2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

Dan leaves Maggie to believe he died in the FBI raid on the Jimenez warehouse. Why not let her know he was alive after the trial and the coast was clear?

Memory not clear...was there a big enough age difference that it was really inappropriate?

It was a time difference of 14 years.

Yes, but wasn't he in his mid-20s while she was a teen?

I don't remember his age but she was 18.

Charlene wrote: "Yes, but wasn't he in his mid-20s while she was a teen?"

Not really. She was 18 and he was 25.

The impression I got was that he wanted to protect her. He thought she would go back to the Jimenez house and get swept up into protective custody. If he had told her he was alive, she would have been in danger.

I know that FBI are supposed to use any means to get information, but their sexual relationship struck me as being . . . sleazy. He used her, left her thinking he was dead when she really cared for him and never bothered to find out what happened to her for 14 years. My opinion of him hit bottom on this.

It was insensitive at best. I truly believe he was attracted to her and fell for her by the time of the sting. Dan may have believed he was protecting her but after the trial, he should have reached out to Maggie.

Even after reading your comments, Anita and Jonetta, his behavior didn't bother me.

Perhaps it is because Dan did not actually target Maggie as his informant. He saw her and the attraction was immediate, whatever information she gave him was secondary to his feelings for her.

For me, his not revealing the truth after the trial made sense. The Jimenez family thought "Michael" was dead, and if he came forward to Maggie it would place both her and himself in jeopardy. Organized crime figures don't forgive and forget once the trial is over.

Oh, I completely get why he didn't contact her earlier. But when he finally did, he had to face the reality of the consequences. I liked Dan and understood his actions but Maggie got caught in the middle of his mess.

I agree that Dan didn't target Maggie, but had real feelings for her. He was really upset when she showed up at the bust. She had nothing to begin with and when she left the warehouse she had even less and was pregnant too.

Jonetta wrote: "Oh, I completely get why he didn't contact her earlier. But when he finally did, he had to face the reality of the consequences.."

Totally! He messed up and I'm really glad Maggie didn't just cave in to his explanations. She made him work for it!

And that’s what I loved about this romance. The issues had multiple perspectives and both struggled with complicated feelings. Maggie did make him work for it but in truly believable and understanding ways.