I know that his looks like the beginning to some large, involved, AU story. It's not. This is all I have. Basically this set up was solely so I could write a story called "Lawyers, Guns, and Money". Yes, I'm a Warren Zevon fan. "Werewolves of London" has already been used and I couldn't work in "Excitable Boy" or "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
Please enjoy this movie teaser like one shot. It's all build up with absolutely no payoff.
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, Warren Zevon, "Lawyers, Guns, and Money", "Werewolves of London", "Excitable Boy" or anything else that anyone would be interested enough to write about.
Jim Beckett put down his sandwich and stared at the man across the desk from him. Javier Esposito had helped him start this company. Helped him get justice for Johanna. Jim had thrown himself into his work after his wife's death. Any case of any type. He ended up helping some vets with things that occurred to them with the Vet Admin and DOD. That's how he had met Javier the first time. After a little while he started looking into his wife's murder. He uncovered a kidnapping conspiracy connected to the appeals case that Johanna was working on. Three days later Javier showed up at his house with a friend, Hal Lockwood. Hal told him that he was being blackmailed, his kids safety, to kill not only Captain Montgomery, his two accomplices, but Jim and his daughter as well. The resulting mess brought down a senator and motivated Jim, Javier, and Hal to form a security/legal company. Javier wanted to call the company The A-Team. Jim and Hal were both Warren Zevon fans, so Lawyers, Guns, and Money was formed. Everything was officially called LGM Inc., but the founders knew what it stood for.
That had all happened seven years ago. Three years after that, the company helped on a high profile celebrity murder and kidnapping case that his daughter had been working on as a detective in the NYPD. Not long after that case she had left the NYPD and become part of the company. Those two cases allowed LGM to create quite the list of powerful clients in the government, industry, business, and entertainment. And now Javi was telling him something he simply couldn't believe.
"So, your army buddy, Rick Rogers, known the world over as Richard Castle was on a book tour in Europe, Ukraine to be precise, when the whole Russian thing occurred. While he was trying to get out of the country, a group impersonating Russian military raided the hotel and separated the guest out. It was only at that time that everyone realized it was a kidnapping. His daughter has been taken and a ransom of two million is supposed to be delivered in roughly", Jim glanced at his watch, "72 hours?"
"Yep. He knows what I do and he knows the company's reputation. He wants it handled by the best. Ryan is already on his way to make contact."
Kevin Ryan, had been in the Police Academy when his talent for languages got noticed along with his Irish background. He got put undercover in the Irish mob for almost two years. The job ended successfully but Kevin's identity had been completely blown at the very end. Rather than get shoved into some other duty at the NYPD or FBI he approached a police academy class mate that had just left to enter the private sector. With Kate's glowing recommendation and his credentials Jim and the guys didn't even interview him, just offered him the job.
"He was in London anyway. Hal says he's in and we are pulling a list for the team. What we need is command and control. Someone who can work the politics and the money. Someone that won't have to come here and ask permission or work through someone else. Not one of the new guys and someone that definitely knows the culture and language."
Like someone that spent a year in Kiev as an exchange student and goes back to visit often because she loves the place."
"Exactly. You know somebody?"
Jim let a smile creep across his face. "Oh, you know them too. Just let me make a call."
As Javi left the office Jim picked up his phone and dialed a number from memory. It only rang once before it was answered.
"Dad. I said space. After that last fiasco, I'm not sure I can do this anymore. I may go back to law school. I may live of the money you're making at the company. I need time and perspective to make a decision like that, though I'm leaning toward mooching off of you. Calling me a week into my vacation is not space. I told you I need to listen to the universe. I respect the universe."
"Well Katie the universe just called. It said that Richard Castle's daughter has been kidnapped in the Ukraine and he wants us to handle the payment and handover." Had it been anyone other than his daughter, Jim would have been certain the noise he heard was a squeal, but Katherine Beckett didn't squeal. After a moment of silence he continued. "Don't you respect the universe?"
"I'll be there in forty." And with that the line went dead.
Thirty-eight and half minutes later Kate Beckett walked through the doors of her dad's office setting a go bag down in the corner. She didn't even say hello.
"Why the hell was he in the Ukraine? Doesn't he know it's a damn war zone? What happened to his daughter? Who is running the tactical team? Who is making first contact? Have you made contact yet?"
"Nice to see you too, Katie. Thank you for cutting your vacation short."
"Dad?" she hit him with the glare she picked up while being a Homicide Detective. It didn't have the desired effect.
"He is Javi's friend so he is heading up the team with Hal. Kevin is making first contact. He is catching a flight from London to Kiev now. I swear there isn't a language he doesn't know. I want you to run the operations…"
"Wait. Javi's friend? Richard Castle is Javi's friend? How? Why didn't I know this? I'll kill him."
"Then you would have to admit to being a Richard Castle fan girl and we both know that is a tightly held secret. You would never live it down. You are turning red right now, and I'm your father."
"Fine. Have you called him yet?"
"I was waiting for you." With that Jim picked up the phone and began dialing.
"Richard Castle."
"Mr. Castle. This is Jim Beckett from LGM Inc. I also have my daughter Katherine here. Javi has given me the broad outline of what happened. But I would like to hear it from you."
Richard Castle took a deep breath into center himself. "We were on a book tour. When this whole Russian thing happened we were getting ready to leave. In fact we were actually headed to the car when what we believed to be Russian soldiers entered the hotel. They didn't shoot anyone, but they brought plenty of firepower. They were really good separating us. We were in the lobby on our knees with our backs to them. One of them was speaking English. He's the one that started ordering people to stand up and then the group of standing individuals where walked out."
Both Jim and Kate heard a sob on the phone. "I should have done something when they stood Alexis up, but they were all armed and I can't help her dead. I offered money, myself, anything if they let her go. That's when I got hit in the back of the head. When I came too, they were gone and roughly a third of the guest were as well. The Kiev police and Ukraine military are investigating, but when I got the ransom demand, I called Javi. He said you could help."
"Mr. Castle" Kate spoke up. "You did the right thing. You were out manned and out gunned. The best way to help your daughter, Alexis, is to stay alive. A member of our company, Kevin Ryan, is already on his way to you. He should be arriving shortly. I will be leaving her in the next two hours with a team to oversee the transaction. It is your intention to pay the ransom, correct?"
"Yes. Yes. Whatever they want to get my girl back, absolutely."
"Alright Mr. Castle." Jim continued. "Kevin will be in contact with you when he lands. If you need anything dial this number or contact Kate. I've just texted you her information."
"One last thing Mr. Castle." Kate finished "I know she is your baby, but please, don't do anything foolish. Wait for us to get there and get in place. Alright."
"I'll do my best. Thank you."
"Don't thank us till this is over Mr. Castle. I will talk to you soon." Kate finished. Jim and Kate waited for Castle to hang up the phone. Kate stood from the chair. "Well this is a mess. I'll reach out to my contacts in Kiev, on both sides of the law, and see if anyone knows anything. I'm going to go get Javi and Hal moving."
"I'll call the hangar and get one of the cargos up and ready."
"Thanks Dad."
"Be careful Kate."
"Always."