Delancy smirked; the bullet had whizzed past his left ear and landed somewhere in the plaster wall behind him.

'You broke your promise.'

'Then how about this?' Beckett put up her weapon so it was pointed towards the ceiling, and she reached for the communicator on her belt, discreetly turning the channel to Karpowski's frequency. 'This is One-Lincoln-Forty, I have a ten-thirteen at four-six-three Avenue D, the abandoned paper-mill warehouse. All available units.'

She heard the crackled voice return, 'Copy One-Lincoln-Forty, be advised ETA of available units is ten minutes.'

It would be less than that, as they were on foot less than a block away, but Delancy didn't know that; he was too puffed up on his own importance to have a dispatcher's communicator with him. He sincerely believed he'd walk out of this without a single mark against him.

'Look at that, little girl, expecting the system to serve you, to back you up. It couldn't help Camilla,' he said and Beckett heard the bitter grief in his voice, willed the mother in her not to soften. 'Why should it help you? What makes you think with all your power and all your guns and your clever quips that you are going to save the day now?'

'Because I'm smarter than you could possibly think, Delancy. I knew exactly who and what Cowlan was when Adam and I interviewed him. I knew solving my mother's death and the work that Jarrad Brennan put in to it was more than just a wild goose chase. In my opinion they died heroes, doing what you swore to do and never did.'

'And what's that?'

'Justice.'

'Justice,' Delancy spat. 'Like hell you know what justice is about. If you did, you would have followed through on your promise and put that bullet between my eyes.'

'That's where your wrong.' Now she aimed her weapon as she heard the soft noise of her men moving into place. 'Unlike you, I know that it takes more than beating the weak and killing off threats to be a real cop, and I don't deliver my justice on the end of a bullet. That man over there?'

She pointed to Adam, whose wheezing breath was loud and echoing in the empty space of the warehouse. 'He knows more about justice than you could ever dream of. You saw to it he was forced out just like his father was, only when you sent your goons after him to silence him for good, he turned the tables on them and now he's the one who's going to get the better of you.'

'The better of me.'

'Yes. As did I, Detective Katherine Louise Beckett-Castle, and so is Detective Kevin Ryan, Detective Esposito, and Captain Roy Montgomery. And so are the rest of them. In here!'

She lifted her voice and suddenly the warehouse was full of cops in full SWAT and riot gear, hollering at Delancy to drop his weapon. Beckett kept her face on his as he went to his knees, letting the Glock drop noisily to the floor. He put his hands on his head and as much as Beckett wanted Adam Brennan to see it, to have the satisfaction of putting the cuffs on this murderous, traitorous bastard himself right now she would settle for him conscious with a heartbeat.

'Check on him,' she heard Esposito order one of the officers in full gear. When he pulse-checked Adam's throat, he nodded, then pulled out a radio to signal the paramedics. With that single subtle movement, Beckett put the safety on her weapon, jammed it in its holster and took out her handcuffs.

'Sean Delancy,' she began, 'you are under arrest for the murder of Officer Matthew Montrose, Detective Christopher Spitzer, Captain Frank Cowlan, conspiracy to murder Julio Robinson, Officer Matthew Montrose, Detective Christopher Spitzer, Captain Frank Cowlan, Detective Timo Ross, Captain Mike Doran, Angela Doran, Christine Doran, Detective John Raglan, Jennifer Stewart, Scott Murphy, Johanna Beckett, and Officer Jarrad Brennan, and the abduction and attempted murder of Officer Adam Brennan. Further charges will be made known to you when you are processed at the Twelfth Precinct of the New York Police Department.'

She paused, and leaned in. 'You will not take the easy way out.'

'No, because I'll beat this. My people in the right places will see me through.'

'My people are better than yours. Your people are done.' Beckett motioned for Ryan and Esposito to help her lift the man to his feet. 'And I will be there every week at the prison, until the needle goes into your arm, and every time you see my face, it will give you hell like you've never known.'

When he was on his feet, Beckett went to walk him out with her men and then looked at Ryan and Esposito who'd stopped dead in their tracks. The others had lowered their SWAT rifles and weapons to their sides and were all staring at Beckett.

'What the hell is this? We have a prisoner to transport.'

She looked at Ryan and Esposito and to her utter amazement, they stood at attention and snapped a full salute. 'Detective,' they chorused, and held their position, making a lump lodge hotly in her throat.

As Beckett walked towards the entrance of the warehouse where they'd swarmed in, the others formed a flanking gauntlet, each one saluting her with a respectful 'Sir!' as she walked past until she reached Captain Montgomery. It was a jolt to see him out of his smart suits and in the soft-black of riot gear, the shield braced on his left arm and the strap of the rifle on his shoulder.

'Detective, you have an officer down who needs your attention. I'll take this from here,' he said with the quiet authority that spoke volumes more than any blow Delancy could have delivered.

Beckett nodded and when the others broke their formation, began to do their cop thing, Beckett raced over to Adam, where the uniformed officer, who still had his riot helmet on, was just finishing slipping Adam's swollen arms through the chair rungs.

'Officer, you can take that off, I doubt we're going to be tear-gassed,' she told him, then felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw she wasn't looking at Newman or Geoffs or even Julian but Castle's merry blue eyes.

'What, you thought I'd let you go through this alone?' he teased her, and love burned brightly for him as it had never done before in her chest.

'Help me get him off this damn thing,' she managed to get out.

It was an effort as they needed to preserve evidence but at the same time they needed to get Adam medical assistance. They moved him out of the way, closer to the door for the paramedics, and Beckett knelt on his left side with Castle on the right and she cradle his beaten, broken face in her lap.

'Adam, come on, come back to us now,' she told him. 'Can't have you going down on my watch.'

'Ka...tuh,' he managed, and with what Castle knew had to be a Herculean effort, he slitted his puffed up eyes open just enough for them both to see he was still in there. 'Shuh...no...'

'You're lucky I've had two kids so I can tell what your saying, Officer,' she laughed, eyes welling up; she couldn't stop the tears and knew no one would give her grief for it.

'No...cuh...ry...'

'Now you sound like RJ,' Castle commented in a thick voice, then cleared his throat as he heard the unmistakable sound of EMT boots clomping quickly over the cement. 'You know you'll be an even bigger bad-ass to him now, right?'

'Cu...ki...'

'He's a very cute kid. He gets that from his daddy,' Beckett told him as she shared a look with Castle, then looked up and got another surprise when she saw Dave Robbins and Jayla Amos there with their kits and gear. 'Dave, what are you doing here?'

'Our bus was the closest,' he replied, 'and my specialty might be neo-natal and pediatric trauma but I know how to handle this.'

'He's been smashed in the face at least three times,' she began and felt Dave's comforting hand on her shoulder.

'It's okay, Kate. I'll take care of him from here. You and Castle can ride with him to the hospital.'

'Where are you taking him?'

'We'll go to Saint Vincent's,' Jayla said briskly, give Adam the once over for pulse and airways. 'His injuries are severe but non-life threatening. He can make the trip.'

'I'll follow you.' Beckett thought of Christine Doran. 'There's someone there I have to see anyways.'

'We'll see you there,' Dave told her and Beckett let Castle they did their job.

'It's their turn now, Kate,' Castle murmured as helped her off the floor; he could see her wheels turning when she looked around the warehouse full of cops. 'You should get checked out too.'

'I'm fine,' she started, then felt his fingers tighten on her arm. 'Okay. For you.'