Chapter 21
Having returned from the meeting with Colonel Valentine, Kate Beckett should have been feeling upbeat and hopeful. Hopeful that Castle would be rescued soon and excited to be seeing him again soon. However she was feeling anything but. In the car ride back to the hotel she sat in the back seat silent, staring out the window, lost in thought. Esposito and Ryan had tried to engage her in conversation but her responses when she did bother to speak were monosyllabic that they quickly gave up trying.
At the hotel they had tried to entice her to join them for a bite to eat at the restaurant but she declined. She was not feeling hungry. Leaving them she headed up to her room.
Since leaving the meeting that familiar and unwelcome feeling of dread had returned to haunt her. Trying as hard as she could she could not shake it off. If anything it was much worse than that night back in her apartment. In an effort to distract herself she had called up Alexis and then Lanie.
Kate had not been able to tell them much despite all their questions because there had not been much to tell. Colonel Valentine had not exactly been forthcoming with details about the mission to rescue Castle. That had bothered her a little. It bothered her now even more. Now that she thought about it he had not told her where they were going to meet tomorrow.
Kate could have kicked herself for not asking about where they would meet and when. Something as simple as that and it had not occurred to her to ask. She had completely forgotten.
Looking at the clock on her phone Kate saw that it was eleven o'clock. She knew she should get some sleep. She had a feeling tomorrow would be a busy day. Though the call of sleep was strong and she was tired but she made no move to go to bed. She knew that she would not get much sleep. Instead she went and sat down at the small table.
She covered her face with her hands. Knowing that Castle wasn't all that far away just made her feel anxious and concerned. The feeling of dread did not help things. She did not want to think what was happening to him but those thoughts would not leave her head. It terrified her to think that he could be hurt. She was terrified that the rescue mission might fail.
What terrified her the most was the thought that she might not see Castle again. It scared her that she might never get the chance to tell Castle how she felt about him. What he means to her. It had to take Castle being kidnapped for her to realise how much he meant to her. There had been moments when she had overcome her reticence and had been on the verge of telling him but one thing or another seemed to get in the way. That summer when he had gone away to the Hamptons with his ex-wife still hurt even though she had forgiven him and allowed him back into her life.
Even though she had found Josh who provided some solace and comfort, it was always Castle who was never far from her thoughts. She did not want to think what her life would be like without in him in it.
The thought of never seeing Castle again simply scared her. Despite having her emotions held in check behind a dam wall they suddenly rose up and spilled over, overwhelming her. With her head still in her hand she started to cry. She could not control them and right at this moment in time she did not want to.
A soft knocking on the door caught her attention. Startled, she looked in the direction of the door. She didn't know how long she had been crying. She quickly wiped her tear stained face with a tissue from the box sitting on the table. She blew her nose and then slowly went to answer the door, hoping she looked presentable.
"Yo Beckett."
"What are you doing here?" Kate stepped back and pulled the door open further letting Esposito in.
"Ryan's on the phone to Jenny, thought I'd give them some privacy."
Beckett nodded her head. She didn't believe him.
Esposito turned to look at Kate. Even in the muted light of the room he did not fail to see that she had been crying.
"I just wanted to check in on you." Esposito confessed.
"Lanie talked to you." It was a statement not a question.
Esposito grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Lanie's worried about you."
"Just Lanie?"
"Okay, yeah, me and Ryan were a little concerned too." Esposito said. "You're weren't very talkative in the car. And by the looks of things you've..."
"I'm fine, Esposito." She said cutting him off.
Kate was feeling a little embarrassed at having been caught crying. It was bad enough having a partial meltdown back at the precinct in front of everyone and now to be caught crying by Esposito it was just too much.
"Now why don't I believe you, girl?" he softened it with a knowing smile.
The look on Kate's face softened a little. She could not help but be touched for his concern. She may have been his boss but he looked after her as did Ryan. More often than not they treated her like a big sister. Sure they would tease and rib her from time to time but that was all in good fun because that's what brothers did. And like good brothers they looked after their sister.
"I'll be fine Javier." she said.
Esposito regarded her for a moment before he nodded his head.
"Okay. Better get some sleep Beckett." He told her. "I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a busy day."
He started to make his way to the door.
"Javier." Beckett said.
Esposito stopped.
"Can we trust, Valentine?" It was a question that had been nagging at her in the back of her mind.
His eyebrows rose up on his face as he looked at her. He was surprised by her question. He took a step towards her.
"Look Beckett, the Colonel is one of the best." He said. "Yeah, I served with him so I know what I'm talking about."
"Thanks, Javier."
Esposito reached out and put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. "The number of people who I truly trust to have my back I can count on one hand." He said with a pointed look in her direction. "There's you, Kevin, Castle and Lanie... and Colonel Valentine."
Kate nodded her head and gave him a small smile of thanks.
"We are going to get Castle out, and bring him home, okay? Have no doubt."
Kate smiled and nodded her head, feeling a little bit better.
"Now, get some sleep, girl." He squeezed her shoulder one more time and then left.
XXX
Kate was sitting up on top of the bed staring at the television. It was a repeat of a baseball game she had found on one of the inhouse channels. She had the sound turned down and hoped the game would be distracting enough to keep her mind off the fears that lurked beneath the surface. Hopefully it would send her off to sleep.
A sharp urgent knock on the door had Kate snapping open her eyes. She had been slowly drifting off to sleep. Jumping off the bed she rushed to the door and opened it. A grim looking Colonel Valentine stood in the doorway. Standing behind him were Esposito and Ryan both looking a little sleepy. She wondered if they had managed to get any sleep.
"Come with me." Valentine announced crisply.
"I'll just get my things."
It took Kate less than a minute to switch off the television, grab her jacket and phone before she was flying out the door.
Five minutes later the group had emerged from the hotel and were walking to where a black SUV was waiting for them.
Kate's phone chimed once announcing a text message. She pulled the phone out of the pocket of her jacket and checked the new message. The message was from Captain Montgomery.
Monica Wyatt is behind the kidnapping.
Kate quickly sent a return message: Thanks. Send any further information ASAP.
"Monica Wyatt is behind Castle's kidnapping." Kate announced to her two partners. As they headed towards the black SUV.
"The Slice of Death case." Ryan remarked with a mirthless chuckle.
"How do do you know Beckett?" Esposito asked.
"The Captain sent the message."
"Who's Monica Wyatt?" Colonel Valentine inquired, glancing at Kate.
"A drug king ping that Castle and I arrested for murder a while back." Kate informed him.
"So it's revenge then?"
"Look's like it." Kate agreed.
The group reached the SUV. Colonel Valentine opened the back door for Kate to get in.
Her phone suddenly chimed again. She looked down at the new message.
Wyatt has ordered Castle's killing.
Kate let out a shocked gasp. She stared down at her phone.
"Beckett, you all right?" Esposito asked, even in the street lights he saw that her face had gone pale.
"They are going to kill him." She said in a low voice.
Ryan reached over and took the phone from Kate's hand and looked at the message. He showed the message to Esposito.
"Shit." Esposito muttered.
"Right, people load up." Valentine ordered as he started moving around the front of the SUV to jump into the front passenger seat. "Let's roll and don't spare the horses."
Ryan was the last to get in and the SUV was all ready moving before he had a chance to close the door. Once the door was closed the vehicle gathered momentum and quickly sped away from the hotel parking lot.
XXX
Kate did not know how long they had been driving. She had been staring out the window trying to control the fear that had taken a grip on her heart after reading Captain Montgomery's second text message. Both Esposito and Ryan sat in grim silence beside her.
She was drawn away from her thoughts when the vehicle slowed down and turned off the road. A sign on the edge of the road showed that they were entering the Fort Bliss Military Reservation. The SUV slowed down as it approached the small guard post. Valentine drew down his window and held out an ID to the approaching guard. The guard nodded his head stepped back motioned to his partner to raise the boom gate.
Once past the guard post the SUV picked up speed as it left the paved road and travelled on a dirt road. Driver and passengers were bounced around as the vehicle found every dip and rut on the road. The driver did not bother to offer any apology for the ride he was providing his passengers.
What made the experience hair raising was that that there were no street lights, they were travelling through desert scrub land. The driver only had the head the lights of the SUV to illuminate the path ahead of him. While most people confronted with such a situation would have backed off the speed, the driver driver kept his foot planted on the gas pedal. The Colonel had said not to spare the horses. What the three NYPD detectives did not know was that the driver knew this road like the back of his hand.
Kate had to grab hold of the handhold bar above her head stop herself from hitting her head on the roof. Looking across she saw Ryan had the same thoughts as clung on for dear life. Esposito stuck in the middle was not so fortunate. His head hit the roof a couple of times when the vehicle dipped and then seemed to fly over a part of the dirt road. She heard Ryan let out an amused chuckle when Esposito let out an expletive in Spanish when he hit his head again. He turned and glared at his partner. That only made Ryan laugh even more.
The roller coaster ride came to an end when the SUV pulled into a brightly lit parking lot where a number of vehicles were parked in front of a series of portable cabins. Before the SUV had come to a halt Valentine was out of his seat. The others followed suit as the Colonel marched towards the largest of the portable cabins. Valentine reached the door and held it open for the detectives to enter first.
Kate stared wide eyed at what she found in the windowless room. It was like a scene from some Hollywood movie. Along all the walls were desks with large high resolution flat screen computer monitors. All the desks were occupied with men and women either dressed in military fatigues or in jeans and tee shirts. Some were talking on headsets while others were busy typing away on the their keyboards. Taking it all in, Kate counted ten people.
"Welcome to my ops centre people." Valentine said as he came to stand beside Kate.
"Is this all for the mission?" Kate asked looking at the colonel.
"No, only half are part of the op." Valentine informed her. "The rest work here, we're just using the facilities."
A door opened and two men emerged from the other room. Kate took in the two men who approached. One man was as tall as the Colonel and dressed in military fatigues while the second man was a little shorter and was dressed in a green tee shirt and jeans. He wore designer glasses and looked more like a computer geek.
"This is my 2IC, Captain Jack Wesley." Valentine announced doing the introductions. The captain nodded his greetings. He looked over to Esposito and grinned seeing a familiar face.
"Good to see you Esposito." Captain Wesley said.
"Like wise, captain." Esposito replied.
"And this..." Valentine pointed to the second man, "...is Brains. The best Ops planner around."
The man called Brains acknowledged the praise with a modest nod of his head.
"Ready to brief?" Valentine asked.
"Yes Colonel" Captain Wesley replied. He motioned towards the room that he had emerged from.
Kate was first to enter and found it smaller than the previous previous room. In the middle of the room there was a large desk where there were several computers arrayed on it. On one wall was a large flat screen television. There several small versions on the other walls.
Captain Wesley moved to stand beside the large tv screen while Brains went to one of the computers. The three detectives stood on the other side of the desk facing the TV screen. Colonel Valentine stood beside Kate.
"Team Delta should be at the RV in about ten minutes, Colonel." Captain Wesley announced, checking his watch. "And the Observation Posts have gone active when you gave the stand to order."
Valentine nodded his head. He turned to look at Kate.
"We were going to initiate the mission tonight at 20.00 hours." He informed her. "However we received an intercepted a call from one of our friends that forced our hand."
Kate raised a questioning eyebrow at the Colonel.
"Just like the message from your captain."
Kate nodded her head in understanding.
Brains tapped on his computer and a a sharp but greenish image flashed upon the tv screen.
"Colonel you should take a look at this. This was taken a couple of hours ago from O.P. North." Brains said. "We believe this is the leader of the kidnappers."
All eyes turned to the TV and watched as the image focused quickly and zeroed in on the bald headed man. The man pulled out a packet of cigarettes and put one into his mouth. He lit up the cigarette and slowly exhaled.
"Who is he?" Valentine asked.
"That Colonel is Hector Luis Beltran." Brains informed him. "A real psychopath."
The name sounded familiar to the Colonel he looked to Brains.
"He was a captain in the Mexican army but was caught taking bribes from the drug cartels. He got court martialled and cashiered. He came back and murdered the people who prosecuted him and then murdered their families. Then he fled the country and surfaced over in Africa where he worked as a mercenary, from all reports he was involved in some of the more gruesome mass murders that took place there. He is also believed to have trained some terrorist groups in the Middle East and over in South East Asia. There are also some unconfirmed reports he trained some groups in Afghanistan."
Valentine shot Brains a look. "Go on." He said quietly.
"About three years ago he returned to Mexico where he joined the Juarez Cartel. He rose up through the ranks, mostly murdering any rivals that stood in his way and is now their head of security. One of his favourite forms of retribution is the decapitation of his victims."
"A real charmer." Valentine said grimly.
"Not one to tangle with lightly, Colonel."
Valentine nodded his head. It was good to know what they were up against.
"Do we know if Castle's still alive?" Esposito asked suddenly. He felt Kate's laser like glare on his for daring to ask such a question but he did not turn his head.
Brains tapped a couple of keys on his computer console. A moment later a picture came up on the large TV screen.
"This is an overhead infrared picture of the warehouse where Castle is located." Captain Wesley announced. "We got a loan of a UAV from Customs and Border Protection, it is on station as we speak. It will give us real time information."
Kate stared at the screen. She could see a number of heat spots indicating people. At the top of the picture there was a cluster of red and dark yellow spots. There was another heat spot down the middle and a yellow spot down further near the bottom left hand corner of the picture.
Using a laser pointer Captain Wesley pointed to the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
"This is where we believe Mr Castle is located."
Kate felt her heart do a somersault in her chest when she heard the Captain. She might have been angry at Esposito for raising the question she did not want to think about let alone speak it but that anger had now passed and was forgotten. She felt relived that Castle still alive.
"From the information from the UAV and the O.P.s we believe there are around a dozen people in the warehouse." Brains said. "Including Beltran, though from what the O.P.s report he does come and go."
"Is he there now?"
"Yes, Colonel."
"Patrols around the perimeter?" Valentine asked.
"Sporadic at best."
The man called Brains informed everyone that there was a guard posted at the front of the warehouse and another at the rear entrance. They stood guard for a couple of hours before they were relieved. As for perimeter patrols a pair of guards made slow circuits of the warehouse once an hour.
"The two sentinels can be taken out by snipers." Brains said in a dispassionate tone of voice. "If there any perimeter patrols we can take them out as well."
Kate should have felt shocked at the way the man was speaking. Under normal circumstances she would have been and would have raised objections or protested, perhaps even arrested them but this was not a normal situation. These people were holding Castle captive and a quick death would be the least of their problems if she ever got her hands on any of them.
Brains tapped the keys on his computer. The infrared picture vanished to be replaced by a schematic layout of the warehouse.
"So how are we going to play this, Brains?" Colonel Valentine inquired.
"I think fast and furious, don't give them a chance to react once we've taken down the guards." Brains replied. He then proceeded to detail exactly how he mapped out the operation. It took about ten minutes and in the briefing he didn't leave anything out.
The Colonel grinned and nodded his head he liked what his Ops man had come up with.
"What about medievac?" He asked.
"I have a medievac chopper at Biggs Air Field on five minute alert." Brains informed him.
"And if the need arises for a hot extraction?"
"There'll be a pair of Blackhawks airborne on a regular patrol along the border so if a hot extraction is needed they'll be able to swoop in and pick you all up. Other wise you leave the same way you came in."
"And the border posts?"
"They've been tipped off so they'll be waiting to let you through, both sides of the border, Colonel."
Valentine nodded his head. He went over the plan in his mind trying to find anything that could go wrong, to find any flaw that might ruin the mission. He had seen enough combat to know even the best and most meticulous plans could go awry once the bullets started flying. After a few moments of thought he could find nothing wrong with the plan Brains had come up with.
He looked across to Captain Wesley.
"Jack any objections or questions?"
"None, sir." Captain Wesley replied simply.
"The mission plan is approved." Valentine announced finally. He glanced at his watch. It was two thirty.
"Jack brief the men. We roll in half an hour. I want this over and done with before dawn."
"Yes Colonel." Captain Wesley replied and left the room.
Colonel Valentine turned to look at Esposito and Ryan. He grinned at the two detectives.
"You two up for a bit of excitement?"
"You bet Colonel." Esposito said excitedly.
"Yeah count me in too." Ryan added, a grin on his face.
Kate watched the exchange. She was expecting the colonel to turn to her and also invite her along as well. It took her a couple of moments to realise that they were going to leave her behind. Her face clouded.
"I'm coming too." Kate announced.
Colonel Valentine looked at the detective with a look of surprise. Esposito as well as Ryan turned to look at her. Colonel Valentine regarded her for a couple of moments. Then he spoke.
"No."
"I'm coming along, Colonel." Kate insisted.
Valentine stared angrily at Beckett who stared right back at him with equal anger.
"Gentlemen," He said tersely, still holding Beckett's glare. "Can we have the room, please?"
The other men in the room looked at the two combatants and then at each other. Slowly they shuffled out of the room.
"You're not coming on this mission, detective." Valentine said once the door had been closed.
"Well I'm sure as hell not sitting around here." Beckett shot back.
"I said no." Valentine said firmly, as if this was the end of the argument.
Beckett placed her fists on her hips and leaned closer to the Colonel. Her face hardened as she stared at him.
"I can take care of myself, colonel." She said in a cold hard voice. "In case you've forgotten I'm a New York Police detective, I bust into places nearly every other day not knowing what's on other side without the luxury training drills, so I can handle myself if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm sure you can handle yourself." Valentine replied. "You're still not coming."
"The hell I'm not!"
"No." Valentine said in a low but controlled voice. "It's too dangerous for you."
"Yet you're taking Esposito and Ryan."
"It's too dangerous for a woman. What happens if you get captured or worse wounded? These bad guys aren't squeamish when it comes to raping a wounded woman."
"I'll take my chances, Colonel." Kate replied. She had read some of the stories in the papers and it sent a shudder through her at the time. "Look, that's my partner being held captive and there is nothing and no one in this world who's going to stop me from going to get him out is that understood?" she said heatedly.
Valentine regarded the woman standing on the other side of the table. He could not recall the last time some one had stood up to him with such conviction. In the special forces it was an accepted custom for subordinates to give their opinions when planning missions, it was encouraged, members of small teams had to trust each other implicitly. Once a decision was made orders had to be carried out. Valentine could not help but be impressed by the woman standing before him. At the corners of his mouth there was the beginnings of a smile.
"He must be a very special man." He mused aloud.
"It's Richard Castle."
Valentine waved his hand at her. "I know who he is, it's not what I meant. He's very special to you."
"He is." Kate could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.
Colonel continued to regard Kate as he thought about whether to let her come along on the mission or not.
"All right you can come along." Valentine announced suddenly. He held up a finger at her. "But you'll do exactly as I tell you, is that understood detective?"
"Understood, Colonel."
Valentine nodded his head. "I'll show you where you can get changed." he moved to the door and opened it for her.
"Thank you Colonel." She said as she passed him.
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Your thoughts would be most welcome, dear readers.
Regards
Con