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An important announcement at the end of the chapter
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Max crouched down and stared at the unmoving boy in front of him. He placed his palm in front of Neal's nose to check if he was breathing. He subtly sighed in relief. The boy was alive. He then made a show of frowning as if he couldn't tell whether the boy was alive or not. He pressed his two fingers on Neal's neck to pretend that he was looking for a pulse. It was definitely there, despite being a bit sluggish since Neal had been strangled just a few seconds ago.
James waited for Max to answer, and when he said nothing, he asked impatiently, "Is he alive or is he dead? What's taking so long?"
Max turned slightly to look into James' eyes and answered in a deadly serious tone, "He's dead." He hoped that James wouldn't come forward and personally check for Neal's pulse. He had sent the distress signal to the Agent about fifteen minutes earlier. He knew they were far from the city, in the wilderness, so the Agent would not be coming that soon. He had to keep the boy safe until then. He really didn't want to see James kill his son.
James nodded and sank down into the chair. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. "Good riddance!" He spoke aloud, not even flinching once at the thought that he had killed his own son. Max shook his head slightly in disgust.
"Load him up in the car. We'll throw him off the bridge on the way and get out of the city before Agent Burke reaches us." James ordered.
Max, standing up with clenched fists, turned to face James.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
James raised his eyebrow, "And why is that?"
"Think about it, this boy considered that agent to be his father," Max answered, making sure his voice sounded laden with disgust. James mirrored his expression and remained silent, waiting for Max to continue.
"Why give that agent the satisfaction of even getting to see the boy's dead body? Because I'm sure he'll find him in the water when he conducts his search."
James nodded, agreeing with Max. He opened his mouth to speak but Max went on, "Plus, he's an FBI agent. If he finds the boy's body, then they'll figure out that you were the one who killed him. He won't stop searching until he catches you. So, better hide the body somewhere where he won't be able to find it."
James got out of the chair and started pacing. Max' eyes followed him back and forth. He crossed his fingers, hoping that James would agree to the plan. He turned slightly and looked at Neal's unconscious form. The boy was still unmoving but Max couldn't be sure for how long he would stay that way. He had to get him away from his father as fast as possible.
James stopped pacing and turned to Max. "How do you plan to hide the body?" He challenged, crossing his arms across his chest.
Without missing a beat, Max responded.
"I say we bury him."
James' eyes widened and a cruel smile formed on his lips. "We're on the outskirts of the city. A few feet away from here, there's an area dense with trees and grass. I'll go and dig a hole, dump the boy's body, and then cover it up. We'll leave before the agent shows up. Never in million years will he find that body." Max finished.
James chuckled, "I must say that I am impressed, Max. Great plan. You go and dig up the hole and then come back and take him away."
Max' heart skipped a beat. He couldn't leave without the boy. What if the boy regained consciousness after he went? James would surely kill him then and he wouldn't be here to save the boy. "No! I'll take him with me right now. We don't have any time to waste. I'll do it quickly, and then we'll get the hell out of here. "
"Hmm, you're right. Pick him up and go. I'll wait here. But, be quick. We have no idea when that agent Burke will arrive."
Max nodded and turned to Neal. The boy was still unconscious, which was a small mercy. Max hefted Neal on his shoulder and walked past James and out of the farmhouse. He kept walking until he was sure he was deep in the middle of the woods, far enough away from the farmhouse that James wouldn't see them. He gently laid Neal down on the ground and sighed.
He checked his watch. Thirty minutes. Agent Burke wasn't going to get there for another hour and half. That is, counting on the fact that the Agent had seen his S.O.S message. How was he going to keep the boy safe 'till then? He stared at Neal who seemed to be sleeping, if you overlooked the bruises forming on his neck. Max scrubbed his face with his hand. No matter what, he was going to keep the boy safe.
He turned and went towards the car to get a shovel to actually dig up a hole in case James came looking. At best, he would dig until help arrived, or, if that failed, he would use that damn shovel on James. He returned with the shovel within a few minutes and started digging.
...
Neal came to with a soft gasp. Instinctively his hands went to his neck where he felt a stinging burn. The next thing he felt was cold and the chilling feeling was coming right from underneath him. Why was he so cold? And why did he feel cool wetness beneath him too? He tried to breathe in slowly, feeling cold air fill his lungs, and he realised that he was somewhere out in the open. He frowned and tried remembering something, anything that would tell him what happened and why was he lying on the ground in the cold weather.
Suddenly everything came back with a rush—the memory of his father strangling him being the most recent. He managed to pry open his eyes and slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was somewhere covered with dense flora and was lying on his back. The snow underneath him had long ago melted, dampening his shirt. He shivered. Turning his head slightly, he focused on a figure who had his back to Neal. Wait, was that person digging?
Neal blinked a couple of times to clear his vision and gasped. The person who was digging was none other than Max. 'Oh God!' Neal thought. His father must not have been satisfied by choking him and wanted him dead so now Max was digging a hole in which he was going to bury him. No! He couldn't let Max do that. He was not going to be buried alive. He rolled on to his stomach as quietly as he could, and with the support of his hands he pushed himself on his knees. He swayed a little and closed his eyes for a few seconds to will away the dizziness.
He opened them and saw that Max was still busy digging. He thanked his stars for that. He slowly got to his feet and bit his lip hard, drawing blood, to stop from crying out as he was overcome by immense pain in his leg. His eyes travelled to the injured leg. The cold had stopped the bleeding entirely but it was still inflamed. That, however, was the least of his worries right now. He had to run away from Max who was going to bury him alive.
Neal searched the ground and found a rock, double the size of a tennis ball, lying just within his reach. He bent forward and picked it up. He shifted on his feet to gain balance and softly padded towards Max, who stood only a couple of feet away from him. Max, who was engrossed in digging, immediately sensed movement behind him and started to turn around, but wasn't fast enough, and Neal slammed the rock on his head with full force.
Blood leaked out from where the rock had hit Max. He swayed while trying to clear his vision. His eyes widened when he realized that it was Neal who hit him. He opened his mouth to explain to him but Neal hit him again, while shouting, "You are not going to bury me alive, Max!" Max lost the battle and went down in a heap, losing consciousness. Neal stared at Max for a few seconds before dropping the rock and pulling out his keychain.
He stared at the keychain. It always gave him strength. It reminded him that there were people who loved him, and that fact always had him going. He pocketed the keychain and looked around. He had to get out of the place as soon as possible. He turned and started to limp away from Max. He didn't know where he was and where his dad was, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get the hell out of there. The pain in his injured leg flared up with each step he took, but he stubbornly went own.
Neal limped on farther away from Max but just as luck would have it, instead of getting out of the dense region, he found himself getting deeper and deeper into it. 'Crap!' He muttered in frustration. Snow had once again started falling softly and he was already chilled to the bone. Damn! Where was he? He came to a stop near a large tree and leaned against it to give rest to his injured ankle.
He closed his eyes. He was very tired. He just wanted to go home. Home! He had betrayed Peter and El, and had run away from the only place that he came to consider as home. How could he go back there? And even if he was stupid enough to go there, would they take him in after what he did to them?
No. He shook his head in utter despair. He couldn't expect them to love him the way they always had as if nothing had happened. He opened his eyes. He pulled out the keychain again. The words, 'With love, Peter and El' reminding him strongly that Peter and El would always love him. He sighed. He squeezed the keychain tightly in his hand and pocketed it again. Wherever he decided to go, first he would have to leave this place, and quickly. Max wasn't going to remain out cold for long. He would definitely come after him.
He pushed himself away from the tree, brushed the snow away from his face and clothes and started walking again, ignoring the leg that was protesting angrily with each step that he took. The pain was becoming unbearable now, not to mention that he was tired and hungry too. He was once again hit by dizziness, and so he never noticed the branch that was lying in front of him. He tripped over it and went sailing headfirst into the ground. His head hit the ground with a jarring impact and he was out cold even before he knew what happened.
...
Peter Burke kept driving to the farmhouse, where according to Diana, the distress signal had come from. Agent Diana was also going to be there along with the team with as the backup. Peter had been driving in awkward silence. He was acutely aware of Mozzie's eyes on him. For the past half an hour, that is from the moment he had started driving, Peter had managed to ignore Mozzie's stare but now it was becoming increasingly difficult and uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth to tell Mozzie to stare somewhere else, only to be interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He flipped on his cell and looked at the number. He sighed. It was El. She had already called him twice before this call. On both calls, she had asked Peter about where he was and how much longer he was going to take to reach Neal. Both times Peter had answered patiently, but now this was getting out of hand. Not that he didn't understand El's anxiety. He was nervous about all this too, but El's calls and Mozzie's stares were pressing all his wrong buttons.
He swiped the screen and answered, "Yes, El?" Pause. "Yeah, another half an hour maximum." Pause. Peter turned his head slightly to see that Mozzie was still watching him like a hawk. He mouthed in irritation, "What?" Mozzie shrugged but continued staring. Peter rolled his eyes and concentrated on the road again. "Yeah, El, I will call you as soon as I get Neal." Pause. He chuckled at something that El said. "Yup, I will remember to tell him that for sure. Okay, listen, El, I'll call you later, alright?" Pause. "Yeah, love you too, hon." He ended the call and pocketed his phone.
He drove for another mile or so and finally decided to give Mozzie his piece of mind. He parked the car on the service road and turned and stared hard at Mozzie.
"Okay! Now will you tell me, what the hell is your problem? Why the hell are you staring at me?" He asked angrily.
Mozzie shook his head, "I'm not staring at you!" Peter glared at him and Mozzie rolled his eyes and continued, "I repeat, I'm not staring at you. I'm trying to discern what Neal sees in you that he considers you his happy ending."
Peter frowned, "His what?"
"His happy ending, Suit." Mozzie repeated but when Peter continued to frown, he asked in an annoyed tone, "Seriously?"
Peter's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him, "Oh!" Mozzie huffed out a sigh, nodding and turned to see in front of him for the first time since he sat in the car.
There was a silence for a few minutes but then Peter broke it, "So, what did you see?" He asked pretending to be casual about this all him being Neal's happy ending but inside he was feeling like butterflies were dancing in his stomach.
"See? See what?" Mozzie asked turning his attention back to Peter. This time it was Peter who asked, "Seriously?"
Mozzie rolled his eyes and replied, "You are a good man, Suit. I can see why Neal was adamant about it. Even though you're really angry at him for betraying you and Mrs. Suit, you still love him."
Peter nodded because what Mozzie had just said was true. No matter what Neal did to them, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. He knew that Neal had lied but he also knew that he loved them. But still... Still Peter was angry at the kid. He shouldn't have run away. He should have told the truth to Peter and El.
"You know, he's a good kid at heart." Mozzie said as if sensing Peter's line of thinking. "All the things that he did, it wasn't because he wanted to do them but because he was forced by his Dad."
"Still, he should have trusted us enough to help him." Peter retorted angrily.
"Don't you think that he might have tried?" Mozzie asked in irritation.
"Well, he was with us the whole time, he had all the world's time to come out with the truth. But what did he do? Kept lying and in the end ran away." Peter snapped.
"James, that monster, had threatened to kill you and Mrs. Suit, Peter! His henchman Max was always standing at the back of your house! Neal was scared that his dad would actually kill you both." Mozzie replied, his voice rising with every word.
Peter stared at Mozzie dumbfounded after hearing that Neal always did what he did to protect him, to protect El.
"For him, you both meant the world. You have no idea what kind of pain he was going through. He wanted to tell you everything! He wanted to leave his cruel father and be with the only people that he considered as his real father and mother. But.. But that monster made sure that Neal never got his happy ending." Mozzie continued when Peter didn't reply.
Peter sat thinking about Mozzie's words. James Bennett seemed to be a very cruel person. He gasped as another thought came in his mind. He asked Mozzie, "Did his father abuse him too?"
Mozzie nodded, "Always." His eyes darkened with pure hatred for James. Peter's blood boiled too. He had seen the marks on Neal's body. James was going to pay for what he did to his own son. Mozzie continued, "But he never reached the point of actually trying to kill his own son. I'm really not sure what to think about that distress signal."
"Well, James Bennett might not have tried to kill Neal, but if he is planning on doing so now, he's going to have to do it over my dead body." Peter gritted his teeth.
Mozzie nodded. "You are not going to send him to juvie, right? I mean when Neal comes back?" He asked hopefully.
Peter shook his head. "No! He's not going to go there. Of course I don't know what kind of punishment El has in store for him."
Mozzie stared at Peter and then muttered, "Oops!" Peter chuckled. He then started the Taurus and drove off to the farmhouse. If he'd estimated right, then he was going to be there within half an hour.
...
Neal opened his eyes with a groan. He was out only for a minute but to him it seemed like centuries. He slowly tried to get on his feet and succeeded only after a couple of tries. He swayed and clutched his throbbing head between his hands. He felt wet stickiness on his left hand. He brought that hand in front of his eyes and sighed. Blood. He didn't have time to dwell on that. He had to get out of the place.
He started to limp forward but then suddenly he was viciously yanked backwards and slammed back first into the nearby tree. The wind was knocked out of him and everything spun. Before Neal could understand what happened, a hand was placed over his mouth to keep him from shouting and he felt pressing weight on his chest so that he couldn't move anywhere. Neal's body trembled and dread pooled at the pit of his stomach.
"I'm going to remove my hand but I expect you to comply with me and not make a single voice." Max hissed in front of Neal, whose eyes widened in shock of seeing Max and the predicament that he was in.
Neal nodded frantically and Max slowly removed his hand away from his mouth but the other hand remained there, applying pressure to his chest. Neal started to shout for help but once again Max covered his mouth with his hand.
"What did I tell you, boy? I told not to make a single noise. Can't you just listen to me for once?" Max snarled, unconsciously applying pressure on Neal's mouth and chest making it very difficult for the latter to breathe.
Fear coursed through Neal's body and he shuddered visibly. He knew he had to comply to Max. He didn't have any other option. This time he nodded again, his eyes telling Max that he was going to do exactly as Max had told him to do.
Max nodded and released Neal who started gasping for breath. "Pl...please.. Don't kill me...please, Max." He stammered.
Max raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Who told you that I was going to kill you, boy?"
"I figured by the way you were crushing me.." Neal replied, still out of breath.
Max rolled his eyes and turned around, "Come on, let's go. We need to stay safe until that agent of yours arrives."
Neal stood frozen to the ground. He had obviously heard Max wrong. Seriously..he didn't say that Peter was going to come here to save him, right?
Max who had already started walking realised that Neal wasn't following him. He sighed and turned around to face him. "What?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"You said.. Did you just say that Peter is coming..here?" Neal asked doubtfully but a little part of him hopeful.
Max looked bored as he answered, "Good to know that your ears are working well. Now come on boy, we don't have time to waste."
Neal still didn't budge. "Nah..uh... I never told Peter where I was going. I don't remember calling him and telling him that I am here. How will he know where to find me?" He asked, shifting on his legs. His injured leg was troubling him more than ever.
Max huffed a sigh of frustration, "Look, boy, you wanna come or you wanna die here? The choice is yours."
Neal remained in the same position. "Fine!" Max snapped. "I sent him a distress signal. I'm hoping that he has read it and has traced the location of my cell, and is on his way here."
Neal's eyebrows shot upwards in shock. "You.. You sent him a message? And you think I'll believe you, Max? No ways. I'd rather let my Dad kill me than trust you." He replied stubbornly.
Max ran his hands through his hair in annoyance. "Alright, you know what? Suit yourself!" He whispered harshly and turned around and started walking away from Neal.
Neal stared at the retreating form of Max and his heart thumped wildly in his chest. He didn't realize before but Max' presence had meant safety. Had meant hope. He called out, "Hey, wait!"
Max stopped, a small smile tugging at his lips, but he quickly wiped it away and turned to face Neal. "What?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you helping me? Thought you never liked me. Why the sudden change?" Neal asked.
Max turned away from Neal and looked around as if searching for the right word. He clenched his fist and turned to Neal again. "I don't have to answer you, kid."
Neal's eyes widened. Max had never addressed him as kid. Why did he suddenly change? "Well, I am not moving until you tell me what changed? Why help me?" He asked, but this time there was no stubbornness in his voice, only a request.
"You just won't leave it alone, will you?" Max asked. Neal shook his head, hoping for Max to answer his question. Max remained silent for a long time and Neal thought that he wasn't going to answer.
"I had a son..your age.." Max started to say and Neal immediately noted the past tense. "He died because an enemy of mine wanted to have his revenge." Neal's heart sank at those words. What kind of a monster kills a young kid? Another thought came to his mind.
Neal shuddered.
"I was devastated by this. With time, the pain lessened but then I started working with James and I met you. You look just like my Ronnie." Neal smiled sadly. "Whenever I saw you, I was reminded of my son and I was happy with that but then I realized that I couldn't get too attached to you. I lost my son once, I couldn't bear to lose you too. I saw the way James treated you. I knew if I got attached to you then I would never be able to cope without you if anything happened to you, so I did what I thought was best."
"You started hating me. Hitting me and torturing me." Neal completed for him.
Max winced at Neal's words but nodded slightly. "I know that I was being selfish, kid, I went about things the wrong way, but I couldn't take any more pain in my heart. But then the way you were sad on leaving that Agent's house and the way you cried, the way you were feeling dejected, it hurt my heart more. When James started strangling you, fully intent on killing you, that was it. I couldn't let him do that. I couldn't see Ronnie die all over again. I quickly texted a message to your agent telling him that you were in danger." He paused. "This time I could at least save my Ronnie." He lowered his eyes as they stung, threatening him to spill tears and he didn't want to cry in front of the kid.
Neal finally relaxed and sighed. Max wasn't a bad person after all. "It's okay, Max. It's okay." He walked over to Max and placed his hand on the latter's shoulder to comfort him. Max looked at Neal and nodded. He turned abruptly, causing Neal's hand to fall off from his shoulder and started walking, "Let's go."
Neal nodded and started to follow Max. He was sure that if Peter had read the text message then he would surely come and save him. He knew that no matter what happened, Peter would always keep him safe. But then James' voice froze him to the ground.
"Don't even think about taking a step forward."
Neal and Max turned around to see James standing a couple of feet away from them.
James chuckled darkly, "Sorry to interrupt such an emotional moment but I have a busy schedule." His eyes locked in to Max' as he continued speaking, "You really thought that you could fool me, Max? I knew something was wrong the moment you suggested burying him." He gestured towards Neal with his gun.
"D..Dad.." Neal started to say but James cut him off.
"Why are you still living? Why the hell can't you just die!" James growled.
Neal shivered at the venom in his Dad's voice. Max only stared at James. He hoped that the agent would show up soon.
"Well, doesn't matter! Now come on, start walking." James ordered, pointing his gun at Neal. Neal gulped and looked at Max, who nodded. They both were thinking the same thing, play along until Peter arrives. Both of them turned around and started walking. Neal was pushed forward again and again by James as he was limping and James was telling him something about wasting his precious time.
They came to a stop right at the edge of the hole that Max had dug. Neal frowned. His heart started beating erratically. His father was going to kill him and bury him. Max told that he had texted a message to Peter, but where was he? What was taking him so long? His hand automatically went into his pocket and he clutched the keychain tightly. He was going to die. Peter was not going to come on time. He just hoped that Peter was able to find him after he was buried.
He turned to face his dad but James suddenly brought his gun up and slammed it to his head with full force. Neal's head exploded in excruciating pain and everything began to spin. His hands went to clutch his head and darkness started to claim him. He lost balance and toppled into the hole and surrendered to the calling oblivion.
Max instinctively took a step forward to help Neal out of the ditch but James stopped him. "I wouldn't want to do that if I were you, Max." He pointed his gun at unconscious Neal. "Now, come on, fill the hole." He ordered.
Max' heart stopped beating. "What?" He croaked.
"You heard me, Max! Fill up the hole or else Neal here dies now!" James replied and readied his gun to shoot at Neal.
Max shook his head frantically. "Stop! I'll fill it. Don't shoot." Max couldn't let James kill Neal. He had to fill up the hole and hope for the agent to come and stop him. He had no other choice. He picked up the shovel and started throwing the wet cold mud over Neal's body.
"Speed up, Max! Or else! Neal will die quicker than you can imagine." James barked on seeing that Max was filling the hole very slowly. To prove his point, he fired the shot right next to Neal's head who remained oblivious to it. "Stop!" Max shouted. James cackled, "Next time, I won't miss."
Max nodded and filled up the hole, burying Neal alive within a record time. His heart was pounding painfully. He couldn't do anything to save the kid. He cursed the agent. Where the hell was he?
James seemed satisfied with Max. He pointed the gun at him and ordered, "Come on, let's go."
Max complied and walked away from Neal's grave, to the direction of the car. They reached the car within a few minutes. James called out, "It was nice working with you, Max."
Max started to turn but then a shot rang out and he was hit by immense pain in his chest. He looked down and saw that the front of his shirt was rapidly turning red. He crumpled to the ground on his knees, his visions blurred. He saw James getting into the driver's seat. He shook his head sadly. He didn't mind dying, but he hadn't wanted the kid to die.
Suddenly the sirens and shouts filled the air. He turned his face upwards and saw that the entire area was surrounded by the FBI agents. He smiled and let darkness engulf him. He sank to the ground on his side. Hopefully the boy was still alive, though his chances were slim.
...
Announcement, right?.. Well.. Happy April fools day ;-)