Chapter 9

|Harbor View Towers, Penthouse 2|

Spinelli loved Maxie.

He truly, honestly did, or else he would have told her to leave, sent her completely packing with her tail between her legs.

"I'm so sorry," she moaned, falling back on the couch, her head in her hands. "I mean, it just – I swear, thinking like you're drunk does bad things."

"The Jackal will locate Stone Cold and remove the bug without him knowing it," he repeated, like he had the entire drive back to the penthouse.

Of course he left out that he'd actually have to confess what Maxie had done because he didn't want to have secrets between him and Jason. She would just get upset and anxious, and it would be easier if Spinelli stepped between them and took the blame. He could make the entire set-up his fault and admit that they only wanted to know what Jason was doing. It wasn't like him to be so secretive and private – well, it was, but not with Spinelli.

And that was the only reason he'd gone along with Maxie's scheme at all.

"We should get a connection soon," he murmured, frowning at his computer screen as he hit a few keys.

"What's all this?" she asked, desperately sounding as she needed a distraction.

"Receiver. Transmitter. Fancy things that the Fair Maximista need not touch," he replied, continuing to type. His hands were shaky and they kept him from moving as fast as he usually would, but he was terrified.

This was worse than bad.

This was like death.

Times a million.

To his laptop.

"Maximista, you have to promise me something," he muttered, swallowing hard as he turned up the volume and waited for the connection to come through.

"Anything," she agreed, knowing there was a deal coming for what she'd done.

"No more pressing Stone Cold or myself for information regarding his personal life. If he chooses to sleep with Vixenella-"

"We already ruled her out," she chimed in, a proud smile on her lips.

"Okay, if Stone Cold chooses to sleep with the Formerly Fair Samantha or the Mat – Fair Elizabeth then we must let him."

"I get that, I do," she agreed, shrugging as she looked at the computer screen. He could see her trying to sort out what was on the screen, and he couldn't help but grin. "I don't know why I became so obsessed. I hate secrets, which is completely insane considering we're going behind Jason's back. I can't figure out why he would want to keep whoever he's sleeping with a secret anyway. That cannot be any fun for her."

Spinelli frowned, knowing he couldn't rightly explain why Jason was so complicated, that he feared hurting the people he loved. She wouldn't understand why he'd given up Jake and pushed Elizabeth away, and that reason alone was why he didn't believe Jason was sleeping with anyone.

Sure, Jason was being quiet and detached.

Yeah, there was something he wasn't telling Spinelli.

But more than likely it was business related, meaning that they shouldn't be following him period.

"We should have never done this," Maxie muttered, leaning against Spinelli and resting her head on his shoulder.

"The Jackal is afraid he must agree," he sighed, hanging his head.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, their fears mixing with one another's.

"How long does it take this damn thing to work?" she asked wearily, straightening up beside him.

"I hadn't used them before," he replied nervously, fiddling with the speaker. "I don't even know if they – oh, there." He nodded when static came over the speakers. "I'd rather not hear anything."

"Tell me about it," she huffed, tossing her bangs from her face. She wrinkled her nose as the static continued. "Can't you fix that?"

"I'm trying," he replied, shaking his head when it grew louder, practically booming through the room. "It's just – well, I didn't really get to try these out. You found them and – oh, there."

The static grew softer, a low hum as Jason's voice came over the speakers. "This is precisely why I didn't want to meet…"

"What the hell?" Maxie cried, clenching her fists when his voice faded away.

"Um, one sec," Spinelli muttered, fiddling with the cords.

"…if Spinelli is that close to finding…"

"I hope you didn't spend a lot on this, Spinelli. You were completely ripped off," she hissed agitatedly. "This is what you get for buy something off the damn internet from some computer geek, who still lives in some room with black walls in his parents' home."

Spinell frowned. "Fair Maximista, I feel compelled to remind you that I-"

"Live in a pink room, in a penthouse, and with a mobster," she interrupted, ticking each item off on her fingers. "You easily trump whatever idiot made this, and you could probably make loads of money if you made your own."

"Good to know that there is a fallback plan if the Jackal requires it," he murmured sadly.

"Oh, stop. You're the cream of the crop, and you know it." She nudged his arms. "And I forgot to mention another way you trump all computer geeks." He looked at her curiously. "You have me."

"Fair Maximista, that is the sweetest, most kindest-"

"Shh," she said, smacking him on the arm as she pointed at the speakers, the static having suddenly cleared out.

"…I know this is hard, but this can't work. Not right now."

"Because you don't want it to."

Spinelli's ears perked up at the familiar female voice, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember exactly who it belonged to.

"You know that's not true. I'm trying to make this work, but right now, with everything going on…"

"Shit," Maxie hissed, kicking the coffee table in annoyance when Jason's voice trailed off. Static burst into the room, and she gave Spinelli an apologetic smile when she realized it was her fault. "Sorry. I just got mad, but in my own defense, if this wasn't such – oh, it's back."

"You're giving me an ultimatum?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" she cried, jumping to her feet and stalking away from the coffee table. "I feel like we're living in 1930, listening to some terrible radio show soap opera that with a plot that just comes and goes as it pleases. This is not fair. I need to know what he's-"

"Perhaps, this is business and not a woman," he interjected, holding up a finger as he hurried to bring the connection back.

"No, it's not." She shook her head firmly and sat down on the back of the couch. "Look at the facts, Spinelli. You're not seeing this because you don't want to, but things add up towards a woman. And sex. And secret sex, which is the worst kind – at least for the woman. And he was just saying something about you finding out and how he couldn't do this with everything going on. I bet she wants to break it off."

"How can the Fair Maximista be so confident?" he asked, not believing her.

"Because I'm a woman," she said, rolling her eyes as if he should have been able to figure it out. "And I've had that same exact conversation before. Not that you wanted to be reminded about that."

"Well, perhaps it could give insight to the case," he offered, not wanting her to feel embarrassed about her past.

"Good point," she grinned, straightening up as she looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, when I was sleeping with Lucky it was a secret affair. Granted, I was giving him something so he would stay with me, but countless times I badgered him about leaving his wife, and he always said he couldn't – that there was too much going on, and then I'd give him an ultimatum."

"That he never took," he murmured, thinking about how brokenhearted Maxie must have been to put so much faith into something that never happened.

"Nope," she agreed, blowing her bangs from her face. "So I know exactly how whoever…" She trailed off when the static stopped again.

"So, that's it?"

Spinelli frowned at the sad tone of Jason's voice.

"That's it."

The woman sounded as sad as Jason, and he knew without a doubt who his friend was talking to. The familiarity of the heartbreak and pain was too familiar, something Spinelli had been there for all along.

"You know I love you."

Swallowing hard, he looked over his shoulder at Maxie, who was staring at the computer. He felt panicked, knew he had to do something. He leaned forward suddenly and started to cough, tumbling off the edge of the couch and onto the floor, pulling the laptop down with him.

"Oh my God, Spinelli!" she shrieked, jumping over the back of the couch and sliding to the floor. "Are you okay? Spinelli?"

"I love you too, but I can't do this."

He rolled over, trying to jerk the wires from the computer, but Maxie was holding him tightly, her hand on his face. "Are you alright? Forget about the stupid bug, Spinelli. You look like you can barely catch your breath." Spinelli curled up into a ball in her lap and let out a low groan, trying to distract her. Why was it that the bug worked when he didn't want it to, but failed when he needed it to?.

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth."

"What?" Maxie cried, lifting her eyes to the speaker.

Spinelli whimpered, burying his face in her lap, hoping that he could just will himself to die.