(Chapter 4)
Neal was finally able to leave the hospital. It had only been a few hours since he had overheard the conversation between Hughes and the Police but now he just wanted to visit with Peter before he left. June had placed him in a wheelchair per the nurse's and doctor's instruction and wheeled Neal towards Peter's room just down the hallway. El was already there sitting by her husband's bedside, eyes red and puffy. Neal stood up and limped over to her side and hugged her gently as he looked down at Peter's limp figure on the bed.
"He hasn't woken up yet. They said he should be ok but he lost so much blood." Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence, Neal letting her bury her face in his arm as he looked at his friend, eyes narrowing as he thought about what had happened. He had hidden in a closet like a coward while Peter had been snatched and beaten. Neal felt his face flush in shame but if he hadn't hidden they'd both have been killed. He wouldn't have had time to figure something out, to grab Peter's gun and have a minor advantage. Neal sighed quietly, trying to think things out. Gambosa was going to pay for this if only by putting his men away.
"Peter will be ok. He's got you to come back to, El. Just keep talking to him." Neal smiled down at her and handed her a tissue from the box on the table. She smiled and wiped at her eyes.
"Tell him, I'm going to get these men." He hugged her again and turned sitting back in the wheelchair as June quickly comforted El and they left. Neal frowned, eyes thoughtful as he ran over everything in his mind. Vinni was the wild card and Roberto for now would think they were still allies. That was his advantage. Nobody would be coming directly after him unless something went wrong with the wire tap. He had to be sure it was just him and Roberto at the meeting if this was to work. Vinni would get caught but it would have to be separate. At some point he noticed the wheelchair had stopped and looked up to see June standing in front of him.
"Ready, Neal?" June smiled down at him and he nodded, pushing himself out of the wheelchair and up to his feet slowly. He was still a bit sore from the kick Vinni gave him but it just made him more determined to put the mobsters away.
()()()
Neal wanted to visit Peter in the hospital the next day but Hughes and the Police wanted to keep him out of sight till he had to go in with the wiretap. He was pretty much regulated to staying at June's in his rooms and not leaving. There were a couple of guards on the house to watch him and make sure he was safe till the meeting which was in the process of being set up. Neal was nervous if anything that Vinni may have told Roberto about what was up but for now it seemed Roberto was happy to hear from his former associate when he had contacted the mobster. Seemed like everything was going according to plan.
It was a long couple of days since he had been released and two more till his meeting at a local upscale bistro with Roberto. Neal was getting bored with the inside of his rooms despite the million dollar view, fancy coffee and everything else. He felt caged if not imprisoned like a canary in a gilded cage. He loved June to death but not being able to leave her home just bothered him. Luckily Mozzie came to visit him during his "imprisonment."
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." Neal turned to see Mozzie standing at his open doorway. The little man gave a knock afterwards and smiled. Neal walked over happily and greeted his friend with a handshake and small hug. Mozzie looked surprised if nothing else.
"Wow, and to what do I owe such a greeting?" Mozzie squirmed slightly as if unsure how to deal with the affection. Neal moved away and blushed slightly.
"Sorry, I know you hate hugging but you can't imagine the amount of cabin fever I've been having being cooped up in here. June's done her best to keep me occupied but I miss going out." Neal paced the floor like a caged lion, Mozzie's face looking slightly disturbed as he watched his friend's agitation.
"You really should stop that before you make me dizzy. Besides, you'll wear a hole in June's floor which will cost a fortune to sand out!" Neal stopped long enough to peer at his friend realizing he was being facetious.
"Mozzie, I'm worried about this meeting. What if Roberto knows I'm Fed? So far he seems to think I'm still independent. Maybe Gambosa didn't look me up after I left. I can only hope he hasn't." Neal kept pacing, wringing his hands in worry. He only stopped when Mozzie walked over and turned him around.
"Did you say "Gambosa" as in Antonio Giovanni Gambosa? The mobster?!" Mozzie's voice went high at the end as his eyes widened and looked up at his friend. Neal nodded with a little shrug of his shoulders.
"When were you going to tell me that's who you were going to meet?! Neal, you have to sneak out. I can help you..." Mozzie pulled on his arm but Neal pulled away.
"I have to do this and I'm not actually meeting with Gambosa. He's still in prison. I'm meeting with one of his associates, Roberto Romani. He was one of the people responsible for the hit on Peter. He seems to be under the impression I'm still an independent and that my name is Nick Halden." Neal frowned ever so slightly watching Mozzie's expression turn to relief although he still looked more than nervous about the meeting.
"So what you're telling me is you have mob connections and that's what kept you from getting yourself killed when they did the hit on the Suit? Neal, when did this happen?" Mozzie looked concerned and suprised, Neal's expression chagrined.
"Actually not that long before I met you. I pick-pocketed the wrong person but Gambosa saw potential in me I guess and let me live. I didn't know he was a mobster till after I saw my first hit. I was in shock and just a stupid kid but I knew that wasn't the kind of life I wanted so I left. Luckily he didn't try to find me and he only had my alias so..." Neal shrugged helplessly, a guilty look on his face.
"I just want to keep Peter safe. El deserves that much. If I can get Roberto and Vinni out of the picture, hopefully that will help to stop any future hits. Peter was doing his job when he put Gambosa away. El shouldn't be worried about someone coming after him!" His voice was full of anger, Neal slamming a fist down on the table. Mozzie jumped slightly.
"Calm down, Neal. I like El just as much as you do and I know Gambosa's rep. If you really want to do this, how can I help?" Mozzie gave a helpless shrug. Neal smiled, motioning Mozzie over to the sofa to talk, closing the door to the room.
"I might need you to act as a distraction. Roberto has a partner named Vinni. He's dangerous..." Neal paused as Mozzie held up a hand and gave him a look of surprise.
"Dangerous? Like HOW dangerous are we talking?" Mozzie's face had paled a bit and Neal blushed slightly.
"Well, he was the one who tried to frame me with Peter's injuries..." Neal's voice trailed off making Mozzie look pointedly at him.
"And... What else?" Mozzie could sense Neal's reluctance to add more information.
"He sort of chloroformed me and kicked me a few times in the abdomen..." Neal watched Mozzie stand up and walk a few feet away and then turn back after a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something then stopped and walked back sitting down again.
"Fine... Just remember to inform my next of kin in the case of my untimely death." Mozzie looked resigned but smiled slightly when Neal patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Moz. You know I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could handle it. I just need him distracted from joining the party with Roberto." He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes. He felt tired and nervous. So many things could go wrong he didn't want to think about it. He had to think about Peter and El.
