Chance Encounter

Walking into the club, Neal took his usual seat. It was towards the back to avoid garnering too much attention and in easy range of the door in case, something went wrong.

Living in a two-mile radius had its advantages when it came to limiting the odds of encountering old opponents, but it also reduced the number of things he had to do on his personal downtime. Making this club a part of his regular rounds gave him the chance to enjoy some good music from up and coming artist who hadn't made it yet, the food was delicious, and it was usually just busy enough for him to blend into the crowd making him an anonymous person seeking entertainment and societal company.

Flirting with the waitress, he got answers for what the best special available for the evening was and who the local talent performing on the stage was. Then with his order placed and the music soothing his boredom away, he settled back to relax for an hour or so.

When the food arrived, he added some extra flirting with the waitress for the fun of it before eating his meal leisurely. As an additional result of his friendly behavior, the waitress made regular visits to ensure his drink never ran low and his comforts were tended to.

Generally enjoying himself, Neal was halfway through his meal when he noticed a familiar face sitting at a table some ways away. It was Sara Ellis. By the looks of it, she was either out with friends or entertaining a professional group of contacts. There were several well dressed women sitting around her table with a collection of plates and glasses occupying the surface in between them.

One of the women turned and noticed him observing their table. Lifting her drink, and seductively taking a sip, she then turned her head to smile flirtatiously at him. She was interested, but he wasn't.

Moving his attention back to Sara, he watched as she noticed her friend's lack of attention to whatever the group had been discussing. Watching the conversation, the stranger seemed to tell her something about him because Sara turned to follow her gesture in his direction.

Lifting his glass, Neal acknowledged Sara causing her to frown.

Saying something to them, Sara sat her napkin down and lifted up her purse before marching through the crowd in his direction. Pausing to take the seat across from him, she set her purse in her lap before raising her eyes with a look of fiery determination.

"Good evening, Miss Ellis." Gesturing for her to say her piece, Neal knew it wasn't going to be a friendly invitation to join them, but he was still curious.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. Leave my guests alone, Caffrey. They are clients of Sterling and Bosch here for a case. My current job is to keep them entertained and out of the way. That doesn't mean introduce them to the neighborhood con so he can steal their priceless possessions." She didn't mince her words and the underlying insinuation was hurtful.

Keeping a general expression, Neal didn't try to smile and he certainly didn't show how much her words had hurt. "No picking their purses or following them home. Got it. Any other instructions you have for me this evening?"

Frowning, Sara didn't like his attempt at banter. "Cut the crap, Caffrey. I'm not on the market either."

Raising an eyebrow at her, Neal intentionally tried to annoy her. She wasn't just going to barge into his evening and insult him. "You're the one who came into my neighborhood, sat down at my table, and opened a conversation with me."

Getting up from the table, Sara didn't like that insinuation. "You may be charming and good looking Neal, but you are a criminal. I don't date criminals; I help put them in jail."

"There is no crime in eating at a local establishment and people watching, Sara." Neal looked her calmly in the eyes intentionally making her feel uncomfortable. She was beautiful in her purple dress, her intelligence was appealing, and although he knew it would be fun to joke and banter with her, she only saw him as a criminal to be outwitted. Sara's only interest in him was the Raphael, so there was no point in indulging in any potential emotions as that would only get him hurt.

Pressing her lips together in frustration, Sara glared at him with a shake of her head before turning away to weave through the crowd back to her table.

Free to eat the rest of his meal, Neal intentionally avoided Sara's area of the room but otherwise allowed his eyes to wander the crowds at leisure.

Once his meal was done, he didn't want to remain where it felt so remote and hostile. His table was a remote island in the sea of people with a hostile enemy looming nearby. Paying his bill and dropping a tip, he flipped his hat on before walking out the door. In his peripherals he caught Sara noting his departure, but he didn't acknowledge her glance.

Outside, he decided to go for a walk and headed up the block at a leisurely pace. He had nothing to do and was feeling a bit lonely so he didn't want to go home yet.

About halfway up the block, he sensed he was being watched. Taking furtive glances at reflections and the flowing pedestrians allowed him to spot his tail with some effort. A woman was following him in jeans and a hooded sweater with her hair arranged to shadow her face. She was professional so this wasn't the run of a mill pickpocket tracking their mark.

Forgetting his personal affairs, he focused on her and tried to determine if she were alone or not. There didn't seem to be anyone aiding her, but that didn't mean she was a lone opponent.

Curious to know more about her, Neal began taking the effort to catch glimpses and learn her behavior. Based on her reactions, the woman was curious about him but didn't feel threatened. She played the game right back.

Dancing through the shops and about the street, the two kept stopping, retracing steps and ducking into shadows. They were well matched, almost like they had worked together before.

Unable to identify her for sure, Neal began to suspect one of two people. Sara would have approached him by now which meant it was likely Carina or Zondra playing cat and mouse with him, a fitting game for agents of the CAT Squad.

Amused, Neal wondered if they would be able to track him down to his current alias. Slipping away through a shop's second entrance, he used his knowledge of the area to give her the slip. Weaving his way towards home he made sure she didn't get his trail again.

Getting up in the morning, Neal wondered if the CAT had had any luck tracking him down. He was part hopeful to have a connection around where he didn't have to play the con artist, and part dismayed at the prospect for the sheer number of complications it could bring to his life.

Picking a canvas and lining up some paints, he decided to start a new project for a distraction. Wearing his undershirt and a pair of khakis, he settled into work.

About an hour later there was a knock on the door accompanied by June's voice. "Neal, you have a visitor."

"Show her in," Neal called knowing he had his answer whether he ultimately liked it or not.

Opening the door and guiding Zondra in, June seemed surprised. "Are you expecting her?"

"You could say that. So, you were the one following me about last night." Neal smiled at Zondra's raised eyebrow. "I figured it was either you or Carina, but hadn't seen enough to tell for sure." Then turning to June, he made a general introduction. "June, this is Zondra, a friend of a friend. Zondra, this is June, my landlady."

Shaking hands, the two women pleasantly greeted each other.

Turning to Neal, June excused herself. "I'll leave you two alone to talk. Neal, would you like me to send up breakfast to the patio?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you, June." Neal kissed her cheek and smiled gratefully. Feeding spies was one way to help fill in the awkward silences.

As soon as June had shut the door behind her, Zondra turned on him. "What are you doing? Last I heard Sarah had spread your ashes since you were dead!"

"I'm remaining dead to all but a select few. What are you doing in New York?" He only gave a little before redirecting the conversation back to her. Black Ops activity in the city didn't bode well for him if he wasn't careful.

"Assignment. How did you survive?" She threw the conversation back at him.

"Chuck's dad. What assignment?" He quickly lobbed it back.

"Observing a target visiting the city. Why haven't you contacted anyone? You were close to Chuck and Sarah in the past." Zondra hit the personal nail that made his alleged death hard.

"Chuck isn't the only one with a family in danger. Which target?" Their interrogation wasn't going anywhere too quickly, but neither was willing to give in and spill their information.

"Weapons dealer named Terry O'Brian. He's here to make a deal and I'm assigned to stop it. Danger from what?" She gave a bit more knowing she was asking a lot.

"Corrupt law enforcement from my father's former precinct along with their mob ties. Why are you here then?" He reached the point of their interrogation.

"After I saw you last night and you gave me the slip, you revealed a problem. O'Brian is based in this neighborhood and I don't know my way around. If he's spent any kind of time here, he could pull something off and I would be hard put to stop it. I need your help knowing where the blind spots are and how to navigate the community the fastest. It's normal to run into these complications, but since you're here it's faster than figuring them out on my own." She stood stiffly as she watched him. They hadn't moved, simply lobbed questions back and forth while staring at each other until they reached the purpose.

"On one condition, you don't endanger my cover here. I'm well established as a nonviolent White Collar con artist on a work release as a consultant for the FBI. It's a variation on what might have been, playing off of my father's criminal history with an aversion to violence. The team I work with is headed by an agent that reminds me of Chuck. He's honest so I can trust there won't be a bullet in my back, and he's brilliant enough to make me work for any lead I get. This is a good place for me, don't ruin it." He kept his voice firm and commanding, it was too vital to get his point across.

"Deal, on one condition. You leave me in the lurch or disrupt my operation and I will tell Chuck where to find you." She threatened in return.

Frowning, Neal didn't like it, but he knew it was a risk anyway since she knew his secret. "You know I won't, so why threaten me?"

"You should tell Sarah and Chuck where you are. They could help you protect your family." She had a point, but he didn't want to give in.

"I know, but there is a long and complicated history there. Leave it alone." It was a lame defense, but he wasn't going to argue with her. They weren't supposed to know he was alive and all the reasons why didn't change the fact.

Giving in, Zondra wasn't going to fight over it.

Changing the topic, Neal cleaned his brushes while he began asking questions into her operation. If he was going to help, he might as well know what was in store.

"O'Brian is known to enjoy partying. He'll be moving through the local clubs and establishments where he will likely make his deal in a crowded space to avoid suspicion. I need you to be my date and take me out to all the local places in the evenings. It will allow observation of his activities without looking so suspicious. Young lovers who like to party are less threatening than a lone young woman haunting the same joints." She shared more of the particulars about his preferences and general schedule then allowed Neal to ask some questions to better plot out the likely choices and order of visitation.

"Alright, I have a few ideas on where he might like to haunt." Turning to check the activity on the patio, he looked like he had a plan. "How about we join June for breakfast on the patio? After we eat we can stage a meet-cute out on the town and create a public perception for the community.

"Getting started immediately, I like it." Zondra turned the conversation towards plans for the day and followed his lead out onto the patio.

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