Kidnapped Ch.32
Esposito and Ryan stopped dead in their tracks at the scene unfolding in front of them. After hearing Bracken's voice over the radio, they had immediately rushed back towards the apartment where Kate and Castle had been, and to their utmost horror, they were greeted by their worst nightmare.
Castle was lying face down on the floor behind Bracken, while Kate was slumped over in a chair, halfway between her husband and her nemesis. Bracken looked up when he heard their footsteps, and a sinister smile unfolded on his face.
'Why, why, detectives. I see you've made it just in time to watch the finale of this war,' Bracken told them, his voice smooth and silky, with danger and unpredictability lurking underneath his composed facade. The way his eyes sparkled left no room for doubt on the subject of his sanity. He had been pushed over the brink of clear reasoning, and no amount of persuasion could possibly work on him. This was going to end bloody, and Esposito and Ryan had no idea how to ensure that their side will walk away from this intact.
Pacing across the floor, having suddenly forgotten about the presence of Esposito and Ryan, Bracken stopped in front of Castle and nudged him with the toe of his shoe. 'Such a pity,' Bracken murmured. 'He really is a good writer. Such a shame that he would have to go as well.'
Shaking his head, Bracken chuckled as he began to head to Kate's direction. There was a nasty gash on the top of her head, and blood was slowly dripping out of the open wound.
'Such a shame that she will have to go, too,' Bracken sighed, shaking his head. 'She really is a beautiful, feisty girl, just like her mother.' He slowly stretched out his hand and rubbed his thumb on her cheek, almost in a loving manner.
'Let her go,' Esposito shouted, and was about to physically go in and pull Bracken away from both Kate and Castle, but Bracken immediately levelled his gun to his direction, and undid the safety catch quickly.
'You take another step into the room, detective, and you will find yourself with one extra hole through your heart,' Bracken told him, his voice completely devoid of emotion. Instead of making it seem like a threat, eerily, it sounded more like a fact.
Ryan quickly held Esposito back as he did another survey of the entire scene in front of him. There was no point trying to shoot Bracken. It was obvious that he had extensive military training, so the chances of actually hitting him was not high. Besides, since he was in close proximity to both Kate and Castle, he would most likely take them out if they made any attempt to fire their guns. Ryan was not willing to put the lives of his friends in even more danger.
All of a sudden, Ryan noticed the slightest flickering of Castle's eyelids, but he was careful to keep his face impassive. Staring at Bracken again, his blue eyes turned icy, and would have made anyone think twice about crossing him. But Bracken was different. He merely stared back at Ryan, and after a while, he smirked.
'What do you want, detective?' Bracken asked, and although his voice was full of confidence, Ryan could detect a tone of uncertainty underneath.
'Let them go,' Ryan answered simply, and Bracken laughed, his hands dangling down. On seeing them, Castle's eyes shot opened immediately. He had regained his senses sometime before, but he had been careful to stay still until he knew that he had a good chance of overpowering Bracken. His eyes had been opened ever so slightly to allow him to take in everything that was happening around him, and he knew that this would be the best opportunity he had to take Bracken down.
Reaching up quickly, he tried to yank the gun out of Bracken's hand, but he was too slow. Bracken's hands immediately clenched around the handle on the gun tightly, not allowing Castle to gain possession of the weapon.
Although Castle was by no means unfit, Bracken was stronger and fitter. Despite that, Castle's survival instinct kicked in and adrenaline coursed through his body, lending him temporary strength. Esposito and Ryan watched on at the side, their breath hitched in their throats. There was nothing they could do to help, but they both know how high the stakes were at the moment. Castle was on the wrong end of the barrel, and the only thing that was keeping Bracken from shooting him at the moment was the fact that he was busy trying not to allow Castle to turn the gun in his direction. In addition, the safety catch was off, and the smallest pull to the trigger will result in a bullet being unleashed from the chamber of the gun, ultimately hitting one of them.
After a while, Bracken finally managed to overpower him, and a superior smile covered his face. He looked at Castle pityingly, who had the muzzle of the gun pointed towards his temple. Bracken cocked his head to the side and studied Castle as if he was peering down at a new specimen through a microscope.
'Letting you die just like this will be being too generous,' Bracken whispered to him. 'I don't want this to be easy for you.'
Straightening up, he dragged Castle by the collar of his shirt until he was standing slightly behind him, right in front of Kate.
'No, no. Watching your wife, the love of your life die first? That's got to be much better,' Bracken told him, an evil cackle rising up from his throat.
'William Bracken, this is your last chance to put down your weapon and surrender,' Esposito called, desperate to save his friend, but Bracken merely shrugged it off. 'There's nothing you can do to me at the moment anyway without harming your precious Kate Beckett or Richard Castle, so I choose to decline that offer.'
He raised his gun excruciatingly slowly, and Castle took another long look at his wife's face, memorizing the features that made her who she was, allowing the feeling of her lips on his to wash over him once again. He knew he was ready to do this, and all he could hope was that if his plan went wrong, she, Ollie, and Alexis would never forget him.
At that moment, everything seemed to be happening at the same time. Kate's eyes began to flutter open as she started to regain consciousness, Bracken's finger tightening on the trigger of the gun, and Castle pouncing onto his back.
A loud bang resounded around the room and a scream from Kate was heard as everything seemed to proceed in slow motion.
Bracken's eyes widening in shock as Castle attacked.
Kate desperately pushing herself up into a sitting position to see what was happening.
Bracken falling onto the ground, with Castle right beneath him.
A puddle of ruby-red blood. The pungent odor of iron..
'Rick,' Kate screamed as she knelt down beside him. She shoved Bracken off him without a second thought as she stared at Castle's shirt that was stained with blood. Fear filled her heart completely as she took in the sight of his still frame.
'Rick, wake up,' Kate yelled, cradling Castle's face once again, her tears welling up in her eyes. 'Rick, you promised that we will both go home tonight. Wake up.'
'I most certainly did, and that will definitely happen,' the weak voice of Castle answered her, and her face split into a wide smile of relief as she hugged him close.
'The blood…' Kate trailed off, unsure of whether she wanted to hear the answer.
'Are from Bracken. I'm fine, Kate. I promise. The wind was just knocked right out of me,' Castle reassured her. He looked questioningly at Esposito, who was knelt beside Bracken, his finger on his neck, attempting to locate a pulse. Finding none, he shook his head.
'He's gone,' Esposito announced, relief coloring his voice.
'He's gone, Kate. You hear that? He's gone for good, and this is now officially a thing of the past,' Castle told Kate, tilting her chin up delicately.
'He'll never pay for what he did to those people,' Kate answered, her tone subdued. Castle gently placed his index finger on her lips. He knew where she was going with this, and he was going to stop her before she got there.
'Kate, you haven't disappointed your mother. She would have been so proud of you for solving her case. It's time to let this go,' Castle told her, and she nodded.
'It's over. It's really over,' Kate murmured, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAND we have almost reached the end of the story. There will be one more chapter, which of course, will be the long awaited epilogue. And HURRAY! BRACKEN IS DEAD! Now Kate and Castle will be able to go on with their lives wondering if Bracken is going to come after them again. There are of course still a few loose ends to tie up, but at least the major threat is gone.
As usual, PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please.
This chapter is dedicated to Bianca tabbycat for being the most amazing beta ever, and for her good academic achievement. Love ya loads, sis.
Zoe tabbycat