"Alright. I'll call OPR. Make it your priority to find Neal." There was a click as Hughes hung up.
Neal groaned and blearily pried open his eyes. Everything was dim and blurry and Neal groaned again. He finally blinked a couple of times, bringing the room into focus.
"Hello, Neal." Adler's cold voice said from somewhere above the conman.
Neal glared with some difficulty at the man standing over him.
"Where's the painting?" Adler asked.
"Not wasting any time getting down to business, are you?" Neal commented with a grimace.
Adler's only reply was to smile. Neal tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, he was sure whatever Adler had planned for him was going to be torturous.
"I can't believe I let him take Neal" Peter buried his head in his hands, guilt all but consuming him. After several exhausting hours, Jones and Diana had managed to pull several files and identify the man who had kidnapped Neal. Now Peter was reading all of the documents, trying to find the slightest clue as to Neal's whereabouts.
El said nothing and wrapped her arm around her husband's shoulders, resting her chin comfortably on Peter's shoulder. Peter sighed and shifted through the mess of papers on the table. He paused when he came to a form he hadn't seen before.
"El, what is this?" he asked.
El immediately assumed a look of innocence and started to stand up. Peter, however, saw straight through her "innocent" look and simply scowled, waiting for El's answer.
"It's an adoption form." El explained.
"I can see that. Who's it for? I already thought we had a child," Peter said as he gestured to Satchmo. The yellow Lab looked up and woofed at his "father".
"It is- was for Neal."
"Why?" Peter asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.
El didn't answer.
"Neal."
Neal glared at the speaker. He had lost all track of time since Adler had kidnapped him and he was trying to not show how much that unnerved him.
"I found something very interesting" Adler smiled coldly and held up his phone. Neal abruptly paled at the image on the screen.
"No" he whispered, "where did you find this?"
Adler said nothing, and only laughed.
"You're really taking this whole villain thing a little far" Neal tried to sound cocky. He would've crossed his arms, but they were bound behind the chair he was in.
Adler frowned and Neal smirked, he knew how to irritate the man. However he wasn't prepared for the stinging slap that Adler dealt him. Neal bit his lip, the slap hadn't exactly hurt him, but it had surprised him. And Neal wasn't exactly fond of surprises, especially ones that involved slapping.
"Ow" Neal said sarcastically.
"I'll give you some time to think about it."
Adler turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving the young conman alone.
"Peter! I think you'll wanna see this" Diana had a grin on her face as she handed Peter a slip of paper.
"What is it?" Peter's tone was fatigued.
Diana only smiled as Peter scanned the document. The FBI agent's eyes widened as he read the paper.
"Where did you find this?" he asked incredulously.
"Jones. He's very good at looking for things."
"So we know where Neal is?"
"Well, if Vincent Adler still has the gallery, Neal should be there" Diana replied.
"Get a team going and-" Peter stood up, hurriedly grabbing his jacket.
"Already on it, boss."
They pulled up outside an elegant façade, with several pieces of beautiful art in the windows. Peter raised his eyebrows at it.
"This does not look like a place a man like Vincent Adler would keep a hostage."
Diana shrugged, and started across the street towards the gallery. Peter followed hers, followed by Jones.
"Hello?" a pretty young woman stopped them at the door.
"Agent Peter Burke," Peter flashed his badge at the gallery attendant. She paled and motioned them in.
"Wh-What can I do for you?" she asked nervously.
"We'd like to speak to Mr. Adler."
"I-I-I'm sorry. Mr. Adler isn't here right now."
Peter pushed past her and stalked towards the back of the gallery. The attendant followed him, feebly protesting the whole time.
"Mr. Adler!" Peter rapped sharply on an office labeled 'V. Adler'.
There was a rustling noise inside and the door opened. Peter nodded to Diana, who stepped forward.
"Mr. Adler, I'm Diana Barrigan. We'd like to ask you a few questions." Diana said this all with a frosty smile, as Peter quietly slipped away.
"Come in" Adler invited her, his eyes cold.
Peter started to jog, thankful that the gallery was closed for the day and no one was there. He found the door labeled 'Staircase A' and quickly pulled it open. They thought that Adler would keep Neal in the basement, that was, if Neal was actually there. Peter had thought that Adler would be smarter than to keep Neal in New York.
Finally reaching the end of the staircase, Peter remembered the floor plan he had gone over the night before and took a left, his jog turning into a sprint. As he went further down the hallway, the lights started to grow dimmer and the sound of trickling water reached Peter's ears.
"Neal!" he yelled, hoping that the conman was somewhere down there and that none of Adler's henchmen were down there.
He halted for a moment, panting hard. From one of the doors he heard something that sounded like a groan. Praying that it was Neal, Peter started trying every door along the corridor. All of them were unlocked. Each room contained various boxes of artwork, which Peter assumed were fakes.
The last room was unlocked as well and Peter yanked the door open.
TBC
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