A/N – Thanks for the comments!

Chapter 8

Spinelli almost dropped his soda when he saw the caller ID. He quickly grabbed his phone and jumped up and ran into the bathroom, turning on the sink and shower.

"Stone Cold Sr. Is everything okay?"

"No!"

Even though he is alone, he swears that Sonny has his living room bugged.

When he flushed the toilet, the expression on Edward's face is priceless.

Shoving the knowledge aside that Spinelli may be using the bathroom, he pushed ahead. "Before I even start, you owe me."

"I—I am aware of that."

After his grandmother had died, he had come to town looking for work. Edward had hired him for a few jobs and then decided that his services would be better working for Jason and Sonny. While he never required Spinelli to tell him any secrets, he told him if he feels that Jason is in trouble, then all that will change.

At first, Spinelli didn't understand why he was being banished, but Edward made it clear that Jason needed someone to keep him out of jail and that Spinelli could help do that. Stan is in college and while he is good, he's distracted and doesn't help like he used it. The timing had been perfect.

There was no way in hell that Edward was going to let Sonny ruin his stubborn grandson and having someone with Spinelli's skills around would help protect him.

"It's time to prove your loyalty to Jason."

"Was that ever in question? I have been his faithful grasshopper for years."

"Sonny has you running all over the place."

"While the godfather is scary, I would never choose him over Stone Cold who is the Batman to my Robin."

"I have no idea what you just said, but he needs you, Spinelli. I'm not sure what is going on, but lines are being drawn."

"Okay."

When the toilet flushed again, Edward couldn't hold his tongue.

"Would you get off the toilet and focus!"

Spinelli's eyes widened. "I can most assure you I am not relieving myself at the moment. I am only using a technique to assure that we cannot be overheard."

"That is just as disturbing. Do I need to worry?" Getting exposed would lead to a lot of bad fallout.

"No, SCS, I am handling it."

"I think you can trust Cody."

Spinelli gulped. "He is scary, but that is most certainly true."

"Good. If Sonny asks you to do something against Jason, you better get word to Cody. Is that clear?"

"Yes, SCS, I will do it."

"I will be in touch. Just act like you normally do."

"Yes, sir."

Edward ended the call. Spinelli annoys the hell out of him, but the kid looks up to him, so Edward tries to be patient. When a rival family approached Spinelli for his services, Edward decided to point him in Jason's direction because he knew that Jason would protect the younger man. While he did, Jason never totally warmed up to the geek, because he felt like something was off. Edward chuckled. "If he only knew," he muttered before heading to see his wife.

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The next day, Francis made plans to dock while Jason and Evangeline packed their bags.

"I can't wait to get on dry land," Eva said.

"Me too…" He doesn't mind being on the water, but that bad weather had soured him for a while.

"What's Diane like?"

"She's crazy but brilliant. She's a very good lawyer."

"I know who she is, and I agree."

"How?"

"I keep up with what's going on around me. The fact that you have no priors says a lot in your line of business."

"It's not from lack of trying. She's obsessed with shoes."

Eva grinned. "My kind of woman."

"You are too?"

"I like some finer things sometimes. I try to be stylish."

"Um, I don't."

She laughed. "I realize that Mr. black t-shirt."

"It's easy."

"I get that too."

"Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "I trust you know how to dress up when called for." He looks good in whatever he wears.

He grimaced but nodded.

"You are too much." She has never met anyone like him.

Nick had already let them know that Diane was with him. No one would question it, so it's fine. The house is on a private road, so they don't have to worry about nosey neighbors, but they are still not planning on arriving until after dark.

"I'm going upstairs to get some sun."

"I'll be up in a bit."

"Later."

Johnny smiled when she appeared on the deck. "Hey."

"Hi. It's a beautiful day."

He nodded. "There's some iced tea on the table."

Her attention went there and then she poured a cup. "You want some?"

"No, I just had a big glass."

She sipped it and smiled. "Reminds me of one of my grandmothers who lived in South Carolina."

"Francis prides himself in making it."

"You cook?"

"Hell no."

She shook her head.

"Can you?"

"Oh yeah. Lisa Williamson, my mom, doesn't play."

He grinned.

"Who plays poker?"

"I was gonna play Francis, but he made some excuse about having to steer."

She chuckled. "I play."

His brow rose.

"Let's go."

She sat and he couldn't help but accept the challenge and got comfortable across from her.

Jason leaned against the side of the boat as he watched them. They battled back and forth, and he was impressed with her skills.

She grabbed the stack of pretzels in front of her and pushed them forward. "I'm all in."

"That's some poker face," he said studying hers.

"Better than yours."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

He pushed all his pretzels forward.

"You're lying."

"What?"

Jason chuckled.

"You forget, I read people for a living and you're lying."

His eyes narrowed. "There is no way you can tell if I am."

"Oh, yes there is—prove me wrong."

He cursed under his breath as he flipped over his cards. He had nothing.

"Told ya."

She popped a pretzel into her mouth. "Read em' and weep."

When she flipped them over and revealed a full house, Johnny is stunned.

She giggled as she stood.

Jason moved forward and kissed her. "That was hot."

"Thanks. I'm going to go tell Francis how I kicked his ass."

"Beginners luck," Johnny said.

"You wish."

She disappeared inside.

"Seriously, you need to get her to tell me how she read me."

"You're not that difficult to read," Jason said before sitting. There is no way he's going to tell Johnny how he knows when he's bluffing. He likes beating him.

"I'm taking away your bro card."

"Is that supposed to hurt me?"

"Whatever…"

"Any word from Cody?"

Johnny grinned. "Yeah. He has the phone. Lila knew something was up and wanted to make sure he had your back."

Jason smiled. "She gave him a hard time?"

"Yes."

"Better him than me." He hates it when Lila is mad. It's rare, but when it happens, it messes with him for days. "I was thinking of putting something in motion."

Johnny is intrigued. "What?"

"I think we need to make Sonny take out Sorel."

"And how are we doing that?"

"Sonny is probably starting to lose it. If he thinks Sorel is working with Faith, then he'll get rid of him."

Johnny smirked. "Any ideas?"

"Cody has been assigned to watch Sorel."

"You want him to start planting seeds of doubt?"

"Yes."

"I'll get the word to him."

"There has to be something that can be linked directly back to Sonny in case we need to use it against him later."

"I like how you think. I'll brainstorm with Francis."

Jason nodded. This kind of chess game he likes. In the end, if Sorel and Faith's deaths can be pinned on Sonny directly, not only will the five families leave Jason alone, but it will get the PCPD off his back. When Sonny is eliminated, Jason will get off scot-free. Eventually, if he chooses, he can make the business legit. The coffee side of it is very lucrative. While it makes it easier for them to launder money, if he can build a coffee empire, he'll have no need for the laundering. It won't be easy to go legit if he stays in Port Charles, but maybe it's time he starts considering his future instead of living moment by moment in chaos.

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When the boat finally docked, they packed up and then Francis helped Evangeline get off the boat. She reeled a bit when she finally stood on the docks, so he steadied her. "It feels weird right now, but your brain will adjust."

"Thank you."

He pointed to Johnny, and she grabbed one of her bags and went to him. He quickly led her to a small parking lot and into a large SUV. A few minutes later, Jason joined her, and the other men got the car loaded and then gave the keys to the boat to a courier.

Francis slid behind the driver's seat. "Alright, here we go."

Johnny turned on the radio. "Relax, it's going to take about an hour and a half with this traffic to get there."

Eventually, the car lulled Eva into a deep sleep, and Jason had to shake her awake when they got there.

She stretched and then looked out the window. There is a thick swatch of woods that surrounds the land around the house.

They get out and she inhales deeply. "It's nice here."

She hears a woman's laugh and then turns to see Diane launch herself into Francis's open arms.

Smiling, she looks at Jason. "Did you know she was going to be here?"

He nodded. "She's nosey."

Eva laughed, getting Diane's attention, who reluctantly left her husband and held out her hand.

"You must be Evangeline," Diane said before grasping the other woman's hand.

"I am."

"I read about some of your cases. They were impressive."

"Ditto."

"These lug-heads keep me very busy."

When Jason cleared his throat, Diane perused him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"You always say you're okay when you're not."

He smirked. "It's good to see you too."

She shook her head and briefly hugged him. "Come inside. I hope you're hungry."

"You ordered food?" Francis asked.

"We picked it up on the way in," she said as she led Jason and Eva inside the two-story house.

Eva smiled when she cleared the doorway. "I like it."

Diane smiled. "It's very comfortable. No leather couches much to Jason's chagrin, but he'll live," she said purposely poking the enforcer.

"It's nice," she said before moving into the living room. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. She will be missed. Have a seat while Nick and I get things ready."

"You rang?" Nick asked as he came downstairs. "Hello, Jason."

They shook hands.

"This is Evangeline."

He smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise…"

"I'm the geek of the bunch."

She watched him disappear into the kitchen and then walked around the room as Jason observed. A smile lit her face when she spots a young Diane in a picture.

"What?"

"Diane was a cute kid."

Jason got up and looked. While he has spent some time in Francis's house, he never paid attention to pictures. "Sometimes, it's hard for me to make things out."

Her finger traced a line and her voice softened as she described it.

"Thanks."

Diane grinned as she watched them, liking their dynamic and it just grew brighter when Jason slipped his arms around Eva and leaned so his chin rested on her shoulder. It's rare to see many intimate moments with him. He's usually so stoic and closed off except for flashes of anger. There was one time she had to take care of him when he was injured, and it forever changed her view of him. No person should have to carry the pain the man lugs around.

His gaze suddenly snapped to her and Francis observed as his wife and friend communicated silently, Diane giving her approval of Evangeline with a nod. Jason's body relaxed further, and Diane went back into the kitchen. They've had a few heated discussions about the enforcer. While his wife generally appears to be officious where Jason is concerned, the enforcer had unknowingly wormed his way into her heart, and they have a unique bond. He's glad, because sometimes, he has no patience where Jason's personal life is concerned, and his wife is good at giving him clarity.

Johnny stumbles in behind him with suitcases. "Would it kill you to grab one?"

Francis grinned. "Yes."

Eva chuckled as she focused on them, and Jason reluctantly released her.

"Come on and eat," Diane yelled.

"Hurry up," Nick added making them laugh.

Everyone gathered at the table. Jason mainly listened as he ate the Thai food. It's moments like this he likes the most. Everyone is at ease, and he feels no judgment. They know him well and don't mind his quietness.

After some cookies were served for dessert, Diane folded her hands under her chin.

"So, I need to get back into town tomorrow evening, so I was thinking that we could do the wedding around noon. Will that give you enough time?"

Eva shrugged. "I don't have a lot to do. That should be fine."

Jason nodded. "I have to do my hair, but I think that should work."

Diane shook her head. "Funny…"

Eva smiled. "Want to show me what you bought?"

Diane's grin widened. "Let's go."

"Are you nervous at all?" Nick asked.

"Yes, but more about the aftermath."

"She seems like she's very nice, Jason."

"She is."

Francis cleared his throat. "Were you able to see what Spinelli is up to?"

"Yes, and frankly, I'm not sure what to think," Nick said.

"Why?" Johnny said before wiping his mouth.

"He let me in his computer."

The men eyed each other for a long moment.

Jason almost smiled. "That means he's on our side." Spinelli would never allow that to tarnish his image.

Francis nodded. "At some point, should we reach out to him?"

Nick shook his head. "No. If he needs to tell us something, I gave him a secure email address. We're good and it's wiped daily." The only good thing is that their enemies are not as well-represented as Corinthos/Morgan in the geek department. They had IT people, Nick and Spinelli are very well-respected hackers with connections and would run circles around the geeks that Sorel and Faith have. He stood. "I'm going to look at some surveillance video regarding Sorel." They have cameras all over the city and he can easily hack into the ones that don't belong to them. He's pretty sure that Sorel was stupid enough to meet Faith at one of his favorite haunts, it's just trying to narrow that down. If he can find it, he can feed information to Spinelli and hopefully, it will be enough to tip Sonny off and get the ball rolling.

"Thanks,"

Johnny started clearing the table, so Jason and Francis followed suit.

"Diane said she got you a button-down and slacks. You don't have to wear a suit."

Jason is happy about that. "Sounds good."

Upstairs, Eva's mouth drops open when Diane pulls the dress out.

"So, I take it that I did well?"

"Oh, you did very well." The dress isn't busy or garish. The top is a v-neck, and sleeveless with sheer lace that stops at the waist. The bottom fabric kisses the floor but doesn't billow out at all.

"I thought about tea length."

"That would have been fine too, but this is simple and elegant. It might not be the perfect circumstance, but I still want to feel like a bride and make it more special."

Diane smiled. "You know your future husband would probably rather get married in jeans and a black t-shirt."

Eva chuckled. "He has assured me that he knows how to dress up."

"He does, and he looks good."

Eva slightly blushed.

"I have a friend at the hospital named Epiphany. Her son used to be our main geek." Diane grabbed a bag and handed it to her. "She helped me out with some hair products and tools."

Eva quickly opened the bag and gasped. "This is awesome."

Diane is shocked when she's warmly hugged and then Eva spotted shoes. "Holy…"

Diane followed her gaze and then laughed. "You like them?"

"I love them," she said grabbing the Jimmy Choos."

"I only got you three inches. I think you're the tallest woman Jason has ever dated." Eva is 5'7 and most of Jason's exes are shorter.

"They are perfect."