Chapter 21 – The plan goes astray
"I'm not so sure this is a good plan," Castle stated his eyes roaming the bar, scanning the patrons. People were from all sorts of backgrounds, all there for mostly the same things; to have drink and some fun. Patrons ranged in age from the twenty year olds to people in their fifties. But the majority were in their mid twenties. So many gorgeous women surrounded them.
Castle's attention returned to Kate. He wasn't enjoying this plan one bit. He leaned close to Kate so she would hear him, "This is not what I envisaged earlier today."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Kate countered looking at Rick's concerned eyes. He was behaving unusually edgy.
"And I don't like what you're wearing here in public." He glanced down at the black pieces of clothing she had been given to wear.
"Really Castle? We're going back there? This afternoon you said it didn't matter what I wear."
"I've changed my mind. It does matter." He set his jaw. He disliked the fact that other men were checking out his woman when she was barely dressed.
"Castle," she threatened, finding his behaviour too out of character.
He stared at her face, noted her expression that told him to quit it, but he chose to ignore her. "I should have insisted we not become involved with this plan."
"We couldn't get enough people to help us Castle." She replied but refrained from adding that Demming and Shaw had encouraged her to be there because she was similar to the women who had already been taken.
"We had other options." He looked at her eyes as he thought about the evening he originally had planned for them. It hadn't involved putting themselves out there in public as bait or to watch over their colleagues.
Beckett heard Castle's negative tone loud and clear as she peered briefly over his shoulder in search of Ryan and his partner, a young detective from the narcotics division who had keenly offered to do some undercover work. The woman also had a similar complexion to Kate. Attractive tall brunettes had been their criteria when they had sought female undercover operators to participate. Kate soon spotted the pair at the opposite side of the bar acting as they had been briefed earlier. Chat each other up. Simple. Those two were pretending they had met at the club which is what she and Rick were also meant to be busy doing except Castle was complaining. She brought her attention back to Rick who was oddly hesitant to participate in their undercover work. She had thought he would have jumped at the chance to be involved, to play a sort of James Bond. Then it occurred to her he'd stated once again that they had had other options. She leaned toward him and almost shouted over the noise of the club, "What did you have planned? Stay in so you could play games with your computer buddies sort of plans?"
He creased his brow at her, "No!" He shifted in a little closer to her face. "I had a surprise for you."
"I thought you would love playing spy. All you have to do is pretend you're keen on me."
"I am keen on you. I don't have to pretend."
"Then pretend to want to get to know me more." She ordered.
"I spent the greater part of the past five years doing just that and I'm still getting surprises."
"So I thought it would have come naturally to you, that is faking it tonight." She placed her hand flat to his left shoulder and smiled seductively, her eyes flicking between his mouth and eyes, "What else did you have in mind with your options, Ricky?"
He laughed at the way she called him Ricky, then replied close to her ear, "You're gonna kill me when you find out what I had planned for us."
She pulled back and glared in to his eyes. "Seriously, you're gonna play that card and make up some elaborate story that you really had plans?"
"What?" He squawked, an octave too high then leaned in and said closer to her ear, "I did have plans for us. It was a surprise for you. Why do you think I encouraged you to buy that evening dress the other day?"
"So I would have a new dress to wear? And the shoes? Castle!" Kate glared at him, shifted on her heels, huffed a few expletive words. She then punched him on his left shoulder in frustration.
"Owww!" He clutched her hand to stop the next hit he expected and glared back at her. "I wanted to surprise you."
"Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Because you're a cop and we're trying to save lives." He forced her hand down then let go of it, physically telling her not to inflict him with pain again. "You said at the lake house you wanted to find Alison's killer. You were upset because you felt you failed her and now Michelle Parker is missing and you want to find her."
She broke the stare first and flickered about the night club in search of Tom Demming and his blond bomb shell partner he had also hooked up with. Castle was right, as usual as she had said his exact words. She sighed. She looked back at him and this time pressed her palm softy against his chest. "Sorry. I did say that." She leaned to him and gave his lips a kiss. She stayed there when she felt his response. It was only when she was satisfied he was okay with her apology that they parted. "Do you see anything odd going on Castle?"
He glanced around the room then returned to Kate's eyes, "No, nothing but a bunch of people trying to drink until they forget their woes," Rick touched her bare shoulder, his fingers then finding a strand of her long dark hair he twisted around his index. He leaned in closer to her ear, "My gut instincts are telling me to take you home and lock you in the loft where you are safe."
"That's illegal." She replied but it did amuse her that he wanted to protect her so.
"That's the only reason you're not locked away." He moved away and cast his eyes over Kate's body, his brow furrowing once again, this time with concern. She smiled back at him, quite aware of what thoughts were going through his mind. He visually assessed what little clothing Kate wore. She didn't have these skimpy pieces of clothing in her wardrobe. He hadn't even seen anything similar in her kinky box of stuff she had recently moved to his loft. Had they had some fun with the contents of that box. If they had been in privacy at home, he wouldn't mind at all seeing her dressed as she was. Being in public dressed like that was a completely different matter.
The skirt she had been given to wear was skimpy. Exactly that. And much to Rick's dislike barely covered her bits. He had to admit had they still been at home he wouldn't have minded her wearing the skirt so much. He had seen her in her underwear when she had dressed for the mission, and was pleased her bits were well covered by her panties, but the skirt was high on her thighs and low on her hips. The top she wore was as equally revealing. Once again the clothing was lucky to cover her bits. Her bra was visible and she had only worn that because he had refused to let her leave the Precinct without wearing one. Her waist was exposed showing her fair smooth skin and several brown moles on her back he loved. She wore high heeled black boots that made her legs long and shapely. She did look hot.
It had also exceptionally rubbed him up the wrong way that she had applied heavy black mascara and eyeliner to her eyes. Oddly, he did like the way the heavy mascara made her eyes appear quite green. He also liked the deep red lip stick that constantly gained his attention.
Her hair that he still played with was loose, hanging in gentle waves, her copper highlights contrasting the black outfit she wore. The flashing lights around them made her hair shine. She'd fluffed it up for the outing.
The whole situation and the risky plan they were involved in, had Rick in severe conflict with his male instincts to protect what was his.
As she leaned in to him again he said, "I really should have locked you up at home."
"You can't lock me up at home Castle. This is not the eighteenth century and anyway, we're ok. We have plenty of back up." She looked down at her tall slender body then back to Rick. "I look ok."
"For my bedroom yes. Public no."
"Castle," she laughed, "You don't like this outfit?"
Rick momentarily pondered on how to answer. His opinion was divided to that question. She was one of the few women he had known throughout his adult life who could successfully and stylishly get away with being dressed however she pleased. Her clothing was completely different on her days off compared to what she wore to work. Her versatility and broad taste in clothing amused him. "I love the outfit, if I was about five minutes away from luring you to my lair." He stroked back her hair and kissed the side of her neck as though he were teasing a new conquest. He felt her body quiver in response. It caused him to smile in acknowledgment he still had his old touch with women. They always loved the way he touched them and she was no different to any other.
"Well I would wear this out to the right place."
He momentarily stared at her to check she was being serious. "That is one of the odd things about you, Kate. You are confident about your appearance out in public and you don't care how much flesh you expose."
"That's because I know what clothing I look great in. I see it in your eyes."
"I know. And you're not shy to let others know how good you know you look." He touched her chin, "But on the flip side of that, you don't see that you are as equally attractive as Rebekah is."
"Ohh Castle, she is gorgeous. I don't come close to her."
"It's the opposite. You ooze sexiness that Rebekah completely lacks. She envies you. She can see it." To make it harder for Rick he had to confess to himself he found it incredibly appealing and sexy seeing Kate in public in her outfit. It was conflicting and confused him. The outfit was sexy without being slutty. Castle's anatomy was busy reminding him of that fact. When he did take her home he would definitely take advantage of the situation.
He looked across the darkened room to Demming who was pretending to chat up his work partner Detective Dreamy as Kate referred to her. Rebekah was in a tight skimpy red dress her blond hair loose and damn sexy. Castle could see Demming was having a hard time keeping himself under control. Kate noticed and rolled her eyes. "Demming wants her so much." Castle said.
"I thought he had already had a thing going with her."
"I think he's had a taste of her."
Kate turned to face Rick full on. "We have to pretend you are chatting me up, Castle."
"I can do that." Rick looked at her, watched the way she subtly sexually provoked him. He stood taller and glanced between her eyes, her lips and her cleavage. "Did I tell you how hot you look in that?" He asked hoping she heard him over the noise of the night club.
"I can see it in your eyes," she replied and smiled. "You know how to chat up a woman, Ricky?"
He laughed aloud and wiped his nose, gazing around the night club searching for anyone who might be watching Kate. He was not able to distinguish any abnormal activity. He looked back to her and decided to turn it into foreplay for later. "You want me to show you how I pick up a woman in a night club?"
"There's not much action in this place and I'm getting bored." She stated giving the collar of his shirt a gentle tug.
"Bored," he repeated.
She glanced around the bar not seeing any odd behaviour. She then leaned over to his ear and said, "I would love to see you pick me up in this night club, Darling." She stood back and gazed into his eyes with an alluring expression.
He bit his top lip trying to hold back a grin, then said, "Alright Beckett, I'll show you how I hook up with a woman." He crowded her personal space and touched the side of her cheek with his finger tips. He truly wanted a taste of her, to feel her, to be inside her so he let all that show physically on him. She welcomed him in, closing the space between them using her hips to push against him. He knew she would feel how hard he was for her and by the smile that spread over her face and the way her eyes glistened she had felt him. He leaned in for the kiss he desired. She leaned back so that only their lips briefly brushed.
"Tease," he whispered and saw her smile widen.
"You really want me to tease you?" She enticed.
"I would love for you to tease me. I would love it if I could find a piece of wall in this joint to fuck you against but Esposito has already said to me that's what I want to do so I have to behave like a gentleman."
"Espo said that?"
"You know he would say that. He's stirring me up." He grinned boyishly and leaned into for another kiss, this one lingering a little before he pulled back.
"Really Castle, you would do that to me, here?"
"Do what?" He questioned fully aware of what she was asking but he really want to hear her say it.
"Fuck me against the wall in the night club"
"Any night club and I know you'd be up for it." Castle teased noticing how seductive her eyes were now. She liked the idea but he figured she would play coy with him. It was part of their game. He grinned cheekily. Even the idea of her doing it with was enjoyable to experience.
She mouthed the word wow with her red lips, which is what enticed him to draw her closer by her waist. He kissed her lips with a little trepidation as though it was the first time he had ever kissed her. She trembled with excitement. He pulled away with a knowing smile over his face. His little firecracker was going to be fun when they got home later.
Detective Demming made his way through the crowd of patrons until he was beside Castle and Beckett. They were inside the second nightclub the one the two women had last been seen in. and they had been roaming the place for about an hour. He took Kate by the upper arm and said, "There's nothing going on tonight. We'll meet out front at midnight."
"Hey Demming." Castle chipped in. "Seen anything?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary in a place full of people in a night club," he replied then leaned to Kate and said, "Bring writer boy with you when you leave." He smirked at Castle.
"I'm thinking of leaving him here," Kate replied. "He's driving me crazy. He keep saying he sees something suspicious and each time it turns out to be nothing."
"I think we're all doing that," Demming replied, "We live with the hope that if we capture the crooks we can go home to bed.
"What time do we pull the plug on this assignment?" Castle asked Demming.
"Midnight. Meet out the front at midnight."
"We'll be there." Kate replied. She took hold of Rick's hand and continued to lead him through the crowd away from Demming not wanting anyone to notice them talking for too long.
Close to midnight, with her fingers firmly wrapped in Castle's hand, Kate led the way through the crowd towards the exit. Nothing had happened that evening other than plenty of foreplay. It was time to meet the gang out the front. Once they were all accounted for they would catch a taxi home. She was looking forward to continuing their little game in the back of the cab. She clutched his hand at times feeling his body come close to her back. The fingers of his other hand were constantly in her hair, resting on her shoulder or hips. Nowadays they were completely in sync with each other and could communicate without saying a word. She felt him direct her to the left and she went that way realising he was taking her to the cloak room to collect her coat.
As she weaved herself between the people who crowded the night club a bulky bouncer caught Kate's attention. He looked directly at her as he pointed to his right at an opened door way. Behind her Castle softly directed her arm in the direction the bouncer pointed. Kate stopped before the massive man.
"I need to go to the cloak room." She shouted so he would hear her over the noisy club. She pointed towards the cloakroom which was directly down the hall.
"You have to go that way." He replied with a thick New Zealand accent.
Kate glanced back to the Rick than as they gave be redirected, she walked through a doorway. She stopped as Rick spoke to the bouncer.
"Why can't we go that way?" He stood his full size to the guy, not intimidated at all.
"We have a patron who has fallen ill. We need to clear the area."
Kate waited for Rick to accept the reasoning then once he gave her the go ahead she walked the way she was guided into a smaller room. She sighted the doorway to her right the bouncer had directed her to. At the same time she felt Rick pull back a little and heard him say hello to someone which wasn't a surprise to Kate. He was often recognised in public. He laughed and she felt him catch up to her.
"Who was that?" She asked over her shoulder.
"No friggin' idea. Let's get your coat and get out of here. I want to get you home to our bed."
"On my way." She said figuring it was one of his fans and keen to go home, she led them on.
Seconds later Rick's hand that was resting on her left shoulder suddenly gripped her then let go. "Kate!" He called out in a panic.
She turned about to see Rick was collapsing to the floor behind her. "Castle!" She cried and went to his aid. As she stepped, something pricked her bare back just below her neck. She spun about. Her legs gave out on her and she was falling. She was aware somebody caught her failing body. Everything went black.