Chapter Twenty-five

"Did you talk to the Big Boss about your interloping intruder?"

"I did."

"Do you need me to 'take care' this creep?" Mozzie asked seriously. "I know people who specialize in these sorts of things…well not really, I try to stay away from the violent types, but I'll hunt someone down if need be for you."

"Thank you, but no, Mozzie. It's fine." Elizabeth smiled at Mozzie's overly protective offer. "I talked to Reese and although he's livid that someone at the Agency talked to Mr. Walker about Peter he assures me that Light for the Lost is a well known and trusted organization. As inappropriate as it was coming to my house Mr. Walker was just trying to help."

"I still don't like him." Mozzie huffed sourly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to get rid of him for you."

"It's okay, Mozzie, I can take care of myself."

"Of that I have absolutely no doubt," Mozzie replied truthfully "however just because you can do something alone doesn't mean you should have to."

"Thank you, Mozzie. I can't tell you how much your support has meant to me, your optimism even more so."

Elizabeth reached out and gave Mozzie a warm hug. When she released him she had to reach up and dab the back of her hand against her eye to keep from spilling the tears that had brightened them. As often as Mozzie had seen her either in or near tears over the past three weeks it still never failed to increase the weight on his heart. He had been fighting his own battle with optimism lately but he was going to great lengths to hide it from her. Much like the FBI he'd been chasing his own tail since this started without getting anywhere.

Elizabeth had been keeping a brave front as well, but he wasn't sure how much longer it was going to last. There was one major aspect of how she was dealing with the situation that had Mozzie worried in particular. He wasn't sure if it stemmed from her determination to take care of herself as she had put it or if it was a kind of deep denial. Either way he didn't feel it was healthy and although he'd left the subject alone for the past week he felt it was time to broach the subject once again.

"Elizabeth," Mozzie hesitated before continuing "I know this really isn't any of my business, but…"

"No." Elizabeth interrupted quietly, knowing what he was going to ask. "I haven't talked to them yet."

"Elizabeth…"

"I tried, I've tried a hundred times." Elizabeth said miserably. "I pick up the phone to call and I break down every time. I can't. It makes everything so much more real."

"I know it's hard, but your family would want to support you."

"Years ago when things started getting serious between Peter and I, and they got serious very quickly, my mother only voiced a single concern and that was that Peter's job was too dangerous."

"Life is too dangerous. Having someone means you might lose them no matter what they do for a living."

"I told her that and that I loved him and that no matter what happened nothing could take that away from me. Every chance at happiness comes with risk."

"'A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for.'." Mozzie quoted John Augustus Shedd with a slight smile.

"Even if Peter never com…" Elizabeth stopped herself as her voice caught in her throat. "I don't regret a single moment."

"Of course you don't, no one is going to think that you do."

"I know, it's not that. I know its silly, but I feel like telling them is giving up on Peter coming home."

"It's not silly." Mozzie assured. "But I still say you need to reach out to them."

"It would be different if…" Elizabeth just shook her head not wanting to say out loud that things would be easier if she had proof Peter was dead. "I'm sorry, Mozzie, I'm not ready."

"Don't apologize. Just know that everyone who loves you only wants to help."

"I know, but they can't really understand." Elizabeth said with a sudden bitter edge to her voice. "As disconcerting as I found him, Mr. Walker was right about one thing."

"What?"

"I can't handle anyone's sympathy right now, I just can't, not even from my own parents."

Mozzie nodded his understanding. He considered offering her a hug but he decided that wasn't what she needed right now. Instead he took a step back physical as he also backed down from his advice that she talk to her family. Elizabeth was looking defiant and Mozzie got the feeling that she was beginning to teeter from denial over to anger in her grief progression. He wouldn't blame her for wanting to seek out a fight right now, as a distraction if nothing else, but he really didn't want to be the center of a true argument with her. She had been shutting out friends and family from the start and the last thing he wanted was to be added to list of people she didn't want around.

An uneasy tension had fallen over the room and although Elizabeth had looked on the verge of snarling at him just seconds ago her expression had turned to one of guilt. Mozzie was worried about her increasingly unsteady mood but it was something that he just had to let happen for now as any attempt to help was only going to make it worse. On the verge of tears once more Elizabeth took a breath to apologize but Mozzie just shook his head to let her know it wasn't needed. Elizabeth smiled warmly at him before closing her eyes briefly with a weary sigh.

Mozzie was about to suggest an early bedtime for her when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Usually he would ignore it, but he had been waiting hours for a particular text. Considering that the only two people who had his current number were Neal and the person he was waiting to hear from Mozzie pulled his phone out. It had taken a small fortune to get the address that he'd just been texted and it was the fourth such address he'd been given. The first three had been fake and there was no telling if this one was good or not until he went there.

"Good news?" Elizabeth asked in a tone that didn't quite dare to hope.

"I don't know, it's a long shot."

"That's all we have right now."

"I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

"I will." Mozzie assured. "I'll text you the address once I'm there, if you don't hear from me in two hours give it to Hughes."

"He would go with you right now."

"No. Feds will just spook Anthony. I'll be fine, he's not dangerous, I just want Hughes to have my only lead if something goes wrong."

"Let me drive you." Elizabeth offered as she hurried over to the sideboard and got her keys and cell phone.

"Elizabeth, no…"

"You said he wasn't dangerous." Elizabeth pointed out. "I'm not asking to come inside, I'll stay in the car."

"I don't think…"

"Please. I can't just sit and wait anymore."

"Promise me you'll stay in the car?" Mozzie asked as he gave in.

"Of course. I won't be able to find a parking space in Chinatown this time of night anyway."

"How do you know…"

"I'm the spouse of a Federal Agent, I know how to clone a cell phone."

"What?!"

"I'm just kidding. But I can read upside down."

"Oh, right." Mozzie flushed.

Elizabeth chuckled at Mozzie's embarrassed blushing. It was the first true moment of levity that they'd experienced since this had started. Mozzie feared Elizabeth was a little too hopeful about this weak lead but it was still a positive sign to hear her laugh again. On their way to Chinatown Mozzie explained how Anthony had gone suddenly missing as well but how he had now apparently resurfaced even though he was doing his best to hide. He explained that he had no real way of knowing if there was any connection but that Neal had railroaded Anthony into helping him on a case a few weeks before he'd unexpectedly vanished. Elizabeth agreed that the connection was tenuous at best but she was grateful that Mozzie had taken the effort and expense to hunt Anthony down.

"Don't circle the block." Mozzie advised as he got out of the car a block away from the address. "Loop out and around. I'll text you when I'm done and we'll meet back here. Give me half an hour before you think about call in any back up."

"Okay." Elizabeth agreed. "Go find our boys, Mozzie."

"I will."

Stepping into the rundown 'rent by the month' apartment complex in the back streets of Chinatown Mozzie made a mental note to thoroughly check himself for bed bugs before getting back into Elizabeth's car. Walking up five flights of uneven stairs Mozzie made his way towards the address his connection had given him. He found his heart pounding at the prospect of having to return to Elizabeth and announce that this had just been another dead end. Getting to the door Mozzie knocked. He had thought of just picking the lock but if Anthony was expecting trouble he might have armed himself.

Anthony couldn't be too high on guard because Mozzie could hear him get up from a squeaky couch with a loud grunt of pain rather than trying to be stealthy. Anthony opened the door about a foot revealing that the entire left side of his face had been badly beaten to the point that his eye was nearly swollen shut. The bright variety of colors on his face showed that he had injuries in multiple stages of healing suggesting more than one painful encounter. His existing skin condition that left him with bright red patches and flaky skin added to his gory look.

"That was fas…" Anthony stopped himself as he looked down at Mozzie. "Oh. You. Look, unless you've started muling prescription pain drugs then piss off."

"Lizard, where the hell have you been?"

"Don't call me that."

"What happened to your face?"

"None of your business. Go away."

Anthony tried to close the door but Mozzie slipping in under his arm and let himself in. Anthony made a growl of annoyed disgust at the intrusion. Ignoring his unwanted house guest he wandered back to the only piece of furniture, a blood stained couch that looked like he'd dragged it in off the street. Sitting down with another groan of pain Anthony wrapped his arms over his stomach as he made a point of not looking at Mozzie. He looked a little short of breath with a fine bead of sweat at his hairline.

"Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?"

"No, you look like you need a hospital."

"I don't have insurance." Anthony hissed sarcastically. "What do you want? If this is about that job I skipped out on I had bigger problems, okay? So just let it go."

"I'm not here about that. My friends have been kidnapped."

"You mean your blackmailing rat and his Fed?" Anthony grumbled.

"Neal didn't blackmail you."

"No, it was worse than that, he almost got me killed. He's the reason I'm sporting an uglier mug than usual and pissing blood. However I ain't involved in any kidnappings, do I look like I could pull something like that off even if I wanted to?"

"Anth…"

"I don't know nothing about anything," Anthony panted in pain "just get out. Leave me alone."

"Where were you? Who did this to you?" Mozzie demanded.

"Go away." Anthony repeated.

"I'm not leaving until I have a name."

"Then yer shit outta luck because I wouldn't have one for you even if I was willing to give it to you. Which I'm not."

"Anthon..."

"What are you going to do? Rat me out to the rest of you Fed friends?" Anthony mocked. "You're on thin ice with the company you keep as it is. Keep this up and no one is going to come within a hundred yards of you again and we're all going to be on the alert to hand you over to the authorities or worse the first minor slip up you make. Think about it, you really want a list of enemies longer than you are tall?"

Mozzie held back a flash of anger knowing that even in his state that physically going up against Anthony wouldn't end well. Desperate to get something out of the interaction Mozzie reached into his pocket and pulled out a small copy of the symbol that Hughes had shown him. Glancing at it Anthony automatically jerked back as he started breathing heavier.

"You've seen this before."

"No." Anthony lied.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing if you don't know then you ain't meant to."

"Anthony…"

"Get out!" Anthony cried as his anger turned to fear. "I paid my debt, that's all I know."

"I have to help them."

"I'm not helping you, get out before you get us both killed."

"Please..."

"Caffrey and Burke can both rot in hell!" Anthony spat before he smiled cruelly. "Oh wait…they already are."