Chapter 92: Santino Arrives

Castle was actually aware that the FBI had arranged for Neal to stay in a dilapidated hotel that could be called a doghouse, but he didn't mention it. He knew that soon enough, Neal would meet June in a tailor shop. June, who had a fondness for criminals due to her late husband's background, would take a liking to Neal and offer him her attic.

June, a wealthy woman, owned a mansion in the heart of Manhattan. Despite her wealth, she took a liking to Neal, perhaps because he reminded her of her late husband. Her attic was far better than the shabby hotel the FBI had provided.

So, Castle didn't worry about how Neal and Mozzie would settle down. Instead, he went home.

After returning home, Castle found that his mother, Martha, was busy with her acting class, and his daughter, Alexis, had gone out shopping with friends. The empty house gave him the perfect opportunity to finalize the outline for his first Nikki Heat novel and start writing. He had informed Gina about his new novel plan over a month ago, and it was high time he began writing. After all, being a novelist was his main job, and he couldn't forget his roots.

Castle began writing at home, while Neal, as Castle expected, had met his benefactor, June, in a tailor shop. With his charm and the uncanny resemblance to her late husband, Neal won June's sympathy. Learning that Neal had just been released from prison and the FBI had put him in a doghouse, June offered to rent her spacious and comfortable attic to Neal at a very reasonable price. Thus, Neal moved into June's luxurious attic with the budget the FBI had allocated for his doghouse.

Neal and Mozzie were thrilled to find a comfortable and luxurious place to stay. Beckett was busy at the precinct with paperwork for ongoing cases, Peter Burke was hopeful about solving more cases with Neal's help, and Meredith had returned to Los Angeles for her audition with the famous director. Castle, meanwhile, had started writing his new novel at home. It seemed like everyone had settled into their routines.

Until two days later, when Castle received a sudden call from John and Gianna from Rome.

Castle, who had been writing at home, was pleased to see John's name on the caller ID. Although the writing process had been smooth, he welcomed the chance to take a break and chat with his friend.

In a relaxed mood, Castle answered the phone, only to hear John's serious and somewhat anxious voice: "Rick? Are you alright?"

Confused, Castle pulled the phone away from his ear to check the caller ID again. It was indeed John. What was he talking about? What did he mean by asking if he was alright?

After a brief pause, during which Castle didn't respond, John's voice became even more urgent: "Rick, Rick... can you hear me?"

Hearing the usually composed John sound so anxious, Castle quickly responded, "I'm here, of course I'm here. Your question just confused me, so I didn't respond immediately. What's going on? Why are you so anxious? What happened?"

Relieved by Castle's response, John exhaled deeply. "Damn it, you scared me by not answering right away. I thought something happened to you."

After a brief scolding, John explained the urgent reason for his call: "Rick, Santino disappeared from the D'Antonio family castle last night. Gianna and I just found out that he took a group of men and headed to New York. We believe he's coming to cause you trouble."

Castle was even more puzzled. "What? Santino is coming to New York to find me? Why would he want to trouble me? I haven't done anything to him."

John patiently explained the recent developments within the D'Antonio family. After Gianna had exposed Santino's ambition to become the family head and forced him to surrender his leverage against John, Santino had reluctantly stayed low for a few days. However, a small faction within the family still supported Santino and had secretly investigated the Paris incident, discovering the truth behind it.

Frustrated by his recent setbacks and filled with rage upon learning that a novelist had been behind his troubles, Santino, not understanding Castle's close relationship with John and Gianna, secretly left the castle with a few trusted men, heading to New York to seek revenge on Castle.

The news of Santino's departure for New York reached Gianna and John earlier that day. They were alarmed and immediately called Castle to warn him. John's plan was to arrange security for Gianna and then fly to New York to help Castle deal with Santino. A private plane was already prepared at the Rome airport, ready to depart as soon as John confirmed contact with Castle.

Castle listened to John's account of the sudden situation with a calm demeanor. Far from feeling panicked, he found the situation almost amusing. If it weren't for the fact that laughing while John was so worried would be inappropriate, he might have laughed out loud.

Patiently, Castle waited for John to finish explaining the situation and his plan before stopping him from leaving the newly pregnant Gianna to come to New York: "John, there's no need for you to rush back to New York. Gianna needs you more. Listen, buddy, by informing me of this news in time, you've already done enough. Do you remember the lion coin I showed you? The Continental Hotel has a rule that its resources won't harm those under the High Table's protection. I'll use that coin to ensure Martha and Alexis are protected. With that, my biggest worry will be gone.

And as long as my family is safe from Santino, do you really think he and a few men can pose any serious threat to me? Don't forget, I've shown you how much my skills have improved recently."

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