White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 9

Larssen's Deal

"You're coming after me now?" Neal hissed, pressing his arm up under the other man's chin.

"I'm not after you." Larsen was cool. Too cool.

"Tell me why you shot my friend."

Without a word, Larsen made a move and Neal found himself shoved up against the wall instead. He had no idea how that happened. Larsen's grip was merciless.

"Your FBI friends are making it very hard for me to leave the city," the killer said. "I'd like you to change that."

"You want me to help you?" Neal mocked and got pushed harder against the bricks.

"I want to make a deal," Larsen hissed, so close their noses almost touching. Neal hated the man and hated not to be able to defend himself.

"There's nothing you could offer me."

Larssen let go of him and took a step back and brought out his gun.

"I was hired to kill your friend," he said, and Neal noted that he did not point the gun at him. "What if I deliver you the man behind the curtain?"

Part of Neal yelled for him to say yes. Another part wanted Larsen to suffer. And a deal with him now would not include the FBI. He wanted this man caught.

"Not even that."

Neal enjoyed the moment of desperate look upon the man's face before he returned another verbal punch:

"I guess you'll never know who ordered the shooting... Or who killed Kate."

Looking over his shoulder Larsen left and disappeared into the night.

Neal took a deep breath. Their plan had worked. Now, all Larsen could do was to find someone giving him a new id.

He called Peter.

"Hey. What's happened?"

"Can I come over?"

"Sure. I'll be home in five minutes."

Peter felt he was pretty attuned to the kid's voice and he was confident something had happened. The call and the place where the kid had stopped. He got home before Neal.

"Hi, hon."

"Hi, hon," El responded. "Welcome home. I'll make us some late supper." They kissed.

"Make it for three. Neal is on his way."

"Wonderful." They walked into the kitchen and El put a prepared casserole in the oven. "Have you talked to him about Christmas?"

"Christmas?" El filled a glass of wine and Peter opened a beer.

"Yeah, it's Christmas in two weeks." They sat down at their dinner table. "I want you to invite him over."

Peter was not keen on the idea. He knew El loved to have people around her, essentially at times as Christmas. And this year they would celebrate alone. Peter looked forward to it in a very selfish way.

"I'll ask him," he promised her. "Right now I'm worried he'll go after the one who shot Mozzie."

"Don't you think he has learned something?" El asked.

"I don't know," Peter said sipping his beer. "Neal is impulsive. Can't turn that ship around just like that."

"Have some faith in him."

"I am," Peter claimed. "He's out with an anklet."

Then someone was at the door and Peter let the kid in. The young man looked haunted.