A/N: Wow, has it been a long time. I was reading through some of my old stuff and discovered I hadn't finished this story. Well, now I'm going to remedy that deplorable situation. Enjoy!

Normal disclaimer applies.

It was Elizabeth that moved first. Inna had expected as much and waved Mikhail away when he stepped forward as the woman moved. Tears were streaming down Elizabeth's face as she grabbed Neal by the shoulders and smothered him. Neal winced, but didn't pull away. He sighed, dropping his head to her shoulder and closed his eyes. Mikhail watched them with eagle eyes, but Inna wasn't watching them.

She was watching Peter.

Thinking no one was paying attention, he didn't bother trying to hide the emotions flooding his face. She saw the shock, the disbelief as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. It was quickly followed by relief, but it was the degree of relief that Inna hadn't expected. His entire body shuddered as it crashed through him. He dropped his face into his hands and his shoulders caved in as if his body was simply collapsing in on itself.

Then he was straightening, standing and acting like he hadn't just witnessed a miracle. Like he wasn't welcoming back his best friend from the grave.

Elizabeth stepped aside so her husband could see Neal. Peter let his eyes sweep over Neal's chest, up to the bandage on his head. As Neal held out his hand and smiled, Peter surprised Inna by grabbing Neal in a tight hug. It was brief, but it was more emotion than Inna expected him to show.

"You're alive," Peter said, stepping away, "How the hell are you alive?"

Neal rolled his eyes, "Well, don't sound too disappointed, Peter."

"That isn't what I meant," Peter said, "I saw you get shot. I watched you fall. There was…there was blood and…"

"If you would sit down," Inna said, gesturing to the couch, "I will explain it all to you."

Peter sneered at her, "Why should I believe anything you say?"

Inna glared at him, "Agent Burke, I have been patient with you because I understand your confusion. You are in the dark, so to speak, but my patience is wearing thin. Either sit down, and listen willingly, or Mikhail will explain it to you in a separate room. Your choice."

Elizabeth tugged on his arm, whispering his name. A slight push from Neal made up Peter's mind. He helped the conman to the couch. Inna smiled to herself as she watched them take their seats. She didn't know why, but it humored her that the couple forced Neal to sit between them.

Inna looked at Sofia and found the child fast asleep in her arms. She rolled her eyes and looked at Lanka.

"Put this to bed," she said, warily.

Lanka lifted the girl easily and headed to the bed a few feet away. Inna pulled her gun from her holster, ejected the clip, and pulled out the first bullet. She tossed it to Peter, who caught it deftly in one hand.

Peter examined the bullet, "It's rubber. What's this?"

Inna nodded to Serge, giving him permission to explain.

"They are called bloodlets," he said, "They are my own creation. The bullet is rubber but the tip is equipped with a packet that explodes on impact. It does not kill or wound, but gives the impression of it."

"Hurts like hell, though," Neal muttered rubbing his chest.

"What's in the packet?" Elizabeth asked.

Serge smiled, "That is the ingenious part. Corn syrup and red die will give the illusion of blood but it congeals quickly and it lacks the smell. But goats blood stands as a wonderful substitute."

Inna sighed as Neal's face went white as a sheet.

"I had goat's blood on me?" he asked.

"Mikhail," Inna growled, "I am too far away. Would you mind?"

Mikhail was all to happy to oblige and smacked Serge upside the back of the head. Rubbing his neck, Serge at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry," he murmured, "but you must admit that it is ingenious."

"Yeah, ingenious," Peter said, his eyes still trained on Inna, "except that if Neal hadn't hit his head, he would have still been awake, ruining your ingenious plan."

Inna raised her hand and pointed to the owl ring, "There is a tiny needle embedded in the band of the ring. The pendant contains a mild sedative that works instantly. Mr. Caffrey's injury was purely accidental."

Peter's anger spiked. Inna saw his fists clench, his jaw set, his eyes narrow. They were trying his patience, she knew. Honestly, she'd been amazed he'd held his anger in check this long. Mikhail saw the changes as well. He stepped forward, hand resting on his hip, just above his gun.

"You still haven't gotten to the part where you tell us why," Neal said before Peter could act on his anger.

Inna inhaled on her cigarette, regarding Neal quietly. He was the most confusing of the three. She understood Peter's anger and Elizabeth's quiet worry, but she'd expected Neal to be angry and indignant. Perhaps even fearful. But the young man seemed to be perfectly calm, taking everything they were saying in stride as if they were giving a tour at a museum and not telling him why he wasn't dead when he should have been.

It was most intriging.

"There are many reasons, Mr. Caffrey. The first is simple enough. As I told Agent Burke earlier, if I had not acted the way that I did, you would have been killed by Luka and he would not be merciful."

"Why would you care if Neal lived?" Elizabeth asked, her voice quiet with confusion, but Inna heard a small trace of gratefulness laced in her words.

"Reason number two," Inna answered, tapping ash off her cigarette, "Allowing Mr. Caffrey to die would turn the FBI's investigation of Dmitri into a murder investigation and their efforts to take him down would intensify, fueled by Agent Burke's anger. Instead of taking weeks, Dmitri's operation would be cut down to days and that would not be acceptable."

"You're doing this to save your boss?" Peter questioned, "Seems like a strange way to do it."

"I'm not doing this for Dmitri," Inna corrected, "In fact, I wish nothing bet the best for your case, Agent Burke. Nothing would please me more than that sin sooka rotting away in prison, but only after I'm done with him."

"You're using him. For what?" Neal asked.

"I have spent the past two years working my way into his organization for the simple reason that he has contacts I could not otherwise access. One contact in particular. Until I have finished the business I have with him, I cannot allow anything to happen to Dmitri."

"But then why not warn him who we are?" Peter asked, "We started this operation weeks ago. You knew who we were, where I lived. You obviously did your research. So why allow us in to begin with?"

Inna blew out a cloud of smoke, watching it curl and fade, "Because of reason number three."

"Which is?"

Inna leaned forward, pointing her half burned cigarette at Neal, "I need Mr. Caffrey's help."

Neal's eyes widened slightly, but there were no other physical indicators of what he was thinking. Inna had the distinct impression that she was only confirming what he'd already suspected. He was calm and collected, acting with logic and not emotion. A core difference between him and Peter.

Peter put his hand on Neal's shoulder, pulling him behind him even as Elizabeth grabbed Neal's hand tightly between both of hers. It amazed Inna how protective of him they were. She hadn't threatened him, only said she needed his help, yet they acted like she'd asked to sacrifice him at the next full moon.

"Over my dead body," Peter growled.

Mikhail smirked, "That can be arranged."

A small scared sound escaped Elizabeth as she reached for her husband and Inna saw Neal tense. Sighing, Inna put out her cigarette.

"Enough," she ordered. Mikhail stepped back, but his eyes stayed on Peter's face, a silent warning. Inna turned to the trio on the couch, "I know you are frightened, and with good reason, but I have come too far to stop now. I will do whatever is necessary to finish this mission. We are capable of much, but I'd rather we didn't have to resort to that."

"We aren't going to help you," Peter said firmly, "We aren't going to help criminals."

Inna smirked, "But Agent Burke, isn't that Mr. Caffrey is?"

"That's different," Peter said quickly, "and it has nothing to do with this."

"You'd be surprised," Inna muttered, "At one time, Mr. Caffrey was an international con man. He's done things that I'm sure you aren't even aware of. For instance, I'm sure he has never told you about his time in Russia."

For the first time, she saw fear on Neal's face. He paled slightly, no doubt knowing exactly where she was going. He closed his eyes, carefully breathing through his nose. Peter looked at him, confusion and worry creeping on to his features.

"Neal, what is she talking about?"

Neal shook his head, "It happened a long time ago."

"Not that long," Inna said softly, "Agent Burke, I want you to understand something. It is true that we are criminals, but our world is not so simple as saint and sinner. While we have done some unsavory things, we are not the villian in this story. That title belongs to someone else entirely, and it is our mission to put an end to him."

Neal looked at her, shocked, "You can't mean-"

"I do," Inna said without flinching.

"Neal, who is she talking about?" Elizabeth asked.

"Tyen" Neal answered quietly, "She's talking about Tyen."

"Who is that?" Peter asked.

"A demon," Lanka answered softly from the corner where she leaned against the wall. She did not raise her eyes as she spoke, "He is a monster, an evil, and he must be stopped."

"His name means the Shadow and he is many things," Inna explained, "A thief, a murderer, a trader of art and flesh. He is powerful and dangerous, and like his name, he cannot be tracked. We have been trying for years, and now we finally have the opportunity to end him."

"Why do you need Neal for that?" Peter demanded.

"To lure Tyen into the open, we have to have something he wants," Inna said, "and he wants Mr. Caffrey."

Elizabeth clutched Neal's arm tightly, "Why does he want you?"

Neal sighed, "Because the last time I saw him, he promised that if we ever crossed paths again, he'd kill me."

Inna scoffed, "With good reason. How much did he lose because of you? 30 million?"

"47," Serge supplied, "plus he blew up his yacht."

Peter and Elizabeth stared at Neal with wide eyes, but the con man only smirked, "Don't forget the Aston Martin. I may have stolen that."

"Neal," Peter ground out, "what the hell?"

"Would you like to tell them, Mr. Caffrey, or shall I?"

Neal shrugged at Inna, "Well, you seem to know so much already."

Inna nodded, "So be it. Several years ago, Mr. Caffrey visited Moscow to, shall we say, relieve the museum of the some of its finer paintings."

"Allegedly," Neal added.

"While in Moscow, he heard of a shipment of art and artifacts worth millions. For several days, he watched and gathered intel until he discovered the owner of the shipment. At the time, he didn't know Tyen's reputation, but given what I've learned about you, Mr. Caffrey, I doubt that would have stopped you."

Neal shrugged, not comitting to an answer.

"He conned his way into Tyen's operation. He got close to him, a feat that is no small thing. Tyen does not trust anyone. He prefers to shoot first and ask questions later. But somehow, Mr. Caffrey wormed his way in, and even gained Tyen trust. Then the night the shipment was to arrive came. I do not know the details of how you planned to steal it all, but no doubt you would have pulled it off if things had gone according to plan."

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"The art wasn't the only thing being shipped," Neal answered, his eyes growing haunted.

"As I told you, Tyen is a trader of art and flesh," Inna said quietly.

Elizabeth gasped, "You mean, he had people on that boat?"

Neal shook his head, "They were children."

A horrible silence fell over them. Inna watched Neal hang his head as he remembered the faces and the voices from that night. Having seen first hand Tyen's work, she knew how haunting they could be, how horrifiying it is to remember their eyes and their pleas. Elizabeth pressed her face against Neal's shoulder, closing her eyes and holding tight to him. Peter was a different story.

When the story began, he'd worn an expression of frustration and resentment. He hated Neal's colored past and the actions he'd taken when he'd been part of the criminal world. But as the story continued, Inna saw Peter's face crumble. His hand tightened on Neal's shoulder, a silent reassurance. There was pain on his face, not for himself, but for what Neal had to face alone.

"So, instead of taking the the shipment as he planned, Mr. Caffrey contacted the authoritites and saved their lives. But in his attempts to evade the authorities and Tyen's men, he blew up the yacht and stole the car. Tyen promised that if he ever came across Mr. Caffrey again, he'd kill him."

"So you want to use Neal as bait," Peter said carefully, "to lure Tyen into the open?"

"Essentially, yes."

"That is never going to happen."

Lanka moved to beside Inna's chair, anger lighting her eyes like the dying embers of a fire, "You will not stop us. He will help us, whether willingly or not. And if you get in the way-"

"Lanka," Inna warned, "control your temper."

Lanka scowled at her, "We are wasting time tip toeing around them."

"And do you think forcing them will accomplish what we wish?" Inna asked, standing to her full height, squaring her shoulders as she faced off with the younger woman, "Do you suggest we beat them into submission, torture them into doing what we ask?"

Lanka stepped back, but anger still rolled off of her in waves, "It is taking too long."

"And this detour is not helping," Inna scolded. She turned to Peter, "Agent Burke, I admire your loyalty to Mr. Caffrey. In fact, I find it refreshing, but you are mistaken if you believe you are the one in control of this situation. You are at our mercy, and I am beginning to tire of showing it to you."

"I won't let you use Neal as bait," Peter said slowly, "I won't let you risk his life like that."

"I'll do it."

Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to Neal. He kept his eyes locked on his hands as the small admission left his lips. Elizabeth's eyes widened and she shook her head, clutching Neal's arm like she could make the words come back with just her willpower.

"Neal," Peter growled deep in his throat, but Neal cut him off.

"You promise that nothing will happen to them," Neal said firmly. It wasn't a request, and while Inna hated being told what to do, she found herself nodding. She didn't know how much comfort it offered. They were criminals; they lied. It's what they did, but staring at Neal's intense blue eyes and the resolve written on his face, Inna found herself vowing that she would up hold her promise.

"You have my word," Inna said softly.

Neal nodded, "Then I'll do it."

A/N: The next chapter picks up the action. Thanks for sticking with this! R & R.