fighting for my family
5/4/16
chapter 21

On Stake out:

Castle uses the binoculars to make sure that Hayley went all the way in and wasn't watching him from the window. Then he carefully unfolds the paper from his pocket. "Same list as the one that I got earlier. I don't get it, why they were hide this one?"

He reads down the list just to make sure that he didn't miss anything. He sees something that shocks him. He sees two names that were that list that he recognizes, one was an art thief from a case he, Hayley and Beckett had worked awhile back. And the other, that was the one that was the most shocking to him. It was no other then PI Alexis' old boyfriend.

"Why would he?" Castle shakes his head, "Is that why they were hiding this from me. Why would they have to lie, is not like I would really care. I mean.." He takes a deep breath trying not to remember the guy. He didn't like him and he drove a wedge between him and his daughter that year. "But what it PI was involved in this mess." Castle says out loud to the empty car. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear him anyway. "He could be next, god for bid that." Castle rolls his eyes, "Or worse," Castle stares out the window watching a suspicious looking couple. "Could PI be our killer." He shakes off the thought, "That's ridiculous, PI a murderer...ha."

But then again, he has learned over the years that anyone could be one if they are pushed the wrong way.

Castle feels that his gut was trying to tell him that someone was coming. He thinks that it might be Hayley, so he hides the paper back into his pocket.

But the door never opens. Instead a man in a uniform approaches the car. Taping on the widow making Castle jump.

Castle sits there for a second not wanting to do anything. But the man taps again this time with his knuckles. Castle rolls window down just enough to talk through it. He knew better then to roll it all the way down to get grabbed, which happened to him once when he was with Beckett. The man to Castle just looks odd like he didn't belong. Castle also notices a gun when the man turns slightly. That's not good. Noticing Castle's reaction the man says,

"You scream out I'll use it." Castle swallows looking up at the man. "And it will be messy."

"I..." Castle stammers blinking. He didn't really know what to say to someone who was that close threatening him and he couldn't get away.

The man makes a twisting move, placing his hands against the door frame. Castle holds his breath, wishing that Hayley hadn't left him alone. "Now tell me what you're doing here," a pause in the man's voice, "Just sitting."

Castle has to think fast. He has to come up with story that would satisfy this man or it might not end well, like him being shot in the face.

"I'm waiting on my wife to bring us out some food." That was the truth, mainly cause she was going to bring them something to eat.

"You have been here awhile why?"

"My wife just went in," Castle moves his eyes back and forth as he points the diner's door. His brain was trying to think and not focus on the gun. "She thought we were being followed. " He licks his lips, "So she didn't go in when we first got here." Castle swallows hoping this guys was buying it. "We wanted to make sure," he adds trying to sound convincing or was it more to convince himself.

"We wouldn't want that now, would we." the man jokes.

"You can't be to careful now a-days." Castle shot back smiling still trying to calm his nerves.

"So you weren't spying on us." The man points to the black car across the street. Where a car full of big, mean looking people was sitting.

"No, not at all. I'm just..." Castle moves a little. The man stood there watching Castle squirm in his seat, then nods.

"It's just that we have had a lot of break-ins in this area." He comments, then takes a step back.

"Just want to make sure we're not one of them. huh." Castle, snorts. He was in his joking mood which sometimes got him into more trouble.

This conversion was making him nerves about what this man really wants to know. And why he was wearing a fake uniform. What was this guy really hiding? Was he just toying with Castle and still going to kill him, right there any second. Castle glances down at the gun, one last time. He thinks that it might be the last thing that he was going to see.

"Hurry up and move on then," The man walks off without any more contact. Castle lets out the breath that he unknowing was holding, just as Hayley comes back. When she opens the car door, Castle literally jumps out of his skin thinking that the man was back. He stares at her a few seconds, trying to catch his breath.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you so jumpy all of a sudden?" She asks all confused at his behavior.

"Just..." He sighs. The smell of the food was getting to him. "You scared me, that's all." He wants so badly to eat something but he couldn't when he was this nervous.

"Who was that?" Hayley points at the man who was now just got to his car across the street.

"You saw him too?" Castle questions, looking through the bag of food she had just put between them.

"Watching from the window I was. So..." She pauses waiting for him to tell her.

"It was a fake officer..." Castle finally says.

"I can' leave you alone for 2 seconds," She turns her head his direction. "Before you get into trouble now can I?"

He says the first thing that came to mind. "Did you get the part where I said he was a fake, it's not my fault. I didn't do anything." Then he see her smile and realizes that she was missing with him.

"Seeing that he was a fake," Her face turns more serious, "Seriously though what did he really want?"

"To shoot me, that's what. If I gave him the wrong answers." Castle opens a plastic bag of nuts. Spilling some on the floor. He pops a few in his mouth before continuing. "I think he knows that we were watching him. He made up something about break ins."

"He might not be that far off." Hayley calls, staring at them through the binoculars.

"What? What do you mean," Hayley hands him the binoculars.

"Those men, what do they look like to you?"

"Burglars, with weapons of some short."

"Crowbars to be exact." She goes on, then stuffs some food into her mouth.

"Now why would you need that for?" Castle comments, already knowing the answer. "Maybe that's it. Maybe that's how getting away."

"I don't get it," she takes another bite of food. "Then where do the..."

"The fake cops!" both say together.

Castle shivers. That was weird. He had never did that with her before. And only once with his daughter. That was the one thing that he did mostly with Beckett. He shivers again. Don't tell me that...He shakes the thought. Nope not happening.

"Which are coming back this way," He says as he watches not only one man but two this time approach from across the street. "Pretend to be my wife."

"So I'm your wife now." Hayley smiles lifting her eyebrows, "Well, then," That's when she did the unthinkable. She wraps her hand around the base of Castle's neck and kisses him on the lips. And not having that in awhile, he went with it. His hands atomically went around her neck as the kiss deepens. The fake cops stands there watching them. One man this time with the back of his gun, taps Hayley's window. They broke the kiss which Castle was grateful for. He turns his head to the other window away from Hayley, 'what have I just done, I've betrayed...' He slides his hand down his face trying to get rid of tears that he felt now coming. 'If you can hear me, forgive me Kate...' He sniffs, 'Please forgive me...' Then shifting in his seat he faces Hayley again.

"He's gone," She calls, "Now..." Castle opens the car door and gets out. He can't be in there with her anymore.

"Where are you going? You're going to blow our cover!" She shouts at him.

"I need to go on a walk." He responds to her not looking her direction. "I am going to need more then just a walk." He mumbles under his breath.

"No wait Rick," She calls after him as she too gets out of the car.

To Be Continued...