CH5
Ryan and Espo unknowingly arrive at their destination first, before Beckett arrives at hers. Simple multi-floor brick building that has seen better days. The ones located next to it and across the street looked much better maintained. They prep. by putting on their vests and check their weapons and make sure that their shields are showing. Entering they both head for the elevator to get to room 407. Finding an 'out of service' sign hanging on it. Both grumble and head for the staircase.
Reaching 407 they each take a side of the door. The nod to each other and Espo knocks on the door and yells thru it "NYPD, open up?" Shortly after the door across the hall opens startling both of them. The short guy who opened it quickly slams it closed, and they can here it being locked with the security chain being fumbled into place. Espo tries again, "NYPD, open up!" Getting nothing, Ryan nods to Javi and stands ready as Espo moves to kick in the door. One kick and they are in and begin searching the room. "Clear, … Clear."
Seems our guy is not home. Pulling out gloves they both each take a room and start searching. Ryan takes the bedroom while Espo starts in the kitchen. Espo opens the refrigerator and closes it even faster. "Eww, gross." Starts opening the upper cabinets, then opening drawers below as he works his way around. Moving stuff around in the drawers.
Ryan meanwhile has started in the bathroom. Not finding much he moves to the bed. Spots something tied to the leg of the bed at what would be the headboard. Lifts it up. Rope, tied to the leg of the bed and the other end has a slip not noose that can be adjusted. Moving to the foot of the bed on the same side, he finds another. "Javi", he calls.
Espo steps in, "What cha find?" Not answering he just lifts up the rope at the foot of the bed to show him. "There is another one at the head." Ryan tells him.
Espo moves to the dresser to look at something that has caught his eye. Picking up a prescription pill bottle. "What's that?"Ryan asks. "Valium" he responds. Opening it he tells Ryan "Almost empty."
Taking a look at the outside of the pill bottle "I don't think our guy is name Barbara." Setting it back down he picks up something else off of the dresser and shows it to Ryan. It's a syringe. "It's been used." He tells him.
"We're going to need CSU here." He tells Ryan. "I'm going to make a call." Ryan just nods as he continues to look around the bed, as Espo pulls out his cell phone and heads for the door leading to the living room.
Just as he clears the door, he drops his phone and only just manages to get his weapon out of his holster before he registers 2 sounds and then his world goes dark.
Ryan hears 2 gun shots and turns to the source and sees his partner with his weapon out, fall to the ground thru the door into the bedroom. Ryan quickly pulls his weapon out and moves to the side of the door to look out into the living room. There he sees a guy backing away from Espo and himself heading for the still open font door. "NYPD, drop the weapon." He yells at the guy who he thinks just shot his partner.
The guy lifts his weapon and gets a shot off a split second before Ryan does. The guys shot hits the door frame , head high. A splinter from the door frame hits Ryan in the side of the head and causes him to flinch a little just before he fires. Ryan sees his shot hit the guy in the leg (not where he was aiming, but at least he hit him. His mind quickly thinks).
The guy turns and runs, limping a little as he goes. Ryan bends down to Javi and checks for a pulse. Finding one he is up and running after the guy who shot him. He can hear the stairwell door being used and runs that direction. Thru the door goes Ryan only to come up short as he sees the guy turning and firing. All the way down to the lobby they go. Ryan having to stop at each floor as the guy turns to fire at him.
Reaching the lobby Ryan can see the front door starting to close and runs for it. Making it outside he does not see the guy. Turning each direction. Nothing! He chooses the direction, that has the closest alley the guy could have turned down and starts running. Coming up short he checks around the corner. Sees nothing so he steps out and starts down the alley, walking. Nothing, lost him.
Going back to the front door of the building, he pulls out his cell phone and calls dispatch. "This is Kevin Ryan, badge number 42334. I'm at 434 S 46th street. I have shots fired, and an officer down. I need units to secure the area and an EMT unit, Now! Also send the CSU unit."
Ryan hangs up the phone and stands for a few seconds to clear his head. Just as he opens the door to go back inside and check on his partner, he can hear sirens in the distance as they get closer.
Beckett has made it to the address she has with her uniform in toe. The house (townhouse maybe? Certainly not a row house. And it is stand alone) looks brand new. New immature trees and shrubs. Recently laid sod. Three car garage street level on one side under the house. There appears to be a roof deck of some kind. Most of which is under an 'A' Framed Pagoda like structure. The front door appears to be made of steel, that is inset into the face of the building, creating a small covered entry, with narrow slits of glass on either side. There is a large panel set into the side and she presses a button.
"A large, maybe 10" diagonal video screen lights up with a man standing there. "Yes?" he asks.
"I'm detective Kate Beckett from the 12th precinct, homicide division of the NYPD. We are looking for a young women who was dropped off at this address late last night."
"Show me your ID, if you please." Kate shows him her badge.
"I asked for ID. Not a possible fake police badge. If you please, again."
Irritated, Kate pulls out her ID and shows it to the screen.
"Thank you!" and the front door opens almost immediately.
Standing not 2 feet away from her, as she opens and closes her mouth several times, in total disbelief is her favorite author. Who's book she was reading just last night. "Your, your, ….. Richard ….."
"Castle." Rick finishes for her.
"Come in. You to officer. Come on in."
Just inside is a magnificent wooden stair case that goes down a little, and begins to spiral up to the other floors. In the middle of the extra wide spiral staircase is a long steel pole. To Kate it looks like an old fashioned 'Fireman's pole?' that stops at this level.
"So, you are looking for Jessica are you. I tried to get her to let me call the police, but she just kept saying, No."
"What can you tell me about, this, Jessica Mr. Castle?"
"Please call me Rick."
"About Jessica, Castle?"
Huffing in defeat, "I meet her some months ago. Told her to call me if she needed any help. She didn't until last night when she called me out of the blue. She sounded scared. I finally got her to tell me where she was, and I went to go find her."
"When I found her, it looked like she had been beaten by someone. She was horribly bruised. Mostly on her left side. No cuts that I could see. I got her into a taxi to take her to the hospital. But she refused. Just kept telling me no and apologizing for calling me. She said she couldn't think of anyone else to call."
"She's a sweet kid. Horribly shy. Next I wanted to call the police. Then she started to panic and started to hyperventilate, and kept telling me no. So, I brought her here."
"She's upstairs if you want to see her."
"Yes please. You stay here." She tells the uniform with her.
Rick takes her up one flight of stairs and into a short hallway. "Her room is on the right. Mine is on the left. They are identical Master Suites, complete with on-suite bathrooms. With a steam shower and sauna, I might add."
Kate is flabbergasted. The room is 'HUGE'! It is mostly open with double doors on the far side, probably leading to the bathroom he talked about. The room seems to be sectioned off into smaller areas. A massive Kind size bed. A sitting area with sofa, two chairs, coffee table and a small reading table between the chairs. One large wall is filled with nothing but books. At the foot of the bed is an old antique storage trunk. Across from the bed is a fireplace like she has never seen the like before. It is about 10 feet long, about 3 or 4 feet off the ground and set into the wall, and is presently working. On either side of the bed are night stands with antique looking lamps on each. The ceiling has to be at least 15 feet high, with a massive ceiling fan that is slowly turning. There is a soft glow all around the edge of the wall at the ceiling (rope lights, she guessing). And above the fireplace is a 50 inch flat screen.
So, this is how the other half lives? She's thinking.
Rick has given her a couple of minutes to take it all in then tells her, "Jessica is over here."
"I gave her a light sedative, so she should be out for at least 24 hours."
Kate walked over to take a closer look at her. She is young. Early 20's maybe. Her face is badly beaten and swollen. Her left eye appears to be swollen shut. Kate can also see that there is an IV she is connected to.
"You should have taken her to the hospital Castle!"
"I tried to talk her into it. But she's not underage and is free to make her own decisions. So I did the best I could for her after I got her here."
Kate turns back to look at Jessica. Her heart bleeds a little for how badly beaten this women is. Just from the little she can see of her.
"Castle, you still …" But she is interrupted by her phone ringing.
Opening her phone, "Beckett,… WHAT? What do you mean shot? ….. How bad? … Is he all right? …. Where? … I'll meet you there."
"Castle, I …. I …." As she looks at Rick, then looks at Jessica. She has to get Jessica to the hospital. She also has to get her statement. She needs to find out who did this to her. She also needs to tell Castle something. She also has to get to the hospital. Lanie is going to kill her if she does not call her about Javi. She also has to call her Captain. What does she do with the Uniform waiting at the front door. And Castle is her favorite author, who is standing right in front of her.
She tries again, "Castle, I … I …."
Rick decides she is in overload and does the only thing he can think of. Pulls her in next to him, wraps his arms around her middle and kisses her.
It is a gentle kiss at first, just softly kissing her lips. Soon he is brushing her bottom lip with his tongue, asking for entrance. At this she starts kissing him back and opens her mouth allowing entrance. Now there is a dance of tongue's and he deepens the kiss and starts sliding his hands up her back and then down to her bottom, but does not grab. Just slides trying to feel every inch of that space. He can feel the clasp of her bra and traces the path of her bra straps as they come up over her shoulders. Then back down along her sides until they are resting on her hips.
Kate is suddenly shocked! Her favorite author (who is ruggedly handsome in person) is kissing her. And his hands are everywhere. Ever so softly. Not rough like he is trying to find something. Just softly feeling every inch of her he can reach. It is so soft and inviting. And when he starts licking her bottom lip she opens her mouth and the battle of tongues is on. She grabs hold of him and kisses him back as hard as she can. Then she feels one of his legs step in-between hers just ever so slightly. At this she subconsciously starts to grind herself ever so slowly over the leg that is between hers. She is sooo lost in the kiss and it has been a long time since anyone has kissed her like this. (She takes that back, no one has ever kissed her like this.) She moans into his mouth and all her thinking seems to just suddenly come to a screeching halt.
