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Hope you enjoy chapter 2!
Peter looked on as Joe dug out the bullet lodged in Neal's back. He kept a stoic, concentrated face, making sure to protect Neal. He didn't trust the crew one bit. When all was over and Joe had successfully gotten the bullet out and the wound stitched up, Clark waltzed back in, holding his gun at his side as some other men followed.
"I dunno how well he'll pull through, but I've done what I know to do." Joe told the room. Peter pulled up the blanket higher onto Neal's back to cover his body more.
"Thank you." Peter forced, looking to Joe. Clark looked at the sleeping man then to Peter.
"You know, Peter, he could really use a doctor…" Clark suggested.
"Well are you going to let me get one?" Peter felt the mused venom in his question. Clark looked away and toward the wall, rolling his head.
"Oh Agent Burke, you know we can't allow such a circumstance." Clark told him. "Why, I'll tell you what…when we get our money we'll leave, Neal can have his doctor, and everything will be right with the world once again."
Peter looked at him blatantly. "Well I sure hope you weren't thinking you'd be invited to brunch the next day." He remarked back. Clark chuckled darkly.
"Not exactly…but Burke, I honestly do think it would be best to get your friend some help as soon as you can, don't you?"
Peter looked at the man, straightening in his chair, shifting a bit.
"See Agent, what I'm getting at is that if you were to say...help us look for the money, we'd surely be out of here sooner." Clark responded matter-a-factly. Peter looked at him.
"I don't even know where that money is." Peter responded. Clark nodded.
"I figured you wouldn't…but you are valuable to us…you and your resources…plus you've got a pretty good motivation to help us… I'm sure poor Neal there sure won't be in peace when he gets up." The man's voice flowed through Peter like a slick snake. He looked back to Neal's pale form and swallowed smally. "Walk with me, Burke, let's leave the man to rest for a bit." Peter stood, complying. He didn't want them to take out anything he did wrong on Neal. He stood, looking down at Neal, and touched his arm gently before walking toward the door. "Don't worry, my men will look after him." He told Peter as the two walked out. Well, that sure is comforting. Peter thought sarcastically.
Clark led Peter to the living room. "Perhaps you can help me get the information out of this nice lady." Clark suggested. "If you will help me, that is." He said, turning to one of his men. "Untie the lady." He commanded before June's ties were cut and mouth ungagged. She coughed a few times, opening and closing her mouth some to get her mouth moistened and rubbing her wrists.
"Peter." She said, looking at him desperately. Scared. Peter nodded and walked toward her a bit.
"Sit, Agent Burke, please." Clark told him. Peter complied, sitting next to June as she put a hand on his upper arm. She looked at him with questioning eyes.
"How is he, Peter?" She asked, concerned.
"He's doing fine…for now..." Peter told her. The two both looked up to Clark as he spoke.
"Exactly…for now. Keep that in mine, Agent Burke." He said slowly, sitting in one of the chairs. He balanced his elbows on his knees, folding his hands together. He looked toward the floor briefly. "Now, I want you two to understand that this isn't just for greed or the thrill or a compulsive need to steal things." Clark admitted to them. Peter narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Then what's this all about?" He asked, curiosity spiking in him.
"Mark, can you please get Tracy to show our friends why we're here?" He asked, looking up. Mark nodded briskly, exiting the room. What and who he brought back after a minute surprised both Peter and June. A little girl looked up at them all, her sleepy eyes glassy and weighted from the arms of a blonde woman.
"Daddy?" She whispered, looking to him. Clark stood, looking to his daughter. His eyes scanned her. "It's okay baby girl." He told her, stroking her hair. She seemed to become relaxed more as her father did so. "We're gonna get you all fixed up again." He smiled to his daughter as the woman looked to the floor with shame. Peter's eyes watched them as June's shocked expression mirrored her feelings.
Peter's mind whizzed. How could he ever take a little girl with him for something like this? What kind of father would do that? June's grip tightened on Peter as they both locked eyes. Clark turned away and the woman and the girl were ushered out.
"See why now, Burke? My little girl is in a bad way. She needs a treatment, and she needs it bad. I'm gonna give it to her." He told the agent sternly. Peter's jaw tightened.
"Why bring her here? Surely it is no place for a child to be when you're out here shooting people and-"
"Where else would I keep her? I'm not a well-liked man, Burke." Clark said. Gee, wonder why. Peter thought to himself. "If someone were to get a hold of her, they could do anything and everything they wanted. I'm not about to let that happen." He told them. "She didn't see anything, she was with her mother upstairs, I made sure of that, and I have a man guarding them. Some men were promised a small cut of the money once we're done, which is something I presume is of a vast amounts...some are in debt to me.." Clark looked down at them from the other side of the coffee table. "That is what you're going to help us find since she claims she doesn't know where it is and Caffrey's laid up." He gestured toward June, who looked at him in the eyes as Peter quickly glanced at her.
Peter felt the fire behind his eyes again. "So if you needed him, why would you shoot him?"
"It wasn't supposed to be that way. We never planned for it, one of my idiot men here decided it would be a good idea to shoot him." He told Peter, sighing. "Well, I'll give you and your little friends some time to think it over while we start to survey the house…look for clues." He walked a bit toward the door. "You seem like an honorable man, Burke, I'm sure you'll make the right choice…After all, he is your partner, as you've said, and the quicker we're out of here the quicker he gets a doctor." He reminded, opening the door as some other men followed him out. Two stayed on the patio and one inside the living room. Clark looked at them both.
"Oh and Agent Burke, don't try anything funny. I've got you surrounded and the rooms are rid of any type of weapon you could possibly think of...at least you don't have to worry about spam email and telemarketers your cable is cut too." He smiled. "Have a nice time you too." He told them, closing the door. Peter looked toward June.
"Oh Peter." She shook her head at him. "When they brought him up here I thought…I thought he was gone." She said. "I'm going to go see him." She patted his arm and stood as Peter nodded at her. He would go in also in a minute as he connected eyes with one of the guarding men outside.
Peter stood and went to the kitchen, moving to the cabinet where Neal kept the knives. He pretended he didn't know where anything was as he opened it, looking for something, anything to use to get them out of here. They'd taken all the knives. Peter briefly caught eyes with one of the men who was now snickering and wished he could just shove the smile off his face. His face hardened as he opened the cabinet containing glasses and took two, filling them with water. He headed into the hall and down to Neal's room, meeting June's questioning eyes. On the way there, he noticed that there were no longer wine bottles on the rack.
"What are we gonna do, Peter?" She asked, stroking Neal's neck a bit from her seat behind him. Peter sat on the other side.
"They took all the knives." He told her. "I don't have to look to know they took the butter knives, forks, spoons…they even took the wine bottles." He told her, taking a seat at the other side of Neal's bed. June sighed.
"There must be something we can do." She said. Peter looked up to her.
"June why didn't you just give them the money? I mean we can always track that down later and insurance-"Peter started.
"Peter I don't know where that money is myself." She answered. "I honestly, truthfully don't. Byron hid it and then…well then he died. He never got the chance to tell me. It could be hidden in the walls for all I know." She said sadly. "I would have given it to them Peter, oh I definitely would have." She said, the pain in her eyes stark. Peter nodded.
"Alright June…we'll just have to think this one out then." Peter sighed, looking at her. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking and trying to come up with something as they sat with Neal. Suddenly, a moan came from Neal, alarming both sets of eyes to him.
"Neal? Neal." Peter whispered, seeing the younger man shift. "Don't move Neal, you're okay." He told him, placing a hand onto Neal's. Neal's eyes fluttered open and June stood, looking over Neal's back in attempt to look at his face.
"P'tr." Neal breathed, eyes blinking lazily up at him. Peter moved closer and put his hand on the not shot side of Neal's back.
"Don't try to speak, you're gonna be just fine, okay? Just rest. I'm right here." Peter told him calmly. Neal's eyes furrowed.
"Ptr….Ptrrr…thir…thirsty." Neal squeezed out. Peter nodded.
"Okay…let's get you flipped over so we can give you some water…just relax." Peter spoke evenly, despite the fear welling in him for his partner. He had to be steady, that was what Neal needed. "We're both here, June too. We're gonna help turn you over, okay?" Peter said, earning a muffled noise of confirmation from Neal. Slowly, carefully, Peter steadied his hand onto the side of Neal's back that wasn't wounded. He and June very slowly, as gently as they could, rolled Neal onto that shoulder to get him to be laying on his back instead of his stomach. Neal's breath hitched as a quiet, high squeak of pain escaped Neal's mouth, which had contorted in pain just as his other features had.
"Easy now…easy." Peter said, putting a pillow under Neal's wounded side to take off some of the pressure the stitches would face. Neal's chest was heaving, his eyes were closed, and sweat formed on his tilted forehead. Peter's eyes were wide with the realization that his partner was definitely not doing too well. June looked on, holding Neal's hand when he was finally on his back.
"Oh sweetie." She said quietly, looking at him. "I'll be right back." She told Peter. Peter nodded at her and sat on the edge of Neal's bed. Neal's eyes opened slightly to look at Peter, breathing.
"That's it, easy does it." Peter said, patting Neal's arm. He let his fingers gently rest around his arm as Neal composed himself. Neal smiled a little.
"Aw P'tr you do care..." Neal croaked out, looking at Peter as he tilted his head back against the pillows instead of to the side. Peter couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at Neal.
"Neal, for once there's an actual reason for you not to talk." He told his partner, taking the glass of water off the table as he brought his hand up to help support Neal behind his head.
"Yeah and it's cause' I'm a pain..." Neal smirked playfully, scoffing slightly. The tight movement must have jarred Neal, because Peter saw his whole frame tense up, back arching and eyes scrunching. Peter rested a hand onto Neal's.
"Easy, easy now Neal, don't move." He told his partner, watching intently as Neal started to relax again. "Even though you are indeed a pain, the real reason is because you're in pain.." Peter corrected. "Here, drink some water." Peter again moved his hand behind Neal's head and helped to lift it slightly so that Neal could drink from the glass. He grunted, eyes again scrunching in pain. Neal's lips curled around the glass as he thirstily drank it.
"Slow, Neal, don't chug it." He instructed. Neal slowed his gulping pace a bit. When he was done, Neal's head eased back down into the pillows along with Peter's hand. "That's it…easy." Neal worked on catching a few breaths as June walked in, carrying a bowl of cool water and some rags. She smiled lightly at Neal.
"Hello handsome…here maybe this will help you feel a little bit better." June soaked a rag in the water, throwing a glance toward Peter. She didn't like his color one bit. She gently blotted Neal's face with the rag. Peter pulled up the blankets to cover Neal more.
"Th'nks mom, dad…" Neal replied weakly, but sarcastically. Peter shook his head and June smiled.
"What did I say about speaking, Neal?" Peter asked, looking at the man with a feigned sternness.
"Is it 'cause I'ma pain or cause I'm in pain?..." Neal retorted. Peter sighed, but couldn't help the corners of his lips from curling upwards.
Hope you all enjoyed it!
Thank you again for reading! :)
