White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 1

First names

When Neal was taken out of the storage facility and lost sight of Kate, reality became harsher at once. He knew he was under arrest. It was something he had known would happen sooner or later. Now he learned what it meant.

"You have the right to remain silent" the agent holding his arm informed him. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law" and continued with his rights to an attorney and so on. So many times he had heard those lines in other situations than his own.

"Do you understand your rights?" the agent asked.

Neal sent the man a beaming smile.

"They were not that hard to grasp."

"Do you understand them? Yes or no." It was not unkind. Just formal.

"Well, yes agent, I do."

They stopped by a black car.

"I'm Agent Jones," the guy holding him said. "And I'm going to do a pat-down on you. Any weapons found will be confiscated and hold against you. Any other items will be examined and returned to you." Agent Jones turned him toward the car. "Lean towards the car, feet apart."

For the first time in his life, Neal experienced what it meant to have his hands cuffed on his back. He stood close enough to the car for him to lean his chest against it without a problem, but he felt the loss of control and balance for the second it took for him to get there. He was entirely in their hands now. He was not even sure if he could stand up straight from where he stood without help.

The agent started from the top with his hair and worked downward. The hands were professional and did not pass any boundaries in any way. They searched for hidden weapons, nothing more.

Agent Burke came into his field of view. He looked like a winner and Neal did not blame him. Peter Burke had won due to Neal's own impulsiveness. Did he have a sucker in his mouth? Neal remembered their first meeting. Had he kept it all these years? Neal could not help smiling.

Agent Jones was finished with his pat-down and took hold of his upper arm and helped him stand up straight. He opened the back door of the car.

"Get in," he said and for a second Neal felt his knees buckle. Involuntary, his eyes went to Agent Burke who was the only thing feeling known and safe in this new situation. The agent did not turn his eyes away. Neal forced a smile to his face to hide his terror. The moment he lifted his foot and placed it in the car he felt Agent Jones' hand on his head as he maneuvered himself inside. Neal's heart had never beaten as fast. All his body wanted to do was to run, while his brain was equally terrified and curious about this new world. He fought to keep the curiosity on top, in control.

Peter left the storage facility with the lollypop in his mouth, still with a happy grin on his face. Caffrey was leaning against their car, being frisked by Jones. The young man gave Peter a curious look as he approached and Peter returned it. There was no ill-will or hate in Caffrey's expression. He seemed cocky and playful, but most of all he appeared genuinely interested in Peter.

Now when Peter had won the game they played, they finally met again. The first thing Caffrey had done was to shake his hand and thank him for finding his girlfriend, knowing very well Peter had used this knowledge about her whereabouts to set a trap. It was something incredible optimistic about this guy that he liked.

Jones opened the back door of the FBI car and pointed.

"Get in. I'm going to put my hand on your head, so you don't hit it on the door frame."

Before Caffrey got in, Peter saw something in that look that was not as jolly and curious as seconds before. It was fear. Now the criminal he had been chasing had become a real person, a young man in custody, probably handcuffed for the first time in his life. Most people in his position were terrified.