{Author's notes: I guess I just have something about taking first season villians and making them come back to haunt the Montecito crew.:) By the way, hopefully, it'll begin to become clear why I titled this story "Semper Fi?" in this chapter.}
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Chapter Two: Luis' Big Plan
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"You look tired." Luis Perez commented, looking up from his paperwork as Danny walked into his office the previous afternoon. The tall, brown-haired man shot a glance at his friend since childhood as he sat down across from the detective.
"Security's not an easy business." Danny replied with a shrug.
"You think being a cop is?" Luis asked with a grin.
"I didn't say that." Danny yawned as he held up his cell-phone. "I got your message. What's up?" The ex-Marine stretched his arms out above him. "And make it quick. I'm on break, and Ed will kill me if I'm late coming back."
"Just something I thought you'd be interested in." Luis replied as he slid an advanced copy of that next morning's paper across the desk. Interested, Danny picked it up and began looking at the front page. A picture of an older man with curly hair awaited him, and Danny recognized the man immediately. It was the Professor, the head of a known cheating ring that the Montecito had busted a few months prior. Glacing up at the headline, Danny could feel his stomach and heart sink.
"All charges dismissed?" Danny said in disbelief, looking closer at the paper. "How in the hell…"
"My theory is that he bought off the judge." Luis replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "But we don't have any proof of that, nor the resources to pursue it any further." Danny threw the paper back on the desk and put his head in his hands. "I'm afraid that all we can do now, Danny, is wait for him to mess up again and see if we can't make the charges stick this time."
"And meanwhile, he gets to plan and carry out his revenge on the Montecito." Danny groaned, not looking up. He knew that the main targets would be Nessa Holt and Ed, who had conned the Professor into thinking that Nessa was on his side last time. Eventually, this had led to his arrest. "There's got to be something we can do, Luis. There just has to."
"I did think of a plan," Luis admitted with a slight shrug. "But it's risky."
"What?" Danny asked, looking up again.
"We attempt the Nessa con one more time." Luis replied simply.
"He'll never go for it." Danny dismissed, shaking his head.
"He might if the prize is right." Luis argued with a smile. He got up from his seat and walked around over to Danny. "He might not be able to resist if it meant having Ed Deline's own protégé join his team."
"Whoa." Danny said, putting a hand up. He looked skeptically at Luis. "You want me to play the role that Nessa did?" He shook his head again. "It would never work, Luis. It's way too fishy."
"I thought about that." Luis said, sitting on the desk behind him. "You're not going to convince him that you want to switch sides. He's going to convince you to join him."
"What?" a curious Danny asked.
"There's a mole already in his organization." Luis revealed with a smile, "They'll drop hints to him that you're not satisfied with your status at the Montecito." He paused and grinned widely. "Which shouldn't be too hard to believe, given how you and Ed argue."
"Get to the point." Danny replied, returning Luis' grin.
"Well," Luis continued, running a hand through his brown hair. "if I know this guy like I think I do, he won't be able to refuse at least trying to recruit you for his organization." He looked cautiously at Danny. "Which you shouldn't agree to do right away. He'll smell a rat if you do that."
"I know that." Danny waved off, "I do plan on being a little hesistant."
"That comment mean that you're in?" Luis wondered with a smile.
"I'm in." Danny nodded, wondering what in the hell he had just gotten himself into.
To be continued...
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Chapter Two: Luis' Big Plan
--------------------------------------------------------------
"You look tired." Luis Perez commented, looking up from his paperwork as Danny walked into his office the previous afternoon. The tall, brown-haired man shot a glance at his friend since childhood as he sat down across from the detective.
"Security's not an easy business." Danny replied with a shrug.
"You think being a cop is?" Luis asked with a grin.
"I didn't say that." Danny yawned as he held up his cell-phone. "I got your message. What's up?" The ex-Marine stretched his arms out above him. "And make it quick. I'm on break, and Ed will kill me if I'm late coming back."
"Just something I thought you'd be interested in." Luis replied as he slid an advanced copy of that next morning's paper across the desk. Interested, Danny picked it up and began looking at the front page. A picture of an older man with curly hair awaited him, and Danny recognized the man immediately. It was the Professor, the head of a known cheating ring that the Montecito had busted a few months prior. Glacing up at the headline, Danny could feel his stomach and heart sink.
"All charges dismissed?" Danny said in disbelief, looking closer at the paper. "How in the hell…"
"My theory is that he bought off the judge." Luis replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "But we don't have any proof of that, nor the resources to pursue it any further." Danny threw the paper back on the desk and put his head in his hands. "I'm afraid that all we can do now, Danny, is wait for him to mess up again and see if we can't make the charges stick this time."
"And meanwhile, he gets to plan and carry out his revenge on the Montecito." Danny groaned, not looking up. He knew that the main targets would be Nessa Holt and Ed, who had conned the Professor into thinking that Nessa was on his side last time. Eventually, this had led to his arrest. "There's got to be something we can do, Luis. There just has to."
"I did think of a plan," Luis admitted with a slight shrug. "But it's risky."
"What?" Danny asked, looking up again.
"We attempt the Nessa con one more time." Luis replied simply.
"He'll never go for it." Danny dismissed, shaking his head.
"He might if the prize is right." Luis argued with a smile. He got up from his seat and walked around over to Danny. "He might not be able to resist if it meant having Ed Deline's own protégé join his team."
"Whoa." Danny said, putting a hand up. He looked skeptically at Luis. "You want me to play the role that Nessa did?" He shook his head again. "It would never work, Luis. It's way too fishy."
"I thought about that." Luis said, sitting on the desk behind him. "You're not going to convince him that you want to switch sides. He's going to convince you to join him."
"What?" a curious Danny asked.
"There's a mole already in his organization." Luis revealed with a smile, "They'll drop hints to him that you're not satisfied with your status at the Montecito." He paused and grinned widely. "Which shouldn't be too hard to believe, given how you and Ed argue."
"Get to the point." Danny replied, returning Luis' grin.
"Well," Luis continued, running a hand through his brown hair. "if I know this guy like I think I do, he won't be able to refuse at least trying to recruit you for his organization." He looked cautiously at Danny. "Which you shouldn't agree to do right away. He'll smell a rat if you do that."
"I know that." Danny waved off, "I do plan on being a little hesistant."
"That comment mean that you're in?" Luis wondered with a smile.
"I'm in." Danny nodded, wondering what in the hell he had just gotten himself into.
To be continued...