AN: Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews for this story! I really appreciate them!
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.
Kate's eyelids flutter, the fog clearing from her mind as she begins to open her eyes. As her vision becomes less blurry, the brunette notices a throbbing in her head. Grimacing, her fingers reach for her head, massaging her temple. Uogh, what happened again?
She searches her brain for the previous events and then recalls the blue eyes as the last thing she had seen. Right, Alex had attacked her. As she sits up, the teenager notices she is most definitely not in her room. And looks like he had kidnapped her too. Great.
Looking around, Kate's surprised to see the room to be fairly normal, nothing like those tiny cells captives are kept in on all those crime shows she's watched over the years.
The room's wood panels give off a warm vibe, with furniture to match. There's a bookshelf next to the fairly comfortable, she admits, bed she sits on. A small chair is nestled in the corner, a good sized-lamp next to it. A tv with rabbit ears sits a few feet from her bed, along with a small wooden dresser. Finally, a door to her right opens to what appears to be a small bathroom.
Swinging her legs over, the brunette rises from the sheets and walks over to explore the smaller room. To her shock, there's even a shower on the farther part of the bathroom. Hmm.
Trotting over to the bookcase, her fingers trace the spines as she inspects the variety of books and magazines on display. Quite a few of her favorites are present, as well as ones she's been intending to read. Huh.
She's about to check out the chair when she hears a door open above her. Glancing around, she decides to hop back into the bed. She lays herself down, closing her eyes in the hopes of appearing asleep.
The sound of the door opening, along with an amused chuckle, reaches her ears.
"I know you're awake," he rumbles, sounding more entertained than annoyed. His footsteps are barely muffled by the carpet as he strides over. A second later, a finger pokes her leg. "Come on, let's get this over with."
The statement has her lids flying open, her body sitting up as she fixes a glare on him. "Get this over with?" she hisses. "You...you attacked me and kidnapped me!" Her voice grows higher with each word, and he makes no attempts to stop her. "I trusted you! We talked for days, and you seemed so normal. But it turns out you're not."
She refuses to admit a small part of her is bitter because she thought he was interested in her.
"Are you done?" he questions, eyebrows raised.
"Why did you do this?" she asks, gesturing around the room. "What do you want me for?"
"I didn't have a choice," he murmurs.
"Yeah, right," she grumbles, gazing down at her hands.
"I'm not lying." Sighing, he shakes his head. "Someone...hired me to take you. Something about the case your mother's working on." Her stomach sinks at the mention of the elder Beckett. "I don't really know the details, but it was either this or..." he hesitates, causing her to glance up. Uncertainty colors his features as he continues, "Or a more permanent solution in regards to your mother."
She cringes, holding back the urge to vomit at the connotation of his words.
"Why do either?" she demands.
He shrugs. "I really need the money right now." Pursing his lips, he says, "Look, I chose this option to keep you safe. Plus, I don't kill."
"Well, that's reassuring," she bites.
"I don't expect you to believe me, but I'm telling the truth."
She snorts. "And why do you need the money so badly? Can't you just take another job? A decent job?" She's not quite sure why she's asking him this. Why is it her business if he gets a good job?
"I need it because my-" He starts, but is cut off by the sound of a doorbell. "Shit, that's him. Crawl under the covers and pretend you're still knocked out."
"But-"
"Just do it," he begs before leaving the room.
Relenting, she throws the sheets over herself, closing her eyes in an attempt to look asleep. As footsteps descend the stairs, her stomach turns, unsure if she can really trust Alex.
Looks like she doesn't have a choice.
"Do you have her?" a voice demands as soon as Alex opens the door. The man shoves past him without preamble, his eyes and hair hidden by sunglasses and a baseball cap. How cliche.
"Yeah, she's in the basement," Alex states, leading the man to the entrance. He opens it, carefully watching the man's reaction. There is none, of course.
"Did she fight?"
Alex snorts. "Of course." He restrains himself from touching the scratch marks left by their struggle. Damn does she have nails.
"Stubborn as her mother," the man grumbles. "Hopefully, Johanna sees the error of her ways and can have her little girl back."
Alex grunts, not wanting to have any input into the whole damn thing. It's never a good idea to provide your own opinion. The guys who hire him usually don't care anyway.
Throwing the door open, Alex ushers the man inside. Relief floods him as he notices Kate under the sheets, supposedly unconscious. At least she listened to him. He really doesn't want to know what would happen if she tried yelling at the man next to him.
"No restraints?" Disapproval colors the man's voice.
"They won't be necessary." Alex waves a dismissive hand. "Both doors to the basement are locked and can be only opened from the outside. She won't be getting out, trust me."
He can feel the man's uncertainty in his gaze.
"They say you are the best, so I'm going to trust your judgment." The man's glances around at their surroundings. "It's quite cozy." Sarcasm fills his tone, making the kidnapper roll his eyes.
"Yeah, well, she hasn't exactly done anything wrong," Alex mutters. He's not going to treat her like a prisoner just because her mom's nosing into something she shouldn't. Well, as much as he can get away with until he's told to reign it in.
"That's not the point," the man snaps. "Her mother needs to back off. Her daughter looking healthy isn't going to do that."
"I know what I'm doing." Pursing his lips, Alex raises an eyebrow. "Well, you saw what you came for. I trust you can see yourself out?"
"Fine." The man waits a beat before going to leave, then turns around. "You would do well to watch yourself, Rodgers. You have your own life on the line if you screw this up."
"Noted."
The man stomps his way back upstairs, leaving Alex alone with his captive. He glances down at her, smirking as he spots her lips twitch. Once he knows the man is gone, he says, "You can get up now."
Kate immediately rises, scowling. "I'm guessing that was your boss?" Alex nods. "No love lost there." Sighing, her eyes flick around. "How long do you think-" she begins, but he shakes his head.
"It's all up to your mother."
Frowning, she furrows her eyebrows, thinking. He tries to not linger on how adorable it makes her look. "Rodgers?"
She heard that, damn it. "My last name."
"Oh." She's quiet after that, unsure of what else to say. He doesn't blame her. After a moment, he goes to leave, figuring it's best to leave her alone for now. However, she calls to him. "Is-is your mother actually sick?" Confusion and distrust swirl in her irises. Confusion because she's not sure why she's asking; distrust, for, well, the obvious reason.
He's tempted to lie, but decides against it. He doesn't want her hating him more than already does.
"Yeah," he says. "She's actually why I'm here." A humorless chuckle escapes him, causing her eyes to widen. "Guess we do have something in common." He gets up and opens the door. "I'll be back with some food later. Until then, try to rest or watch tv or something. The channels are limited, but I'm sure you'll find something."
She nods, hands clenching the white sheets.
"I meant what I said before," he says. "You don't deserve this."
"But money talks, right?" Bitterness laces her tone.
"Yeah, it does," he admits before closing the door and locking it.
He really hopes this whole ordeal finishes, soon.