Author's Note: I'd like to thank phnxgrl, southerngirl1, and TORONTOSUN for their reviews. phnxgrl: I miss CSI:NY, so I like including Jo Danville from time to time. TORONTOSUN: If you've seen Nikita (the Maggie Q version) then you should recognize my inspiration for The Gentleman in the character Percy. He dressed and spoke very well, but he had a cold and dangerous killer hidden just beneath the surface. Also, we are getting close to the conclusion on the Shadow Fox trilogy (not this case though), so The Gentleman will be making a few more appearances. And yes, Alex is planning something...

This chapter starts when our favorite couple arrive home. Enjoy!

Chapter 37

Rick opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses before taking them into their bathroom and handing one to Kate. She was reclined in the tub, bubbles up to her chin, soaking in the hot water. Kate accepted the wine and smiled her thanks. Rick smiled at her and then grimaced as he sat on the toilet seat lid.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "My ribs are just a little tender. Sure I can't join you in there?"

"I'm trying to soak out the knots, not make love. Besides, I don't think your ribs would appreciate any vigorous activity in a confined space like this."

"They're bruised, not broken."

Kate stared at him and he finally smiled sheepishly. "You know what I'm talking about. Our bed is a better place for that anyway. It's softer, more romantic."

A playful twinkle crept into his eyes. "Is that a promise for later?"

Kate laughed. "Massage my shoulders and you've got a deal."

Rick moved to sit on the edge of the tub, set his wine on the floor, and started to work the muscles of her shoulders. "Is that better?"

She closed her eyes and moaned in pain and pleasure. "Yeah. I think the accident gave me whiplash. My neck and shoulders have been stiff all day."

"You didn't say anything."

"There were more important things to worry about." She groaned as he hit a knot. "Oh, right there."

"Yeah, I feel it." Rick's nimble fingers kneaded her shoulder and eventually the knot was worked out. "Anywhere else?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. That feels amazing."

Rick massaged her neck and shoulders for several minutes. Kate groaned and winced whenever he found another knot and would sigh with pleasure when her muscles relaxed at last. Sitting on the edge of the tub eventually became painful for Rick though, and he had to stop. He gently touched Kate's chin and angled her head to give her a kiss.

She sighed. "Mm, thank you."

He moved back to the toilet seat. "No problem."

Kate settled back against the tub again. "I feel much better now. Thank you."

"Happy to help. How's your forehead?"

"I haven't looked at it yet. I'll do that when I change the bandages."

Rick picked up their now empty glasses. "I'll grab the first aid kit. Did you want a refill?"

"No, thank you though."

When Rick returned with the kit a few minutes later, Kate was out of the tub and closing the tie on her robe. He set the kit on the counter and Kate kissed him as she moved to stand in front of the mirror. She peeled off the gauze pad and looked at the cut. It wasn't deep or large. The paramedics had cleaned up the blood and cleaned out the cut before putting a bandage over it. She was lucky; it could have been a whole lot worse.

There was a little blood on the gauze she had removed. Looking at it, Kate felt there should have been something over the cut to close it better. Rick had a similar idea and handed her the Steri-Strips. She put two strips over the cut to hold it shut more and then covered it with a new bandage. Rick put the kit away and they met back up in their bedroom.

"My turn."

Rick was confused. "Your turn for what?"

Kate smiled. "My turn to take care of you."

"Oh."

She took his hand. "Come, sit."

He sat on the edge of the bed and Kate knelt behind him to give him a shoulder massage. He hadn't realized just how stiff his shoulders and back had become from the crash. He groaned as Kate slowly increased the pressure to relax his muscles gradually. In time, his body began to feel more loose and at ease.

At the same time, Kate started to get playful. Her hands roamed his chest and she kissed his neck. Rick didn't want her to be left out of the love, so he turned his head and they locked lips. Kate's arms were wrapped around his body and she undid the buttons on his shirt, helping to remove it from his shoulders before tossing it aside. He stood up enough to turn around while keeping his mouth glued to hers and joined her on the bed.

Rick's T-shirt was discarded soon after, and the tie on her robe had been undone enough to give his hands easier access to her skin. Kate tangled her fingers in his hair and leaned back, pulling Rick on top of her. Her robe fell open and she moved her hands to the front of his waist to undo his pants.

Rick stood up and removed his pants and boxers quickly. Kate sat up again and threw her robe off as well. She then knelt on the bed to capture Rick's lips in a kiss again, his erection pressing against her stomach. Their hands roamed each other's bodies in a familiar dance, each giving pleasure to the other in the way only they knew how. Kate's hands ghosted over Rick's ribs and he winced.

She pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry."

He sucked in a couple quick breaths and relaxed. "It's okay. You just hit a tender spot. That's all."

Kate backed up on the bed. "Lie down."

Rick smiled as he complied. "Yes, ma'am."

Kate curled into his side as she woke up, careful to avoid touching his tender ribs. "You okay?"

Rick smiled into her hair. "Stop worrying about me. I'm fine. More than fine after all… we did last night."

Kate smiled. "Glad you liked it." She reached over to her nightstand and shut off her phone's alarm. "Are you coming to work before your flight today?"

"Help me dress and I'm at your disposal."

Lanie was just arriving at the morgue when Beckett and Castle pulled up. "Good morning, you two. Did your accident affect your sleep?"

"Castle was a little more restless than normal." Castle glared at her and Beckett smirked without missing a step. "How about you?"

Lanie sipped her coffee as they boarded the elevator. "Unlike the last multiple, I did get some sleep last night."

Lanie clocked in and said hi to her colleagues on her way to her office. Beckett and Castle followed, eager to hear what Lanie had found on the three men who worked for The Gentleman. They entered Lanie's office and she hung up her coat before grabbing the files her friends were interested in.

"Okay, Dvorkinov, Havisham, and Medvedev. Vladimir Medvedev was the one who got stabbed by Alex. Wound depth and angle are consistent with her previous victims, as is the knife she used."

Castle was trying to see over the top of the folder. "Did she hit the kidney this time?"

Lanie looked up with a smirk. "Yes, she did. He also had bruises all up and down his upper arms. I'm thinking he was held so he couldn't escape."

Beckett looked at Castle. "That means he was targeted by Alex for trying to kill me. But this wasn't revenge; she wasn't trying to protect me. She was ordered to by The Gentleman because he tried to kill me without his permission." She turned back to Lanie. "Anything that might tell us who else was involved?"

Lanie shook her head. "Any chance for DNA was washed away in the river. We won't be able to find who held him that way."

"What about the other two?"

"Apparently Alex had a couple more throwing knives. And she was more accurate. Both Havisham and Dvorkinov had stab wounds that pierced their hearts. Death was almost immediate."

Beckett looked at the wound molds Lanie had made for Havisham and Dvorkinov's wounds. "You found similar wounds for the Robinson victims?"

Lanie nodded. "Yeah. And the wound depths are almost identical for each man."

"Time of death?"

"All of them died around the same time. No more than two hours after they crashed into you."

Castle gave a low whistle. "Failure is killer in their camp."

Beckett nodded. "Did you find anything else on the bodies from Robinson's?"

"Besides doing wound molds to confirm the weapons, there wasn't much more for me to find. Alex didn't leave any DNA or prints on their bodies…"

Castle interrupted. "Makes sense. She was wearing gloves in the video."

Lanie continued as though there hadn't been an interruption. "And there weren't any fibers, dirt, or other types of trace to tell us where she started or was headed. Sorry."

Beckett nodded. "That's okay, Lanie. At least you tried."

Lanie handed Beckett three folders. "Everything is in there."

"Thanks, Lanie."

Castle called the elevator and then his phone chimed with an incoming text. "That's Gina. She wants me to come by the office before the flight. Probably to pick up my itinerary and tickets."

Beckett hit the button for the lobby. "I'll walk you out."

Castle held open the front door for Beckett as they walked outside. "I'll call when I get to the airport and when I land in L.A."

Beckett smiled. "You don't have to check-in with me every few hours."

"With The Gentleman out there, I just want to let you know I'm okay. And I want to hear your voice so I know you are too."

"I see. Well, in that case, by all means, call away." She kissed him. "Keep your vest on and be safe."

"Always."

Castle hailed a taxi, Beckett embraced him again, and he left to start his book tour. Beckett returned to the bullpen. Esposito and Ryan were digging into the three men they'd had to add to their caseload last night. From the looks of the board, nothing new had been added. Tory was in the video room with a map on the board next to her.

Beckett hung her coat on the back of her chair. "What's Tory up to?"

Ryan looked up. "She's trying to track the getaway vehicle to a final destination."

"Wouldn't that be nice." Beckett went to stand in front of the board. "Where are we at?"

Esposito joined Beckett. "We're looking into Medvedev. Immigration has him entering the country on a work visa three months ago, but he has no work history, credit history, cell phone records, nothing. He crossed the border, got a driver's license, and disappeared."

Tory walked out of the video room. "I lost them."

Beckett followed Tory back into the video room. "Where?"

The IT specialist pointed to the map on the board. "Here. They went into a parking structure. Cameras inside the structure were down for an hour that day around the time those men went in. I've checked all the cameras around the building. They never leave."

"What?"

"Unless there's another exit I don't know of, the men who ran into you never left the parking garage."

A/N: This was supposed to be the last chapter, but it got really long, so I split it. Next chapter is the wrap up of this case. What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Leave a review with your predictions and we'll see. Stay tuned!