Spinelli is ecstatic in early 2011 when Brenda Barrett comes to live with them while Jason protects her from The Balkan, and caters to her every need. He helps to track the international crime lord, and figures out that Suzanne Stanwyck, Brenda's colleague, is The Balkan's wife, and eventually that Theo Hoffman is The Balkan. Spinelli is also of assistance when Brenda's son is kidnapped, and he tracks Suzanne and the child down, facilitating Sonny, Dante Falconeri and Carly Jacks to retrieve him. During the hostage crisis in June 2011 by the crazed Lisa Niles, Spinelli takes a bullet for Maxie. Upon awakening from surgery, he appears to be stuck in his Jackal P.I. persona, a character from "The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli", that he had recently written with Diane Miller. Spinelli eventually gets back to his normal self; however does not retain his computer skills. He gains new friends that he contacts through social media, called the Friends of Spinelli (FOS), that help him roam the cyber world for information. He eventually regains his tech-savvy knowledge.