The Extortionist
When the infamous Extortionist hits NYC, Peter's got his hands full – between leading the investigation no man has completed, protecting his pregnant wife from a kidnapper gunning for her, and keeping Neal under control. Can he keep the inevitable from happening, or will he end up enlisting Neal and Mozzie in a quest to retrieve what has been taken from him?
Chapter XIII
Neal cringed as Peter slammed the car door behind him, steaming with anger, muttering curses even Neal was too young for. He stabbed the key into the hole, jerked it to the right, and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The car jolted to a start, pulling out of the parking spot and twisting around the large parking lot, vocally disapproving of his treatment of the vehicle. Neal was beginning to feel nauseous, wondering if he should address the automobile abuse or if he should keep his mouth shut before he became the next object addressed by Peter's fury. However, the second option almost never worked (he'd attempted it... once or twice) and he was sure that when — because 'if' was such a deadly word — Elizabeth was found and came home, she'd rather not be met by a totaled car and a bill for whatever Peter was about to break if someone didn't talk him down, so he decided to speak up.
"Peter-"
"What?" he snapped, jerking the wheel to the left. A car horn sounded behind them, angering Peter. He rolled down his window and shouted backward, "Just shut up and drive your car!"
Neal tried again, touching Peter's arm. "Calm down, Peter."
His head whipped around, sending Neal reeling. "I'm calm! I am totally, completely calm and relaxed!"
Neal exhaled. "Peter, pull over."
The old woman behind them beeped her horn again. This sent Peter over the edge. Muttering furiously, he jammed his finger onto the window button, shouting back profanities at the older female, to a point that he'd almost missed their turn. Neal knew he needed to stop him before they wrecked.
"Peter, pull over!" Neal cut him off, reaching over and closing his window. Peter shot him a look, but he dismissed it and continued. "There is no need to take out your emotions on the elderly."
Peter huffed. "I don't have 'emotions', Neal."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Yeah, you do."
"Neal!"
The car jerked to a stop as they parked in a small outlet next to a cell phone store. Peter sighed and propped his elbow on the door, leaning his forehead on his hand.
After silence set in, he spoke. "Well, we pulled over."
Neal nodded. "I can see that."
Peter rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. Why?"
"You need to calm down."
"Yes, Neal. I'm going to calm down and go buy a doughnut while my wife is somewhere is out there, missing!" Peter snapped, eyeing him incredulously. "Quite the plan!"
Neal stopped him. "Hold on! First of all, Smoothies are not out of the question," he began. "What I was saying, however, is that you should calm down and think about this." He gestured back toward the road, in the direction they'd come from. "What does cussing out senior citizens have to do with finding El?"
Peter exhaled. "That's the thing — I can't find her. They took me off the case!"
Neal smiled, setting his crossed feet on the dashboard and leaning his seat back. "And who said we have to be on the case?"
Peter squinted, attention acquired. "You're saying..."
"Let's find El without the bureau," Neal offered, hands outstretched. "I do have some experience with kidnappers, you know. So does Mozzie."
"Yeah, because Mozzie was one." Peter snarked, taking off his seatbelt and turning off the car. "And last time I checked, your kidnapping investigation with Kate..."
Neal inhaled, waiting for the blow that was sure to come, but Peter spoke no more. He took the moment to explain. "Look, I know I don't have a very good résumé when it comes to hostage situations, but this is El. She's important to both of us." He looked at Peter seriously. "She's not Kate."
Peter inhaled. "And what's different in this situation?" he challenged, giving Neal pause. He hadn't expected any questioning, but he, too, had wondered that. What was different?
Neal's eloquent self took over, however, and replied, "This time, I'm working with you; not against you." He hesitated, then added, "And with my criminal skills, plus your Federal gadgets, and Mozzie's inside knowledge, we might just make a healthy match for this Extortionist."
Peter considered his words, as if it were an offer, or moreover, even an option, when it was the only choice they had, in his eyes. Because of that, he nodded in agreement. "Only for El." He pointed an accusatory finger at Neal. "But nothing... too illegal."
He raised his eyebrows gleefully. "Too illegal? So a little, maybe?" He incited no response, but continued. "I like desperate Peter. He's more fun."
Peter chuckled mirthlessly. "Yeah, well, not for me."
They fell silent, eyes lowering at the humorous conversation. They'd almost gotten away with a laugh. Almost. But the moment in time had passed, and they were reminded of their situation, and their loss. Now, he didn't know what to say. In a way, he wanted to try to comfort Peter; he knew he was scared. But what could he say to make things better? What could he promise a man with everything he loved at stake?
Nothing. Nothing but a vote of confidence, and loyalty. Between a rock and a hard place, the rock didn't seem to be giving, and in that light, there was nothing he could do but apologize. And he almost had, to break the silence they sat in. But Peter spoke first.
"So, we can head over to your place," he volunteered, obviously not wanting to go home to the reminders of El everywhere. Neal couldn't blame him for that. "I've got a copy of the clues, so if you want to take a look..."
His voice trailed off, a dazed look in his eye, staring at something next to the wheel. Neal followed his gaze and found a GPS screen; one red light blinked above it.
He blinked at the screen, stare shifting between Peter and the light. "Peter?"
He looked at Neal tremulously, then back at the screen. "That call I got in the van. You don't think..." he mumbled dryly, confirming Neal's worry. He swallowed. Oh, no...
He jabbed a finger on the touch-screen and opened his voicemail, revealing a message from Elizabeth — recent. Neal's eyes widened at the sight, preparing to say something, but he was interrupted with El's voice.
"Hey hon. I guess you're busy, but when you can, would you give me a call?"
Peter's eyes glossed over, so Neal looked away, not wanting to watch his partner cry. He remembered hearing Kate's voice on that flight recording, and the mixed emotions bouncing around inside his head. It must have felt the same way.
"I... I just wanted to apologize for getting so mad earlier. I guess you really only did what you did for me; I appreciate having a husband that cares so much."
Peter clutched the wheel dangerously tight, knuckles turning white, but otherwise didn't respond.
"I'm just a little scared about this. But when it comes down to it, I know I can trust you to catch this guy. I..."
She paused, Peter and Neal hanging on her every recorded word, waiting for a sound, a sign; this message was left around the time of abduction. As no more sound came out of the car speaker, Neal inhaled and closed his eyes, listening for anything, any kind of noise. He knew Peter was doing the same.
"Anyway, I hope your stakeout goes well, and-"
They both jumped as a large thud sounded off, then El's cry of pain, followed by the phone hitting the sidewalk... footsteps... and a car engine starting. It all happened so quickly that Neal reached out and rewound the recording, playing it again; once, twice, three times. He listened carefully for any and all clues, only three coming to mind; the thud, the footsteps, and the engine. Mozzie could probably distinguish these clues and come up with a general direction...
Neal didn't finish the thought as the sound of Peter slamming his fists into the steering wheel jolted him from his mind. He looked to his left and saw Peter, face wet with smeared-away tears, regret and self-blame hanging over him like a cloud. He pounded the wheel relentlessly, over and over again. Neal didn't know how to respond. Was he supposed to stop him, or just let him take it out on the car rather than him?
Fortunately, his decision wasn't too long-lived, for Peter stopped short with a final blow and covered his face. He didn't say anything, so Neal supplied a sentence.
"You really taught that wheel a lesson."
Peter looked up at him devastatingly, making him regret the joke. He closed his eyes and exhaled shakily. "I should have answered that phone call."
"Peter, it was my fault," Neal admitted. "I was the one who teased you about answering it."
Peter didn't deny or accept that, but simply asked, "What's our first move?"
After what she'd assumed to be a half-hour, El had thoroughly scanned the room, searching for an exit or even a clue as to where she was. The two men guarding the captives were practically statues, making no sound or motion in the entirety of her capture thus far. It was unnerving and, on a strange note, comforting at the same time. She might have buckled under the pressure of the men walking around her... staring at her... But then, someone else already had.
El turned to the shaken woman and examined her carefully; it was evident that she'd never been in such hostile situations nor had imagined the possibility of them, and was, not to mince words, in knots. She didn't appear to be harmed, other than the chaff of the cuffs they'd both received. El was in worse condition than she.
To her utmost surprise, El's fellow captive finally averted her eyes from the dirty wooden floor and met the blue eyes staring her down. She squinted but didn't speak, pulling her legs closer to her chest. El decided to try some conversation.
"Hi," she began nervously. The woman didn't respond, but held her gaze, so El continued. "I-I'm Elizabeth... Elizabeth Burke." Still no reaction. "You're the Mayor's wife, right? I remember planning your nephew's birthday party last year." She was received with silence.
But eventually, her companion replied, though quietly and briefly under her breath. "The pirate party of the century." She looked over at Elizabeth, lips parting and eyebrows rising. "You're the woman from Burke's Premiere Events."
El smiled warmly, shifting toward her. "That's me."
She blinked, a small smile hinting at her face but not officially appearing. "I'm Katrina Marx."
Elizabeth looked down at her handcuffs and remarked, "I'd shake your hand, but..."
For a second, she worried about her humor's effect on Katrina, but fortunately, she took it lightheartedly, changing the subject. "So why are you here?"
She squinted at her. "Certainly not for the Kidnap Club."
Katrina laughed shortly. "No, I mean... You're not..."
She understood immediately. "My husband. He's an FBI agent."
"Oh," Katrina nodded. "That's..." She trailed off, no word formatted for such a contrary sentence. They fell silent, looking at the floor simultaneously.
Katrina was the first to speak again this time. "Do you think they'll pay the ransom for us?"
El sucked in a breath, as she'd been hoping to avoid this topic. She knew they wouldn't pay the ransom, instead focusing on finding the kidnapper, but how could she possibly sell that to Mrs. Mayor?
The brunette looked at the blonde and bit her lip. "I... I don't..." She couldn't lie, so she settled for the truth. "They'll get us out of here."
"What do we do until then?"
El frowned. "We wait."
Shorter chapter, but lemme say why...
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Happy birthday to me :)
I wanted to post a chapter on my birthday, which is why this is a sooner update, but I'm taking the WHOLE DAY off writing, so I posted something I've already written. So much is happening; including the fact that we're coming up on 50 reviews! The lucky 50th reviewer gets the next chapter dedicated to them, so if you happen to be number 50, keep an eye out for a mention at the top of Chapter XIV.
Poor Peter - guilt will get you nowhere. Neal's being the supportive friend, however, so I think Peter will be okay. And El is a smart one. Perhaps she has a plan in motion already...
What's the verdict on Katrina? Hate writing original characters into fanfiction, but I had to give her someone to work off. I don't know if trusting her is the best strategy for El, but what does she have to work with, at this point? Not much.
What did you think? Leave a review, pretty please... Oh, and note to Peter/El shippers: If you need something to read or are in the mood for something short, check out my oneshot, "Shine", taken out of an uncompleted story. It took a nervous breakdown and a pitch-black room to pull it outta me, but I like it.
* *-TheSongbird341-* *
DISCLAIMER: I don't own White Collar, but Katrina is mine, unfortunately... For an OC, I really do hate her to death.
P.S. SPOILER ALERT! - Tiffani Thiessen just did an interview with some Glad bag thingy, and IN IT, she released that in Season 5, the show explores the reason WHY Peter & El haven't had kids. A.K.A. the answer we've ALL been waiting for.