Luck Be a Lady
Neal Caffery is the bane of Peter Burke’s existence. Thief, co-man, criminal, charming, smooth, with a sense of fashion that catches every wandering eye, and he’s supposed to be in charge of her. He’d named his worse migraines after her stunts, and fully intends to number his future ulcers ‘Neal 1, Neal 2, and Neal 3′.
“Neal,” he said without looking up from his paper work. “Get your feet off my couch.” There hadn’t been a couch when Neal had started as his CI. He’d pretended to ignore the paperwork going through, and hadn’t remarked on it yet. he knew Neal was itching for him to comment on the couch and the longer he waited the more annoyed she’d be. They both knew Peter hadn’t been blind to its arrival. It was a war of attrition, and Peter was winning.
“I’m bored, Peter,” she sighed, tossing her hat into the air.
“Not all criminals require a race through a city, a lady to charm, or information found in an underground casino,” he ticked off another inconsistency in the report. “Most of the work is done through careful analysis of data and laying the foundation for a good case. Besides, nothing in the contract says that I have to entertain you.”
Neal got her entertainment by annoying him, his staff, and flirting with Diana. Diana ignored Neal, and if they ever became allies, Peter knew his sanity would snap in two.
“Boss,” Diana appeared, and Neal was never too bored to make eyes at the woman. “I’ve got something for you.”
“A case?” Neal asked, sitting upright, and scuffing her shoes on his couch.
“Something you’ll like,” Diane ignored her, “another forgery.”
“Sounds familiar,” Peter said, accepting the file and angling it away from his nosy CI as he opened it. The case was....similar, eerily similar to some of the ones he’d worked in the past. The same hallmarks, the parts, the forgeries were good work, but nothing compared to Neal’s work. “Ah...hm.” He snapped the case-file shut as Neal angled around to get a peak. “Neal, stop reading over my shoulder. You know that’s rude.”
“Who is it?” She demanded, not bothering to be subtle anymore.
“Whoever it is, they’re not as good as you. Now that you’ve had your ego stroked will you go finish those files I told you to sort?”
“Very well,” Neal settled her hat gingerly on the coat-rack that Peter also hadn’t had until recently, and began rolling up her sleeves as she wandered out of his office. He sighed and flopped the file down.
“It’s Neal’s old crew.”
“Neal’s crew?”
“Her old boyfriend Keith Moreau. He’s pulling jobs.”
“Okay, so we catch him?”
“He’s pulling re-runs,” Peter smiled faintly, an absurd amount of pride rising in his chest.
“Re-runs?
“Neal already pulled these and jobs like this,” Peter grinned as he flipped through the bonds in the file. “None of these are as good as Neal’s, and none of these jobs are as smooth as Neal’s.”
“You sound proud,” Diana grinned. “Care to explain.”
“Neal is the brains of the operation. She’s the skill, and Keith and the rest knew that.”
“He dumped her while she was in prison.”
“And went to keep running jobs,” Peter agreed, “but not nearly as clean, and he can probably guess that we’re onto him. He’s talented, but not as talented as Neal, and if he knows that.”
“Then he’s going to try and get a hold of her.” This why he liked her, she was whip-smart, and she understood people.
“Woo her back, try to win Neal back and get her to run jobs with him,” Peter frowned. “And when Moreau is involved...she makes bad choices.”
“Yeah,” Diana set a hand on her hip, and leaned against his desk as they watched Neal flit through the office. “So how do you want to handle this?”
“Carefully, delicately,” Peter told her. “Without alerting Neal that he might be trying to get a hold of her.”
“We caught her using him last time, can we do the same now?”
“We could try. I would say that a re-run might not work, but going by this.” He gestured at the file, “it might. The big thing is to organize a sting before he gets a hold of Neal.”
“We should talk to June,” Diana suggested. “She’s Neal’s landlady.”
“And she’s got a soft-spot for smooth-talking criminals.”
“Not if you explain who he is,” she pointed out. “She likes Neal, and she won’t like an ex-boyfriend who got her arrested.”
“Neal got herself arrested,” Peter reminded her, ‘we just used him to lure her in. Still, you’re right. Talk to June, make it look natural though. Neal’s no investigator, but she’s got instincts and habit.”
“Sure thing, boss. You should talk to Elizabeth.”
“El?” Peter sighed. having Neal at his house was both an annoyance and a relief. Neal tended to flirt with El, quoting poetry and spouting nonsense that made his wife giggle and flush, and she had no trouble spoiling Satchmo, but it was time when he knew Neal wasn’t running or about to run. “Right, I’ll talk to her. don’t let her know, and keep this file under wraps. If she sees it, she’ll know who made them.”
“Sure thing,” she took the file. Neal would steal from Peter’s desk any day of the week, but taking anything directly from Diana was a danger that even Neal Caffery didn’t tempt. The thief watched the agent stalk across the office, and glanced up at Peter. Part of her vest was angled oddly, and Peter walked onto the balcony.
“Neal, give that badge back.” He ordered. Agents around the office began to pat down their pockets, and Neal sighed and tossed Jones his badge. “Get those files. Let’s crack the loan case.”
He didn’t bother to hide his grin as Neal disappeared around the shelves, but as soon as she was gone, his smile vanished.
Neal was a thief, a lady, but she was still dangerous. That, Peter would never forget.
