::::::::::::::::: Abandoned warehouse ::::::::::

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Kate heard random phrases hollered from nearby. It sounded as if she was listening to a one way conversation. Phone!, she deducted. So there are more accomplices. Great! She rotated her wrists around to the great discomfort of her already raw skin. It is looser., she tried to convince herself. She slumped down, trying to give some rest to her eyes shot with the relentless beam of white light. As she lowered her torso in the chair, she noticed a crooked screw under the seat. It had been screwed on to repair the seat, but it was too big so a third of it was stuck out. She began to rub the rope on the head of the screw. "Finally, we are moving that damn rubber tree plant."

As the rope began to give way, Kate's heart began to pound. Then what? Was she being watched? Is he looking at me? Is he still laughing at me? Kate angrily tugged at the rope and it tore. She held her hands back in the same position. She waited for a consequence. Anything.

Nothing happened. She rapidly began to untie her feet and, with her first act of freedom, she stepped forward. With one blow, Kate whacked the light projector down and smiled as she heard the bulb shatter into pieces.

…...

First the he heard the crashing noise. Then, he saw the light go out. She had freed herself, somehow, and he knew it. He raised his silver flask up and before taking a sip of the alcoholic content, he made a toast "Here's to making a stand!"

He reached for his gun and ammo and uttered beneath his breath "Well Roy, you trained her well..." He nodded in admiration of the challenge that was now before him and added "...and it's a shame you're not here to see this go down."

…...

Castle squinted and swore he heard a distant sound. Silence. He looked down as moans arose from the two gagged and tied men. He had to make his next move. He was startled as the cellphone began to vibrate, the caller's number was the last number dialed. Castle stared at the phone. He studied his options and then answered the phone with a muffled "Yo...?"

"She's loose." He smirked, "Boys..., we've got ourselves a good deer hunt. I need you guys down here now."

Castle's heart jumped. Kate? She's ok! Down here? Where? He winced and replied "Ok, on it." and hung up. He let the phone drop and waved his hands in despair. What the hell did I just do? The phone vibrated again. Shiii shiii shiiii, did he tell it was me? Castle picked the phone up and took a deep breath as he recognized the number. He answered with a loud whisper "Ryan! Where the hell are you guys?"

"We're tracking your phone, don't hang up. We're on our way. Are you ok?

"Yes I'm fine." he lied. "Did you get my text? Can you trace that number I sent you?"

"Yes, we've got it." Ryan walked towards Esposito who was inside the back of the parked van, on his phone. "We're tracing it as we speak. Castle, you said you were hit. How bad?"

"I'm ok" he lied again "Listen Ryan, this is very important, you've got to trace that number. The guy has Kate. He just told me he's hunting Kate down."

"Got it" Esposito got off his phone and turned to Ryan "We got the SOBs! Warehouse on 508 Kentile Road, South Plainfield."

Castle overheard the exchange and spoke in a sober tone "Ryan, no matter what, you've got to get to her first."

Ryan's eyes widened as he stood shocked with his sudden realization. He cleared his throat and replied while staring at Espo, "Castle, the number you gave us... he just called you, right? The call came from inside the building. You are in a warehouse in NJ. Who ever is behind all this is in the same warehouse as you."

Castle's mind swirled between the fact that Kate was close by and that everyone seemed to be coming down with a case of terrible timing for popular movie quotes. He finally responded in a dry and final "I'll find her." He swallowed the lump in his throat "Ryan? If..." he hesitated "... tell Alexis -"

"Say no more partner. We got you on this, you hear me Castle? We're on our way."

"Hurry."

…...

The warehouse had been used only sporadically for nearly three years. What once was a storage facility for hardware equipment and tools, was now serving as a come-what-may warehouse for the front shipping company allusively called AM&Co. From not so legal imports to tax evasive exports, the occasional ruffling up of uncooperative 'business associates' to the execution of cooperative 'assets' that had outlived their purpose, those walls had seen it all.

The armed dark man carried no remorse as he scouted the ground floor, looking for Kate. Usually, he had no part taking in such actions aside from giving the ultimate call: live or die. A simple decision really, the kind that escaped the more common and convoluted decisions he dealt with in his official job. Mundane mortal decisions. Whereas with "Lives or dies" he played god, and he savored every minute of it.

This time it is different, he thought. His hand around the gun felt good. A reminder of days spent in the shooting range. People had then teased, are you really that bored with your desk job? He long had realized that he was destined for greater things. Things that demanded the ability to hold control over the will of others. First, he started with a gun. Then, it was a numbers game. You talk to enough people something usually shakes out. Isn't that what he had been taught? His break finally happened on that overworked evening, by the old xerox machine. Then and there, he understood the power and potential of information.

This time it is definitely different, he repeated to the sound of his heartbeat beating in his ears. He had long decided that he was going to pull the trigger that night, ending this for once and for all. It was the least he could do for all the effort Kate had put in. It was a matter of principle. He hadn't entertained the idea of how it would go down, but knew he first had to find out where the damn files were.

Now, in pursuit of her, he couldn't help but wonder if he was having a taste of the infamous 'hand of god' that Roy had mentioned all those years ago. In those days, a phone call had been placed to Roy Montgomery's office.

"I've heard you've got yourself a heck of a rookie Roy... talk about poetic justice, hun?"

"Always a displeasure to hear your voice." He answered, moving quickly to close the office door. "What the hell do you want?"

"Will she be a problem Roy?"

Montgomery responded as dry as he could manage "No."

"Are you sure?..." He paused, and in a sweetened threat added "By the way, I saw Evelyn the other day. She looked nice. You have always had good taste, my friend..."

Roy tried but he couldn't ignore the last comment. His mouth twitched and he stated with all the authority we could scrape up "I am sure, - Sure you have as much to lose as I do, so why don't you let me worry about my men and you go and focus on your election this year?"

The man had conceded to let Roy 'handle it'. A reminder once and a while was enough to keep Miss Beckett at bay. Then one night, what were the odds? Ms. Katherine Beckett walks into the ballroom with a glamorous red dress, arm in arm with the writer, surrounded by flashes from the photographers. She looks just like her mother, he remembered having thought as he made his way around the room and managed to shake her hand. He had felt tempted to tell her just that, but remained silent as he observed her every move. It would be a shame to have to order her killed, he thought as he sipped his champagne. And what about this writer guy? Roy had guaranteed that he'd be a good distraction for Kate to get over the pursuit of the person responsible for her mother's death. Yet, you are so close my darling, he malevolently grinned, I am right here.

…...

Where the hell am I? Kate wondered, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Crates lay in the open spaces of the main floor. Reminiscent tools were scattered. All vacant surfaces were covered with a solid coat of dust. Most of the hanging ceiling lights had been dismantled. The air was dense, with the putrid smell of decay. Kate scrambled to take cover far from where she had been bound, and thought 'Hell of a place for a final stand'. She struggled with some shortness of breath. One deep breath would be enough to sooth her, but the echoes of her pursuer's footsteps kept her heart racing. He's coming after me. All her chances of survival depended on her remaining hidden until she came up with a plan to get the hell out of there.

Unarmed and without sense of direction, Kate looked up at the first floor and scanned her surroundings for anything she could use as a weapon, any way she could gain access to the overhead walkway so she could visualize an exit. Her empty hands felt useless. Where are the champagne bottles when you need'em, right Castle? she thought with great yearning. She tightly closed her eyes and wishfully thought, I need you.

Her eyes were pried wide open with the sudden BAM! that resembled a gun being shot. The kind of shot cops say that you only hear, because you never see the bullet that has your name on it. No familiar piercing pain ran through her body. She exhaled. She realized that the remaining ceiling lights had been turned on with the flip of an old switch, that resounded tremendously in the empty large room. Kate studied her options. Being scared couldn't be one of them. I really could use one of your crazy ideas right about now...