Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.
A/N: Definitely the final stretch and I think all of you will be able to see that we are definitely nearing our end fast and with some strong purpose! I love the reviews and I am sorry I haven't been able to respond but still is broken so I have had to remain silent. Thank you for your great words and I hope that this is a good gift for everyone on this auspicious Castle day. I'm going to keep this short and sweet since the season 3 finale airs tonight which I can't wait for. Despite my misgivings about the show and my uncertain future with it I still think tonight's episode will be great!
Please review, comment, criticize, or do anything you please in regards to this chapter. Nearing the 600 mark and I am so honored so many of you think so highly of this story. Thanks so much and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 36: Behind You
Looking at the two men through the scope she saw Sokolov reach to pickup the phone just as he she felt Castle nudge her shoulder. Glancing at him she saw he was holding an ear bud in his hand with its twin already firmly placed in his ear. Taking it Kate managed to put it in just as she heard Sokolov answer the phone.
"Hello?" the deep Russian voice asked in obvious confusion.
"Sergei I hear that you have ties to one Vasily Makarov and that he has recently come to you for aid. I find myself suddenly having a proposition for you in regards to our mutual acquaintance," Castle said.
"Who is this?" Sergei asked not giving anything up.
"I am the man that has caused poor little Vasily to come running to you in fear. He killed a friend of mine to try and draw me out and apparently he didn't release exactly who he was asking to come out and play." the voice Castle used had become deadly serious and listening Kate couldn't help but entertain a mental image of the younger CIA agent Richard Rodgers standing on a roof in Russia scaring the wits out of a contact.
"And how do you think this concerns me?" clearly Sokolov did not want Vasily to know that he was speaking to the very people that Vasily was running from. Kate had to admit the guy was playing it very cool and it looked like he wasn't intending to pick a side until he knew which would benefit him greater. The man wasn't stupid at all, he definitely didn't have any loyalty whatsoever, but he sure wasn't stupid.
"Because Makarov can be connected to a car bomb that went off earlier in the day, ten of his associates are currently in custody with the New York Police Department and FBI, because if Makarov brings you down it will be on charges that even you cannot dodge. I want Makarov Sergei, all I am asking is that you deliver him to me and I will leave you alone," Castle said.
"I will think on it, do you have a number I can reach you at?"
"I will contact you in two hours with an address to meet. Make sure you brink Makarov and this entire thing can go away," Castle said establishing the deadline.
"And if I cannot find him in that amount of time?" Sergei asked clearly trying to explore all of his options.
Chuckling Castles' response was priceless, "That shouldn't be too hard my friend, you just have to turn around." And with that Castle hung up the phone.
Quickly looking through the scope Kate witnessed Sergei tense up in shock over what he had just heard before his eyes quickly darted out the window in realization that Castle had been watching him the entire time. Turning to glance at Castle she saw a 'cat ate the canary' grin on his face.
"That was sooo Jason Bourne!" he exclaimed with childlike glee.
Laughing at his antics, and because only he could turn a deadly serious situation into a completely silly one in a matter of seconds, Kate started to pack up while chuckling. Gathering their things together they quickly stood up and started towards the fire escape near the opposite edge of the roof. They both needed to be gone in a matter of minutes because they knew it would only take that long for Sokolov to get his men to search the area for them.
"Do you think he will deliver Makarov or try and double cross us? Because from experience I can tell you trusting gangsters and mob bosses doesn't really turn out well," Kate said.
"Depends on how Sergei balances the risk vs. rewards. If whatever Makarov promises is worth risking his clean record for, then yeah he will be coming armed to the teeth and try to take us down. But, if Sergei decides that Makarov isn't worth the risk then he will have no problem tying him up and tossing him our way. Sergei isn't exactly remembered for his loyalty," Castle said as they moved down the fire escape to the waiting bike they had left in the alley.
"Plan for the worst and hope for the best?" Kate asked as much as said.
"Now your thinking like a spy!" Castle said with a large smile on his face. Putting on their helmets he started the bike and they sped into the night.
(BREAK)
"I got something!" an FBI agent shouted from the desk he was currently working at causing every agent involved to divert their attention. As they crowded around his desk the man flipped his listening device to speaker confident that even if someone was too loud it was being recorded anyway. Ryan, Montgomery, Esposito, and every FBI and NYPD agent in the vicinity were listening intently.
"Hello?" a voice with a deep Russian accent, but that still pronounced English clearly, asked.
"Sergei I hear that you have ties to one Vasily Makarov and that he has recently come to you for aid. I find myself suddenly having a proposition for you in regards to our mutual acquaintance," the well known voice of a certain writer was heard.
"That's our boy alright," Esposito said confirming the identity before everyone's attention was back on the speaker.
"Who is this?" the Russian voice asked again.
"I am the man that has caused poor little Vasily to come running to you in fear. He killed a friend of mine to try and draw me out and apparently he didn't release exactly who he was asking to come out and play."
"And how do you think this concerns me?"
"Because Makarov can be connected to a car bomb that went off earlier in the day, ten of his associates are currently in custody with the New York Police Department and FBI, because if Makarov brings you down it will be on charges that even you cannot dodge. I want Makarov Sergei, all I am asking is that you deliver him to me and I will leave you alone," Castle's voice was as cold as ice and even some of the officers who knew him since his first days were caught off guard by its intensity.
"I will think on it, do you have a number I can reach you at?"
"I will contact you in two hours with an address to meet. Make sure you brink Makarov and this entire thing can go away,"
"And if I cannot find him in that amount of time?"
"That shouldn't be too hard my friend, you just have to turn around." And with that last foreboding sentence there was a click as the line went dead.
"The phone line called was registered to one of Sergei Sokolov's offices. The alleged head of the Russian mob in New York," the FBI technician working the phone stated causing some of the people who had been around to see Sergei's rise to power suck in a sharp breath at the realization of exactly how serious some of these players were.
"Was this live?" the lead FBI agent, Special Agent Burrows, asked.
Upon receiving a nod from the technician he and Montgomery launched into action. As Burrows started to coordinate information about Sokolov and getting people to tail him Montgomery worked on the Castle and Beckett angle.
"Ryan, Esposito. Get all of the traffic cams for a five block radius from the address that phone is registered to. Castle and Beckett have used a bike before so start looking for those. I want to know where they were and where they are going and I want to know now," Montgomery commanded as he went to go coordinate with Burrows.
While the FBI and the NYPD had definitely not started on the best of terms, with the Feds assuming that the NYPD were all guilty from the start, it had turned into a relationship that had actually ended up being one of mutual respect. Burrows had acknowledged after Ryan and Esposito had turned up with some suspects that had been gift wrapped that giving the locals a loose leash would be more beneficial. Montgomery had realized then that the Feds weren't anything like people you hear about in the media and that Burrows was quick to react and change his game when he realized something wasn't working. Roy being a practical man saw that the guy prescribed to the philosophy 'if you do the same thing you get the same results' and he respected a man who was willing to admit he was doing something wrong and work to correct it. From that point on they had mutually shared information and had worked together to help solve the case.
"I have men moving to Sokolov's known establishments with orders to keep their eyes open but not make their presence known. I also have my men looking up anyone with the last name Makarov that has come into the country or could have ties with this case," Burrows said filling in Montgomery.
"Look for a Makarov that has ties with the KGB I get the feeling that this guy is more than just your average tourist. Meanwhile we are scouring the city for Castle and Beckett using traffic cams to try and find what their destination is," Roy said going on a hunch from what Agent Gray had mentioned days before.
"Fact of the matter is we don't have any solid evidence against this Makarov guy to finger him as the actual person behind this, let alone any evidence he killed Miss Monroe. The only tangible evidence for a still wanted suspect is the hair in the helmets we found in the library. I'm betting that leads us to your girl and her shadow and because of that they become our main focus," Burrows said explaining the situation from his standpoint to Montgomery.
"Beckett is a damned good Detective and Castle is practically just as good. If those two are drawing Makarov out then the best bet is to setup surveillance and try and catch them red handed. If we surround their meet and play our cards right we may be able to let those two force a confession and wrap this entire thing up with a nice bow," Roy said.
"So even if we find them before this meet you want us to wait and see what happens?" Burrows asked clearly a little put off by the idea.
"I'm saying that these two aren't going in this without a plan and if I know my people they plan on getting this guy to confess to killing Felicia Monroe and if possible they will try and get Sergei Sokolov on something as well and bring down the entire Russian Mob. I understand the risk but if they are willing to take it then I say we give them the chance they need," Montgomery said with conviction and determination in his voice.
Thinking it over eventually Burrows gave his answer, "Ok Roy, if we have a choice we'll give them a chance. Let's hope they can bring this entire thing down like a house of cards."
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