Chapter 10:

The Best Laid Plans

Ryan burst through the doors of Warrek's office. Javier was on his knees, blood covered his face and hands. A gun was pressed to his forehead. Danny laughed, his wicked green eyes grinned with delight as he pulled the trigger. Ryan was too late.

"Javi!" Kevin shouted, jerking awake. The gunshot still echoed in his ears.

Soft blue eyes looked down over him. He felt a cold towel move across his forehead. "Shhh, it's okay." Alexis said gently, like she were consoling an infant. "It was just a dream."

Ryan calmed his breathing, his chest was slick with sweat and his hands shook. It took a few minutes for his head to clear and remember where he was at. Castle's loft, on the couch, drugged. "Where's Javier?" He questioned, trying to push himself up.

Alexis laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back to the pillows. "Calm down, he's fine. He was here a few hours ago."

Ryan let out a shaky breath. "Did he go to Warrek? Was he hurt?"

Alexis was doing her best to hide a smile. "He was fine, I promise." She ran the ice cold towel over his forehead again. "He came back to check on you and stayed the night. You were still fast asleep this morning, so he went back out. He took my dad too. They cooked up some kind of plan last night." She lifted a glass of water. "Here, drink up."

He downed half the glass, not realizing how thirsty he was. "Wait, what do you mean he stayed the night?" He asked when he was finished. "What time is it? How long have I been asleep?"

Alexis checked the clock. "It's almost ten in the morning, you've been asleep since five yesterday."

"What?" He cried, pushing himself up again. "I've been asleep for seventeen hours!"

"You were tired."

"I was drugged!" Alexis couldn't stop him this time. He got up and shed the blankets, a few extra had found their way on top of him over night. He was wearing a t-shirt two sizes too big, it wasn't his shirt. He searched the apartment for his coat, Alexis scrambled about behind him, trying desperately to get him back on the couch. He wasn't wearing socks either… wasn't he wearing socks when he fell asleep? He stopped in the middle of the apartment when he realized something else. "I was wearing jeans when I fell asleep." He said, noting the grey sweatpants he had on that were also a few sizes too big. "Where are my jeans?"

Alexis shifted. "Detective Esposito threw them away, he said they were dirty and smelled like garbage. My dad loaned you some of his sweatpants and a t-shirt, they agreed it would be better for your injuries too."

"Oh they agreed did they?" He scoffed sarcastically. "And where was I when these decisions were made? That's right! Drugged!" The poor girl flinched. He couldn't help but feel guilty, it wasn't her fault. Ryan calmed himself before he spoke again. "What about my coat?"

Alexis fidgeted again. "Esposito threw it away, he threw everything away. They all smelled like trash and were stained with blood."

"He had no right!" Ryan snapped again. "Sorry, I'm sorry." He said right away, softening immediately. "I just… first he drugs me, now he steals my clothes. I am a grown man, I don't need him treating me like this. I am not a child." Kevin let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Are you sure he's okay. He didn't look hurt or distressed or anything?"

He had barely noticed that Alexis was leading him back to the couch while he ranted. Somehow, he'd ended up back on the soft cushions, she draped a blanket around his shoulders. "I promise Kevin, he wasn't hurt. He wasn't upset or angry or anything. He actually seemed kind of happy. Are you hungry? We have plenty of takeout leftovers or I can make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry. He was happy? About what?"

Alexis dished out some leftovers and warmed them. She brought them back to the living room and sat a plate of pizza and Chinese in front of him. "I don't know. Like I said, he and my dad cooked up a plan and took off."

He bit into the pizza. "What sort of plan? What was it for?"

She shrugged and fluffed his pillows. "They didn't say. After you eat, if you feel like a nap you can take one. It's okay to be tired."

"A nap? I'm not in kindergarten." He said with a smirk. Alexis smiled and twisted a cap off of a bottle. She held a pill out and Ryan eyed it suspiciously. "I'm not falling for that again."

She laughed. "It's not a sleeping pill, its medicine." Kevin narrowed his eyes. She grabbed his hand and placed the pills in his palm before handing him a glass of water. "Please… for me."

Ryan sighed and took the pills. "I don't know how you make me do things I don't want to do."

"It's a gift."

He waited for drowsiness to take over but it never came. "So where are Javier and Castle now?"

"They went to the precinct." Alexis took his empty plate, he was hungrier than he thought. "They left a few hours ago."

"The precinct? I thought Javi was on probation." Ryan stood back to his feet while the teen was busy in the kitchen. "Where are the clothes you bought me?" He asked, searching the apartment again.

"Why?" She dropped the dishes in the sink. "You don't need them, you need to rest."

Kevin found the shopping bags behind the couch and dug through them. "No, I don't need to rest. I need to make sure Javier isn't doing anything stupid. Because chances are he's doing something very, very stupid." He pulled out a pair of jeans, a dark button up shirt, and of course, socks.

"Wait. You can't go anywhere. I promised Detective Esposito." Alexis followed him to the bathroom and stood outside while he changed. "Please Kevin, you're still recovering, you should be resting."

He pulled on the new clothes carefully. "I'm fine Alexis. I slept for seventeen hours remember? I think I rested enough." He washed up quickly and stepped back out. "How do I look?"

She crossed her arms. "Very nice but that's not the point." He found his shoes, at least Javier hadn't thrown those away, and struggled to pull them on with the pain in his stomach. Alexis sighed and helped him. "Fine, if you're so determined, I'll go with you to the precinct. Just to make sure that's where you're going."

"I don't need a babysitter." Ryan grumbled as he opened the door.

Alexis followed him out and smiled. "Yes you do."

"Your birthday is coming up." Kevin said with a large smile. "It's in a week, right?"

Javier peered over his comic book. They two boys were lounging in Kevin's room on a lazy Sunday afternoon. "How did you know that? I never told you my birthday."

If it was possible the young Irishman's grin widened. "I have my ways."

He raised the book again and tilted his chair back, propping his feet up on the bed. "I don't want to know what that means. So what's the big deal?"

Kevin shifted excitedly on his bed. "It's your eighteenth birthday!" He cried. "It's very exciting. We have to do something big. I was thinking a party, we could invite most of the school, even Henry and his football gang, you know, as a peace offering. It'll be huge and fun and-"

"No parties!" Javier snapped, his chair dropping to the floor with a thump. "I don't want a party, especially not one you throw. I've been to your families parties, they all consist of punch bowels and charades, about as lame as they come. Not my kind of party bro."

Kevin pouted. "Hey, I could throw a pretty good shindig."

The Hispanic laughed. "Just the fact that you are calling it a 'shindig' tells me you probably can't." The pout increased. "Just relax, it's fine. I don't want to do anything. I'm still too depressed."

Kevin collapsed dramatically back onto the bed. "Ugh! Not the Warrek thing again. I thought you finally let that go."

"I'm never letting that go." He grumbled. "I don't want to do anything. My mom usually makes me a cake, you can come over and have that with us if you have to."

Kevin popped up, suddenly reinvigorated. "Okay, if you want to be boring, we'll just hang out here."

"You're just saying that. I can see it in your face, you want to throw a surprise party. That's even worse than a regular party."

His shoulders slumped forward. "Fine." He whined. "We'll go out and do something. Just you and me. This is New York City, we can find something fun to do."

Javier narrowed his eyes. "Just the two of us? No party? You promise?"

Kevin grinned again. "I promise."

"Okay but after my mom's cake, she gets pretty excited about that. She makes it every year. You have to come to that. I'm sure she'd love it."

"Really? She would?"

Javi's mouth tilted into a crooked smile. "Please, you're like the one decent friend I've ever had. Sometimes I think she loves you more than me."

Kevin laughed. "I doubt that but I'm flattered. It's a deal, I'll be there. And do I also have your permission to get you a present?"

Javier rolled his eyes. "Well duh, I'm not going to pass up presents. Just make sure it's something cool, I don't want any sweater vests."

"Are you sure? Because I was thinking I could get us a matching set." He managed a straight face for two second before cracking a smile. "Who wouldn't want that? We'd be adorable."

"That's not funny."

Esposito punched the precinct elevator button and the doors started to close. Castle slipped in with just enough time. "Thanks for waiting." The writer grumbled as the floors began to rise.

"I told you to hurry. We don't have time to waste."

"I stopped for two seconds to say hi to someone." He squeaked. "You were walking fast enough to break the sound barrier."

"I was not." Esposito flipped open a file in his hands. "I just want this stuff ran as soon as possible."

"I thought this trip was going to be more fun than running around to a bunch of office buildings." Castle said with a sigh. "We could have at least stopped for lunch."

Javier glared at him. "What part of 'in a hurry' is confusing to you?"

The writer shifted. "Well, none of it but I'm starving." The elevator stopped to let off some people, leaving Castle and Esposito alone. "So how sure are you about this plan? I mean, you're putting a lot at risk here. Now, I only met this Warrek guy once but it won't be easy going after a guy that has enough money and power to buy his own city."

"I got this Castle."

"Did you really agree to hand over Ryan?" The question made Esposito flinch. Castle didn't notice. "I mean I know we have a plan and all but I can't believe you agreed to that? What exactly did you and Warrek talk about yesterday?"

"Just leave it alone Castle. I didn't tell Beckett and I'm not telling you."

"Yeah well you've been doing an awful lot of 'not telling' lately, it's hard to keep track." Rick grumbled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Javi snapped.

The writer turned to face him head on. "I mean you and Ryan. There's some big, dark secret there that is clearly tearing away at you and you're just keeping it all bottled up. You need to talk about it, get it off your chest, it'll make you feel better. Either that or it's all going to build up and explode in your face."

"Hey!" Javier moved dangerously towards Castle making him back into the elevator wall. "It's my past, not some drama for your entertainment."

"I know but-"

"If I want to keep it bottled up than that is my decision. You have no idea what I did and… and just how bad it was." He swallowed as he began to lose his edge. Castle noticed his voice crack. Javier backed up and faced the doors again. This elevator ride seemed to really be taking its time. "I made a mistake… and Ryan was the one that paid for it." He didn't want to tell anyone because he didn't like the way it made him look. Maybe Warrek was right, maybe this was only about him and his monstrous guilt. "That's a lie though…" He said, the words barely audible even in the quiet of the elevator. "I didn't make a mistake. I knew exactly what I was doing when I left him…"

The elevator doors slid open and offered Javier a quick escape. He bolted, grateful to leave behind the confessing mood the tight quarters put him in. Luckily a commotion going on in the middle of the bullpen pulled both men's attention away from the conversation they were just about to have. "No! I don't want to go. I want to see him now!" Javier froze. That voice was too familiar.

"I told you, he's not here right now." Beckett said, unwavering even though all attention of the precinct had turned on her, Kevin, and Alexis.

Alexis held Ryan's arm, trying to tug him gently away. "Please Kevin. He's not here, we should go, maybe come back later."

He pulled out of her grip and dropped into Javier's chair. Crossing his arms like a defiant child. "I'm not leaving until I can see for myself that he's okay. Plus I want to yell at him…" Beckett raised an eyebrow. "What? He drugged me and stole my clothes!"

"I'm here!" Javier cried, wishing he could cover Ryan's big mouth with a whole roll of duct tape. Kevin's attention snapped in his direction. "What are you doing here?" Javi scolded, stepping quickly towards his desk. "You shouldn't have-"

He was cut off when Ryan suddenly jumped out of the chair and wrapped Javier in a tight hug. It surprised him, he didn't think to react until Kevin pulled away. "You're okay." He said in relief. "I was afraid that…" He broke off, looking Javier over one last time before anger took over. "You drugged me!" He snapped, shoving him in the shoulder. "And why did you take my clothes? They were mine."

A few chuckles sounded from across the room. "Well, technically they were my clothes. I loaned them to you before you disappeared, remember?"

Kevin shifted, searching for an argument. "The coat was mine!" He blurted. Clearly he just wanted to be angry right now. "And you just threw it away."

"I'll buy you a new one." Esposito grumbled. "Do you think we could take this somewhere else, like Castle's apartment? You shouldn't be here Ryan." He glanced to the Captain's office. Thankfully she was out at the moment. "Bro, if Gates sees you here-"

"You drugged me!" He spat again. "You couldn't have thought I would just let that go." Shuffled whispers echoed from the crowd. "And if that wasn't bad enough, you went to see-"

"Okay, that's it!" Javier interrupted quickly. He grabbed Ryan and dragged him to the interview room, closing the door and pulling the blinds. "Are you trying to get me fired?"

Kevin crossed his arms. "Why are you even here? I thought you were on probation?"
"I talked Captain Gates into letting me back on this case. Sit."

Ryan dropped onto the couch. "You must be very persuasive." He scoffed.

"I've been told that." He took the seat across from Kevin. "I must be because I talked Warrek into letting you off the hook for a few days."

Ryan stared at his hands. "What uh… What do you mean?"

"I know everything Kev. Warrek confessed." Blue eyes drifted up to meet his. "He confessed to the drug business, he told me about the torture, he even confessed to both murders. You don't need to cover for him anymore."

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "I'm not stupid, if he confessed you would have arrested him."
"It's not that simple. He's got too much leverage. But I bought us some time."

"In exchange for what?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I know Warrek wouldn't give up anything for free."

Esposito stood and crossed the room, putting some space between them. He had trouble lying to Ryan when he was looking him in the eye. "I made a deal but you don't need to worry about the details."

Ryan dropped his head into his hands. "Oh god Javi, you did something stupid, didn't you?"

"I did not." He snapped in defense. "But it doesn't matter because I've got a plan."

"What sort of plan?"

Esposito was very happy he asked. He sat across from Kevin and laid out his plan. "I was thinking about something Castle said back while we were looking for you. He suggested we find more people like Samuel Brent. I think there are more people within his company or other companies that work for Warrek. As big as his drug business is there has to be more people like Brent. And there has to be more like you. If I can find enough people that aren't afraid and are willing to talk, we can build a case against him, there's no way that Danny and his army of lawyers can fight them all."
Kevin nodded. "That's a good plan but you've got one problem."

Javier crossed his arms. "What?"

"Everyone is afraid of Danny." He said flatly. "That's what he's good at, creating fear is his specialty. No one will talk."

Esposito shook his head. "I don't believe that. Yes, it's exactly what Danny has worked so hard to prevent, but I think if at least one steps up, more will join." As Ryan thought it over Javier pulled out the file he'd brought and laid it open on the table. "I've already fished out some people, all I've got to do is find someone to start the ball rolling, someone to show them they don't have to be afraid… someone like you Kev."

It took a moment to sink in but Ryan reacted exactly as Javier expected him too. "Me?" He cried, jumping up. "You want me to… but I am afraid Javi. I'm more afraid than any of them."

"Which is exactly why you are the perfect one to do it. I mean, if you can be brave enough to stand up to him than the others will too."

Ryan laughed nervously. "And then what? I'll end up just like Brent. Dead. You'll get to pull my body out of the river yourself."

"I won't let that happen." Javier stated calmly. "The bottom line is, Danny needs to come down. If he gets away with this again, he's just going to keep doing it. More people are going to get hurt."

Ryan shook his head sharply. "No, no I can't do this Javier. You cannot make me-"

"I'm not." Esposito interrupted. Kevin stared at him in confusion. "I'm not going to make you do this Kev."

"Wha-why not? It's the right thing to do."

"It is but this is not my decision." Javier stood and placed himself in front of Ryan. "I know how hard it would be for you to stand up against Warrek."

"Not to mention dangerous." Ryan snapped.

"Not to mention dangerous." Javier repeated with a laugh. "It's easier for me because I haven't been through what you've been through. A whole lifetime of pain would make anyone afraid." He shifted, his gaze falling down to his restless feet. "And I take responsibility for all of it."

The room fell silent before Ryan spoke. "You know I don't blame you Javi."

"I know… and I don't know why. You should blame me." Esposito finally looked back into his friend's face. Kevin gave him a small smile, that same gentle grin he'd always carried as a teenager. The one that was more for Javier's benefit than his own. "Look, the thing is I don't want to tell you what to do anymore. I don't want Warrek to tell you what to do either. All your life you've had someone else calling the shots, but not this time. I want you to think for yourself."

"What about your big plan? What will you do if I say no?"

He shrugged. "We'll think of a new plan. It might be a little more difficult but we'll find another way to trap Warrek. I'm not going to force this one. It's your decision."

Ryan stepped back. He paced back and forth between the couch and the door. Javier could see him struggling. For all these years he had someone else telling him every move he made and now Javier was forcing him to think for himself. It was a terrifying place to find himself in. Kevin stopped pacing and Javier held his breath. "I can't do it." He said quietly. "I'm sorry. It's too much to ask. I'm not… I'm not brave enough."

Esposito let out the breath. He tried to hide his disappointment with a smile. "I know you're brave enough but it's your decision." He sunk onto the couch and closed the file folder. "We'll figure something else out. Maybe I can find someone else to talk."

"You're disappointed." Ryan said sadly.

"No… well, maybe a little but I understand Kev. It's okay."

Ryan dropped onto the couch but popped back up when the door suddenly opened. "Mr. Ryan." Gates said as she crossed her arms. "I had a feeling you'd be back." Castle and Beckett stood behind her looking defeated. Apparently, they'd failed at keeping her out of the room. But the stern Captain softened as her eyes took in Ryan, bandages, bruises, and all. Her gaze shifted to Javier. "I have a very strong feeling this has something to do with Daniel Warrek. Even though you promised me specifically, Detective Esposito, that you'd stay away from him." She stepped back out into the bullpen, the boys followed. "But I also have a feeling the three of you, or is it the four of you now, are taking care of it. Just… keep me and the precinct out of it." Castle gave a wide grin as the Captain stepped back into her office. "And promise me you'll all take care of it for good." She added before closing the door.

"Uh, what just happened?" Ryan questioned. "What was that?"

Esposito smiled. "That was the Captain giving us the green light to shut down Warrek for good. So I suggest we take it and quick. We've only got three more days."

"Hello?"

"Mr. Esposito, I'm sure you weren't expecting to hear from me again but I feel we can put your past mistakes behind us. I have a proposition to make with you if you're still interested in joining me." It wasn't a question. He didn't need to ask. "I hear your birthday is coming up soon…"

Three days turned into two, and they had little to show for it. They turned up rock after rock and found plenty of bugs hiding below several of New York's business's working for Warrek. However, even after being approached and offered immunity of the law, not one of them was willing to talk. They were either happy working for Warrek, or like Ryan, they were far too afraid. Esposito was certain that the ones that were afraid were their best bet but without at least one of them willing to take the first step, they would always be too afraid.

Stress levels were high, especially for Esposito. His deal was eating away at him. Would he really go through with wiping Danny's record clean? It would put his job at risk but even worse, it was wrong. But none of his struggles compared to what Ryan was going through. Each hour that passed was one step closer to Warrek. He was trying to hide it, but he was scared. He didn't want to go back. But if they didn't find something soon Esposito wasn't sure if he could keep him out of the devil's clutches.

Javier stared straight ahead as he mixed a couple coffees on Castle's latte machine. His mind raced a million different ways as he tried to search for a new plan. There was always that one plan, the one in the very back of his mind that he didn't dare acknowledge. He was trying to do this the right way but that way wasn't working. He could always go see Danny again and put a bullet through his head right then and there. That might solve some of his problems, and it would feel really good. But he wasn't really thinking that… was he?

Esposito hoped the coffee would clear the mud a little, it was late and all the thoughts were mixing and tangling with the lack of sleep. He grabbed the two little latte cups and walked back into the bullpen. The room was nearly empty except for a few night shift officers still ambling about. Beckett was busy at her desk, searching for anything helpful. She and Castle had been working just as hard as he was to save Ryan and bring Warrek in. It meant more than Javier could express, especially since he'd been holding back so much from them.

He sat one of the cups beside Kate and she smiled at him gratefully, pausing from her work to take a much needed sip of caffeine. "Thank you." She hummed as she wrapped her hands around it.

"No problem." He nodded towards her computer. "Find anything?"

She sighed. "His financials are cleaner than someone who's never broken a law in their life. He's good."

"Yeah well, he's been dodging the law for a while. And all that money doesn't hurt." Beckett stared at him. She looked as if she wanted to ask the question again, but thought better of it. She sipped her coffee again instead. Javier was starting to feel guilty, how long could he keep his past from her. He trusted her with his life, she was one of the few people he could honestly say that with, couldn't he trust her with his biggest secret?

Just when he thought of confessing his sins, Ryan's burst of laughter caught his attention. He and Castle were sitting at Javier's desk. Two broken eggs were smashed across the floor in a yellow mess at their feet. "It told you it wouldn't work." Kevin said crossing his arms.

"No it will work." Castle pulled out another egg and sat it on its top. "Trust me."

Esposito rolled his eyes. "What are they doing?"

Beckett grinned. "Something about the Autumnal Equinox and balancing an egg."

"But it's not even-"

Beckett held up a hand, cutting him off. "Don't bother, I argued with them about it already, it's no use. They got bored a little while ago and have been at it ever since."

Another splat made Javier shake his head and sigh. "I think it would be easier working with four year olds. Where did they even get the eggs?"

Kate grinned and shook her head. Kevin burst out laughing again as Castle tried to clean egg off his shoe. He scratched at the bandage on his forehead before pulling out another egg. Beckett watched him and the unasked question resurfaced itself. "He's a good guy Javi, I just can't stand to see him go back to that life again. I don't understand how someone like him ended up like that in the first place."

Esposito watched Kevin and Castle, before his eyes shifted back to Beckett. He trusted her. Javier could feel everything he'd been hiding for so long was struggling to claw its way out. Castle was right, it was time to tell before it all shattered. He sat his coffee cup down and shifted in his seat. "It was… it was my fault."

Kate met his gaze. "Javier, I'm sure it's not…" She faded off when she noticed his somber tone. She gave him her full attention and stayed quiet. He didn't need comfort, he just needed someone to listen.

He shifted again, taking his time before starting. "It was my eighteenth birthday." He began. "Before it all went bad, everything was normal…"

Yes, it's finally time. Next chapter we get to see what happened all those years ago. So stay tuned.