EPISODE 22

The PCPD --

Alexis placed both her hands on top of the table and leaned in towards Zander. He avoided looking at her by looking at the shiny silver bracelets he was wearing.

"Look at me..." Alexis said and Zander looked up.

"You need to take this deal Ric is offering you. You have Emily and your children to think about, Zander. You can't very well protect them from behind bars."

"Yeah well I can't very well protect them if I'm dead! And taking Ric's deal will just be signing my death warrant, Alexis!"

"Look, you signed your death warrant when you took over your father's business, Zander and Emily married you regardless, cause she loves you and she knows you will protect her! She trusts you! You can't go to prison and leave her with Devon, unprotected. You have no other choice but to take Ric's deal!"

Zander couldn't imagine his life without Emily and his children, they are his world. He couldn't let his children grow up without a father and making the decision to take the prison term would be leaving without a father for the next 20 years. Alexis was right, he can't protect his family from behind bars. He had no other choice but to take Ric's deal.

Alexis saw Zander was thinking over his options and excused herself from the room to talk with Ric. Perhaps leaving Zander to think on what she said would change his mind. She left the interrogation room and closed the door behind her, Ric meeting her when she emerged.

"So .. did you talk some sense into him?"

"I tried, I'm hoping he makes the right decision."

"I hope so too, for Emily's sake. She needs him."

"Yeah she does. Do you really need his contact, it sounds like he gave you plenty for the immunity deal?" Alexis asked.

"You know the deal, Alexis .... Zander gives us the contact and I'll make sure things are in order for him to get a suspended sentence on these new charges."

Ric and Alexis turned towards the interrogation room as Zander emerged and walked towards them. "The deal still on the table?"

"You're doing the right thing, Zander." Alexis said as she stepped forward.

"Oh one catch though." Zander said as Ric pulled out the paperwork.

"What's that?"

"Thomas is included in this deal." Zander replied and looked over towards Thomas still sitting and handcuffed to the chair.

Ric sighed. "Okay, you give me your contact and you and Thomas can go. I'll work out the deals and give them to Alexis."

A smile came over Zander's face. "So, tell me ... the contact?" Ric asked.

"Can we not do this out here in the open?" Alexis led the way back into the interrogation room, Ric and Zander followed.

Zander took a seat at the long metal table and Ric sat down across from him. Alexis closed the door and went to Zander's side of the table as Ric reached into his coat pocket for a pen. There was a tablet laying on the table in front of Zander and Ric laid the pen on top for Zander to use to write down what Ric wanted to know.

"Okay Zander, tell me .... who's your contact?"

Zander took the pen in his hand and wrote down his contact's name on the tablet in front of him. He turned the tablet around for Ric to read the name he had written down.

"You have got to be kidding!" Ric blurted out.

Zander smirked from across the table, "Ric, you wanted my contact and now you have him. I cannot help it he's on a cold, hard slab in the morgue."