CH79
Rick met his lawyer Steve Henderson downstairs before going up to the offices of Black Pawn for his meeting with Gina.
Steve indicated that he had made a few changes based off of the information Richard had given him. And told him what Kate had already told him. If the information was true and could be verified Gina could be arrested for what she had allegedly done concerning Richard's bank account.
Steve briefed Rick about the changes on the elevator trip up.
Reaching their floor. "Hello Mr. Castle, you can go right into the conference room. Gina is expecting you and will join you shortly." The receptionist tells them.
Rick enters and sits next to Steve as they wait for her highness to arrive.
Eventually Gina enters carrying a number of folders with her. Gina is surprised to see someone with Richard but recovers quickly.
"Since you said this was going to be a business meeting I invited my lawyer to the meeting. " Rick explains.
LAWYER! Gina was at first lost a little. Yes the meeting was a little bit business but she had intended for it to be a little more personal than business. Let alone what she had planned for after dinner after the meeting.
"Of course." Gina recovers quickly.
Gina and Rick go over the continued sales of the Derek Storm books that are still out there. Along with how many more printings there will be of them.
Then they move on to the next book due out in about a month. Gina and the staff were still editing what Rick had given them and he would start getting their comments by the end of the week, expecting completion in one week's time after that. Then it would go into its initial printing.
A date is set in roughly a week's time to go over the cover art for the next book. Then they move on to the contract for the next series of books that Black Pawn had drawn up.
"I've had Steve go over the contracts and I'm going to let him explain the changes that have been made." Rick tells her.
"Based off the information Richard has forwarded to my office, the three book deal has been reduced to two. The number and length of book tours has also been adjusted. One month of totally free time he can utilize for any purpose has been added. The amount Richard will be paid has also been amended. And finally your removal as editor of the Richard Castle series with Black Pawn has also been added." Steve gives her the basics.
Gina had only retained that last part and was still sitting there staring at them.
"Your hacking into Richard's bank account, which was detected by the way and traced to a hacker you hired in New Jersey and then subsequently traced to you, places you as a hazard to Richard's finances.
In exchange for not prosecuting you for your illegal activities as they pertain to Richard we are stipulating your removal as lead editor of the next two Richard Castle books.
Failure of Black Pawn to follow this stipulation will severe the continued association between Richard Castle and Black Pawn." Steve informs her. "And you will then be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
"The original of this contract has already been emailed to the board members of Black Pawn for their reading and approval." Steve adds.
Rick gets up followed by Steve and Rick leaves Gina's copy on the table in front of her using his left hand. "My WIFE," as Gina looks down and sees his ring then back up at Rick, "wanted to come to this meeting too. However she wanted to come here and shoot you for what you have done. I talked her out of it." Rick tells her and walks for the door.
Stopping at the door Rick turns. "Oh, and NO, I will not be having dinner with you tonight. Nor do I have any intention of marrying you for any reason. You were my editor Gina, and that's all you ever were. You should have just left it there." As Rick walks out with Steve and then down the elevator.
Rick knew it was really his idea for Kate to shoot her, but Gina didn't need to know that. Besides, Rick was pretty sure Kate really did want to shoot her. It would probably just end up a scratch, but it would scare the shit out of her.
Kick ass Beckett vs' Ice Princess Cowell wasn't really much of a fight.
Rick thanked Steve for coming just outside the building. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything. That woman may be made of ice, but I'll bet a month's pay that she needs a fresh pair of granny panties right about now." Steve is laughing.
Rick is laughing with him. "You change it to a $30 thong and needing a new skirt and I would agree."
"I'll let you know what I hear from Black Pawn about the contract." Steve tells him and shakes his hand and is off in search of a cab to his office.
Rick meanwhile looks for a cab to take him the 12th Precinct. He felt the need to share with Kate while it was still fresh in his mind, and Gina's panties.
Castle found Kate at her desk and promptly dragged her into the break room to talk to her.
Ryan and Espo soon heard Kate laughing followed by silence. If they had gotten up to look they would have found the two of them kissing each other with a battle of the tongues.
Jack however interrupts them. "Richard, Roy is receiving a phone call from Bracken."
"Just give us the highlights Jack." Castle tells him with Kate still in his arms.
"He is demanding that Roy find out who Dupree with Naval Intelligence is since he believes he has seen the man. Also who Agent Mann of the FBI is and where each of them is presently. He wants to know everything Roy knows about the two.
And is threatening Kate again if she is involved in researching who killed her mother.
He also wants to know who Kate is involved with since his last communication had Kate wearing an engagement ring.
Roy has told him to go F_ himself.
Bracken has countered with a threat to his family like there always has been.
Roy has hung up on him." Jack tells them.
"Sounds like my old friend has decided to make a stand." Castle comments.
"Bracken has called him back." Jack tells them. "He is indicating that his family is being detained even as we speak, and maybe he will be more cooperative when he hears his wife scream. … Bracken has ended the call." Jack tells them.
"Go see if Roy wants you and the boys to go somewhere? All you are doing is paperwork at the moment." Castle suggests and gives her a little shove while he stays in the break room.
After Kate steps into his office to see if there is anything he needs, Roy gets up and tells Ryan and Espo to go to his house and meet a couple of uniforms there and tell him what they find. He wants Kate to go back to her desk and stay there.
Kate meets Espo and Ryan at the elevator and asks them to call her and tell her what they find. Then Kate goes back to her desk and broods. Until Castle walks past with a grin on his face and then runs down the stairs for his car.
Jill informs her that Richard is following right behind Espo and Ryan, or so Jack has told her.
Once at Roy's house they all find that the front door has been broken in, however the place has not been tossed, and Roy's family is not home. In fact it looks like they haven't been home for a little while now.
All the take-out food containers seem to suggest that Roy has been eating alone lately.
Castle asks the boys to interview the neighbors, see if they saw a car lately.
Turns out one of them did. By its description, black SUV with heavily tinted windows, that got them to speculate about it being an FBI car.
Jack informs Jill who tells Kate to be on the watch out for some FBI guys showing up at the Precinct and maybe at Roy's office.
No one showed up at the Precinct except the boys who reported in to Roy about what they had found, by the time Kate had left to go home.
Rick had informed Kate thru Jill that he was going shopping; he wanted to keep weapons at home and in the trunk of their cars. Bracken apparently still had people he could use. In this case dirty FBI guys, and was worried it was more than then the two that had shown up at Roy's house.
Kate didn't argue the point. Bracken could possibly do something stupid when they were away from home, so it seemed like a good plan to her.
It had taken Rick a little time but he had found her another X95 with a silencer along with another pair of Glocks, along with another pair of Steyr machine pistols with silencers and a shoulder holster. He had also gotten another sniper rifle just like his other one.
He had also managed to get a little ammunition for all of them. 9 mm for the X95 and the Glocks was easy. He got very little for his Steyr and sniper rifle. It was all distributed between the cars when Kate got home.
The 'Operator' was very helpful in getting what he wanted quickly.
Castle started dinner while Kate went to play with Alexis.
Kate had returned and was sitting at the counter looking dejected. "What happened to you?" Castle asks her.
"I don't understand it; she's a child for Christ's sake. How can she be so good at cards?" Kate lost again.
"I'm telling you Kate, if we could get her at one of the black jack tables we could make a fortune." Castle is grinning.
"I don't care about black jack; I just want to beat her." Castle hands over a glass of wine as a consolation prize.
Castle continues to talk to her while watching what he is cooking, "You know if Bracken has 2 FBI guys willing to abduct people using government issued vehicles, he may have more. FBI or someone else."
"Yea I was thinking about that. So much for Bracken being alone and doing something stupid." Kate comments.
"He may not be alone but he did just do something stupid." Castle counters.
Kate stares at Castle a moment. "He just gave us the FBI guys, but it doesn't tell us their names." Kate points out.
"No, but a lot of government cars have dash cams and or GPS units in them, don't they Jack?" Castle offers his friend a hint.
"Scanning, …. accessing the local FBI mainframe. Scanning, …. I'm finding one vehicle with a GPS unit built-in that was outside of Captain Montgomery's home during that time. Scanning, ….. It was checked out by one person. Morgan Freeman, and no not the female actress." Jack beats Richard to the punch.
"His partner is named Harry Morgan, and no, no relation to the late Harry Morgan that played Col Potter on 'M*A*S*H'." Jack is still out in front of Richard.
"You really know how to take all the fun out of it Jack." Castle is laughing since he is not really mad.
Jack however is unfazed. "Their SUV is presently parked outside of a downtown New York City hotel. Accessing, …. Give you one guess who is staying at the hotel?" Jack offers.
"Bracken." Kate answers first.
"Jack, have their vehicle towed while they are upstairs with Bracken." Castle suddenly has an idea.
"Order sent to a local tow company that works that hotel area. It should be gone in the next 15 minutes." Jack tells them.
"Keep an eye on it, tell us where it goes." Castle asks of Jack.
"You are a devious man Castle." Kate tells him grinning while motioning for him to come closer.
Castle leans across the counter part way and Kate meets him in the middle to kiss him.
"Let's see them explain to their boss how they got their SUV towed from outside Bracken's hotel." Castle arches his eyebrows a couple of times, getting Kate to giggle a little.
"Dinner is ready if you want to find the others." Castle tells her.
"We have lunch with my father tomorrow remember." Kate tells him as she gets up to go in search of Alexis and Martha.
"I'll meet you at the Precinct." Castle tells her just as she leaves the kitchen.
They put a movie in the DVD player and put a sleepy Alexis to bed before it ended.
"The SUV is still presently in the holding lot of the tow company." Jack tells them.
"So we know where Bracken is staying tonight. How can we play with him a little more. Maybe if we piss him off enough he will do something even more stupid." Castle is mostly talking to himself. Kate is just not this devious.
Kate however is enjoying the show while Castle thinks. She doesn't have his imagination but that doesn't stop her from enjoying it.
"Since he is a Senator from New York that means he has a home here somewhere. However he is staying at a hotel downtown instead. He is too full of himself to drive himself anywhere. Taking a taxi is beneath him. Only the little people use taxis, so that means he is using a car service.
Jack?" Castle asks.
"Scanning, ….. Scanning, ….. He has a car ordered for tomorrow to take him to the airport. Scanning, …. he has a flight scheduled on a commuter flight from here to DC tomorrow morning." Jack supplies.
Castle is smiling. "He isn't going to do something personal locally if he isn't local." Castle points out.
"I can cancel his car service and cancel his flight reservation." Jack offers. "He would need to take a taxi to make it to the airport in time for his flight. Without his flight he will need to re-schedule for later and need a hotel to stay in." Jack reasons.
"Do it." Castle tells him. "Is his homer and mic still functioning?" Castle asks.
"Yes." Jack responds.
"Can you give us a recap of his conversation with the FBI guys?" Castle asks.
"They reported that the target's family was not at home and it didn't look like they had been there for days.
Bracken concluded that Roy was hiding them from him. He wanted them to find Roy's family. Roy needs to learn a lesson about rejecting him.
The FBI guys accepted the task. They will pull his phone records and financials to help obtain a clue to their location.
After the FBI guys left he got a phone call reminding him of his appointment for dialysis at a hospital in DC tomorrow and that he could not afford to miss it." Jack tells him.
"Ooooo, that means if he misses his flight he will need an emergency trip for dialysis while he is forced to stay here tomorrow." Castle notes.
"Jack has he been placed at the top of the transplant list?" Castle asks grinning.
"Castle?" Kate asks not getting it.
"Scanning, …. Yes, he is first on the list followed by his two Senator friends." Jack tells him.
"Leave them at the top of the list and leak the information about that fact and how he got there to the local press just after midnight. That way by the time he makes it to a local hospital for emergency dialysis the press will be waiting for him.
Maybe someone will take notice and start an investigation." Castle comments. "Might be a busy day tomorrow."
"What do we do about Bracken's attempt to find out who gave me this?" Kate holds up her left hand.
"Right now I can't think of anything. He is just looking for something to apply pressure in case he finds out you are involved. And with the mic and homer he has we will know if he is planning on doing anything. So I think we are safe." Castle answers. "Jack, be so kind as to keep all of us apprised about anything he says about Kate or our family."
"And give him a chance to hurt this family? Not going to happen. Ever." Jack responds.