AN: Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews for this story! I really appreciate them!
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.
"Why am I wearing this?" Kate asks as Rick helps her put on a coat. It's rather heavy, the blue material unfamiliar to her.
"It's cold out," he answers, his evasion evident. "Anyway, wear this." He places a Yankees cap on her head, tucking her hair under it. "That should do it. Let's go."
He dons his own hat before grabbing the gun from off the table. She eyes the weapon nervously for a moment before schooling her expression.
"It's just for protection," he murmurs. "Now, time to get moving."
They leave the house in haste, Rick leading her by the arm to a black car nearby, which is almost invisible in the darkness of early morning.
"You have a car?"
He snorts, letting out a snicker. "What? You thought I carried you here? Would be a bit conspicuous." Well, he has a point. Opening the passenger door, he gestures to her to enter and she complies, the sound of the door shutting making everything feel more real.
"Do you know how to get to my house?" she inquires once he's inside.
"Yep," he hums as he starts the car. "You walked me there enough times and it's not far from here."
They drive in silence for a bit, allowing her to think. The time for them to be together draws to a close, the realization making her chest clench. It's wrong, so very wrong, but she can't help it.
"What will happen to you?" She recalls what they discussed last night, but surely he has some plan.
His shoulders lift in uncertainty. "Probably go into hiding for a bit in case boss man has some cronies out looking for me. But, I'll make sure he can't touch Mother before I disappear."
"Maybe they'll arrest him beforehand.," she murmurs, hearing the doubt reflected in her voice.
"He'll see it coming, I'm sure." Sighing, Rick grasps her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "But the more important thing is that you will be safe."
Her lips force a smile as they turn another corner, the area slowly becoming more familiar to her. Glancing around, she spots a car in back of them, whose lights almost blind her.
"Another early riser," she jokes, but Rick doesn't answer. Instead, he turns another corner, moving away from the direction of her home. Then, he speeds up, as does the car in back of them.
"Fuck," he swears, speeding up and moving to the next intersection. "We're being followed."
"What?"
"His partner must be spying on us, or it's someone else he's hired." Rick speeds up the car, forcing her to grab the handle over the window. As he turns, she's thrown against the passenger door, her face squishing against the window.
"He's keeping up," she grunts as he drives into a side street. "Where are we going?"
"Not your home, unfortunately," he answers tersely.
The car makes another sharp turn before speeding down the road.
"Then where?"
He doesn't answer for a moment, checking his mirror. He turns the steering wheel abruptly, heading down an alley way. It's miracle the car gets through the passageway.
"I think we lost him," he grumbles, the other car no longer in sight. "And we're paying a visit to an old friend of mine."
"Does he know what you do?"
He chuckles humorlessly. "He trained me."
"Oh joy," she grumps. She's definitely getting her fill of criminals.
"It should be quick," he responds. "But he'll be curious or he'll want to kill me, metaphorically speaking." Her eyebrows raise. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm basically breaking every single rule in the kidnapper book."
"Another metaphor?" she teases.
"Mmm," he hums as he slides the car into a parking spot. "He lives right here."
Turning her gaze to window, she slightly surprised to see a well kept looking brownstone.
"He only has himself to worry about," Rick supplies as if reading her mind. "As I said, most of these jobs pay well."
"And this job?" she prods, not expecting an answer.
"You're priceless," he replies, his lips bearing a smirk as he tosses her a wink. Rolling her eyes, she follows him out of the car and to the stoop. "Let me do most of the talking, okay?"
He knocks on the door and a moment later the door swings open, revealing a man appearing to be in his mid forties, at the entrance.
"Hey Ricky," he greets, examining the both of them. "Long time, eh? I see you brought company."
"May we come in?"
"Sure, sure." The man waves them in and the duo enters. "So, what brings you here? With your get up, I'm assuming this isn't a social call." The man's eyes seem kind, but even Kate can sense his wariness.
With that, Rick starts his tale.
Remember Rick, if you ever need anything, you can always come to me. You can count on it.
Well, he hopes Mark keeps his promise, even if it's been a while since they've seen each other.
When Rick finishes his story, Mark's eyes move between him and Kate, the former mentor shaking his head.
"You've got yourself into a fine mess, Ricky," he tsks. "And you have a massive liability standing right next to you." His green eyes swirl with a combination of lust and concern as he stares at the brunette.
"She's fine and it's my fault she's in this mess."
"More like her mother's fault," Marl grumbles.
"Okay, can we save the squabbling for later?" Kate starts, glaring at the two men. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go to the restroom before we leave again, whenever that will be."
Once Mark points her in the direction of the bathroom, Rick's former mentor turns to him, eyebrows raised, disappointment in the older man's eyes.
"Come on, Ricky, please tell me you didn't."
"Didn't what?" he inquires, playing innocent.
"You bring her here, feel sorry for her, and I caught you making googly eyes at her during your little story." Lips forming into a scowl, Mark glares, practically burning holes into Rick. "You broke the number one rule of our profession. You fell for the target! I'm guessing you didn't get her out of your system, which is unfortunate because I can tell she'd be a very willing participant by the way she glanced at you earlier."
Ignoring the last bit, the younger man presses on, "She's just a pawn in all this, okay? She hasn't done anything wrong."
"That's not for you to be concerned about," Mark scolds. "I mean how much did this guy pay you? Twenty, thirty grand?" The kidnapper grumbles a barely audible response. "I'm sorry, what?"
"One hundred." It sounds unbelievable, even to his own ears.
"Holy shit," his mentor breathes. "Then why the hell are you doing this?"
Gritting his teeth, Rick shakes his head. "He's out of control. Only wants the mother to stop investigating, but he'll do anything to make it happen."
"So?"
"The cut on her face isn't from falling down," Rick intones.
"Ah, I see." Mark shrugs, rolling his eyes in faux exasperation. "You never could turn off your conscience, Ricky."
"Yeah, Yeah. Anyway, I need your help. I'm trying to get her home, but we're being followed."
"What's that got to do with me?"
"You still have your old car?"
"Parked right out front. Why?"
Rick chuckles, knowing Mark isn't going to like what he has to say next.
"I have an idea."
Kate hides behind the wall near the entrance, holding back a gasp as she hears the amount Rick had been paid. One hundred thousand dollars? Just for to kidnap her? Damn.
Deciding to reveal herself, she comes from around the corner, the two men still deep in conversation.
"So, what's the plan?" she prods, dying to leave this place. Rick may trust this Mark guy, but she can't help but feel unease as the older man gazes at her.
"We're going to swap cars," Rick announces, earning a disapproving grunt from his mentor. "Mark's car is also black, so hopefully we can trick whoever it is that's following us."
She nods, willing to follow along. Whatever gets her home.
"You'll come out with me, and then crouch behind the car until I'm out of sight. Got it?" Mark raises an eyebrow, assessing her.
"Got it."
"The let's go." Turning to Rick, his mentor tosses him a smirk. "You owe me big, Ricky."
"Noted."
With that, the older man dons a baseball cap and grabs her by the arm and drags her outside, leading her to Rick's vehicle.
"I have to admit, I'm tempted to hand you over to the guy myself." The statement makes her swallow. "However, I have enough respect for Ricky that I won't do it." Once they're positioned, he makes a show of opening the car door as she crouches down. Then he goes to the driver side, opens it up, hops in, and speeds away. Sure enough, she spots the car from before pull away from a parking spot and follow him.
Moments later, Rick exits the apartment, ensuring that the other two cars are well out of sight.
"Let's go," he coaxes, guiding her to a car a little further down the block. Sure enough, it looks exactly like Rick's car. "I was too afraid the guy would catch the difference in license plate."
Once they're in, Rick drives away as fast as he can manage and soon, they're slowly coming into her neighborhood. It's still early for most people to be awake, with the exception of a few shop owners and people walking their dogs.
As the car approaches her home, she comes face to face with the familiar brownstone. While she stares at it, Kate tries to wrap her head around the events that occurred within almost seventy two hours. Wow, only seventy two hours? It feels so much longer.
"Home sweet home," he murmurs, an encouraging smile on his face. "Go on, you're home free."
Her eyes flick to him, her expression turning melancholy.
"Come in with me," she says, voice bordering on begging. However, he shakes his head.
"I can't. I need to leave as soon as possible."
She scowls, but nods in understanding. Leaning over the console, she captures his lips with hers one more time before backing away.
"Stay safe, Rick." A gentle smile spreads across her face as she opens the door. "Let me know if you ever get your manuscript published."
"Will do." He throws her a faux salute. Oh, how she wishes it could actually happen.
As she walks to the door, she steals one last glance at the car and sees him staring at her, indicating for her to press on. Reaching the top of the steps, she takes a deep breath, her finger shaking as she presses the doorbell.
She's finally home.