6.
"Reilly confessed."
Neal's head snapped up and he found himself shoving his current mortgage fraud case aside. "What?"
"She told us everything," Peter explained, "including all details on Bernard's next drop for tonight at 11:30. We'll have him in cuffs before he knows what hit him." He gave Neal a look that held the slightest hint of suspicion.
Neal returned Peter's gaze with a blink of innocence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Peter exhaled. "Alright, let's get this over with. What did you do?"
Neal raised an eyebrow and gave his handler a look of mock disappointment. "Oh, come on, Peter, you really don't trust me that much?"
Peter shrugged. "Well?"
"I didn't do anything, Peter," Neal insisted. "Really. I swear."
"Hmm." Peter regarded Neal appraisingly. "Nothing illegal?"
"Nothing at all, Peter."
"Alright, you're clear," Peter relented, turning away.
"Peter, wait." Neal hesitated. "What happens to Reilly?"
Peter paused, shrugged. "If all goes well with Bernard, a light sentence, immunity if she's lucky. No lawyer needed; she knows how to strike a pretty good deal on her own."
Neal nodded. "I bet she does."
Peter glanced at his watch. "I'm going out for lunch with Elizabeth. I'll be back later."
Neal perked up at the mention of food. "You want to bring me along?"
"Yeah, right."
Neal chuckled and settled back into his seat. As soon as Peter was out of sight, his smile dropped, to be replaced by a look of serious, troubled concentration. Reilly confessed…she told us everything.
She told us everything.
What did you do?
Neal set his elbows on his desk, staring intently into the distance. Reilly's eyes suddenly flashed before his mind's eye, a single moment of something broken and vulnerable beneath the cold, hard green emeralds, a crack in her voice as she pierced him with her scorn and anger, hinting at a desperate despair…
I'm not all that sure what I did. But I intend to find out.
A/N: So maybe Isabelle Reilly isn't the ice princess she'd like to be. What made her crack?
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