"I'd love to do that, but not right now. I'll be in touch, okay?" "Michelle, we love you very much. I want you to know that," Abby told her. "We're going to miss you."

"Abby, please don't cry," Michelle pursed her lips to stifle her own sounds. "I love you, too. Kiss the boys for me-" she was saying when the phone was snatched from her and turned off.

"I'm sorry," Juan said and he stood up from the bed. "You did the right thing."

"What, was that part of some sick plan of yours? Are you going to have them killed regardless?!" Michelle spouted as her tears continued to flow from her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me anyway?? What have I ever done to YOU!? You and...and...you two were like brothers! Why won't you answer me?" she asked when he headed towards the door.

"You have a long night ahead of you," Juan told her as he opened the door. "Try to get some rest," he said and he was gone.

***

Later that evening:

Danny couldn't keep his eyes off of his watch all day and now that it was itching near six o'clock, he was getting anxious. This was the moment he had been waiting for for the longest time. Nearly four years after her supposed self-chosen departure from him and their children, he was going to again see Michelle.

As the memory of how his life had been without her as part of it seeped into his consciousness, so did the anger, pain, and animosity that were associated with it all. Oh, yeah. She was going to pay for what she did. First she was going to explain herself, he'll explain himself, and then he'll snuff her.

He smiled at the thought. His smile was short lived as he remembered the words both Ray and Pilar had said to him respectively.

"I know you despise Michelle, but please don't do anything irrational. It will not be worth it."

"But, Danny, that is not you! You are not a murderer....We swore not to be that way! Not to EVER be like Papa, Mama, and the rest of our familia! You can't let the past rule your future, mi hermano."

"Look at her. She's enjoying her party. Mi nieta esta muy feliz," she remarked, glancing up at Danny. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same about you," she said as she brushed at his shirt. "What has had your mind preoccupied all day? Has to do with Alejandra maybe?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, Danny. You're worried about getting married!"

"Among other things," he murmured.

"Everything will be fine," Carmen assured him. "The children will be happy and so will you," she said. "Finally! I can't wait till I can see a real smile on your face again."

"If you see it, let me know," Danny remarked as he folded his arms, and Carmen put down her glass of scotch.

"Danny, are you okay? You know you can tell me if anything was bothering you."

"I'm fine, Mama," he replied rigidly and he glanced at his watch again. "Nothing is bothering me."

"Are you going somewhere? You keep looking at the time."

"Juan and I are supposed to be meeting in a few minutes," he told her as he watched his two children run around the place amist their friends and the children of family associates.

"Catching up on old times, ey? That's exactly what you need to be doing. Rebuilding your lost friendships. Regaining Ramon Alvarez as an ally to this family could work to everyone's advantage."

"Yeah," Danny said without thinking. He wasn't even listening to her. His beautiful daughter had his attention, and the more he looked at her, the more he saw... "Mama, I've gotta go," he said as he gave her a kiss. "Keep an eye on them for me."

"I wouldn't dream of taking an eye away."

Danny left his mother and approached Alejandra who was swarmed with a hands that were all reaching for the same object: the bowl of candy she was holding up.

"Be careful with that," Danny grabbed the bowl from her when it was about to hit his face. "Look, I'll be stepping out for a little while."

"Okay," she said as she took the bowl from him.

"Daddy, where are you going?" Danielle asked. "Aren't you going to stay for the rest of the party?"

"Princess, remember when I told you that I had to be somewhere later?"

"Yes. You said six o'clock."

"It's eight minutes after six now."

"Will you be back in time for dinner?" Alejandra asked him as she finally let down the bowl, which was immediately attacked by an army of fingers.

"No," Danny replied simply and returned to his conversation with his daughter. "I've gotta go. Happy Birthday, Dani," he said and he bent down to kiss her lips.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Daddy, where you going?" Michael ran up to him.

"I'll be back."

"Me want to come."

"I'm going to get some more ice cream, okay? I'll be back," Danny told him and he agreed. Danny gave his boy a kiss on the side of the head and sent them off to the party. He stood straight up, looked at Alejandra, and said, "Make sure they don't stay up late."

"Where are you going?" she tried her luck in asking.

Danny stared at her with those blank, cold eyes of his and then he left without giving her an answer.

"Where's the boy wonder headed?" Dietz asked Carmen as he came to stand where Danny had been previously.

"He's going to meet with an old friend," she replied, sipping from her glass. "You know, Juan Carlos."

"Oh, yes," Dietz remarked as the wheels in his head started to roll. "I know Juan alright. I've heard that he's very good at making people disappear."

"In this business, it is essential, Dietz. You of all people know that. Sometimes people need to vanish for the greater good of those involved. That's why I have you," Carmen said and she left the man to go speak with Alejandra.

"Yes, Carmen. People vanish for the greater good," Dietz said to himself. "Until I know what Danny and Juan Carlos are up to, I won't let the cat out of the bag. When I do, the vanishing act will definitely be performed."

***

Having unexpectedly taken another long nap as Juan had suggested, Michelle woke up feeling better than she had before she slept, but still weak. She slipped out of bed and casually walked about the room, carefully feeling and picking up things that she hadn't seen in years. Things she had put there. Things he had put there.

Everything was as clean and neat as they were when she last saw them. The smell of the room, its organization. It was as if those four years never happened. It was like it was all a bad dream that she was just waking up from.

She turned to face the door and stared at it for the longest time, as if she was expecting Danny to walk in the way he always used to do: throwing his suit jacket on the chair by the door while loosening up his tie, kicking off his shoes, and untucking his shirt.

Her attention drifted to the bed she had just slipped out of and tears instantly stung her eyes and she turned away from it. God, why was she there? She ran her fingers through her blond locks and decided that she wasn't going to wait to find out what that answer was. She had to get out of there. From the clapping of thunder outside and the beating of rain against the window pane, it was obvious that it was storming, but that couldn't stop her. Her escape was either now or never.

*

Danny tried to see out of his window as sheets of water fell upon his vehicle. He beeped his horn several times and waited to see if anyone would come out of the house, but there was no one. He then decided to call Juan, but the service to his phone was out.

"Fuck," he cursed as he angrily tossed the object to the back seat.

Not wanting to wait any longer than he had already, he decided that he was going to make a run for it. He opened his car door, stepped out, shut it, and ran up to the gate. He found that it had been locked with a thick chain and that warranted another curse to escape from his lips. He searched through his bundle of keys and fiddled around with the lock until he got it open.

*

A dizzy Michelle safely made it to the front door without some thug jumping out of the shadows and grabbing her. She twisted at the knob for dear life, but once again, another door was locked. Damned her suggestion to have those locks that required a key to open it from the inside. Sighting a window, she cautiously made her way to and out of it. She fell right into the rose bushes that were under it and she emerged with several scratches to her ivory skin that was now stained red with blood. However, that was the least of her worries. She had to get to that gate that seemed to be a million times further than it really was.

Constantly looking behind her to see if anyone was coming, she ran down the pathway and towards the steel gate. When she finally turned around to face forward, she ran smack into...

They came to a halt. They were both soaking wet and staring longingly at one another, not a single verbal exchange occurring between them. Various emotions were running through them, but it was evident to the other which was more prominent: Danny could sense her fear and Michelle could feel his anger. Danny wanted so badly to snap her pretty little neck, but found that he couldn't. Instead he just stared at the woman and wasn't so sure what he wanted to do anymore.

They stood in this manner, searching each other's eyes and face for the longest time before Michelle started to move. She began to back away and gradually, her steps quickened and then she turned around and ran as fast as her tired, sore legs could get her from him.

"Oh, no you don't," Danny thought to himself as he went after her.

Part Nine

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