Chapter 11
As soon as he'd uttered the magic words, the tension in Neal began to skyrocket. He absolutely hated the last few moments of an undercover operation – the moment when his backup was on the way and all hell could potentially break loose. It was the moment when things went from 'totally in his control' to 'totally out of his control' and he knew in those moments that all he could do was duck and get the hell out of the way.
In the early years, it had been even harder for Neal to deal with that reality – back then, he hadn't fully developed that all-important faith and trust that Peter and the FBI crew always had his back. For a guy who'd worked alone most of his life, it was a huge leap of faith that he still struggled with at times. Sure, he and Mozzie were partners and had teamed up on numerous capers over the years but when he was out there, carrying out the con, he was on his own and he had no one to rely on but himself and that's how he liked to work – all the risk and all the glory. When he'd first begun working for the Bureau, the thought of relinquishing that control to someone else had been unthinkable for Neal – until he started to work with the likes of Peter Burke that is. His partner had never once let him down and as the years passed, Neal realized he never would. Regardless of his unfailing faith in his partner, Neal was acutely aware that there were tons of uncontrollable factors during a take-down, not the least of which was the fact that he was often surrounded by idiots armed with guns who could start shooting indiscriminately at any time. He'd learned over time that people reacted in strange and unexpected ways when the shit hit the fan and his motto was to get the hell out of the way and try not to get caught in the crossfire.
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Sara stood in line at their neighborhood grocery store and kept a wandering eye on Hope who was standing nearby seemingly mesmerized as she stared at the display of candy bars by the cash register. After her brief meeting with her boss and his words of praise for closing the Browning case, Sara had realized she couldn't concentrate on work any longer and although it had only been three o'clock, she'd decided to pick Hope up early and head home to see if there was any news on the undercover operation. She began placing the sundry items she had picked up for dinner on the check-out counter as her mind wandered once again to Neal and what he might be up to. She was hoping that when she finally made it home, there would be good news or better yet that her husband would be there to greet her but she knew better; these ops often took longer than expected and afterwards, Neal would be expected to debrief at the White Collar offices before heading home.
Hope looked pleadingly at her mom, bringing Sara back to reality. She knew better than to ask for a candy bar – when Sara said no it was always a definite no whereas when she was out with her dad, there was always that chance Neal would cave in to her persuasive pleas.
'Fine!' said Sara in her usual gruff way 'Take one but just one'
She fully expected Hope to ask for a second one for Patricia but the child just smiled, her eyes glowing and started to reach out, making her choice. Sara stood patiently as the clerk rang up her purchases, taking out her wallet and preparing to pay when she spotted the shiny item in her change purse. Neal had entrusted her with his wedding band when he had begun the undercover operation and she had thrown it in there for safekeeping. She lovingly took the ring in her hand, twirling it and recalling all of its significance. She thought back to the moment when she'd placed the ring on his finger, that day just over three years before when they had both taken that giant leap of faith in June's garden, surrounded by their friends and family. She remembered staring at it on Neal's finger when they were first married; she'd been fascinated at the sight of it – looking so foreign and unexpected on the finger of a man such as Neal Caffrey – now somebody's husband, her husband! Over time, it had become less startling to see it there on his finger as Neal embraced all that was involved in being a husband and father. Now, he'd told her as they lay in bed the night before, he felt naked without it.
Once the anklet had come off, she remembered asking him if he felt tethered now that he had a wedding band and Neal had answered something sweet about marriage being a life sentence he wanted more than anything. As far as she could remember, it was only the second time Neal had taken it off since their wedding day – the second operation where it was safer that the perps not know Neal was a married man, just in case.
'42.53' said the clerk suddenly
'Excuse me?' answered Sara as she returned to life on earth
'Your total; 42.53' he repeated
Sara smiled and reached for some cash.
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Neal looked around the large space, silently strategizing where to position himself in the room as he held his breath and waited for the other shoe to drop. The two thugs were lurking around, both armed, and Neal knew that anything could go wrong once the FBI finally stormed an operation. One false move and there could be a hail of bullets flying in both directions. He briefly thought back to the Osborne case the year before where he'd barely had time to duck when the exchange of fire exploded around him. You just never knew how an armed person would react when threatened and although the FBI presence in a take-down was always decisive and unequivocal, there was always the odd chance some idiot would think he could outrun or outshoot a dozen federal agents.
He had arranged with Peter to have the crew enter the warehouse by the large door which stood behind the office – the same door June had escaped from and he stepped back, letting Jaylon start the press and making sure he wasn't standing between JB's muscle and the door where a dozen or so agents and probies would soon be crashing in.
The loud sound emanating from the printing press could be heard reverberating against the cavernous walls masking any sound the FBI crew might be making on its approach and Neal just held his breath and hoped for the best.
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'There's no way you had an ace!' exclaimed Jones, indignant, as he looked down at Mozzie's hand
'Hum. I beg to differ, Junior Suit' said Mozzie, his voice loud and his tone defensive
Jones flipped over the cards which had been discarded earlier in the game, revealing three aces, four with the one he was presently holding in his hand.
'Well, this deck seems to have two aces of spades. Care to explain?' asked Jones accusingly
Playing any game of 'chance' with the likes of June and Mozzie was a recipe for disaster. Although the duo enjoyed finding ways to pull the wool over each other's eyes and both of them admired a good attempt at skewing the odds in their favor, Clinton came from a good honest family where cheating of any kind was abhorrent and not tolerated. He was also reputed to be too proud for his good and a sore loser to boot. Mozzie's attempt at winning had just sent his blood pressure into the stratosphere.
June just looked on, amused, as always admiring Mozzie's attempt - in this case, uncovered - to alter the outcome of the game. She had noticed his little manoeuvre back three hands ago and she had just been waiting for Jones to pick up on it and call Mozzie on his deception. Now, she stood back sipping her cup of tea and enjoying the show.
'Look, I can't explain how this happened but this is definitely the 'original' ace of spades' Mozzie was saying, his voice indignant at the accusation
Suddenly, the front door opened and Sara's voice could be heard wafting through the house as her stiletto heels click clacked on the hardwood floor.
'We're home' she said making her way to the back of the house with the bag of groceries in her arms
'Uncle Mozzie!' Hope screamed at the sight of her second favorite uncle
'Hope!' he countered, happy for the distraction as he put his arms out to hug his niece
Sara stepped into the kitchen, taking in the look on the three faces and realizing she had just walked in on something she'd rather not know about. Deciding it was a better tactic to just ignore the tension in the room, she forged ahead, going in a whole other direction.
'Any news yet?' she asked as she sat joining the others
'Neal found the plate' said June, excitedly
As much as she appreciated Neal and Sara's hospitality, June was anxious to get back home and resume her life. She had a busy social calendar which included concerts, dinners out with friends and even some volunteer work and she loved her rich and full life. Staying with the Caffreys, although enjoyable, was cramping her style.
'That's great. What about the take-down?' asked Sara anxiously, this time looking over at Jones
'They're at the warehouse as we speak waiting for Neal to give the take-down order' said Jones, shrugging
Sara let out a long sigh – she hated this part of any undercover operation; the moment when Neal was exposed and most vulnerable. While he was undercover, there was always some element of danger but Neal knew how to handle himself and she trusted his judgement – after all Neal had been dubbed Mr. Silvertongue for a very good reason. But as soon as the crooks figured out or even suspected that Neal was in on the take-down, he instantly became a target with a giant bull's eye on his back. On most cases, Sara would simply get a 'Neal-sanitized' version of the take-down after the fact and she didn't even have time to worry about it but this time... she knew too much.
Although Sara was most definitely not a 'donut' kind of gal, she felt a gurgling in her stomach realizing she had totally skipped over lunch. She opened the box of donuts lying on the table and upon witnessing the meagre offerings, couldn't help but mutter.
'What? No Boston cream?' she asked, disappointed
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The roar of the printing press continued as it began to slowly spew out the counterfeit bonds. Although aware that time was running out, Neal couldn't help but take a moment to glance over at the finished product and a sense of pride and accomplishment momentarily came over him for a job well done. He was proud of his handiwork; too bad those fake bonds would never see the light of day - he liked to think they would have passed muster at the hands of even the most discriminating of experts. He reflected on how lucky he was to carry out these undercover jobs without any of the risk of landing himself back in the slammer and he smiled smugly to himself. He took a few steps back, noticing the two thugs were distracted by the bonds as they slowly spilled out of the machine. He inched his way towards safer ground - just getting the hell out of the line of fire.
Suddenly, a roar of a different kind was heard as Peter appeared in Neal's field of vision flanked by a dozen or so agents, guns drawn. Neal prepared to put his arms up in surrender – the usual protocol during a take-down; his 'arrest' being an important factor in keeping him safe, at least temporarily.
'FBI! Everybody freeze!' Peter suddenly called out
TBC
