What He Does Best

Chapter 36

Peter woke up with a pounding headache. His first thought was that he really didn't deserve to be a federal agent since he kept allowing himself to be taken again and again. Of course, they wouldn't have been able to get the jump on him if he hadn't been stupid enough to go looking for Neal without proper backup. With that being said, though, he knew that he would have made the same choice if he had it all to do over again. Neal deserved to have someone looking for him immediately, not when it was convenient for the men who didn't really care about him.

Looking around the small room he was in, he wasn't surprised to see a man he recognized. He already knew that Dmitri was responsible for both him and Neal being taken. He couldn't help but wonder, though, why the man had chosen to take him. What could he possibly have to offer Dmitri?

"Get up!" the young man in front of him growled.

Peter slowly stood up, hoping that the pounding in his head wouldn't cause him to pass out again. Once he was on his feet, the young man stepped over to him and none too gently pulled both of his arms behind his back. Seconds later, he felt his hands being tied together with a thick rope. Remembering Neal's trick, he quickly flexed his forearm, hoping to create some slack in the rope.

The man tugged on the rope a few times, seemingly happy with the snugness of the rope. Without a word, he pushed Peter toward the door, causing him to stumble weakly. Peter thought that he was surely going to fall on his face, but he was able to recover his step somehow. Allowing himself to be pushed out the door, he stumbled along a dark hallway.

After passing a few doors, the young man pulled on the ropes, causing Peter to come to a stop. He waited as the young man rapped his knuckles on the door, obviously expecting someone to answer the door. Seconds later, the door opened and Peter found himself face to face with Silas Dmitri.

"Well, if it isn't Special Agent Peter Burke," Dmitri snarled. "I'd say it's nice to see you again, but somehow I don't think the feeling is mutual, is it?"

"Definitely not," Peter answered.

Dmitri turned to the young man and motioned him to shut the door. "Have a seat, Agent Burke," he said once the door was closed.

Peter walked over to a chair sitting in front of a large desk and awkwardly lowered himself into it. Without wasting any time, he confronted Dmitri. "Where's Neal?"

"Right down to business. I like that in a partner," Dmitri laughed.

"I'm not your partner, Dmitri," Peter growled. "Where is he?"

"Calm down, Agent Burke. We'll get to that in a minute. First, I have a proposition for you."

Peter couldn't help but be curious as to what kind of proposition the man had in mind.

"Agent Burke, I have something you desperately want, although why you want him is far beyond my comprehension. And you have a certain skill that I need in order to get what I want. Therefore, I propose that we partner together to come to a mutually appreciated end. You get what you want and I get what I want. Sound fair?"

"I don't partner with criminals, Dmitri," Peter snarled.

"Oh? And all this time I thought that you saw Neal as your partner. Pardon my misinterpretation of your relationship."

"Neal is my partner," Peter explained. "And he was a criminal. But, he's paid his dues to society. He's more than paid them, actually."

"Hmmmm…. I wonder if you'll feel that way when you find out what he's done."

Peter's heart skipped a beat at those words.

"Would it surprise you to know that Neal was working for me, Agent Burke? That the whole time you were setting up a sting to catch me, he was going behind your back to help me?"

"I don't believe that," Peter replied. "Neal hates you, Dmitri. He would never help you in any way."

"Ah, but that's not entirely true, Agent Burke. Of course, Neal does hate me, but he fears me even more. And fear can be a powerful motivator, don't you think?"

Peter felt like his stomach was flipping madly and he could feel his head pound with every erratic, frantic heartbeat.

"Listen, Agent Burke….I know that you think of Neal as some sort of "golden child" or something like that, but how well do you really know him? Do you really know what he's capable of when he's desperate? Do you know the things he's done in the past to get ahead?"

"Trust me, Dmitri, I don't think of Neal as a golden child. I know he's made bad choices in his life and believe me, it's a daily battle to make sure he doesn't go down that slippery slope again. But, he's a good kid….. A good man."

"But, can you ever really trust him, Agent Burke? How do you know that he's not going to "go down that slippery slope" again? How do you know that he's not going to get tired of being on your leash and decide to take matters into his own hands?"

"I don't know that he won't decide to do that, Dmitri. But, I do trust him enough to stand by his side. He's not perfect, that's for sure, but he's a good man."

"Well, your good man just pulled a fast one over on you, Burke. I know you think he was working to help you get to me, but he was actually doing the opposite. He caused that explosion. He was the reason that your sting went up in smoke."

Peter didn't have an answer for that. It wasn't that he didn't think Dmitri was telling the truth. In fact, it all made sense. But, what he did know was that even if that was true, he knew that Neal had a plan. Of course, he was madder than hell that the man didn't clue him in on his plan. When would the kid learn that he didn't have to handle everything on his own?!

"What do you want from me, Dmitri?"

Dmitri stood up and walked around the desk. Stopping just in front of Peter, he leaned against the desk, crossing both of his arms off of his chest. "I need you to convince Neal to tell me something, Agent Burke. He has something of mine, and I want it back. Do you think you can convince him to tell me where it is?"

"Where what is?" Peter growled.

"Don't worry about that right now, Agent Burke. I know that he respects you enough that your words can be very convincing. You'll have your work cut out for you, but I'm sure you can do it. When the time is right, I'll tell you what I need and you can do your best to convince him to help me. For now, I want you to get some rest."

Dmitri walked over to the door and rapped on it two times. Immediately, the door opened and the young man from before stepped into the room.

"Take him back to his room and make sure he's comfortable. Make sure he has water, food, and a blanket."

The young man grabbed Peter by the arm and pulled him to his feet. Peter allowed himself to be pulled to the door, but then turned back to Dmitri. "I want to see Neal," he said quickly. "I need to know if he's okay."

Dmitri laughed. "He's a little indisposed at the moment, Agent Burke. But, don't worry….. You'll see him in the morning, first thing."

Peter started to argue with the man, but he found himself being forcefully pulled out of the room. Knowing that there wasn't much he could do, he stopped fighting and walked as steadily as he could down the hallway.

When Neal woke up again, he did a quick inventory of his injuries. He ached all over, of course, and his head was still pounding fiercely. He also could tell that his right cheek was swollen, almost to the point of causing his right eye to close. The small of his back was burning in agony and he knew that was due to the punches Victor had directed straight at his kidneys. He also could feel a burning in his chest and the sudden desire to cough. When he did finally cough, his ribs and head throbbed miserably, causing him to feel like he was going to lose whatever was left in his stomach.

After taking several deep breaths, which caused his chest and ribs to ache even more, he rolled over onto his side and pulled himself into a sitting position. His head was swimming dizzily and for a second, he felt like he was going to pass out. Luckily, the feeling passed after several long seconds. After waiting a few more minutes, he finally stood up and made his way over to the sink. After splashing cold water on his face for several minutes, he filled up the small glass sitting on the sink, and took several small sips. His stomach rebelled the instant he swallowed the cold water, and before he was ready, he was bent over the toilet, emptying his stomach.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it seemed like hours before he was able to pull himself back up and make his way back over to the bed in the corner. Just as he settled himself down on the bed, the door opened, sending a blinding light straight into his eyes.

"Get up," Victor demanded.

"I'd rather not," Neal answered weakly.

"I said get up, boy," Victor demanded even louder.

Neal struggled to pull himself back up off the bed. Eventually, he was sitting up again, staring angrily at the man he had grown to hate almost as much as Dmitri.

Victor marched forward and grabbed Neal by the head, forcefully pulling him up by his hair.

"Let's go," he said as he continued to pull Neal by the hair.

Neal, of course, had no choice but to move along with Victor. Unsurprisingly, the man didn't care that he was trying desperately not to fall with each step they took. Eventually, they came to a large room at the end of the hallway. Once they crossed the threshold, Victor shoved Neal into the room. Neal tried to keep his balance, but he abruptly found his knees, followed quickly by the rest of his body, slamming into the concrete floor. He couldn't stop the cry that escaped his lips and he suddenly hated himself for being so weak.

Before he could find the strength to try to sit up, the door opened and closed again, admitting Dmitri into the room.

"Good morning, Danny-boy. How did you sleep last night?"

"Best sleep I've had in a long time," Neal mumbled. "Really, Dmitri…..your hospitality is amazing."

"Always a jokester, Danny. I never liked that about you, you know?"

"That's okay, Dmitri. There's a lot about you that I never liked, too."

Dmitri laughed. "I have to admit, Danny, that I wish that some of my men had half the guts you have. You may be an arrogant, annoying trouble-maker, but you're definitely bold and daring. No one can ever say that you're a coward, that's for sure."

When Neal didn't answer, Dmitri continued. "I thought I should clue you in on the recent change of events. We've had a visitor to our little compound. Someone that I think will be able to help both of us."

Neal looked up at Dmitri, curiosity covering his face. "Who?" he asked, even though he was dreading the answer.

"You'll find out soon," Dmitri replied with a smirk. "Right now, you and Victor have some business to attend to."

With that, Dmitri turned and walked back out the door, leaving Neal to face whatever Victor had in store for him. Before he could say or do anything, Victor reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Before Neal's eyes could focus on the object in the man's hand, Victor had stepped forward and prodded him in the side with a taser.

By the time Victor was done with Neal, he had been kicked, punched, shoved, and tased several different times. His hair was plastered to his forehead as sweat dripped into his eyes and down his face. His hands were trembling and his legs were shaking enough to where he couldn't support his own weight. Despite the fact that every aspect of his body was on fire, he did everything he could to not give Victor the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in.

Instead, he kept his mouth shut, hoping that the man was done with him for a while. Keeping his eye on Victor, Neal watched every move the man made as he paced in the small room. He couldn't control the small gasps of pain that happened with every breath he took and he couldn't stop it when his stomach decided to empty itself again. All in all, he was more miserable than he could ever remember being.

Just when it looked like Victor was gearing up for another round, the door opened again. Neal couldn't find the strength to even raise his head until he heard the familiar voice of his partner.

"Neal!" Peter yelled as he was pushed through the door. "Damn it, Dmitri! What did you do to him?"

Dmitri followed Peter through the door. "Nothing that he didn't deserve, Agent Burke," he laughed. "Things would go a lot easier on him, if he would just learn to cooperate."

Neal's heart was hammering in his throat at the sight of Peter standing before him. "Peter," he called out weakly. "Peter, what are you doing here?"

"I came for you, Neal," Peter said softly as he knelt down in front of the battered young man.

"You shouldn't have," Neal whispered. "Peter, you shouldn't have. I can take care of myself."

Dmitri laughed again. "It doesn't look like you're doing too good of a job, Danny."

Neal glared at his step-father. "You must be particularly stupid, Dmitri, since you can't seem to remember my name. It's Neal!"

"Neal!" Peter growled. "Don't."

But it was too late. Dmitri's face was burning red and he turned to Victor. "I don't think you've succeeded in teaching him to be respectful, Victor. He obviously needs another lesson."

Victor stepped towards Neal, but Peter jumped up to stand in front of him. "Leave him alone!" he demanded as he tried to protect his partner. Unfortunately, with his hands tied behind his back, it was easy enough for Victor to outmaneuver him. Finding himself suddenly on the floor, he could only watch in horror as Victor towered over Neal, driving his boot into the man's body repeatedly.

"Stop!" he yelled. "Dmitri, that's enough! Leave him alone!"

Dmitri cleared his throat and motioned for Victor to step away from Neal. "If you would just learn to keep your mouth shut, things would go a lot easier on you, boy."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Neal groaned.

Dmitri turned to Peter. "I don't know how you put up with him day in and day out, Agent Burke. His insolence is enough to try the patience of a saint."

"What do you want, Dmitri? Let's get this over with, whatever it is."

"You're right, Agent Burke. We should get on with it, right?" Turning back to Neal, who was still struggling to catch his breath, he knelt down in front of him. "Hey, Danny-boy….. Do you remember what happened the week that you ran away? Do you remember walking in on your mother and me talking in the kitchen? I was telling her about something important when you walked in. Remember?"

Neal had no idea what the man was talking about. It seemed like any time he had walked into his house, his mother and step-father were whispering to each other about something.

"Come on, boy. Surely you remember the whipping I gave you when I found you eavesdropping the very next day! I know you heard me telling your mother about the diamonds we lifted at the jewelry store that summer. And I know that you took them!"

"I didn't take any diamonds, Dmitri," Neal croaked. "I had no idea what you were talking about that night. All I wanted was to get something to eat and to go to bed."

"You're lying," Dmitri growled. "I'm not stupid, Danny. I knew that it wasn't a coincidence that you overheard me telling your mother about it and then they were gone the very next day. I knew that you had taken them. And then you disappeared, too."

"It wasn't me, Dmitri. I had nothing to do with those diamonds disappearing."

"Of course you did," Dmitri answered. "I was willing to overlook the fact that you took them, Danny, when you were willing to help me out with the paintings. But, that didn't work out too well, did it? So, now I need those diamonds."

"Why?" Neal asked. "Why now, after all these years?"

"I have a debt to pay, boy. Your paintings were going to help me pay off that debt, but that can't happen now. Now, I only have one other option. Where are the diamonds, Danny?"

Neal looked belligerently up at his step-father. "I told you! I don't have them and I never did. You're out of luck, Dmitri. I can't help you anymore than you can help yourself."

"We'll see about that," Dmitri said before turning away from Neal. "Victor, I'd like to show Danny how displeased I am with his choice to be uncooperative. Take Agent Burke into the other room. And be sure to leave the door open. I don't want Danny to miss out on what you're doing."

Neal watched in horror as Victor grabbed Peter by the arm and dragged him out of the room. "Peter," he yelled frantically. "Dmitri! Leave him alone!"

Dmitri leaned against the wall, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. Neal pulled himself up to his knees, despite the agonizing pain shooting through him with each movement. Before he could do anything else, he heard the awful sound of punches being thrown into a soft body. Punch after punch could be heard until he finally heard the worst sound imaginable.

Neal couldn't do anything but bear witness to the sound of the terrible beating going on in the next room. His heart broke a little each time Peter cried out in pain. The guilt he was feeling in knowing that he was the cause of Peter's pain was nearly enough to completely break him, but there was no way he would ever give Dmitri that satisfaction. Instead, he listened to each thrown punch, each gasp of air from his partner, each cry of pain. He listened as the punches turned to kicks and then eventually to the sound of his best friend being tased. As he listened, he vowed once and for all that Dmitri would pay for what he was doing. For what he had done. He vowed that he would make sure that the man never had the chance to hurt someone he cared about again. He vowed that once he was done with him, Silas Dmitri would exist no longer.

Author's note: Well, I thought it only fair and fitting that Peter take a little bit of the abuse from time to time. Of course, my main reason for this is to instill even more angst in Neal. I can only imagine how he would feel if he had to listen to his friend being tortured in the next room.

This chapter is a little later than I had planned, but life has been crazy lately. I keep trying to tell my kids that they need to get rich and famous so I can quit my job and write all the time, but they don't seem to take me seriously. Anyway, please know that I won't abandon this story and that I'm doing my best to get the chapters out to you. Please be patient.

Thank you all so much for sticking with the story. I know it may seem like it's dragging for some of you, so just be aware that we are in the homestretch. I'm not sure how many chapters it will be, but we're getting close to the end. I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about that, lol.