A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the 28th Chapter of Absolution titled 'Progression' I do apologize for the long break in updates but I went interstate to visit a friend and her new baby and during that time I had little motivation to write. I'm home now and I now present you this offering. I would like to thank my beta reader Bella who gave me a really good piece of writing advice which I will use with future chapters of this story.
I hope you enjoy the read!
"So where are you staying?" Kate asked Shaw as they left the precinct and began their journey to Washington Heights.
"Haven't figured that out yet," the auburn haired federal agent replied. "I came straight from JFK to the precinct with Frank this morning. I'll probably stay at the motel where Chris and David and their team are bunking down. How about you? Kevin and Javier told me you live with Rick now."
Kate let the ghost of a smile form on her lips. "I do, but we haven't been back to the loft since the fire," she replied. "Frank didn't think it was safe. Rick rented a room at the Waldorf Astoria for us and we were staying there til we had the blow up. I'm sure you've heard about and since then I've been staying at Dad's place on West Seventy Second with Paul Hannigan as my protective detail. I personally want to go back to the loft but I don't know when that'll be. It wouldn't feel right to go back there without Rick anyway."
"I understand," Shaw replied. "Well hopefully you'll be back in your own home soon. I feel confident of getting Rick back. Frank and his team are the best in the Bureau. No one gets away with anything when they're on the case."
"I hope so," Kate replied fervently. "I really hope so but I can't help thinking negatively. This whole thing started with a bunch of bent cops and even now even with all the people who are working on the case, people whom Rick would trust with his life I can't help but think somewhere somehow, someone will turn."
"Hey, cut the negativity," Gates scolded from the backseat. "No one in this team is going to turn. Everyone is watching each other's back. This group is water tight and we're not the bunch of cops that started this mess. One of their own has been taken by the bent side and I know and trust they're doing everything in their power to get him back."
Kate smiled at her superior's supportive declaration.
"I agree wholeheartedly," Shaw concurred. "Frank and his team would know if someone in the group is bent. I know Frank only chooses those who have openly proven their honesty and loyalty and from what I've heard, Rick does the same. He wouldn't have gone to Washington in the first place if there was a chance of someone crooked coming into things."
"I'm horrible," Kate said gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I'm horrible for doubting my friend's and boyfriend's judgement. I-"
"No, you're not. You've just experienced a lot over the years that's caused you to distrust people," Victoria countered, gripping the brunette's shoulder reassuringly. "I don't blame you for being that way. If I was in your situation I know I would feel the same. Our experiences make us who we are, Kate. But you're strong enough to rise about all the bullshit and come out the other side a better and stronger person. You did it after you were shot and I know you'll do the same once all this mess is over and done with. You're worth a million of these bastards who have Rick and killed your Mom. They're a disgrace to the uniform and the United States Government. Hell they're a disgrace to the human race."
A huge lump formed in the back of Kate's thought and she blinked her eyes rapidly as tears threatened to form. She looked into the rear vision mirror and caught her boss's eye. The two women held each other's gaze for a moment then Kate turned her attention back to the road and the black suburban in front of them that she knew held Frank, Ryan and Esposito.
She just wanted this over.
"Wake up."
Through the faze in his head Rick opened his eyes and let out a low moan as the pain in his jaw, head and ribs combined to pulse agonizingly through his muscular frame. A hand grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked him to a sitting position.
"One question," he groaned swallowing hard. "Why the hell are you doing this?"
"None of your fucking business," Hargraves snapped. "Nosey bastard, aren't you?"
"Whereas, you're just a plain old bastard." Rick snapped back.
Hargraves grabbed the Writer hair and smashed his head into the wall behind him. Rick felt the spaceless bliss of unconsciousness begin to pull him under but he used what little strength he had to remain in the land of the living.
"`m gonna 'member everythin' you've done you s'n of a bit'h an' y'going d'wnnnnnn," he groaned. "You h've no idea th' p'ple I h've behin' me an' they can scr'w you right up."
Hargraves laughed manically."Suuuuuuuuure they are!" he said in a sarcastic sing song voice. "You and who's fucking army? Oh the FBI? Bullshit, I've investigated Writer Boy and no one under the name 'Richard Castle' ever served with the Bureau. You were just big noting your pathetic ass, can't say I expected much from a show pony who can't keep it in his fucking pants."
Despite the insult Rick couldn't help but grin.
"What are you laughing at?" Hargraves snapped as he retrieved what looked like a burner cell out of his pocket.
"What I know you assh'le," Rick replied his grin widening ever further. "And you' incompeten'ce. Can't b'leive you got to dep commish ha ha! You couldn't investig'ate who f'rted in an elevat'r."
The last thing Rick remembered was yet another excruciating pain in his head before his blacked out again.
At a little before 1PM, the three car FBI convoy arrived in the sleepy little Street of Akron Avenue in the seedier side of Washington Heights. Three houses away was number fifteen the residence of their target Shanya Peterson.
"Alright Kate, remember what we talked about back at the precinct," Agent Parnell said in Kate's ear as the brunette exited the Crown Vic with Gates and Agent Shaw. "I know you're dressed as a cop but try not to question Shanya Peterson as one, be as gentle as you can. And remind her about the Witness Protection Program. If she tells you the name of the Dragon's dog, she has automatic and full protection. Got it?"
"Got it," Kate replied. "Let's do this."
"You god this Kade," Ryan said next. "We're all with you on this."
"Think of all the fun you're going to have with Wrider Boy when all this shid is over and done with," Esposito piped up. "You might want to put in for a few weegs of long service leave."
"Oh Javier Esposito, shut up!" Kate hissed as Shaw and Gates followed her down the sidewalk, both struggling to contain themselves. "Your mother must be ashamed of you, you inappropriate douche!"
In her earpiece Kate could hear Ryan falling about laughing and as she walked past the black suburban, Frank and her friends had travelled in she nonchalantly slapped the tinted window.
"Alright team, serious stuff now. Let's can the hilarity til we've got something to be hilarious about," Frank's serious voice ordered. "Business first pleasure later, we need to find Ricky first."
"Thanks for the buck up boys, let's do this," Kate murmured as they got closer and closer to Shanya Peterson's house. "Stay with me."
The lines of communication remained silent as Kate, Shaw and Gates made their way down the sidewalk and up to the front door of number fifteen. She lifted her fist and smartly knocked on the door her chest swelling with apprehension.
There was a flurry of footsteps and a moment later then a slide bolt was unlocked and the door was open.
"Yeah? Shit," the tall black woman said he face falling as she spied Kate and Gates in their 'Police' vests and Shaw in her 'FBI' vest "Fuckin' cops? What did I do?"
"Detective Kate Beckett NYPD, are you Shanya Peterson?" Kate asked, showing the woman her badge.
"Yeah, why d'you wanna know?" the woman asked rudely. "Who the hell are you?" she added to Gates and Shaw.
"Special Agent Jordan Shaw, Federal Bureau of Investigation.' Shaw announced flashing her badge.
"Captain Victoria Gates, NYPD." Gates added showing her own badge.
"Can we have a few minutes of your time please?" Kate asked. "Maybe not on your front porch where people see things and word spreads you have two homicide cops and a federal agent on your ass?"
Kate had hit on Shanya Peterson's weak spot and the older woman gave her a hard stare before sliding the security chain across and yanking the door open.
"Get in,' she said waving them through hurriedly. "Come on, I don't want people to see three cops on my doorstep!"
Kate led the way into the house and was closely followed by Gates and Shaw.
"So why are you three here?" Shanya asked crossing her arms across her chest her body language obstinate and aggressive.
"Shanya, can we please sit down?" Kate asked a soft tone. "I don't want to argue, I just want to talk alright? No pressure, this is not an interrogation. I just want to chat."
"How can I believe you?" Shanya spat. "Cops don't keep their promises, they never have."
"I'm not asking you as a cop, Shanya. I'm asking you as a fellow human being," Kate said gently but firmly, holding the other woman's gaze. "Besides, I think you want to talk to me. You know who I am. You know I'm the cop whose Mom was murdered just two blocks from here. I think you've been expecting me for thirteen years."
Kate's words struck a chord with the older woman and her arms dropped to her sides
"You're Johanna Beckett's kid," she said with a sigh. "Word around said you were a homicide cop."
"I am," Kate replied, her voice soft and even. 'Captain Gates here is my boss and Agent Shaw is a federal Agent in from Washington who is participating in the investigation of my Mom's case, we've worked together before. And I trust these two women with my life. I don't care who you've talked to before. If you want to know who you can trust you've only go to come to one of us."
"Alright, go through to the living room," Shanya said reluctantly after a minute of silence. "Not promisin' anything though."
"Haven't asked you to promise me anything, Shanya, we'll be happy with anything you want to tell us," Kate said softly, following the older woman into the living room. "Now how's your day been?"
In the dark space it was getting harder and harder for Rick to stay conscious. He constantly drifted into and out of consciousness and couldn't tell how long it had been since he had been at the precinct. Day and night morphed into one and as the hours went by his hope for rescue diminished.
The Writer groaned inwardly and let out a heavy breath as a pair of voices roused him from the abyss of semi consciousness.
"What the hell did you do to him?" a new but awfully familiar voice spat. "I need him fully conscious! He looks half dead! We've got no chance of getting to Kate Beckett if you kill him you idiot!"
"You told me to bring him here and keep him quiet under any circumstances!" Hargraves snapped back. "Maybe even rough him up a bit to get him to spill his guts and that's what I did. If you want specifics damn well tell me what they are I'm not a fucking psychic!"
"Well what has he said?" the voice asked with barely contained sarcasm. "He better have said something to be in that condition."
"He hasn't uttered a word," Hargraves replied. "He's only said he knows more than we do, people are onto us and I couldn't investigate who farted in an elevator."
"Well he's got that right," the voice scoffed. "So no idea where Beckett is?"
"No, hardly anyone's seen her the last two weeks and on the occasions she has been seen out, it's been with this young guy. Looks like she and Writer Boy in there have busted up."
"Is that your personal assessment or is it confirmed?" the voice asked sarcastically.
"It's not confirmed, if you want things to stay quiet that only has to be a guess at the moment," Hargraves replied in a peeved tone. "As you said last night we don't know who we can trust anymore if we start poking around too much we may as well turn ourselves in. For what it's worth, I think Richard Castle's full of shit. I've done my investigation and no agent has ever served in the Bureau under the name 'Richard Castle,' he was only honking his own horn. He's got no more a connection to the feds than Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I don't know why those feds questioned Halstead but I'm telling you right now, Richard Castle had nothing to do with it. You can't just go to the feds as a civilian and ask them to open up a cold case. Even relatives of a victim can't do there has to be probable cause and you know we know there's no probable cause. The people who could drop us in it are dead Phil. We're safe and now you're here the asshole will squeal like a pig."
Rick gathered up what little strength he had and opened his mouth. "Liiiiiiiiike hellllll," he groaned, his voice echoing off the walls of his prison.
There was a sudden scuffle of activity from nearby and a pair of footsteps rushed up to Rick who was still unrestrained but lying on a filthy old mattress that had long since passed its use by date.
"Oh looky here, look who's awake!" the new voice exclaimed.
Yet another excruciating pain exploded in Rick's head as Hargraves grabbed the writer by the hair and yanked him to a sitting position.
"Be a good boy and sit up for our visitor," he snarled, banging his head against the cement wall for good measure.
"Fuuuuuuck you!" Rick groaned, giving the dirty cop the deepest of death glares. "Asssssh'le."
"I've been wanting to meet you, Mr Castle," the new voice said addressing Rick directly.
"W'sh I could say the same," Rick shot back, his eyes falling upon the Governor of New York Phil Robinson. "But I'll leave it at piss off you son of a bitch."
Rick's stomach fell through the floor as Robinson reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a gleaming silver Glock 23, the same model he carried as a Special Agent. His eyes bugged as the politician loaded a cartridge into it and pointed it in his direction.
"Where's Beckett?" he asked simply, the calmness of his voice sending a thrill of dread to race up and down Rick's spine.
Rick rolled his eyes dramatically. "Are you honestly expecting me to answer that question?" he scoffed. "Really? You really are as dumb as you look."
In hindsight Rick would recall the following incident happened in comical slow motion but in reality it was lightning quick when Robinson flicked the safety on his Glock pointed the muzzle at Rick's leg and pulled the trigger.
The bullet ripped through the Writer kneecap and thigh it's lightning quick pace ripping a bloody path through his muscle, sinew and bone. There was a split second of disbelief before Rick fell onto his side and clutched at his bleeding limb.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH, WHAT THE FUCK DIDYA DO THAT FOOOOOOOR?" he screamed "Jesus Christ! Arrrrgggggh!"
"You failed to answer my question, Mr Castle," Robinson replied, his tone light and carefree as if they were discussing the weather. "And each time you do the same you'll get another ounce of lead understand me? I want to know where the fuck your pretty little girlfriend is and I want to know NOW!"
Rick gritted his teeth and tried to stem the blood flow and the site where his kneecap used to be with his large hands.
"You may as well put one in my head now because I would die for that woman and nothing you can say or do will get me to tell you where she is," he groaned as his hands grew sticky with blood. "You've got y'sources, get them to find out where she is. But m'telling ya right now, she's smart she knows who you are and that you're after her. So do her friends and family and everyone at the t-twelfth you've got no hope. I may not have any connection to the Bureau but she knows people that do and if she's gone to the feds you're fucked."
Robinson lofted his leg and stomped his foot down on the Writer bloodied knee eliciting a agonizing scream from him.
"Not as fucked as you are, Writer Boy."
"Can we cut the crap?" Shanya said to Kate as Kate sat in a threadbare old bucket seat opposite the older woman. "Just come out and say what you want."
Kate took a deep breath before voicing. "I need you to tell me everything you know about my Mom's murder," she said in a soft tone. "You see I think The Dragon, the person responsible for ordering the hit on her has abducted my partner and is holding him against his will in an effort to get to me. I know you hold information that will lead me to my partner which will in turn help me and Agent Shaw and Captain Gates here catch and convict The Dragon and forever remove the cloud of fear you and all the other girls in the area have been living under. I know he rules the roost here Shanya. I know he heads up a multi million dollar drug and prostitution ring and I know he's responsible for the deaths of dozens of people including two children, now I know the code of the street. I know you all want to be rid of this guy but I can't get rid of him and my team can't get rid of him unless you or someone you know who had direct information talks to me. The only way we can make things safe for you, to make things safe for your children is for one of you to talk and tell us everything you know."
"Detective if I talk, I'm dead," Shanya said, the tone of fear creeping into her voice. "See? If I open my mouth once I'm dead, my kids are dead my family is dead. People are alive around here because we all keep our mouths shut."
"People are also dead because you keep your mouth shut, Shanya," Kate reminded the older woman firmly. "And I know the neighbourhood code dictates that you shut up, but there's also a good saying that for evil to prevail all it takes is for good men to do nothing. I know you're not that person Shanya, I know your friends aren't that people. I know you want The Dragon and his cronies to be brought down. I know you want to live safely and get a job other than prostitution. I can make that happen for you. You give me all the information you know and I will make sure you and your kids are safe. I have the full services of the Federal Bureau of Investigation witness protection program behind me. You tell me what sort of cereal The Dragon has for breakfast and I can get you and your kids into witness protection today, right this second. No arguments."
"Really?" Shanya said doubtfully, looking at Shaw who was watching the conversation between the two women in polite interest. "If I spill my guts, tell you everything I know. I can get protection?"
"Yes," the auburn haired agent. "It only takes one phone call to my people and you're in. You tell us what you know and you can pack a bag for yourself and your kids and we can get you in the program today. And you'll be in protective custody up until the case goes to court and the Dragon and his offsiders are caught, convicted and behind bars in a federal penitentiary."
"My kids are in school," Shanya revealed worriedly.
"Then we'll go and get them," Kate said softly. "You give us enough to go on and I'll personally help you pack their bags. There's a spot in the witness protection program for you Shanya and I guarantee no one is going to find out where you or your kids are. You may have dealt with bent cops before but I'm not a bent cop and neither are any of the people in my team or Agent Shaw's team. The tide has turned you and your friends will get justice."
There was a long silence during which Shanya looked deep into Kate's eyes. The female detective looked back not breaking eye contact and hoping against all hope the older black woman would choose to reveal all.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked eventually.
"You can trust me because like you I want to be free of The Dragon's shackles," Kate replied. "My life has been tainted by his evil as much as yours and your friends has. He ordered my mother to be murdered when she discovered he was involved in this drug and prostitution ring. You can trust me because I'm not a bent cop. No one on my team is. You can trust me because I trust you to tell me what you know. I know you want to make things right for your friends and the other girls in the neighbourhood Shanya and I know you know telling me everything you know will make that happen."
Shanya got up and went over to the curtains and pulled them shut hurriedly.
"If I tell you everything I want outta here today," she said, her eyes hard and her tone resolute. "If I tell you everything, we pack my shit, get my kids and get the hell out of town. The Dragon has spies everywhere Detective and if I stick around I'm dead and your case goes to shit."
"You have my word," Kate replied. "You have my word and that of my team. They want to catch this son of a bitch as much as you do and will do what they have to, to bring him to his knees."
Shanya sighed heavily. "Alright, you've convinced me," she said dropping down into her chair. "Okay, it started back in '99..."
The pain in Rick's leg was excruciating. In the rare occasions he was conscious what was left of his kneecap pulsed agonizingly. The bleeding had slowed to an almost indeterminate trickle and didn't bleed at all when he kept still. When the Writer wasn't drifting in and out of consciousness he was trying to sleep and head his battered and bruised body. He had long since stopped caring about the time of day or the location of his prison and had begun to fantasize about his and Kate's future in an effort to distract himself from the pain of his predicament.
'Do you Richard Edgar Castle take this woman Katherine Louise Beckett for your lawful wedded wife, to always have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in good times and in bad and in sickness and in health, til death do you part?'
Rick turned to the brunette who stood beside him her face aglow and swallowed hard a massive lump sitting in the back of his throat.
'Always' he whispered.
'And do you Katherine Louise Beckett take this man Richard Edger Castle for your lawful wedded husband, to always have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in good times and in bad and in sickness and in health, til death do you part?'
Kate smiled her whole face lighting up beneath the veil her mother had worn on her wedding day thirty eight years previously.
'A-always' she whispered her voice catching
'If I could have the rings.'
Esposito reached into the pocket of his shirt where the bands were and carefully put them in the hand of Judge Markaway who was officiating the ceremony. The older man placed the platinum and gold rings on the open pages of his bible and opened his mouth to speak.
'Bless O Lord, bless these rings and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favour, and live together in love until their lives end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen'
Then came one of the moments Rick was looking forward to most. He took Kate's ring from Markaway and slid it onto her left ring finger up to the knuckle.
'With this ring I thee wed. With my body I thee worship, and all my worldly goods with thee I share. In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Ghost Amen'
Rick slid the ring over Kate's knuckle and squeezed her hand, she smiled then took his ring from Markaway. She slid the platinum and yellow gold creation up his left ring finger and rested it on his knuckle then began reciting her lines is a quavery voice.
'W-with this ring I thee wed. With my b-body I thee worship, and all my w-worldly goods with thee I share. In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Ghost Amen'
Suddenly there was an excruciating pain in his knee and Rick was pulled from his daydream to find a young man of about sixteen or seventeen attempting to clean and patch up his knee. He jerked back ad immediately regretted it as a fresh pinch of pain shot up through his muscular thigh.
"Who the hel're you?" he exclaimed, clutching at his knee which had begun to bleed again. "What the hell're you doing?"
"Mr Castle please, I'm trying to fix your knee up," the youth said dabbing at the Writer's knee with a cotton pad smelling strongly of antiseptic. "If it doesn't get seen to, it could get infec-"
"Who the hell ar'you?" Rick repeated, jerking his leg away from the youth's ministrations again.
The youth didn't answer but continues to clean up Rick's leg cutting away his trouser leg and pouring a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide over the wound which immediately began sizzling and bubbling.
"AAAAARGHHHH, what the hell are you doing?" Rick bellowed, flopping on his back and gritting his teeth and the pain in his knee tripled in its intensity. "Shit, that canes!"
"M-Mr Cas-tle p-please stay st-til or you'll damage your knee further!" the youth pleaded his voice taking on a panicked tone. "Y'you n-need to keep still!"
Rick dropped his head back on the filthy mattress he was laying on and let out a low moan of pain as the youth patched up his knee.
"T-thanks," he groaned. "G-god where am I?"
"I-I ca-can't tell you th-that. I'd have the crap belted out of me," the youth said using a tattered towel to soak up the blood under Rick's knee. "I'd have the shit kicked out of me if they knew I was here."
"T-than why are y-you here?" Rick groaned as the youth sprinkled antiseptic powder on his wound.
"Because what's happening to you is wrong, it's wrong what Mr Robinson and Mr Hargraves are doing to you and I want to try and make it better in any way I can," the youth said avoiding Rick's eyes. "Karma y'know?"
"You believe in good karma leave now and tell everyone in the twelfth precinct homicide department where I am," Rick groaned. "When this goes to court I'll cover your ass and you'll get off. You're young, you look like you wouldn't get more than a few months in juvie if you left and told the right people what you know now. Trust me. I'm around cops and federal agents every day. I know how it works for young people in situations like this."
"If I say anything I'm dead," the youth declared. "Robinson had my brother killed when my Mom wouldn't do what he said and I've seen Hargraves unload a cartridge into a dude on Robinson's orders. I don't want that happening to me. If I even think about grassin' on those two I'm dead, the rest of my family is dead. If I say anythin' I'm a dead man. If I shut up, everyone stays alive."
"A lot of people will die if you keep your mouth shut too," Rick countered. "What's your name anyway kid?"
The black youth hesitated before looking Rick in the eyes. "T-Tyler," he stammered. "Tyler Harrington."
The youth's name was familiar to Rick and he racked his mind in an effort to recall where he had heard it.
"Your mother is Benita Harrington," he said eventually. "You lived in an apartment block on the corner of Jacaranda and Poulton streets in Washington Heights that was burned down ten years ago, your brother was Leroy Harrington who was only six months old and he died in the fire."
Tyler's eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open in surprise at the writer's revelation.
"How the hell do you know that?" he yelped. "How the fuck do you know that?"
"Because I've been investigating this whole mess with my friends at the Twelfth precinct for the last four years," Rick explained. "My girlfriend's mother was murdered in an alley off Jacaranda Street back in '99 when she discovered Peter Hargraves and Phil Robinson were the ones behind the drug and prostitution ring based out of Washington Heights. My team and I know Robinson ordered a man called Dick Coonan to kill her and we know that only two years later a fire warden called Rod Halstead was ordered to light the fire at the apartment building in an effort to shut your Mom and her friend Jacinta Rowe up. I know there's a whole team behind Robinson and Hargraves Tyler but there's a team behind me too. You can stay silent and let those two sons of bitches literally get away with murder or you can do the right thing and go to the twelfth precinct and tell Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, Victoria Gates, Kate Beckett and Frank Grasman what you know. I will personally ask the DA for immunity for you absolution from your part in this whole mess if you go now and tell them what you know. The earlier you stop, the easier it will be for you trust me. I've been around law enforcement people all my life and I know what will happen if you do the right thing. It's not too late to be the good man in all this Tyler. Think of all the lives you'll save if you do the right thing. Because I guarantee you if I get killed you won't just have the NYPD on your ass."
Tyler gave the Writer a hard look. "You really are with the feds?" he said eventually.
"I'm not answering that question honestly til I know I can trust you implicitly," Rick replied. "I certainly know some federal agents; some I've become quite friendly with over the years."
"And Mr Hargraves and Mr Robinson don't know this do they?" Tyler asked as he took a bandage and began wrapping it around the Writer bleeding knee.
"No, at least I don't think they do," Rick replied. "If they did, the bullet Robinson put in my knee would have gone in my skull, oh and by the way don't give those sons of bitches any respect by prefacing them with 'Mr' they don't deserve it, those bastards don't deserve to be pissed on."
The corners of Tyler's mouth twitched as he fought off a smile.
"They demanded it," he said, carefully wrapping the Writer's leg. "If I call them anything but Mr Robinson or Mr Hargraves I get belted up. They demand respect."
"No one demands respect, Tyler. It's something that has to be earned," Rick told the teenager sagely. "I don't know about you but I don't respect a pair of men who have murdered men, women and children and don't give a shit about the consequences. I mean ... who does that? They don't respect society so why should society respect them? And Robinson is aiming to run this country. Do you want an asshole like that running this country? I sure as hell don't."
"I just want my Mom and sister to be safe," Tyler confessed as he tied off the bandage.
"The only way that's going to happen for sure Tyler is if you tell my people at the twelfth precinct what you know," Rick replied with a grunt as a fresh wave of pain shot up his thigh. "Even if I do get a bullet in my skull I want you to do the right thing. Be a man, prove to the world you're more of a man any of those sons of bitches are. Be someone your Mom and sister can be proud of, someone your brother can be proud of."
Tyler bit his lip. "M-Mr Castle, I c-can't. If I say something I'm dead!" the teen exclaimed in panic. "If they find out I said anything I'll have what happened to Johanna Beckett happen to me. Yeah I know how old lady Beckett snuffed it."
"Then you know she's not the only one who died in that manner, you're a creative and kind hearted kid Tyler if you weren't you wouldn't be here,' Rick said, wincing as his knee adjusted to the tight compress upon it. "I know you came here off your own back and that Hargraves and Robinson don't know you're here. You're resourceful enough to be able to get to the twelfth precinct without being busted. I know you can do it. I have confidence in you!"
"I-I'm s-sorry Mr Castle, I-I've gotta go."
And with that Tyler Harrington jumped to his feet and ran out of the room.
A/N2: Well what d'ya think? I hope you liked it and it was worth the wait! Reviews are love and feed the beast!