Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.
A/N: 464 that is the number of reviews I have gotten for my story and still I am completely and utterly shocked at such a large positive response. Honestly when I first wrote this I thought I would get like 100 max, but you guys/gals have just been so incredible it means so much to me. In honor of that I hearby bequeath another chapter on our very own Castle day! This one is definitely full of fun and a little more light hearted. I want to point out so people remember, since it's been so long since the start, that everything we learned watched season 3 isn't known in this story so some things that is introduced as new information is actually new info for the characters. I am really happy with this, and actually did rewrite one section because it got over complicated. I hope everyone enjoys this and the action, and inevitable conclusion of what is going down is coming up! I am actually surprised that no one has guessed why they are after Castle since I technically did give it away earlier in the story, if you know to look for it =D Anyways like always feel free to comment, question, criticize, discuss, or just plain old bug me in a review as I appreciate them very much. Now Enjoy!
Chapter 28: Listening In
"You know they aren't going to be able to give us anything right Castle?" Beckett asked as they walked out of the back door of the diner and immediately turned towards the nearest subway station.
Subways, according to Castle, were horrible places to go if you were being followed actively since the destinations were very specific, however if you weren't being tailed they were a great way to travel without anyone like a cab driver remembering your face or leaving a paper trail. Beckett had thought walking would be safer herself, but Castle had quickly pointed out that there were thousands of cops patrolling the streets looking at the people walking along them while subways were very sparse in comparison.
"I thought partners had each other's backs no matter what. You know like when Esposito was covering for his ex-partner during that entire corrupt Internal Affairs officer case," he asked while wrapping his arm around her slipping back into their cover of being a couple. That was another of Castle's disguise tips, drawing attention to yourself but on your terms. When she called him out on it being from "Wedding Crashers" he had jokingly said that they must have had a CIA guy on staff since he had learned it back in the 90s. Either way it did seem to work since no one glanced at them twice when they walked by, and so far no one had even hinted that they recognized him as the celebrity author that he was.
"We do care about each other, and if this was still an NYPD investigation we could count on them. The FBI getting involved and looking over their shoulders is going to make it way too hard for them to try and slip us any information without putting their own jobs at risk, not to mention possible jail time. They know I wouldn't want them to ever do anything like that and that if they even try I would turn myself in just to kick both of their asses," Beckett stated plainly with a little exasperation.
"Oh yea I completely forgot about the FBI since they haven't really been around that much," Castle said with a little far away voice.
"I figured," Kate sarcastically commented. "Now if the boys try making any type of inquiry into where the car is the FBI are going to know immediately and be swarming the place before they let Ryan and Esposito out of their sight to even make a call to us. Not much more we can do without our own leads or getting to the place before the cops."
"Well… Beckett what if I was to say we could figure out where that car was parked as soon as they do?" Castle asked looking and sounding slightly nervous.
Glaring up at him Kate's voice was level and demanding, "Castle! What. Did. You. Do?"
"Well you know how I may have had someone lift Lanie's x-rays and leave a couple of phones lying around in the precinct?" he asked receiving a nod from her in return. "Well I may have also had some bugs placed on each of your desks."
"You bugged my desk!" she demanded leveling her patented glare in his direction.
"Well in my defense you three were trying to hunt me down and arrest me at the time, and besides I had Esposito's and Ryan's bugged too," Castle said looking quite a bit like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Where did you put it Castle?" Kate forcefully asked even stopping to stare him down.
"You know those Russian nesting dolls on your desk? Well there may be a listening device in one of those," he said looking at her trying to appear as innocent as possible.
"The minute this is over you will remove it from my desk and you better make damn sure I am around to watch you do it, understood?" she asked in a threatening tone moving her face inches from his own.
Nodding his head Castle watched as Kate turned around and headed back towards the subway entrance. Breathing a sigh of relief Castle knew he was lucky. While the bugs on Ryan and Esposito's desks were in fact new, the nesting dolls on Beckett's desk had been there for months. He had placed them there the case after he had introduced Kate to Agent Gray. Part of it was done because he had been reminded briefly of his secret agent days, but another part was because he wanted to be sure no one from the agency tried to contact Kate to inform her about his past. Thankfully she didn't seem to remember when he had given her those dolls or he would be royally screwed.
Suddenly Beckett stopped in her tracks and went stock still. "Wait a minute. Castle those dolls have been on my desk for MONTHS!" she yelled turning to look at him.
And now he was royally screwed.
(BREAK)
An hour or so later the two of them were sitting in a parking garage, only a few hundred yards from the precinct, with their heads together sharing a pair of earphones. After Beckett had given him a thorough dressing down about giving her gifts that had hidden meanings, and then about invading her privacy, the two had stopped at another one of his locations to pick up a few choice items before heading over to the 12th. Specifically they had picked up the receiver for the bugs and then a racing bike that Castle had in storage.
Kate had been a bit taken aback when she saw the bike sitting there in mint condition, because frankly she couldn't picture Castle owning something like it. Seeing the bike had caused her to talk about her own, and then in jest comment on how between the two of them she had the more manly bike. Castle's response, while initially defensive like she had expected, had perfectly turned her own comment around on her.
*FLASH*
"This sure is a nice bike you got here Castle, but I am surprised you went with something so girly," she said teasing him about the fact that he had a racing bike.
"Girly! Kate there is nothing girly about a Ducati," he said with a huff of protest.
Laughing at how he was taking it as a shot against her pride she couldn't help but slip in some of her own personal information. "Compared to my Harley Softtail your bike kind of makes your look like a pretty princess. I am just surprised you didn't go with a more manly bike like an all American Harley, after all you can't beat the noise of a Harley," she said with a flirty tone and a teasing glimmer in her eye.
Instead of trying to defend himself and back pedaling like Beckett expected Castle instead got a cocky little teasing grin on his own face before leaning in and saying, "I think the 70 extra miles per hour of my bike more than make up for all American noise of a Harley don't you?"
*FLASH*
That statement hadn't left her much wiggle room to argue with him, after all her Softail barely broke 100 while his bike was rubbing up against 200. Even Kate had to admit it would take much more guts to push the Ducati to its limit compared to her Harley. Either way she had definitely appreciated his offer to go riding with her sometime when this was all over. In the meantime having her arms wrapped around his muscular torso as they leaned into turns together was more than enough for her at the moment.
Her thoughts were interrupted however when she finally heard Esposito's voice from the other end of the earphone she was listening in on. Finally he seemed to be in contact with the company that ran their latest victim's car's GPS system and they were running a trace. Hearing that he was put on hold Kate asked Castle what they were going to do next.
"Ok let's say that he says the address out loud, then what are we going to do?" she asked.
"Chances are the cars been dumped already, but that doesn't mean they were very thorough in how they got rid of it so we can search it real quick. Between the fact that we have a bike that doesn't make traffic an issue, and that they will need to mobilize a team just in case the killers are at the car, we should be able to get to the car before they do. As for how I know Esposito will say the address out loud, well you probably noticed he has that annoyingly consistent tendency to always double check an address with whoever gives it to him," Castle explained with a little smirk to let her know he was joking on his last statement.
Smiling in return Kate's grin only grew when sure enough Esposito reread the address back to the GPS company to make sure he had it correct. Popping the ear buds out she watched as Castle stuffed them back into his jacket before putting his helmet back on as Kate did the same.
"Ready to go check out a deceased spy's car that was stolen by terrorists?" he asked with a humorous grin on her face. Smiling she slipped her arms around his torso as he started the bike.
"Sure thing, that is if your girly bike can get us there before the cops," she said teasing him once again over his bike choice.
Her jesting was cutoff suddenly as he opened the throttle of the bike causing her to squeak in alarm and slap her visor closed before hugging his back as hard as she could. Pressed up against Castle's warm back Kate couldn't help but admit that a bike that could get from 0 to 60 in just over two seconds was definitely pretty manly.
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