White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 15

Backup has arrived

Neal called Peter's attention as Elizabeth and Mozzie left the strip club running. Peter was not late on the ball and had all twelve agents focus turned towards the door where Ben, Rebecca, and Donovan rushed out with weapons, chasing the two.

"FBI! Drop your weapon!" Peter yelled at them.

They halted as they found themselves surrounded on three sides by people with guns.

"Drop your weapons, or I will put you down!"

The three of them stood still.

"You are FBI?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, I'm —" Elizabeth started, now standing behind him and Peter. "I'm close enough."

Ben's and Neal's eyes met.

"Thought you were one of us," Ben said, as if it was a compliment to an agent.

"I was."

Ben sighed and bent down, putting his automatic rifle on the ground, giving up. The other two did the same.

"I think I'm just gonna —" Mozzie said beside him, pointing away from there. Neal nodded. Better go before Peter considers what he had been doing inside.

Agents walked up and cuffed the trio. Peter put his gun away.

"To look on it on the bright side," Peter said to Ben, "there is probably no quinoa on the menu at Five Points."

Rebecca saw the slight grin Ben made.

"Hey! You love my quinoa!"

"Honey, I hate to tell you, you're the worst cook ever."

They were placed in different cars, and Neal guessed that it would take awhile before they could settle for a common menu for many reasons.

"Honey, you all right?" Peter asked his wife.

"Yeah, I was just... trying to help."

"Did you impersonate an FBI agent?" Neal asked. "I happen to know that's illegal. Just saying."

"Spousal immunity?" she asked.

"You made that up," Neal said.

Peter grinned and hugged her.

"She has spousal immunity."

Neal wished Peter could see his crimes in the same light as he saw his wife's.

"You helped put dangerous folks behind bars today," Peter told El as he waited for her to get ready for bed. "Congratulations on closing your first case."

"Well, they don't call me 'Mrs. Suit' for nothing," she answered from the bathroom.

Peter looked out on the street, making notes about his neighbors. To make sure.

"I might be able to get a desk for you at the office, right next to Neal's."

"I think I'll stick to keeping our street safe."

"Speaking of, the brown house... do we know them?"

"The Walkers? Patty and Sam. They have matching bicycles."

Peter turned away from the window and watched the love of his life standing in the doorway. Sexy as only she could be.

"Right. They're not criminals."

"Still, I don't know..." She walked up to him. "It might be worth questioning them

about the case of the missing belt sander."

She pushed her body close to his.

"Mm. Mrs. Suit."

"Shut that blind."

He fumbled for the string while kissing her.

"You got it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got it. I got it."

They landed on the bed.

"I brought home my servo-powered XLG3," he told her.

"Mm, what's that do?"

I've changed a line quite radically. Do you know which?