Things were deceptively quiet with Sonny for the next few weeks. Then, just before Thanksgiving, TJ and Spinelli found out who he would be working for if and when he joined The Zacchara organization.
Mike, Lulu and Olivia, who had been the woman Sonny had pulled out of the fire, left the hospital the same day. Lulu and Mike were released, but Olivia left voluntarily. Georgie had overheard a fight between Kate and Olivia. Kate blamed her for her breakup with Sonny. Lately, Georgie was being put in a position where she knew much more about Kate than she wanted to know. For instance, after her first fight with Olivia, Georgie overheard another one. Kate admitted to sleeping with Jax and Carly walking in on them. Georgie hoped Carly wouldn't come running to Spinelli to hire him to hurt Kate and Jax. She felt that Spinelli's skills should be put to so much better use than revenge cases.
"Oh no, Spinelli said in his apartment at the same time Georgie was in Kate's house, creating a blog entry and trying hard not to hear Kate's detailed description of her sexual encounter with Jax and Carly's subsequent reaction, "not him!"
"Who is he?"
Before Spinelli could answer, the doorbell rang. He answered it to a very tense Jason. He was dressed in camouflage; obviously he had just completed a very clandestine activity.
"OK," Jason said as Spinelli closed the door, "I need the list of possible locations you made for the Russian Syndicate. Where is it?"
"Oh," Spinelli said, caught off guard, having been ready to tell him about Sonny's partner. "Um-"
"Where is it?" Jason demanded.
"You seem most intense."
"We hit the Russian's new warehouse."
They had had it built in the same location as the old one. Spinelli had been puzzled by such a seemingly unwise decision, but Stone Cold had said it was to show that they were not beaten. Jason would have to strike harder and faster. One way or another, they would be driven out of his territory.
"There will be swift retaliation," Spinelli clarified, both to show that he understood the situation an to make sure TJ did.
"Right. Elizabeth and the boys are out of town. There is nothing to stop me from running these guys into the ground."
TJ gave Spinelli a questioning look. Spinelli shook his head; this wasn't the time to explain about Elizabeth and the boys, and when he did he would not tell his protégé the entire truth. The secret of Jake's paternity went deeper than full business disclosure. Jason was his friend and Spinelli kept the secret of Baby Jake in that capacity, not in the capacity of Stone Cold's employee.
"I care about Elizabeth and her sons," Jason said shortly to TJ. "That's all you need to know about that. Now where is that list?"
Spinelli handed it to him, then said, "we know who Mr. Sir has chosen as his business partner. We know who has taken over the Zacchara organization."
"Who is it?" Jason asked, scrutinizing the list intensely.
"The Senior Sith Lord, Trevor Lancing."
Jason looked up.
"Are you sure?"
Spinelli nodded and instructed TJ to show Stone Cold the security footage they'd just uncovered.
Milo admitted Trevor into Sonny's house. They went into the living room, where Sonny and Trevor had a very intense conversation. Trevor gave Sonny some papers to sign. Sonny did, keeping a copy for himself. Trevor offered his hand, which Sonny declined with a sour expression. Trevor shrugged, looking exceptionally smug, and left Sonny to brood.
Jason sighed with resignation.
"We'll deal with Sonny and Trevor later, but thank you for finding the information so fast. For now we gotta get rid of The Russians. Sam was with them when we ambushed their warehouse. We got her out, but there's no way they don't think that she's working with us."
"A most dire situation," Spinelli said.
"She's with Elizabeth and the boys in a cabin in the woods. I wanted to send them to a safe house, but Lucky didn't want them under my protection. It's OK; at least they're out of town. They're safe."
Spinelli nodded. TJ listened intently, not wanting to miss anything that might help him and Spinelli carry out whatever orders Jason would give.
"Why is Detective Spencer's girlfriend involving herself in this?" TJ asked.
"She and Nadine were trying to prove who they thought was behind the fake drug ring. Sam appears to be right. My Surrogate Sister, however, was way off base."
Spinelli had proven to Nadine that Matt Hunter was not the culprit in the fake drug case and was in no way involved. She had paid him, against his protests that they were family and he didn't want to take money from her. He hadn't even told her what the rates were; she'd asked Carly, who had research PI fees on the Internet an had tried to pay him double to destroy Kate. The rates were precise; in fact, they had both paid him what he would be charging when he was officially Jackal PI.
Carly had paid him enough for two investigators. She had been including Georgie, but she was not a legal investigator yet, so Spinelli had shared his with her and adjusted Carly's rates to be fair to both women.
Nadine had refused to take no for an answer, so he took the check and bought her a new car for Christmas. The check was the down payment and he paid for the rest with money he'd earned from Stone Cold, who, always true to his word, had doubled Spinelli's pay after he'd found Michael's shooter.
Nadine's old car was giving her more trouble than it was worth. He couldn't wait to see her face when he handed her the keys to the new car and brought her outside to see it on Christmas morning. For now, he was paying to store it on the lot where he'd bought it.
"The Russians are well organized," Jason said, "and they don't leave any witnesses."
"Hence the attack on The Blonde One."
"The warehouse explosion is not gonna be enough to force the Russians out."
"You have strategized carefully."
"If we don't take coordinated action, The Russians could do even worse damage."
The doorbell rang again. This time, it was the police.
"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Spinelli," Detective Harper said, "but this is official business. Jason Morgan, you are suspected of arson in the Peer 23 warehouse fire and Murder 1 in the shooting of three men. I'm placing you under arrest."
Spinelli began to protest. TJ looked scared. Jason sighed as Harper cuffed him.
"Call Diane," he told Spinelli.
He nodded, resigned to the fact that at this point, that was all he could do. But an idea struck him as Harper closed the door and he grinned at TJ.
"While The Jackal phones the Brusk Lady of Justice, His Eager Apprentice will be hacking into Interpol."
Later, Spinelli saw Diane arguing with Alexis over Jason's case. TJ stayed at the apartment with Kendra; he was still trying to make his fake system Jackal proof.
"Gracious greetings to the two ladies of law and order."
"Sorry, Spinelli," Alexis said. "He's not allowed visitors."
Diane argued and Spinelli was allowed to see Jason.
"Stone Cold can rest at ease. You shall soon be a man of freedom. My Eager Apprentice and I have it all under control."
He pointed through the window of the interrogation room at a scowling man arguing with Alexis.
"He's from Interpol. TJ and I Jackaled into agency communications and created and official version of the recent warehouse explosions and fatal shootings."
He explained that Interpol now suspected a rival organization and that their representative was going to take all the evidence from Alexis and run their own investigation. Jason worried that Spinelli and TJ could be tracked and caught; after September 11, Interpol was much more diligent. Spinelli assured him that they'd left no trace of their presence. Then Alexis came in and released Jason, looking as if she'd swallowed a lemon.
Later, Spinelli would get the phone call informing him that Jake had been kidnapped by The Russians. Lucky had left Sam and Elizabeth unguarded. For the next few hours, Sam and Jason would be in almost constant danger as they searched for Jason's lost son.
Spinelli was unable to bring himself to leave Kendra for those twelve hours. He knew they were not in danger, but he couldn't imagine being without her. He knew his friend and the woman he loved would be in constant agony until their son was returned.
