EPISODE 20

Zander's Warehouse --

The officers had cuffed Thomas and Zander and walked them out to the squad cars that were parked out behind the warehouse.

As they got to the squad car, Ric turned Zander towards him. "You told me once to do what I had to do, it's my job as DA. Well guess what, my job as DA is making sure criminals that make their lives here in Port Charles get arrested, and unfortunately, brother dear, you are one of them."

"You know Alexis will have me out on bail by tomorrow morning!" Zander barked back as the officer shoved him down into the back seat of the squad car and slammed the door.

Ric turned away from the car and started to walk back to his unmarked vehicle .... "I don't think Alexis can even help you this time."

PCPD Squad Room --

Ric and the officers walked thru the squad room doors with Zander and Thomas both in silver bracelets. "Take a seat ...." Ric said as he showed Zander the chair by the officer's desk.

"Hey .. I get a phone call." Zander said and Ric handed him the receiver from the phone that sat on the desk.

"You have one call, so you better make it Alexis."

Zander dialed the phone and called his attorney.

"I need you. I'm at the PCPD."

Zander hung up the phone and looked on as the officer talked with Thomas, who sat at the next desk over from where Zander was sitting. Alexis was right, yet again. The deal that he had made with Ric had come back and bit him, and he couldn't help but think about what all this was going to do to his family.

It wasn't long before Alexis arrived at the PCPD and found Zander sitting in a chair, handcuffed to the wooden arms. "What's going on here, Ric?" she barked as she approached her client, Ric sitting at the desk filling out paperwork.

"What's going on here, counselor is that I am charging your client with possession, distribution and trafficking of an illegal substance. And before you even ask if I have proof ....." Ric reached in the box that sat on the floor next to the desk and pulled the evidence from the box and laid it on the table. Zander laid his head back and closed his eyes because he knew Ric had him dead to rights with what he's got in that box behind the desk.

"And you had a search warrant for that?" Alexis asked, her mind thinking quickly of a way to get Zander out of this mess.

"Yes I do." Ric pulled the search warrant from his jacket pocket and handed it to Alexis. "This collar is by the book, counselor."

"May I see you a minute?" Alexis asked as she motioned to Ric she wanted to see him in private.

Ric got up from his seat and followed her into the interrogation room, closing the door behind him.

"What are you doing? Do you even know?!" Alexis questioned.

"Look I'm not liking this any more then you are, Alexis! But I cannot sit by and watch my brother do his dirty dealings right underneath my nose!"

"Okay, what about Zander's deal? He told me .."

"Yeah Zander and I have a deal ... I gave him immunity for the murders of Sal and Miguel. Not for drug possession and distribution!"

"Do you know what this is going to do to Emily?! Do you even care about your brother or his family?! Ric you can't do this to him and you know damn well that you left very little wiggle room for me to help him!"

Ric hung his head because he knew she was right. He didn't think far enough ahead to consider Emily and Zander's family, he was focused more on taking down Zander's operation then what would happen when he did.

"Okay what about a deal, Ric? A lesser charge, suspended sentence ...?" Alexis continued hoping Ric would realize that what he was doing. "Help me here, Ric ... give me something."

Ric pondered Alexis's offer, but need more time to go over a few things before he'd give her a definite answer. "Look, I'll think about it, that's the best I can do for now."