Let Your Heart Hold Fast

Chapter 27

By the time Peter made it to his house, he was back in control of himself. Diana offered to go to Elizabeth and bring her home, since Peter didn't want Elizabeth to have to drive herself. He knew that his wife would be devastated to hear that Neal had been taken again.

Entering into the house, he immediately went to where Rachel was sitting. The poor girl looked awful and heartbroken, and Peter hoped that she didn't blame herself for what had happened. He knew that there was no way she could have fended off whoever it was that took Neal, that they were more than determined to take the boy, for whatever reason.

As soon as Rachel saw Peter, she jumped up and ran to him. "Mr. Burke! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I tried to stop them, but they had guns. They shot Satchmo and they threatened to shoot Neal, too. I couldn't help him!"

By this time the poor girl was in tears again and Peter suddenly found him holding her to his chest. He couldn't find the words that might possibly make her feel better, so he just held her for several long minutes while she cried. Eventually, she pulled herself together and he was able to turn his attention to the police officer that seemed to be in charge.

"What do you have so far?" he questioned the officer. "Any leads?

"The girl was able to give us a general description of the two men and a neighbor saw a suspicious vehicle racing down the road. We're checking for fingerprints, but the girl said she thought they were wearing gloves."

"That's it? Did the neighbor get a plate number? Did you check with everyone on the street? Maybe someone else saw something. Or heard something."

"Agent Burke, we have officers canvassing the neighborhood, but so far that's it. We've already put a call in to the FBI, too."

"What about my dog? Is he okay? Where is he?"

The officer looked quickly at Rachel before answering. "One of my men took him to the nearest veterinarian, but it wasn't looking good. I'm sorry, Agent Burke. The young lady said that the dog tried to stop the men even after he was shot."

Peter suddenly felt like he needed to sit down. He sat down next to Rachel and asked the young lady to explain to him everything that had happened. She didn't look like she wanted to go through it all again, but Peter told her he needed to hear it from her.

"We were watching a movie, Mr. Burke, and we both fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up to the sound of Satchmo growling and before I knew it, the back door burst open and two men came in. Satchmo attacked one of them and the man shot him. He tried to get up again and he managed to bite one of them in the leg, but then the other guy kicked him. Once Satchmo was down for good, one of them grabbed me and held the gun on me, while the other grabbed Neal."

By this time Rachel was crying again, but she kept talking. "Neal was so scared, Mr. Burke, but he didn't cry. He just kept yelling at the man to let me go. I remember he even kicked the guy that was holding him right in the stomach."

A small smile crossed Peter's lips at that, knowing how protective Neal could be, but it quickly faded as Rachel continued.

"That only made the man angrier, though, and he….h-he hit him. He slapped Neal across the face and it was so loud, Mr. Burke. I begged the man to leave us alone, but he told me that they were just there for the boy. He said that no one would get hurt if we just cooperated. Then, he told the man that was holding me to tie me up and after he did that, they left. I yelled for help, but no one heard me. It took me at least twenty minutes to get loose and that's when I called you."

Peter asked Rachel a few more questions, but before she could answer them, the door opened and Elizabeth and Diana came running in. The look on his wife's face nearly broke Peter's heart.

Neal was sitting in the back seat of a car trying as hard as he could not to cry. One of the men that had taken him was sitting in the back with him while the other one drove. Neal's face stung where the man had slapped him, but all he could think about was Satchmo. Was he dead? Just the thought of that made Neal's eyes well up with tears.

As they rode along, Neal listened closely to the men. He had no idea who either man was and they weren't talking very much, unfortunately. It was almost an hour later when the man in the back seat with him received a phone call.

"This is Keller."

Neal could hear a voice on the other end, but couldn't really make out any words.

"We got the kid. Tell him we'll be there in a few hours. And he better be ready to pay extra, because the kid's a little jerk. He kicked me in the stomach! No, I didn't hurt the kid. He's fine, but if he tries anything again, I'll make him pay."

Neal could feel the man glaring at him, but he didn't look up. Instead, he just stared out the window, praying that Peter would find him soon.

Almost an hour later, Neal had to go to the bathroom. The mean man sitting next to him had fallen asleep and the driver hadn't said more than ten words since they started. At the moment, he was fiddling with the radio, trying to find a clear station.

When Neal didn't feel like he could wait any longer, he finally spoke up in a quiet voice. "I have to go to the bathroom."

The driver looked at him in the rearview mirror. "You'll have to wait. We can't stop."

"I can't wait," Neal answered. "I really have to go."

The man glanced at the other man in the backseat, who was still asleep, before slowing the car down and pulling over. "Okay, kid, listen up….You've got two minutes, do you understand? I'm going to let you out and you better not try to run."

"I need a bathroom," Neal said. "I can't just go outside."

"You either go or you don't go, kid. I don't care, but this is your only chance."

The man got out of the car and pulled Neal's door open, causing the man named Keller to wake up.

"What the hell are you doing, Kane?"

"The kid has to pee, Keller. I don't want him peeing in the car, do you?"

"He can hold it. We're almost there."

"He said he can't, Matthew, and we still have an hour to go."

Keller looked angrily at Neal. "You better not try anything, kid. And hurry up, I'm getting hungry and I just want this day over with."

Neal stepped out of the car and nervously did what he needed to do. He looked around, but couldn't see anything except trees and road as far as he looked. Sadly, he climbed back into the car. After a few minutes of struggling with the seatbelt, he looked back up at the man that was driving.

"I need to wash my hands," he said. "Lizbef always says I have to wash my hands after I go to the bathroom."

"Well, Lizbef isn't here, so don't worry about it, kid. Just shut up and go to sleep or something."

Neal looked out the window and stared at the passing trees that were now blurred from his tears.

Peter, Elizabeth, Rachel and her parents were sitting in the Burke living room, while Diana and Jones were out with NYPD, canvassing the neighborhood. Peter wanted nothing more than to be out there with them, but he knew that Elizabeth needed him with her at the moment. She was barely holding it together and Peter didn't want to leave her.

Rachel wasn't handling things too well, either, no matter how many times she was told that it wasn't her fault. Her parents were terrified to hear that she had been held at gunpoint and were rightfully worried about her. Rachel's mom, Jackie, took it upon herself to make coffee and tea for everyone, finding that she needed to keep busy.

When Diana and Jones returned, Peter greeted them at the door, wanting to know what they had found, if anything, before telling his wife.

"I'm sorry, boss. None of the neighbors really knew anything. We'll ask again tomorrow, after they've had the night to think about things, but for now that's it. Clinton and I are going to meet up with Agent Dawson and see if we can be of any help. I'll keep you posted on anything that happens, okay? Try to get some rest."

Peter couldn't say anything, even though he wanted them both to know how grateful he felt.

Jones stepped up and placed his hand on Peter's shoulder. "We'll do everything we can to find him, Peter."

Peter just nodded again, not trusting his voice to be strong enough to answer. When his two agents left, he took a deep breath and headed back in to Elizabeth.

It was almost midnight when the car finally arrived at its destination. Neal had fallen asleep in the back seat, curled up against the cold window and he jerked awake when the man sitting next to him shoved his leg, none too gently.

"We're here, kid. Get outta the car."

Neal unfastened his seatbelt and waited for the other man to open his door. Once he was out of the car, he looked up at the rather large house in front of him. The house had a lot of lights on and Neal thought that it looked warm and inviting, like his house always did at night. He wondered if there were nice people living in this house that might help him get back to Elizabeth and Peter.

Following the two men up to the front door, Neal nervously waited to see who would open it. Seconds later, a man dressed in a weird suit opened the door and stepped aside for them to enter. Keller had a firm hold on Neal's arm and dragged the poor boy into the house, followed by the other man. Neal tried to pull his arm away, but Keller just clamped down even harder, as they were led through the foyer and into a large sitting room.

Neal looked around the room with wide eyes, before settling his eyes on an older man sitting by the fireplace. The man seemed to be looking him over thoroughly, before looking back at the other two men.

"That's definitely him. He looks just like James did at that age. Did you have any trouble getting to him?"

Keller let go of Neal's arm and sat down across from the man. "No, it was an easy job. The Burkes left him with a babysitter, so it was easy to grab him…..after we took care of the dog."

Neal's stomach flipped and his eyes burned at the thought of what had happened to Satchmo. The last time he had looked at him, the dog was still breathing and was still growling slightly. He hoped that Rachel knew how to fix him. Before he could think any more about Satchmo, the older man started talking again.

"Well, thank you, gentlemen. I'll make sure your money is delivered soon."

Keller started laughing at that. "You don't really think we're leaving here without our money, do you? We want it right now."

"That wasn't part of the deal, Keller. I told you I'd pay you as soon as I was sure that no one was on to you. That was the plan."

"Well, the plan's changed," Keller answered. "It was a clean job and there's no way they're going to find us. We didn't leave any evidence behind, so we want our money now."

The man looked thoughtfully into the fire and then turned back to Keller. "I'll make sure you get your money, if you'll give me a few minutes." The man stood up and after giving Neal another look, walked out of the room.

"You shouldn't have pushed him, Keller. He's a powerful man and I don't think you want to get on his bad side."

"I'm a powerful man, too, Kane. Maybe you'll want to remember that."

Neal stood there watching the men talk, but he couldn't stop thinking about how tired and hungry he was. He eventually found his way over to a large armchair and curled up against the back, wishing that he knew what was going on and praying that Peter would find him soon.

When the FBI and NYPD were finally through at the Burke's house and Rachel and her parents had left, Peter and Elizabeth sat curled up on the sofa. Elizabeth was clutching the blanket that Neal had been covered up with when he was asleep earlier, her eyes filled with tears. Peter held tightly onto her, trying to comfort her in any way he could. With both of them lost in their own thoughts, they almost didn't hear the soft knock at the door. Peter uncurled himself from Elizabeth and went to answer the door. He was surprised to see a NYPD officer standing there, but quickly opened the door, hoping to hear some good news.

"Agent Burke? I'm Officer Findlay with NYPD and I wanted to let you know that your dog is going to be okay. He's had surgery, but the veterinarian says he'll recover nicely. He'll need to stay at the animal hospital for a few days, but he'll be okay."

After answering a few more questions, the officer left and Peter was able to tell his wife the good news. "Hon, Satchmo's going to be okay. The vet said he can come home in a few days."

Elizabeth was so relieved that her tears poured out of her, her sobs echoing in the room.

"Hey, hon, I said he was going to be okay," Peter repeated.

"I know, Peter, and I'm so relieved. Neal would be devastated if something happened to Satch. I just wish he knew. He probably thinks Satchmo is dead and I bet he's so scared."

Peter didn't know what to say, so he just held onto his wife as tight as he could.

Neal hadn't been asleep for too long, when someone gently shook him awake. He opened his eyes to find an older woman looking down at him, her eyes gentle and kind. "Hi, Neal. My name is Camille, and I'm going to take you up to your room, okay? Do you think you can follow me?"

Neal gave her a small nod and slowly stood up. His legs felt like jello and he felt dizzy as soon as he stood up, but he slowly followed her out of the room. In the hallway, he saw Keller and Kane talking to the older man. All three of them looked at Neal and for some reason, Neal felt like sticking his tongue out at them. He knew better than to do that, though, remembering the time Elizabeth had caught him sticking his tongue out at a kid at the park that had made him mad. She was very unhappy with him and had made him sit on the bench next to her for fifteen minutes, after she had made him apologize to the kid. He had definitely learned his lesson about sticking his tongue out at someone, even if that someone really, really deserved it.

When they finally made it upstairs, Camille led him into a large room with a really big bed. She walked over to the dresser in the corner and took out some pajamas. "I bet you're really tired, aren't you, Neal? How about if you get into some pajamas and try to get some sleep."

Neal looked up at the older woman and wanted to cry, but he didn't. Instead, he looked at her with his big blue eyes, hoping that she would listen to him. "I wanna go home, Camel," he said as sincerely as he could.

The lady gently laughed at him. "It's Camille, darlin', not Camel. And I know you want to go home, but this is your home now. Your grandfather has been waiting for you to come home."

Neal looked at Camille in confusion. His grandfather? Which one? Papa Richard or Grandpa Robert? And why would either one of them take him away from Peter and Elizabeth? Why would either one of them shoot Satchmo?

"I don't like this home, Camille. I want to go to my real home. I want Lizbef and Peter."

Camille looked at him sadly. "You're staying here, Neal, and you need to get used to that fact, as soon as possible, okay? Your grandfather isn't a very patient man and he won't put up with any nonsense from you."

Neal went into the bathroom and quietly changed into the pajamas Camille had given him. When he went back into the bedroom, Camille was standing next to the bed, motioning for him to get in. "Camille? I'm hungry. Can I have something to eat? And a drink?"

"I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't stop to think that you might be hungry. Climb into bed and I'll bring you something okay?"

Neal climbed into bed, surprised to hear that Camille would let him eat in bed. He snuggled down into the comfortable bed and waited patiently for her to return. As he was waiting, he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and he knew that they weren't the woman's steps. Pulling the blankets up to his neck, Neal closed his eyes and pretended that he was asleep. He heard the door open and heard someone walk across the room, so he squeezed his eyes shut even more. He couldn't keep himself from jumping a little when he heard the voice right next to his bed.

"I can tell you're faking sleep, boy," the man said. "You're father used to do that all the time. He wasn't very good at it, either."

Neal opened his eyes and looked up at the older man from downstairs. Was this the grandfather Camille was talking about? Who was he? And how did he know his father?

The man continued to look at Neal, causing the boy to grow uncomfortable with his gaze. "My name is Edward Bennett and I'm your grandfather. Your father, James, was my son and he kept you away from me for reasons we won't be discussing. You'll be living here with me now, taking your rightful place as my grandson and my heir."

Neal had no idea what it meant to be someone's air, but he didn't think he would like it. He already didn't like this man and he didn't want to live with him. Taking a deep breath, Neal gathered all his courage and pushed the blankets down as he sat up in the bed.

"I don't want to live here," he said quietly, but defiantly. "I wanna go home to Peter and Lizbef. And I already have two grandpas, so I don't need another one."

Edward laughed at the sight in front of him. "Well, well, well…look who has a backbone. You definitely didn't get that from your father. He never learned how to stand up for himself, no matter how hard I tried to teach him. But, let me warn you, boy… I won't tolerate any disrespect from you. And, I don't care if you have a hundred grandpas…..I'm your grandfather and you're here with me now. You might as well get used to it."

A few seconds later, Camille returned with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of milk. Edward gave Neal one last look and then left him to his food. Neal watched him leave and couldn't help himself. Just as Edward walked through the door, Neal stuck his tongue out at him, causing Camille to actually laugh out loud.

"Oh, my," she said. "I think Mr. Bennett might have met his match in you, darlin'."

Neal gave Camille a big grin and then dug into the plate of sandwiches, happy to see that they were peanut butter and jelly. Elizabeth always made him PB &Js and they were definitely his favorite. Thinking about Elizabeth made him sad again, but he decided to do the only thing he could- he had to cowboy up and that was all there was to it.

Author's note: Well, what do you all think about the chapter? Maybe a few of your questions have finally been answered, but I'm sure you have more. I would love to hear all of your thoughts, ideas, and questions.

And how about our beloved Matt Bomer winning the Critic's Choice award for Best Supporting Actor?! How awesome was that?! He truly deserved to win and I think it restored a little bit of faith in humanity that the critics were able to see that.

Anyway, thanks so much for being faithful readers and reviewers. And thanks to any new readers for giving my story a chance. I appreciate you all!