The end is near, guys, the end is near! Thanks for your support and enjoy this chapter :)

Lanie was looking at the landscape distractedly through the car window, her eyes red of exhaustion. The sound of the engine was soothing her, and she hardly kept her eyes open despite everything they've been through during the past hours. Martha had already fallen asleep, her head resting on the ME's shoulder. Lanie didn't mind, as she kept watching the trees and the countryside landscape distractedly, soothed by the calm and serene way of driving of the officer who was escorting them. Despite the fatigue, she couldn't sleep. Something was bothering her. She couldn't help thinking about Javier and the others. About Alexis first, she wondered whether she'd been found. Probably not yet, as the cop's radio had remained silent since they left. About Rick and Kate, who left without a weapon, she wondered whether they were still fine. About Kevin who had been taken care of, but would he still be okay and have no complications?
Lanie shook her head to forget any negative thoughts. The most important thing was to keep having faith, and thinking that at least, Martha and she were fine.

Some weird vibrations in her pocket snapped her back to reality.

She realized it was her cellphone in manner mode.

A smile appeared on her lips as she recognized the caller ID and she picked up quickly, eager to hear that voice and anxious at the same time.

"You miss me already, detective?" she started, playful.

"Lanie!"

"I'm so glad you call Javi, did..."

"Lanie, listen to me," detective Esposito interrupted her.

The ME startled a little, surprised by the tone of his voice. It sounded...strange, anxious. She understood it was no good sign.

"What's going on? Are Alexis and the others all right?" she asked, worried.

"Where are you now?"

"Well, in the car..." Lanie said, irritated he wasn't answering her questions. "Still on the road, why?"

She glanced at Martha who had turned on the opposite side, still sleeping. "I don't know exactly, but we shouldn't be far from Wainscott by now," she said in a half question as she looked at the cop who was still driving. She met his gaze on the central rear-view mirror and he confirmed by a nod.

"Okay...Alexis's fine, we found her. Beckett and Castle too." Javier finally replied to reassure her.

"Good, that's good," Lanie replied softly. "But then..." she started, as she wanted to know why he was calling.

However, Javier interrupted her again, there was no time to waste.

"Chica, listen to me, okay?" Esposito said. "I want you to listen carefully and ask no question. And most of all, you don't panic, do you hear me?"

Lanie frowned again. She didn't understand his attitude. But it was something serious, for sure.

"Okay," she replied anyway.

"You need to get off of the car, now."

"What? But...why?" she whispered, astonished. She definitely didn't understand what he was saying.

"The cop who's with you...is he tall, caucasian? does he have dark hair, unshaven skin, dark eyes?"

Lanie felt her heart starting to race in her chest. What was he talking about? That officer...she didn't even remember exactly. She glanced nervously at the cop. From back, it was hard to tell, but all things considered, the description that Esposito made on the phone seemed to match.

"I..."

"It's him, isn't it?"

"I don't know, Javi..."

She heard him sigh on the other line.

"Baby, stay calm. But you need to know...there's a high possibility that...it's Bowers who's driving the car."

Gasping, Lanie froze as she heard the news and realized what it meant. She wished she had never got in that car.

"Oh my God..." she let escape unintentionally.

The cop raised his eyes and looked at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Don't react!" Esposito mumbled on the other line. "Listen, you must find a way to stop the car, say something, anything, find a way to make him park the car and try to save time so Gates and I can join you fast. We're already tracing this call..."

"Is there a problem?" the cop asked Lanie who remained silent and looked terrible. Lanie looked up and held her phone against her ear, doing her best not to shake. Think Lanie, think fast. She needed to find an excuse.

"Castle! Tell the guy Castle was found gravely wounded but he's going to be okay," Esposito said, to help his girlfriend in distress.

"Oh my God..." she repeated then. "Castle is wounded. Is it serious?" she said, blaming herself in silence. Her voice was shaky, she would have been a terrible actress. However the cop seemed to believe her, as he simply nodded and looked back at the road in front of him.

"His arm is actually a shred but he's fine, and he should get well soon," Javier said. "Lanie, stay calm okay? You don't panic and you do what I'm saying. Tell him to stop now, find an excuse, anything. We're getting there as fast as we can."

"I...I think I'm going to puke," she said, trembling. It wasn't even a lie.

"Officer? Can you stop the car?" she repeated, louder. "I need to get out of here, I'm not feeling good."

Still no answer. The cop remained silent, turning his back. She thought about putting a hand on his shoulder but she hesitated. Thinking about touching a maniac just disgusted her.

"We're almost there," he finally said, in a cold metallic voice.

Suddenly she saw him shrug and roll his head slowly, making his joints crackle like a jumping jack as if he wanted to stretch. She felt a shiver down her spine when she saw him grab his service weapon from his belt.

"Lanie? Lanie tell me what's going on?" Esposito, worried to death.

"Why stopping the car now? It would be a stupid thing to do, don't you think? In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by those scary woods..." Bowers said as he stared at Lanie in the rear-view mirror.

The ME backed off against the seat. She unintentionally hit Martha's arm who finally woke up. The actress blinked, stretched and yawned before she turned to her neighbor.

She frowned, still dizzy and wondered why Lanie wouldn't stop staring at the cop, nervous. Martha finally turned her head and realized what it was. She startled as she saw the gun and grabbed the back seat in crispation.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

Lanie turned her head towards her and gave her a reassuring look - or at least, tried. She was terrorized as well, but she had to stay strong.

"It's okay Martha, he won't hurt us," she said, trying to convince herself.

"Oh, don't be so sure about it," he said sarcastically. "I thought you guys would be smarter though." he said with a superior tone. "It took you so long to find out? When I think about the great Rick Castle, the one who thinks he's a cop, who thinks he's above the laws...I can't believe that bastard can do nothing to stop me...not even stop me from killing his editor," he smirked.

"It's so disappointing. Really."

Lanie let him talk deliriously. She wouldn't interrupt him as she didn't know how he would react.

"However, you, sweetheart, I have to admit you did impress me. Your examination on that bitch , Gina, it was a great job, in all the details," he said as he looked at her in the mirror. "It's not usual to find such pretty and smart girls at the same time nowadays," he said with a sick smile.

Lanie dropped her eyes, disgusted as she remembered what he did to Castle's ex-wife and Royal. "You're crazy." She let escape.

Bowers snorted. He looked sinister.

"Lanie?" Javier called on the other line. Hearing some part of the conversations and being unable to do something made him crazy.

"Crazy, psycho, schizophrenic, maniac...if you say so. You just don't know what you're talking about," he said, enigmatically.

Martha didn't say a word, wondering how long the conversation would last. She saw him hold the weapon tighter in his hand and shake it in front of them.

"Hang up now." He ordered with a tone that meant end of discussion.

Lanie bit her lips and made no move. Knowing that Javi would be there soon to help them comforted her in some way. But how long would it take? Would he be there on time?

"Hang up...your fucking phone," he groaned, losing patience.

"Javi I gotta go," Lanie said mechanically.

"No wait, Lanie..."

She had no choice. "It's all right. I...I love you," she managed to say before she closed her eyes and clicked on the 'Call Ending' button reluctantly.

"La..."

There was one click, then the stutter dial tone as the only answer.

Lanie put her phone in the pocket, trembling, and looked at Martha who stayed paralyzed on her seat. The look they shared spoke for them. They were now all alone, with a maniac. That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.

"Lanie? Lanie! LANIE!"

Too late. Esposito glanced at his phone screen, panicked. End of call.

"Son of a bitch..." he groaned.

"So, it was him?" Castle asked, worried for his mother and for the ME.

"Yeah", Esposito nodded. "I heard him talk about you, Castle...But not in details, I couldn't hear well in the end."

"Oh my God. He wants to get to me, we know that since the beginning. He's going to kill my mother..."

"Don't say such a thing, Castle." Gates said as she started to type on her phone.

"I can't believe it..." Kate sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Esposito, what did Lanie say to you?" Gates asked. The latino shrugged.

"Nothing...That she had to hang up. At first they didn't know who he was. But because of my call, he had to reveal his identity."

"Did he threaten them?" Rick asked, concerned.

"I...I don't know, really. I couldn't hear well. But he forced Lanie to hang up, for sure."

"He must be armed." Gates concluded.

"Son of a bitch..." Esposito grumbled as he ran a hand on his unshaven cheeks.

"Espo, calm down."

"How can I calm down?" he barked. Kate startled, surprised. "The bastard holds them as hostages...we don't even know where they're going, or what he's going to do to them..."

"I know that, but there's no need to panic, it won't change a thing. You know that well, don't you?" Beckett said, determined not to be impressed by his aggressive tone.

"I can't believe he made a fool of ourselves just like that." Gates sighed.

"I know Sir, this is all my fault," Esposito said.

Kate looked at him and shook her head.

"Javi..."

He lost patience.

"Yes, it is Kate! You know I made a big mistake. I should have gotten them in a car myself. With someone I trust. I'm just so stupid."

"Esposito, no need to blame yourself. I didn't say that for you, he made a fool of all of us...I would have made the same mistake." Gates replied calmly, before she put her phone at her ear.

"If he touches a single hair of her head..." the latino said without listening, overthinking of the ME.

"We'll do everything for it not to happen," Kate said categorically. "We'll bring Lanie and Martha back here," she said as she turned to Rick.

Rick looked like a little boy. Stoical and in shock, he didn't even know how to react, and Kate didn't even know how to show him her support either.

She just put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll bring her back," she whispered.

"All right, thanks," Gates said before she hung up her phone and raised a look to them.

"Guys, we traced the call. They're still on the main road, milestone number 567. We're gonna get th..."

"I'll drive," Esposito said as he rushed to a car, interrupting Gates.

"Esposito, in your condition, I don't want you to..."

Whatever, he wasn't even listening to her anymore and had grabbed the wheel of the first police car he had found.

Gates rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll calm him down," Rick interrupted as he waited for the Captain's approval.

"Fine, just go." she said.

Kate stammered.

"Castle..."

"It's going to be all right," Rick said as he glanced at her one last time before he rushed to the car and the passenger seat.

"Beckett, with me," Gates ordered as she ran to her car.

"Yes Sir," Kate nodded as she followed her.

Rick had barely fastened his seatbelt next to Esposito than he started the engine and shot off like a rocket. Gates and Beckett didn't take too long to follow them.

.

to be continued...