Slaying the Beast
Chapter 32
"Beckett, can I see you for a minute?" Montgomery calls from his office. "Close the door," he orders as Kate comes in.
"What's going on, Sir?"
"Kate, you're my best homicide detective. Maybe the best one in the city. Your closure rate is the highest, especially since you started working with Castle."
"Thank you, Sir, but…"
"As good as you are, you should have some standing to go with it, besides seniority over your partners. The sergeants' exam is coming up. You should take it. If you get your stripes, you'll be in charge of the bullpen, not just Ryan and Esposito."
"Sir, I like working on the street."
"And you'd keep doing it, you'd just have more resources at your fingertips. You'd make a bigger paycheck too. I've shopped enough with Evelyn to know those coats of yours can run into money."
"Sir, if I may ask, what brought this on?"
"To be honest, Kate, I've been considering retiring." Montgomery raises a hand. "Yeah, I know, I've said it before. But I have more than my 30 in, and I'd like to be able to spend more time with Evelyn and the kids. They're growing up so fast; I barely recognize them from week to week. And handling everything with them isn't easy on Evelyn either. Look, the lieutenant in Robbery does a good job. If anything he's better with paperwork than I am. He may move up, or 1PP might decide to bring in someone from outside, but whatever happens, I want to know that I'll be leaving my detectives in good hands. Think about it."
Kate runs her fingers through her hair. "Yes, Sir. I will."
"The sergeants' exam," Castle repeats. "Kate, that would be so cool! All of the bullpen in your capable hands."
"I don't know, Babe. There'd be even more paperwork. And some of the detectives, like Bruce, are older than I am. I'm not sure I'd feel right bossing them around."
"I'm older than you are, and you boss me around all the time. You're very good at it."
"Castle, that's different. You're a civilian. Those guys are experienced cops."
"How long do you have before you need to decide?"
"A couple of weeks."
"Briggs may not even have brought the case against Susan Collinwood by then. You could have a lot to think about. Anything I can do to help?"
"Just listening helps, Castle. But for now, I could use something to get my mind off it. I didn't see Alexis' or Martha's coat in the closet."
"Excellent detecting skills, as usual. Alexis is at a sleepover, something about doing hair and painting toenails. I'm not sure I want to know the details. And Mother had a date for an early supper before her performance, and I suspect there may be enjoyments of a different sort afterward. I'd really rather not picture that. In any case, we have the place to ourselves, to do with as we wish. What's your pleasure? Books? Movies? Laser tag? Or something more personal?"
Kate cups the most intimate part of him. "Definitely, the latter."
Castle pulls back the purple bedspread that's migrated from Kate's apartment. The sheets underneath are his, but he inhales the scent of Kate that clings to them, as Kate lights strawberry and vanilla candles. In the gentle glow, the couple leisurely undresses each other, savoring the feel of fabric sliding from skin. Kate slips between the sheets first, her outstretched arms silently beckoning Castle to join her.
His hands languidly trace the curves of her body, leaving a tingling trail of sensation behind them. Kate pushes against him, sparking his growing heat. Their lips meet, first gently, but with growing urgency as tongues seek and embrace their mates. Kate wraps around him, grinding against his turgid arousal. His thumbs find the surging tips of her breasts caressing them to even stiffer attention.
Kate's hips gyrate with increasing wildness, her steamy cleft inviting him into her inner reaches. Her fingers curl around his hardness guiding him within. He enters slowly, but the press of her legs against the firm muscle of his back forces him deeper.
They move in sync, ever more rapidly, sheets pulling loose from carefully crafted corners and dampening in sweat. The colorful bedcovering finds a new resting place on the floor. Springs groan beneath them as they tumble over and over, grappling for more complete contact.
Kate feels it first, the magical change that tells her their path to the summit will end in a violent plunge into oblivion. Her inner muscles contract, dragging Castle close to the fulfillment that is overtaking her. She can feel his explosion within her tightening sheath, driving her over the edge.
They cling tightly to each other as the mantle of madness retreats into the envelopment of love, and sleep holds them in its grasp.
Castle awakes to the stimulating aroma of coffee and an empty place beside him. "Kate?"
She appears in the doorway dressed only in the shirt she'd removed from his body hours before, carrying two mugs. "I made the coffee. I used your trick of grating a little dark chocolate into the grounds."
Castle reaches for one of the fragrant cups and takes a sip. "It's wonderful. What time is it?"
"Five. I don't have to be at the precinct for three hours."
Castle grins at her. "However will we pass the time?"
Kate trails her fingertips down his bare chest. "I'm sure we'll find a way."
Susan Collinwood is certain that something is wrong. No one thing has happened, but she can feel vibrations when she talks to some of her contacts in New York. It was bad enough that Joshua turned her down cold, but she has a feeling that something worse is on the horizon. She doesn't know what, but it seems to be coming out of the Big Apple.
There has been a roundup of many of her lower ranking dealers, but that has happened before. Whenever the city officials want to show the voters how devoted they are to the protection of the citizenry; a dragnet goes out. Clem can always replace the lost outlets, the way Simmons did. The world is full of people looking to make a fast buck and not caring how they do it. But what's been going on is more than a periodic crackdown. The chatter that usually reaches her has virtually stopped.
She's not sure if she should make a trip to New York to check up on operations or remain in DC and keep her head down. She hasn't got much reason to stay. No critical votes or committee meetings are on her schedule the immediate future. She could go meet with her constituents in Maine for an airing of their grievances, most of which she can't do anything about and is not inclined to address even when she can.
But if she travels anywhere, it will be to Weldon's territory, where she can touch base with her organization and put out more direct feelers. She just needs a plausible excuse. She brings up a calendar of city events on her computer. Ah, there's a conference addressing the growing difficulties of the seafood industry. That's a gathering a senator from Maine should proudly attend. She'll stick her head into a few sessions and grab a few photo ops - then she can take care of her real business.