She took the binoculars away from her face, and looking at the smug face of the smirking Castle, she pressed her lips together in mild displeasure. Rick's not thinking straight again!

- He will be," Kate sighed, and went back to her old occupation, "unless someone stops bugging me.

- It's not me! - Castle even recoiled. Covering his face with his palms, it was like he was lost for a moment. - Я... I was just assessing the angles. On such a wide window sill as this, you can lie not only lengthwise, but also across. By the way, what do you see now?

She swung the binoculars smoothly, biting her lip cautiously, chomping disappointedly through her teeth.

- Eight guards emerged from the car, Tong still out of sight.

- He is very cautious and prudent, and at any moment could appear from anywhere.

With a melancholy yawn Castle scratched the back of his head in contemplation, when suddenly an alarming shadow flashed across his face. With an unintelligible, squelching sound, he yanked Beckett so sharply on his belt that he literally threw her into the middle of the room. She almost dropped the binoculars in surprise.

- Have you lost your mind? - She bit her lip angrily and jammed a finger into his shoulder. Kate's bangs slid down her forehead and she started blowing on them, trying to get them out. - Why pull with such force? Shouldn't she have asked for it?

Rick didn't even flinch. Squatting by the window, he pulled Kate with him, forcing her to obey. She sank down beside him, watching him sideways to see what he was thinking. He looked away, embarrassed, and sighed in frustration.

- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. To yank you around so much. It's just that we almost got spotted.

- Who? - She ran her hands over her face and raised her eyebrows in surprise. - I didn't see anyone else besides the guards.

- Look over there, across the street.

Kneeling down, they peered carefully over the window sill. Now, even without the optics, they could see the line of people on the fire escape of the next building. A tall Chinese man in a gray denim suit stood out among the motley-clad men. Walking up the stairs, he simply snapped his fingers without turning around, and there was a guard at each landing.

- Do you get it now, Becks? If we don't want to blow the party early, we don't want to be seen by these tough guys!

- Of course, Captain Hindsight! After all, it's none other than Eddie Tong himself! And if we suddenly miss the deal, how will we then justify ourselves to Gates?

They sat on the floor, side by side, their backs against the wall. While Kate nervously wound a strand around her fingers, Castle found her free hand for a gentle handshake.

- We urgently need a plan B! Another surveillance location! - Beckett squinted her eyes tensely, staring ahead of her. - Do you have any options?

Rick perked up that hour, and his eyes lit up with a cheerful frenzy.

- You know me well, Beckett, there are always options.

She shook her head in agreement, then brushed a hand lightly along his forearm, brushing away some grime.

- Tell me, we're running out of time.

He ran the back of his finger gently down her cheek, and then, looking at Beckett sideways, he whispered softly and cryptically:

- Just one thing, Kate. I propose a little mayhem!

- Mayhem?! - she was even confused by the impertinence and unexpectedness of the proposal. Whatever Castle was up to, it reeked of a gamble even thicker than the previous one.

- Such a little outrage! - Overly proud of himself, Castle fervently affirmed. - I'll sit on the windowsill, with my back to the window, and you watch over my shoulder. That way we can control the situation, and no one will suspect us of anything!

She pulled away slightly, and looked at him in surprise, not knowing whether he was joking or serious.

- Castle, you're crazy, you know that?

- Beckett, you make it sound like praise! - his big grin knew no bounds.

- What makes you think it's a good idea? - She bit her lip warily.

- I would have noticed the man with the binoculars sticking out the window too, and there's a reason Tong left the guards on the stairs as cover. So we'll just have to act natural for a place like this.

Suddenly pale, Kate couldn't believe her ears.

- Castle, what does the word "natural" mean?

- Come on, Beckett, relax and don't take my words literally. And don't forget the time pressure!

After thinking for a while, Kate obediently nodded.

- Well, have it your way, but without the excesses.

- I don't know that word," said Castle nonchalantly, rising to his feet and pulling Kate gently after him.

- Well? - she looked questioningly into his face.

- Well what?" he glanced over the familiar, so willing body, the sight of which gave him a fever pitch, and only the slightly tense expression on Kate's face kept him from immediate action.

- Kate, are you nervous? - Castle squinted at him inquisitively.

- Maybe... a little..." Kate stood close to him and lowered her eyes ashamedly. - I feel like you and I are under the gun.

She was in the middle of the night, and he took her hand, fingering it with his fingertips, turned it palm upward for a light kiss, watching her bewildered smile with a sideways glance.

- It's from nervous tension. Relax, Kate, the universe and I are always there. And our rambunctious behavior is only natural, because no one ever sits quietly in a place like this. Just listen to what's going on in the rooms next door.

And indeed, they were surrounded by a lot of recognizable sounds: rhythmic creaking of beds, languid sighs and screams of voluptuousness in another's language.

- Yes, Castle, this is a real SODOM.

- It's a brothel, what do you want? Everything here is permeated with an aura of crazy sex," he ducked a little, pulled her to him, and leaned against her cheek, murmured softly in her ear:

- To make it easier for you, pretend that you and I are at home, and you can feel me with every cell of your body. Just trust me.

- I do! - She hugged him tighter. - I feel weak next to you.

- Weak? - He looked at her with genuine surprise.

- Yes, but you are the first and the last to hear about it. So promise me we won't lose control.

- Kate, I can't make impossible promises.

He put his palms on her shoulders and, squeezing lightly, pulled her to him. He nipped his nose into her loose hair and exhaled noisily, pushing the hot air down her neck.

- If Gates finds out what we're doing here, besides snooping, we're in trouble!

- If you don't tell her, she won't find out," he murmured softly.

His voice and the hot palms of his hands roaming all over her body caused Kate to sink to the floor. Pulling her even tighter against him, Castle ran his palm over her inner thigh, unceremoniously pulling the tight skirt up to her waist. Pressing his hips against her luscious ass, he rubbed lightly, causing her to deflect and repeat his motion in response.

Рука Касла легла на её шею, наклоняя ещё больше вперед, другая прижимая, гладила живот, постепенно спускаясь все ниже и ниже.

Kate closed her eyes and rested her spread arms on the window sill, bending in half and pressing herself even harder against the man's aroused groin. His fingers through the thin fabric of her panties squeezed and stroked her pubis, making her settle even more.

- Castle, m-m-m-m... let's not go overboard! I asked you to! - Beckett said in a low voice, feeling like she was losing her battle with common sense. - We're gonna lose all the bandits!

- Overkill? No excesses! When you're this close, you drive me crazy! When a woman dresses like that for a man, she should be ready for anything!

He pushed harder on the soaked fabric of her panties. With a shudder, Kate moaned, and her hands treacherously trembled and began to bend at the elbows. In a last-ditch effort to break free of the hot and inviting embrace, she leaned forward and straightened, pulling away. She grabbed the binoculars again to make it more convincing.

- I... we... We're going to blow the whole operation! No, no, we can't!

- We can... Always..." Castle exhaled, pulling her panties down again and slowly pulling them down. Squatting down, he pulled them off, running his hands down her shapely legs. The white, rounded buttocks and the wide, lacy elastic on her thighs were right in front of him, and he couldn't help but lightly bite her bottom, then kissed her lightly. He bit and kissed again. Kate jerked in surprise, but didn't pull away, slowly but steadily sinking into a gentle, body-pleasing frenzy. His fingers, scratching, slid down her stockinged thighs, clinging to the pattern on the kapron.

Castle straightened to his full height, and Beckett, sensing his arousal, pressed her hips against him even harder. Pulling her hair back, he began to kiss her neck, biting her skin a little and burning her with his breath.

Lightly squeezing her swollen breasts, Castle ran his thumbs over her nipples, and Kate moaned long, passionately. One of his hands insistently caressed her firm breasts, kneading and teasing, the other slid down her belly to touch the soft hairs. Castle lingered for a moment, smoothing and tangling in them, then moved on until the hot fingers reached their target.

Beckett tensed, all of her, and the binoculars danced in her hands, preventing her from focusing on the image. Her eyes closed treacherously, and waves of pleasure coursed through her body. And Castle's caresses grew more insistent and frank. Bringing Beckett to the limit, Castle stroked and squeezed her pubis; gently plunging his fingers inside, increasing the friction until Kate lost complete control of the situation.

The binoculars slipped from her weakened fingers and crashed onto the window sill, causing her to open her eyes for a moment and stare out the window unseeingly. She curled up, and inhaled convulsively, losing her grip on the window sill with her chest, arching her lower back even more. Excitement surged with great force, her whole body was on fire, her skin was covered in sweat. Biting her lip, she held back moans bursting from her chest. Leaning over, Castle bit Kate's neck, and at the same time he pressed her clit, excited to the limit. Unable to hold back any longer, Kate cried out and twitched in an excruciatingly pleasurable spasm of orgasm that enveloped her.

It was as if the strings had been stretched to the breaking point inside her. Kate lost the last of her strength and began to sink, losing her balance. Having picked up such a soft and supple body, Castle carefully set her beloved on the cool plastic and stood between her spread thighs, holding the flaccid Beckett tightly to him, kissing softly now on the top of her head and then on the lips. And Kate gradually came to her senses, returning to reality.

Wrapping her palms around his head, Kate drew it to her lips, kissing the soft lips gratefully. Pulling at the edge of his shirt, she pulled it out of his jeans. Gently touching her fingers to his bare skin, she stroked his chest and stomach, slowly going down to his belt buckle. Castle took a deep breath, quieting a shiver of arousal. Finally, having dealt with all the clasps and zippers, she ran her fingers down the waistband of his jeans and the elastic of his briefs, slowly pulling them down. The gun fell out of his waistband and clattered against the floor, but that didn't matter now because she was gripped by wild passion.

Kate moved to the edge of the window sill and clutched her legs apart behind Castle, pressing herself even tighter against him, seeking the long-awaited touch of his aroused flesh. He kissed her, taking the initiative more and more firmly, and was about to come in when suddenly...

As if frantic, the walkie-talkie crackled and squealed, and a loud voice announced Gates:

- Attention! Tong's men are on the move! The final phase of the operation is about to begin!

They both winced in surprise, and Kate broke the kiss and pulled away slowly.

- Oh, hell, why now?! - Castle said grudgingly, pulling her to him again, but Kate adamantly rested her hand on his chest.

- Rick, let me in," Beckett said quietly, "please.

Castle reluctantly obeyed. Looking at him with regret and pain, carefully, trying not to touch the aroused flesh, she jumped down from the window sill and with quick movements adjusted her clothes.

- I'm sorry," Kate said and gently pressed her lips to his, then leaned over, picking up the glock from the floor. - Use the cold water, Castle, and... and catch up with me.

With her gun at the ready, she swung deftly over the windowsill, leaping onto the landing of the fire escape, and the exasperated Castle heard only the pounding of her heels.