(Chapter 5)

Elizabeth woke up some time later still on the sofa in Neal's room. Someone had pushed a pillow under her head and draped a blanket over her. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes trying to recall how she got here and remembered sitting on the terrace with Mozzie and June. She stared at the now darkened patio, the French doors closed with soft moonlight passing through them.

El pulled the blanket around her and stood. She padded over to the terrace and opened up the door feeling the cool night breeze whip lightly around her. In her mind she saw Neal, Peter and June out on the terrace sitting around the small wrought iron table chatting over a cup of that infamous Italian roast. It made her smile remembering how much her husband liked the coffee. She sniffled slightly, wiping at her eyes and staring over the side of the patio at the city. Neal had lent them this space for an impromptu anniversary celebration shortly after starting work with Peter. It had surprised her at how beautiful the view was from here and how much trouble the younger man had gone through to make sure it looked nice for them. Peter had been just as surprised at the decoration of lights, music and everything else despite his own participation.

The memory warmed her as she prayed that both men were safe and would come home soon. She thought she saw a shooting star but upon closer examination she realized it was a plane. She sighed but figured anything that brought them home would be good so she kept up the illusion of it being a star if only in her own mind.

"Beautiful night." June's voice was soft, El turning and smiling.

"Yes, I was just admiring your view. You're so lucky to have this June. Thank you." She turned and sat down on a chair, June joining her as they sat outside and stared up at the stars above. After a moment, June spoke again.

"You're always welcomed here, you know that." She left it at that, Elizabeth smiling back at her in the moon light.

()()()

Neal sat between the two goons, both packing guns and looking sideways at him while still listening to Geraldi pretend to be corporate boss of the year with his small group of devoted psychopaths. He was only vaguely aware of someone sitting behind him and figured since he could see everyone else it must be Jacob.

Geraldi was speaking like some kind of self-improvement guru, the tone annoying Neal to no end who was only half-listening while worrying about how to get away from this place with Peter in tow. It took him a moment to take in what the mobster was talking about with his attention split. The man was expecting this small group to take on a major financial holding company that was well secured and had a vault with several millions in bonds, art and other merchandise. Now he knew why Geraldi was interested in keeping him around.

"Mr. Caffrey... Neal." Geraldi's voice penetrated his thoughts when he heard his named called. Neal looked up with as nonchalant a glance as he could, keeping his mask in place.

"Since you're good at charming people, your record speaks volumes, I'll go ahead and have you be our 'front man.' You can help distract the people in charge with Jacob's help. You'll be partners, getting us into the building and vault so we can get in and out. Erik and Cori will be point men in case we need further persuasion." He smiled like a shark that just smelled blood in the water. Neal nodded with false interest.

"You'll have to provide me with maps of the place, camera locations..." Geraldi interrupted him.

"It's all prepared. I'll make sure you have a copy to peruse before the main event."

Geraldi went on about the plan, Neal spacing out but still listening enough to keep track of the conversation. He was worrying about Peter. Cori had been with him and he didn't want to think what had happened to the Fed. He looked up after a moment to see Geraldi standing, making some parting words for the evening, the few men standing. Neal followed suit, his two guards grasping an arm each as they stared to lead him out of the room. Considering what was about to go down, Geraldi wasn't going to take a chance Neal would escape or have a chance to. He was a necessary part of the operation now.

"Martin... is it?" The henchman on Neal's right turned with a cold, deadly stare. Neal turned to see Jacob smiling brightly and most uncharacteristically up at the man. The henchman grunted, his friend on the left looking down at the con like something nasty he'd found under his shoe.

"I need to check his injuries again. Can you walk him to the clinic?" Jacob continued to smile, the guards nodding and pulling Neal between them as they followed. They didn't have far to walk, Jacob taking Neal inside and closing the door, the goons staying outside. He quietly locked the door before motioning for Neal to sit.

"Let me look at those injuries again. The saw cut was worrying me since I don't have access to any tetanus vaccine at the moment." Jacob unwound the bandages and took a look. He frowned slightly.

"It's only been a few hours and I see some irritation already. I'll give you some mild antibiotics." Jacob walked over to a shelf and pulled out some gray pills, dropping a few into a small bottle. Neal watched him curiously.

"Something on your mind?" Neal spoke softly, noticing Jacob turn and glance at him. The con walked back and handed him the pill bottle, taking the wrist and re-bandaging it.

"Your Fed friend is hanging on. I tended his wounds before the meeting. Cori stabbed him in the shoulder but he's surviving. He needs a hospital though." Jacob kept his tone even without much inflection. Neal blinked, his mask breaking long enough to show his emotions. Jacob didn't say anything, as if picking up on what he didn't say.

"I'm guessing Geraldi isn't going to let me see him." Neal said it matter of factly, Jacob nodding as he finished his work on Neal's wrists.

"I have to check on him a little later." Jacob left the comment open-ended, Neal looking at him curiously. He glanced around spying a notepad.

"Mind if I borrow that a moment?"

()()()

Peter wasn't sure what was going on, his brain hazy from blood loss. Someone had been here to tend his wounds, he thought or had he dreamed it? He looked down with some effort and saw his shoulder had been wrapped neatly although red spots were leaking through now. How long had he been here? He heard the sound of a door opening nearby and footsteps echoing towards him. Peter's vision was fading in and out of focus, a hand touching his shoulder waking him for a moment.

"How are you feeling today?" It was the young man from before, the one that reminded him of Neal. He had the first-aid kit with him again, peeling at the bandages delicately before dabbing at the wound with what smelled like alcohol. It stung but Peter was too weak to move, his arms still bound uncomfortably behind him to the chair. His head leaned back against the chair limply. Jacob placed fresh gauze on his shoulder and wound a bandage around it to keep it in place.

"Tired." Peter heard his voice rasp, his throat dry from lack of water much less food. Jacob pulled out a bottle water and held it to Peter's lips helping the man drink. Once he was finished, Peter noticed the younger man turn to look at the door but they were alone. He heard the crinkle of paper, something held up in front of him.

Peter blinked his eyes, looking at the sheet of notebook paper blankly. His mind saw nothing but blurry lines for a moment before his vision cleared and he recognized Neal's neat scrawl across the page. He smiled reading the coded message as the meaning came to him and he looked at Jacob.

"Tell him, I hope so too." Peter rasped before he leaned back, eyes closing and passed out again.

()()()

Jacob left the room, Cori again guarding the door. The con hurried by, not bothering to make chit chat with the psycho hit man. He quickly made his way back to his office and was about to close the door when a hand stopped him. It was Erik.

"Hey, Jacob. What's your hurry?" Erik eyed him curiously, his eyes on the first-aid kit.

"Was checking on Agent Burke. Geraldi told me to keep him alive if only to convince Caffrey to perform his part of the heist." He turned, entering the office with Erik on his heels. The man glanced around curiously, eyes taking in the room as if for something specific.

"Cori's just waiting for the word from Geraldi." He didn't have to say more, Jacob understanding all too well the meaning. He had practice in not reacting, his voice monotone as he replied.

"What does it matter to me what Cori does. I stay out of his way and do what I'm told." Jacob dropped the kit back into the shelf, closing it and sitting at the desk. The book from before sat there, a bookmark or two and some dog-eared pages obvious. Erik walked over and picked it up before dropping it back.

"This was his and you kept it." Erik was flipping the pages idly, Jacob grabbing the book back and holding it tightly.

"If you need something, tell me already. If not, I need to finish cleaning up so I can sleep." Jacob's tone almost turned hostile, Erik's face smiling at the slight reaction to his comment.

"Still sore about your friend after all this time." The goon clucked his tongue and chuckled, moving back and out of the room.

"Don't think I'm not watching you. Maybe I should send Cori over to visit." Erik kept chuckling in a humorless manner, exiting the room. Jacob walked over and closed the door, locking it and leaning back against it with a fearful look. Did they know he took a message from Neal to the Fed? Why the heck was he getting involved with these two when he had been doing so well forgetting and dealing. He'd given up on going the right way when they'd taken him in and killed off Morgan. Who'd believe an ex-con on parole about what happened. Morgan wasn't there to help him so he had remained with Geraldi, his fear keeping him tied down like a heavy chain.

Jacob slid to the floor and sat, back to the door, his eyes closed as he remembered everything he'd tried to forget. Morgan's lifeless body in that same room as the Fed, hanging from the rafters. They'd murdered him in cold blood after he'd done everything they'd asked him to. Erik and Cori had killed his friend just because he'd been a guard once. Somehow they'd found out about Morgan's past and his own. Geraldi had connections to everything it seemed.

It was a while before he finally pushed himself up to his feet and moved over to one of the empty bunks and lay down. He could see similarities between himself and Neal. He saw some of Morgan in the Fed and felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want to go through that again. It wasn't fair to either of them but the Fed was guarded and watched. They were all watched.

He sighed, running a hand through his strawberry blond hair as he curled up.

"Tell me what to do Morgan... Please? You always seemed to have all the answers." Jacob muttered the words quietly to the air, closing his eyes, his body slowly relaxing as he fell asleep. He thought he sensed someone was there with him. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You know what needs to be done, Jacob."

The voice was distant, just audible enough to let him know they were there. Jacob nodded in his sleep, curling up into a tighter ball as he continued to dream.

()()()

Signs of Caffrey much less Burke had been few. They'd discovered the body that had been placed in the field as Peter's was a missing convict associated with Geraldi. The man had disappeared while on parole along with a young woman who had been dating him. Her body had been found months earlier when he had gone missing originally. Only now was the connection between the two being made.

Hughes sighed, wondering what connection Geraldi had with this case. The man had never been convicted directly of anything, his men falling on their swords to protect him. They'd checked all of the mobster's usual hangouts but no sign of Neal or Peter had been found. Even the FBI's usual snitches and insiders were quiet, some of them refusing to get involved which told the agent something stunk. He looked up as someone knocked on the door, Jones standing there. He motioned his subordinate inside.

"Tell me you've found something." Reese sounded exhausted, three days having passed now since Peter's disappearance and Neal's kidnapping. He needed to have some news for Elizabeth. He had to get Neal and Peter back and hopefully alive. Jones handed over some papers with writing scrawled in an unfamiliar hand. Hughes looked at it and then up at the agent.

"Where did you find this? All our snitches are refusing to get involved." Hughes read the handwritten notes, an imperceptible change to his attitude as a smile formed on his lips.

"Caffrey's friend left this with June and Elizabeth. He's been doing some digging of his own and managed to trace back the call we couldn't." He smiled ever so slightly, Hughes nodding as his mood improved.

"Good work, Jones. Thank Neal's friend for me. Let's get some men on this ASAP!" Hughes was grinning now as was Jones.

"Already done sir. We found the source of the phone call Neal received from Peter was from an abandoned tenement. Everything was cleaned out and no signs of Burke or Caffrey." He sighed ever so slightly in defeat, Hughes looking up at the junior agent with a comforting glance.

"It's not any one's fault this happened. We know the dangers of digging into some of these cases we get, Peter more than anyone. We'll find him. If Neal's with him, I'm sure he's causing all kinds of trouble to their captors."

()()()

"Royal flush..." Neal smoothly laid the cards on the table, Erik's face turning flush at the con's hand. He cursed then smiled that scary grin of his and nodded.

"Wouldn't expect anything less from another con. Good game." Erik stood, Neal taking the little bit of cash he'd won and pocketing it. Jacob was off to the side watching, a beer in one hand. Neal stood up and stretched, turning to see the medic and walking over casually taking a seat.

"How is he today?" His voice was low and flat to hide anything other than a casual conversation. Jacob nodded, reaching over to a cooler and grabbing another beer out. He handed it to Neal, talking just as casually back.

"Alive but he needs a hospital." Jacob kept his face bland but his eyes spoke volumes. Neal nodded, his own face expressionless as he popped open the beer and took a swig. It was all he could do to not spit it out, the brew somewhat bitter and flat tasting. It wasn't his first choice in drinks but these guys weren't into champagne brunches or hard liquor. He thought about Peter as he drank it, cowboying up to the situation.

Neal stood up after a moment, nodding to the group and walking back to his room. His guards were no longer standing over him, Geraldi trusting the con finally to move around the compound freely. He'd already given them more than enough good feedback on how to optimize their heist that the mobster was beginning to trust him if only a little. Neal by all appearances was beginning to fit in but he was still making notes on how he might get out. Jacob's updates on Peter had him worried for the Fed. If Geraldi meant to kill Peter, why hadn't he done it yet? He could only think of one reason and if that was true, Neal had to work harder on getting them out before the heist.

Neal scratched at his right wrist, his arm slightly stiff. He blamed the lumpy cot if not stress. He'd been feeling a little more than achy lately, his neck bothering him and his jaw tight. He blew off the feeling knowing he had to work on a plan to get Peter out of here before Geraldi killed him.

Neal entered his room, walking over to the nightstand and picking up another of the pills Jacob had given him. He grabbed a glass of water from the bathroom and popped the antibiotic, walking back to the nightstand and opening up a drawer. He grabbed a granola bar from his stash there and took a bite. Jacob had managed to grab him a few items on their last food run. Neal's appetite had been far from healthy over the past few days, probably why he was feeling so irritable but it was more than that.

He scratched at his wrist again, the wounds weeping when he removed the bandages. His left wrist was healing just fine but the right one had been looking more and more irritated, Neal blaming his own inability to not mess with it part of the problem. He collapsed on the cot and closed his eyes a moment before he sat up again and walked over to the bathroom. He cleaned and dressed the wound, putting some fresh gauze on it Jacob had given him. Neal wrapped it back up and returned to the cot, curling up on his side and shivering slightly. He felt an unsual tension in his body as he lay there, trying to relax.

()()()

Jacob stood after Neal left, the beer still in his hand. He grabbed another one and pushed it into his jacket pocket when nobody was looking. He made his way to the clinic. Once there he stuck a bottled water in the pocket with the beer, pulled out the first-aid kit and turned to leave. Geraldi stood in the door way looking at him.

"Jacob... I've been meaning to talk to you. How is Agent Burke fairing?" His voice was facetious but Jacob ignored the tone and answered as if the man cared.

"Not good but you know that already. I was going to go check on him again." Jacob stood there waiting to see what the man wanted when the mobster continued to block his path. Geraldi smiled.

"Yes, Cori had a bit too much fun with him. So... I noticed you and Caffrey seem to have hit it off. Good... Good. Is he well enough for the Heist you think?" Geraldi's voice had just a hint of firm inquiry in it. Jacob nodded reluctantly.

"As ready as he can be under the circumstances." He didn't say anything else knowing that much was already a bit too forward for him. He saw the mobster's brow arch up.

"I see, well... I hope it won't affect his work ethic. The agent's life counts on it." He smiled a humorless smile, moving aside. Jacob nodded, moving forward, a hand grasping his arm tightly before he could leave. He winced as the man's fingernails poked through his shirt sleeve.

"Make sure there are no doubts. I trust you Jacob, despite my better judgment." The mobster let go, that smile still firmly planted on his lips as he walked away. Jacob felt a cold chill weave its way down his spine as he found the strength to move and headed towards the cell with Peter.

Peter looked paler than before, a thin sheen of sweat across his face, a labored breath from his parched lips. Jacob cursed inwardly. Geraldi expected him to keep the man alive but they didn't give the agent water or food? Jacob sighed, giving a quick glance around to make sure he was alone before he pulled out a bottled water. He nudged the agent's head with one hand and held the water bottle to his lips.

"Drink this." He felt the agent respond, drinking hungrily before he pulled the water away and held up a bit of a granola bar to the man's lips. Peter chewed on the bar slowly before swallowing, Jacob continuing to feed him and give him water. Finally he gave him a pill, the last of the water going to swallow it. Peter opened his eyes and smiled slightly.

"Was that an aspirin?" The agent's voice was raspy and hoarse. Jacob shook his head.

"Antibiotic. I'm not taking a chance you get an infection. But I did bring something you might like for the pain." Jacob pulled out the beer and popped it open. He saw Peter's brown eyes light up slightly, sitting up a bit, his smile a little wider. Jacob held the bottle to the agent's lips. After a few minutes, Peter seemed happily inebriated and less in pain.

"Thanks, Jacob. Tell Neal... not to worry." Peter was smiling a bit lopsided, eyes brighter than they had been. Jacob nodded, patting the agent on the shoulder before he left.

Jacob left the cell, watching Cori outside acting as insane as usual. He avoided contact as he left, a cold fear washing over him. The heist was in another couple of days. The agent didn't have too much longer to live no matter what Jacob did to help; it wouldn't be enough unless Neal got Peter out of here. He sighed, walking back into the clinic and putting the kit back in its place. He tossed the bottles into the trash and sat down at the desk tiredly. He took the book he'd been reading and opened it up to one of the bookmarks. There were notes written in the side of the page in a very neat script. Jacob looked at them a moment reading them as if for the first time.

Don't think of me as Javert, I don't chase very well. I can't sing half as good as Mann either.

Jacob smiled, closing the book again and sighing. Les Miserables, Morgan's favorite book. He'd lent the volume to Jacob on a particularly long outing, leaving notes on the parts he liked. It was all he had left of his friend. Morgan had been an avid reader with a large book collection one Jacob wondered about trapped here with Geraldi. The landlord must have sold off their stuff by now when they vanished.

He looked up at a knock on the door, walking over with the book in hand. It was Martin, one of the goons who had been watching Neal. There was an odd look on the man's face.

"Come with me... Please." The last part was added as Jacob glared at the command. If the goon was asking please, there must be something up. Nobody else was outside in the hall, Martin leading the con through the halls till they came to Neal's door. The goon stopped and pointed, Jacob knocking first.

"Neal... It's Jacob!" He didn't hear an answer, glancing back at Martin curiously. He wondered if Geraldi had the goons hurt the con but Martin seemed to sense what Jacob thought and shook his head.

"Neal... I'm coming inside!" Jacob pulled the door open and peeked inside the room. It was dimly lit, the lamp on the nightstand giving a soft warm glow. The cot was empty but a figure lay limply on the floor beside it twitching. Jacob ran over and crouched beside Neal, touching the young man's arm. He heard a weak groan, noticing the con's face was tight and his right arm held in an odd position. He felt Neal's forehead, but he didn't feel warm despite the sweat beading on the young man's brow. Jacob turned and looked at Martin.

"Go back to the clinic and in the white shelf at the bottom, bring me the tackle box there. And hurry!"