There was a guest review last chapter that seemed to take the line: Kate barely got any sleep that night. Kate was soaked! She was soooo wet. Kate was going to practically rape Castle when she got home. Correct that. Kate WAS going to rape him as soon as she got home. "Might as well take that shower now." LITERALLY! REALLY? I mean, really, really? Since you have decided to stop reading i guess i don't need to explain the line to you then.
CH54
Castle wasn't sure about this. But to be honest with himself he was just a writer. Sure he had Lucile who had been coaching him all this time. Even now she was giving him her opinion of this. But they were Kate's friends. And they really did want to help instead of being lead around by the nose by Rick.
So everyone waited for a burner phone to have a large enough charge to use it.
Ryan and Javi wanted to do this alone. They told Castle that they were partners. They knew each other and could count on each other to have their backs. No offense.
Castle didn't like it, but they were at least part right. And they each had communication. If they needed help all they had to do was ask, and Castle would be there in seconds. He also reminded them of their bracers in case they felt the need to lose their weapons. Shoot to stun or global stun.
They had assured Castle that they got it. And Javi trusted this guy.
They had made the call and waited 9 hours and arranged for a meeting point. Javi would go alone with Ryan watching from a distance using his Transmat.
Javi met his friend and they talked for a minute. Lucile listened in and sent it to Ryan and Castle. Lucile had also done a sweep while Ryan had remembered to use his bracers to check for any red dots in the area.
Then everything had gone south. Javi's friend pulled a gun. He said he was sorry, but he needed the money and Javi was going to get him some for him.
Javi however did not like being betrayed by someone he thought was a friend and was instantly angry. And instantly went off on him. He had betrayed him. He was a friend. His friend was sorry, but he really needed the money.
Ryan had heard it all as well as Castle who already had his left arm raised and was ready to open a Transmat wall. However Ryan had decided to more just a little to get a better shot. Unfortunately this had unintended consequences, as it caused an audible sound to be made.
However this turned out to be a good thing. It caused Javi's friend to move the gun off of Javi. Javi however used this time to do something stupid. He decided he could take him and get the gun from him. And a struggle ensued between them for the gun.
Castle immediately opened a Transmat wall and came charging out with his left arm raised. Ryan however still had his head screwed on straight. He fired his stunner from the bracer, twice. Hitting both of them and leaving them on the ground.
Castle and Ryan reach both of them at the same time. Castle pulls Javi off to one side, while Ryan places zip ties on Javi's 'friend'.
Castle removes Javi's bracer. "Ryan, take Javi back to the house. I'm taking our friend here someplace safe. I'll join you at the house as soon as I can.
Ryan, I know he's your partner. I'd suggest you put zip ties on him for when he wakes. But I seriously doubt you would listen. So just watch him when he wakes.
I'll be right there." And Rick drags him to a wall, as does Ryan with Espo.
.
Castle leaves first and places his new 'friend' in his new home, then goes home quickly.
Ryan has showed up at Castle's front door. The others are there waiting for him, as Lucile had informed them of his coming.
"What happened?" Lanie asks as she leans down to check on Javi.
"It went south, fast. Then Espo got stupid. I had to stun both of them before they could hurt themselves.
I'm sorry Lanie. Just be thankful I had a stunner. I don't know what he was thinking. It was stupid."
And he walks upstairs when his head hung down. He was followed by his wife. Kev was hurting and she was going to be there for him. Jen was his wife.
Lanie and Jim had stayed with Javi lying on the entry foyer of Castle's house. Alexis had stayed upstairs and was trying to help Jenny with Kevin. Not that she really knew what to do. She just knew it was bad since Kevin was upset.
About 10 minutes after Kevin had showed up, Castle stepped thru the door. Lanie was instantly all over him.
"What the hell happened?" Lanie was yelling at him.
"I don't know. By the time I arrived, Javi and his friend were lying on the ground unconscious.
Where's Ryan?"
Jim points upstairs.
"Stay here and watch him. He should be fine and wake up in a few minutes. I need to talk with Ryan. See what he knows about what happened."
Rick finds him in the kitchen with a beer in his hands. It was a little early to be drinking, but at least it was only a beer. Not something harder.
"Hey Ryan. You know what happened?"
"Everything seemed fine. Then the guy pulled a gun and started talking about money. Then Espo got stupid. I don't know."
"Bracken or any hint that he was paid to do this?" Even though Castle had heard everything thanks to Lucile, maybe Ryan had some insight.
"No, it sounded like he was expecting to get money from Espo. Not like he was paid to betray him."
"Well that's something anyway. But why the fight? Did you see who started it?"
Ryan just shakes his head. "I wanted to get a better angle in case I had to stun him. When I moved it made a sound. It distracted my attention for a moment. When I looked up they were struggling. I decided to stun them both and sort it all out later."
"Espo will be fine Ryan. He's just stunned. He'll wake up soon. Maybe he can explain.
It might be best if you talk to him. If I do it I'm likely to end up yelling at him." Castle tells him.
"So am I actually. Maybe another beer will calm my nerves before I beat some sense into him."
Castle just laughs a little. "You two are too close to do that. Maybe you can get Lanie to slap him upside his head first. Maybe it'll shake the cob webs loose."
"Maybe?" As Ryan opens another beer.
Leaving Ryan with Jenny. "Come on pumpkin. Let's go see if Javi is awake yet." Rick doesn't really need her help, but he does want to leave Ryan alone with his wife.
Javi is awake when Castle and Alexis make it down to the front door where Lanie is interrogating him.
"How do you feel Espo?"
"Stupid. That's how I feel. … He was one of my best friends. We fought together during Desert Storm. We were buddies. Then he pulls a gun on me. ME!
I blew a fuse. I'm sorry. There was a time when I would have gone into hell with him. And he pulls this." Javi punches the front door just for good measure. Besides he really wants to take it out on someone.
"Castle is there a weight room or punching bag downstairs?" Castle just shakes his head.
"I'll be downstairs anyway. Shooting some hoops." He really wants to find a way to work this off.
"Sure. Let me know when you come back up and I'll put this back on your arm." As Castle holds up the bracer he took off of Espo.
Javi looks down at his arm and runs his hand over the area. Lets out a heavy sigh. "Yea, probably a good plan. Thanks Castle."
"We'll talk when you are done." And pats Javi's on his shoulder and turns and walks back upstairs.
Espo heads downstairs with Lanie right behind him. Jenny is helping her man. Lanie intends to help hers. And Castle has Alexis. And is kind of glad Kate was not here to see all this.
Castle just heads for the sectional to decompress a little.
Ryan however interrupts his reflection of the day so far. "What did you do with Javi's 'friend'?"
"He is all alone in his new long term room. For now at least. "Sap Bani Khamis is an abandoned village halfway up a canyon, accessible only by a narrow path. It's in Oman.
I was thinking of leaving one of the three man teams up there. We may still. It is large and very isolated." Castle tells him.
"You really know how to pick 'em Castle." Ryan tells him.
"Well I didn't want them finding their way back here any time soon and causing us trouble. So all the sites I have in mind for Bracken's men are nowhere near here."
"Makes sense. What about when this is all over?" Ryan is curious. Not that he cares about leaving them there to rot.
"I guess we will have to decide when that time comes."
"Castle, Javi, Kate and myself have today off. But what about tomorrow? We need to go back to work soon. We can't stay here forever. As nice as it is." Ryan tells him.
"I know. I was wondering about that myself. You could all three call in sick. But that would only buy you a day at best. If you leave here before we can deal with all of Bracken's men he has in town. You will all be at risk all over again.
They will just pick you or Kate's father up and force Kate out into the open and finish all of you later." Rick leans over and places his face in his hands. "I don't know what to do. Time seems to be on his side."
Ryan remains quiet for a moment. "We need to come up with something. Kate isn't even here and will be gone for days for all those tests. I know she left willingly. But how do we cover for her being gone for days? She'll get suspended or fired."
"I don't know Ryan. I really don't know." Castle is starting to feel in over his head.
"Maybe Kate knows something. If she was here to ask." Ryan offers.
"Doesn't mean we can't talk to her.
Kate." Castle calls out.
"CASTLE?" Kate responds.
"Do you have time? Ryan and I have a question that you may have an answer for." Castle tells her.
"I'm on a tour through Home Depot with Alexis. What do you need to know?"
"Ryan is wondering about what to do about getting time off work? We still have a lot to do before it is safe enough to leave the house and go back to work and not get hunted down by Bracken's men."
"OH SHOOT! I hadn't thought about that.
I don't know Castle. Have you two discussed any options?" Kate asks.
"Calling in sick for all of you only gains us one day. Doing it again and again will probably prove to be difficult."
"Can we come clean with Captain Montgomery? I trust him. He has been good to me my entire career."
At this time only Richard hears Lucile. "You can't Richard. He is involved. Against his will but he is involved." And Rick's eyes bug out at this time. Lucile is only telling him now. Oh Lucile was definitely going to get a piece of his mind for holding out on him.
"Is adding more people to this really a good idea. Doesn't he have a family? I don't really have room for everyone. And the more people that know about my people is only inviting trouble. I'm risking being in trouble as it is."
"I don't know then Castle. Let me think about it and I'll get back to you."
"We'll keep thinking here to, just thought you would have some insight to the problem."
"Not yet. Give me some time to think."
Castle suddenly has an idea. "Kate is there an FBI agent or someone like that that owes you a favor? Maybe they could cover for the three of you. Maybe say you are needed on one of their cases and he/she is taking you three, like it or not?"
"It would take everyone out of the topic Kate." Ryan adds. "They look down on the locals and keep everything close to the vest and not share." Ryan finishes.
"How about Jordan Shaw with the FBI Ryan. Think she would play along?" Kate questions.
"She might, she seemed to like you. Not sure how long she will play along though. But she will shut down anyone who asks about us. Will she ask too many questions though?" Ryan questions.
"We could offer up a local favor to her? It might give her some extra incentive to play along without asking too many questions." Kate confirms.
"How do we contact her?" Ryan is playing the devil's advocate again. Trying to expose any problems with this idea.
"That's easy." Castle tells them. "Kate contacts her through Lucile right from where she is now."
"Give me a few minutes to think about what to say and think about possible answers to some questions she may have. I'll get back to you when it is done." Kate finishes.
"Good luck Kate." Castle and Ryan say at the same time.
An hour and a half later Kate was back. It had taken an hour just to get to talk to Jordan and a half hour of conversation to convince here to go along with the plan. Jordan had of course asked a lot of questions that could not answer truthfully without getting Jordan involved. She was married and had a little girl that it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure that she loved. Someone that Bracken could use to influence Jordan. No matter how badly she didn't want to.
It was the main hazard of involving anyone else that Kate had. No one else needed to be in this much trouble. The fact that her friends were involved was already eating at her. But that voice in her head was also telling her that Bracken already had three times the number of people than she did. Being heavily outnumbered in a fight was never a good plan. But what else was she supposed to do.
Back to talking with Ryan and Castle. "Ok Jordan is on board. We just bought ourselves three maybe four days." Kate tells them.
"What did it cost us?" Ryan wants to know.
"You don't want to know." Kate tells him."It isn't really as bad as it sounds. It's just that owing a favor to a Fed." Kate doesn't finish. There really was no need.
"How long are you going to still be there?" Ryan is now worried a little.
"Three maybe four days." Kate sound sad.
"So whatever we do we have to do it without you. While you take tests." Ryan confirms.
"I can come back. Do the tests later." Kate does not want to leave her friends hanging.
"Just do the tests Kate. We will be fine." Castle tries to assure her.
"I don't like this Castle. Ryan!" Kate asks for a little support here.
"You stay Beckett. We can handle this. Piece of cake."
"Please Ryan don't do anything stupid. Call me if you need me. They are just tests."
"Tests for your future Beckett," Ryan is hoping Kate will see the long term truth.
