Dex and I have been checking out some of the properties on the list of real estate holdings he'd found at Sonny's. I recognize a few of them, but many Sonny had purchased since I have been gone.

We have checked out two warehouses that were mostly filled with coffee, but when you dig deep enough will find some smuggled contraband. When that yielded nothing, we moved on to some commercial properties around the city.

Feeling my frustration build, I punch the wall of the current retail space in a strip mall we are searching. This is pointless. He isn't going to be in some dinky strip mall. He is out there possibly hurting other people, including the people I love. I will tear this city apart before I will let him near my family.

Dex just watches me, with a hint of empathy in his eyes. He takes a breath as though he is going to ask a question, but then shakes his head clearly changing his mind.

"What?" I ask.

"How is Joss?" He asks me, hesitantly.

I give a shrug of one shoulder, "Scared, sad. But she's tough and resilient like her mom." When he just continues to look at me, I give a sigh, "Look, she told me what you did, or almost did for Sonny. About why the two of you are no longer together. And I respect her decision."

"Yes, sir. I do too." He tells me.

"Good. I love that young woman like she was my own. And I'm incredibly protective of her. Her real father is once again MIA, her stepfather is clearly not looking out for her. I just want to make it clear that I am." I make sure there's enough of a threat in my voice for him to take me seriously.

"Understood." He tells me earnestly. "I care about her too. I only want her to be happy."

I study him, seeing the sincerity of his words. "Joss is going to have a hard time getting through this. She will need good friends to support her," I explain. "If you really care about her, be her friend."

He nods, "I can do that."

Watching his expression carefully, I ask, "Why do you want to become a cop? Is it just to go after Sonny? Or just a reaction to Joss dumping you?"

He thinks for a moment, "I think both of those things are part of it. I love Joss, and when she looked at me like she didn't know me, like I was a stranger, I'm not going to lie, I would do anything to make sure she never looks at me like that again. And I think it's clear, Sonny is a danger. A danger that needs to be taken off the streets." He pauses for a moment, "But it's become something more than that. I think I will be good at this and I think I'll be able to do good at this job. I can help people, keep them safe."

I notice the sense of pride enter his voice and his posture. I remember that feeling when I started working for Sonny. Being good at what you do, having a sense of pride in your purpose, it's a heady feeling. Though a big part of my purpose has always been to keep Carly safe and happy. I have a feeling this kid is going to chase his purpose with the same passion I chased mine. As long as it doesn't hurt my family, I wish him luck.

Dex's phone rings, "Yes, Commissioner?"

There's a short pause, and then, "We're at the strip mall off Henderson." Pause, "Yes, ma'am."

He hangs up, and looks at me, "We need to check the Quartermaine mansion. She got a call about suspicious activity."

When we get there, I direct Dex to the front door as I slip around to the back. I see movement out by the Gate House. There's a shadowy figure skulking around, looking in windows. Creeping up behind him, I stay out of his sight line and make sure my steps are soundless.

As I get close enough to clearly see Sonny, I pull my gun and cock it. At the sound, he whirls around aiming the gun in my direction. Before he can take aim, I shoot the shoulder of the arm holding the gun. He lets out a howl of pain and the gun drops to the ground from his suddenly useless hand. I keep my gun trained on him as I reach down and pick it up.

"It's over Sonny." I tell him with a hard voice. I feel absolutely no pity for his sobs of pain. "You were coming after Michael?! If I had known all the ways you would fail him and Carly, I would've taken them as far away from you as possible when I had the chance. You don't deserve to breathe the same air as them. So, I'm going to make sure they lock you up in a cage for the rest of your life. Then, my family will be safe from you for good."

Sonny lets out a cry of rage and charges at me. But I've always been stronger than him, so I have him flat on his back after two brutal punches, one to the stomach and one to his chin. From the ground he spits at me, "They aren't your family. You think you can just walk in and take my place? They're mine." Then, he snarls at me, "Mine to destroy and end."

I grab his collar, yanking him up in the air so his feet are dangling. My voice is like ice as I promise him, "You have done all the damage you are ever going to do to them. When you're rotting in a jail cell, you're just going to be a bad memory."

His face turns purple in a mixture of rage and my hands cutting off his oxygen. "I will kill you," he spits out, then in a fraction of a second a bullet slams into his forehead. All life leaves him in an instant. One moment he's there, and the next he's a lifeless body.

Twirling around, I turn to search for the shooter. In my shock, I keep my hand around Sonny's neck. He becomes a human shield as Valentine steps out of the shadows shooting at me. I move rapidly to stand behind a tree, throwing Sonny's body aside.

"How disappointing, Jason. Hiding is beneath you. I was hoping you would kill Sonny for me. You have no idea how frustrating it's been trying to kill the man. He's like a cockroach, he just won't die." Valentine says with a sneer in his voice. Then, with a laugh, "Until now, I guess."

"Why do you want Sonny dead?" I ask to keep him talking.

"Other than he was bad for business? The way he treated Nina and the fact that he put his slimy hands on the woman I love, and then threw her away like trash, something I'm sure you can appreciate, meant he deserved to die." As he talks, I hear him moving around, so I shift based on the sound of his voice.

"You're running Pikeman?" I ask, putting the puzzle pieces together.

"Yes, and since you're about to die, you won't be able to tell a soul." I notice two things simultaneously: a figure is moving in the Gate House window, and another shadow is moving up behind Valentine.

Keeping him distracted, I ask, "Do you really think you will get away with killing both of us? How is that going to work? Do you really think the cops are going to believe we shot each other fatally at the exact same time?"

"Honestly, I'm not worried about it. Why would I be a suspect? I have no connection to either of you, so I will be last on the suspect list. And you won't be able to testify against Pikeman." He is moving closer, trying to sneak in at an angle. He has moved between me and Michael's home, which will soon bring us face to face. I see the door behind him creeping open. "You have screwed up too much for me, and I am going to happily end the Corinthos dynasty once and for all."

Then, he's right in front of me. My gun is already raised and cocked. An explosion of sound cracks through the night air. Four guns go off at once. Morgan, Dex, and I fire at Valentine a split second before he does, causing him to jerk enough that the bullet meant for my heart grazes my shoulder instead. Valentine, on the other hand, gets two shots to the chest and one to the head. He stays suspended for a stunned second, then crumples to the ground, still and dead."

"Jason!" Morgan yells, rushing over to look at my shoulder. It tore a chunk out of my upper arm, and hurts like a bitch.

Seeing his distress, I comfort him, "It's just a graze. I'll live, thanks to you. How long were you in there?"

I hear Dex calling Anna as my godson tends to my arm. He lets out a breath of relief. Keeping himself busy as he explains, he takes off his shirt tearing it into strips. He wraps them around my arm and shoulder as he explains, "I have been here for a few hours. I knew the cops were watching Mom's house and Bobbie's, and the only other person I knew Dad considered a traitor was Michael. I guess my hunch paid off."

By the time he has tied off the ends of my makeshift bandages Dex is coming over to us. "The police are almost here. They were headed our way anyway. Apparently some of your family called about shots being fired."

As he's saying this, figures begin moving toward us. I see Ned, Cody, and Yuri coming with shotguns and flashlights in hand. The mansion is lit up, with seemingly every light in the house turned on. I yell out to them, "It's Jason and Morgan and Dex. We have two dead and the police are on the way."

"Jason?" Ned asks, turning the flashlight on me, but lowering it so it doesn't shine in my eyes, "Who's dead?"

"Sonny and Valentine. Sonny was coming to kill Michael, and Valentine killed Sonny." Hearing the sirens coming in the distance, I ask him, "Will you call Diane? Tell her I need her."

He gives a nod, pulling out his phone.

I look at Morgan. He is standing completely still and silent, his eyes unfocused. "How are you doing kid?"

I put my hand on his shoulder when he doesn't respond. He jerks, his eyes shooting to mine. He shakes his head as if to clear it, then says in a broken voice, "My dad was coming to kill my brother. And instead I lost my dad. Why…" he begins, and then he breaks down in tears. I pull him to me holding him. I feel his entire body shake as the tears overwhelm him, and I support him when his knees begin to give out.

I tell him over and over, "I've got you."

He begins to calm down as the cops pull up. Anna and the other officers take control of the scene. She is shouting orders at the dozen cops standing around the grounds. Soon, crime scene tape is up, a coroner is standing over Sonny's body, and techs are gathering forensic evidence.

With everything underway, Anna comes over and asks, "What happened here? And what is Valentine doing here, dead?"

I step forward, telling her, "Sonny came here for Michael. He had a gun in his hand, so I'm assuming to kill him. We fought, and I had him restrained when Valentine shot him. He was running Pikeman."

Anna's attention sharpens, "Are you sure?"

Dex steps up, "I was a little late to the game, but I recorded most of his confession."

Both Anna and I turn to him impressed when he begins playing the recording on his phone. After listening, she tells Dex, "Send that to me." Then, she is moving off to look at the bodies and the scene, checking for proof of my words.

Morgan and I are standing to the side when Diane shows up. "Jason, are you okay?" Her eyes are looking at the bloody strips of fabric on my arm, then scan the scene as she yells, "Can a paramedic come look at my client? I would hate to sue the city for refusing him medical treatment."

In less than a minute, two paramedics are looking over my arm. They clean the wound and bandage it quickly and efficiently. Once they are done and we are alone again, she says, "Tell me everything."