Episode : School runnings

[Danni Crockett]

Miami Vice, Episode “School runningsâ€Day 1, MondayTommy Quinton, good looking, 31, drives his luxurious Porsche to the Miami Sandstone High School to meet up with some of his girls. He’s one of those tough guys with a very questionable income and naturally, no stranger to Vice. Ruthless and bluntly as usual, he parks his car on the sidewalk and steps out of the vehicle. Who cares if he’d get another parking ticket, he can well afford it. The last fool who gave him a ticket was hospitalized with a broken arm, so practically every parking attendant tends to turn his head to this parking habit of Tommy’s. He likes to show of his muscled, tanned arms wearing them sleeveless shirts on his worn worker jeans. As he walks towards his favorite girl, he runs his hand through his thick black hair and puts on his sunglasses covering his bright blue eyes, finishing up his teenaged-girl-magnate-look. There she is, having a laugh with some friends from her class. Danni Davis goes by her laid mother’s last name for safety reasons, as this 16 years old spicy girl’s dad happens to be 38 years old Detective Sonny Crockett alias Burnett on his undercover cop job to bust the lowlife of Miami. Yes, obviously he was very young when they had her, but her mother Malena Davis was almost a decade older than him. They had been divorced after only 3 years of marriage. Danni had lived with her mother until she was killed in a plane crash, 5 years ago. Sonny took her in and had raised her on his own ever since. Her blond curly hair, stopping just above her perfect waist, gives her that special playful look, making many boys at school go crazy. Most of them don’t even dare talking to her, she is known for her direct answers, when it comes to asking her out. As she spots him, she runs up to him to kiss him hello. “Hey baby..†Tommy says “Must have been real hard on you to have missed me all weekend?†Danni smiles and lies “It takes more than a few nice moments to have me miss you.†“Ooh, we have a tough one here. That’s just what I like about you.†Tommy says as he kisses her. “What have you been up to, had a good time this weekend?â€â€œNot much happening around here,†Danni answers “Some band played in the Harrington, but it was pretty crappy, so I went back home. And what kept you busy?â€â€œHung out on the beach for a while, met some friends at my place, they actually stayed all weekend. Oh and we drove up to Domino Park yesterday. Maybe we can do that together sometime, would be nice.†He takes her in her arms for a short while and kisses her every now and then. He is always very cuddly because he knows girls like to feel protected and caressed. “Listen, I don’t have much time, I have to meet some people.†He puts something in her hands and whispers in her ear “Here honey. Something to make you feel just as nice as when you’re with meâ€. She looks a bit disappointed when she sees the small bag of cocaine at first, but she manages to look up to Tommy with a smile, always maintaining her act to be unpredictable. “Tommy, how thoughtful†she replies sharply. She knows he gives this to other girls as well and this was about to happen for some time now. For a while she really started to get the feeling he liked her in a different way than those other girls. The fact that he gave her the coke as well, makes her feel very unpleasant and gives her an instant sense of reality. Danni manages to hide this, he doesn’t seem notice it at all. Tommy gives her one last kiss, says goodbye and leaves to check on one of his other honeys in this high school. Danni couldn’t stop her curiosity this time, so she followed him, making sure he didn’t see her. He always made very sure that his girls would not see him with one another. This way he could make his girls feel like little princesses and act like each girls individual prince in shining Porsche. The other girl he is visiting today is Kimberly Barrington. She is the daughter of Senator Barrington, one of the richest people in the city. Tommy knows Kim for about half a year now, giving her a treat of the white sugar on a daily basis. Occasionally he gives it to her as a gift, but usually she has to pay him for it, off course, since he knows she’s coming from a money pit. “Hey love…†he says as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You are late…†she says “…I’ve been waiting for you all morning.†Tommy takes her with him to a private spot. When Danni sees them walk off together, she knows quite enough and leaves the scene to think things through. They stand still and Tommy grabs Kimberly by the chin. “Look, girl, I am not a train, I don’t run on set times. You’ll just have to keep it together till I’m in the mood for stepping by.†This is how he usually handles his girls, he is in charge, the girl is totally dependent. With Danni, this is a bit different because she is much bolder and not as naïve as his usual targets. He has been trying to get to Danni for over two months, but she does not give in that easily, which also makes it quite an interesting challenge for Tommy, so he keeps on trying. She doesn’t give him the idea she feels like the little girlfriend yet, but this morning he figured it was about time she would experience the rush of coke. Kimberly, for example, was in his pocket within two weeks, feeling as the beloved princess, just the perfect way to offer her the powder she gladly took from him. Most girls are into it this fast. Don’t blame them, Tommy is a very cute, charming guy that sweeps most teenagers off their feet and will do this to you too, if he’d get the chance. “Sorry Tommy… I didn’t mean it like that… “ she stumbles “Have… have you brought it?†Tommy likes his girls begging for it. “Did you pay me yesterday?†he asks her. “You know I brought the money, I couldn’t ….†She tried to excuse herself again. “No, you didn’t! So why the hell should I just give to you. Who are you mistaking me for, girl?! Your rich daddy maybe? I’ll bet he gives his spoiled little brat everything she wants, whenever she wants it. Well, not this sucker! You’d better bring me the money! … maybe you can ask your daddy for it …†Kimberly gets tears in her eyes, it was not her fault, some kid broke into her locker yesterday and stole her cash. She specifically put it in there because she had money stolen from her bag a couple of weeks ago. Now they found her locker as well, poor girl. “I am sorry Tommy, I will get you your money tomorrow, honestly! Please give it to me?†He holds it up in front of her, but when she tries to take it, he pulls it away. “You could pay me for yesterday in a different way, you know. You always seem to enjoy that.†Kimberly hated it, he has abused her several times before and she would really do about anything to never have him do that to her again. “No, Tommy, please don’t!†He feels up her shirt a bit to tease her and scare her, which is working, Kimberly shivers of fear. Then he pushes her away, making her fall on the floor. He opens the pouch and lets the cocaine snow all over her face. Kimberly tries to sniff up as much as possible, but it is very little, leaving her urge intact. “If you don’t get me my money tomorrow, I will take my payment any way I please.†Tommy says as he takes off to get back into his savvy car.

[Danni Crockett]

At the office, the ever-moody lieutenant Castillo has his crew together in the conference room. “Fill me in on the Tivola Case, Sonny†he says. “Well, so far we have come close to Jason Benjamin, who can get us in touch with Alberto Tivola, if we get lucky. We were to pay him a visit this afternoon to check if we talked to Tivola about it.†Sonny informs.“Not only can he set us a deal of 250 kilos, he also knows Tivola’s ways of distribution along the coast.†Detective Rico Tubbs adds, Sonny’s partner. “He mentioned this a couple of days ago, when he was bragging about his so-called partnership with Tivola. He is supposed to become partner now that Vinny Moreno is out of the way and under the ground. Well, I doubt the man can become partner, he is hardly even a sidekick.†Rico laughs. “But, he is our only ticket in, for now and I do believe he can really fix the dealâ€.After they all filled each other in on all current cases, Sonny and Rico leave in Sonny’s black Ferrari to check on Jason Benjamin. At their arrival Jason Benjamin was just about to step into his car with two of his security people and take off, they’re just in time. “Mr. Benjamin,†Sonny says as he gets out of the Ferrari and holds out his hand to shake Jason Benjamins hand. “Gentlemen†he replies, shaking both their hands. “How are you doing? You’re not here to tell me you want out, I hope? I just got word from Mr. Tivola.â€â€œNo, we’re actually here to confirm we’re in.†Sonny answers. “Good. Mr. Tivola has agreed on your price for the 250 kilos. But as I told you, he didn’t agree to meet you. However…†Jason Benjamin continues. “That’s unacceptable!†Rico says with his Jamaican accent. “No meet, no money!““However… if you’d just let me finish… “ Benjamin responses irritatedly. “Mr. Tivola understands that his customers will not take any risks when it concerns these quantities. Therefore, he proposed you start with a smaller buy of 50 kilos. If everything works out well, he will meet you and you can arrange the remaining 200 kilos directly with him.â€â€œWell, we don’t have the time to wait around for two separate deals.†Sonny says. “I think we’d better see our other contact, whom we trust and met in person. The only problem is that the price we get is slightly higher. But we can overcome that, off course. Since it will buy us a secure deal.†They turn around to walk away.“Wait! I… will talk to him again. I will contact you tonight, ok?†Benjamin tried to save his ass with Mr. Tivola. He would not be exactly thrilled with enthusiasm if he finds out Benjamin let them walk out.“I’ll make sure we will be reachable at the number we gave you.†Rico ended as they get back into the car to drive off.In the evening Sonny takes some Chinese take-out for diner to the boat they call their home. Danni is laying on the deck flat on her belly, wearing a tiny bikini, with her iPod on her ears and she doesn’t hear or see him approaching at all. Sonny likes to tease her whenever he gets the chance and this was certainly a nice opportunity. Sonny walks up to her, minding his step carefully and when he is right behind her, he slaps her once on her nicely rounded bottom. “Aargh!!!†Danni jumps up. Sonny laughs “You should always watch your back… ha-ha…â€â€œJust you wait! I’ll get you for this, mister!!†They chase each other around the boat for a little while until Sonny almost trips over a boatline. “Come on, let’s eat.†He picks up some sodas below and when he comes back up, he asks “How was your day?â€â€œOh, just so and so. Did you get noodles as well?†she replied.“Yeah, in that carton over there. But, what’s up? I can tell something is bothering you.†He says while poking in his rice with the chopsticks.“Nothing’s up. Everything is fine.†Danni tries to put on a smile. Obviously, she cannot tell him about Tommy, he will have to take action on that and she wouldn’t want Tommy to get busted. “Ahh, I think I know what the problem is. It’s a guy, isn’t it?†Sonny says teasingly.“No, honestly, everything is ok! Can you give me that Diet Coke please?†Danni tries to change the subject “And where did you hang out all day?â€â€œWell,†he knows how to take a hint and follows along “we talked to this guy who can help us set a deal. There was a plan, but somehow they always come up with another plan, we’re going to have to improvise again. Oh, I’m expecting his call this evening, so don’t pick up the phone tonight.â€â€œOk. What’s the guy’s name?†Danni asks, even though she knows he won’t tell. “You know I can’t give you any names. It could endanger your life.â€â€œAnd, have you seen Gina today?†Detective Gina Calabrese is one of Sonny’s colleagues, an attractive woman with curly brown hair. Gina and Sonny had a brief romance about a year ago. It is still in the air the two could get back together, as Danni hopes. Gina is the only woman Danni can stand around her dad. Sonny often has flings, but Danni never likes them and usually succeeds in having them back off after a short while. “Why are you always asking about her? Yeah, I saw Gina today. I see her every day, we work together. We’re supposed to see each other every day.â€Even though he wouldn’t admit it, there’s always a twinkle in his eye when he says Gina’s name…and Danni noticed it once again.

[Danni Crockett]

Later that evening, the phone rings on the boat. “Burnett.” Sonny answers. “Mr. Burnett… Jason Benjamin here. I have a very fortunate message for you.” “Benjamin, pal… I’m all ears.”“Mr. Tivola will meet you tomorrow afternoon. He is inviting you to his Villa.”“So, the old man has finally gotten some sense into him, now did he?”“Whatever... You will be at my place at two and I will escort you and Mr. Cooper to Mr. Tivola’s Villa.”“Well, I can hardly wait. We’ll be there. Nighty night Benjamin.” Sonny pushes the button on the phone. He immediately calls Rico and Castillo to inform them Tivola has agreed to meet.Day 2, TuesdayThe next morning, Sonny puts his empty coffee mug on the table and walks to the closet to grab his jacket. Just as he was about to leave he is surprised by his daughter’s cell phone ringing from her tiny room on the boat. She must have forgotten her bag with the phone in it. He tries to find the phone before it stops ringing, but since he has no idea where the hell the thing could be, he holds the bag upside down, getting the full content spread out over the bed. Finally he finds the phone just in time to answer it. “Danni’s phone”. Being the heavy smoker that he is, he lights up a cigarette. “Oh, hi, it’s Shirley. Danni around?”. Shirley is one of Danni’s closest friends. “No, Shirley, I’m sorry. How are you? Haven’t seen you for a while?” Sonny replies.“I’m fine. No, that’s right, I haven’t been seeing much of Danni lately. But um, I have to go. I’ll try it later on, bye!”Sonny hangs up and starts putting the items back into the bag. After the books and large items, there are some small things left. Among which the small pouch of cocaine. He is struck by surprise when spots the powder, he sits down on the bed and holds it in his hand. He takes a few puffs and has a very confused look on his face, slowly changing into the angry look. At the police station, his partner Rico Tubbs was just complimenting their colleague Trudy on her outfit as he usually does when he needs a favor. “You look stunning today. How ‘bout that dinner you promised me?” She was not born yesterday “Keep dreaming, hot shot…” smiling charmingly as she walks away. The phone rings twice. “Tubbs.” It is silent for a second on the other side before Sonny says “I just found snow in Danni’s bag… ” “What? Are you sure man?” Rico can’t believe his ears.“Yeah. Definitely. How the hell could that have happened? I thought she’d know better!” He slams his fist on the table to lose some anger. “Damn it! Why her? I really never thought she’d be doing this.”Rico tries to calm him down “Take it easy man, are you sure it’s hers?”“Has to be. I found it in her bag when her cell phone rang.” Sonny says as he puts a cigarette to his mouth. “And are you sure she used it?” Rico says, he can’t imagine Danni using it all. “No. But that figures, doesn’t it?!” Sonny lights his cigarette.“Talked to her yet?” Rico asks. “No, not yet.”“At least give the girl a chance to speak for herself ok? Don’t lose it just yet, keep it cool till she explained it. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.” Rico often needs to cool Sonny down. “Well I’m sure it’s not!” Sonny takes another puff and continues. “That’s got to be one hell of an excuse to make me buy it… I’m gonna bring her in.” “Ok, but be cool man.” Rico tries once more.

[Danni Crockett]

At school, Danni is sitting in the grass with some friends, laughing and having fun.Jane, some girl from Danni’s class comes up with one of her lame stories. “So I said to the waitress ‘you’re so stupid!’ And then she said ‘I’m not stupid, it is just one mistake’ yeah right, she can’t even get two drinks straight.†The other girls laugh, except for Danni, who doesn’t need to suck up to Jane and has other things on her mind, like Tommy. Sonny steps out of his nice black so-called Ferrari, lights another cigarette and puts the other hand in his pocket as he comes looking for Danni. Jane spots him immediately, not knowing he’s Danni’s dad. “Oooh, some cute blond guy in a white suit just stepped out of a very cool black convertible!†Danni’s look on her face changes immediately, her eyes pop open. There’s no one else that could fit this description and he never comes to the school unless it is something very important, she begins to suspects something. Jane giggles “It looks like he’s coming our way. Hope he’s looking for me†“Has he seen me yet?†Danni asks, since she was sitting with her back in his direction. The girls are too busy looking at him. “Come on Jane! Has he seen me yet?!†Danny asks again, as she is turning her head, looking around to spot him. “Yes… he has.†Sonny says, not being amused, as he steps in front of her. When she looks all the way up from his feet to his angry scowl, a shiver runs down her spine. He pulls her up on her feet. “Wanted to take the run, Danni? Not such a smart move, sweetheart… I would have had you in less than 5 seconds…†Sonny whispers in her ear. He grabs her by the arm and takes her along. “You are coming with me, young lady!†Danni tries keeping up with the tempo and asking what is going on, but Sonny doesn’t respond, he just walks on and holds her arm even more firmly. He opens the door to the black Ferrari, leads Danni to her seat, closes the door and slides into the driver’s seat. He doesn’t speak to her, but every now and then he looks at her with anger and disappointment during the ride to the station.In the girls restroom of the school’s west wing, were it is usually pretty quiet, Kimberly cries “Tommy, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t get the money. Please! I’m so sorry, Tommy… I’m sorry…†He comes up to her face.“You know what to do then. Come on, don’t be shy. You know what to do.†She tries to stop him “Give me one more day, please! I will really get the money this time and I won’t get robbed. I promise! Please Tommy, don’t do this to me. I can’t take it anymore.†Tommy throws her on the floor. “Well Kimmy, you’re gonna HAVE to take it and be very nice to me… you promised me yesterday.†He starts opening the buttons on her shirt. Kimberly keeps on crying “Please Tommy, don’t do this… please!†Tommy hits her in the face very hard. “You stupid bitch! Shut up! You’re making a lot of fuss here. Shut the **** up!†He covers her mouth while he continues. “That’s much better don’t you think?†Then she makes a very sorry move, biting him in the hand. He hits her again, her head bumps on the floor, she lays there unconscious.

[Danni Crockett]

When Sonny and Danni arrive at the station, Sonny pushes Danni into the interrogation room. “Sit down!†he commands her while he takes of his jacket, revealing the holster he always wears.Danni’s eyes are questioning and a bit scared. She has an idea what it could be, off course. Rico saw them entering the room, so he enters the room also and grabs the chair next to Danni to put it close to her and sits backwards on it, as he usually does. Sonny puts his hands in his pockets for a few seconds. Then he lights yet another cigarette and sits down on a chair very close to Danni. The three faces of them are really close to each other. Sonny pulls the pouch of snow out and holds it up in front of Danni’s face. “What’s your story, Danni?!†he says softly but firmlyDanni answers in hesitation “I don’t know what you mean?â€â€œNo, no, no, we’re not getting into any of that. Don’t try me! I am giving you one chance and one chance only!†Takes a puff and blows it into Danni’s face“What is your story…?†he asks again, slowly this time.“I’m sorry dad, I really don’t know what this is about. I have never seen this before.†Danni tries, keeping her voice as steady as possible. Sonny lowers the coke and throws it on the table in front of them, gives her his angriest look and keeps quiet. Rico butts in “Danni, don’t play with us. We know it is yours!†Sonny takes two more puffs after which he stands up to get in front of Danni and bends towards her. “I am Vice for Christ’s sake! Do you really think you can fool me on this one? This is what we do all day, every day of every week of every month. I’ve dealt with so many smart asses and I’ve heard every sad excuse on the block in any variation you can possibly imagine. Now don’t play dumb with me!†He pauses and sits down again. “I can put you away for possession of cocaine, do you know that?†This scares Danni, she knows he can play it all the way as he has put her in the cell for a couple of hours before. Maybe he was not kidding. “Are… are you gonna do that?â€â€œYou tell me Danni, do I have to?†Sonny asks her with a very serious face.Danni finally gives in “I didn’t use it dad.â€â€œI sure as hell hope so! Those clinics are not a very fun place to be†he lectures while walking through the room.“Honestly, I never tried it!â€â€œBut why do you have it then?†Rico asks.Danni hesitates for a second but decides she’d better come clean with them “I.. I got it from this guy who comes to our school. He gave it to me yesterday, but I don’t know why. And I really planned to do away with it!â€â€œWho is that guy?†Rico asks her. “I don’t know him that well.†She answers.Rico: “Name?â€Danni: “I don’t know his name.â€Sonny turns around. “Oh, yes you do! I bet he’s the reason Shirley isn’t seeing much of you lately!â€â€œHave you talked to Shirley? Haven’t seen her in a while.†Danni tries to change the subject. Sonny ignores it and asks “What’s his name?†She still keeps her mouth shut. Sonny grabs Danni by the face making her look into his eyes. “What’s his name?!†Danni pulls her face out of his hold and looks away as she answers “Tommyâ€.Rico: “Tommy have a last name?â€Danni: “….Quintonâ€.Sonny and Rico look at each other. They know him obviously.Sonny: “bastard!â€Rico: “He always first tries to create an addict. Plays to be the real thoughtful boyfriend, starts feeding her powder after a while. When he finally gets a girl on coke, he knows he’ll be her lifetime supplier. He can make her do anything he wants. And he has killed before. This guy is really bad news, Danni. You’d better stay far away from this guy.†She had found this out on her own already, but she acts to be surprised about it.Sonny: “How close are you to him?†“…Not that close, I have only seen him a couple of times briefly at school.†Danni liesSonny: “You’re gonna stay the hell away from this guy! I don’t want you to get hurt.â€Danni: “I can take care of myself.â€Sonny laughs at this. “Sure you can…â€

[Danni Crockett]

Sonny goes into Castillo’s office to explain the situation.Castillo: “Why is Danni in interrogation?â€Sonny: “I found some coke in her bag this morning.†Castillo looks up to Sonny, after which he stands up and puts his hands in his pockets.“Tommy Quinton is at it again. Only this time he’s trying to get his girls straight from high school.â€Castillo takes a few seconds. “Can Danni testify?â€â€œI think so, but I don’t know if we’ve got enough on him yet. He gave the stuff to Danni as a gift, for free. There was no deal.â€At that moment, Danni walks in to the office too. “Dad, I can get him for you and you know that. He knows me already and it’s just a matter of…â€.Castillo: “No! We are not putting your life on the line. You are a civilian, besides that you’re a young girl and this goes way over your head.â€Danni: “Well it’s not such a big deal. Come on, he knows …â€Sonny: “No, Danni! We are not doing that! Are you out of you’re mind?†He pushes her out the office “Get something to drink!†and closes the door.Castillo: “Will she try?â€Sonny: “No, I don’t think so.â€Castillo: “Know so.â€Sonny: “Yes, sir.â€Castillo: “Put a tail on Quinton.â€Sonny nods and was just about to leave the office as Gina comes up to them “Just received a call … a teenage girl OD’ed at Danni’s school. A Kimberly Barrington, 17 years oldâ€.When they arrive at the scene, the forensic pathologist confirms them it was the overdose that had killed her. “Any signs of violence?†Rico asks him. “Yes, she took one or two strokes in the face, but I’ll have to look into that to see if it has anything to do with her death.†“And sexual harassments?†Sonny asks while scanning the area.The forensic pathologist answers “No, at least none obvious. But my report will tell you all you need to know, a little patience please.†Sonny took Danni along, maybe this could get some sense into her to be careful with this Tommy. “You know this girl?†he asks Danni. “We talked to each other occasionally, but we were not that close.†Castillo comes in quietly and stops next to Danni. “What do you know about this girl?†Danni takes a few seconds to think. “Well, her name is Kimberly Barrington, her dad’s senator Barrington. … Oh, and she used to have a cute boyfriend, Jimmy, but that stopped a few months ago. Just before she started using. Everybody knew she was using, probably every dealer as well. Man, she looks awful, my stomach is upside down.†“So much for this sweet Tommy, huh?†Sonny says. “Have you ever seen Tommy with her?†Castillo asks. “No. I’m sorry. I never see him with a girl.†Danni lies convincingly. She knows he must have something to do with this. It was only yesterday that she followed him to find out he went to see Kimberly.“He watches his steps, I’m sure.†Rico adds.“So will we.†Castillo sharply remarks.

[Danni Crockett]

Rico and Sonny head for the meeting with Tivola, starting out at Jason Benjamin’s place, as arranged. Switek and Zito are around the corner, for backup. They will follow Jason Benjamin’s car up to the Tivola Villa. Neither of them is wearing a bug, it would be too risky for a first meeting with such a player. “Benjamin, pal. Good to see you.†Sonny shakes his hand, Rico follows his lead.“Step into my car, I’ll take you to Mr. Tivola.†The driver opens the left back door for Rico and Benjamin opens the right back door for Sonny. They all get in the black car with blinded windows. The rear windows are solid black, they have no idea where the Tivola Villa is located. Switek and Zito follow carefully, leaving a reasonable distance between the cars. After a ten minute ride, the car stops abruptly. “Get out!†Benjamin says. Sonny and Rico look at each other, Rico raising his brow, Sonny tightening his lips. They get out as ordered to find out what they had been suspecting, this was definitely not Tivola’s Villa. The large warehouses surround them, a large container ship was docked in front of them. Switek and Zito silently get out of the van and approach the location with even more caution. Jason Benjamin takes his gun out and points it at them. “Throw away your piece.†He orders them. Sonny ignores the request and says “Where’s Tivola? I did figure his Villa would be something else…but this REALLY is something else.â€â€œDon’t get smart with me, Burnett! Put your piece on the floor slowly.â€â€œWhat do you want, Benjamin?†Rico says maintaining his Jamaican style.“I just told you, I want you to put your gun on the floor. Come on! Don’t make me trigger this baby!†Sonny and Rico look at each other again, they decide to play this game along for now. They both take out their guns and put them on the floor.“About time! Now turn around and take a walk to that red warehouse on your right. Move it!†Sonny and Rico start walking and enter the warehouse. To their surprise, Tivola was there, waiting for them, with three of his security people, naturally.“I hope my dog didn’t scare you gentlemen off?†Mr. Tivola joked, referring to Benjamin.“Hell no, you know what they say about barking dogs…†Sonny states sharply.“Well, anyway. I thought we’d better meet here instead of at the Villa, we can get straight to business. I have something to show, you gentlemen will probably find highly interesting. Follow me.â€Tivola takes them further into the warehouse to a stack of wooden boxes. He snaps his fingers, making one of the muscled guys open op a box, revealing its contents, numerous bags of the finest cocaine.“I sure like the looks of that!†Rico says. “I thought you would!†Tivola snaps his fingers again to have his servant close up the crate again. “Now you know I’m good for the deal you are so eager to make. Show me you’re good for it.â€Sonny and Rico did not quite prepare for this right now.“Let’s meet here tomorrow, we’ll bring the cash.†Sonny says.“Oh,no, no, no.†Tivola says. “That sounds like you need 24 hours to raise the cash. As in you don’t have it yet. Show me now. That’s not a problem is it? You gentlemen should have your money at hand at any given time.â€Sonny thinks fast what to do next and comes up with “You led us here in the blind. You are safe. You can’t expect us to throw in your face were we stash our cash, just like that?! Give us a couple of hours to arrange the proper safety matters.â€â€œWell, allright. I understand …and I respect your caution. You can’t be too sure, nowadays. Let’s meet Thursday, same time, same place. We will do the 250 kilos than. Benjamin will take you here again.†They shake hands with Tivola and return to the car. Switek and Zito have to get out of there fast. On the way to the car, they pick up the guns they had left and get in.

[Danni Crockett]

Day 3, WednesdayNext morning, Zito and Switek are having the steak out in a van at the edge of the school grounds, watching with the telescope. Sonny is positioned in his own car, a bit further up the road. It takes a couple of hours before Quinton shows up. “There’s our loverboy, driving his Porsche up the sidewalk.” Switek says over the walky-talky. “Great, I was just beginning to worry we were wasting our time here.” Sonny answers “Now, we can at least give him a parking ticket…”Quinton steps out of his car and stands still for a short while to spot Danni talking to a friend. He walks up to her and approaches her from behind, putting his arm around her. “Hey love, have you missed me?”Zito informs Sonny “He went straight to Danni.”Sonny: “Well, than she definitely knows him hell of a lot better then she claims!”Danni puts her arms around him as well “Couldn’t stop thinking about you..” They kiss for a bit until the friend leaves and Danni says “I do have some interesting stuff to tell you”.Quinton: “Oh, you do? We’d better get some privacy then.”Zito updates the crew “Well, he put his arm around her and she puts her arm back around him. And.. they’re now walking away from the group”Sonny: “What is she up to? ... Let’s just wait what happens, he won’t harm her yet. This is still checking things out.”Danni: “This spot seems ok? Listen. You gave me a petit of something sweet yesterday.”Quinton: “Ha-ha…You liked it?”Danni: “Well, you see, I do do something with the stuff, but I don’t take it myself.”Quinton: “What are you talking about? How do you know it is sweet if you haven’t even tried it?” Danni: “Let’s just say that I own a bit more of snow than the few crumbs you gave me.” Quinton: “What are you saying, girl…. You’re not getting in my way now, are you? I mean this is a small pool that’s not quite big enough for two fishermen or women, if you hear what I’m saying. We can’t have any of that.”Danni: “Hold your horses, I hear you. I don’t intend to get into anyone’s pool. I’m just informing you, that I could help you out here if you were to, you know, run out of resources.”Sonny: “Any news yet? What are they up to?”Zito: “Still walking and talking, but no more arms around each other.”Quinton: “That could be interesting, but…how did you get it?”Danni laughs “That is not of your business… Hey, but um, I heard something about you… “ Tommy takes on a puzzled face “Now, what would that be?”“Well.. you seem to have a few more girls around you pay attention to, I hear? A whole fanclub maybe?”“Now, if you want me to be exclusive with you, you’d better offer me something good.” Tommy says while he playfully grabs her and kisses her again.“Don’t worry about that, hansom. You couldn’t handle it, even if you wanted to!” Danni says as she gives him her most cheeky look. “And how did you come across this info, by the way?” Tommy asks her. “Well, I have my sources. A girl needs to watch her back before falling in love just yet.” Danni improvised. He seemed to take it. Danni continues “Look, I was thinking more like this; you handle the girls you need for the income. Let me handle some guys. You know what they’ll do for a girl. We double the income. How about that?”Quinton: “… That still sounds a bit like you’re fishing in my pool, girl.”Danni: “No, you gotta hear me out! I want you to buy my lot, and you sell it to them. I just want to make sure you have enough customers to keep me busy. I don’t want no hassle over a few grams each time. I bet we’d make a great team, you and I.”Quinton: “I like your style girl, but I have to do some thinking about this. If it hadn’t been you, we would not be talking about this, if you get my drift?” Danni nods to that. “Don’t get rid of your goods just yet, I’ll keep in touch, Danni. Oh and uhm.. is this a onetime offer or more like a monthly offer?”“I’ll have to get back to you on that. It depends on my source.” Danni replies wisely.Quinton kisses Danni on the lips and leaves.Zito: “He kissed her and now walks away. He gets into his car, ooh wait L685MV ….and…. drove off.”Sonny steps out of his car, walks up to Danni and takes her by the arm around the corner to a more private spot. “What do you think you are doing?” Danni: “He came up to me, I didn’t look him up. I couldn’t just let it go, I had to…”Sonny: “Danni, this guy is real scum….You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into! I told you not to do this and you just go on and have a go for it on your own? Just how stupid are you?!”Danni: “I can’t stop it now, he’ll come after me for sure.”Sonny: “What did you tell him?”Danni: “I told him I could provide him some snow if he needed it.”Sonny: “What? Are you out of your mind?! This guy has enough powder of his own. He’s not interested in some small package you have to offer.”Danni: “You can only catch him if he either buys or sells, right?”Sonny: “Yes, but not like this! If you would have chosen your target more wisely, you’d choose to buy from him, not sell to him?!”Danni: “I did think it through! If I’d buy from him, there would be a point where he’d have me take it right in front of him. And I don’t want that.”Sonny: “The time he’d get for purchasing some small bag of coke is very little as it’s just a misdemeanor. We can put him away for a lot longer if he were to make a large deal and sell it to someone. So you see, you have very little idea of what you really are doing. This is not some game, it’s real life and you have got to be careful. This is stopping right here. You should have listened to me in the first place! You are coming to the office with me, we need to talk to Castillo about this."

[Danni Crockett]

At the office they fill in Castillo and the rest joins them after this in the conference room. “Quinton came straight up to Danni, leaving her very little choice.†Sonny starts supporting Danni, though, not without a short and heavy eye contact with Danni to confirm his disagreement on this.“She acted instinctively and turned the play around.†He has trouble not to laugh while he continues “She offered to get him cocaine when he runs out of resources.†They all take a small laugh at this, except for Castillo.“This is not a joke people. We are talking about a young girl who, in my opinion, acted wisely on this.†Danni felt a blush coming on. She was almost one of them it seemed, practically receiving praise from Castillo, finding it hard to hide her smile. “If she would have gone along with Quinton’s act, he was definitely going to force her right there and then to take the coke, sooner or later. Probably while threatening her with a gun or knife.†Castillo walks around the room slowly, with his hands in his pockets, like he usually does. “The one question is, will he buy it?â€â€œI doubt it.†Sonny says. “He is a smart guy and he will seriously check her before getting into anything. What if he finds out her dad’s a cop? Don’t you think he will try to take her out then?â€â€œHow close have you been to Quinton, Danni?†Castillo asks. “Well, uhm..†trying to pick her words carefully. “We have had a bit of … physical contact.†At this Sonny jumps up and kicks his chair to the table, Rico jumped up as well to hold him back as he wanted to grab Danni. “Easy man, we’ve all been 16… keep that in mind.†After Rico lets go, Sonny turns around and walks off to lean against the wall on Danni’s opposite, lighting a cigarette giving Danni another one of his bad mood looks.“How long have you known him?†Rico asks keeping his eyes on Sonny.“A few weeks I suppose…maybe a month.â€â€œSo much for ‘seeing him briefly at school’!†Sonny impersonates, Castillo winks him to shut it.One of the assistants knocks on the door and comes in to throw a folder on the table. “Forensic report on Kimberly Barrington.†“Thank you.†Castillo says as he opens the file. “No fingerprints, no signs of sexual harassments. Nothing. She did take two hard strokes in the head, but this was not the cause of death. The needle was found in the trash can near her, it is still treated as a regular OD. … We’ve got nothing on him.â€â€œI hate it how scums like this always seem to get away with it!†Gina says.“Alright,†Castillo thinks the facts through for a couple of seconds. “Danni, you will continue to see him,†Sonny looks at Castillo to make sure he’s hearing this correctly. Castillo adds “… but strictly at school. We need to witness his actions at school. Let’s see where this is going. This is our only lead right now. The team will follow your and Quinton’s moves around the school premises.â€

[Danni Crockett]

In the evening Danni has invited some people over to the boat while Sonny was still going over some paperwork at the office. She feels it is necessary to make her friends think she owns the world. Hopefully the word would get spread to Quinton, which would tremendously benefit to her credibility. Besides, she would probably be backed up by Castillo on this idea as well. “Danni, this is cool!†Frank starts, a senior in school. “Ah, you get used to it.†Danni answers. “Yeah, well I would really like to get used to this too. Nice!!†Her friends seem to bite the bate. As does Elvis, the alligator Sonny keeps as a pet, when the smart assed guy Tico gets to close. “Jesus!! What the **** is the matter with your dog!!†Danni laughs at this “Nothing, he can just smell a sucker a mile away… and likes to bite ‘m in the ass sometime†Everybody laughs at the jerk. “No, but seriously†Danni adds “I don’t know when he had his last supper, so you’d better stay out of his wayâ€. Elvis gladly contributed to her reputation.There was always a fair amount of beer, liquor and snacks around, in case Burnett were to receive important guests, thus ideal for throwing a small party. The crowd gladly digs into the goods and enjoy themselves on the deck for a while until Sonny‘s return, off course. “Danni!†Sonny tries topping the noise.She comes up to him, wanting to kiss him hello, but Sonny pulls away his head. “What the hell is going on here? Who are these people?â€â€œSome friends of mine I invited. You don’t mind, do you?†she replies.“Well excuse the hell out of me! I DO mind, I don’t want some kids crowding my boat. I’m giving you five minutes to clear the deck and meet me below.†Sonny says while he holds her by the arm. “Come on! Why do you always have to ruin things for me?!†she says as she pulls back her arm out of the grip. “Listen, I’ll make you a deal… You go away for about an hour or so and they’ll be all gone and cleared when you come back.†Sonny laughs at that. “You just keep on trying, don’t you? You’d better clear the deck in five minutes or I’ll bust ‘m all for under aged drinking…including you! You’re five minutes have gone down to four and a half in the meantime. I’ll see you below, I have business with you…â€Danni tells her friends the party is over and they back off quietly. Except for Tico who anxiously needed to get even with Elvis for ruining his reputation, throwing an empty beer can at him. Sonny sees that and shouts at him “Hey punk!! You should try that when you’re standing next to him, pal!!†Tico trips over one of the boat lines and lands pretty close to Elvis, who growls at him. Tico gets so scared he crawls himself up to the edge and lands in the water, what he had coming all along.

[Danni Crockett]

Danni goes below to find Sonny awaiting her, with a beer in his hand and a cigarette, naturally. After a deep breath she enters the arena.“You were damn lucky that Rico held me back, Danni.†He says as he looks up to her. “I have had some time to cool off, so you’d better not do anything to relight the fire again, you’d be very sorry.†She’d rather not take him on to that invitation. “I wouldn’t wanna waste your perfectly good mood.†Was all she could come up with. “I’m off to bed, goodnight†Danni says as she turns around to move it into her bedroom. “Hold it! You didn’t think I’d let you off the hook this easy, now did you?†he comes off his so-called couch slowly approaching Danni. “What was that all about, with these friends of yours? You know I don’t want you to bring anyone here that I don’t know of.â€â€œI am trying to build a solid cover, “ Danni replies, making Sonny laugh “Oh, please!â€. “Tommy has to think I have money if he were to believe in the deal I am trying to set.†She continues. “My friends will spread the word I’m sureâ€. “I thought you were really close to ‘m, can’t you just tell him you have money?†Sonny replies. “Oh, come on! You of all people should know how difficult it is to have your target trust you?!†Danni says to defend herself. “Getting trust from my targets usually doesn’t involve sleeping with them!†Sonny says while he points his finger at her.“Now look Danni, if it wasn’t for Castillo backing you up in this stupid hero-thing of yours, I would be kicking your ass and making sure you’d stay the hell away from this punk! But since you turned it in to just another work situation, I am not in charge here and I have to stand aside with my back against the wall, seeing you get close with this bastard.†He pauses to get a grip of himself.“I need to know this Danni, … did he force himself on you?†Danni sighs with irritation, she knew he would have no idea what Tommy really was like. “No, it just happened.†“Oh, really? ‘it just happened’ … Was he gentle with you on your first time? I bet scum like him wouldn’t be so gentle and caring with a girl!†Danni looked away, sighed again and after this deep breath she coughed it up “He was not my first.†This was not the answer that Sonny had expected “What?!†“Don’t make me say it again! It is hard enough to give out this kind of personal info to a friend, so you can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is to tell this to you.â€The rage is on the edge of coming back, his adrenaline pumping, but he tries to keep cool. Remembering “we’ve all been 16†as Rico said. “I’ll tell you what I can’t begin to imagine! I can’t even bear the thought my teenage daughter has made it with one guy. So please give me a minute to grieve for the number has already gone up to two guys. At age 16 for Christ’s sake!†Danni was biting her tongue on this one, but it just popped out before she could even swallow the words.“I didn’t say it were two…†This sets Sonny off so hard he grabs her by the shirt, pushing her back against the wall, lifting her almost from the ground. His eyes are furious and the scowl even angrier. “I’m sorry, dad…†she tries. He holds her like that for about five seconds, looking her straight in the eyes.“Get out of my sight! Looking at you makes me sick.†Sonny groans. He practically throws her to her room on releasing the grip. Danni gets in there as fast as she can.

[Danni Crockett]

Day 4, ThursdayQuinton moves in on Danni between hours, for a change, unexpectedly this time. “Well, well, well, what have we here.” He wispers in her ear, knowing she finds him very sexy if he does that. “If it ain’t the famous Danni Davis…. Don’t you have to be in some class or something?”“What are you, my conscious?” She laughs softly as she turns around.“No, your boyfriend. But that’s practically one and the same thing.” He smiles and kisses her. Danni is taken by surprised he called himself her boyfriend. She knows not to get her hopes up to high with this fellow, but she can’t help but notice he is getting more and more involved with her. Would he really begin to love her?“What do you say we get together tonight?” Is he really serious on this? Never before has he asked her out on a date or anything like that. “Well, I’d love to. But I don’t know if I can get out of my prison cell tonight.” “You are entitled to 15 minutes of air each day, than.” Tommy jokes.“Hah, well not in the prison I am being held. But I’ll give it a shot, ok?” Danni started thinking on a plan to get this worked out, it would be really nice to see him outside school. “Meet me at the beach at eight, ok? I’ll take you out for a nice meal.”“Ok… Ah, the hell with it! …. I’ll be there...”Tommy kisses her again “See you then.” He gets up and makes his way back to his car. Danni follows his movements with her eyes. Just before he was supposed to set foot into the car, he turns to the left, walking up to another girl Danni never saw before. She did see him make this funny move, though. Why does he always leave her with mixed feelings? She is very happy he asked her out, but now she has seen his sneaky moves again, making her realize she can never fully trust him.

[Danni Crockett]

At the office, the phone rings, “Calabrese†Gina picks up. “Hi, Gina, just the one I was looking for!†Danni says on the other end. “Hi Danni, what have you gotten yourself into this time?†Usually when Danni calls Gina, she needs a favor, as does she this time. “Well, nothing yet, but … the day is still young… Listen, I need you to do me AND yourself a big favor.†Gina smiles, she knew it! “Ha-ha, and what might that be?â€â€œI need you to stall my dad tonight. You know, some dinner, some talking, some… Well, you get the point.â€â€œSounds like I’d only be doing you a favor.†Gina replies.“No, no, no. You can’t fool me. Come on, how long have we known each other? Like this is the first time you’d hang out together?! It was just about to happen anyway, you guys just need a little push in the right direction. And this is me pushing.†Danni persuades Gina. “Yeah, you’re pushing it, alright. And what will you be doing during all of this?†Gina wonders.“Well, I need to go somewhere tonight … I met this cute guy. I already talked to dad about this and I can go, the thing is, he wants Cinderella to be home by midnight. That might be fun when you’re 12 or something, but at 16, you really need a little more time.â€â€œHow much time are we talking about?†Gina says with a smile on her face, remembering what it’s like to be 16 and the fun she had herself.“About 3 a.m. would be nice.†Danni knew this would be off limits, but it’s worth a shot. “Oh, come on, forget it. He would kill me, and you second. I think you should be really happy with 1.†Gina negotiates.“Why don’t we meet each other halfway at 2?†Danni tries.“Make it 1:30 and you’ve got yourself a deal.†Gina is playing with the phone cord, she had been planning for a while to make a move again sometime. This could work out just fine. “Perfect! We’ve got a deal.†Danni answers gladly.“How do you want to arrange this?†Gina asks. “Well, I thought about that, off course. A plan should be fully thought through in advance. I have picked up a bottle of his favorite wine and made sure we have some nice luxurious snacks in the fridge. All you have to do is show up unexpectedly. But not too early, though, else you won’t be able to keep him busy all night….â€â€œDon’t you worry about that, I have some very good stalling techniques.†Gina laughs.“Haha, great! Oh, and uhm…. there’s one minor other detail.†Danni says.“And that is?†Danni takes a second before saying “I am gonna need to take the Ferrari…†Gina’s jaw drops open for a short while. “Are you out of your mind? You’d better not mess with his car. He is very sensitive when it comes to the Ferrari. You’d get yourself in a lot of trouble when he finds out. ““No, you mean IF he finds out. And he doesn’t have to. Just make sure you guys stay on the boat. If he wants to take you somewhere, just say you find the boat so romantic. He won’t have to be missing his car at all. I’ll make sure it will be in perfect state when I park it right back on its spot.â€â€œWhy do I have the feeling I will regret to have let you talk me in to this?†Gina answers. “So you will do it?†Danni asks. Gina pauses for a short while. “Yeah… I will do it.â€â€œYou’re the best! I owe you one!†Danni says joyfully just before hanging up.

[Danni Crockett]

A couple of hours after that, Danni gets on her way to meet Tommy. She had already taken the car key out of Sonny’s pocket when he hung his jacket over a chair as he got home. Sonny is fishing on the deck, heaving no idea what a nice evening he is about to have, and Danni as well. “I’m going now. See you later!†She says as she steps off the boat.“Is he picking you up, uhm, what’s is name again?†“Marco! No, I’m meeting him at the restaurant.†Danni lies. “Ok. Have fun, then. And don’t forget, midnight!†“Yeah, yeah, I know. Bye!†She walks the wharf to the parking place where she awaits the right moment to nick the car. After a short while, she sees her dad go below the deck to fetch a drink. That’s it! She gets into the Ferrari fast and turns the key to start her up. Hopefully he doesn’t recognize the sound from below there, he definitely would’ve if he’d still be fishing. While going easy in the gas, she drives the car off the parking place and onto the Ocean drive, where she can finally step on it and feel completely free with the wind running through her hair.

[Danni Crockett]

Around nine Gina gently steps onto the boat, making sure Sonny doesn’t hear her. He’s just gone below deck to pick up a book. Yes, he can read.Gina stands on the deck, on top of the stairs Sonny is about to climb. Still with his mind to other things, he is caught by surprise to stumble upon a pair of very nice legs and sexy high heeled shoes. He followes them all the way up until he sees the very pretty and familiar face of Gina’s. “Got lost?†he tried to joke.“Yes… I have no idea where I ended up, sir. Maybe you can help me find my way back?†Gina flirted.“Just step over the railing, down the wharf, passed the parking lot. There should be a cab ready to take you wherever you want to go.†Sonny teased.“Ok. I’ll find him. Thanks.†She turned around to pretend walkig away as Sonny rushed himself up the stairs, getting in front of her.“Uh-uh. I can’t let you get off this boat, ma’m. Once you get in, you can’t get out…†He approaches her, puls her close to him and kiss her passionately, the kiss was long overdue and they both knew it. After a couple of minutes of kissing and cuddling, Sonny offers her a drink.“I’d like a bottle of your finest wine… I believe it is sitting in your fridge…†She tells him, knowing she’d have to explain this in a little while.“Oh… how very nice. I’ll go and have a look.†To his surprise there is indeed a bottle of his favourite wine, just waiting for him. He opens the bottle and poors the both of them a nice glass. And after a while, a second one.“Too bad I can’t offer you something nice to eat.†Sonny says.“Well, as a matter off fact, I know there should be some luxurious appetizers sitting in that same fridge. But off course, you have been cursed by the I-can’t-look-past-my-nose-virus that practically every man is suffering from. So you will probably not have noticed this when you got me the wine.†She fools with him.Sonny moves himself back to the fridge and is again very happily surprised to find a nice stash of appetizers, wondering when Gina could have possible planted them.“You did just impulsively step by, didn’t you?†He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.“Well… to be honest with you… I have been set up, and so have you.†Gina ridiculed the both of them.“Meaning?â€â€œMeaning Danni arranged this. She took care of the wine and snacks and made sure I’d come over. I had her talk me into this…. But I am actually glad I came…â€â€œAh, I see. And uhm… what’s the deal with this then?†He says with suspicion. “There is no deal. She’s just trying to get us together… as she always does. Don’t you want me to be here?†Gina tests him.“I love to have you here. I just can’t help but feeling there’s a catch to this that I won’t like. But if you say it’s nothing, then you’re probably right. Let’s enjoy the treat while it lasts, come on.†They arrange themselves on a blanket on the deck, with delicious foods all over the place. “What do you say, wanna get wild and go drink some tequilas somewhere?†Sonny asks all of a sudden. As much as Gina would have loved to say ‘Yes’, she knew she had to stick to her end of the deal.“No… Why don’t we just stay? I rather just stay here on the boat.†She starts kissing him again to take his mind off the topic, successfully I might add, he forgets about it in just two seconds.“How come we never took that rain check from last year?†Sonny asks.“You never asked me over.†Gina replies.“Neither did you…†About an hour after this, there is a trail of clothes, leading from the deck to below, ending at the bed. Sonny just lights another cigarette, confirming you, that what you thought, indeed happened.“We should be getting our cloths on by now. Danni could be here any minute.†Sonny says, stroking the head that lies on his chest.“Don’t worry about that. We have all the time in the world.†Gina sighs gladly.“How come I feel I’ve just been had? Is this the catch? That she’d get some extra time?†“Uhum.†Gina confirmed with the least amount of breath as possible, she might need it later.“I knew it! And what time did you girls arrange?â€â€œNegotiate is a better word. We negotiated 2.†Gina just bought Danni an extra half an hour, just in case she’d forget about the time.“And you let her get away with that? Really? I never would have figured… I always thought you were tougher than that.†He teases her.“Oh, but I am very tough. I did it all for myself and it worked out fine, didn’t it?†She smiles, pleased with her answer.“Well, actually… it is your fault. So I think I may just have to deal with you … instead of Danni.†He pulls her real close to him and holds her firmly.“Oh, do you? Well, I think I might have to bust you for domestic violence then. I could lock you up for 5 years!†She bluffs.“So, you wanna play cops with that chocolate badge of yours? … or is for real?†He teases after which he releases her and they passionately continue their game for a while, until it really is time Danni gets back and get themselves dressed.

[Danni Crockett]

Day 5, FridayIn the morning Danni preps for school and probable meeting with Quinton. He is visiting this school on a daily basis, making sure his girls are growing attached to him. She gets into her so-short-this-could-be-my-underwear-jeans to keep Tommy interested in her. Thanks to a lovely night with Gina, Sonny is in a good mood this morning, and is even in it for a laugh.“What is that?†he asks Danni playfully when she enters the room.“What is what?†she replies, even though she knows what he’s referring to.“This†as he points to the short jeans.“Yesterday you were so rich you’d have your own boat, but today this poor little rich girl can’t even afford a decent pair of jeans… How tragic…â€â€œYou could solve that easily, you know. Just me and your credit card …. spending some time at the mall…†Danni says while holding up her hand for it.“There is one major advantage with pants like these.†Sonny replies with a twinkle in his eye.“Meaning?†Danni asks, wondering what kind of joke he is gonna pull this time.“Well… I can do this… “ Sonny grabs the hand she was holding up and quickly turns her over to give her one playful but very sharp pad on her basically bare bottom “…very easily!†He laughs at his successful prank.“Aargh! I knew you would eventually try to get even.†She laughs while rubbing the sore spot.“Hah! Well than I would just like to state for the record that this one was extremely mild… so, were far from even…†He kisses her on the cheek and gets up to get to work.“See you later, honey†still with a big smile on the face.“Bye dad.â€

[Danni Crockett]

Sonny had placed a bug in Danni’s bag, without her knowledge, for her own good. Danni had not given them enough information yet to get any serious lead on him and Sonny was getting more concerned for her safety by the day. Sonny had talked to Castillo about this and he agreed putting a bug in her bag could get them incriminating evidence. Also it was Castillo’s idea to make sure Danni would not know of this, for she could give herself away making it too dangerous. The team positioned themselves around the school premises, on several locations. This time, Sonny insisted he would hear what was said, he was to be in the van along with Zito and Gina. Tubbs and Trudy were in his Cadillac about 100 feet from them. Castillo and Switek waited yet another 200 feet further up North. As they expected, Tommy Quinton showed up around break time to meet Danni once again.“Hey, Blondie.”Danni turns her head and feels the pleasure coming over her at the sight of him, she is getting hooked on seeing him.“Hi, hansom.” She replies and lifts her mouth towards him, kissing him intensely. As usual, they move to a private spot to have their daily chat and update. Danni layed her bag on the ground, the both of them sit down on the grass next to it.“I really enjoyed being with you yesterday” Sonny hears Tommy say this to Danni, from the van. He looks sideways to Gina, anger coming over him.“You knew this, didn’t you?!” He growled at her.“No, Sonny. I didn’t! She never told me who she was meeting up with. I would never have gone along with it if I would have known!” Gina replies with innocence and feeling tricked at the same time.“So she screwed the both of us…” Sonny says softly as he wets a cigarette and lights it, helping him collect himself.“Yeah, it was nice… I dreamed about you all night.” Danni confessed to Tommy. “Well, I never thought I’d ever be saying this, but I have really been thinking about you… and our unfortunate situation.” Tommy put his arm around Danni’s shoulder and his other hand started stroking her hair, gently putting it behind her ears. Danni leaned into his hold.“What unfortunate situation?” Danni replied with a puzzled look on her face, scrutinizing Tommy.“The unfortunate situation that your daddy and I are in the same line of business.” Danni instantly sits up still scrutinizing Tommy, hoping he was not going to hurt her. “I … don’t know what you’re talking about?”“Don’t lie to this guy, Danni. Come on, don’t start that old thing again.” Sonny mumbles as he follows the conversation.Tommy’s lips form into a smile, he puts his finger under Danni’s chin and kisses her.“Come on, Danni. Didn’t you think I knew this? Sonny Burnett is your father, isn’t he?” Inside she thankfully said ‘Oh…Burnett the dealer… not Crockett the cop’“Do we have to move in?” Gina asks Sonny while grabbing hold of the walky-talky, getting ready to call for backup.“No! I think this could go somewhere. He will not hurt her. Not yet at least. Just wait.” Sonny replies.“Yes… He is… How did you find out?!” Danni answered Tommy. She expected this would happen someday, but not yet, they had been so careful. How the hell could he have found out already?!“I actually knew it right after I heard some stories about you living on this boat. Especially with that man-eating pet of yours… There’s only one man in the whole of Florida who could fit that profile.”“Ah! The stupid crocodile… I should have known he’d give me away…”“Alligator!” Sonny says to himself. He is always very sensitive on that, Danni likes to tease him with it and always calls the creature crocodile.“Yes, he kinda did." Tommy laughed. "But when you drove up to me in your dad’s Ferrari yesterday… I knew it for sure. … I’m a man… Men know these things, like which ride every other man owns.”Sonny gives Gina the eye again.“I tried to stop her on this… but I let her talk me into it… I’m sorry Sonny.” Gina states.“ ‘No, I just wanna stay on the boat right now’ ” Sonny impersonated Gina, making her feel just like Danni for a second.“You girls have any other plans to play some tricks on me? Better just tell me upfront next time!” Yet time for another cigarette. “I’ll stop her next time, ok? But this one I just got tricked into it, just like you. I don’t team up with her just to spite you! If you wouldn’t be so hard on her, I wouldn’t have to help her out when she has a date. She has these things from you, Sonny. And you know it. You are no different from her, only the age is!” Gina defended herself as she was in no mood to be taken for some schoolgirl. Sonny throws his cigarette away and comes up to her face.“Who the hell do you think you are to tell me how I handle my kid?! I’m hard on her? Uh-uh. She makes it hard on herself! Has it ever crossed your mind that I am trying to keep her on the right track because I love her and don’t want anything bad to happen to her? She could have killed herself with that car. I know what happens when you step on it and I sure as hell know what it feels like to speed through the city fast and top-off! The only difference is that I’ve been driving cars for over 20 years and she only knows where the steering wheel is for a lousy two months!” Sonny lectured Gina.“If you kids are done with the arguing… we’ve got some listening in to do.” Zito says out of nowhere. Sonny takes his seat again and calms himself somewhat down.“And you know that I like you, so don’t worry about it, love. … I would just like to know why you didn’t tell me, Danni?” Tommy asks. Danni takes a few seconds to come up with a plan.“It’s tricky.” She sighs. “The score I’m trying to sell…”“It’s your dad’s dope, isn’t it?” Danni nodded to confirm.“If he’d find out, he’d kill me. So we have to move very carefully.”“Just 3 kilos isn’t very much to get in such a fuss over. I wouldn’t want to get my hands dirty for just 3 kilos. I took you on to it because, well you know, I like you and wanted to see more of ya… So I guess I have to confess that I am not really into buying your 3 kilos…. Hell, it’s not even yours anyway.” Danni acted like she was angry with him.“What? So you just kept me on and you didn’t even wanna buy it?!! You’re just using me like you’re using all your other girls! Why don’t you just go **** yourself, ok?! I need to move my score NOW, and now I have to start all over again! Just… go to hell!!” Tommy grabbed her arm as she stood up to walk away. He pulls her back onto the grass, holds her firmly and kissed her again, passionately. “I love anger in a woman, it is very sexy…” He says with a sparkle in his eyes.“Well, I don’t!” Danni plays and tries to release herself from his grip.“What do I have to do with my goods now, huh? I have to get rid of it!” Danni growls.“Can’t you just plant it back, like it never happened?”“Uh-uh. That won’t work. I have no idea where he stashed it by now or if he even still has it. And, obviously, I can’t hold on to it either. Come on, man … help me out here?!”Tommy thinks for a short while.“Why don’t you introduce me to him? If he has some serious numbers to deliver or buy, we might be able to work something out.”“Really?? ‘Hi, dad, this is the guy I have been screwing around with lately. Why don’t you guys get together and work something out.’ Are you crazy? Trying to get me killed or something?!”“I would just love to see the man’s look on his face if you would say that.” Tommy laughs for a short while and then turns serious.“No, I don’t want to get you killed. I am just thinking of a way to keep my business going and get you out of trouble at the same time. But man, how I envy your guts to just nick your old man’s business…. Better not play that trick on me, though.” He warns her, just in case.“I’m almost starting to like this *******.” Sonny says to Gina and Zito. “If I didn’t know any better, he’d have me think he’d really be looking out for her.”They decide not to move into it right now. If Danni would really introduce Tommy to Sonny, they could take over the scene completely and put Danni back on the bench where she’d be safe.