Ryder's mother is blackmailing him to help her break up Michael and Lauren Baldwin. Deacon was blackmailed by Daniel's mother Phyllis Newman (Michelle Stafford) to leave town with Amber and he'd get the cell phone which incriminates his crimes, so he kidnapped Amber outside of Crimson Lights at Daniel's party, his car runs out of gas near an abandoned farmhouse, and he tells Amber that he still loves her and so does his son Eric, who still thinks of her as his mother. Daniel shows up along with Phyllis and it is revealed that the three of them tricked Deacon, so he'd get arrested for kidnapping and Phyllis gave the police the cell phone to exonerate Daniel of Ray Elkins murder, as Deacon is hauled off by the police, he tells Amber that he won't be the only one to suffer, letting her know that Eric will suffer too.