Chapter Six

The trip out to the cab was easy; they looked just like a couple heading home after having their baby.

The "three" of them climbed into the cab and disappeared onto the anonymous streets of New York as the cab pulled away from the hospital. As soon as they were four blocks from the hospital Kate started to pull off the head scarf but Rick shook his head.

She fell back into the seat, sighing. "So where do we go from here?"

"I have a place." Leaning forward, Rick rattled off an address to the cab driver. The man immediately took the next left and said nothing.

Five minutes later they pulled to a stop in front of a older apartment building. He pulled out some cash and handed the driver the required amount. "Thank you, have a good night."

Helping Kate out of the car, the two of them and their "child" entered the building. They waited until the cab drove away before exiting the backdoor and walking down the alley. After a few steps Kate began to lag and Rick wrapped his arm around her, holding her up. "Come on, Kate; just a little bit further. Two more blocks and then we'll be safe."

"How do you know that? We have nowhere to go."

Pulling her closer, Rick smiled. "Trust me. I have a bolt hole for us. It's not much further. Stay with me until then and you can rest."

She closed her eyes. "I can make it, if it's not too much further"

The two of them shuffled along, but after a few steps Kate stumbled. Not waiting, Rick swept her into his arms for the last few feet. The doorman opened the front door and ushered him inside, not saying a word as Rick carried Kate past. He punched the elevator buttons and stepped inside without looking at anyone.

He stopped at the front desk and accepted a plastic card. There was a reason he'd chosen this place;, rich men brought their secrets here and so the staff was very discreet and unseen. Stopping at the correct door, he set Kate on her feet, dug into his pocket, pulled out a key card, and opened the door.

The room inside was small with a kitchenette, a desk, and a bed. Helping Kate inside, he kicked the door closed.

Kate arched her eyebrow. "A love nest, Big Rick?"

"No, Jameson Rook's apartment. This is where I come to write when I need to hide from my mother and Alexis. It's leased by Black Pawn for me, no one will look for us here. We should be safe here; why don't you lay down. I'll head out and get us something to eat and contact the boys and let him know what happened. I'll be back soon."

"Rick..." He turned to look at Kate. "Be careful."

Leaning over Kate, he kissed her forehead. "I will."

Then he headed over to the desk and opened a strong box, taking out some more money before leaving.

Rick moved swiftly through the streets, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but afraid he was failing miserably. Ducking into a convenience store ten blocks away, he grabbed everything he thought he and Kate would need over the next few days. Gathering the bags, he headed back outside to make his call at the battered pay phone. He'd left his own phone behind at the hospital and so he called the switch board operator and had her put him through to the 12th Precint.

Knowing anyone could be listening, he asked for Detective Ryan or Esposito, planning to keep the conversation short. All he had to do was let them know they were all right and to set up a met for the morning.

"Ryan."

"This is Castle. I don't know if you heard about what happened at the hospital but Kate and I are fine. We got out of the hospital before the hit man found us. The two of us are safe, for now. We'll meet up tomorrow and talk then. Kate needs to rest tonight."

There was a commotion on the other end of the line as Castle heard Espisito calling for Ryan. "We just got the call on you going missing. I need to go, is there anything you need?"

"No, we have everything we need for now. Talk to you tomorrow at the place by the tunnel with the good alcohol early in the morning." Then he hung up the phone before it could be traced by Ryan or anyone else who might have been listening in.

Still looking over his shoulder Rick took a roundabout route back to Kate. He paused as he walked in front of a electronics store where the mayor's face was smeared across every screen, making his blood run cold.

Kate lay in bed, staring up the ceiling, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep until Rick returned. Her brain fought to make sense of all the events of the past few days. Trying to organize all the information, Kate rolled over and stared out the window at the brick building across the alley.

She wished now they had kept part of the evidence so that she could have something to do, but she knew that wasn't feasible. It was all in the right hands and for now all she could do was sit back and wait. The problem was, she never had been a patient person.

Reaching out, she turned on the small TV resting on the desk. She flipped channels until a news conference caught her eye. Immediately, everything became clear as the Dragon spoke, surrounded by red, white and blue.

The mayor was now running for Governor, which meant she and the others were the only thing that stood in his way.

The news conference ended and the door burst open. Rick stood frozen in the doorway. The two of them looked at one another, unsure what to say.

Kate drew a deep breath. "Close the door. We have to talk."

That's all for now, but if you can't wait you can head over to my website and read the next one there or wait until next Wednesday. All you need to do is google my penname and you'll find me.

I have only one more chapter done but I hope to finish writing this by next Wednesday. Cross your fingers.