"Spinelli, I need your help," I tell him as we go into the office, shutting the door behind us.

"Anything. You need only ask." He says earnestly.

I pause, considering my words, then amend, "I have two favors. The first should be fairly simple, and the other I will completely understand if you think it's too dangerous." He simply nods, so I continue, "I need information on Agent Cates. I want a thorough background on him, including what he was doing at Harbor View Towers two days after Morgan came home. I don't know why he was there, but it seemed suspicious."

He nods, his fingers typing at warp speed on his keyboard. Then, he pauses and looks at me, "Since that seems fairly straightforward, I'm assuming the second request is substantially more dangerous?"

I let out a big breath, rubbing my hand across my jaw. "Cates has an audio file that he is using as leverage over me. I want you to see if you can get access to the file and somehow destroy it, but only if you can do it without leaving a trace. You cannot get caught." I look at my friend, showing him how serious I am, "Spinelli, I know what a loyal friend you are, so if you say no, I will understand. There will be no hard feelings. And if it's too big a risk or there's a chance you could get caught, I want you to back out immediately."

"Jason…" he starts with hesitation, "If I get caught, that would be a federal crime. You know I would do anything for you, but…"

He stops, shaking his head. Then, he asks, "What is on the file?"

"All I can tell you is that it's a recording of a meeting of the families. The less everyone knows about the contents, the better." I am doing everything in my power to keep the information from Carly, knowing the weight she will carry if she finds out that all this was done to protect her.

Spinelli hesitantly nods, "I will get to work on the first part. The second is going to take more thought and planning, but I will see what I can do."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. And with everything, be careful."

He gives a distracted nod, already lost in his computer screen. There's a knock on the door, so I go out to find Carly. I immediately see the tension in her, so I ask, "Hey, what's up? Is everything okay?"

She twists her hands together, "Anna's here. I wasn't sure if you wanted her to know what you and Spinelli are doing, so I have her waiting in the kitchen."

I put my hands over hers, feeling her relax at my touch. "Thanks. Good thinking."

She gives me a sardonic look, "That better not be surprise I hear in your voice."

I chuckle, "Never." Then, I lean forward to kiss her, just a soft, comforting moment. When the kiss is over, I hold her loosely in my arms. She leans closer into me, her fingers grabbing at the back of my shirt. At her trembling, I promise, "It's almost over. We are so close. Just hold on a little longer."

Her head moves up and down against me. "Why can't the world just leave us alone? Why does it have to be so difficult?"

Pulling back, I put my finger under her chin, bringing her eyes to mine, "Because we have something special. A love and connection as strong as ours doesn't come without roadblocks. But we always come out the other side stronger and more solid. We will come out of this too. I promise."

She rests her forehead against mine, with our noses softly brushing. Her lips place the briefest pressure against mine, and then she whispers, "I believe. I have faith in us."

I give her a hard kiss, trying to put everything I feel at her words into the kiss: love, gratitude, and awe at her unwavering belief in me. I pull back, smoothing her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ears. With emotion in my voice, I tell her, "I love you."

She gives me a bright smile, her eyes misty, "I love you too."

Grabbing her hand, I lead us into the kitchen. Dante and Sam are talking to Anna, with Danny, Rocco, and Kristina sitting at the table having their own quiet conversation.

Turning her attention to me, Anna says, "I was hoping I could have a word. I had something I wanted to run by you."

All eyes turn to me, and I can feel Carly and Danny tensing. I calmly tell her, "Of course. Why don't we step outside."

I squeeze Carly's hand and tell her and Danny, "Everything's okay. I will be right back." Looking down at Carly, I ask, "Keep everyone inside?"

At her nod, I follow Anna out onto the back porch. Turning toward me, she jumps straight in, "I discreetly got in touch with some contacts at the FBI, and found out Cates has some complaints in his file that, even with this win, has left him on shaky ground at the Bureau. According to my contact, he is doing everything he can to keep his job. Perhaps there's an angle we can use there."

My eyes stare blankly ahead as I consider. She studies me, always watching for reactions. It is probably more a habit than an interrogation technique with me, but I still school my features, giving away none of my inner thoughts.

"If he is truly just hanging on to his job, the threat of a complaint from the police commissioner could carry some weight." Looking directly at Anna, I ask, "Do you know the specific complaints that were filed against him?"

"My contact said there was a use of force in there, but they didn't give me specifics. I can continue looking into it, but I'm being very cautious. Which takes time, Jason." She takes a deep breath, and softly questions, "Jason, don't you think we should let Carly know? She needs to know that the FBI has this information and could use it against her."

I'm already shaking my head before she finishes the question. "She has enough on her plate right now. And if she finds out, I know she will want to confront Cates herself. I can't let her take that chance."

She gives me a wry look. "She would absolutely confront him." Her tone shifts, becoming a bit gentler, "Carly can cause occasional drama and chaos, but she has a talent for coming out fine on the other side. She may actually be helpful."

"I can't put this on her. She will blame herself for the time I missed from her and my family. She will also take it on herself to try to fix it, which we both know is more likely to make everything more difficult and complicated. And right now, her focus needs to be on the kids, making sure they have someone to help them through all the loss they have suffered. I won't do it."

With a short nod and a half smile, she concedes, "You know her best, so I will follow your lead in this. But you may not have the choice much longer, I am concerned about what he's planning."

I take a deep breath, considering her words. As much as I hate to admit it, she has a point. Cates still has some plan up his sleeve, some reason to continue holding Carly's possible charges over my head. I know I should warn her of the danger, but in the end I won't. Every time I consider telling her, I think about the pain and fear it will put in her eyes, the guilt that would weigh heavy on her, and I know I will do everything possible to keep it as far away from her as I can.

After Anna leaves, I walk back into the office, to find Spinelli focused on his screen, only glancing up briefly at my entrance.

"Any luck yet?" I ask as I stand across the desk from him.

Spinelli lets out an excited murmur. "Yes, I have found Agent Cates on the night in question. He appears to be meeting…one of Sonny's guards."

I stride over turning the computer toward me. I rewind to the beginning, watching him get off the elevator to talk to a newer guard, someone who had just started before the FBI got their hooks in me. I watch as the two have an intense conversation. There is no sound, and the angle is wrong for me to try to read their lips. Cates gets right in the guard's face as an intimidation tactic, and whatever he says causes the guard to back down. He then hands him an envelope with a wad of money which he briefly looks at then pockets. Cates gives the guard one more warning and the two go separate ways.

"Any chance we can get audio of that meeting?" I ask.

With a shake of his head, he apologizes, "I'm afraid not. This system doesn't have sound capabilities."

I let out a grunt of frustration, then tell him, "Find out everything about that guard, including where he is now."

He turns the computer back toward him, and his head jerks up and down as he types again furiously. "That's what I was in the process of doing when you came in. Give me a second."

I wait silently, watching the expressions run across his face. Suddenly, he looks up, "Frank Giordano. 32 years old. He's been working for Sonny for about six years. Hmm…his account shows regular cash deposits of anywhere from $500 to $2500. They don't match up with his earnings from Corinthos Coffee. Why would Agent Cates…"

His voice trails off mid sentence, and he just scans through the information. I consider what this means, why Cates would be paying off one of Sonny's guards. I direct Spinelli, "See if you can find similar meetings on the day before or day of the deposits. Also, Agent Cates has some complaints on his file. Can you get me information on those complaints?"

"Your wish is my command," he says, then his fingers are moving at warp speed again.

An hour later, I'm reading Cates's personnel file. He has two use of force complaints and a few incidents where he was reprimanded for being over zealous in his pursuit of the case. After the last incident, he was given a formal warning in his file.

I called Brick, and he is personally bringing Frank to me. Maybe I can get some answers about what specifically Cates was paying him for.

Spinelli's head pops up, "Jason, I found a few other meetings. In this one, Agent Cates gives him some sort of… drugs maybe?"

I watch the video as he gives the guard a vial of some type of liquid. I growl out, "What the hell? When was this?"

"Right after Agent Cates got to town. This was right before the second deposit, in the amount of $2500." His eyes jump between the computer screen and me nervously. "This isn't good. Why would he give drugs to Sonny's guard?"

I shake my head, as confused as he is. "Print me a picture of that." Jumping back to something he said, I ask, "There was a deposit before Cates showed up? Have you found any evidence of a meeting?"

"Not yet, but I will keep checking."

My phone beeps with a text, letting me know Brick has arrived. Sending a quick text to let him know I'm coming, I tell Spinelli I will be right back, then slip out the front door and into the SUV idling in the driveway. I turn around in the passenger seat to look at the terrified guard in the back. Brick is sitting beside him, purposefully crowding him into the corner. He has a split lip, the dark blood making his face appear ghostly white. His hands are visibly shaking in the zip ties. Good.

I silently stare at him for a long minute, letting the tension build. When he looks like he's about to wet himself, I clip out, "You have messed up Frank. I know you have been taking money from the FBI. You were sloppy." I throw pictures at him of him and Cates meeting on three different occasions. "What happens to you next, to the people you love, depends on how truthful you are right now. Do you understand? You don't answer my questions and not only will you pay, but I will personally make sure your kids and that mistress you actually love pay for your lies as well." I pause to let that sink in. His breathing is so fast, he is on the verge of hyperventilating. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

His voice stutters out, "Y-yes."

My voice is so cold when I reply, he flinches back in his seat. "Good. I know your kids appreciate it, Frank. So, what were you paid to do for the FBI?"

"T-th-the guy gave me money to give him information about people c-coming and g-going from the penthouse. He never told me…."

"See, that's disappointing Frank. I thought we were doing so well. I thought you cared about your kids. But then you lie to me." I shove the picture of him with the drugs in his hand into his face. "This looks like a hell of a lot more than the comings and goings. What is in the vial, and what did you do with it?"

The man breaks down into tears, blubbering like a baby. Brick grabs him by the top of the head and yanks it back, "Mr. Morgan asked you a question."

"S-some drug I was supposed to slip into his bourbon. He never told me what th-the drug was." I study him. He's telling the truth, but there's something more he's not saying.

"Why? We pay you a hell of a lot more than what that fed was giving you. Why turn against the organization when it's a death sentence if anyone finds out? I never got the impression you were that desperate or that stupid. So, why?"

"He threatened my girl. He got her busted for having coke on her, enough for a distribution charge, and the only way I could save her is to work for him. I had to do it or she would pay. I didn't think it would matter. Sonny didn't drink anymore because of the bipolar disorder, so it shouldn't have mattered." Protecting your girl I can understand. There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect Carly. But drugging Sonny was sick. And it's not a line I saw Cates crossing.

With a hard voice, I ask him, "Do you still have the vial?"

He's shaking his head, "But there should still be some in the decanter in his apartment. It hasn't been refilled since I laced it."

I glance at Brick, who gives me a nod to let me know that he will get it tested. Turning back to the guard, I watch as he silently weeps. He jumps when I demand, "Did he ever tell you why he wanted you to drug Sonny?"

"Agent Cates just said he deserved it for what he did to Karen. I didn't ask because I didn't want to know."

Opening the door, I pull Brick outside, "Deal with him."

He gives me a nod, "How gone do you want him?"

I consider the question, but can't bring myself to end him for doing precisely what I have done for the woman I love. Plus, he still serves a purpose. Quietly, I answer, "Not permanently. He's going to serve another purpose. I want you to take him to Anna, and have him tell her about the drugs. This should do the trick."

He pats me on the shoulder, then shakes my hand, "Got it. I will let you know about the drugs. It shouldn't take more than a day to get results."

"Thank you, Brick. Keep me updated."

With a tight nod, he gets back into the SUV and takes off.

When I go back inside, I find Carly standing frozen in the doorway to the office, with the door cracked open. As I get closer, I understand why. I hear her voice coming from the room. "Sonny and I shared everything. I've been involved in every aspect of the organization for some time now…"

"Carly," I start. Then, in a shout towards Spinelli without taking my eyes off Carly, "Will you turn that damn thing off?!"

She jumps at the outburst. Then, everything gets too quiet. She turns her eyes to me, confusion and pain already swimming in their depths. "Jase? What is that?"

I go to stand right in front of her, not touching her yet. Looking to the side, I ask, "Spinelli, can you give us a minute?"

"Of course." He murmurs and then rushes out the door.

When it clicks closed, I take Carly's hands. "Carly, that's nothing you have to worry about."

"Jason," she cries, "there's a recording of me saying I am the head of a criminal organization. Who has this recording?"

"Agent Cates." I say softly.

Her voice breaks as she asks, "I'm the leverage? This is all because of me?"