Guardian Angel
Chapter 19
Grooves flank the bridge of Kate's nose as Rick rakes in another pot. "Castle, do I have a tell or something?"
Castle's eyebrows ripple in a mini impression of a wave. "Kate, if I told you that, I wouldn't be much of a player, would I? But when you're off suspension, if you really want to know, you should watch the tapes of some of your interrogations. See what you do when you're bluffing."
"You were taking notes?"
"Mental notes when I was in the room with you, physical ones when I was stuck in observation. You are outstanding, Kate. It took me a while to sort out your tactics. Going in cold, your perps would never have a chance."
Kate presses the tip of her finger to her bottom lip. "That's comforting — I guess. But are you going to give whatever you think my tells are to Nikki Heat?"
Reaching across the suite's small table, Castle brushes his fingertips over the back of Kate's hand. "I couldn't do that to you. Nikki will share your brilliance, your compassion, and definitely your hard-headedness, but your tricks of the trade are off-limits. I would never do anything to hurt you, Kate. I need you to know that."
"So, if you were writing a scene like this for Nikki, how would you do it?"
"Well, I told you I was planning to call the book 'Heat Wave.' You know how Con Ed is when we need air conditioning the most — brownouts and blackouts. Anyway, the city would be without power. Heat and Rook — Jameson Rook, intrepid investigative reporter — would be at her place. I haven't figured out the details yet. But somehow, her foot ended up connecting with his jaw, and she feels a little guilty. She'd put some ice on it for him, but of course, with the electricity out, she doesn't have any. So they fall back on alcohol as a pain killer, and things go on from there."
"Go on to what?"
"I haven't written it yet. We'll both have to read the book."
"Are you in pain, Castle?"
"I was when I didn't have a character that allowed me to pour myself out on the page. But not now. How about you? My author's eye tells me your stopper is still jammed in pretty tight. Pressure can only build up so far, Kate, before something blows."
"He's right about that, Katie-girl," Johanna inserts.
"I'm fine," Kate insists, "but alcohol and cards do go together."
"Only if you add salty snacks," Rick adds.
Kate points at the minibar. "There's all kinds of junk in there."
Crossing the room, Castle hunkers down in front of the pricy repository. "Whew! Six bucks for water, and it isn't even French. And who knows how old those chips are? We can do better than those little airline-style booze bottles, too. What's your favorite wine? Or would you rather have the hard stuff ?"
"We'd better stick to the wine," Kate decides, "if we're going to pull off our masquerade tomorrow."
Rick picks up the landline and punches the key for room service. "Sancerre, sauvignon blanc, hot chips and dips platter, priority platinum."
"Priority platinum, Castle?" Kate questions.
"Code for 'Add the extra charge for moving your ass.' So, where were we? Oh yeah. You just lost a huge pot. Ready for the next hand?"
"After you as much as told me you can read me like a book? No more cards, Castle. How would you feel about Monopoly?"
"I'll have the concierge send up a set. Ooh! I hope he has the 'Star Wars' version.
Castle regards his rapidly dwindling cache of scrip. "Kate, have you ever considered becoming a real estate mogul? You'd clean up."
"I'd rather catch the guys menacing society than be one." She drains the last of the wine in her glass. "This is good. I think it might be my new favorite."
"Then, I'm glad this evening had a positive outcome of sorts, but I really should be getting home. I need to get up early to consult with Mother about our undercover raiment and see Alexis before she leaves for school."
"Of course. Thanks for hanging in with me." Kate leans across the table, meaning to peck Castle's cheek. Or, she thinks that's was what she means to do - until her lips meet his. Rick pulls her to him as they rise from their chairs as one. Stretching on tiptoe, Kate cups the back of his head, deepening the kiss. As heat surges through them, Castle pulls back. "Kate, if I don't go now, I may not be able to leave at all. What do you want?"
Kate steps back. "I want you, Rick, but…"
"The timing sucks."
Kate swallows hard. "It sure the f*** does."
Rick wryly smiles at her. "Not the best choice of words. I'll see you tomorrow, Kate, as soon as I get everything we'll need together. We'll put on our little charade, and I guess we'll just have to see what comes next."
"Yeah, I guess we will," Kate agrees. "Good night, Rick."
"Good night, Kate."
"Camo? Really, Castle?" Kate demands, surveying the outfits Rick laid out on the suite's king-sized luxury bed. "What good is camo in New York City? It doesn't blend in with concrete."
"I know," Castle agrees, "but survivalists like it. I saw a proposal once, for a space force with camo uniforms. They weren't all bad. The insignia were cribbed from Starfleet, but some genius thinks there's greenery on the moon. Anyway, the cargo pants have all kinds of cool pockets. Lots of places you can hide your piece."
"You think I'll need it, Castle?"
"I hope not, but I know you're more comfortable with it on you somewhere. I haven't seen you take it off since you came to the Golden Bowl."
"You weren't here when I took a shower, but," Kate concedes, "I did keep it within reach. So, what's our cover story?"
"We saw something on Facebook about an asteroid almost hitting the earth, and we've been survivalists ever since. We can also try to slip in something about thinking our neighbors might be spies for 'the other side' — whatever that is. That would give us an excuse to talk about listening devices. Oh, and I did get a text from Izzy. He said that mercenaries favor listening devices that fit the specs C.S.U. sent you on the bug we found. It's possible our hitman might have served in special ops and moved on to something more lucrative overseas before settling in to ply his murderous trade here."
"That could be useful to know. Thank Izzy for me."
"I did. And I arranged to send him a case of Flaming Moe. He can't get enough of the stuff. So, are you ready to slip into character?"
"Sure, I'll change in the bathroom, if you want to change out here."
Castle dons his own gear while Kate is gone, and whirls to check her out as she emerges from the facilities. "The braids are a nice touch, Kate. Very woodsy. But something is missing. We are supposed to be husband and wife, aren't we?"
"Yeah, Castle, so?"
Castle reaches into the pocket of the pants he's just shed and pulls out two gold bands. He slips the larger one on his finger and hands the other to Kate. "These are just props, but Mother promised that none of the jewelry from the costume house will turn your finger green. We'll look convincing enough."
"OK," Kate responds, hesitantly slipping on her ring. "I guess we're ready."
