The next time Neal saw Lana, he was at the hospital checking on her sister. He stopped outside the door and his eyes narrowed with alarm at the man with her.

"We need the next piece by tomorrow." The stranger growled.

"I can't do it. I won't." Her lips were set in a firm line and her arms were crossed.

"Your sister owes us. You pay or she does." He shook a finger in his face, threatening.

"She's so sick of this mess you've gotten her in she tried to kill herself. She wants me to stop and I will!" She fired back, angry.

He grabbed her, gripping her arms and slamming her into the wall. Rage broiled in his eyes. "I owe these people big bucks because of the product your sister dumped. And either you or she is paying it back."

"What product would that be?" Neal stepped firmly into the room, blue eyes flashing.

"None of your business."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that. You just threatened someone and that could get you in a lot of trouble. Now let her go or I'll call security."

The man had icy grey eyes and dark hair. He was powerfully built and would've been handsome except for the ugly expression on his face. He stepped right up to Neal, trying to intimidate him. Neal, having faced down worse than this petty dealer, wasn't having any of it.

"You want a piece of the pain?" The man growled.

Behind the creep, Lana was shaking her head wildly.

Neal ignored her warning. "I've got friends on two sides of the law." His eyes blazed into the others. "And one way or another you will stop harassing them." He motioned to Lana.

The man's lips firmed and he glared hatefully at him. Then he turned and stormed out.

Lana pressed her hands to her mouth. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Yes, I should." Neal sucked in a breath. "I'm not just an interested fellow artist."

"What are you?"

"Someone who knows the trouble you're in. And I can help."

She shook her head.

Neal took the chance and pulled out his consultant badge.

She paled. "I think you better leave." Her voice trembled.

"Lana. I've been on both sides. I went down for four years for bond forgery. I know this world. But I wouldn't mess with drug dealers. Now I've got reason to believe that you've been forging, at least a Van Gogh maybe more than one, but you were forced to by them..." Neal motioned after the ugly ex boyfriend. "And believe me, people like that don't play fair. They'll never let you go if your good at it. They'll never consider the debt paid. Let me help. We can take them down. It's the only way you'll be free."

She looked up but didn't quite meet his eyes. "I...I think I need a lawyer. You can't prove I forged anything."

Neal smiled. "I don't really want to. I want the guys behind it. So do the feds."

"I'm small fry you mean. But that'll still leave me with a mountain of bills I can never pay. And my sister needs those paid or they won't treat her." She brushed her hands over her eyes.

Neal hesitated. "Would she want you to do this? Aren't they the ones who hurt her? I have a friend whose a lawyer. Maybe there will even be a reward."

"You don't understand. It's not just Harry! He's just a tip of the iceberg. These people have mob connections. They know killers." She sat down wearily.

"We know of one. That's how we found out about the painting." He sat down beside her. "And like I said, I've been a forger. Believe me, I know it can be dangerous."

"But you still think I should do it."

"You'll never be free until you do. And neither will your sister."

She clenched her hands. "Who do I talk to? Oh, I should talk to a lawyer first..."

Neal pulled out his cell phone. "Do you have one?"

"No. Not for this kind of thing. Who was yours? Oh. You went down you said. Maybe I don't want that one..." She was rambling in desperation.

Neal laughed. "I do have a friend whose a lawyer. And no, he wasn't handling my case at the time. He became a lawyer after."

"Please, will you call him?"

A team was soon positioned at the hospital guarding took Lana back to the his apartment. Peter eyed Mozzie, who was sitting alongside Lana across from him. Neal sat at the side of the table. He glanced at Neal with a 'did you have to bring him into this' look.

Neal just shrugged.

"So Mrs. Bergman. How did you get into this?"

"Cynthia's boyfriend used to ask her to deliver messages occasionally. She didn't know what was in the packages. He told her he collected rare books and art. But one day a tube broke open." Lana's lips tightened and she frowned. She looked Peter in the eye. "She was furious when she found drugs spilling out. She dumped them down the toilet and then called me. I'd never seen her so mad. She had a friend die from a drug overdose a few years ago. I tried to talk her into going to the police, but she really had loved Harry and she wanted to handle it herself. She always thought if you have a problem with someone, you try and work it out yourself before involving a third party. But she was worried enough to install that deadlock on her bedroom door."

"We can see how that turned out."

"The next thing I knew, I got the call that she was injured. But she was in a coma at first and couldn't tell us anything. I knew but couldn't prove it. Then Harry came around and started to threaten to finish the job if we didn't pay them back for the lost drugs."

"So...you needed to not only pay the bills, but pay off these bullies too." Neal scowled.

"Yes." Her eyes were troubled. "If...I cooperate, can you help me? Can you protect us?" She stared at each of them. "Without saying what, based on my lawyer's advice..."

Mozzie grinned and nodded.

"I didn't see any choice."

"Will you help ID any forgeries you were involved with?"

"Alleged forgeries." Mozzie interjected.

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Yes. But please, I can't go to prison. I have to take care of my sister. It'll be a long time before she can take care of herself."

"We'll see what we can do." Peter wasn't willing to make a promise he wasn't sure he could keep. But he was willing to try. He glanced at Neal. "Whose behind it? Did you hear any other names?"

"Harry mentioned a Carlson."

"Him we've got, in name at least. NYPD took down some of his men and believe me they are talking. They had some of the paintings."

"And a woman named Delilah White."

Peter's brows rose. "Really?"

Neal glanced at him questioningly, clearly, Peter knew something.


Peter paced back and forth in his office for a moment. Lana had been taken into protective custody, fretting wildly about her sister. "She may need to go into Witsec."

Neal winced. "It's that bad? I knew they were drug dealers and it was bad but..."

"Delilah White is rumored to be a big league member of a mob syndicate. Their members aren't chosen based on the usual racial lines, you have to earn your way in. Usually by committing a violent crime. Even the mob and the big racial gangs are beginning to notice. No one has ever made a case stick against them."

"But now, we have a chance."

Peter shook his head. "We can take them apart. But it'll be years before we can prosecute them all and odds are we won't get them all."

"She'll have to change her whole life. And won't it be hard to give her sister a new identity? They'll be looking for them both!"

"Wit Sec are pros at this." Peter nodded. "But first...we're going to need to take down Harry. He's the key. And with him, we can get Carlson and maybe White."

"He wants the forgeries."

Peter smiled and cocked his head. "Fortunately, we have a forger handy."