Taunting Jordan

Jordan accused Kate of being in her apartment when she called her Joan Cooper, and attacked her. Kate threatened to expose her numerous aliases to Rafe.

At TBD, Sami got Maggie to agree to talk to Nick about Arianna's custody agreement. Jordan arrived and warned Ben that someone found out about her fake IDs. She asked her brother to leave town. He refused. Later, Jordan happened upon Kate talking to Rafe and assumed Kate had spilled all about her.

She hadn't. Kate taunted Jordan some more.

The Upper Hand

EJ informed Nick that he got rid of Percy, after figuring out he was the one who photographed him and Abigail. Nick believed he still had the upper hand. EJ warned that if Nick leaked his affair to Sami, he'd be sorry.  "What's the worst you can do to me EJ? Kill me?" asked Nick.

Nick visited Maggie, who brought up Gabi. Nick assumed Abigail talked to her about the agreement and went off about nobody ever being on his side. Maggie assured that wasn't the case. Nick swore love changed him and that he was going to have the life he always wanted. 

Nick found Abigail and accused her of making him out to be the villain. Abigail was worried about Will. Nick wondered what their family would think if they knew she was EJ DiMera's whore. Abigail slapped Nick; then, started to cry. Nick said it would come out, and Sami would come gunning for her. 

Just Do It

Back the mansion, EJ retrieved money and a phone number from the safe. Sami walked in and spat that Nick's demands would never end.

Then, she told EJ to, "Do it." EJ phoned a hit man about a job. They made plans to meet at the square. Allie talked to Sami about her favorite cousin, Nick, and how he helped her with her homework. Sami felt guilty and left.

EJ met with the hit man and gave him a bag of money. The man said, "24 hours," and left. Sami arrived. EJ told her that Nick was "a dead man." Sami had reservations. EJ got a text from Abigail and left. Meanwhile, Julie and Nick chatted about his letting go of the past and focusing on his future. Nick said he turned his life around and couldn't have done it without her. Sami saw the duo together and split.

Nick went after Sami. He knew something was going on and demanded to know what it was. Sami admitted she didn't know what to make of him and mentioned him helping Allie with her homework. Nick said he just wanted to fit in. Then, his demeanor changed and he went on about messing with people's heads. He told Sami to tell Will to stay in line and maybe he'd get to see his daughter once in a while.

'Fessing Up

EJ met Abigail at his office. She said she was going to tell her mom they had sex and mentioned Nick having incriminating photos of the two of them. EJ admitted he already new and vowed to fix the situation. Abigail ran into Will and apologized for recommending Aiden to Nick. Meanwhile, Sonny confronted Nick about what he was holding over Gabi's head. Nick brought up Melanie's kidnapping and said if the cops found out, she wouldn't be allowed near Arianna. Nick said he was the one holding all the cards.

A Murder in Motion

Sami arrived home, and EJ sensed she was having second thoughts about eliminating Nick. He offered to stop the hit. Sami said she didn't want him to. Sonny went to the Kiriakis manse, where he fetched a gun, loaded it, and put it in a bag. Nick found Will in the park. He started calling him Golden Boy and said that Will got away with everything. Will punched him. Rafe happened by and broke things up. Will threatened to kill Nick, if he tried to take his daughter away from him. After Nick left, Rafe chastised Will for giving Nick ammunition against him.

Working Her Magic

Ciara pouted until Roman relented and agreed to take Giselle to the gala. Hope entered, thanked Roman, and asked Ciara what happened. Aiden quickly took the blame. Ciara was annoyed he blew it. Alone, Aiden told Hope he offered Ciara a reward if she could convince Roman to escort Giselle. He apologized. Hope was okay with it.

Tenuous Engagement

Liam's ex, Deborah, met with Nicole and said she checked the safety deposit box, but there was nothing in it about Nicole. Later, Eric found Nicole and said he made a decision about his future. Then, he proposed to her. An overjoyed Nicole accepted.

Hope met with Eric and Nicole and explained that the investigation into Liam's death was over. They found nothing relevant at the crime scene. Meanwhile, Daniel and Jennifer returned to Smith Island to retrieve a necklace Jennifer lost. While there, Daniel found Chyka's pieced together documents and recalled that Nicole had the same papers. He hid them, when Jennifer approached him.

Eric and Nicole went to see Jennifer. The ladies discussed their ordeal with Liam. Eric prompted Nicole to share their big news with Jennifer. Nicole showed Jennifer her engagement ring. Jennifer hugged her and offered congratulations. Meanwhile, back at his place, Daniel read through Chyka's documents and remembered Nicole trying to tell him about this.

Making Up

Bev continued to rub the fact that she was with JJ in Paige's face. Later, while doing his community service, JJ and Paige talked about her leaving for Stanford. He said he didn't want to get close because she'd have a new boyfriend in no time.

Later, JJ admitted he had abandonment issues to Paige and recounted stories about his late father. Paige understood, revealing that her father took off. The pair bonded and started making out on the Horton sofa. Soon, JJ apologized for getting carried away, and they made plans for a date. JJ found Bev and revealed that he and Paige were back together. Bev was disappointed.

Leaving Town?

Gabi overheard Jordan booking a one-way trip out of town. She questioned Jordan about it and realized Rafe didn't know about it. Abigail joined the twosome, and Jordan took off. Gabi lamented all the stress surrounding the custody agreement. Abigail blamed Nick. She told Gabi she'd made a  horrible mistake and that Nick was making veiled threats about it. She begged Gabi to talk to Nick about it. Gabi said she couldn't. Nick didn't like people telling him what to do. Gabi started crying and ran off.

Rafe arrived at TBD looking for Sonny. Ben said he wasn't there; then, asked Rafe to talk Jordan out of leaving Salem. Rafe was surprised to hear the news. Rafe found Jordan and questioned her about leaving town. She didn't want to discuss it. Rafe offered to help with whatever she was dealing with. Jordan decided to stay in Salem.

Suspects Central

Sonny was stunned when a battered Will arrived home. He asked what happened. Will announced, "Nick happened." Sonny told Will to stop acting like Nick had all the power. Will insisted he did. Sonny vowed not to let anything bad happen to Will. As they kissed, Sonny's bag fell and Will found the gun. Sonny confessed he was going to kill Nick. Will urged him to return the gun to Victor's. Sonny said he would... tomorrow.

Kate informed Lucas about the latest on the custody agreement, and he went ballistic, vowing not to let Nick use Arianna as a pawn. Later, Kate muttered that she wouldn't kowtow to Nick anymore. Meanwhile, Ben warned Abigail to stay way from bad-news Nick. Abgail said he wouldn't be trouble for much longer. Sami felt guilty about eliminating Nick. EJ explained they had no other choice and suggested they take a walk. Abigail met Will and admitted Nick had something on her and that it was bad. Kate informed Sonny that the custody hearing was next week. Sonny phoned Will and told him the news. Will told Abigail he had to go and took off.

Bang, Bang

The hit man found Nick in the woods and took out his gun, when Julie interrupted. Nick admitted it had been a lousy day. Aside from her and Maggie, nobody would care if he lived or died. They discussed the custody agreement, and Nick admitted he kept doing stupid things. Julie suggested he talk to a professional. Nick broke down in tears and thanked Julie for not judging him. Later, he phoned Marlena and said he couldn't go on like this. He knew he was hurting people and himself and didn't want to.

Suddenly, Nick was shot from behind. He turned around and was shot again, twice. He fell to the ground. Meanwhile, half of Salem congregated in the square, where Gabi told Will and Sonny she was sorry they heard about the custody hearing tomorrow from someone else. Allie screamed and pointed at Nick as he staggered into the square bleeding and collapsed in Julie's arms. "He's been shot!" screamed Julie, asking, "Who did this to you?" Nick tried to point to someone in the crowd.