Root of All Evil
Chapter 11
Castle blinked open an eye and let out a soft groan. Time had blurred together. He didn't know how long he had been here. There was no schedule of when he slept or ate. He had seen no one. Food would be dropped off when he was asleep. There was a bucket in the corner. He had tried to get out but the steel bars were solid. He didn't know where he was. It was dark except for a lantern that burned in the corner outside the cage, which wobbled and swung. The walls were stone and the floor was dirt. He had to be in a cave but he didn't know where or why.
He had followed Kate out into the woods after she had yelled at him and stormed off. He had followed her and they had fought some more, yelling at each other until she had doubled over in pain, holding her stomach with one arm while he had caught her other, lowering her to the ground. Then she had started to cry, apologizing and he had whispered the words back into her hair, telling her that he was sorry, he shouldn't have yelled or demanded that she step down but that he was worried.
He had apologized and then she was on him, pulling up his shirt forcing him out of his boots. He wasn't sure if he would ever understand the mood swings of this woman but he wasn't complaining, especially if they ended like this.
He had cradled her against him after, his palm spread over her bare belly as they lay by the stream in the woods. He smiled as she told him that she loved him and that she would be more careful. Then he had woken up in the dark. Alone.
He had called out for her the first time he had awoken but his cries had echoed through the chamber, reverberating off the walls and the world around him had shook. The room had trembled and small rocks fell. He had cursed to himself quietly before backing into the corner and forcing himself not to call out anymore. If she were there he would find her when he got out. He would find her and they would be all right.
The second time he awoke the bread and water had been there, a pile of dried beef beside it. He had inhaled the food without a second thought. The third time he had awoken there had been nothing and so it went with no pattern or reason.
This time he blinked and a set of eyes stared back at him through the dim light; a yellow crooked smile follow.
"Good evening, Mr. Castle. So nice of you to join us."
Castle blinked again as his eyes focused in on the pale face of Ethan Bryant staring back at him.
"Kate," he croaked out. "What did you do to her you bastard?"
Bryant let out a manic chuckle as he squatted down, resting back on his heels. "Oh, you don't have to worry about your wife, Mr. Castle she's safe and sound sitting in prison awaiting trial."
Castle stared at him, bewildered. "Trial? For what?"
"Murder, of course," Bryant replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"Murder?" Castle cried out. "Whose murder?"
Scenarios raced through his head as Bryant blinked back at him with a crooked grin on his face. None of this made sense, they had been together in the woods. No one had been killed.
"Yours, of course."
Castle froze. His… no, Kate, no.
"Then why am I still alive."
Bryant cocked his head the other way. "We couldn't kill you. Then you wouldn't get to see your wife and child die. Where would the fun be in that?"
Castle could feel the bile rising in his throat as Bryant continued talking, his words interrupted only by sporadic out bursts of giggles.
"Besides, once you show back up again at the edge of town and everyone realizes what they've done…"
Castle gagged as Bryant laughed again. Oh, God, Kate no.
He had to get out.
Demming sighed and scratched the back of his neck as he sat with his back against a tree. The sun was high in the sky and they had been walking for hours when Kate had finally stopped and told him to wait. She would be back. He was not cut out for this life of traipsing through the woods. Especially with an impatient pregnant woman who seemed to traverse the terrain better than he did and he was wearing shoes. But when she told him to stop and sit, he stopped and sat. He had learned many hours ago not to argue to with Kate Beckett, it did not end well, especially when she was trying to get to her husband.
A twig snapped and he sighed. "I'm glad you decided not to leave me here because then I would have to hunt you down again."
The sound of a gun cocking made him freeze as his eyes popped open and he found himself face to face with the barrel of Javier Esposito's gun.
"I would not recommend moving, hombre, because trust me, I am already thinking about killing you without a second thought," Javi growled and Demming gulped at him in response.
Demming opened his mouth to respond but a voice piping up from behind him cut him off.
"Put down the gun, Javi, believe it or not, he's on our side."
Both of their heads turned to see Kate step over a fallen log, two dead rabbits gripped by the ears in one hand.
"Kate!" Javi smiled in surprise. "You're out and with… Demming?"
Kate dropped the game on the ground and walked past Demming to embrace her friend in a hug. "It's a long story, Javi."
Esposito squeezed her to him as he let out a sigh. "Don't go scaring me like that, Chica."
Kate took in a deep breath and Esposito squeezed her one more time before letting her go, taking a deep breath while she collected herself, ducking her head as she breathed out, glancing up at him with watery eyes.
"Tell me what's going on Espo," Kate ordered after a moment and Javi shot one last glare at Demming before clasping his hands behind his back and beginning the story of the raid on the town and the collaboration between the Cherokee and the army.
Esposito took a step towards her, bringing a hand up to scratch at the stubble growing along his chin line. His shirt was rumpled, his boots were scuffed and covered in a layer of dust, and his eyes were tired but a small spark flickered at her. "And Alexis has been following me since I left the army camp. She caught up with me a couple of hours ago. She's been doing a pretty good job of tracking me but she stepped on a twig towards the beginning, which caught my attention. Other than that, you've taught her well."
Kate couldn't help but smile at her friend as he winked at her and took a step back. Kate looked around slowly, shooting Demming a look as he started to ask her what she was doing. Esposito took another step back and Kate walked around him slowly, positioning her feet so that she missed all of the small branches that had fallen, and wiggling then below the layer of leaves covering the ground. Her steps were silent as she made her way to a pile of rocks at the edge of the clearing and she suppressed a smirk as she rounded the last tree and reached a hand out to grab a handful of red hair.
Alexis let out a soft squeak before Kate clamped her hand over her stepdaughter's mouth and greeted the girl with a soft smile.
"Kate!" Alexis gasped in surprise. "You're here!"
"Hi sweetheart," Kate greeted as she pulled the girl towards her. "Are you okay?"
Alexis nodded as she wrapped her arms around the older woman and buried her head in Kate's neck. Kate could feel her skin become wet with Alexis' tears and she pressed her lips into the girl's hair, whispering in her ear. "Everything is going to be all right."
"You're all right?" Alexis asked as she pulled back. "They didn't hurt you, did they? Did they let you go? How did you get out?"
Kate felt a pang in her chest as the girl stared up at her with wide eyes. "No, sweetheart, they didn't hurt me. I'm fine. Just fine. Tom helped me escape. Now, he is going to help us find your father."
Alexis pulled her in for another hug and Kate turned her head to find Demming staring at her with knowing eyes. Kate glanced down before looking back up at him, her gaze imploring him not to say a word about what had happened with Stevenson. To anyone.
"I got us dinner," Kate stated as she wrapped an arm around Alexis's shoulders and guided the girl over to the clearing and the men. "We're going to need to eat before heading into the cave, we won't be able to burn a fire once we are in there. It's too small, we'd suffocate."
Esposito nodded in agreement before heading off to gather some wood as Kate sat on a fallen tree and Alexis plopped down next to her, reaching for her waistband.
"I brought your knives and gun as well as your bow and arrows," Alexis stated. "I was going to give them to Daniel to give to you once they broke you out but I forgot. I guess that was a good thing."
Alexis' voice trailed off and her eyes widened as Kate shot her a questioning look. "Daniel?"
Alexis' cheeks flushed bright pink and she started to stutter as Kate raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, the little chica didn't tell you?" Esposito piped up as he reemerged from the tree line. "She has herself an Army Private suitor."
Kate's eyes drifted back from Esposito to Alexis', now, bright red cheeks.
"A private named Daniel?" Kate repeated as she went through her mental list of the army men that she had met. "Daniel Tailor?"
Alexis nodded shyly and Kate couldn't help but smile. "He's a nice young man. Does your father know about this?"
Alexis shook her head frantically and Kate's smile grew. "Well, I guess we are just going to have to introduce them."
Alexis relaxed slightly as Kate bumped her gently with her shoulder and held one of the knives back out to her. "You're going to need this but I don't want you coming into the cave with us."
Alexis opened her mouth to protest but Kate cut her off with a look. "It's going to be too dangerous. I know you can handle yourself but I can't look out for you and your father at the same time. Besides, I need you out here to keep watch."
Alexis looked like she was going to protest again but deflated as Kate shot her another look. "All right, but know that I am not happy about this. I should be in there with you, what about the baby? Who's going to protect you?"
"We will."
Both Kate and Alexis turned their heads to look at Demming who was still leaning against the tree. They had forgotten he was there.
Alexis' eyes drifted between the two and she shot Kate a questioning gaze.
"Kate?" Alexis asked quietly, the realization falling over her that something was off. Demming shouldn't be there, not if Kate had escaped. "Why is he here? What happened?"
Kate's hand drifted down to grasp the girl's and she squeezed her fingers with a small smile. "I'll tell you about it later, all right?"
Alexis nodded slowly. "Later."
Daniel pressed his back against the building as he listened to the shouts from the main street. This has been harder than he had expected. The strategy had been simple: converge on the town, free Kate from the jail and distract the search parties so that she could make her escape, but by the time they had gotten there at down the jail had been empty, now they were only trying to keep the men occupied.
He took a deep breath as he heard slow footsteps coming towards him from around the corner. He brought his gun up in front of his face and cocked it slowly, as quietly as he could before turning, the gun held out in front of him.
He made to shout for the person not to move but he found himself face to face with a young freckle-face woman, her eyes wide as she stared at him. She let out a squeak in terror and he dropped the gun quickly as she opened her mouth to scream.
"Shh, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Daniel placated and he offered a small smile as she girl nodded hesitantly back at her.
"Who are you? What's going on? I came back into town and walked into a war," she hissed up at him.
"It's a long story but right now you have to get out of town, it's not safe here."
The girl looked up at him and shook her head quickly. "I have nowhere to go. I went to the homestead but it's been burnt to the ground. I came to town to find Alexis or Kate, ask them what is happening."
Daniel looked up quickly. "You know Alexis?"
The girl looked up at him in surprise. "Yes, I'm her best friend."
Daniel stared at the girl. "Laura?"
Laura nodded and Daniel gave her a relieved smile. "I'm Daniel. It's nice to finally meet you but you still shouldn't be in town."
Laura shook her head. "I'm not leaving, at least not until I know what is going on. Where is everyone?"
Daniel let out a sigh before grabbing Laura's arm and dragging her behind the building, away from sight of Main Street. "It's a long story."
Kate pressed a hand to her belly, as she silently made her way through the cave. It was getting tight in the dark space and she was getting tired. So tired, it was starting to wear on her. She could hear the footfalls of Demming and Esposito behind her. She wanted to turn and yell at them to be quiet they were being too loud but she couldn't. Any sound could make the walls collapse around them. There had already been a couple of trembles since they had entered the cave.
She neared a bend and her hand, which has been trailing along the wall, guiding her path in the darkness hit a wooden beam. They had reached the mine. She stopped and listened as the men came to a halt behind her. She could head something through the silence and she pressed the back of her hand against her mouth as she recognized the sound of Castle's voice echoing through the cave.
"Then why am I still alive."
A manic giggle echoed through the shaft. "We couldn't kill you. Then you wouldn't get to see your wife and child die. Where would the fun be in that?"
Her hand tightened around her gun as she felt the anger swell inside of her. She was going to kill him.
"Besides, once you show back up again at the edge of town and everyone realizes what they've done…"
She drew in a breath and forced her wave of nausea down as she heard retching sounds around the bend. She rounded the corner and her gun came level with the top of Ethan Bryant's head and she saw Rick's eyes widen at her from the other side of the iron bars.
Bryant froze when he felt the nozzle of the gun press against the back of his head. Kate's eyes rolled up to look at her husband in the dim flickering light, seeing relief mixed with terror staring back at her. She pulled out her knife and reached around to slit the man's neck before he ever had the chance to defend himself.
Esposito skirted around Kate and the dead body of Bryant as he made his way to the mineshaft elevator and unlatched the door, freeing Castle from the cage.
Demming came up behind the group and stared down over Kate's shoulder at the man lying prone on the floor, a stream of blood leaking from his neck. There was no battle, no pomp, no circumstance or pleading last words. There was only a body, lying lifeless in front of them.
"You killed him."
Kate nodded her head slowly the gun hanging limply from one hand and the knife dangling from her fingertips of the other, a small drip of blood falling from the tip. "He escaped from prison once, I wasn't going to give him the chance to do it again."
A foot scraped against dirt and Kate's eyes darted up to see her husband's blue eyes staring back down at her.
"Hi," he whispered as he held a hand out to cup her cheek.
"Hi," she whispered back and Demming took a step back from her, his head ducked as he gave the couple some space.
"Are you all right?" He asked quietly, his second hand coming up to rest on her belly.
She nodded slightly with a small forced smile. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just a couple days in prison and a prison break. It was nothing I couldn't handle. I knew you weren't dead."
He took a step closer, moving in to kiss her and she flinched and pulled away as his mouth neared hers.
"We, we should go," she mumbled as she ducked her head down and turned to make her way out of the mine and back into the cave.
"Kate!" he called after her but he felt Esposito's hand on his arm.
"Talk to her once we are out of the cave hombre. Now just know we are happy you are alive."
Castle nodded and his eyes swiveled over to catch Demming's before the other man ducked his head to follow Kate out of the cave.
The sunlight burnt his eyes when Castle blinked his way out of the mouth of the cave. Days without light made the sun all that much brighter. It was like the earth had a halo as he walked into the clearing and he heard his daughter yelling for him.
"Father!" Alexis cried as she made her way forward from her perch on the rock.
"Hi sweetheart," Castle greeted in reply, forcing levity into his tired voice as he wrapped his arms around his daughter's body. "I'm all right, not even a scratch."
Alexis pulled back, Castle's arm still wrapped around her as he looked around. "Where's Kate?"
Esposito looked around also and shrugged. "She was right in front of us."
Castle swung around in a circle before his eyes landed on Demming.
Demming took in a deep breath.
"She went that way," he replied, gesturing towards the tree line behind them.
Castle's arm dropped from around his daughter as he took a step towards the other man. "What's happening? Is she all right?"
Demming shuffled his feet as his head ducked down to look at the ground, studying his dirty, scuffed boots. "No, she's not all right."
Demming's eyes flickered up to his own as the man continued to talk. "I didn't know. I tried to stop him. I got her out of there as soon as I found out. I swear, I thought she had killed you…"
Castle flew forward, grabbing the other man by the lapel of his shirt, pushing him back against a tree with a thump, his toes barely brushing the ground. Demming let out a moan and Castle dropped him to the ground as he heard Alexis' cries from behind him.
"Who? What happened?"
Demming shook his head. "She should be the one to tell you."
Castle nodded as he took a step back and turned towards the woods.
Castle saw her as he rounded a clump of trees. She was sitting on a large flat stone, her knees drawn up in front of her as she stared out into the woods.
"Kate?" He called quietly, announcing his approach, even though he was sure she had heard him coming for the past few minutes, his feet snapping twigs and crunching down leaves.
She turned her head slightly to look at him with a watery half-hearted smile. "Hi."
"Hi," he replied as he sunk down next to her. Letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for rescuing me."
"Anytime, Castle. Thank you for not being dead."
"Anytime, Beckett."
Silence fell as they both sat staring at the clearing in front of them.
"What happened in the jail, Kate?" His voice was quiet but strong as it finally came out.
"Nothing. I saw a chance and I escaped. Nothing happened," she forced out.
She shook her head, her gaze still fixed on a tree in front of her and Castle could feel his heart break as he saw her trying to swallow her tears.
"Then why is Demming here?" He questioned quietly, pausing before continuing, asking the question he knew the answer to but didn't want to hear. "Why won't you kiss me, Kate?"
Kate opened her mouth to reply but a choked sob came out instead as her head fell to the side and landed on his shoulder.
"Oh, God. I… I'm so sorry Rick. I didn't. Please, I didn't want to. He said he would kill me. He would kill the baby. I couldn't let him kill her, please. I didn't want to…"
Castle's arm came up to wrap around her shoulders, squeezing his wife's body into his. He could feel his heart break in his chest as her tears soaked through his dirt stained shirt. "I know. It's okay. It will be okay, I promise. I love you. I love you."
She let out another sob as he held her tighter. "Please, Rick, don't tell the others."
Castle could feel the anger swelling inside of him as he held his sobbing wife. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. Who did this?"
Kate sniffled into his shoulder. "Robert Stevenson, Amanda Stevenson's husband. They are behind this, all of this."
Castle's arm tightened around her once more as he stared out into the trees, making a resolution to himself. He was going to kill him; the same way Kate had killed Bryant in that cave, without a second thought.
Robert Stevenson was going to die.