Carlos picked Danae up at noon on Sunday and spent the trip across town in a nervous rant explaining his family.
"When Hector died, it tore my family apart," he said of his older brother's murder many years ago by a drug dealer. "Then we found out years later that Hector was trying to get out and do the right thing." He grinned. "We've had a big get-together each year ever since around his birthday. And it's not as bad as I make it out to be. For one thing, there's my mom's cooking. But," his face grew dark, "Everyone in the immediate family will be there."
"It sounds really nice, actually," Danae smiled.
"I'm glad you're coming with me," he admitted.
"Are you always this nervous when you see your family?" she asked him.
He laughed. "I'm the youngest," he explained with evident mirth in his voice, "No wife, no kids…I'm a bad son."
"Oh no!" Danae smacked her forehead. "They're going to be all over me." Carlos laughed heartily and agreed with a wicked smile. "What do I tell them about us?"
Carlos parked in front of a small house that was already teeming with people despite his observation that his niece and her family hadn't yet arrived. "Just tell the truth," he winked. He was not only nervous about showing up still single, but he was also worried about his family not liking Danae and driving her away. Maybe, though, his relatives would divine Danae's feelings for him, a subject which occupied his mind far more than it should, thanks to Trent's stupid comments.
They got out of his car, and he locked the doors. He could tell Danae was now apprehensive of meeting his family. He gave her hand a warm, reassuring squeeze as he led her to the front door. His nephew, Jesse, greeted them as he held the door open.
"They're all in the living room, Uncle Carlos," the boy—almost a young man—told them. Carlos made a quick introduction of Danae then continued through the house towards the sound of loud arguing and talking.
"Do I hear…" a woman's strong voice asked as she stood from her plush armchair. "Carlitos!"
He flashed his hugest grin and stepped around the kids playing on the floor. "Mama." He gave her a fierce hug and kissed each side of her face. "I know I couldn't bring Trent this time, but I brought you flowers!"
"Oh for shame!" she chided. She hadn't yet seen Danae, who was hidden from view by Carlos' broad shoulders.
"Trent is still my favorite," she told everyone. "He's got a lovely girl, unlike this one!" Indeed, Carlos' longtime friend had become a loved family member by default years ago.
"Well I brought a new friend for you to love and adore," he said impishly, stepping aside to let Danae approach. "This is Danae Launey. She's the one I was telling you about the other day."
"The one that cuts up dead people?" someone else asked.
"It's among my many talents," Danae laughed. Strangers were always amazed, and usually a little grossed out, when they heard about her job.
Mrs. Sandoval hugged Danae in welcome, whispering, "Please marry my son!" as she kissed her cheeks briskly. The young lady just blushed and smiled shyly as Carlos' mother winked. "Manners!" she insisted loudly to the rest of the room, and the others introduced themselves. Jesse's mother, Teresa, embraced Danae as the matriarch did. She also met Jesse's best friend, Bobby, and other assorted aunts and uncles, each with varying knowledge of the English language. As the last person, and elderly aunt, was introduced, a woman younger even than Danae, her toddler, new infant, and husband made their entrance. Carmen was the daughter of Carlos' other sister, and had married her husband Hector when they were both very young.
"We're all here!" one of the elder uncles declared. "To the kitchen!"
Danae and Carlos followed the gaggle of Sandovals into another room, where a long table had been set up. Everyone seated themselves randomly, and Danae wound up near one end of the table across from Carlos. Teresa and Madre Sandoval set several hot dishes on the table, the enticing aromas making everyone's mouths water. Carlos pointed at various dishes and urged Danae to try them.
"Carlitos," Teresa picked on her younger brother. "Can we have a prayer?"
Carlos stood, bowed his head and clasped his hands. All others bowed their heads as he began. "Lord, thank you for bringing old family and new friends together today. Watch over us as we work and play, and keep Hector in our hearts always."
"Amen," Madre said emphatically. The others chorused their own "amen"s as Carlos sat back down.
"Let's eat!" Hector (Carmen's husband) rubbed his hands together eagerly; Madre made the best authentic Mexican cuisine this side of the Rio Grande. The dishes were passed around, and Jesse, seated to Danae's left, heaped her plate with food. Chatter burst out as they discussed family matters, but also the individual lives of people seated at the table. Jesse's academics, Carlos' career, and Carmen's new baby were among the topics. Before she knew what happened, Danae was sucked into the discussion. Because of all the talking, the meal lasted for over two hours, at which time the table was cleared and dessert was served. Afterwards, Carlos, Hector, Jesse and Bobby went outside with the younger children and began playing soccer in the backyard. The elders took their coffee into the living room and fell asleep on the couch or armchairs, leaving the younger women to sit around, play cards, and gossip.
They were interrupted just as Danae was finally gaining the upper hand in a game of gin as Carlos entered the house in a huff. He quickly stomped into the kitchen where he held a trembling hand under the flow of water from the sink tap.
"What happened?" Madre asked worriedly.
"There was a piece of broken glass outside in the yard, and I fell on it," Carlos scowled.
"You're cut?" Madre proceeded to panic as only mothers can. She hovered over her son and began speaking in rapid Spanish. Danae butted her way in and took his hand gently.
"Oh he's fine," she said dismissively, which only made Carlos scowl more deeply. His hand hurt! "I'll take care of him. Can I get some tweezers, a Band-Aid, and some cotton balls?" Madre whisked away into the bathroom to find the items Danae had requested and returned with incredible speed. Danae shooed her back to the card game while she talked with Carlos. His palm still had small bits of glass in the wound. "Don't look at it," she warned as she began to pluck at the small shards.
"Ow!" he jerked his hand away.
"I told you!" she laughed at him, adding insult to injury. "Watch Teresa's hand for me. I want to win this round!" As he squinted at his big sister's cards, Danae quickly pulled the remaining grains out of his hand. She rinsed the heel of his palm under the sink again and looked to make sure she had gotten all the glass out before pressing a clean cotton swab to the wound and holding it there.
"I don't think you're going to win," he told her. "She's a card shark." The color had returned to his face. He looked down at his hand, cradled in hers. "How's it looking?" he asked softly.
Danae looked up in his brown eyes. His face was so close to hers. He was so close to her. "I don't think you'll need stitches," she managed to say in a low voice. Carlos' face slowly broke into a wide grin, which she mirrored. She studied his hand again. The bleeding had stopped, so she covered it with the colorful, cartoon Band-Aid and sent the mischievous man back outside with a playful shove.
"So Danae," Teresa prompted as she sat back down. "What's with you and my brother?" Danae blushed, grinned, and opened her mouth to reply.
Carlos was not expecting Margo to be the one knocking on his door that night. She was on edge, distracted, and she was driving him nuts with all the pacing. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested. Margo declined, clearly dreading the talk that would inevitably follow, and changed her mind. It was why she came here, after all! She grabbed her jacket and walked alongside Carlos down the street. The sun had almost completely set, casting them in red light, and the mild temperature made for a pleasant evening.
"I dream about them every night," she said abruptly, just when Carlos had given up hope that she would say anything at all. He put his hands in his pockets and waited for her to go on. "Especially Ira. He was so dangerous, yet somehow…compelling. Attractive. The perfect gentleman. I'm still scared of him. You know they never positively ID-ed his bones in the fire?" She took a breath and continued talking about the assignment that had almost ended with her dead. "Everyone in the Reformists was crazy. They literally were not right in the head, yet they befriended me so openly…" she swallowed hard, and her voice lowered to a whisper. "It's hard to tell sometimes who the traitor is. Is it me for destroying the one thing these people lived for? They thought they were doing it for the greater good! Or did they betray me by trying to kill me? I guess that's a given, but how could they have been my friends if they were against everything I stand for?" She was crying now, and Carlos knew that it was too soon for her to be back undercover. The psychologist was dead wrong; she wasn't over the Reformists yet. Maybe she never would be.
For once, Carlos took the time to think before he spoke. He wished he could tell her about the demons that haunted his dreams more and more frequently, but right now Margo needed words of encouragement, not commiseration. "Bosses tell you not to get emotionally involved with a case, but how can you not? What makes people like Ira or Johnny Primaor the Ramirez brothers so dangerous is that they're nice guys doing terrible things. There's a line drawn in the sand, and a long time ago, you and I chose one side, and they chose another. Knowing that doesn't make our job any easier, but it makes it right."
"You know," Margo held the tiniest of smiles on her lips, "You do get smarter every day you're single."
"So you tell me," Carlos laughed. They walked a little further in silence.
"Trent won't understand," Margo said after a while. "Not like you do. You've lived it; you know what I'm feeling."
"You might have to explain it to him," Carlos conceded with a shrug. "What he really doesn't understand is why you won't talk to him at all. He worries." Margo murmured an agreement, and Carlos changed the subject. "So how is it going? Being back on the job?"
Margo laughed. "It's boring as hell. We can't get this fish to bite. Both of us have blackmailable backgrounds that don't take a lot of digging to discover, right? But still no phone call, no email, no letters asking for money. My boss is very angry."
"Have you considered something a little more…unorthodox?"
"Oh you're good, Carlitos," she said, shaking her head. "My 'husband' is supposed to have a child from a college indiscretion. But what are you insinuating?"
"I'm saying, maybe your bad guy doesn't do background searches. Maybe he has the houses themselves under surveillance. So maybe it's time to use the drugs entered in the evidence room as bait. Or maybe you should invite Trent over for lunch while your 'hubby' is away." He wiggled his eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."
"Carlos!" she slapped his shoulder indignantly. "That's just crazy enough to work," she said after a pause.