CBs

Chapter 5

Castle sniffed. "Is that your chicken marinade I smell? I'm starving. Getting grabbed by the mob always works up my appetite."

Kate stretched up for a quick kiss and caressed his cheek. "You are all right," she confirmed for herself. "Tell me what Theresa Cellini said, while I make the stir fry."

"Deal," Castle agreed. Kate stirred the contents of a hot pan while he talked. "Teresa is one of those kids who feels a little guilty being part of the 'family' even though she has no involvement in the 'family business.' So she tries to help out any way she can, sort of as compensation. She goes to the Catholic Prep School, Saint Nicholas, very heavily supported by Dino."

Kate rolled her eyes as she cooked. "Appropriate. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of thieves."

"Good point," Castle conceded. "Anyway, it is a Santa Claus school and they're pretty heavily into giving. Theresa is part of the service club there. She also follows The Giving Heart website. The website sends out envelopes with URL's for forums, different ones, so Bill wouldn't have found the same one on all the computers of the kids who disappeared. They're supposed to be keyed by local area. So the kids on the forums discuss local projects and decide which ones to do. Sometimes they set things up online. If it's multi-area, they'll get one of those envelopes with the heart back addresses, telling them where to go. The kids show up and do whatever it is. Then they get one of those hearts."

"So what's the big secret?" Kate wondered. "Why don't they tell their parents?"

"The whole thing is built around Matthew 6.3," Castle explained. "'But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.' The kids are convinced that the guy who runs The Giving Heart won't think as much of them if they talk about what they do. He's also convinced them that God won't give them credit for anything they do if they talk about it. That's why they're not supposed to tell anyone what the hearts are for. I doubt Theresa would have told me either if Dino hadn't made her. Seems the local god trumps the celestial one."

Kate dumped the sizzling contents of the skillet onto two plates she had ready and pulled tortillas out of a warm oven. Castle poured the chilled wine. They both attacked their dinners before Kate asked any more questions. "So did Theresa give you the URL of her forum?"

Castle swallowed. "She didn't have it with her. She said the address is complicated. But she's going to text it to me. She saved her envelopes and one of Dino's guys will be dropping them by my office. Dino doesn't like the idea of anyone preying on children, especially 'family' children. So his people will be keeping their ears open and they'll be having the staff at Saint Nicholas do the same."

"Nice to know," Kate responded. "But I think I'll keep Dino's involvement out of any official reports. Your association with him has caused more than enough trouble already, even if it did unmask a dirty cop and solve a murder. We don't need 1PP seeing his name. The information you got so far can be attributed to Theresa Cellini and anything from Dino comes from a CI."

"I suppose that's wise," Castle agreed grudgingly. "I don't want to get kicked out of the precinct again and it wouldn't look good for you either. So how was your day?" Kate explained about the meeting at 1PP. "Sounds like you got roughed up more than I did. It I had known, I would have had Dino's guys stop at Remy's when they were bringing me home. I could have picked you up a strawberry shake."

"Nice thought Castle, but I think the wine is helping - and having you back safe."

Castle sipped the rest of his wine and raised an eyebrow. "And now that you have me, what will you do with me?"

"Well," Kate considered, "I cooked, so you need to take care of the dishes."

Castle nodded. "That's fair. But there's not much to wash. Then what?"

Kate reached under the table and ran a hand up his thigh. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

Castle pushed his chair back with a loud scrape. "I'll wash fast."

Kate went to the bedroom while Castle hurriedly cleaned up the kitchen. She searched through the prodigious amount of sexy lingerie Rick had purchased for her and the things she'd bought herself. Nothing seemed right for the mood. She checked Castle's closet. A shirt jumped out at her, the one he'd worn for the first poker game they'd played during the first year they'd worked together. The collar and cuffs were frayed. Castle usually disposed of his shirts when they got in that condition, but he'd hung onto that one, claiming it was lucky. He hadn't been the big winner that night. She'd taken the final pot, although later Martha had clued her in that Castle had thrown the hand. She'd been angry at the time, viewing Castle's gesture as patronizing. She gave him back his winnings, but she'd later realized that far from being a sign of disrespect, he was just trying to be nice and make her look good in front of her colleagues. At that point, his generosity was something she'd yet to discover. Now, she couldn't imagine how she'd believed he was the selfish twit she'd tried back then to tell herself he was. The shirt was a reminder of how far they'd come. She fingered the thinning fabric before shedding her clothes and replacing them with the shirt.

Castle's face split in a grin when he saw her. "Does this mean I'm getting lucky tonight?"

"It means we're we're both getting lucky," she replied, pulling at buttons that remained on the shirt he wore. He helped her rid him of the ruined garment. His shoes and the rest of his clothes followed quickly. The lucky shirt slipped to the floor as well.

The bed beckoned and Castle pulled back the covers for Kate. She shivered against the cool sheet. "Let's generate some heat," he suggested, covering her with the warmth of his body. Their lips came together, the tang of wine and the sweetness of grapes still on their tongues. They shared the taste. Slipping his hands beneath her firmly rounded posterior, Castle lifted Kate against the hottest part of his body. "Warmer now?"

"Hotter by the second," she responded, finding his mouth with hers again, before Castle pulled back, lowering his attentions to upward thrust of her breasts. She arched in his embrace, struggling for more. He was anxious to give it, their most intimate parts growing even more greedy as the friction grew between them. Kate thrust her hand between their bodies, guiding him to the need screaming within her. They came together hard, Kate's legs lifting until they were almost behind her head, then wrapping around him, pulling him ever deeper. She could feel him beginning to let go, even as the waves began to push their way outward through her. The end was almost simultaneous and Castle gathered Kate close through the aftershocks. Finally they rested together, her head nestled into his chest. He softly kissed her now sweaty locks. "The Castle lucky shirt triumphs again."