Chapter 14
Kate awoke to the ringing of her phone. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom.
She stretched and winced a little as a certain parts of her body protested. She was very tender, but oh, did it feel good. She answered the persistently ringing phone.
Frowning, she said, "What do you want so early in the morning, Lanie!" Her annoyed tone was somewhat offset by the yawn she couldn't stop.
Lanie had a merry tone in her voice but answered with mock seriousness. "Early? It's nine o'clock where you are. How was it? Dish, girlfriend, I want the details."
Kate laughed. "Lanie, I'm not going to be your personal porn channel. I will tell you this much. Three times last night and he took me over the moon each time. And I still want more!"
"Oh, I'm so jealous," Lanie moaned.
"Yeah, well, too bad, I'm not sharing him!" Kate teased. "You'll have to find your own. Seriously, though, Lanie, I can't tell you how beautiful it was and is going to be for the rest of our lives. I was such a damn fool for not handling it better. I wasted three months when I could have been happy." The buzz in her ear indicated another phone call. She quickly checked the number and raised her eyebrows. It was Alexis Castle. "Gotta go, Lanie I've got another call coming in."
Kate ended the call with Lanie and took a deep breath before answering Alexis.
"Hello, Alexis, what's going on?" Kate said.
"What did you do to my dad, Detective, where is he? I can't get hold of him!" Alexis' voice had the shrill tones of a scared and angry teen-ager, not the calm and reasonable young woman she usually was. "I saw the article. What did you do?"
Kate sighed. If I ever get my hands on that Margrave bitch she's going to regret her lousy column.
"Calm down, Alexis, your dad is here with me. We're together no matter what you read. I'll let you talk to him in a minute, but I need you to understand something. We're both on a case and we can't talk about it, but we're OK. Just hold on a minute and I'll get him."
Castle came out of the bathroom at Kate's call. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and Kate gave a playful tug at it as he sat on the edge of the bed. He slapped her hand away as he took the phone. "Hey, Pumpkin, what's upsetting you?"
"I couldn't get a hold of you, Daddy, and then I saw this terrible article about you and Kate and I was so scared."
"What article?"
"It was in The Times and it said that you and Kate were broken up and no one knew where you were."
Castle clenched his jaw, but then took a breath and spoke in his calmest tone. "It's okay, Alexis. Kate and I are together. I probably should wait for a more formal announcement, but you need to know now. Kate and I are engaged." He held the phone away from his ear as Alexis erupted into a frenzy of questions and squeals. Kate smothered a smile as he cautiously put it back to his ear. "Alexis, Alexis, calm-honey, please, that's really shrill-yes, I'm serious." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "No, I can't tell you what we're doing; only that it's important and we'll be home in no more than two weeks. Calm Gram down if she sees the article. I love you."
Kate spoke over Castle's shoulder. "Make that we love you, Alexis." They ended the call and this time Kate succeeded in snatching the towel.
"I'm still naked," she purred, "and I'm in the mood for a quickie. Then we can shower together."
Castle eagerly fulfilled her requests.
Once they were dressed, Kate grinned and said, "For some inexplicable reason I'm famished. Castle, take your woman out and feed her."
They went to the same restaurant that Kate had been to twice before. Castle was engrossed in the menu when Bobbi approached the table. Kate put a finger to her lips when Bobbi raised an eyebrow, then she nodded and grinned. Bobbi gave her thumbs up, and then spoke.
"Can I interest you in some coffee or juice to start?" Castle looked up.
"Two coffees, please." When the coffee came Castle ordered the hunter's breakfast and Kate ordered Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream and a side order of sausages.
They ate in a contented silence, not needing the small talk most couples indulged in. Kate had finally realized that her life without Castle had no warmth, and not even much meaning. She had told Hunt that she couldn't live without him and realized that it wasn't a catch phrase. It was true.
On Castle's part, all the pain, anger and fear of the past months was gone and only the love remained. Not only Kate's words yesterday, but the look in her eyes and her passionate love-making had confirmed that she was his for the rest of his life.
When they returned to the motel Kate sat on the sofa and pulled Castle down beside her. She gazed into his eyes, a serious look on her face, and said, "I promised you complete openness and I want the same from you. I need to know the why of Major Rogers. Why you couldn't tell me? If I'm to be your life mate I deserve to know. I know the basics." At his inquisitive look she shrugged. "Your dad explained them. I promise I won't judge you, we're past all that, but I need the why."
Castle took both her hands in his and ran his thumbs over her skin for a moment before he looked up and returned her gaze. "As you know, this started long before I met you. I was in a deep cover assignment. Not even my mother and Alexis knew. Meredith and Gina sure as hell didn't. During two assignments, I had to, as the phrase goes, 'terminate with extreme prejudice.' They were agents for terrorist groups, terrorists themselves. It wasn't something I wanted to do but I had to." Rick's eyes grew haunted, his voice low and intense. "Kate, I killed four men, up close and personal. I never wanted you to know that. I was afraid that you couldn't love a killer.
"But much more important than that, if the enemy found out who I was your life would be in danger, as would my mother, Alexis, even Espo, Ryan and Lanie. I couldn't risk that."
Kate pulled her hands out of his and cupped his face. "Rick, I could never not love you. You aren't a killer, you're a soldier. Killing in battle is no sin, even if the war is undeclared. You were protecting everything and everyone you love." She kissed him briefly, but then pulled away and gazed into his eyes.
"And that brings us to the most important part of the Bracken mission, for me. I saw you on the range with the rifle and your dad warned me. Baby, I want Bracken dead as much as you do, but I realize that it probably won't happen. I know that you plan to assassinate him but I can't let you do that. It's not who you are. If you did assassinate him, you would probably get away with it, your dad would see to that, but it would destroy you and that would destroy me. I finally realized it. I can't live without you."
Castle pulled Kate in close and said, "Okay, honey, I won't off the SOB if he goes quietly. But if he doesn't and puts you or the guys in immediate danger, I'll blow his ass away."
Kate kissed him again and said, "Okay, now that I have that promise, I want to get the marker for my property. No trespassing allowed." Castle laughed and shook his head, but followed her out the door. They drove to the local outlet of a major jewelry chain and Kate chose a heavy white gold ring with embossed Celtic knots, except at the top center, where there was an open space where Kate and Rick would be engraved. "Can we pick it up today?" Kate asked
The salesman smiled. "I can have it ready for you in an hour," he replied. They left the store and wandered around the mall until they found an upscale coffee shop, where Kate happily ordered her favorite latte. They took their coffee to go, and it wasn't long before they encountered a large bridal shop.
Kate tugged Castle's hand and they stopped. Underneath the tough cop exterior Kate was a romantic and could be as girlish as any other bride-to-be. She tossed her half-finished latte in a trash bin, intending to get another one later. She dragged Castle in with her, to the amusement of the woman at the counter, who had seen hundreds of other future grooms with the exact same 'I don't need to be here' expressions on their faces.
Kate took her time admiring the wide selection of dresses, occasionally shooting an amused glance at the look of patient suffering Castle was affecting. She finally did the famous Beckett eye roll and said, "Come on, Rick, if I see a style I like, I really would like your opinion on how I'd look in it!" She paused, smirking. "Though if I know you, you'll visualize me out of it!"
Castle grinned. "I guess I'm busted, but I have to admit you're gorgeous in your birthday suit."
Kate aimed a play slap at him and mouthed "Dirty old man!"
They left the shop and Castle bought her another latte before they picked up his ring.
On the way to the car Kate said, "You'd better be worth it, Castle. I've spent a lot of money, money that I don't have on a cop's salary, mind you, in catching you."
Castle looked at her in surprise. She laughed. "Haven't you heard the old line, Castle? You chased me till I caught you." He pulled her close and whispered, "And chasing you has been one of the greatest joys of my life."
They stopped for lunch at the Burger Bonanza. Rick loved cheeseburgers. Kate said, "Don't you dare order one of those double chili cheeseburgers with bacon. They're a heart attack on a plate and I want you around for a good long time."
"Aw, Kate…"
Kate folded her arms and gave him a look. "Don't you 'aw Kate' me, Rick. You had a good breakfast. Order a single cheeseburger for each of us, Cokes, and a large fries to share."
Castle put on his best puppy dog look and said, hopefully, "And a chocolate shake?"
She shook her head, smothering a grin. "No, Castle, no shake. I want you to keep that hard body for me to play with."
After lunch, Beckett and Castle met with Esposito and Ryan in Castle's room. Castle flopped on the couch and said, "All member team briefing is scheduled for 13:00 two days from now. There won't be much for us to do until then. So you two might as well play tourist and get the lay of the land while you do so. Beckett and I will do the same thing. I assume that you two have checked in with the local PD?"
Esposito nodded. "Yeah, we have."
Castle rubbed his chin. "There's no use wasting money. Beckett can turn in the Mustang and we'll use my Chevy. We'll get my Ford out of the lot; you can use it and turn in the Escape. We'll meet back here around eight o'clock. You guys bring some chips and dips, and I'll bring the beer."
"Just remember, domestic, none of that imported crap," Esposito quipped. Castle grinned.
That day passed quickly as did the following day and a half. It was time for the full briefing.
Kate was impressed, to say the least. It was the first time she'd seen Castle in uniform. The perfectly tailored dress blue uniform, the trousers tucked into gleaming jump boots, and the silver wings of a paratrooper on his breast were quite a change from the Castle she was used to. She'd forgotten that Hunt had told her that Castle had qualified as an Airborne Ranger. She couldn't read the medal ribbons on his chest, except for one, the Purple Heart. She also recognized the crossed rifles of the Infantry on his lapels.
Kate whistled and said, "Not that I don't love the look, Rick, but why the uniform?"
"The meeting is in the Federal building, Kate. There will be enough men and women in dark business suits going in at once as it is. Since there is an Armed Forces recruiting center and an Army liaison office, an officer in uniform is not going to draw any undue attention."
Kate couldn't resist having a little fun with him. She batted her eyes and ran a hand down his chest and in her sultriest voice said, "Ooh, I just love a man in uniform. You want to come back here later and fool around, soldier boy?"
Rick laughed and leaned in a little. "You bet, doll. We've just gotta avoid my fiancée. She's not good with the sharing." Kate laughed and smacked him lightly.
They entered the building ten minutes early, and Castle received the salutes of several enlisted personnel returning from lunch. He returned them with parade ground precision. They were directed to a guarded elevator that took them to a secure conference room.
Both Castle and Beckett were surprised to see about a dozen army NCO's in uniform sitting to one side. Just before they entered, Sergeant First Class Tom Ward leaned over to Master Sergeant Ron "The Bear" DeLancey and said, "Any idea what this special operation is? All I see is a bunch of cops and spooks."
"Not a clue, Doc. All I was told that our part of it was under some candy ass from MI."
He looked up as Castle and Beckett entered the room. "I wonder where the candy ass is. The only officer I see is that Major with the hot Fed. He's a Ranger. Looks like he's been in country somewhere."
Castle and Beckett took seats and she handed him one of the two lattes she'd been carrying. Kate rather enjoyed carrying Castle's coffee. He'd done it so many times for her and they both knew better than to drink conference coffee.
A tall muscular man in a dark suit stood. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Special Agent Glen Sterling of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I am in command of this operation. Unlike the movies it has no fanciful name. It is a joint task force made up of several Federal agencies including the FBI; Attorney general's office, the CIA, the DEA, ATF and the Army.
"The object is to dismantle a criminal organization that is involved with drug and human trafficking, illegal arms, money laundering, bribery, extortion and murder. It will involve the arrest and trial of Senator William H. Bracken of New York and 27 of his associates." Castle gently squeezed Kate's hand as she involuntarily stiffened at the mention of Bracken. Sterling continued.
"Bracken is scheduled to meet with several of his top criminal subordinates and suppliers here in Santa Fe in the next few days. Apparently there are some trust issues to be resolved and they demanded a face to face. The plan was to arrest him at that time. Some problems have arisen." He stopped and gestured to a man standing behind him.
"I would like to introduce J. Huntington Alexander, Deputy Director for field operations of the CIA, who is action officer. He will address those problems." Alexander, also known as Jackson Hunt, faced the audience and said, "The operation in the field was supposed to be simple. Arrest Bracken and the local gangbangers he uses as enforcers, simultaneously making raids all across the country. Something spooked him and he called in some mercenaries. That could be more than we could handle with S.W.A.T. teams. That is why we requested the aid of special operatives from Delta Force. You Delta operators will be under the command of Major Richard Rogers, Infantry, detailed MI. Major Rogers, front and center."
Castle went to the podium. He was unaware of the surprise on the faces of some of the NCO's. "Ladies and Gentlemen I have been dealing with these scumbags for over two years. They murdered my fiancée's mother, and tried to murder my fiancée, her father, and me. I want them shut down, and they will be shut down. The gang bangers are the civil authorities' problem. Our job is to deal with the mercs. They are not under any governmental authority, so they will be dealt with as terrorists. ROE: Weapons Free." Castle turned to Hunt. "That's all I have for now, Sir."
Hunt then said, "Okay, break down into individual team meetings. We'll re-convene at 16:00 for overall operational briefing."
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ed "Big Cat" Catrone leaned over to DeLancey. "It's been fifteen years. but I'll never forget that voice. I ran into the Major over in the Sand Box. He was an MI spook.
A real bad ass, code name Night Hawk. He went in and brought out one of our female agents who'd been captured by terrorists. Took a 9mm in the gut and still killed two terrorist biggies. Carried the girl out." They looked over at Castle, impressed.
Castle started over to the Delta troops but was intercepted by Kate. She wasn't happy.
"Rick, why didn't you tell me about this new plan?"
He took her by the shoulders. "Easy, Kate, I didn't know about it till this morning. I got the information from my dad while you were in the shower. He told me not to tell you. It wasn't set in stone. Go on to your briefing, I've got to brief the Deltas."
Kate still wasn't happy but she understood operational security. She gave Castle a smile, nodded and went over to the AG team.
Castle walked over to the Deltas. Ed Catrone came to attention and saluted. "Warrant Officer Catrone with a detail of eleven, reporting as ordered, Sir."
Castle returned the salute, and then shook Catrone's hand. He smiled and said, "It's good to see you again, Cat. I always wondered if you'd made it out of the Sand Box."
Catrone gave a nod and slight smile. "You're the guy who got the girl out, right?"
"Yeah, but don't spread the name or the story. Let's get down to business."
Catrone introduced the rest of the team. Castle looked them over, liked what he saw then said, "Most of the mercs will probably be wearing body armor, so I don't want to rely on the 5.56. I want to go with the 7.62 NATO. Have you qualified on the SCAR-H?" Everybody nodded.
"Do we have any in the arsenal?"
Catrone nodded. "Yes, sir, although they're not in the regular service inventory."
Castle thought for a moment and then said, "I'll have Hunt get a dozen out here with five mags per gun and a thousand rounds with a 1-3-2 ratio Tracer, ball, AP. I haven't qualified with it so I'll be carrying a personally owned weapon, a SOCOM 16. Everyone carries a 1911 and a combat knife. Personal choice on the last. Fritz helmets and vests on this one. Let's get some coffee and brainstorm."
Sergeant DeLancey said, "Can I ask a non-mission question, sir?"
"Go ahead, Sergeant."
"The hottie that you came in with, Sir. She's a Fed, but she seemed concerned with you."
Castle raised an eyebrow. "She's Federal Agent Katherine Beckett, and while she is hot, that's the last time anyone on this team gets to say it. She's an officer's lady. She's my fiancée." The sergeant murmured a quick apology and they continued.
The meeting quickly progressed to the final briefing. Hunt stood up again and turned on a very large flat screen monitor. It showed a complex of buildings. "This is the industrial complex where the meet will be held. It was originally thought that they would meet at night but they scheduled it for early afternoon. We believe that they thought that a large number of vehicles in the area at night would arouse suspicion."
Hunt paused to take a sip from a bottle of water. "The latest intelligence says that the meet is scheduled for five days from now, but it could be as little as three. We will move in on the ground using police tactical vehicles, with helicopters providing cover and a medevac bird and ground ambulances standing by. Santa Fe police and New Mexico State police will establish a perimeter, although they won't be mobilized until the last minute to avoid any warning being given."
Agent Sterling stood up. "Thank you, Director." He turned back to the group. "Every attempt will be made to arrest Mr. Bracken peacefully, and the order is don't fire unless fired upon, but if fired on I expect rapid and massive response. Order packets with photographs are being distributed. Study them and be ready to move on two hours' notice. Thank you that will be all."
Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan met outside the building. Esposito was staring at Castle in awe. "I read about it Bro, it's a different thing to see it. Beckett, let me explain those ribbons. Silver Star for valor, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Service, War on Terror, Army service, Overseas service and National Defense."
Kate took Rick's hand in both of hers and looked up at him with a tender look on her face.
She said, "Javi, I'm proud of what he did to earn those medals. I just want to make sure that he doesn't earn any more of them." She smiled shyly. "You know what I'd like to do tonight? I'd like to go out to dinner, the four of us, to celebrate being back together. I missed you guys so much."
"You're on," Esposito said. "How about seven o'clock?"
"Works for me," Castle said.
In the motel, Kate giggled and said "I can't believe I'm actually saying this but you in uniform is a huge turn on. I was never one of those I love a man in uniform girls, but I love this man in uniform. Or even better, out of it." As she simultaneously kissed him and began unbuttoning his coat. Later as she lay against him, spent and satisfied, she said, "We'd better shower and get ready to go. Wear your uniform again. I like showing you off. And eat a hearty dinner, love, I want an encore performance."
Castle waggled his eyebrows. "Insatiable woman!"
"Of course I'm insatiable. We've got three months of separation to make up for."