Even in his rage and pain, Joe loved Nicky more than the oxygen in his lungs. More than the flowers loved the sun. Nicky was a part of him in a way he couldn't fully articulate to someone who didn't feel the same way. So even when he was furious, he hated seeing his husband curl in on himself and look as though he were physically punched by the neglect and distance Joe had put in their lives.

He hated too that Nicky believed he would need to rely on Nile alone for something that was so clearly dangerous. Before, such a thing would be laughable. Now it was a forgone conclusion in the other's mind. After all, Andy was upset, too. And Joe? He had made his position clear.

He looked back at the phone and the picture before returning his attention to Nicky. Booker was clearly being tortured. That was just as clear as the fact that this was a trap. Part of Joe thought, 'Good. He deserves it.' He wasn't proud of that part of himself.

"Nicky," he finally said, reaching to grab his arm and stop his packing for a second. "You can't go into this alone. Look at him. He is bait. They will be expecting us and who knows what will find you as you do 'recon'? For all we know..." Joe hated that this was a possibility. He hated that his trust in Booker had fallen so low that he had to consider this and that it wasn't a laughable idea:

"For all we know, this is another set up."