4 - Flip of the Coin
"Relax, you're gonna be fine" Neal said, stepping out of the limo as Mozzie opened the door.
Alisha glared at him but readily followed.
"Yea, you have no idea how dangerous Ames can be".
Probably not as dangerous as their last bad guy...
"It's just a game".
"Never let them see you sweat, right?"
They strode confidently towards the museum, Alisha on his left and Agent Cruz on his right. Ahead of them, the glass door revolved, revealing a tall bodyguard and then Ames himself.
"Alisha" He greeted, "You look lovely".
They kissed each other's cheeks, and Neal hoped that he was the only one who saw the minute tremors in her hands.
"This is the gentleman I was telling you about".
"This is my business manager" He introduced, the older man's eyes immediately latching onto Lauren.
"Charmed".
She gave a fake grin.
"Likewise".
"Come in" He said, leading them through the exhibits, "Enjoy!"
Neal immediately made a beeline for the gold pieces.
"How long have you been collecting antiquities?"
"Years" He replied quickly, moving on, "I also admire the occasional reproduction".
"So, you're familiar with Ptolemaic period, then?"
"I am".
Ames' piercing gaze followed him around the room, "Shame the Greeks put an end to it".
Oh for-
"Shame you didn't have a better history teacher".
He couldn't help but quip.
"Soter's reign over Ptolemaic Egypt ended after the death of Cleopatra and the Roman conquest of 30 BC, not the Greek⦠Or so I've been told".
"Would you like to see the actual pieces, then?" He asked, taking a step closer.
"I think I already have".
Turning, Neal made a subtle gesture for Lauren to bring the case.
"These aren't reproductions".
"Good eye".
The bodyguard straightened, revealing a holster at his shoulder.
"They've been here all along?" Alisha asked, voice wavering.
She wasn't holding it together.
"I've always believed the best place to hide something is in plain sight" Ames replied, catching the looks between them, "Is everything all right?"
"Of course".
Neal mentally swore.
"Smile, Alisha. It's almost over".
Their cover was blown. He could see it in their faces, each person looking at the next, realising that they had been found out and and wondering who was going to make the first move.
Cruz sat down, trying to salvage the operation.
"Yes. Can we move this along?"
Ames blinked, shook himself, and then quickly took a step behind his bodyguard.
His bodyguard, who now had a weapon drawn.
Neal held up both hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on?"
"Don't play games with me. You're with the FBI".
Lauren grabbed her gun and raised it.
"Technically, I'm just a consultant" He replied, "She's with the FBI".
"Regardless, no need for a fifth wheel".
The coward turned and ran, Alisha looking after him, clearly scared and clearly not knowing what to do.
"Looks like we have a standoff".
"No, we don't" Lauren said simply, "Shoot him. Then I'll have you on murder, too. Go on".
He gave her a betrayed look, which she very easily ignored.
The bodyguard looked between them, unsure what to do.
He kept his gun on Neal but his attention drifted as he tried to figure out who was the bigger threat and if it was really worth going to prison over. For a split second, he focused solely on the FBI agent.
But that split second was all he needed.
"Ames is on the run" Peter suddenly realised, dropping his headset and shoving open the van doors.
"Jones, you take the front exit" He ordered, hitting the tarmac, "Go, go! You two go with him!"
He ran around the side of the building to where he hoped Ames would choose to leave from.
He was right.
"You-"
He also didn't stop.
"Hey!" Peter snapped, "Hey, don't make me shoot you!"
They made it around the corner of the building, and he immediately had to jump back as the man pulled a weapon.
"Drop the gun!" He yelled, ducking behind a pillar as he pulled out his radio.
"Jones, I need immediate backup".
He heard a car engine start up, a screech of tires, and then a thud.
What the-
Slowly looking around the corner, he found Ames on the ground and the limo stopped rather incriminatingly in front of him.
Walking over, he kicked away the man's gun before putting a hand on the roof of the car as Mr Haversham rolled down the window.
"I was never here".
He took a sip of champagne, rolled back up the window, and was gone.
Peter snorted in disbelief and shook his head.
Neal's friend was helpful, he'd give him that, but he was also most definitely an odd one.
Turning back to Ames, he hauled him to his feet, slapped on handcuffs, and then hauled him back through the museum.
"FBI! Get on the ground!"
Entering the building, he found the rest of the team taking control of the scene in front of him.
"Get on the ground right now!"
The bodyguard dropped the weapon immediately, raising both arms as Jones arrested him.
"Hands on your head!"
Everyone was accounted for then. Good.
Handing Ames off to a nearby agent, he strode into the gallery with a smile on his face.
A smile that immediately fell when he caught sight of Neal on the linoleum floor, blood and glass surrounding him.
Rushing over, he crouched down next to him as Agent Cruz finished tying the man's jacket around a small wound on the back of his head. The exhibit next to them was smashed, clearly from some struggle, which the younger man obviously lost.
Neal blinked up at him, before grinning cheekily.
"Why is it that every time you go undercover, you land in broken glass?"
"I-"
"And everytime I leave you two together, it ends up with Lauren getting her hands covered in your blood?"
She smirked.
He pouted.
Peter sighed.
"... Alright, what happened?"
"Ames' bodyguard pulled a gun, so I drew my own" Lauren explained, "Prince Charming decided to tackle him thirty seconds before the team got here".
He ran a hand over his face, "Neal?"
"Yes Peter?"
"We've talked about this".
He groaned and tried to roll over to sit up, but the older man easily pinned him in place with a hand on his shoulder.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to tackle armed suspects?!"
Wide blue eyes looked back at him pleadingly.
"He was going to shoot Lauren!"
She snorted, "No he wasn't. He was going to shoot you. That's what I told him to do".
"Nice bluff, by the way".
She stared back at him, expressionless.
"... I know you were bluffing" He tried again, "'Cause it's what I would have done".
Cruz gave a non committal shrug, and Neal gave her a wounded look.
"Okay, Lauren? No telling bad guys to shoot our CI" Peter declared, "And Caffrey? Stop jumping armed criminals".
She nodded, studious and by-the-book as ever.
Neal just gave him an evasive grin.
"I'll make sure the courts know that you helped us out" Peter told Alisha, helping her into the police car.
It hadn't taken long for backup to arrive, and even less time for the team to start packing up the stolen Iraqi artifacts. Waiting until Lauren joined the woman in the jeep, he shut the doors and turned, making his way over to the younger criminal, sitting on the steps of the museum.
"You alright?"
"As alright as I can be" Neal replied, keeping the ice pack pressed against his head.
"Has it stopped bleeding?"
"Thankfully. I'm sick of hospitals⦠Gonna have one killer of a migraine tomorrow, though".
"Take the day".
He gave him a surprised look, "Seriously?"
"Yea, why not" He took a seat next to him, "You really helped out with this one".
"... You know, there's a new classics section in the New York Art-"
He caught Peter's look and stopped.
"... Bedrest and painkillers?"
"Bedrest and painkillers" He confirmed, smirking.
They watched as the police cars drove away.
"You getting Mitchell out this evening?" Neal asked, and he nodded, "Paperworks already gone through. I'll bring him back with me, to surprise Dana".
"So it's case closed?"
"Case closed".
He gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Looks like you can go home again".
