“What’s really going on with Holden and me? I don’t know what you mean,” Audra claims as Nate looks down at her in the dining room of the Athletic Club. Sitting down, he explains he caught the look between them and sensed there was something they wanted to keep private. She explains that’s all Holden. He is desperate for a friend and wants it to be her. She’s only humoring him to get information on Damian. Nate says he trusts her but adds that if there was anything more going on with Holden, she could tell him. He knows how hard it can be to be open about an old flame to a new man. When she offers to fill him in on what she’s learned, he suggests they do it at his place. Amy will be in Chicago for a while and Audra thinks he should hear what she’s learned before she tells Amy.

Audra and Nate Debate How to Handle Damian

When Audra and Nate arrive at the penthouse, she notices that Amy forgot her scarf and worries that it will be chilly in Chicago. He explains Amy was a bit flustered to be rushed off to Chicago for tests, but there’s no time to waste. They just hope his doctor friend can help. Once he pours them drinks, they take a seat and she fills him in on the changing dynamic between Damian and Holden. At first, they were friends and then Damian became his boss, leaving Holden answering to him and not feeling equal. It sounds like Holden resents Damian for treating him like an employee first and a friend second. It appeared to Audra that Damian came down on Holden earlier. She adds that he told her his boss has a bad temper.  Nate wonders if Holden clued into her looking for information; a spotlight on his brother is the last thing he wants right now. Lily has been digging too and he’s afraid that Damian will be scared off if he discovers people are rummaging around in his life.

Audra asks what Lily discovered and Nate explains that his half-brother lied about owning two companies and is only a CEO. She’s sure that keeping up so many lies must be taking a toll on him. She adds that Nate may be too emotionally involved to be objective about this. Nate will admit that he’s not entirely ready to trust his brother but he wants to. Audra suggests he’s too optimistic but points to how much good this is doing for Amy. She’s sure he’d also like a brother. While Nate should follow his instincts, he should also be cautious. He’s sure he’s seen glimpses of a good man behind Damian’s facade. Audra advises caution about letting Damian into their lives until they know more. Nate insists that what matters is how much more positive Amy has become; he’s determined to make her reconciliation with her son happen. Audra worries that Damian could hurt Amy or Nate. Hastings is confident that the reunion will change Damian for the better. Maybe they will all get burned, but he wants to hold onto the hope that they can be a real family. She repeats that she doesn’t want them hurt. Nate needs to believe the best; he’s not sure he or Amy could handle another bombshell.

Billy and Nick Speculate About Phyllis and Sharon

Nick stops by Billy’s new place to ask for a list of contacts Phyllis might have linked up with. Billy already thought of that and made the calls; they didn’t pan out. They agree that something is wrong here. Handing  Nick a beer, Billy urges him to take a minute and think. As they sit, Billy admits it took him a while to admit to himself that Phyllis could be in real trouble. Nick says it’s normal to think she’s gone AWOL given her history. They speculate on whether the two women were kidnapped. Billy asks how sure Nick is that Ian Ward is dead. Nick admits that’s the first name that popped into his head when he considered a kidnapping, but he saw him get shot and knows he was cremated.

Given that Phyllis and Sharon both called from burner phones, Billy assumes they must be together. Since Heather’s death, the animosity between them is at its peak, so it can’t be voluntary. Nick knows Sharon has issues but insists she is in a good place. He believes neither woman is out for revenge at the moment. Chance has been calling clinics, but the waiting is becoming too much for Nick. After all his family has been through lately, this is only taking it to another level. He gulps beer before admitting that he blames himself for this, even if that makes no sense. Whenever Nick thinks his family is ready to heal, something else hits them. It leaves him wondering what he’s missing. Seeing how torn up the kids are makes it hard for him to imagine reaching the other side of this. He has people in his corner but still feels the weight. Billy urges him to cut himself some slack. Nick knows Phyllis gives him a hard time for riding to Sharon’s rescue, but he suspects she wants the same thing. Offering him his help, Billy muses on the irony of them coming together like this given their history.

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As Nick gets up to leave, he insists to Billy that this was not “a bonding moment” between them. He gets a call from the ranch security team, who explain they checked all the CCTV footage but came up empty. He’s going to call the family to see if they’ve heard anything and heads out. “Damn it. Where are you?” Billy wonders.

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Phyllis and Sharon Fight and Grapple with Clues

In the basement of the medical clinic, Sharon fusses over a series of cue cards. Exercising, Phyllis mocks her, joking she must be writing a bucket list. She tries to guess what would be on it. Likely something having to do with her kids. Maybe one last goodbye or snuggle. That’s certainly what would be on Phyllis’ list. Sharon snipes that makes sense since she didn’t get that moment with them after she faked her death. Phyllis throws Sharon’s history in her face too and suggests that she would do something self-sacrificing like give away her money so everyone could admire her generosity. “I’d go out with a bang!” Phyllis says, sure that Sharon would too. She’s also sure that Sharon would want to be saved by her knight in shining armor once again. Sharon does not doubt that Phyllis would be happy to have Nick burst in there as well.

As Phyllis practices her lunges, she continues to taunt Sharon for wasting her time trying to solve the riddle. She complains that what she’s doing isn’t helping; participating in the game isn’t getting them anywhere. Maybe the goal isn’t for them to survive but only to entertain their captor. They bicker, and then Sharon complains about how hard it is to solve the latest riddle. This makes Phyllis laugh. She brags that she figured it out by her fifth jumping jack and refuses to tell Sharon the answer. For all she knows, the game they are playing could be winner-take-all, so why should she share what she knows? She wouldn’t hesitate to leave Sharon behind. Besides, she thinks the answer is a “completely ridiculous concept.”

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Getting up, Sharon urges her to grow up and stop playing the mean girl because their lives are on the line. After Sharon nags her some more, Phyllis finally caves. “Forgiveness. That’s the answer,” she says. Sharon doesn’t see how that’s ridiculous. Phyllis says it will never happen after all Sharon did to her family and Heather’s body. When Sharon brings up the things she’d have to forgive Phyllis for, the redhead dismisses that as ancient history. Once she declares this boring, Sharon continues trying to figure things out. When she suggests they try forgiveness for a chance to get out of there, Phyllis claims she would rather die and be eaten by rats.

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Sharon continues looking for clues among her cue cards and Phyllis gulps down another bottle of water. “What is the motivation?” Sharon speculates. All of this seems to be the work of someone trying to prove how brilliant they are. If they could only figure out what the goal is… Phyllis is sure the goal is just to torture them. She yells at the intercom that they are tortured. They bicker about Phyllis spending all her time doing exercises and rehashing what Sharon did to Daniel. When Sharon reminds her she was drugged, Phyllis accuses her of taking no responsibility and declares she will never forgive. “What if it’s the only way out of here?” Sharon asks. Phyllis knows she could lie, but “the freak” would figure it out. She starts to shiver as she rambles and then doubles over, blurting out that she’s nauseous.

As Phyllis panics that she is being poisoned, Sharon calls to the intercom, pleading for help. When she yells that Phyllis needs medical attention, the intercom rings. The voice comes on, saying that they better start searching for the antidote and taunting that they may be making good on their threat since Phyllis isn’t progressing through the game as she was commanded. As Phyllis shudders and groans in pain, Sharon begs for another clue. The voice returns to say, “I am the beginning and the end, though you can’t see me.” Sharon was hoping for something more direct, but no luck. She continues searching as Phyllis whimpers. Eventually, Sharon decides it must be the water and finds one bottle that has a sticker on it. It made Phyllis sick in the beginning, will end the pain, and you can’t see it because it’s clear. She prompts Phyllis to drink it.

Nate and Audra Decide to Use Holden

Back at the penthouse, Audra urges Nate to let her continue playing Holden to get information on Damian. He’s reluctant, so she teases that he may be jealous, which would prove their relationship is important to him. Nate hopes he doesn’t need to act jealous for her to know that. They kiss. This arouses her appetite and she suggests they get pizza. When she grabs her phone, she sees a text from Holden that reads, “At the airport. Sorry about bailing on lunch. Still need a friend.” Audra shows it to Nate and asks how he wants her to respond. Taking her phone, he texts, “You’ve got one.”

Next on The Young and the Restless:Summer causes a rift between Kyle and Claire.