Chapter Five

Still in his cotton shirt and silk pajama bottoms Neal lounged on the plush love-seat staring out over the night time city scape. The lights of New York at night were breathtaking. Neal never understood why so many movies tried to portray New York as a dirty, crime, and corruption riddled slum. In truth New York was like a beautiful women, sure she had her faults and she could be deadly, but the risks were well worth the reward to just bask in her glow.

Suddenly Neal's empty stomach protested loudly. He reached up and absent mindedly rubbed at his growling stomach. Peter was constantly disgusted by Neal's ability to eat like a horse and yet keep what almost amounted to an hour-glass figure. The down side to having such a high metabolism was the fact that he had to keep up with it. Skipping meals was not an option that went over well with his system.

It had been nearly twelve hours since his captor had first introduced himself, and Neal hadn't seen anyone since. He had spent the first four hours trying to find a weakness in his new home, but Neal had found an actual federal prison easier to bust out of. Eventually giving in he'd taken his place on the love-seat and had watch the sun set over Manhattan. Neal looked without real interest at a fresh shallow cut on his wrist and wondered where it had come from.

"I'm not sure what is going to kill me first, hunger or boredom."

Earlier in the day Neal had found a small pad of note paper which he got up and now retrieved. Going back to the love-seat Neal sat down and started making little paper airplanes. He launched them at the floor-to-ceiling window as he made them. Slowly perfecting his design he was nearly out of paper when there was a timid knock at the door.

"Come in...as if I have a choice."

Neal didn't bother looking at his visitor as he heard the door open and close. He just continued to sail his airplanes at the glass barrier. The intruder came up to stand next to him, but didn't say anything. When Neal finally acknowledged his visitor he was surprised to find that it was a beautiful young woman of either Chinese or Japanese decent. When he met her dark eyes she averted her gaze and gave him a deep bow.

"Um...hello."

"Mr. Caffrey-san, please follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"Hua-san wishes you to join him for dinner."

"And if I refuse?"

The young woman suddenly became very nervous. It occurred to Neal that this woman might end up paying for his insolence. Liao had been wise to send a woman to fetch him. It annoyed Neal to be so easily played this way, but declining an invitation to dinner was probably not something that was going to get him any closer to freedom anyway. Neal got to his feet and offered the woman a bow.

"Lead the way."

"Thank you, Mr. Caffrey-san." She replied as she bowed deeper.

The woman's use of the tag 'san' told him that she was Japanese. He was still trying to figure out if Liao Hua was Chinese as his name suggested or Japanese. The only real difference it would make would be to help Neal know if he was dealing with a possible Triad or Yakuza boss. Neal's personal preference was dealing with Triads, he had tangled with them before and had a better idea of how to handle them. Although he kept an open mind knowing that Liao could easily belong to any mob or none at all.

The lithe woman lead Neal over to the door. She waited for a moment and someone on the far side opened it for her. Neal got his first glance at the rest of his environment. The hallway outside was lined with more expensive paintings and other objects de art. The man who opened the door was nearly as large as the door itself. Neal looked up at the bodyguard and smiled.

"Hey there, Oddjob. How's Auric doing?"

If the man got the James Bond reference he didn't show it. The guard stood to the side and allowed them to pass, but quickly followed in behind them. Neal tried to look as though he was admiring the art as he memorized the lay out of the floor. He was lead through a few sitting room towards another closed door. The woman disappeared through the door and Neal followed.

Neal found himself in a large marble bathroom. The woman turned around and instantly reached out for the bottom edge of his shirt. Taken by surprised Neal took a step back and bumped into the now closed door. The woman was unphased and tried to remove his shirt once more. Neal captured her delicate wrists in his hands and held her away at arm's length.

"What are you doing?"

"I've been instructed to assist you with a shower." She replied simply.

"I don't need any 'assistance'," Neal said as he released her "thank you for the offer."

"Mr. Hua-san will be very upset with me if you..."

"I'll take a shower to keep you out of trouble, but I don't need your help. Do me a favor and let Mr. Hua know that I'll join him for dinner in twenty minutes."

The woman hesitated to leave, however after a moment of thought she backed away. She went over to a closet made of teak and opened it to reveal a silk three piece suit with an immaculately pressed white shirt and deep red tie.

"If anything is unsatisfactory please ask for me: Hsing."

"I will. Thank you, Hsing."

Hsing bowed once more and went to the door. Neal noticed that there was no handle on this side of the door. A camera let the guard know to let her out. Neal looked around the opulent washroom and sighed. Out of options a the moment he stripped down and stepped into the shower. The shower head was a silver shelf that formed a waterfall rather than a traditional spray. Some of the higher end hotels that Neal had hidden out in over the years had this design and he'd always enjoyed the more natural feeling shower.

After drying off in a towel that had all the qualities of a summer's day cloud Neal wandered over to the closet. A brief inspection of the suit revealed it to be hand tailored. The fabric was ebony black with a hint of charcoal pin-striping. The outfit fit so well that Neal was briefly concerned by the idea that they might have taken his measurements while he was knocked unconscious. He remembered that the original kidnappers had taken some of his own outfits and hoped that they had known his size from them.

Pulling some pomade through his hair with his fingers Neal glanced up at mirror. It was as if a younger version of himself was staring back at him. It wasn't until this moment that he realized how the past few years had changed him from the carefree con-man with far more style than common sense to someone who almost resembled a normal law abiding New Yorker.

"Or at least as normal and law abiding as New Yorkers get."

As soon as Neal was ready Hsing's timid knock rapped on the door once again. She entered and bowed to him before turning around to leave. Assuming that he was supposed to follow her he did so. Neal arrived at a dinning room that was every bit as luxurious as the rest of the place.

Liao was sitting at the far end of a large mahogany table that was set with fine china, silver, and crystal. He got to his feet as Neal approached and smiled brightly as he looked Neal over. Feeling somewhat self conscious for the first time in his life Neal shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Mr. Caffrey, you look much more like yourself again." Liao said with approval. "I trust everything fits."

"You know that it does."

"You wear your suits a little tighter than my taste, but I know that's popular with your generation."

"You can't be that much older than I am."

"You'd be surprised. Money can't spare you from death, but it can delay the aging process. Please have a seat."

Neal went to back away, but quickly knocked into the large guard. Liao's smile didn't falter at his guest's reluctance to join him for dinner. Liao took his own seat once more. Neal looked around for an exit and when he didn't find one he sat at the table opposite of Hua. There were three servers waiting near by, one of them stepped forward with a wine bottle wrapped in a white hand towel and poured a glass of blood red wine for each of them.

"To the good life." Liao smiled as he raised his glass.

Neal hesitated once more to play along with this game. However when one of the body guards stepped out of the shadows to stand behind Liao flashed Neal a view of a holstered 9mm he decided that it would be wise to humor his 'host'. Painting on his most charming smile Neal lifted his own glass and they both made a pantomime motion of clinking their glasses together across the large table.

When the deep red wine touched Neal's lips he couldn't hide his reaction. He nearly choked on it he'd been taken so completely by surprise. The intoxicating mix of earthy ethereal flavors captivated his full attention. He almost regretted the need to swallow the wine, even after he did the energy of the spirit linger pleasantly.

"Do you like it?" Liao asked knowingly.

"Is this a Cossart Gordon Madeira?"

"Very good, you know your wine." Liao confirmed. "This is their 1908 Bual."

"It's amazing. It's like tasting time itself. I can't remember the last time I..." Neal stopped when he realized that he was giving Liao exactly what he wanted.

"Relax, Mr. Caffrey." Liao chuckled. "Enjoy the meal."

"I'm not particularly hungry." Neal lied.

"This kind of food is not eaten to satiate hunger, it is purely for pleasure."

"You mean it's a bribe."

"You have spent too much time with your F.B.I master. You say 'bribe' like it's a bad thing. Let us just enjoy the meal and we'll talk business when we're done."

Neal continued to stare coldly at Liao as dinner was laid out in front of him. He swallowed against the automatic reaction his salivary glands had taken when presented with the savory aroma of a delicately seared Kobe steak. His stomach snarled at him once again, letting him know that if he didn't eat soon he'd probably start dry heaving. Neal ground his teeth in frustration over his treasonous body.

"Come, Kitsune, enjoy the meal." Liao chuckled. "I already know what you really are, don't be afraid to show your teeth."

Neal smiled slightly at the reference. The Kitsune mythology included foxes that could mimic human form, but when presented with their favorite foods they often revealed themselves for the predators that they were. Neal made another mental note on Liao's use of both Chinese and Japanese mythos as he tried to learn more about the mysterious man.

It was clear that Hua was not about to begin the meal without his guest. Finally Neal's high metabolism won over his need to protest. His palette had already been crying out at him to sample the rare wine again. The imported steak barely required a knife to cut into it. All the work that went into feeding the Kobe cows beer and giving them massages in sake were clearly worth it. Liao nodded in approval and joined in the meal himself.

Two bottles of wine and three courses later the table was cleared. During the meal Neal had slipped one of the sharp steak knifes into the sleeve of his suit, however the wait staff noticed that it was missing and he was forced to return it. If Liao was upset by his attempt to procure a weapon he didn't show it. Liao got up from the table and went over to a set of lounge chairs separated by a coffee table made of polished fossils.

Neal felt a pressure on his shoulder, it was the large guard informing him that he was expected to follow Liao. Neal walked over and sat down in the other chair. Another large window gave him a new view of the night sky line. Two glasses of fine South African brandy were brought over. Neal took the glass, but did not drink it. Liao looked out over the city, calmly sipping at the brandy. After ten minutes it was clear that Neal was going to have to be the one to break the silence.

"Liao, I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I'm not interested. I want to leave, I won't mention any of this to the FBI. You've got enough art work that I'd rather Peter not see so you can trust me."

"Once the job is done you'll be free to do whatever you want." Liao shrugged. "Go back to the F.B.I. Crawl back to your Master, let him chain you to a desk if that's what you want."

"Trust me, you don't even want me to help you with whatever you're planning. Peter knows me, more now than ever before. He will feel my fingerprints all over anything I do. He's the last person you want chasing after you. He will find a connection between us and you won't be safe from him."

"Your faith in your partner is commendable." Liao said. "However I have resources that the F.B.I can't even dream of. I can ensure you a brand new identify that is bulletproof. You could even stay in New York if you wanted to, just as long as you don't cross paths with Burke at a local coffee shop or something."

"No identity is 100% fool proof."

"Maybe not 100, but certainly 99.9."

"Liao..."

"At least listen to my plan."

"No. The less I know the less likely you are to kill me to keep your secrets."

"Mr. Caffrey," Liao's tone suddenly turned dark "I have been patient with you, but I am growing tired of this. If you do not listen to me I will kill you simply because you insult me."

"Something tell me I'm not getting out of this little 'deal' of ours alive anyway. What incentive do I have to do anything you want?" Neal countered calmly.

"You think death is the worst I can do to you?" Liao smiled mischievously. "You know why con-men tend to work alone?"

"Leave Peter out of this." Neal snarled.

"It's too late for that."

The threat in Liao's voice snapped something in Neal's mind. Neal went to get to his feet to leave. He leaned forward and suddenly there was blade at his throat. Neal was forced to sit back as the guard standing behind his chair pulled back on the knife. Despite the fact that he was being compliant the knife was pressed harder but he couldn't lean back any further. A thin line of blood dripped from his throat and stained his pristine white collar. Neal had to hold his breath to prevent the blade from cutting deeper.

With Neal pinned Liao reached his hand up and one of the other men put a thick piece of paper in his hand. Liao put down his brandy and got to his feet. He stepped behind Neal and took over possession of the knife that was keeping Neal frozen in place. Liao brought the page into Neal's line of vision. The embossing and watermarking looked authentic, but it was hard to discern a forgery when there were more pressing matters on your mind, like having your throat slowly slit.

"Samurai bonds...one of your favorite things." Liao said casually. "I assure you however this is not one of your forgeries. This little slip of paper is worth one hundred thousand. I used to have three million dollars worth of these, all legally obtained, easy to report as stolen."

Neal was having a difficult time paying attention to Liao. His racing pulse was placing increasing pressure on the blade. Liao brought the bond closer and touched the corner of it to the blood that was beading on the steel. The paper greedily drank the crimson stain and the edges quickly became bloody. Liao dropped the bloodied bond into Neal's lap.

"A little more than two million in these bonds are currently stashed in Agent Burke's house. Well hidden, the way you'd teach him to."

"Wha...what?"

"The other million sadly is going to be too soaked in blood to be of use to anyone. It looks like the deal you and Burke had for splitting the three million went south. It's hard to say exactly what happened, no one would believe that he'd shoot you in cold blood over money. However, there could be a struggle over his gun after an argument." As Liao told the fabricated story he took the knife off Neal's throat and placed the tip on his chest. "The gun goes off, the bullet tears through your lung but doesn't kill you instantly. No doubt Burke tries to save your life, but as he is trying to stanch the flow he realizes that there is nothing he can do. Tragically you drown in your own blood. Burke panics, he's killed a friend, someone who is as close as he'll probably ever get to having a son..."

"Liao..."

"An anonymous tip leads the F.B.I to Agent Burke's house to find the two million in bonds, an innocent hiker quickly leads the cops to your body and the ashes of the other million that were too bloodied to cash in. Your remains are easy to identify since your DNA is already in the system. Burke was in a hurry though, he did not stay to ensure that all the bonds burned and now there is a direct link to him between both crimes. Things don't look good for the once outstanding Agent, but no one is too surprised considering how many times he's turned a blind eye to his CI's questionable actions."

"Please..."

"Even if they can't get him on murder they can't ignore the bonds." Liao continued as he leaned in even closer and hissed in Neal's ear. "So at best he's looking at getting kicked out of the Bureau, at worst he's looking at twenty-five years to life depending on the judge's mood that day."

"Stop." Neal snarled. "What do you want? I'll do it."

"Wonderful." Liao said cheerfully as he cleaned the messy blade off on Neal's jacket. "Come, I put the canvas in your room."

Liao dropped a silk handkerchief over Neal's shoulder. Neal picked up the cloth and pressed it against the angry bleeding line under his jaw. The cut wasn't deep, but it still managed to be painful. Liao was already leading the way back to the room where he'd been keeping Neal. Anxious that Liao's story might become a reality Neal followed him like a well beaten dog.

Coming to the room Liao opened the door and invited Neal back inside. Neal glanced around, looking for the canvas that Liao had spoken of to see how big a job this was. However the only thing that seemed to be out of place in the room was a slender Asian woman in a black silk robe standing by the window. Her jet black hair was pilled up on her head being held in place by golden hair sticks that were accented with streams of pink pearls.

The woman didn't have the same meekness of Hsing, she held herself more like a princess. She looked Neal over with mild interest, running the tip of her tongue over her crimson red lips. Liao gave her a silent order with his hand. She turned around and reached up to the sash that was keeping her robe closed. She untied the robe and with a shrug of her shoulders she let it fall to the ground.

Neal's breath caught in his throat at the beauty that had been exposed. The woman's skin was flawless and looked almost as though it had been carved from pure ivory. Her back which was as milky and smooth as a porcelain figure. Neal tore his eyes away from the woman and turned a confused look on Liao.

"I don't understand. What is this?"

"She's your canvas, Mr. Caffrey."