Mousetrap

Chapter 2: Unfinished Business

Neal jerked awake at the sound of "La Mer" coming from his phone. That was Sara's ringtone. He glanced at the time. Six o'clock—normally he was awake at that hour, but he'd stayed up late with Mozzie.

"Good morning, ma belle!" he said, clearing his throat. Even to him, his voice had ursine overtones.

"I woke you up," Sara said remorsefully.

"I'm glad you did. How's Brussels?"

"Spectacular. You need to be here with me. Were you up late painting?"

"No, plotting with Mozzie. Phoenix called Klaus with a commission." As he explained the details, Sara had the same reaction as Mozzie.

"I doubt Klaus would try to trap you," she said.

"I agree. All my instincts tell me he's sincere."

"But Rolf?" She exhaled. "Klaus won't be able to go with you. You'll need help. Can you wait till I'm free?"

"You're not sure how long you'll need to be in Belgium." He was touched by her offer, but this was one time he was relieved she was already committed to another case. "Do you understand why I have to do this?"

"I do, although I hope it isn't just for my sake."

"It isn't. Four years ago, I might have had a different perspective. That's partly why I don't blame Klaus."

"Assuming he told you the truth, he didn't have much choice. Does Peter know?"

Neal winced at what his reaction would be. "I haven't told him and I don't intend to. The fewer people who know about Saint Petersburg the better. It's not just me. Klaus is in a precarious situation. If Marcel found out, he could terminate the program." He hesitated, wishing he could see her face. "Mozzie's the only other person who's aware of the situation. If you don't hear from me or if it goes south, contact him."

"Nothing will go wrong." He suspected her confident voice was screening deep-rooted concerns but he was grateful for her upbeat attitude. "I know of someone else who would regret missing out on the adventure—a fellow Black Diamond."

Her use of the name of the crew they'd formed for the amber music box con made him smile. Despite the risks, they'd sailed through that adventure with a brash impudence that any pirate would have been proud of. Would the Black Diamonds' luck hold for the murky waters he was currently sailing into? Should he allow a stowaway? Would he have any choice?

* * * * *

"The odds of the commission being a double-cross are high," Henry warned. Peter had come to his office early in the morning to discuss Phoenix's proposal. The alarm sirens that Peter heard were now in his head as well.

Peter nodded in agreement. "Neal didn't speak with you about it last night?"

"No, but he wouldn't have called. We were attending a birthday party for Eric's mom."

"My gut's telling me he wanted to collect more information first," Peter admitted.

Henry nodded slowly. "Neal likely spoke with Klaus on an official line. He probably wanted to have a private conversation before speculating about who was behind the commission." He looked up at the knock on his doorframe. His office had a window onto the corridor with slatted blinds. He could see Neal's face through the blinds and beckoned him in.

"I don't need to guess what you two are discussing," Neal said.

"Do you have any further details?" Peter asked, not returning his smile.