Chapter 03
5h1tF4c3: Anybody seen Mingus?
While she perfected her bot to get her more capital, she and Neal also worked on a new identity for him with a complete background and stories. And it was a fun thing to do. And she could do it herself, for the most part, however, Mingus was brilliant at making sure an ID would pass the scrutiny of any government.
Mingus helped her with her Izzy Sheppard cover. The name she adopted after leaving the Cullens. Her first new ID after leaving the Cullens, and one that they didn’t know of so couldn’t trace. It was the same with Mia Robbins, but that one was only shallow. Izzy Sheppard had a good background. Solid. Even when digging. And Neal needed to have the same one.
She could easily get people to help her delete Neal Caffrey from law enforcement systems, apart from the hard copies, but nothing that could be replicated on servers. But a solid ID like that? No. Only government agencies like the Marshalls would be good at this.
“Who’s Mingus?” Neal asked as he sat down across from her at the table with a sketch pad.
“A friend,” Bella replied. “I mean… if you can call other hackers your friend. Never met him in person but we talked a lot. Less now that I’m away from my family but still.”
“He’s connected to them?”
“Oh, no. It’s like he knows I’m doing good now.” She smiled when a private message popped up. “Ah, there he is.”
Mingus: Hey Shitface, long time no talk. And the first time we do talk is after you basically single handedly exposed a crime family. Good job lol.
5h1tF4c3: LMAO. They shouldn’t have shot me.
Mingus: WTF!!!!! Are you okay?
5h1tF4c3: Pissed off and determined.
Mingus: Know who’s behind it?
5h1tF4c3: Yeah. Anyway, enough about that. I want to wrap them all up in a nice package so I’m going to travel back to the US with a new friend of mine.
Mingus: … Okay? You sure? Can’t you just let your information dump do that for you?
5h1tF4c3: No, because that doesn’t account for those who are after the hit and I know who did it.
Mingus: Seriously?
5h1tF4c3: Yeah. With help from my new friend I’ll be going after them myself. Speaking of which he faked his own death and we’re creating a new ID for him, and he and I got far, I even managed to establish him somewhat in the US, but I could really use your help to sell it.
Mingus: … You know I don’t do this for strangers.
5h1tF4c3: Okay. Was worth a shot.
Mingus: You’re good at forging passports, I’ve seen your work remember?
5h1tF4c3: Yes, but…
Mingus: No one needs an ID like the one you and I created for you. Trust me on this. Your friend must have been in a lot of trouble to fake his own death.
5h1tF4c3: Maybe a little too big for his shoes. He has a good heart.
Mingus: Okay, but I’m still not helping you with this. But I am interested in helping you set up whoever wants you dead.
5h1tF4c3: I’ll be in touch. Thanks.
Bella sighed and shrugged. “The normal way it is, he didn’t want to help establish it properly.”
“That’s okay, would have been nice, but I’ve never had one like that before and they all held up,” Neal replied, still sketching. “Don’t be unsure of yourself or me, it doesn’t have to be perfect.” He put down his pad and smiled at her. “And here you said you didn’t have any friends.”
“Mingus isn’t a friend. I have never seen him or met him in real life. I’m not even sure if I trust him but his stuff is always sound and we helped each other a few times when we got stuck on a code. We contact each other for our mutual skills when needed,” she grabbed herself something to drink and poured Neal some water as well. “In any case, are you ready to go fully vanish?”
“What?”
“Erase Neal Caffrey for good? It’s the only way to have you travel back into the US the normal way, no facial recognition, etc,” she said as she set the glass down in front of him before sitting back down behind her laptop. Neal was very careful not to show her what he was drawing. “Neal Caffrey will be a ghost. Completely. Poof.”
“Are you a ghost?”
“No, I had Mingus to help me out, but I don’t want to risk you getting detained because there’s a double entry with your face on it. Erasing your information from all the government systems is the only way to go.” She took a sip of her drink as she looked at him. “You already made the first move by faking your death. You’re no longer Neal Caffrey, you’re Neal Flanigan. And you’re not even Irish.”
Neal groaned. “I had to make something quickly, saw the name on a sign.”
Bella let out a snort. “I’m usually against reusing names, but Neal Carter has a good ring to it.”
Neal nodded. “But I really like the name I chose for myself, it’s my mother’s maiden name.”
“What’s your dad’s last name?”
He sucked in a breath and shook his head. “Carter is fine. What’s your new name then?”
“Izzy Sheppard,” Bella said as she set up the nuclear option on her laptop. “Close enough to Isabella and I grabbed the name from a TV show that was on when Mingus and I set it up,” she replied before realizing something. “Come to think of it, the name Carter was in that show too, you may want to come up with something else if you’re not fully behind it.”
“What TV show?” Neal laughed.
“Stargate Atlantis,” Bella muttered. “Great show. Gone too soon in favor of a new franchise show that terribly sucked.”
“Nerd.”
“Yeah well, this nerd is going to give you a chance of going back to the US without getting your ass arrested so…” She shrugged as she turned her laptop around. “Hit the enter button if you’re ready to kill every last bit of you.”
~o.O.o~
A few days later, Uncle Garrett and Liam went out to get groceries, Bella had made a list for them while she continued to work on her projects. Neal had set in motion to have his digital trail and his presence deleted on all the law enforcement servers and he was getting antsy too, he wanted to get out, and Bella had never told him he needed to stay. She wasn’t sure if she was safe from the Volturi and didn’t want to risk getting shot again by going outside herself.
She told him to bring her back a coffee while she stayed in the apartment working on her laptop. She had almost fine tuned her money maker. Almost. It was ready, but it wasn’t perfect just yet.
Bella wasn’t sure if Neal was going to come back to the apartment. It was strange, but while she had never fully trusted him – even while working the Picasso Museum, she never really got strange vibes off of him other than her grifter radar dinging like crazy. Yes, Neal was gorgeous, had a bright smile and when he smiled genuinely it was even brighter. She could only imagine what he looked like underneath his clothes.
She had the feeling that he was looking for something. Something else, something different. Make a change. And for some stupid reason, she believed that maybe she could teach him things. How to make that change. But, if he wouldn’t return, that was okay too. She was fine on her own, and she could likely make contact with a bunch of grifters in the US to help her out with taking down her family on her own.
But she still wondered what he looked like underneath his clothes.
VitaPedrillo: What did you do?
She scratched her head when that message popped up. If she had guessed well, this was Neal’s friend Moxie. No, Mozzie. Bella had contact with Vita before, years ago, when they all worked together on a big hack that resulted in equally big rewards.
5h1tF4c3: Your puppy is safe.
VitaPedrillo: You’re erasing him.
5h1tF4c3: It was a mutual decision, I’m only trying to make things easier for him. After all, he might want to come back one day.
VitaPedrillo: Seriously?
5h1tF4c3: Yes. I explained to him what I could do for him, and what the consequences would be if I did it. Seeing as he’s already legally dead, it would make him even deader. He pulled the trigger himself.
VitaPedrillo: How is he?
5h1tF4c3: I’ve only known him for a few months and most of that was his cover. But he looks healthy.
VitaPedrillo: I saw that with my own eyes, but how is he?
5h1tF4c3: He’s a lost puppy. He misses his family.
VitaPedrillo: He doesn’t have—
5h1tF4c3: You and the Suit family. Hey, if you’re in New York… how about you find all the paper trails on him and destroy that? Make it safe for him to come back?
VitaPedrillo: Already on it, figured it might help. Also gave the Suits your information package, they’re enjoying themselves.
5h1tF4c3: They’re Suits. They can’t be trusted.
VitaPedrillo: I said that years ago. Then a certain someone was suddenly on a leash to a Suit and things changed over the years. These Suits are trustworthy.
5h1tF4c3: Yeah, no. I want to stay away from them as much as possible. They don’t know who I am and I intend on keeping it that way.
VitaPedrillo: Fine. That’s good. But our friend is alright?
5h1tF4c3: Yes. Stop being a helicopter parent, he’s fine. She hated pushy friends and she had better things to do. Bella closed the software and continued to make her final touches on her worm. Once she was satisfied, all she needed to do was to hack one of the men she wanted to steal from or, preferably, a bank, so it could spread.
She thought about her options while she waited for her cup of coffee and decided to go for the fun route; hack a bank. Bella grabbed the last bag of fruit twizzlers and settled at the table with her laptop and started working. Banks weren’t easy, but they were fun, especially the foreign ones.
Uncle Garrett and Liam returned with the groceries about an hour later, and Bella was so absorbed by what she was doing that she hadn’t even noticed. It was only when Garrett put a plate of food next to her that she looked at him with confusion. “When did you come back?”
“Hours ago,” Garrett laughed, shaking his head. “You having fun?”
Bella nodded as she took a bite of her food and continued to look at her work. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Garrett said as he sat down at the table. “Neal not back yet?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure if he’s coming back, which is fine. I gave him what he wanted and he’s free to go wherever with his new alias, which is already fully set up. He only has to pick up his passport at Carlo’s. Which he knows so for all we know he’s on his way back to the States.”
“Is it truly fine, lass?” Liam asked as he took a sip of his beer and looked at her. “I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
“And what way is that?”
He had a cocky smile on his face as he took a bite from his food and spoke with food in his mouth as a result.“You fancy the pants off of him.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You’re not as strict with me and y’er uncle when it comes to us using our phones.”
“You two aren’t in contact with anyone from any sort of law enforcement agency. Neal’s practically attached at the hip to a bunch of Suits,” Bella countered as she put down her fork. “You know, for someone who faked his own death for a life away from all the Suits and to start over, the look on his face whenever he speaks to that Suit of his is like… happiness. So if he fucked back off to the States to tell his Suit not to take the job in Paris, then that’s fine.”
“He has friends in the States, people he cares about, it’s harder to make clean breaks when you have people who tie you down like that,” Garrett replied with a shrug. “I don’t see why you’re so angry about that.”
She slammed her fist on the table in anger. “Because maybe I want what he has. He lives so carefree and sees the fun in just about anything and here I am, trying to be carefree but I can’t. I never settled properly at the vineyard, I was itching to get away from it. And now I’m fucking hiding because my family wants me dead. Yes, the ability to walk away from crap is great, because nothing is tying me down and I’m not afraid to leave everything behind, but it shouldn’t be this way, should it?”
“It makes for a good con artist.”
“Yeah. It’s great for you, for my family. I am a grifter, but I’m primarily a hacker, that’s what I enjoy. I’m finally enjoying what I do best, but I had hoped I would have been more open about shit by now,” she stared at her uncle. “Because, you see, I do think Neal is a great guy, hell, maybe even boyfriend material, but there are issues. I don’t trust him, not like how I trust you two or how I trusted my family. And I am afraid to tell him the deeper stuff, as a friend, because he can use that against me. How is this a life? Neal has proven he can be trusted and yet…” She took a deep breath and nodded before looking back at her laptop. “So yeah, if he doesn’t come back, then I don’t have to get angry with myself for pushing him away.”
“Why wouldn’t he come back?”
Bella rolled her eyes at Liam and continued to eat while typing with her other hand in silence. She was almost in. She had hacked this bank once before, and while they had done something about the security of their servers, it wasn’t iron clad just yet and this time she wasn’t going to alert them to it. It was their own fault that she was able to hack them twice. Even her old code was still on the server so they had made it a lot easier for her.
Typing ‘execute’ and disconnecting after a few seconds made her feel a lot better. At least in a couple of hours, she’d have capital to go to the US and hire people to help her take down her family creatively and without violence. They wouldn’t see it coming.
She closed her laptop for the night and enjoyed a few beers with Garrett and Liam, Liam giving her and Garrett updates on how the Volturi are scattering away with so much eyes on them, but that he heard that there are still a few in Paris to take care of Bella. She didn’t want to hear that, but it would make it even more important to leave quickly.
“I know you refuse to go back to the States, Liam, but are you coming with me, Uncle Garrett?”
“I figured we’d find someone who looks like you and I’ll take her all over the place.”
“That’s kidnapping, uncle.”
“But it would give you some breathing space.”
Bella smiled then. “That’s sweet, but don’t you want to have your hand in getting even with my dad?”
Garrett let out a snort. “I’m an old man.”
“You’re not even 50, shut up,” she shook her head. “I could use you.”
“Nah, darling, my grifting days are over. I’m retired. And yes, the vineyard may be gone, but I’ll set up shop somewhere else. I’ve done my job well with getting you to see a different way of doing things, your own way, not being dictated by your family and I’m proud of you. You don’t need me.”
Bella nodded. She had expected him to say ‘yes’, but she understood why he retired. He had seen it all, done it all, and was now retired with a nice nest egg, or at least several from what she understood. She was resourceful to do this on her own, but it would have been nice if at least one of the two people she fully trusted would have been with her.
When the doorbell rang for downstairs, Liam made his way to the door and minutes later returned with Neal in tow. “Ha, told you he’d be back,” Garrett laughed at Bella.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Neal reacted a little confused before grabbing a glass and the bottle of wine with his name on it before joining Bella and Garrett at the table. Bella thought something looked off about him. Neal looked somewhat haunted, mildly pained. “What?” He asked as his face broke out in sunshine and rainbows. Fake sunshine and rainbows.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You know,” she said as she leaned on the table with her arm and rested her chin in her hand as she looked at him. “For a conman you’re a terrible liar if you know what you’re looking for,” Bella replied with a playful smile on her face. “What’s going on?”
Neal took a large gulp of the wine and sighed deeply. “Ever heard of Sterling Bosch?”
“Yeah, it’s an insurance company, works globally and their investigators are tough as nails and not easy to fool,” Bella nodded as she took a sip of her beer. “Why?”
“I had some dealings with one of their investigators, even with the company itself, they saved my ass once when the FBI was being dicks. Not Peter, but others,” Neal replied as he refilled his glass of wine. “That investigator I was telling you about? She didn’t believe I was really dead and spent the last few months trying to find me with her company’s resources.” Neal couldn’t even look at her, which made Bella believe he was telling the truth.
“Why?”
“That investigator’s name is Sara, and she and I were sort of in a relationship? Not when I faked my death but yeah, we’ve dated.”
Bella took another swig of her beer to remain calm as she kept her eyes on Neal. Why wasn’t he surprised? One of his friends was a Suit, why not have a girlfriend who’s an insurance investigator? “What did she want?”
“After she tackled me to the ground with her baton, she wanted to talk. Sara wasn’t angry with me, she understood why I did it, but she had always hoped I would take her with me,” Neal replied, chugging his third glass in a short amount of time. “She even kissed me!” He cried out.
“Lad, you were kissed by a woman and you make it sound as if it was the most terrible thing that has happened to you,” Liam laughed. “Is she attractive?”
“See, that’s where it gets interesting,” Neal pointed out. “I don’t know if I ever loved her, I think I was in love with the idea of loving someone again, and she was an easy mark.”
“Ew,” Bella visibly shuddered.
“You must have done a bang up job if that woman travelled around the world to find you,” Garrett shook his head, laughing. “Is she hot?” When Bella narrowed her eyes on him, he realized that Liam had asked it before. “What? I may be old but I’m still fully functional!”
“You’re gross,” Bella replied as she took a sip of her beer. “Sounds terrible, Neal.”
“Right?” Neal agreed with a nod as he poured himself another glass. “I haven’t missed her since I left – and had ended things with her, mind you. Besides, there’s this girl I really want to get to know better and having a complicated ex in town is bad.”
Bella looked at him and shook her head before grabbing her laptop and her bottle of beer. “Guy talk time, I suppose. Good night everyone. Oh, Neal? If you want to come to the States with me, we’re leaving tomorrow after stopping by at Carlo’s for your passport, but you can always stay here, I’m sure Garrett won’t mind you staying here.”
“What time?”
Bella shrugged. “Whenever we’re awake. Good night everyone, this girl is hauling her ass off to bed.”
Bella had been to New Orleans once. Once. And she had fallen so much in love with the French Quarter that she had acquired her own space behind her family’s back while she was cleaning up after them. Mia Robbins was the proud owner of a huge guest house on Dumaine Street, half a block away from Bourbon Street and Royal Street. She hadn’t actually lived in it yet, but it would be the perfect hiding spot.
The guest house was far too big for her, but she really hadn’t been able to control herself as she’d walk passed it. 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms was definitely overkill for just one person, much like Uncle Garrett’s apartment in Paris, but that was smaller in size. Bella’s guest house was over 5000 square feet in space, and before she had bought it, it was used as a bed and breakfast but it had been in disarray and she had been able to scoop it up for a low price.
There was no way that she was going to use it as a bed and breakfast. She liked her privacy. It hadn’t been easy to restore the 1820’s Creole Mansion to its original state, Bella wanted less rooms and less bathrooms – she figured to half it would be best but loved the walls, the ceiling and the patio of the space.
Cracked tiles and exposed brick everywhere. It truly was like a home in the French Quarter you’d see on television.
She had hired one of the best and private renovation specialists with whom she had communicated while away. There now was a big kitchen area with everything she’d ever wanted and still remaining in the style of the house. These days, everything could be made or bought with the right amount of money and it was easy for Bella to get money.
For her, it was important to have a big stove, lots of counter space and a fridge that was three times the size she was. There was also a lot of space to put appliances and kitchen implements. Cupboards. Drawers. Large table with chairs. She couldn’t wait to see it all in the flesh, sort to speak.
She had seen pictures of the den, of her computer room, the master bedroom and several guest bedrooms. There was a library without books and one of the other rooms had been made smaller but it was her art studio.
The big covered walkways over the street and the external stairs had also been a great selling point. You couldn’t actually see the stairs from the street, as it was hidden behind two doors, but once you were through the doors, there was a passageway to the patio and on the right a set of stairs to get to the top. Underneath the stairs there was a lot of storage space.
A private security firm that she trusted had done the security on her home. Cameras. Alarms. And once installed, she remotely wiped all of their access codes and made her own.
Her home was every girl’s wet dream. Bella hadn’t been sure if she’d ever use it, but now she would. No one knew about her home, not even her family. It was safe, and New Orleans was filled with enough hiding spots should things get a little too hot underneath her feet.
But first, they had to actually get there. Carlo’s forged passport for Neal had looked great, a lot better than either she or Neal could have come up with in a short amount of time and it got them through customs at Charles De Gaulle Airport. It was always rewarding to see hard work rewarded like that. Neal mentioned that he was excited to go to New Orleans, seeing as while he had traveled far and wide while running from Peter Burke, he’d never been to New Orleans.
And seeing as Bella had only been there once before, they both couldn’t wait to explore the beautiful city.
During or after their brainstorm on how to set up the Cullens, of course. It was more important to take them down, and they’d likely have to move to a different city to get everyone together but for now, nobody knew that she was going to be in New Orleans and she deserved a breather, didn’t she?
She didn’t know much about New Orleans other than she’d been there for a job once with her family and that she had her own home there now. And also that it was likely that she and Neal had to pay a visit to the Michaels family. The Michaels were a family of con-artists themselves, and they basically claimed the French Quarter as their own. At least that’s what she remembered what her parents had told them. It was always good to inform the major players that you were in town.
And not meaning any harm.
It was going to be a tossup between the Michaels’ accepting her and Neal’s presence in the Quarter after Edward made promises to Nick Michaels and, of course, didn’t make good on his promise, so Bella was ready for repercussions. Or whatever the Michaels decided.
Maybe she should have thought before she bought the house. The worst outcome would be that she’d have to do a few things for the Michaels family. Who cared?
But she truly didn’t mean any harm. She simply wanted to live there, her work was all done online anyway. It was Neal that worried her, but Bella was certain that he could switch off too. Be normal. Do things he liked that didn’t have anything to do with stealing or forging. Just relax. Forget the rest of the world for a while.
But, first order of business was to arrive in New Orleans, get through customs, grab a taxi and go and admire her own place. Followed by buying groceries, some clothes and sleep, in no particular order.
Bella couldn’t contain her excitement as they were driven into the French Quarter. There were no words, really. The rich history mixed with some of the new…The buildings, the people… it was as if she was seeing it for the first time, but she wasn’t. But she was now in New Orleans for herself. It was now her home. And she’d fallen in love all over again. Even in the car, she could hear the faint notes of jazz music and she couldn’t wait to go to one of the bars to experience it all live.
“Bel—”
“We’ve talked about this, Neal,” Bella looked at him, still wearing a stupid grin on her face. “It’s Izzy, unless we’re safely inside my house.”
“Sorry,” Neal laughed. “But the look on your face is just adorable.”
She stuck out her tongue to him. “This is what true freedom feels like. You’re going to love my house.”
“You haven’t even seen it yourself!”
“I’ve seen enough,” she replied as she looked back out of the window. “Forget Paris. New Orleans is a majestic unicorn compared to Paris.”
“It’s also French.”
“I know,” Bella looked back at him with a smile. “But this is the first time I’m somewhere by myself. Not with my family, not on a family deadline or with my uncle. No strings, no obligations… my own private sanctuary…” She then sighed happily. “I can do whatever I want, when I want, without having to tell someone I want to do something.” She then jabbed his arm with her index finger. “And for the next few days, I want to enjoy being in New Orleans, soak it all up and do fun stuff. I need fun stuff.”
“The Dirty Dancing kind of fun stuff?”
“Nooooo,” Bella shook her head. “The drinking, dancing and sightseeing kind of fun stuff. Maybe even some karaoke.”
“Oh, no, not karaoke!”
A devious grin appeared on her face.
“What?”
“Now we’re definitely going to do some karaoke!”
~o.O.o~
Her home was everything she could have ever wished for, and more. It was secure, it was big, there were so many tiny details that she loved. Her computer room was interesting, something she hadn’t seen clearly on the pictures, but it was in the room with a loft, and all of her computer things were on the loft, and downstairs there was a nice area to hang on one of the comfortable sofas she bought and a big screen TV with an entertainment set.
There was also a fridge that she could stock up with for drinks or snacks and the walls had frames on them with enlarged covers of comic books that she liked. Some Hellblazer comics, others were that of Supergirl or the Green Arrow.
Because she didn’t take any of her belongings with her when she went to Uncle Garrett, and they’d likely be destroyed by now, the display cabinets were empty, but she was certainly going to fill them with trinkets she could find.
Another important area to her was the kitchen and it was everything she’d hoped for. Exposed beams and exposed walls, and the entire kitchen in a classic French country style. The big stove and the big fridge-freezer combination melted perfectly into the area. She loved the way how the light wood worked with the grey of the countertops and then there was some dark red in her kitchen somewhere too.
The kitchen felt nice and homey and she couldn’t wait to start cooking in it.
And as with all the other rooms, her bedroom was even better than the pictures she’d seen of it. Again with the exposed beams on the ceiling, but all the walls were intact. French doors opened to the balcony overlooking the patio and giving access to the other rooms on that side of the building and there was a fireplace installed as well. A fake one, but a good fake, nonetheless. It did look like logs were burning with the fireplace turned on, but the heat came from other areas.
Bella almost had a nerdgasm when she figured out that the heating in her room was connected to the fireplace. Turn on the heat, the fireplace switched on.
And just because she could, there was an Emperor sized bed in her bedroom. Plenty of room to get nightmares, toss and turn all night without actually falling off. Although, knowing her luck, she’d manage to fall off the bed anyway. Bella fell down onto the bed and sighed happily. The mattress was just right.
She peeled herself off the bed after a few minutes of just lying there, and explored the rest of the home before finding Neal in the patio. “What do you think?”
“Your home is amazing,” he replied, nodding. “A bit impersonal though.”
“I’m going to fix that,” Bella pointed out as she sat down in one of the other chairs. “I have nothing. It’s likely my family has thrown it all away or destroyed it, which is fine, I have all the personal items I need in the bag I took.”
“Your laptop?”
“That’s not a personal item, Neal, that’s a tool,” Bella laughed. “Nah, just small things. A trinket, a picture… that sort of personal item. Everything else is replaceable.”
He nodded, knowing the feeling all too well. “My friend Mozzie has this teddy bear. Tattered. He got that when he was growing up in an orphanage and called it Mozart. Moz has moved a lot over the years, but where he goes, that bear goes. I didn’t take anything with me, couldn’t, really. Not with the way how I left.”
“What would you have taken with you?”
Neal shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the key to June’s house. It felt like home. Never stayed in a place long enough before that.”
She smiled then. “And here you are, leaving your cozy apartment in Montmartre to come with me to New Orleans.”
“Eh, I got bored,” he laughed. “Getting that Picasso was definitely a highlight, for such a simple job.”
“You got into the Louvre, that sounds so much more exciting!”
“You could get into the Louvre, even bypass their security system without actually having to do all the work,” Neal pointed out. “No, I liked getting that Picasso because I actually liked working with Mia, and then finding out she was you. The Picasso and everything that followed after taught me a great deal.”
“Like what?”
“That you can still pull a con for the thrill and fun, but that there’s a different, a sort of beneficial for all angle that interests me,” Neal replied, smiling at her as he leaned back in his chair. “I never thought of that. I just wanted to keep the items because they were worth money or beautiful.”
Bella had figured that that was the reason why Neal stuck around, and that was alright. While he had seemed to have found his ‘off switch’, and acted a lot more relaxed, he was still an opportunist and Bella wasn’t going to allow herself to be played. She’d just have to crush that small crush on him that she was developing. No more figuring out what he looked like underneath his clothes. Likely well-sculpted but she’d never see him like that unless she’d catch him without his shirt on. And that was creepy.
“Well, I still keep some of the things I get, but having a storage space somewhere filled with beautiful antiques and paintings is an insult to the artists. Best place for them is to stay in museums where everyone can look at them. Going after the bad people is what I like, I get my money elsewhere, anyway,” she replied as she dug around in her pocket. “Speaking of which, Neal Carter has a bank account, there’s 50k in that account,” she said as she placed the card on the table with the code attached on a sticky note. “I”ll get you the papers later. The money can be traced back to legitimate sources. On top of that, if you’d like, I can get you a pencoin account like the one I have, where the money you’ll have will be untraceable and I can set up an extra funnel. Whenever I decide to have a bad guy donate to a charity, you’ll get a percentage of that money.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Why would you do that? I do have money, you know.”
She shrugged. “I figured you’re sticking around not only to help me with the Cullens but also to learn a different way to pull off a con for different reasons, so having some money might help you maintain your lifestyle, and payment for the job.”
“Wow,” Neal let out a breath and shook his head in disappointment, maybe hurt. “You really think that little of me?”
She tilted her head as she looked at him and scratched the side of her head. “What other reason could there be for you to follow me to New Orleans? Aside from the reasons previously mentioned and getting the chance to make fools out of the Cullens and run from your insurance investigator ex-girlfriend?”
“You really make me sound like an asshole when you put it like that.” Bella could see that he was hurt, Neal looked like he had received a slap in the face. “For someone who’s good at cold reading people and manipulating marks, you’re really clueless as what’s happening in front of your face, aren’t you? You truly switch off.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied.
Neal leaned forward, a big goofy smile on his face. “No, that’s okay, it’s cute. But let me tell you the real reason I’m here, with you. I think you’re an amazing person, Bella, and I really want to spend more time with you, to be with you.”
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and nodded. Friends. Fine. She could work with that, she didn’t have enough of those. “Okay.”
“And not just as friends.”
Bella looked at him in surprise. “Sorry?”
He gently placed his hand on her arm and squeezed it gently. “I really like you, Bella. When we were at the museum, working together as Mia and George? I practically forced myself not to think about you because I knew what I was going to do and I didn’t want to ruin your life, because you didn’t deserve it. When you walked in on me stealing the Picasso, I forgot all about that,” he replied. “And sure, I wasn’t quite sure what to think when your uncle told me you were a Cullen, because they’re known to be ruthless assholes, but you’re different. You’re this beacon of light who touches every person it comes into contact with and you’re beautiful. It’s so easy to be around you and just be, and that’s very special.”
She felt her face redden and warm up. “Uh…”
“So, in short, I’ve fallen for you, Bella and I don’t want to get up. Please tell me that I’ve read you correctly and you feel the same because otherwise I’ve made a huge ass out of myself.”
Bella bit her lip as she looked at him. She had not expected this to happen. “I’ve been wondering myself how good we’d be together. Not just as partners in crime.”
“Let’s figure that out then.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Can I kiss you now? Please?”
The first three days of being in New Orleans were spent getting supplies and clothes, make the building more homey and personal while Neal and Bella grew closer together. Ever since their talk, Neal had been more in her personal space and she didn’t mind him being there.
She hadn’t had a lot of boyfriends in the past, her family never seemed to like the guys she brought home. Instead she had picked up random guys in bars if she wanted to get her rocks off. There had been Jacob as somewhat of an approved boyfriend, and he and Neal were day and night. It wasn’t as if she and Neal were boyfriend and girlfriend, there wasn’t a label, just interest and curiosity at this point, but Jacob had been possessive from the get-go and not in the nicest of ways. Neal’s presence around her was protective, loving, safe.
And now that she experienced him more up close, he smelled really good.
She really couldn’t wait until they both couldn’t keep their hands off of each other and find out what he was wearing underneath that shirt and jacket, or even what held in his jeans. Bella had to tell herself to feel, she had explained to Neal that she had had a few bad experiences and that that was the reason that she had switched off for that side of her.
Much to her surprise, he was alright with that and would give her all the time she needed.
On the fourth day of being in New Orleans, Bella decided to set up her computer for business. Installing everything from the backups she had taken with her, and checked on her laptop how well her capital worm that she had unleashed less than a week ago had performed. It was even better than she’d hoped for. There was enough to pay for a crew, and quite well, and to buy everything they needed for it.
While her computer was installing, she had written a script that allowed her to walk away while the OS and all the other software she needed were being installed, she took her laptop and headed to the kitchen where Neal was making lunch, and it was smelling so good. “I said I’d make lunch.”
“Yes, you did,” he nodded. “But, you’ve been cooking for the last three days, when we weren’t having food in New Orleans, and I thought I’d do it today.”
“Thanks,” she smiled as she took a seat at the kitchen island and placed down her laptop. “Would you like to call Mozzie to tell him you’re no longer in France?”
Neal looked up from his cutting work. “Without telling him where I went?”
“Preferably. Unless you want to invite him to join us to think of a great way of taking down my siblings.”
“He’d freak out if he learned who you are,” Neal said after a moment of silence. “Best to keep him in New York, but I’d love to talk to him, yeah.”
“I’m more worried about the CCTV your Suit has access to, I don’t want him anywhere close.” Bella booted up the software that allowed her to make calls anonymously, Mozzie’s phone number was saved in the address book and dialed his number. “Have fun,” she placed the laptop next to Neal on the kitchen counter so Mozzie could hear him clearly.
“Neal?”
“Heya, Moz, how are you doing?” Neal said chipper as he continued cutting up the vegetables.
“Yeah, good.” Mozzie replied. “Hey, it’s good that you’re calling, I could use your help with something, are you alone?”
“Are you?”
“Of course I am! The Suit and I aren’t attached at the hip like you were and I’m not looking after baby Neal and Teddy!” Mozzie countered, sounding slightly hurt. “No, this is about our bakery.”
Neal let out a snort. “Your bakery, Moz, I signed it over to you.”
“Details. It’s ours. I was thinking about turning it into something else. A children’s daycare. We’ll teach the kids how to pickpocket and everything!”
“Worst idea ever,” Neal laughed. “What do you need help with?”
“Are you sure you’re alone? This isn’t being recorded or anything?”
Neal looked at Bella, who quietly sat at the kitchen island. “She’s out, she showed me how to use this thing on her laptop and left, she needed to buy something.”
“Okay, good. Hey, do you happen to know her name? Shitface is a terrible name.”
“I do,” Neal replied with a nod as he continued to cook. “But I’m not going to tell you.”
“She’s a great hacker, I always thought she was a guy. I’m actually in awe of her, the things she did? Legendary. Seems like she’s wasting her talents now.”
“Or,” Neal looked at Bella. “She finally can do whatever she wants and that includes semi-retirement, can you blame her?”
“I would have done more with her skills.”
“Aren’t you the one who always said that with great power comes great responsibility, Moz?” Neal laughed, shaking his head. “But what about Shitface? Did Peter tell you something?”
“Neal, as much as I think she’s a legend and currently wasting her talents, she’s dangerous. She can do so much damage and destroy you and everyone you’ve ever loved with a single click of a button.”
“I know, that’s what she’s offered me, to destroy me and she did,” Neal replied, looking up at Bella again. “And she also gave me my life back by doing so. I trust her. No matter how much she dislikes Suits, she won’t do anything to harm him, because he’s my friend, and so are you. She’s not malicious in any way.”
“And what if you do something stupid and she wants to take revenge?”
“Moz, come on.”
“You want to know why she’s a legend? Why most hackers in the community are afraid of her? She can get through almost any security system and firewalls that are in place. At one point she disrupted the traffic lights and bridges in… what was it… Chicago?”
“It’s funny how you love The Vulture and you’re afraid of Shitface.”
“It’s the Vulture who’s warning me about Shitface. Shitface is a legend, but she’s also insane and dangerous.”
Bella hadn’t done anything remotely malicious with her hacking since she left the Cullens, and even so, she would always try to be nice about it. The two things that Mozzie mentioned about her were true, the first ability he mentioned was for ease of access and escape, and the second one was to make sure her family could make a clean getaway. Sure, she bricked several computers and servers back in the day too, but that was noob-level shit. Mozzie made it sound like she was evil enough to hack hospital servers and control someone’s heart monitor or something. Or pacemakers.
Well, she could, but just because she could, didn’t mean she should.
“The Vulture is just as dangerous, Moz, and you don’t hear me talk to you about her,” Neal replied as he walked over to Bella with the laptop and placed it on the island before pulling her into his arms. “It’s funny how last week you said I was safe with her.”
“You are! And you’re not!”
“I appreciate your concern, Moz.”
“She could land you back in prison.”
“She won’t,” Neal said as he rubbed Bella’s back, who was now shaking out of frustration and anger. “She’s not just a hacker but she’s also a brilliant con artist. As smart and talented as they come. You’d be impressed by her. She’s funny and has a completely different outlook on the game than you and I do. And it’s beautiful. I know that you’re afraid that something will happen to me, you’ve always looked out for me, Moz, and you still do. You don’t have to be afraid you’re getting replaced either. I do want you two to meet one day, perhaps after we’ve finished what we’re about to do.”
Bella sighed happily as she relaxed into Neal’s arms. Oh, she was used to be called names or people not being too happy with her, but for some reason this hurt. Mozzie was Neal’s best friend. Well, no, it made sense now. Mozzie was afraid she was going to take his place. But it still wasn’t nice, and certainly not from someone who was supposed to know better.
“What are you going to do?”
“Something. Will let you know if we need your help.”
“Something big?”
“Maybe,” Neal replied. “But you don’t have to worry. We’re both more than capable of pulling this off and she’ll never replace you. Oh, by the way, we’ve left France.”
“You left? Where did you go to?”
“Somewhere, you know. I’ll tell you once we’re done and once Shitface believes that our Suit is a good guy.”
“All this secrecy because of the Suit?! The Suit is alright!”
“Just like how you were, Moz, so don’t be calling the kettle black,” Neal countered. “Anyway, I have to finish lunch, she’s coming back soon. Talk to you later, Moz,” Neal disconnected the call and pulled Bella closer to him. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“No, I understand,” she replied as she looked up to him. “It’s not nice to hear, but I understand. He’s worried about you, that’s all. It doesn’t help that The Vulture is whispering in his ear. She’s a hypocrite, but yeah, it’s basic competitiveness, and I’m not going to stoop to her level to give you information about her that you can relay to Mozzie. I’m a nice person.”
“Yes, yes you are,” Neal smiled at her and softly kissed her lips before releasing her. “Am I good to continue to make lunch?”
Bella nodded as she took her laptop and sat back down again. “I know that we still need to make a plan, but seeing as we’re not going to involve Mozzie, we need a crew, and I think we should make a list of who we want and then see if they’re willing to help.”
“Sounds good.”
“And after lunch we’re going to the Michaels.”
“Who are they?”
“The biggest criminals in the Quarter. We’re just going to say hi and tell them we’re no threat to them. Offer our services, one time for free, and we’ll be good.”
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“And I had never heard of you, and you never heard of me.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because you lived under a rock,” Neal stuck out his tongue to her. “But why would you want to check in with them?”
“I need to make sure that we’re good with them,” Bella replied with a sigh. “My brother made a promise to them when they had a job here. In exchange for allowing the family to fuck someone up, Edward promised them that the family would do a job for them as a thank you for being allowed to pull off a con, in addition to money and a share of the loot.”
“And?”
“Never make deals with a Cullen, they’re not honest,” Bella ran a hand through her hair. “The Michaels didn’t get anything, so, I’m going to have to tell them the whole story and then offer my services, free of charge, and hope that they’ll allow us to stay here. They know what I look like as I ran into the brothers while I was cleaning up my family’s mess. It’s only a matter of time before they realize we’re right under their noses.”
“Are we?”
Bella nodded. “Their compound is on Bourbon Street.”
“So you like living dangerously, huh?”
She shook her head, laughing. “No, I fell in love with New Orleans. With this house. I just hope that they are the forgiving type. It’s not like we’re here to eat the cheese off their bread. I’m a hacker and we can easily go elsewhere if we want to pull off a con. The Michaels don’t piss in their own backyard either, but from what I understand is that they know everyone who’s in the Quarter that can pose a threat to them. And I want to make sure we’re not a threat to them.”
“Courtesy call then, sounds very archaic.”
She shrugged. “This is New Orleans. Isn’t everything old and dated with a flair of romance and mystery?”
“It doesn’t sound safe, Bella,” Neal said as he stirred the vegetables in the pan. “You don’t know them, and neither do I.”
“The worst they can do is tell us that we have to move. And then we’ll do that within the time they’ll permit us. It’d be a terrible thing to do because I really love this house and this city, but it is what it is,” Bella replied as she checked her messages on her laptop. “I only know about having to do this because of my family. Seeing as you and I aren’t a family and we plan on taking down them down… who knows? They might want to help us instead.”
“You’re insane,” Neal laughed as he plated up lunch and brought it over. “But if you think this is a wise move, then let’s do it. If all fails, at least we’ll have scoped out their place and —”
Bella put her hand over his mouth. “No. We don’t steal from other professionals unless they’re bad guys who do bad things and we don’t know they’re bad guys who do bad things. Just that my brother likely pissed them off.”
“Still cleaning up their mess then.”
“I want to live in peace, not to have to look over my shoulder all the time, do you? Making friends with them might benefit us too, against people who hate Neal Caffrey even though you’re dead, and the Volturi.”
“Okay,” Neal nodded. “After lunch.”
“After lunch,” Bella agreed as she took a bite of her food. The way Neal cooked was almost as if you were eating in a fancy restaurant, even plated beautifully, with care and precision. It was the complete opposite of how Bella cooked. Her food tasted good, but it was more home cooking than restaurant grade. If it fit on the plate, it fit. If not, not. And no set way to plate up either.
“We need to see if Myka Morgan is still in the game,” Neal said after they ate in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. “For your list of potential people to form our crew? Myka is drop-dead gorgeous and a grifter, works with NLP.”
“Neurolinguistic Programming?”
“Yes.”
Bella thought for a moment before adding Myka on the notepad. “You worked with her before?”
“Yeah. Seeing as you haven’t heard of me, I figured your family hasn’t either, and it’d be a good thing to pick people who they don’t know, makes things a lot easier. Mozzie will know how to get in touch with her, if she’s still in the game,” he replied before laughing when he saw Bella’s face contort in disgust. “Don’t worry, she likes the girls.”
She smiled then. “Oh, so you’ve tried?”
“Of course! I wanted to see if she was interested in a threesome with Kate and I.”
Kate. Neal had told her about Kate, of course. About his life with Kate before getting caught by Peter, and about what happened afterward. How she died. How he felt about Kate, and had felt. It had sounded as if it had been an unhealthy relationship. Obsession. Which he admitted, but they had an epic love, and Bella hoped that she and Neal wouldn’t end up that way.
He had learned from his past and Bella was done with indulging people by rolling over and accepting jerks. She wasn’t a new Kate to Neal, she knew that. So that was good. Maybe it was time to remove the breaks on her self containment. She didn’t need to be afraid with and of Neal.
“A threesome?” she got off her chair and grabbed her empty plate to put in the dishwasher. “You want to share all this?” she teased him as she motioned to her body with her free hand. “Because I’m not sure I want to share all of that,” she moved her hand towards his body with a devious smile on her face. “And to talk about a threesome before we even enjoyed each other’s bodies? Ha!”
“I didn’t— I didn’t mean to— uhh, no. No to sharing. I want you all to myself,” Neal said flustered. “Threesomes are overrated.”
“Uhuh. They can be hot, though,” Bella winked at him as she put her plate in the dishwasher and wiggled her ass in the air before turning around, smiling widely. “So, ready to go?”
“You’re mean and you’re evil. Who are you and what have you done to Bella?”
She moved over to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Let’s go to the Michaels… and then we can have some fun… if you’re up for it,” she said as she dug her hands into his hair and pushed her body against his while he was still seated.
“How about that first… them later?”
“Patience,” she laughed and kissed him again. “Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we’re back here.”
