Author's notes:
MarJan53, Guest, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. Comments let me know that someone is reading this story, so I really appreciate your feedback. :)
The illustration for this chapter you can either find on my DoodleAddicts account (…/vincentthecat/) or on the story Rooftops of New York that I post on Archive Of Our Own (VincentTheCat).
Chapter 8 "Thick As Thieves"
"For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'"
Matthew 25:41-43 (NABRE)
"…That's our rendezvous. I want everyone there at 1AM sharp. Any questions?" Matthew made a point to make eye contact with each and every one of his crew. From Travis, whom he trusted even less than Morris, to the kid who…
Who was fiddling with a can of coke and did not notice Matthew's gaze. Only after Miller elbowed his side did Georgie look up. His expression was a bit startled, but his eyes, as always, were almost laughing.
"Sounds awesome, sir!" he smiled at Matthew, putting away the empty can. Hearing the boy, Travis snorted with obvious contempt. Matthew had watched the antagonism between the two grow for several months and purposely had done nothing to stop it. At first, leaving trash like Travis in the group was a test of character for the kid. Watching them interact amused Matthew. Lately it had ceased to be just a game to him, though. He started to see a greater purpose in it. He needed all crew members to be oblivious to the one time when Georgie would intentionally screw up. It would happen during tomorrow's getaway from the mansion. The kid, supposedly out of fear of Travis, instead of joining them in the car, would run away on his own. The setup was perfect. No one would be surprised by Georgie's last-minute screw-up. Not Miller, who had lately hinted Matthew should get Travis under control. Probably not even Peter Morris, who, judging by the glare he had shot Travis earlier, already recognized the bungler for the trash he was.
"You haven't been listening, so of course it does," their getaway driver teased, focusing his spiteful gaze on the boy. In response, George shot Travis a look and nonchalantly placed his sneakers on the table. And then the kid had to open his big mouth.
"At least I won't be late," he snorted, throwing the can of coke above his head and catching it mid-air. Then he looked back at Travis with an expression of superiority. "Unlike some people―"
Surprisingly, neither Matthew nor Miller reacted the quickest. Instead, it was Peter Morris who was there to throw Travis off balance the moment their getaway driver lunged at Georgie.
It was over in an instant.
With precise movements Morris trapped the brute against the table. As his hands got twisted behind his back, Travis hissed in both pain and surprise. The knife fell from his fingers. Seeing the weapon, Matthew shot a glare at Miller. He noticed that his underling managed to get the startled kid behind himself. Good. It seemed that the man was not entirely useless, after all.
"You would seriously kill me for that?" Georgie whispered into the momentary silence. He was not looking cocky anymore. Instead, his eyes were unnaturally wide in his pale face.
Just great, Matthew thought as Travis started cursing. As if Douglas's schemes had not changed his plans drastically enough, it seemed that he might either have to find a new driver or spend an inordinate amount of time making sure his old one was behaving. Fantastic.
/\_/\
='x'=
"Georgie, you're such a pain in the ass!" Keller's anger was focused solely on the would-be-victim instead of on the would-be-murderer. Till, as Travis continued to spew a stream of foul curses at all of them, the man's anger boiled over.
Before Peter could intervene, Keller shoved him out of the way, grabbed the immobilized crook and crashed his head against the table. Suddenly limp, Travis tumbled to the ground.
Keller's mouth twisted in distaste. "There. That's better."
Peter felt tense. The boy was still protectively tucked behind Miller, too far away to grab and run in case it all went to hell. Peter watched Keller cross his way to the cabinet in the corner, pour himself a glass of whiskey, and then, with a soft curse, guzzle it in one go.
"Stay put, G," Miller said, letting go of the boy's shoulder. He made his way over to Travis's prone form lying beside the table. After checking the man's pulse, Miller made sure his associate had no more concealed weapons with him.
Meanwhile, Peter had taken a step towards the child, who still kept his terrified eyes on the unconscious man. Just one more and he would be close enough to drag the boy through the door and onto the corridor. If only… Oh, come on!
/\_/\
='x'=
Neal is distracted. His heart is still beating wildly in his chest. As he watches Mil searching through Travis's pockets, the movement on his right finally registers and… "Shit," the curse slips out. First Travis, and now this Neumann's guy! He does not understand why both of them seem to hate him so much. Why won't they leave him alone, already?!
Neal does not think. He jumps over the couch to get as far away as he can from Morris, then hastily takes cover between Mil and Mister Keller. Noticing a sudden movement, his mentor turns to glare at him.
"What now―" Mister Keller starts to speak only to stop. He narrows his eyes and turns to Peter Morris, who has frozen mid-step, as though surprised by the escape of his quarry. Neal watches his mentor purse his lips. "You want something from Georgie, huh?" the accusation comes and, weirdly enough, despite his irked tone, Mister Morris' words sound reasonable when he answers.
"I want you to tell me how you will get your man under control," he says sternly. Hearing this, Neal turns to look at Mister Keller. He is curious about it himself.
"He is already handled," Mister Keller sneers, gesturing to Travis lying on the floor. Then, his eyes grow cold. Neal is happy it is not him with whom his mentor is angry. "I made sure of that."
"He's almost done with your kid," comes Morris' reply and… Neal hates the adult for saying that. No, no, no, don't make this discussion about me, he hears Vincent's snarl. But it is already too late.
"Exactly, my kid," Keller grits out and Neal flinches as his heavy hand clenches on his shoulder. "You have something against my kid? Because, I can assure you, it would be better if you didn't."
Mister Morris looks like he is about to lash out. He even opens his mouth as if to say something rash but surprisingly… He stops. The only sound he makes is a loud grunt, sounding more like a failed attempt to clear his throat than anything else, and then… He relaxes his clenched fists and the mask he has been wearing earlier during the meeting slips back onto his face. Ignoring all of them, the adult takes the abandoned armchair, then helps himself to a cigar from a box lying on the table. He meets Mister Keller's eyes only after the second puff.
"What I care about is the job," Mister Morris says. He waves his cigar in the direction of Travis. "Your job. His job. What are you going to do about this mess?"
A couple more moments of intense silence passes between them. His mentor's grip on his shoulder relaxes. Surreptitiously Neal shuffles away from Mister Keller. As he delicately probes the aching area he cannot help but grimace. It will definitely bruise.
"Did you know he's on tweak?" Mil suddenly asks, looking up from his examination of Travis. Seeing the small bag of white powder in his hand, Neal cracks a smile. So he was right earlier. As he suspected, just like the last time, Travis actually came stoned to the meeting.
"I knew it was there," he says, then chuckles. "Gee, Mil, you seriously need to work on your searches." The adult grins back at him, then looks up as if to meet Mister Keller's gaze above Neal's head. And whatever silent exchange happens there, it causes Mil to stand up and beckon Neal to the door.
"Come on, kid. Let's wait outside."
Neal eagerly joins Mil. "That Morris bloke is seriously spooky," he quietly remarks as they get out of Mister Keller's earshot. "You know, we met before the meeting and Morris totally owned Travis! Just like now. Well… It was less scary then…" Neal adds thoughtfully and Mil snorts.
"Saved your life twice, huh?" he asks and Neal, after giving it some more thought, finds himself nodding.
"Yeah!" he exclaims."What's up with that?!"
Mil waves his hand dismissively. "Do not worry about it, kid. If he hadn't stopped Travis, I would have. And it's not like Morris is here to stay, right?"
"…I guess not," Neal mumbles under his breath, reminded of Mister Keller's treasure hunt. "Mil, what do you think Mister Keller plans to do after we get the―" he cuts himself off just in time. "―the mansion robbed?"
"Well," Mil chuckles. "Knowing him, he will get right to planning the next job."
"Right," Neal weakly smiles back. "Of course he will."
"You okay, kid?" The question comes with a gentle clap on his back. Avoiding the adult's gaze, he determinedly continues to ignore the increasingly insistent prickle of tears in his eyes.
"Yeah, I just…" He clears his throat. "I just need some fresh air," he lies and instantly blushes as Mil gestures expansively, clearly pointing out that they are already outside.
As the awkward silence stretches Mil sighs. "…Sure. Go ahead. But not too far. Keller's already pissed off and I don't want him jumping down my throat."
"Don't worry. I won't," Neal promises. Somehow, he manages to turn away in time to hide the first tear that rolls down his cheek. The moment the second one does, he has already turned the corner. The walk turns into a run.
Out of breath, choking on his tears, he barrels into a narrow alley only to stop dead in his tracks at the familiar sight of the Labrador she-dog tied to a drainpipe. Seeing him, Bella gets up from the ground and whines softly, wagging her tail.
Stumbling, Neal falls to the ground at her side.
"You're still here!" he breaths out, hugging her tightly.
/\_/\
='x'=
Peter could not put his finger on it, but something about the entire situation felt fishy. Had the profilers gotten Keller's MO wrong? The crook's behaviour was unpredictable, which unnerved Peter. Maybe he should have said 'long ride' when George was still present. The more time he spent listening to Keller's explanations, the more he regretted he hadn't.
"I hope that you will keep this between us?" Keller's polite question made Peter look away from the still unconscious Travis. The hardest thing was to keep his inner tumult from the expression on his face.
"I can't promise that," he lied. He was not going to tell Neumann about the whole debacle. "I can promise, however, to support you during the job, that won't change," Peter added after a pause. "At least, as long as there won't be any more… Surprises," he emphasized.
"Of course." There was a murderous tone in Keller's voice.
Getting up, Peter did nothing to mask his contempt for the crook. He did not know whether it was in character for Peter Morris, but frankly, he was starting to wonder whether it mattered. Keller must have been mad to allow their resident drug-addict to stay as their getaway driver.
At the end of the corridor Miller was waiting for him. He was alone. No George in sight. Without a word the man handed Peter his gun back, then turned away and headed from where Peter had come. Looking after him, Peter pursed his lips.
Where was the kid?
With that frantic question echoing in his mind, he ran upstairs. Pretending to scratch his neck, he raised his wristwatch to his mouth. "I'm out. The kid?" he mumbled, hoping the terrible duo realized how young the child, Peter was dealing with, was and took the initiative to keep him safe after the meeting. Even if only from a distance.
"He's back with that dog, boss." Hearing Diana's voice through his earbud, Peter relaxed. "Should we approach?"
"No," he quietly said. "I'll handle that. You keep your eyes on the rest."
"Copy that," Diana confirmed.
/\_/\
='x'=
"And so, you see, Bella, Lucky's been really missing you and now―" hearing someone's steps, Neal pauses mid-word. Mister Keller, comes the awareness and he feels his heart picking up speed. Mister Keller cannot see Bella. He cannot…Wait, what?
…What is Mister Morris doing here?
/\_/\
='x'=
It was only when the boy, hearing him approach, jumped to his feet, that Peter realized he was not following any kind of plan. Having no idea what to say, slowly, he raised his hands to show the kid that he had no hostile intentions. He had told his subordinates he would handle the child, but… What, exactly, had he meant by that?
There was no way the Headquarters would ever accept the minor's presence as a reason to call off the operation. So he needed to stay undercover, if only for just one more day. And George too, needed to stay with his abusers for one more day. Right that moment, there was really nothing he could do for the child. So why approach him?
Suddenly, the kid snorted. "Relax Mister Morris, I'm not going to shoot you," the little boy said and only then did Peter realize, he might have been holding his hands up for a little too long.
Dropping his hands to his sides, he chuckled. "…That's a relief."
The boy looked at him quizzically. "…Did Mister Keller send you?"
"No. I don't think he's quite finished with Travis yet," he said, and after a moment of hesitation decided to close the distance between them and sit on the sidewalk next to where the dog was tied, some six feet from the boy.
Feeling George's alert gaze on himself, he reached his hand towards the dog and watched the loyal creature sniff his hand. Why, out of all the dog breeds, did the kid have to steal a Labrador? As if he were not missing Satchmo enough.
/\_/\
='x'=
Watching Neumann's man scratching Bella behind her ear, Neal does not know what to say. He tries very hard to understand the adult's behaviour and yet, for some reason… He just cannot get a read on Mister Morris anymore. If Mister Keller has not sent him, then what is the adult doing here?
A moment passes and Neal is still unwilling to sit down. "You're kind of scary," he says. He needs to remember to be cautious.
Hearing the words, the adult looks up at Neal. The corner of his mouth twitches. "Yeah, I know. We all are," he states and it takes Neal some time to understand that Mister Morris is referencing their conversation from before the meeting.
Not knowing how to answer, Neal shifts from foot to foot. He watches the adult turn his attention back to Bella and sigh.
"I did not know he had a knife," he hears him say after a moment. "If I had known…" The adult purses his lips, then shakes his head. His gaze flicks back to Neal. "You're ok, right?" As Neal does not answer, the adult shakes his head again. "What am I asking? Of course you're not."
Hearing the quiet words, Neal crosses his arms. "But I am okay!" he lively disagrees and then grimaces as the pain in his bruised arm makes itself felt again. "I really am," he repeats, sitting down on the sidewalk and focusing his gaze on the beautiful dog. Wagging her tail, she comes to him and tries to kiss him on the face. Chuckling, Neal runs his good hand through her soft fur.
Lucky is going to be so happy to have his mum back.
/\_/\
='x'=
Peter felt his heart sink as he watched the little boy start petting the dog. He did not miss how gingerly the child was holding his left hand. It was the shoulder that Keller had grabbed.
If George were Peter's kid, he would have asked him if he could take a look at the damage and make sure nothing got sprained. Just because the kid looked fine and moved with ease at first glance, it did not mean that was the case. Not liking the direction in which his thoughts were taking him, Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to focus. George was not his child and his first responsibility was to the case, not the boy.
"I'm sorry," Peter heard someone say only to realize it was his own voice.
"Huh?" the boy asked cocking his head at him.
Wondering what was the point of having that kind of conversation, Peter shook his head. "Keller should not have done that. He should not have hurt you," he told the boy. "It was wrong."
Saying nothing, the boy furrowed his forehead.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Peter had to look away from those soul-piercing blue eyes. The system was wrong. Children, no matter what their wrong deeds, simply did not belong behind bars.
/\_/\
='x'=
Mister Morris is not scary, Mister Morris is… weird. Which… Can potentially become a problem, Neal thinks. Then again, yesterday, Mister Keller did promise to keep Mister Morris away from him.
Just like he promised not to let Travis hurt you. Neal grimaces, hearing Vincent's dry meow.
The cat is wrong. Or maybe… He is right.
Hugging his legs, Neal rests his chin against his knees.
No. He can't be right. Vincent simply does not know what he is talking about.
Neal cocks his head at the adult. What is it that Mister Morris wants from him, he wonders. Has he seriously come here just to chat?
/\_/\
='x'=
He should leave. He should let the boy be. He should get up, walk away, tell Jones to follow George and prepare for tomorrow's arrests. Talking like that with a target was dangerous.
George might be just a kid, but even a kid, if given enough clues, would sense that something was wrong.
"Look, George. The thing I said earlier that antagonizing Travis was a bad idea – I meant it. Keller plans to leave Travis as our getaway driver and…" Peter paused. It was unreasonable to expect the kid to understand the gravity of the situation. "…And I think you really should not antagonize him more. He's a problem, not you, but that does not change the fact that he's the one with a gun. So if he does taunt you, just ignore him."
/\_/\
='x'=
B-but what if he tries to hurt you again?
Neal welcomes the dog's question with a slight shrug. It does not calm Satchmo's nerves at all.
"Maybe he won't," Neal mumbles, resting his chin against his forearms. To his surprise, Satch is not the only one to hear his voice.
"Yeah, well, hopefully he won't. But just in case," Peter Morris says and Neal, as he turns his gaze back at the adult, is surprised to find that he is starting to rather like their Neumann appointed baby sitter. Someone who owned Travis Murphy twice in one day could not be all bad. Watching the adult start to pet Bella again, Neal smiles.
"I think she likes you," he tells the adult and when Mister Morris just nods, Neal cannot help but add, "I rescued her, you know."
Unsurprisingly, that makes the adult frown. As he prepares for Mister Keller's lecture on how animals are stupid pests that shouldn't be taken into account Neal grimaces, but then… "How's that?" the adult simply asks.
"How's that?" Neal echoes, now frowning. He turns his gaze to Bella. "Um…" Running a hand through her soft fur, he wonders what it is exactly that the adult is expecting him to say. "You know. Just rescued. Sir."
"Yeah, I get that," the adult smiles. "But from whom?"
"From the adults," Neal mumbles, still feeling as if he is not understanding the question.
"Oh, I understand," Mister Morris nods. "Someone was mistreating her."
Hearing the statement, Neal feels an unexpected tightness in his throat.
"That's wrong…" the adult continues, and Neal is shaking.
"You bet it is!" he exclaims, clenching his fists. "She did nothing wrong and they just left her outside the supermarket, just like that." Then, reminded of Lucky, he gets up. "And if that was all they did! But no! Yesterday I met a puppy and he tells me that's Bella―"
Abruptly, Neal pauses. His face feels hot. This, Vincent dryly remarks, is what happens to kids who like to play make believe too much. "―I know Lucky can't really talk, sir," he finds himself mumbling under the unreadable gaze of the adult.
"…Um. Yeah. Okay." Mister Morris finally nods, his amused tone heightening Neal's misery. "So that dog…" The adult clears his throat. "Puppy. Lucky, right?"
He does not want to meet the adult's gaze again. But he has to. For his dog crew.
"You can't tell Mister Keller," he pleads, locking his eyes with Neumann's man.
Instantly, all the amusement flees from the adult's expression. Neal watches him run a hand over his face and take a deep breath. "Yes. Okay. He does not like dogs?"
"Not at all." With a small sigh Neal slumps down on the sidewalk again. "He calls them pests, sir."
Mister Morris remains silent and Neal, glancing at him, sighs.
"And not just them. Cats – he does not like them either."
"Okay," Mister Morris says.
"…You like pests, sir?" Neal asks curiously. "Cats, I mean!"
"Well," Mister Morris chuckles, reaching over to pet Bella again. "I don't mind them, I guess. But I'm more of a dog-person."
/\_/\
='x'=
"Oh," the disappointed acknowledgement that the child made sounded adorable.
"But I really do not mind cats, kiddo. They are all right," he rushed to say and only after the words had left his mouth did he realize… He was starting to feel the way he was feeling when talking to his niece Lucy.
And Lucy was seven. As if Peter was not feeling guilty enough as it was.
Dear God. This child has nearly died today.
And then another thought came to Peter. Because, if he understood George's story correctly, then…
"Did you really find Bella outside a supermarket, kiddo?" he asked, gesturing at the friendly Labrador and when George nodded… Peter took a deep breath, suddenly feeling as if he was talking to someone much younger than Lucy. "Okay... Then, how about this. Is it possible that her owners did not abandon her but just… Left her outside to do their grocery shopping?"
The boy snorted. "They would not do that."
Peter rubbed his temple. "Okay. Why?"
"Because, I mean―" the child paused, an absent-minded look entering his face. Peter decided to gently continue.
"Because she has a collar, kiddo. With her owners info on a tag. And usually, when people abandon their dogs, they do not want to leave any traces that could lead back to them."
/\_/\
='x'=
What Peter Morris has just said does not make any sense. And yet… The adult seems to believe it.
As he glances sideways at the adult, Neal thinks Mister Morris looks very serious right now. Like he means it. As if he meant what he just said about the dogs, their owners and the collars…
"But it does not make any sense," he finds himself saying aloud and watches the adult nod.
"Okay," he says. "Which part?"
"The―" Neal hesitates. "The collars?"
As he voices the words aloud he realizes… That tag bit actually does make sense. It would be weird to let the dog roam around with your data on it.
Silently, Neal reaches his hand to Bella's collar. "Esther Guillaume," he reads aloud. "She has even given her phone number and…"
"And her address," the adult nods, pointing his finger at the info.
"That's a bit stupid."
Mister Morris chuckles. "That depends. If you're a normal person performing a normal job and leading a normal life…" The adult shrugs. "And if you love your dog very much and are afraid of losing her... Then, yeah. You may not be as inclined to protect your personal data as me or Keller are. Though, admittedly, providing an address is a bit much… The phone number should be enough since calling is the first thing any dog finder will do."
"It is?" he asks.
"…You do not think so?"
"I mean, I―" Looking away from the adult, Neal rubs his forehead. "Sometimes, on busy days, there are a lot of dogs waiting outside supermarkets," he finally says.
"There are."
"…And they are not abandoned?" He looks up at the adult.
"I don't think they are," Mister Morris says and Neal turns to gaze at Bella again.
"But that does not make any…" he pauses. "Mister Morris, she's not abandoned?!" he demands.
The adult coughs into his fist, then shakes his head. "I don't think so, George."
Caught by a sudden thought, Neal narrows his eyes. "…But what about Lucky?"
"Lucky?" the adult asks. "Oh. The puppy?" Mister Morris cocks his head at him. "Well. Does he have a collar?"
Shaking his head, Neal smiles. "Yesterday, I threw it away," he says, and then, "You think he―" he pauses. "...You think he was not abandoned either?"
"Well, if you snatched him from outside a supermarket―"
"No, it wasn't a supermarket, it was a park! And he was running free and no one was running after him and―" Neal cuts himself off. "He was lost?" Neal asks and when the adult nods… "But I don't have Lucky's collar anymore! I threw it away!" he cries, jumping to his feet.
"Woah, kid. There is no need for shouting." Mister Morris raises his hands. "I'm sure his family is already putting up lost dog posters all around the city. All you need to do is to just keep your eyes open. Also, you might always take him to a veterinary clinic since there's a chance he's chipped―" the adult pauses. "I've just stopped making sense to you, haven't I?"
Saying nothing, Neal wraps his hands around his stomach. Has he… Has he seriously kidnapped someone's dog?
"Mister Morris, you have to be wrong! Bella and Lucky, they are strays, they can't possibly be wanted because, because―" Neal pauses. "Just because…" he whispers.
/\_/\
='x'=
"It's all right, kiddo." After untying Bella from the drainpipe Peter handed over the leash to the child. The boy sniffled. "Just say you've found her wandering around. No one's going to be mad. I can even go with you if you wish―"
"HEY!" the sudden bellow interrupted Peter. He looked back, feeling his blood run cold.
Over my dead body, he thought, taking an unconscious step in front of the boy to hide him from Keller's sight.
/\_/\
='x'=
He has kidnapped a child. Lucky was never abandoned, he was kidnapped. By him.
"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE―"
"I need to make this right!" Neal mumbles under his breath, pulling on Bella's leash.
"George, wait―"
Mister Keller looks angry as Neal runs past him. "I'll explain later, I promise!"
"Explain what―Damn you kid! STOP!"
The sudden shout makes Neal stop mid-run. Slowly, he turns to look at Mister Keller and Mister Morris. They are now quite a distance away from him. Running a hand through his hair, Neal tries hard to get a grip on his chaotic thoughts. The adults deserve an explanation.
"Mister Keller, I-I've kidnapped a child!" he finally utters, watching his mentor as he gets closer.
Mister Keller stops mid-step. "What?" he asks.
Shaking his head, Neal tries to focus. "Oh! A dog child, I mean! What's the―a puppy!"
The adult blinks. "And where is it now? Because if you took it to the workshop I'm going to―"
Not wanting his mentor to finish that sentence, Neal strongly shakes his head. "No, no, no! It's in an alley." He gestures to the dog at his side. "Just like Bella."
The adult does not answer and Neal, feeling the urgency of the moment again, shifts from foot to foot. There are things that are important and there are things that are urgent. Mister Keller is important but this… This is urgent.
"I'm sorry. I just have to go," he tells his mentor. "I need an hour or two, call me if you need anything!"
"Georgie, you―"
He does not hear the rest. Running at full speed, all he can think about is Lucky. Feeling tears in his eyes, he glances at the Labrador she-dog running by his side.
"I'm so sorry!" he tells her. "I promise I will get you to your adults soon!"
Bella happily woofs in response. Hopefully, one day she will forgive him.
/\_/\
='x'=
His heart was hammering against his chest as he watched the child escape from Keller's clutches and disappear at full run around the corner. He was ready to overtake the man the moment Keller decided to follow. Only he did not.
The criminal shook his head, then muttered to himself. "…And there he goes. Damn that kid." Then, the crook turned to glare at him. "What?" he gritted out.
Peter blinked. "…You're letting him go?" he asked.
He watched the man sneer, then take out a cigarette and light it. "What were you doing talking to my kid?" Keller asked coldly.
"I'll follow the boy, boss." He heard Jones' voice through his earpiece.
Peter clenched his fists. He wanted to go to return the dog with the kid, not get stuck with Keller. Reminding himself he needed to keep his cover, Peter forced himself to relax.
"How's Travis?" he asked.
"Coming back to his senses," Keller snorted, puffing on the cigarette.
"Douglas is not going to like it if you screw up, Matthew," Peter warned.
"Neither Travis, nor the kid will screw up."
"…I hope not." Peter shook his head. "Are you his father?"
Keller turned his head sharply, locking his gaze with Peter. "I said he's off limits, Peter. Do I have to spell it out for you? I don't want to ever see you two talking again."
Saying nothing, Peter lit a cigarette. He was fine. The kid was fine. It was all going to be over soon.
Keller snorted. "You seem bothered. You've got kids yourself, perhaps?"
"Not your damn business," Peter snarled. "Make sure Travis behaves. Because you're right, Matthew. Your kid should be off limits. To everyone. Including Travis."
Seething, he turned on his heel and did not wait for an answer. The bastard had gotten to him and he no longer had the strength to be the aloof Peter Morris.
Tomorrow, he would be Peter Burke again.
Next Sunday: Before the Storm