Presumptions

Chapter 9 - Keeping Watch

The Columbian drug cartel in NYC was indeed out to get Dr. Josh Davidson. But he was not here in NYC, he was out of pocket, doctoring in some of the most remote places in Africa. Shortly after the birth of Kate's baby, he had decided upon a permanent DWB job in Africa as the regional field manager. This to forget about Kate giving birth to a Castle baby and the breakup Josh had initiated that drove her to Castle. He also would be out of reach to the Columbian Drug Cartel out to revenge themselves for his part in shutting down one of their smuggling venues. Truth be known, and one that Josh would deny, is that the breakup between himself and Kate was bound to happen with time. Josh was not the one who had Kate's heart. Rick Castle had that distinction. The subconscious awareness of that was what drove Josh's jealousy of Castle, but Josh never spoke of it.

The Cartel's plan now was to have Davidson come out of his remote location by trading his own self for someone he loved. The drug gang would capture this person just to draw him out. They needed a target for this and found one in a former girlfriend of the Doctor. This is the one girl friend who had gotten away from the doctor, but whom by their probings revealed that Josh Davidson still loved with her. The doctor was carrying an emotional torch for this woman and the drug cartel would now use that to their advantage. They would use the woman to draw him out. Once in their captivity, the Cartel could then extract their own kind of punishment on the man...and the woman. They would make an example of the two.

No one had yet caught on to the fact the Cartel was now stalking this woman. To make this task to abduct this woman even more difficult , she is NYPD Homicide and known to handle herself well. She took down killers for a living. This made her a formidable target, one who could fight back, and had the support of a police force backing her up. So the Columbian drug ring was very cautious in approaching her for abduction, realizing she was capable of providing a formidible resistance to their actions.

They knew she had just gave birth to a daughter with her now fiance, one Richard Castle, the millionaire crime novelist. So the drug gang carefully and methodically surveilled her, getting to know her routines, her habits, and planning for a vulnerable moment to kidnap her for their purposes. But the word was out that the woman was not to be harmed in anyway during, and after, her abduction. She had to be healthy and perfect so when the errant doctor did come back, he would observe the gang's revenge on him thru her. It was not enough to simply kill him, he had to be punished in a most horrific and hideous manner. That punishment would come thru the woman as they tortured and abused her in his presence.

The cartel's revenge would be from his pain, both physical and psychological. This so as to also send a message to all who dealt with them. The Columbian Drug Cartel was not to be messed with in any manner or the reprisals would be costly. A hugh price would be paid for those who chose to challenge the Columbian Drug Ring. The ring ruled by fear and brutal intimidation. These were their weapons of choice, to be used against all who would oppose them.

Four Month Old Lily

As Lily was now nearing four months, Kate and Rick had decide on the date for their upcoming wedding for around May. Unbeknownst to Alpha and the 12th was that Kate Beckett was now being monitored daily by the Columbian drug gang. This as preparation for her abduction for revenge on her former boy friend for having disrupted their drug smuggling venue using the DWB. The Charity at the time had been clueless as to the operation. The doctor's cooperation with the DEA had shut down the venue causing the Cartel to lose hundreds of millions in drug revenue. So the Columbians were being vigilant in observing all Kate's activities. They needed to know how best to kidnap her. All of these actions to draw Josh Davidson out of hiding.

It had gotten more difficult for the Cartel to abduct the Detective as she had recently moved in with her fiance. As it turns out, her new home had high security. Not only had the building operators to her new place provided tight security, but the loft she shared with her now fiance, had the lastest and best security electronics that money could buy. It seemed Rick Castle was a stickler for security.

Kate was now settling into living at the loft. She had sublet her old apartment as a furnished apartment, and had only relocated to the loft those items she prized . The rest of her house-hold items remaining at her old place for her renter. The life at the loft was developing into a family routine. Kate's soon to be stepdaughter and mother-in-law had become devoted to the new baby. Alexis was a great and loving big sister to Lily. She was almost like a second mother to her sibling given their big age gap, but Alexis adored her baby sister. After being an only child for most of her life, Alexis welcomed a sibling. She was totally devoted to her little sister! Martha Rodgers had become the caring grandmother to her new grandchild, as she had been for Alexis. Kate's father, JIm was also happy about becoming a grandfather. The little group had become a family.

Barely two months after she moved in, their routine was now in full play at the loft. Rick took care of Lily during the days when not at the 12th. On days when he came in, Martha took care of Lily, or when she could not, day care at the NYPD sponsored facility close to the precinct. On weekends, Lily had several baby sitters, her big sister, grandmother Martha, or grandpa Jim. She also had devoted 'aunts' and 'uncles' with Lanie, Espo, Ryan, Kate's fellow female officers, like Hastings and Karpowski, and yes, even Roy Montgomery. Maddie Queller, Kate's high school bff, was also there for the new Castle Baby. The child did not lack for people to care for her when her parents were otherwise busy on weekends.

So Rick and she had managed to balance their personal and precinct life, doing a tag team effort on caring for Lily during the week days. Weekends were different. When both had time off, they spent it with Lily. Lily did not lack for anything materially or emotionally. She is well cared for and is loved by her immediate and extended family. But caring for a new born was not without challenges. Both parents had sleepless nights when Lily was up and would not sleep. To say her parent's were sometimes sleep depraved did not even cover what the couple was experiencing. For Rick, it was a repeat, but now he was raising a child with a partner, something he had not experienced with Meredith. For Kate it was all new, but like her cop job, she excelled in her job as a mother.

So with this new routine, the couple had now established a rhythm, and were now planning for their wedding in May. Lily would be too little to be a flower girl, so that task went to one of the youngest Montgomery daughters. Lanie was to be maid of honor and departing from custom, Rick named both of the boys as best man! So life was proceeding down a happy path for our couple and the future looked bright.

Intel On the Columbian Cartel

Sean Malaki served as an undercover cop for the NYPD Drug Enforcement Division. A fellow Irishmen and close associate to Kevin Ryan when he was with Drugs, Sean had just gotten some intel that he had to share with Ryan. Stopping at a small neighborhood sandwich shop for lunch, he speed dials the now Homicide Detective.

"Homicide, Det. Ryan", he hears on his cell.

"Ryan, Sean Malaki here."

"Hey there, been a while, how goes it in my old division?"

"Well, you know, same oh, same oh. But that is not why I called. I want to share some intel I just got from one of my most trusted CI's."

"About a gang hit, isn't it, why else talk to Homicide?"

"Well not a murder yet, so we can jump in front of this one?"

"I'm all ears Sean, let's hear it."

"Word on the street is the Columbians are planning an abduction and murder of a female homicide, does that interest you?"

"Sure does, but we have several women homicides, so which one?"

"Word is she is one of your best?"

"Still doesn't narrow it down enough, anything more."

"Yeah, apparently this one is bait to draw out a certain doctor who revealed the Cartel's operations involving DWB in Columbia that shut down the drug transport activity."

"Okay, now you got my utmost attention, that's got to be Beckett. Any word on when and where?"

"From what I could gather, she is being monitored now and has been for some time now. Might want to take some action on this before it happens."

"Thanks Mac, good heads up on this one."

"Any time Kev, you know we take care of our own and this one hits close to home for you."

"Roger that, buzz me some time when you're free, let's go for a drink somewhere."

"Can do! Two Irishmen drinking together, choose a good place that can handle that! We do tend to get a little loud and annoying when we drink. Speak to you again soon."

With that info, Ryan goes in to talk to the Captain.

Roy Montgomery took the matter seriously, especially given that Kate was his best homicide. Montgomery puts a security detail on Kate. Rick upon hearing about the matter on Kate's possible abduction and murder, makes sure his security systems, for the complex and the loft, are in good operating condition. He hires a private security team to watch over them to include immediate family.

Both Montgomery and Castle will take this notice seriously as it involves the possible kidnap and assassination of Kate. Kate asked during her brief with Montgomery, if Josh Davidson should be contacted on the matter. This as a heads up to Josh so as to inform him of the danger posed to his person. The Cartel apparently was not giving up on getting Josh, despite Josh being out of reach in remote Africa. Montgomery gave a thumbs up on alerting Josh of this impending danger. Montgomery had asked Kate to do the notification in person.

Contacting Josh Davidson

Kate had reluctantly taken her assignment despite dreading having to speak to Josh. They had parted ways in an amicable fashion but she had sensed Josh's disappointment when Castle's paternity test showed him as the baby's father. Kate had tried not to contact Josh so as not bring up painful memories of their past relationship. Still, Kate knew that lives were involved here and so Josh needed to know the danger that he was in now. She got hold of the DWB offices in NYC and left an urgent request for Josh to contact her.

Kate followed that up with an email to Josh. She still had his contact numbers on her cell. She hoped the contacts were still good. Kate had decided after the breakup with Josh not to erase the numbers. Given how they had ended it, Kate did not know why she had not deleted them from her cell phone. Now Kate was thankful she had not done so.

Two weeks later she got a text from Josh. He was on break in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa and had received her message. He said he wanted to talk to her immediately but the time difference from Africa to NYC prevented him from calling her in timely fashion. It was mid-day for Kate, near night for him. So he asked her to contact him in two days at a time convenient for her. He would put his phone on notification. She did get hold of him and the conversation started with awkwardness.

"Hi Kate", she hears on the other end, his voice low and unsteady.

"Sorry for getting you up Josh, I know it is late there at your location."

"No need to apologize, I was waiting for the call. I want to apologize for how we left it Kate, I realize now that I was the one who started the break, that's on me."

"Water under the bridge Josh", but his comment eases her angst on speaking with him now.

"So how is the novice mother? Are you adjusting to your new life? I heard through friends that you and Rick will marry this coming May. I guess congratulations are in order."

She is a bit surprised by this, apparently Josh was keeping up on her. She hears the sorrow in Josh's voice and realizes that he is not over her yet. Josh is still in love with her despite the fact she had hurt him so badly with the breakup, her quick hookup with Castle, and now mother to Castle's child.

"Josh, please, let's not dwell on our past, know that I am happy now but there is something that you must know that could spell life or death for you."

"What's up Kate? Is that the reason for this unexpected contact via a long distance call?"

When he got her message, Josh had fantasized that Rick might have left her and her child and that she wanted back. But Josh knew he was delusional on this matter, but despair on Kate's absence from his life had lead him to an unrealistic fantasy that he and Kate might yet get back together.

"Josh, please, just listen and then we can discuss after hearing what I have to tell you". With that comment, she relates to Josh what they know about the Columbian Cartel's plan of going after them.

"So I have placed you in danger unknowingly", he says after hearing Kate's news. "Once again I am to blame for complicating your life. It seems you are in a good place now, and I have ruined that for you."

"You are not to blame for that, if nothing else, it is the Cartel's making. I just need to know you will be cautious on this and aware of what could happen here."

"Kate, if worse comes to worse, I will go to them and have them free you by offering myself in your place."

"Josh, it will not end that way. They will draw you out and once they have you, they will use me to exact revenge on you. They will kill me so you can witness it. You must not allow yourself to be captured by them. I have people watching my back here Josh. I will be safe. I know how to defend myself and can cope, but you need to avoid these people. You must drop out of view from them. Go somewhere that no one knows about and keep off the screen of the Columbians. Can you do that?"

"I can, but what of my current mission?"

"I have contacted DWB and they know the situation and will cooperate. Rick knows people and they can contact you there and place you somewhere safe. Just say the word and Rick will have his people get to you within a day's time."

"Fine, do I have a choice here? Seems I don't. I should not have turned down that first witsec offer. Just thank Rick for me and know that I want you safe, so do what must be done. Bye Kate, this may be the last time we speak to each other."

"Bye Josh, but know this, I did have affections for you while it lasted. My time with you is a good memory ."

"Thank you for saying that Kate, but I know now that I never had a chance with you. It was always Castle there for you. This is probably why I was so jealous of him, although at the time I could not see it, so blinded by my jealousy I was. But know this Kate, having been with you will be a good memory for me also. Good bye Kate. I still having feelings for you and always will."

"Wow!", was all Kate could think about Josh's admission to her. This was not the proud Josh who Kate had known. The time apart had changed his perspective, and Kate was just amazed that Josh could admit to it now.

They end the call. She nods her head 'yes' to Rick, who had been there all the while to hear the result of Kate's call to Josh.

"I'll get the wheels turning with my CIA contacts."

These were the people Rick had come to know when he did researched with Sophia Turner on a hard hitting female CIA agent. He had written Sophia Turner into his Storm novels as the character, Clara Strike. Rick had kept close to these people, even after he had ended it with the stunning and seductive CIA agent. He had even done them favors that his fame and wealth had allowed Rick to do for the CIA. The CIA considered Rick as a valuble asset. The agency owed him and Rick now called in that marker for Josh's sake.

When Josh ended his call with Kate, he came to realize what a good man Castle really is, to come to his aid. If the tables were turned, Josh doubted if he would have been as gracious as Rick Castle. He knew at that moment with certainty that Kate was in good hands. She would be loved and cared for by Rick in upcoming times and that is a comforting thought for Josh. He was grateful for this. Rick Castle would take care of Kate far more better than he could. Rick Castle's fame, wealth, and many influential contacts, allowed Rick to do things for Kate that Josh simply could not do as a surgeon.

The next day Josh was contacted by the CIA and put in a program that sent him to a new location under a new identity. Only the CIA knew about Josh's whereabouts. He was now protected from any reprisals from the Columbian Cartel. What remained unknown was the repercussions that would occur for Kate, once the Columbian cartel found out about the sudden disappearance of the doctor. But the NYPD was ready for them as Montgomery had contacted DEA on the matter and entered into a joint task force with DEA. This to protect Kate Beckett from harm and to mount an operation on the NYC arm of the Columbian Cartel.

Now it was a waiting game to find out what the reactions of the Cartel would be. Whatever they turned out to be, the intent was to exploit them and turn the tide against the Cartel.