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~*~
“Watch out!”
“Hey!”
“Oh no!” El gasped as someone slammed into her, and she lost her grip on her purse-which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but she was walking right next to an open sewer, and the purse contained all her important things for the day, especially her latest bit of cash that she’d earned from her job. She watched with horror, as she was already on the ground, and knew she wouldn’t be able to get up fast enough to get it.
A hand snatched out and rescued the purse before it could fall, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Damn Keller,” The young man’s voice said, sounding angry, before he changed abruptly when he saw El on the ground. He held out a hand, and she shakily accepted. “You okay, miss?”
“I’m fine, thanks. And I really mean that, thank you.” She said, earnestly, taking her purse back. He pursed his lips.
“Most women aren’t out alone in the city-what are you doing out here, in the bad part of the block, by yourself?” He asked.
“How’d you know I was…” She flushed when she realized that she’d just given herself away. Inwardly chiding herself, she shook her head. “I was looking for a birthday present for my husband, who’s currently at work right now.” She admitted.
“Ah,” He said, his eyes gleaming with childlike delight. “Well, I believe I can help, provided you give me clues as to what your husband likes. And I should introduce myself, I’m Neal Caffrey.” He said, holding out his hand.
She shook it politely.
“Elizabeth Burke, but call me El.” She suggested with a small smile. “Truly, I can’t thank you enough for rescuing my purse. I would’ve been stuck in a hard place without it.” She admitted.
“It’s not any trouble,” Neal said easily. “Let’s get you to some safer parts of the city, shall we? I’m sure your husband won’t like it if you got into even more trouble.”
El rolled her eyes, but agreed.
~*~
Neal could not believe his luck-he’d rescued the wife of none other than Peter Burke, the man that had been hunting his half brother Matthew Keller for ages. Neal was wondering if he should use this to his advantage, but then he figured that he would win their trust instead. He’d get in close, figure out where all Burke was looking for his brother, and then…
Neal smirked, even as he danced out of the way of a lady with a walker. El was watching him in fascination, as though she’d never seen anyone quite like him. Neal thought that she was quite beautiful, though WAY out of his league…especially since she was married to an FBI agent, who would likely shoot him first before asking questions.
“So what does your husband like, ma’am?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaped gracefully over a small box near the front part of an antique store. He already knew what Peter Burke liked, having studied him extensively to figure out any weak spots that might help his idiot brother.
“I’m…not entirely sure. I mean, he’s talked about taking a vacation, but neither of us have the time for it.” El admitted, sighing. “He likes books, and movies, and things…but…”
“But you want to get him something he’ll really appreciate,” Neal finished, understanding immediately why she was way out here in the ‘bad side’ of town. Neal frowned, and said, “Does he like antiques?”
Neal knew for a fact that he did.
“Yes, he does! Maybe something might be in here, do you think…” She asked, moving into the store. Neal knew the owner, who’s name was Mozzie. Mozzie was a very longtime friend of Neal’s, having watched out for him and his brother a time or two. And, not to mention, everyone in the city knew Mozzie.
Except, apparently, El, who didn’t even seem to notice Mozzie behind the counter, as she began scanning shelves.
“Caffrey,” Mozzie drawled. “What are you doing with the nice looking lady?”
Neal hastily explained to his sort of uncle like figure, and Mozzie stared at him with a flat look that Neal immediately recognized as ‘you brought a “Suit” into MY building?’.
“It’s fine,” Neal hissed. “Look-she doesn’t know you, and I’m trying to earn points. Can you just…play nice?”
“I’m always nice,” Mozzie grumbled. “Kid, you owe me one-big time.”
“I’ll owe you two,” Neal said, with a beaming look. “Thanks, Moz.”
“What about this?” Neal asked El after he’d found her lingering in the antique book section. She looked like a real bookworm, trying not to lift one of the hundreds of books that was in the store with fingers that trailed down each spine. Neal had gotten from Mozzie a small gold pocketwatch that he knew Peter would like.
“Oh,” El breathed, looking at it. “It’s perfect. How much is it?”
“Half price. Mozzie knows who I am, we go WAY back,” Neal said with a wink. El bit her lip, looking uncertain, and Neal sighed. “Look, I promise Moz really doesn’t mind…”
“Caffrey.” A cold voice said behind him. “What are you doing with a Fed’s wife?”
Shit!
Neal whirled to see none other than his older brother Matthew Keller standing before him. Mozzie was looking tense, and Neal knew that he was reaching for his gun.
“You know her husband has been hunting me for ages,” Keller continued, his eyes narrowed at Neal, even as he was holding a gun towards him. “Step aside, little brother, and I’ll take care of her so that the fed won’t come hunting for me for a while.”
Neal glanced behind him to see El, stunned and shaken, pale and trembling. Neal felt frozen, as though he was being forced to make a choice: FBI or his family?
“You’re not shooting anyone in my store, you rascal.” Mozzie said tightly, aiming his gun at Keller. Keller rolled his eyes, and fired a shot at Mozzie, who ducked, as El screamed in surprise. Neal inwardly sighed at El’s screaming, but figured it couldn’t be helped. Instead, he took advantage of the distraction to throw a knife at Keller for daring to shoot at their Uncle. Well…kind of, Uncle.
The knife missed, but still grazed Keller across a cheek. Keller looked at him in disbelief.
“Bro, are you really going to fight to protect her? After all this time of trying to help me get to them? What the hell?” He asked, incredulous and angry. “We’re brothers.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to kill her,” Neal shot back, ushering El towards the back door, even as she was quickly using her cell phone…wait, what?
“What are you doing?” He hissed at her, and she looked at him with wide eyes.
“Calling my husband,” She said simply, and Neal growled, and then she yelped,
“Duck!” El shouted.
Neal ducked, yanking El down with him because she was right behind him. Glass exploded behind them, and a bunch of books tumbled down onto the floor. Keller was shooting at him now? Neal felt furious at this turn of events, seriously pissed off at his brother.
“Brother, I’m willing to admit that you’ve got issues, and I’ll not shoot at you again so long as you hand over the bitch!” Keller snapped at him, as he was ducked behind a large wardrobe, out of Mozzie’s range.
“What did you just call me?!” El shouted at him, obviously pissed off now. She threw a book at his brother’s head, actually getting a hit in the process and making Keller curse.
“Keller! Stop this!” Neal called, desperately hoping his brother would see sense. His brother had always been something of a moron. “Leave her alone! She’s not involved in this, as you well know!” Neal hollered, staring hard at his brother.
Sirens were heard in the background, and Neal inwardly froze. He didn’t want to go to prison, and he didn’t want his brother in there either. He needed an out-now. He quickly began scanning the back of the store. Mozzie reached them.
“Caffrey,” Mozzie growled. “You will SO owe me bigtime for this.”
“Not now, Moz.” Neal said, gritting his teeth. “You know a way you can get her out of here?” He asked, gesturing towards El, who was throwing books at Keller, and hitting him two out of three times. She had rather a good arm, he thought.
“Secret passages all over, yeah. Want me to take her to the cops?” Mozzie asked, scowling. He hated going to them for help whenever something like this happened.
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Neal said sarcastically, yanking El back as Keller shot at them again. “You-stop throwing books at my brother. Go with Mozzie.”
“What about you?” El asked, her eyes wide.
“I’ve got to keep him distracted. After all, once he realizes that you two are gone, and in the hands of the cops, he’ll leave me alone.”
Hopefully.
“I’ll make sure she gets to safety. I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Caffrey.” Mozzie said gruffly, pulling El towards the back of the store.
“You and me both, Moz.” Neal muttered, even as he began shouting at Keller again, keeping him distracted for the next few minutes, until both paused as they saw the cops pulling up at the front of the store, and people outside quickly moving out of the way.
Now was his time to escape-
A hand grasped his hair as Neal had turned away, and twisted him around painfully. Neal yelped in protest, struggling against the hold, even as Keller slammed the gun into his chest. Neal coughed out, wincing.
“Where the hell did she go?” Keller demanded, staring hard at him.
“Moz took her to the cops outside. Keller, you realize how utterly stupid you’re being right now!” Neal said, desperate for a distraction. His chest ached, his head throbbed, and he was having trouble seeing.
A moment later, and the cops-including Agent Burke-stepped in.
“Keller! Let him go!” Agent Burke demanded, making Neal blink in surprise-and then wince as Keller yanked him up and thrust the gun underneath his chin.
“I’m not going to jail, Burke. And apparently since Caffrey is so buddy buddy with you and your wife, he’ll suit as a hostage for now-” Keller began, and then cried out in surprise pain when an agent shot him in the knee.
Neal was released, and he fell to the floor, and scrambled backwards. Keller was quickly surrounded, and Neal was yanked up-again-but this time by seemingly friendly hands.
“Kid, you okay?” Special Agent Peter Burke asked, checking him over. “You look like you could use a trip to the emergency room-”
“No, I’m fine.” Neal pushed his hands away, feeling suddenly angry at all this that had occurred. He didn’t want to get his brother arrested. He didn’t want to be indebted to the FBI. He sure as hell didn’t want things to go this way, but it seemed things were always working against him. “You’re wife is safe-Mozzie took her to you cops,” Neal said shortly, walking quickly towards the back of the store, hoping that Peter wouldn’t follow.
He did anyway.
“Kid, where are you going?” Peter asked, his tone demanding and concerned. “You’re injured, and you’re a witness to all that occurred here. We’ll need you to come with us.”
“Yeah, right.” Neal said, staring at him as though he was insane. “I’m not going.”
“You’re not the one being arrested,” Peter pointed out. “In fact, you’re a hero.” He added, hoping to get on the kid’s good side, obviously.
But Neal wasn’t having it.
Too afraid of cops, and too afraid of his brother’s retribution, and not wanting to join his brother in jail, Neal was going to make a run for it and stay far away from all of them. He quickly made a dash towards the open back door, and Peter bit back a curse as he made to follow and try to catch the kid.
But once Peter made it out of the back door…
Neal was gone.
~*~
THE END OF PART ONE