Hostage

It had been too easy. The key was confidence; he walked right past the doorman like he belonged there, even so bold as to give him a smile. He knew exactly what floor number to press, and proceeded up to the apartment. Too easy.

Sliding the ghost key from his jacket pocket, he pushed it into the lock and turned. He heard the tumblers fall in to place, and the click let him know he was in. With a flourish, he opened the door and slipped inside.

So this is where he lives? He thought to himself as his eyes wandered the room. Quietly, he positioned himself in a dark corner. He won't know until it is too late. The man went over the plan for the hundredth time in his head. All was going perfectly. A chuckle escaped in to the empty apartment. He settled down to wait to spring the next step in his perfect plan.

"Please, Beckett! Just a real quick stop at my place so I can change? These new pants are practically ruined now!" Castle whined, rubbing at a dark smudge slowly becoming permanent on his dress pants.

"Oh come on Castle, really? Don't be such a baby," Beckett replied, hiding a smile. She watched as he stubbornly tried to remove the combination of dirt, rainwater, and alley filth from various places on his clothes. Castle looked up at her with those pleading puppy dog eyes.

"It'll only take 5 minutes I swear! I'll be in and out before you know it!"

Kate sighed. She wanted to be back at the precinct as soon as possible to get started on this case. But taking one look over at Castle, she knew her mind was made up. She did not want to have him complaining all day about his "designer pants" and how "the stains will never come out now". Taking a quick right turn, she said, "In and out. Five minutes Castle, and not a second more."

Castle smiled in victory.

Practically running to the door, Castle plunged the key in the hole and turned.

"Well, that's odd. I could have sworn I locked it before I left…" Castle muttered, confused. Maybe Alexis and Mother got home a few days early from their girls vacation, he thought absentmindedly.

The door swung open and he stepped inside. Flicking on the lights, he made for the stairs.

"Alexis? Mother?"

Silence.

An uneasy feeling twisted itself in his stomach. Brushing off his irrational fears, he quickly bounded up the stairs and in to his room. Checking his watch, he realized he only had 2 minutes left. Throwing his ruined pants aside, he slipped on a practical pair of jeans and hurried down the stairs.

Meanwhile…

The man was just going to get up and stretch his legs when he heard a key in the door. He froze. No one should be home yet. I just saw him leave. And the two women were away. No one should be coming in!

He listened to the footsteps. All seemed fine, until he heard them pause. He held his breath. Idiot! Wanting to slap himself for his foolishness, he realized that he forgot to lock the door once he was inside. Was the plan blown? The footsteps continued up the stairs after a few seconds, and the man exhaled. That was close.

Who could be here? He only heard one set of footsteps, so he assumed it was him. He smiled wickedly in to the darkness. This is almost too easy.

Castle bounded down the stairs, a spring in his step. Murder has that affect on him. He was reaching for the handle when he heard something. Turning around, he just caught a glimpse of the shape of a man before pain exploded in his head. He slammed back against the door, knees almost buckling underneath him. He put his hand to his head with a grimace. Taking his hand away, he saw something dark glistening in the light. It took him a second to realize what he was looking at; it was his own blood.

Cringing, he looked up. The man held a 9 mil trained at his head. Castle leaned back against the door and wiped at the blood trailing down from a gash above his eye. His mind raced. Who was this guy? What did he want?

The man cocked his head, as he looked Castle up and down. Hm, so this is the infamous Richard Castle. What a pleasure. A wicked grin broke out on the man's face.

"Hello, Mr. Castle."

Castle steeled at the mention of his name. He mustered as much courage as he could and glared threateningly at the man.

"What do you want?"

A laugh filled the air between them. It sent chills down Castle's spine. He'd heard laughs like that before; those laughs were hard to forget. Wicked, sadistic, maniacal.

"Why, Mr. Castle, isn't it quite obvious? I am here for you."