11 - Home Invasion

"You look a little different in your profile picture" Pierce said, already backing off.

Neal gave her his signature grin.

"Pleasantly surprised?"

"No".

Ouch.

"Stay" He said quickly, "Stay, for just one drink. Promise you, it's worth it... I'll have Ketel One on the rocks, please. Thanks".

"Who are you?"

"I'm the guy who set you up" He smirked, "The FBI was sitting on Christopher Grey's house 'cause I tipped them off".

"And why would you do a stupid thing like that?"

Neal pulled the picture of the jade elephants from his pocket and showed it to her.

"So I could get to these first".

"You got Daniel Picah's" She realised, "How did you get to it so quickly?"

He couldn't help but smirk at the irony.

"Dan just needed a friend".

"I take it you don't approve of my methods".

"I think... there are smarter ways of getting what you want".

"Well, it's different for a man" Pierce replied,"You should be grateful for that luxury. I, uh, have to work with what I've got".

He shrugged, "Slightly jaded perspective. Excuse the pun".

"I don't think so. I've a lot to work with".

Neal paused and considered his options. On one hand, it did sound like she was flirting with him and that could be an easy way in. On the other hand, the men she flirted with usually ended up robbed and occasionally dead.

Maybe he should just stick to business.

"You do have something I want".

"And how do you propose we solve that?" She smirked.

"Team up. I've got two, you've got three" He explained, "Separate, worth about two million. That's not bad. But together, they're worth about two hundred million, which, if you're bad at math, is significantly higher".

Her charm immediately fell one she realised he wasn't falling for it.

"I prefer to work alone".

Turning to leave, he waited until she was nearing the door before calling out.

"Then enjoy your two million!"

Silence.

Neal pushed a glass down the side of the bar.

After a nerve wrecking moment, she caught it.

"So you are good at math".

"You underestimate me".

Perfect.

"Miss me Caffrey?"

Or not.

Neal immediately panicked, heart racing and palms sweating and he'd broken into Buckingham goddamn Palace more calmly than this.

"What're you doing here, Alex?"

She was going to blow the deal.

"I don't see you for five years and within minutes of waltzing back into my life I've got the FBI checking up on me?"

Pierce immediately stood, "This is another setup".

"No, it's not-"

"It stinks when somebody messes with your job, doesn't it?" Alex snapped, "FBI ran my prints. That's bad for my business".

Neal quickly jumped up to follow Pierce, "It's not what you think, Alex!"


Dashing through the staff kitchen, Neal thanked whatever deity out there that he was able to catch up to her, jogging across the street to meet her on the other side.

"Not much of an escape route".

"I'm good on my feet".

He quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I want the Jade. You're not going anywhere without me".

"It's just like a man to think he knows everything" Pierce sneered, before suddenly-

"HELP!"

Neal held her tighter, "Woah, woah, woah!"

"PLEASE! HE'S ATTACKING ME! HELP, HE'S ATTACKING ME! HELP!"

Struggling with her, he caught sight of three large construction workers making their way across the street.

Oh shit.

"Get your hands off her!"

That little bitch.

"You're very clever".

"I work with what I've got".

Pierce yanked herself from his grip just as the men grabbed him.

"HEY!"

"I think there's been a misunderstanding here, guys. She's crazy!" He tried to defend, as one man took his hat, another pinned his hands behind his back, and the other rose a fist to hit him with.

Any moment now Peter…

"You got a problem?!"

He prepared to strike.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa-"

*SMACK*

Neal stumbled back from the force of the blow, only the other man's punishing grip on his arms keeping him upright.

The next punch split his lip.

The one after was aimed at his ribs.

Where the hell are you Peter?!


"You think you can just attack a girl like that?"

Another strike caused his vision to white out for a moment, and he felt himself going limp in the man's hold.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Another strike caused his vision to white out for a moment, and he felt himself going limp in the man's hold.

Neal blearily blinked, trying to find some way out of this entire disaster. He couldn't convince the men otherwise, and he didn't exactly have an FBI badge on him in case Pierce had found it and blown the deal. Not that it was going to plan anyway.

The next blow had him doubling over in two, all breath pushed from his body in one fell swoop. Tears sprang to his eyes from the force of it, and gasped uselessly for air.

"You need to be taught a lesson, pal".

Hadn't he learnt enough already?

In the back of his mind, he heard a little voice telling him "Lesson One: Don't trust the FBI".

That voice sounded suspiciously like Mozzie.

Another punch cut open his cheek and he knew that he'd have a black eye by tomorrow.

"You won't be messing around with any girl after this-"

"FBI! LET HIM GO! Let him go".

Neal could have sobbed in relief.

"He was attacking a woman, but-"

"Alright, alright, I'll take it from here" Peter interrupted, and the men reluctantly released him.

He wanted to make a quip, thank them, perhaps, for their spiffing hospitality, but all he could do was groan and stagger back against the glass window of the building behind him.

"Lauren, got Neal. Pierce disappeared into the crowd" Peter continued, speaking into the mobile.

Turning back to him, he gestured down the street, "You see where she went?"

Neal groaned and held up a hand for the man to give him a minute.

A few seconds later, he threw up a very expensive Ketel One on the rocks, burnt coloured liquid mixed with his own blood.

He distantly wondered if that was from his split lip or something far more serious.

"No, I was a little preoccupied with the guys closing into kill me" He gasped, "Cutting it a little close there, huh?"

"Yea, we weren't expecting your girlfriend to show up".

Neal frowned and gave him a questioning look.

"I know about Alex".

Fuck.


A few minutes later, and Peter was storming back to his car, Neal half stumbling behind him.

"She disappeared again. What the hell happened back there, Neal?" He demanded, "What was your fence doing walking right through the middle of our operation?"

Oh right, like that was the issue.

"What were you doing pulling her prints? I welcome you into my home, and you run a file on my friend?"

He paused for a moment to spit out the blood that had welled up in his mouth.

"You can't trust me. After everything".

"You tell me. I know you're looking for the music box".

Was anything going to go right for him today?

"Maybe you're looking to pawn the Jade too. You let Pierce walk because you're playing your own angle?"

This was unbelievable.

"There were three of them, Peter!"

"You shouldn't have let her go!"

He fought back tears and told himself that it was pain causing them and not his most trusted friend's betrayal.

"Okay, you know what, you think what you want to think, I'm walking from here".

He put one foot in front of the other and forced himself not to trip.

"Where you going?"

"Home! Something you don't have right now".

It was a low blow.

He was too annoyed to care.

"You don't trust me, you can check my anklet!"

"I will!"

"Do it!" He snapped, unwilling to not have the last word.

Peter glared at him and got into the car.

Neal concentrated on not falling flat on his face, and consoled himself with the thought of an ice pack and a hot shower when he got home.

If he got home.

If Peter didn't get a call out to find his body in an alleyway tomorrow.

Fuck.

Neal ran an exhausted hand over his face, wincing as it pulled at half healed cuts and prodded even more painful bruises.

His anger had been justified, Peter had no right to accuse him of all of that… but at the same time, he could see how it looked from the man's point of view.

So, he wasn't going to apologise, but maybe he'd bring in an extra cup of June's italian roast coffee tomorrow morning.

If he lived until tomorrow morning.

Sighing, he told himself to stop being so dramatic, and resigned himself to a long walk home.