In From The Cold
Chapter 10
Danger Zone
Everything hurt. His vision was blurry and there was a dull ache coming from the back of his head. And his ears were ringing. The low roar of an engine captured his attention. He blinked his eyes, realizing he was hanging upside down, still buckled to the seat. Squinting, he peered out the shattered window and bent door frame, seeing a ubiquitous black SUV pulling back in reverse, jarring the frame of the sedan he was in.
Castle groaned, moving a hand up to touch his forehead, and wincing when he found a bump there. Stretching his arms, he reached for the seatbelt, which was clenching his waist tightly. Finding the buckle, he yanked back. He hadn't really been thinking too far ahead, because he collapsed down on the roof of the car, shards of glass from the shattered window digging into this palms.
Still disoriented from the hit and rollover, Castle finally came to his senses. He glanced over to where Beckett was still hanging from her seatbelt, unconscious.
"Kate!" he shouted.
Her eyes fluttered open and she moaned, brow furrowing. "Castle?"
"Stay still, don't worry, I'll get you down," he instructed, shifting around on the upturned car ceiling to kneel beside her.
He cupped the back of her head with one hand, while the other reached for the belt buckle. Beckett grabbed hold of his shoulders, giving herself some purchase so that she didn't collapse to the car roof like he had. Carefully, Castle helped Beckett right herself until she was sitting on the floor. He gingerly brushed her hair back from her face, checking for injuries.
"I'm fine," she insisted after a quick inhale. "Ramirez?"
Castle pursed his lips. He hadn't thought to check. Arching his neck, he looked towards the front of the sedan. The driver was slumped forward, dead; his neck had snapped upon impact. Ramirez was already out of her seat, checking herself for wounds. She was bleeding through a cut on her sleeve, but otherwise seemed fine. She was battered, but still conscious.
"You two okay?" she called back to them.
"As well as can be expected," Castle said dryly, "considering we were just rammed by another car."
Beckett crawled past him and reached around the front seat, groping around the driver's waistline until she found his holster. She gritted her teeth in triumph and pulled back, having retrieved his sidearm. She made a quick check of it, making sure it would still operate, before turning to Ramirez. "We need to get moving," she said, twisting around to take her heels off.
Ramirez cursed, and grabbed her radio, which had been thrown out of her hand when they were struck, and nodded. "Agreed."
"Castle," Beckett touched his shoulder lightly. "Follow me."
He bobbed his head, knowing it was best to follow instructions. Beckett turned around and shoved the side door open. Meanwhile, Ramirez kicked the windshield out and climbed out that way. Castle crawled after Beckett as she skidded out onto the asphalt barefoot. His nose wrinkled as he moved into a low crouch beside her.
"What?" she asked, noticing his expression.
"You smell something?"
"Gasoline," her eyes went wide as she glanced up at the overturned sedan. She grabbed Castle's sleeve and tugged. He went willingly. He didn't have to be told twice.
Keeping low, they hustled away from the wreck, making for the sidewalk. Beckett growled, momentarily stopping to pull at her dress. It made running awkward. She settled for simply rolling it up to her waist, exposing her lacy underwear. It was a temporary solution, but it gave her legs some ease of movement.
As she worked on it, Castle glanced back over his shoulder, seeing if they were being followed. "Where's Ramirez?" he questioned aloud.
Beckett jerked her head back and frowned. "She can handle herself," she gritted out, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her as they scrambled behind a closed newsstand. The streets were oddly empty for a city that had a reputation such as New York. Once they had cover, Beckett handed Castle the gun.
"Here, I need to fix this," she said gesturing to her attire. "Can't really fight dressed like this."
He looked at her, stunned.
"I trust you to have my back," Beckett said, lightly touching his cheek. Just as he was about to respond, she pushed up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, before turning her attention back to her expensive sheath dress.
Castle nodded absently, patting his jacket pockets in search of his phone. Maybe he could call Ryan and Esposito, they'd drop whatever they were doing to help once they found out Beckett was alive. But he couldn't find it.
"Shit!"
"What?" Beckett gasped, looking up from her inspection of her dress, eyes wide with worry.
"I lost my phone," he groaned.
"Castle," she bit back a curse. "You can buy another."
"Oh… right, yeah," Castle bobbed his head, gripping the gun tighter in his hand and refocusing on keeping a lookout, as instructed.
With the newsstand as cover, Beckett rolled the dress back down her legs. She glanced at it, and sighed in disappointment. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the bottom fringe, and gave it a sharp tug, ripping a long seam down the side, creating a lengthy slit to provide her with better leg motion.
Castle had been somewhat distracted watching her, but his ears perked up at the roar of an engine. He glanced around the edge of the newsstand and saw the high beams of the SUV barreling straight for them. Not wasting any time, Castle spun around and hooked his arm around Beckett's waist, causing her to yelp in surprise as he propelled them out of the way.
The SUV slammed into the newsstand just as they cleared it, demolishing the kiosk, and sending wood splinters of various sizes flying through the air. Castle gripped Beckett tightly, tucking her into his chest and shielding her from the blast with his large frame. Castle closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, grunting as he felt the impact against his back.
When it was over, Beckett immediately slipped out of his grasp, and grabbed his hand, pulling him with her as they ran down the sidewalk. Castle pumped his legs, breathing heavily. It had been a long time since he'd ran like this. Damn, he needed to work on his cardio.
The beastly growl of the SUV roared behind them like an unrelenting monster on the prowl. Castle risked a glance over his shoulder, seeing the bright lights of the high beams as the SUV stampeded towards them. Nearly stumbling, Castle retrained his eyes back in front of him, almost skidding to a stop when he saw Deputy Ramirez standing right in front of them, pistol raised.
"Move!" she yelled.
Beckett grabbed Castle's arm and pulled him with her as she veered to the left, towards the building. Ramirez adjusted her aim, now that she had a clear line for sight, and fired.
Her bullets ricocheted off the gleaming front grill. She fired off some more shots, holding her ground. Castle looked at Beckett, dismayed at what he was seeing. Ramirez was playing a very dangerous game of chicken. When none of her shots seemed to have any effect on the driver's intent to mow her down, Ramirez shifted her aim, and fired off a rapid series of four shots.
The loud pop of the front wheels signaled her success. The front of the vehicle lurched forward as the rubber tore away from the rims. Sparks flew up into the air as the metal made contact with the concrete sidewalk, filling the air with a piercing, ear-splitting squeal. The SUV, however, miraculously maintained its speed and trajectory.
Beckett yanked at Castle and gestured towards the alley just ahead of the barreling SUV's path. "Run," she commanded.
And he did. Hands clasp tightly together, Castle and Beckett raced towards the SUV, hoping their timing was right. The high beams were blinding, forcing Castle to squint. Beckett pulled him along, and he trusted her lead. They dove into the side alley just as the SUV swerved past them, the driver finally losing control of the vehicle. Metal groaned and screeched as the SUV rammed into the side of the building. They had no idea if Ramirez was okay or not, and they really didn't have time to speculate, so they just ran on.
Sirens could be heard in the distance. Either Ramirez had called for support or someone had called 911. At this point, it didn't matter to Castle. He just wanted to get Beckett to safety, even though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. He'd lost her once. He wouldn't lose her again. Keeping his eyes peeled, Castle looked around their surroundings as they continued running down the alleyway. Seeing something, Castle released her hand and skidded to a stop.
"Castle, what are you doing?" Beckett questioned, gasping for air as he hurried towards the building wall that bracketed the right-hand side of the alley.
"Creating some obstacles," Castle informed, grunting as he planted his feet into the grimy ground and used all his weight to shove a dumpster into the center of the alley, blocking any pursuers path.
When he rejoined Beckett, she nodded, impressed. "Good thinking," she said, slipping her hand inside his once again.
He offered her a quick wink and grin, before following her back down the alley. The sirens were getting louder, and Castle could only hope the police would arrive in time to capture the bad guy before his pursuit began. But his wishes were dashed when he heard the bang of the dumpster being shoved aside. Beckett squeezed his hand in silent support as they continued on, not wasting any time to look back.
"Fire escape," Beckett panted, pointing towards the rusty metal ladder hanging off the side of the building to their left.
They slowed and charged directions. Thanks to his height, Castle was able to reach the chain to tug the ladder down. It rattled into place, and he frowned, uncertain.
"It's the best we got, Castle," Beckett said, handing him the gun.
He checked to make sure the safety was on before tucking it into his waistband and following her up the wobbly ladder. The old metal groaned and creaked under their hurried movements, and Castle worried it wouldn't hold. But it did. As they reached the first landing, Castle felt the ladder vibrate under his hand. He arched his neck and looked down, spotting the dark form of their pursuer.
"Castle," Beckett hissed, tugging at his coat sleeve. "Keep moving."
He let out a grunt, again wishing he'd kept himself in better shape, as he pumped his legs, climbing up the tarnished bars and steps, doing his best to keep pace with Beckett. He tried to keep his eyes trained ahead and not think about the man trailing after them. But it was difficult. They had been in many life and death situations before, yet, for whatever reason, this one felt more desperate. They made haste, ascending up a series of rattling steps and ladders until they reached the rooftop.
Beckett scrambled ahead, rushing towards the access door. He hurried after her. She let out a curse when she discovered it was locked from the inside.
"The gun, Castle," she said, spinning around and holding her hand out.
He passed it over without question, heaving deep breaths as he tried to regather his energy. At first, he believed she was going to shoot out the lock, but then thought better of that, seeing as the door was made of metal, not wood. Castle took off his suit jacket and absently tossed it down on the rooftop, watching as Beckett anxiously paced back and forth in front of the locked door. She was dripping with perspiration, as was he. His shirt was sticking to his back, and his cheeks were flushed with the exertion he'd had to unexpectedly expend. He almost wished he had not spent so much of his stamina in other pursuits earlier that evening. Almost.
"Castle!" Beckett cried, snapping him out of his blissful memories of making love to her as she grabbed him and yanked him back behind a large air duct protruding out of the flat surface of the roof just as shots were fired from their pursuer. The bullets bounced off the metal access door they'd been standing in front of. She frantically padded her hand up and down his torso, searching. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," he said, placing his hand over hers.
She nodded, gazing up at him with concern. "Stay here," she ordered, face hardening as she geared up for battle.
"Kate…," he started to object, but she silenced him with a look.
"I have to do this," she insisted, carding a hand through her hair. "I have to end this. I won't let them take you from me."
"I don't want to lose you, Kate," he pleaded, emotion clogging up his throat.
"You won't," she promised, stepping forward and pushing up on her toes to kiss him. "I'll be right back."
And then she was raising the gun, holding it in a familiar stance, all cop. Shoulders hunched, making herself a smaller target, Beckett swept around the corner, shouting at their pursuer to freeze and put his hands up. Castle flattened his back against the cool metal of the vent, feeling useless. He couldn't let Beckett face this by herself. This was no longer just her fight.
Clenching his fists, Castle prepared himself for whatever he needed to do. He was a gentle man, but people underestimated his strength. Hal Lockwood had made that mistake. He hadn't even thought when he dove on top of the hitman. All he had been thinking of was protecting Beckett. He still remembered Beckett's surprised and impressed look when she had found him kneeling over the thug, having punched his lights out.
With the memories of his past heroics as fuel for his courage, Castle stepped out from behind the vent to confront this latest in a long string of goons to threaten the woman he loved. He found Beckett and the man locked in a standoff. The man noticed his arrival and quickly realigned his aim. Sensing what had happened, Beckett launched herself towards the hitman without delay, knocking him off his feet just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew right above Castle's head, embedding itself in the top square of air duct behind him with a loud, reverberating bang.
He watched in alarm as Beckett and the mercenary wrestled for control. Both their guns went flying, skidding across the flattop of the roof in opposite directions. Castle stood there, debating what to do. He just felt so powerless. Beckett was holding her own, for the moment, but that could change. He had to help.
The mercenary swung his body around, rolling Beckett over onto her back. He leapt over her, fist raised. Castle collided with him before he could strike, knocking him back to the ground. Beckett scrambled back to her feet.
"The gun, Castle," she shouted. "The gun!"
He nodded, turning around and scanning the pebbled rooftop for one of the two guns. Spotting it, he ran after the weapon, bending down to snatch it up. When he spun back around, he found Beckett and the mercenary once again locked in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Puffing out a breath of air, he dashed back to them. Beckett spotted his approach, and distracted the thug with a quick roundhouse kick. He staggered back. Castle took the opportunity to flip the gun to Beckett.
She caught it deftly out of the air with a small smirk, spinning around to aim it at the mercenary. However, he had recovered. He moved, fast, knocking it out of her hand, sending it flying off the roof. Castle groaned, and arched his neck around to search for the other gun. He found it lying close to the rain gutter. While Beckett parried the man's attacks, Castle jogged over to retrieve it.
As he returned, Beckett attempted another swinging kick, but this time the mercenary was prepared. He caught her leg with both hands and grinned, using her own momentum against her, flinging her around and dropping her hard on the ground. Beckett let out a cry, and Castle clenched his jaw. He rushed at the attacker, blind with rage. The man hadn't expected such wrath from the writer, however still managed to easily dodge Castle. The mercenary tripped him, sending him falling face first to the roof. Castle groaned, watching as the gun he'd been holding bounced away.
Before their assailant could retrieve the firearm, Beckett leapt back to her feet, and went in for hand-to-hand combat, punching and jabbing her fists as quick and precise as she could with exhaustion nearing. The mercenary easily deflected her blows, ramming her in the chest with a quick strike, sending her to the ground once again.
"Stay down, Detective," the mercenary instructed. Their fierce confrontation didn't even seem to faze him, stamina and endurance still fully stocked.
"Why are you doing this?" she groaned, clutching her middle. "It's over. Bracken's in custody."
The man remained silent, staring at her with a steel gaze, as he stalked towards her. He took his time pulling her up and wrapping his hands around her neck. Beckett gasped for breath until he kneed her in the stomach, releasing his hold of her. She landed on wobbly legs, panting for air as she pivoted around, disoriented. He sneered at her, punching her in the back as she fell to her knees.
"Don't worry," he spoke in a calm and cool voice with no feeling or emotion. "It will all be over soon."
He walked up behind her, placing both hands on each side of her head, with the clear intention of snapping her neck.
"Hey!" Castle shouted, reminding the goon that he was still there. He rolled his shoulders and firmed up his grip on the gun, taking aim. "Get your hands off her."
The mercenary smirked, amused, releasing Beckett and turning around to face him. "You don't have the guts," he insisted, shifting his focus back on Beckett.
For a brief moment, Castle allowed the man's taunt to get to him. But then he reminded himself that he was the one with the gun. He clenched his jaw, took aim, and fired.
XXX
He sat in the back of the ambulance, a blanket wrapped around him, staring off into space. His chest felt tight, and it was hard to breath. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Closing his eyes, Castle recalled the fight up on the roof.
The bullet had struck the mercenary in the shoulder, knocking him off balance, and surprising, not only him, but Castle as well. After all, he had been aiming for the man's head. Beckett used the opportunity to push herself up to her feet and renew her attack on their assailant. She kicked and punched, making sure to strike his shoulder on numerous occasions. Castle watched as they ferociously danced around one another, before the man bellowed with rage and charged her. Beckett kept her eyes locked on the man, waiting him out. She stepped aside just as he was about to plow into her. He ended up sailing right past her, tumbling over the edge of the building and falling to his death.
"You okay?"
Castle blinked, returning to the present. He flicked his eyes up to see Beckett standing in front of him, wearing a pair of NYPD sweatpants and a dark blue FBI windbreaker. Not far behind her, he could see who he assumed was Agent Brent Culpepper, he had arrived not long after the mercenary had gone splat, talking with Deputy Marshal Samantha Ramirez, whose arm was in a sling after her shoulder had been dislocated, and two uniformed NYPD officers.
"I'm fine," he rumbled out, looking back at her. "Or, at least I will be when all this is over." He paused, running his tongue over his teeth as he thought. "Do we know who he was?"
Beckett nodded as she sat down next to him in the back of the ambulance. "Cole Maddox," she said. "Well, that's what came up on the computer, but Culpepper thinks it's an alias."
"Are there more of them?" Castle asked, worried this wasn't going to be the last hitman sent after her.
"We can't be certain," Beckett admitted, not wanting to hide anything from him, which he was grateful for. He'd rather be informed than unprepared. She sighed, and reached out to clutch his hand in hers, slowly intertwining their fingers. "But, for now, yes. Maddox was the last of Bracken's associates the FBI had been tracking."
They sat in companionable silence for a while, staring out at the bustle of forensic and FBI teams moving about the scene as NYPD uniforms cordoned off the area, all bathed in a sea of blue and red lights that flashed atop the police patrol cars. Agent Culpepper was agitatedly talking with Deputy Ramirez, occasionally glancing in their direction, specifically at Beckett.
"Are you in trouble?" Castle asked.
"No more so than I usually am," Beckett answered with a shrug. "They're not happy I broke protocol by going out to see you, but Maddox's death seems to have mollified some of that."
Castle nodded, staring down at the ground as he thought. Pursing his lips, he swallowed before craning his neck back up to look at her. "You still think it was worth the risk?" he asked, and then elaborated when she gave him a puzzled look, "Going against orders and coming to see me?"
Beckett tugged the FBI windbreaker tighter around her shoulders and narrowed her eyes in thought. "Yes," she answered with a definitive nod. She looked him in the eye. "If I had to do it all over again, I would. I couldn't spend another moment without you knowing I was alive, and that I loved you. So, yes, it was worth the risk, Castle. You are worth it. Always."
His lips quirked upwards at the use of that word—their word. Beckett smiled back at him.
"Always," he echoed, leaning forward to cup her jaw in his hand as he kissed her.
Amazing how much could change in a single day, Castle thought as he continued to kiss the woman he loved. When he woke up that morning, Castle had believed Kate Beckett was dead, and that it was time for him to move on. Now, she was alive, and kissing him in the back of an ambulance after they had just survived an attempt on her life. He hoped Culpepper and Ramirez were right, that Cole Maddox was the last of Bracken's goons. Because Castle was looking forward to tomorrow.
Things were finally going his way.