Chapter 2: The Hunt is on

"Say what Kate?" Ryan asked as he still had Hunt's arms behind him. He couldn't believe what he heard. He didn't know if he should release Hunt or just stay in that position.

"Father in law Beckett?" Esposito asked as he lowered his gun a little bit as he took in the news. He turned to Ryan and then back to Kate. "Castle has a father?"

"Yes he does." Hunt replied as he remained docile for the moment. He could have broken free, but didn't want to risk Esposito shooting as close as he was to Esposito. "Now Kate do you mind if….."

"Ryan let him go." Kate told Ryan who released Hunt's arms and put his cuffs away. Kate then turned her attention back to Hunt. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought my note semi-explained it to you?" Hunt said rubbing his forearms as he walked over to a bench near the basketball court, with the trio of detectives behind him.

"Very cryptic. Now why won't the FBI be investigating Captain Gates's murder and what makes this bigger?" Kate demanded as she saw Hunt sit down on a bench as he looked over the group.

"The whole thing about getting revenge about Gregory Volkov is only part of it. Illyana Volkov has been supplying arms to an international arms dealer that supplies terrorists." Hunt said looking around at the three of them. He saw the looks on their faces. "Still don't believe me. Well check your phone."

Kate with a curious look on her face pulled out her phone and saw that she had a new message. "Until further noticed, Detective Beckett, you and your team are temporarily assigned to the Department of Homeland Security."

"This comes from the commissioner's office." Kate said as she passed her phone to Ryan and Esposito. They were both shocked to see the message.

"My boss had a talk with your boss." Hunt said with a sly smile.

"Who the Director of the CIA?" Kate asked with her own smirk.

"Nope the one up the road from him at 1600 Pennsylvania." Hunt replied with a bigger smile on his face. He shook the heads at the groups shocked looks again. "Come with me and I'll explain it on the way to the hospital."

Kate, Ryan and Esposito looked at each other, but raced to catch up to Hunt as he started walking a fast clip. "Agent McCord and her team want the dealer and the Russians to shut down the arms pipeline, because besides terrorists, he also arms different criminal groups around the world. They want to stop that. We at the agency want to find out which terrorist groups the dealer has been supplying."

"Wont the FBI stop that?" Ryan asked as they caught up to him.

"It would, but this dealer has the name and places of the pickups and these groups." Hunt told them as he stopped by the exit of the park. He turned around and faced them. "Illyana knows who this person is, so the agency wants to get her to get the arms dealer."

"What about the mole and Detective Henderson?" Esposito asked as Hunt started to walk towards the hospital again.

"Henderson got caught in massive gambling debt like the doctor's wife, but agreed to be an inside man for them to work it off." Hunt answered Esposito's question as he continued to walk. He tossed a look over the shoulder. "He and Illyana also went to high school together, so she used that relationship to keep the information coming."

"And the mole?" Kate asked trying to keep up with her father in law. She raced ahead and put herself in front of him. "You're not going in there till I get everything."

Hunt looked at her for a moment before moving towards a bench near one of the buildings. "What they do is they purchase some of the weapons here legally, while also buying conversion kids. All perfectly legal, up until they use cheap labor to convert the weapons."

"Then they bring them to New York to be shipped overseas." Ryan stated getting a nod from Hunt. Ryan ran his hands over his head.

"Whoever it is at One Police Plaza monitors communications and knows the where the holes are in the patrol patterns." Hunt replied as he looked at the group.

"Why didn't you guys tell the FBI?" Esposito demanded.

"We passed along the information, but they apparently decided to wait." Hunt answered getting up off the bench and looked at Kate. "They didn't want to spook anybody, and used this to officially begin their investigation."

"This is how 9/11 happen man. Not of you bastards talk to each other." Esposito replied angrily and rightly so.

"McCord's team is the one that kept New York's field office out of it." Hunt stated turning to Esposito. He then turned to Kate. "They began looking into it shortly after you left the AG's office."

"So what do we do?" Ryan asked as Hunt took off again towards the hospital.

"We look at what you have gathered, and start digging deeper. The information is there, we just have to find it." Hunt replied as they crossed the street and walked towards the entrance of the hospital. "After we see my son."

They walked into the lobby where they signed in with the security guard and took the elevator to the floor where ICU and Castle was located. As they walked into the ICU ward, Kate whispered something into the police officer's ear, who nodded as he let them into the room. Castle, Martha and Alexis were there in the room.

"Hey Kate, how are….." Castle started to say as he noticed who also walked into the room with his wife. Martha was also in shock as she took her sons hand. "Mr. Hunt."

"Dad who is this?" Alexis asked her father when she noticed the shock look on her father's and grandmother's face.

"Alexis say hello to your grandfather." Castle replied to his daughter's question. He took a look over at his wife who shrugged her shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too Richard. I was in town for work, and heard you were shot." Hunt told Castle as he looked over his son and muttered a curse under his breath. He then looked at Martha. "Martha you look elegant as always."

"Always the charmer." Martha said to her former lover. She squeezed her son's hands and looked over at Alexis. "Alexis why don't we get some coffee and let these folks talk."

"Dad?" Alexis asked by looking at her father. She had a look of confusion.

"Go on sweetheart, I'll explain later." Castle told his daughter who nodded. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and left with her grandmother. "I'm waiting?"

"You guys stumbled on to a case that has the agency and the FBI intrigued." Hunt told his son as he came over and stood by the bedside. "What happen to you and Captain Gates, got Agent McCord's team going. Your wife and your team has most of the details."

"So anything happen to her or them?" Castle told his father as he tried to sit up but grimaced as pain flared in the area.

"Easy son. I won't let anything happen to her or them." Hunt told Castle as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rest, and I'm pretty sure Kate will keep you update. I'll see you outside."

As soon as Hunt left the room, Kate came over and grabbed Rick's hands as he looked at her. "Watch your back, I don't trust him."

"I will. I have these two watching mine." Kate said stroking one of her husband's arms as he motioned with her head towards Ryan and Esposito.

"Don't worry Castle, we'll watch out for each other." Esposito assured his friend by coming over and shaking his hand. He looked at Castle for a moment. "You just get well my friend."

Castle nodded his understanding as Ryan came over and shook his hand too. "We'll bring her back to you."

Kate waited for Ryan and Esposito to close the door as she gave Castle a deep kiss. She then looked at him. "I'll come back because we are not done talking about what I should do about either offer."

"I'll always support whatever you choose babe." Castle told Kate as he looked into her eyes. He reached up and moved some hair out of her eyes. "Go get them."

"I will, and when I close this, maybe we'll add another thing to the discussion list." Kate told him as she kissed him again deeply.

"Are you?" Castle asked wondering if she really was.

"Not yet, but after this it's something else I want to talk to you about." Kate answered him as she stood up and gave her husband the smile that made him weak. "Watch out for the rest of our family. I love you."

"I will and I love you too." Castle replied with his smile that Kate loved about him. She walked out of her husband's room drying a couple tears and caught up to Esposito, Ryan and Hunt.

"You okay Kate?" Ryan asked seeing a little bit of red eyes.

"Yeah." Kate replied quickly wiping her eyes again. They all took the elevator down and signed out with security before leaving for the precinct. As soon as they arrived they pulled out the files from their desk and started to go over them. Hunt set himself up in the conference room to look over what they had.

An hour after arriving he walked out and looked across the bullpen. "This charge for Nikolai Vasily for a motel in the Bronx. Did anyone check it out?"

"No we figured it was a place he used for one of his crew to hide out in." Esposito said after pulling up the file and looked it over. He then looked at the rest of them. "Charge hit the day Henderson went missing."

"What's the address?" Kate asked rising out of her seat.

"505 E 175th Street." Ryan told her after looking up the address on the computer. Everyone grabbed their weapons and badges and went towards the elevator. "What can we expect?"

"Hopefully him willing to come peacefully." Esposito replied to the question as the doors closed. In the traffic, it took them roughly forty-five minutes to arrive at the motel. They took up positions on opposite sides of the door. Ryan knocked as Esposito called out. "NYPD open up."

No answer, to which Kate nodded to Ryan who opened the door with the key they received from the manager. The group ran into the room and saw a suitcase and a poorly made bed. Kate went to the clear the bathroom where she found Henderson. "Guys in here."

Everyone came into the bathroom to find Henderson with a hole in forehead. The ice in the tube had kept the body from decomposing and releasing a smell. Esposito pulled out his cell and placed a phone call to Lanie.

"How do you want to handle this?" Kate asked her father in law as he checked out the body. She looked at him. "You touch him you'll containment any evidence?"

"I'm not going to touch I'm just looking." Hunt replied as looked over the body a little bit more. He focused on the forehead. "Russian 9 mil to head. Call in your guys, which means McCord will be here."

"We'll deal with her later." Kate said nodding to Ryan who placed a call into dispatch for a response team to show up. She walked out into the room and went over to the suitcase. She put on gloves and opened it. She began to rummage through it and found a cell phone. "Burner phone."

"I'll take it." Ryan said coming out and grabbing the phone from her. He placed it in a bag as he helped Kate go through the suitcase more. "Large envelope. Feels like cash."

"I'll take it from here Detectives." Agent McCord said from the door way. She walked into the room as her team stood outside waiting for her to come in. "I told you Detective Beckett what would…."

"I'm surprised that your superiors didn't give you the message Rachel." Hunt replied interrupting her from the bathroom door as he leaned against the door frame with big old smile on his face. "I told you in DC, agency has the lead on this one."

"Oh you guys just want the terrorist groups, I want the pipeline." McCord answered spinning around on her heels to face Hunt. "You know as well as I do, the agency can't operate on US soil."

"We can if we use local or federal law enforcement as the primary means of investigation." Hunt answered coming over and towered over her. He pulled out his phone and dial a number. "Now I had my boss contact the commissioner to do just that. Would you like to speak to him?"

McCord, backed into a corner, shook her head as she saw the number that was on the screen. "Very well, but it doesn't mean I am sharing information. She's reckless."

"Kate isn't reckless, but determine to find the truth of what happen and bring it out." Hunt replied to the accusation. He then looked over at Kate who smiled at him. "Detective let them have the folder, and we'll leave.

Ryan nodded and handed over the folder as he walked past McCord towards the door where Esposito was waiting for them to walk out. Agents let them out as they begin to seal off the room. As they reached the elevator, Kate pulled out her phone to place a call, as Ryan looked down the hallway and pulled the bag with the phone in it out of his pocket as he smiled.

"You sly dog." Esposito told Ryan giving him a fist bump as the elevators doors opened and they walked onto it. "Maybe we can pull numbers off it."

"Got it thanks." Kate said into her phone as the doors closed. She waited for the elevator to start down before talking. "I checked to see if Nikolai Vasily was still at Rikers, and for the moment he is."

"Have him brought to your precinct before McCord gets wise and pulls him." Hunt replied leaning against the back of the elevator. "She may be arrogant, but she's smart. She must have looked at the same records we did."

"She's right though you can't question him, but we can." Ryan told Hunt as the elevator stopped on the ground floor.

"Maybe it's time to turn the tables on Nikolai." Kate answered as they come out of the elevator. She felt Hunt come up beside her. "Reverse interrogation."

Ryan and Esposito stopped, turned and looked at Kate in shock as Hunt smiled.