This is a work of fanfiction, for entertainment purposes only. The characters and concepts of White Collar do not belong to me, but to their creators.

Tamper Proof

by

Cheride

Now that all the planning and plotting had been done, they were alone in the conference room. Neal looked for all the world like a kid excited about going on a field trip, but Peter knew that nonchalant air could cover a lot. "You sure you're okay with all this?"

"Are you?" Cafffrey countered.

"I'm not the one going alone and unarmed to meet with a probable double-crossing murderer," Peter pointed out.

"No. But you are the one who's going to have to let me go." When Burke didn't answer right away, Caffrey added, "Not that it's exactly alone, if that's what you're worried about."

That was what the agent was worried about, and on a couple of different levels, but he didn't intend to get into any of that with Neal. Elizabeth may have gently lectured him just this morning on trust, but he had not been convinced. All he said was, "I just want to make sure you know your part."

Caffrey laughed suddenly. "Peter, you are not seriously worried that I can't hold up my end of a scam?"

When he put it like that, Burke realized at least that part of his concern was unfounded. He might have to be a little bit honest after all. "It'll be bad if you run," he said simply, letting his eyes meet the younger man's.

"Bad for you, you mean."

"Bad for me," Peter agreed, "worse for you."

Neal seemed to be giving that a moment of thought, though Peter didn't delude himself that it was anything more than calculating odds. What he finally said was, "When are you going to teach me how to get out of this thing?" as he gestured toward his ankle. The words did nothing to reassure.

But Burke just smiled slightly. "The tech's on the way now."

"This is the part that really scares you, huh? Like you're handing me a key, right? I mean, it's not like I can unlearn the trick."

"Not exactly," Peter answered.

Before he could elaborate further—not that he intended to—a figure appeared in the doorway, and he motioned the man inside. "Kevin," he greeted, then pointed across the table, "Neal Caffrey."

"Ah, the SkipTrac Pro 6850. "

"Good to meet you, too," Caffrey muttered.

Peter chuckled, but the newcomer just shrugged. "Sorry," he said, "comes with the territory. I've never gotten to work with one of these before. Do you mind if I take a look?"

Caffrey rolled his eyes as he propped his leg up onto the table and lifted his pant leg.

"Very nice," Kevin said appreciatively after a moment of study.

"A real work of art," Neal agreed, "but are you gonna show me how to get out of it?"

"Get out of it?" Kevin repeated. "Ah, not exactly."

Caffrey's eyes widened in confusion. "That's what he said, too," he began, jabbing a finger toward Burke, "but if I can't get out of it, the plan's not going to work."

"Oh, that. That's not a problem." Kevin indicated the small pouch he carried, then placed it on the tabletop and unzipped it. "I've got that covered right here."

He removed another ankle bracelet, similar to Neal's, but not identical. "The SkipTrac 3800." Then he removed a smaller device, pointed it at Neal's ankle, and entered a complicated code. When the light on the tracker was dark, the man retrieved one last item and used the key to finally remove the bracelet. "Yours can't be broken," he explained as he placed the bracelet into the pouch and pushed it over toward Burke. "At least, not if you want to keep walking around on both legs."

Caffrey swallowed hard and watched silently as Kevin snapped the 3800 around his leg. "But this one's not so tricky," the technician continued. He pulled a pair of compact wire cutters from his pocket and passed them to Neal. "These'll slice through that band like a hot knife through butter."

"Great." Neal didn't spare them a look as he slung his foot back to the floor, glaring across the table.

If the technician noticed the resentment, he ignored it. "You need anything else from me, Pete?"

Burke shook his head. "Thanks, Kevin."

"You really don't trust me at all, do you?" Caffrey demanded as soon as the other man had exited, and he sounded honestly surprised by the idea.

Burke forced his mind not to conjure up Elizabeth's disapproving expression. "I don't trust you with the key to your tracker," he replied evenly. "But I am sending you out with the key to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to retrieve a book that's probably worth four times that. Besides, even you wouldn't be able to explain how you got hold of the decoder, and that's the only way to unlock this thing. It's tamper proof, remember? You picked it out."

"I remember," Neal replied softly.

"So what's the problem?"

Caffrey shook his head. "There's no problem. I'm going to the meet with Maria, and I'll put on a good show for her. It would just be sort of nice if you believed I'd be back."

"Yeah, it would," Peter agreed. "And I'll be glad when I can."

"I helped you catch the Dutchman," Neal objected, leaning forward intently, "and Ghovat. I'm here every day, doing what you tell me to do."

"Mostly," Burke conceded, and didn't bother to point out the times that hadn't been the case. "And I figure most every night you're meeting with your mystery friend and trying to figure out how to get to Kate."

Neal sat back, suddenly very interested in the cutters on the table before him.

"You want to tell me I've got that part wrong?" Peter asked. He let the silence stretch a long moment, then said righteously, "I didn't think so."

But after a moment, he sighed slightly. "They didn't have anything to offer you."

Caffrey raised his eyes again. "What do you mean?"

Burke shrugged slightly. "The others. Career criminals with no regard for you or your abilities. But Maria. I don't know. She thinks you're some kind of rock star, or something. You've got a lot in common. It could be . . . tempting."

Unexpectedly, Neal smiled. "She's a murderer, Peter. You really think I want someone like that for a partner? Besides, you said it; it would be bad if I run. I'm not stupid. I'm not willing to put either of us in that situation."

Burke could almost hear the unspoken 'yet', but he let it slide. Right now, his concern was today.

"So I can count on you to make this work then?"

"I'll bring the book back," Neal assured him, "and the money, too." His eyes met the older pair. "I won't run."

And suddenly, for no reason he could identify, Peter believed him. It wasn't quite the certainty of a SkipTrac Pro 6850, but it would get him through today. And if this was the beginning of trust, he thought maybe he could be okay with that, after all.