Hy Guys after so long here's chapter 6! ^_^
I want to thanks all the peoples who "subscribed" and I hope everyone will follow the story till chapter 10.
Thank too to Govgal who beta the story…really thanks!
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Chapter 6 – The Orange Vision
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The wind was strong that day and the entire group of prisoners remained near the building trying to protect themselves from the wind.
Neal was wearing a blue jacket and was trying to make his way to other part of the prison break area .
"It's been a while Caffrey." Davis smiled.
"It seems that even you know about my adventures," Neal replied.
"Yes, even the two weeks in isolation," Davis answered back.
Neal smiled, finally he had the man wrapped around his fingers.
"You know, a certain man might have found something before the guards caught him." Neal said gesturing to the photo in his pocket.
Davis' eyes opened wide in stunned disbelief.
"I know that was just an excuse to get rid of me, but I found what you wanted." Neal said giving the photo to Davis.
"How long...?" he continued "How long haven't you seen them?"
Davis smiled sadly, but didn't respond, so Neal continued with his theory of what had happened.
"Relatives send photos, letters and many things to the people who are locked here but there's no need to steal a photo of your own sons unless something bad has happened to them."
Davis put the photo in his pocket.
"Okay, you win, Caffrey. A promise is a promise." he said with peaceful light in his eyes.
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The fake restoration of the piece of furniture occupied Neal till Davis arrived.
"Hey." he said with a low voice. The man sat down near him.
"Hey, I'm risking my ass for you boy. You had better not ruin everything!" he growled.
"News?" Neal asked.
"Tonight at the end of the work shift you need to remain here." he started.
"And the guards?" Neal was not anxious to spend the rest of his life in an isolation cell.
Davis had that look and that look meant there would be guards, but a different type of guards. Neal sighed…Never trust guards.
"A few minutes after your shift ends, they will arrive. Do not look arrogant and propose the deal without being presumptuous." he growled again.
Neal looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, you are presumptuous," Davis confirmed. Neal rolled his eyes.
"Any questions?" asked Davis.
"Just one.…How's your wife?" Neal joked, but Davis did not see the humour and hit him in the stomach.
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Neal was a little bored with all this breaking rules stuff. Wandering alone in the darkness wasn't one of the smartest things he had ever done; plus there wasn't anything to steal. There was only a group of guards that seemed to have the bad habit of appearing at the worst moments. Neal was hidden behind a shelf when he saw the laboratory door open and two figures coming and two guards outside.
'He was trapped' he thought and there was no trace of Ramirez if he had decided to show himself.
"Hey!" he said and the two figures looked at him oddly.
"Caffrey? Talk!" ordered the biggest one.
"Ramirez?" he asked.
"The boss doesn't show for this kind of things" he growled softly.
Neal smiled trying to buy some time.
"I think we need him this time. It's an important offer." he countered.
One of them walked threatening towards him.
"You are putting yourself into trouble…." He growled pointing a finger against his chest.
"Hey" he tried to defend himself but they heard some kind on sound outside.
Yes. Of course, the "good guys" could never come in at the right moment and the two men looked angrily at him. The first punch came at his face and he fell down. The second hit him square in the chest and left him breathless. Luckily they just wasted time and when they exited the lab they found plenty of "good" guards. The "bad" guards had left themselves at their destiny.
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Peter looked in front of him lost in deep thoughts. Three weeks has passed since Neal's return to "his home" behind bars, but the FBI Agent couldn't find a motive for Neal's actions. He couldn't believe that the kid had deliberately violated his probation for such a stupid reason and he believed even less that Neal had voluntarily ran. He stretched his tense muscles. He had hoped to find someone to bounce his theories off, but all the office had closed its ears about his theories about Neal. The kid didn't help himself either by refusing to meet with him. Maybe it was because he expected to be blamed by Peter, Peter wasn't sure. His life has become boring again and he regretted not being able to work with Neal anymore. Everything was so much more interesting even when the kid put himself in danger or risked his probation for some stupid thing.
He even thought about moving in Ruiz's FBI section, kicking him out and enjoying more interesting cases. Unfortunately, leaving Lauren and Jones would be another change and he hated fast changes.
The chatting of Hughes and other agents together in the aisle grabbed his attention.
"It's impossible. Caffrey will never arrive at that limit!" said Hughes trying to silence the men.
Peter became excited, maybe he had found something.
"I will never take the responsibility of him! You are the one who put him there." Hughes protested against an agent who wanted him to sign something.
Peter appeared in front of his boss, who snorted at the agent's presence.
"Peter, it's not right time!" Hughes growled.
"It's the time if it involves Neal." Peter emphasized.
Reese stared at him and sighed.
"Fine. Caffrey didn't escape after the theft of the portrait." Hughes sighed as he noticed the triumphant look Peter was giving him, but the boss's gaze didn't announce anything good.
Something bad had happened.
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In Neal's head all the sounds were undefined. Everything was distorted; too strong or too low to understand what was happening around him. He could recognize the sweet perfume of roses and he asked himself how he could smell such a feminine scent.
He opened his eyes and saw a blonde nurse bandaging him; he smiled at the woman who seemed to be an angel, but the vision was broken when an hard voice guided him back to reality again.
"Hey, sleeping beauty. It's time to wake up!"
Neal turned his head toward the voice and recognized his partner.
"Seems this is the only way to meet you. You refused my visits." Peter said in a scolding tone of voice.
Neal raised an eyebrow and delicately touched his head and chest.
"Are you saying that you sent the man who hit me just to see me? You're a strange person, Peter," he joked.
"Looks like they did a number on you," Peter replied.
"You should know that prison isn't a flower field!" Neal retorted.
The two men locked gazes, staring at each other.
"You shouldn't be here, Peter." Neal started to answer but Peter stopped him indicating Hughes, who gave him a defeated look.
"I think it's time to tell me truth….about what you didn't do." Peter said.
Neal looked at his boss as if not believing what he heard.
"I didn't steal the portrait" he mumbled.
"Thanks genius. I was already there!" blurted Peter.
"Hey! I was just hit by two body building lovers. You should be a little gentle," he protested.
"I'm sorry. Please continue," Peter said with a smile.
The boy leaned his head back on the pillow.
"Well, Peter. Hughes made me a very interesting offer three weeks ago," he started and Hughes rolled his eyes.
"You know I'm a nice man and I love to make people smile…" This time it was Peter's turn to roll his eyes.
"So...I decided to help him."
Peter seemed more confused than before and then Hughes walked toward the bed taking over the story.
"We asked Caffrey to help us with a problem here in this prison. Carlo Ramirez was arrested five years ago, but he didn't stop his illegal traffic. We need to link him to someone outside the prison who has been helping him," he finished.
Peter remained silent for a few minutes.
"So you asked Neal to come here again to frame this Ramirez?" he questioned.
The agent looked at Hughes "Yes, we found something about Caffrey's activities and if he…"
"Again? Hughes, Neal isn't a toy! You can't just use him by blackmailing him every time," he said in a low voice.
"He belongs to the Bureau, Peter. That's not my fault, if the investigation on his past activity was reopened..." Hughes was trying to defend himself, but failing miserably.
"They promised Mr. Steve Tabernacle full immunity for some alleged work done in the Caribbean!" Neal contributed with a big smile on his face.
Peter remained silent again trying to digest this new information. Using Neal undercover was normal, but now he realised just how dangerous the situations were that he and the Bureau were constantly putting Neal in.
They used him like he was just an expendable card, but Neal was a person and being a felon didn't mean he deserved to be used as a puppet or worse.
"This case is important Peter. We didn't mean to put him in this kind of danger. He was only supposed to achieve new information about Ramirez and eventually make contact with him. Not meet his big boys." Hughes was desperately hoping Peter would understand.
"Hey, I like to drive the game as I want…and the big boy's thing was an accident" Neal retorted with a glare.
"Yes and I'm sure the two weeks in isolation was an accident as well!" said Hughes rolling his eyes.
Neal ignored his boss and studied his partner.
"So you were just so happy to be back here again that you couldn't possibly turn down this opportunity?" Peter said. Neal realized Peter was teasing him and was relieved that Peter wasn't mad at him about his actions regarding the painting and the refused meetings.
"So…you're here to save me or can we still try to save what I have started? I'm still excited about this whole operation and taking down Ramirez," Neal enthused.
The two FBI Agents looked at each other and grinned. Neal just sighed thinking 'I'm an idiot. I would have been probably out of here if I didn't just say that'.
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After a few days recovering in the infirmary, he had to go back to his 'beloved' cell.
The worst part wasn't leaving the open and airy infirmary to return to his little 'mansion' but rather leaving the companionship of the well endowed blond nurse. The guards grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and escorted him back to his cell, but he found it completely empty.
He looked curiously over at the two guards holding him, until a new one walked up.
"Caffrey, your cell has been changed," the newest guard announced. Neal was petrified remembering the black hole of the lowest level, and hoping he wasn't being relocated there.
They could have reassigned him to isolation after the lab accident and considered him guilty, as well as the two big guys.
Neal walked frustrated towards the new cell but he became immensely relieved when the guard guided him to another cell.
It was two people cell; that could be a problem for his plan, but he couldn't say anything as the guards shoved him into the cell.
Neal carefully lowered himself onto the bunk bed and was lying there fuming about the changes. After a few hours, he heard the cell door creak open and the guard was standing there with another person in orange, presumably his new roommate.
"I'll take the upper bed." declared the man.
Neal heard the familiar voice and turned slowly, so as not to hurt his ribs, and then a big smile brightened his face.
In front of him stood the man who always made fun of him, his loyal chaser and the most trustworthy (legal) partner that he ever had.
In an amazing orange vision stood Peter Burke…