Chapter 135: Bringing Back

Castle started the car, responding to Moz to ease his worries, "Moz, first of all, I really appreciate you considering all this for me. But, because you're thinking from my perspective, I should stand with you and Neil when you're almost isolated and helpless. Besides, I don't think Vincent will do anything to me. From what you've said and my understanding of him, he doesn't seem to solve problems with violence. As long as we don't directly engage in a physical conflict with him, I don't think there's much danger for me to get involved."

Moz knew from Castle's response that there was no way to dissuade this stubborn guy, so he changed the topic back to the matter at hand, "Rick, do you think we can successfully bring Kate back now?"

Castle, focused on driving, answered nonchalantly, "I think as long as you can get Kate to trust you, we'll definitely be able to bring her back tonight to meet Neil, who's eagerly waiting. The question is whether she will unconditionally trust you and really come with us. Will she interpret your arrival as another scheme by Vincent Adler? Could she have changed her heart and signal Fuller, who's watching her, after meeting you? These are all things we need to consider now.

Earlier at Neil's place, I didn't want to burden him with these uncertainties and make him even more upset. But Moz, now that we're taking the risk to bring Kate back, we have to think about these things."

Castle's concerns made Moz fall into deep thought. He knew Castle was right. Kate had been missing for almost a month. No one could guarantee she hadn't betrayed her feelings for Neil. Her continued absence despite being in New York also made Moz more inclined to agree with Castle's concerns.

After thinking for a while, Moz asked Castle, "Rick, then how do you think we should handle this situation? Should we meet Kate directly?"

Driving, Castle replied without much concern, "I think we should first check the extent of Fuller's surveillance on Kate. If it's just general surveillance, then you should meet her directly, but it needs to be quick. You should persuade her to leave with us within minutes!

However, I still think you should wait in the car for a bit because Fuller probably doesn't know me. So, I can scout around Kate's apartment to see if there's a strict surveillance network. Barry Street's info only mentioned Kate was under Fuller's surveillance but didn't specify the intensity.

Anyway, better safe than sorry. We'll park a block away, and I'll take a walk around. As long as Fuller isn't right inside Kate's apartment, we'll quickly take Kate away, whether she's willing or not!"

The two stopped wasting words and headed straight to Kate's apartment in Queens. They parked a block away, and Castle got out of the car, strolling casually towards Kate's current residence.

Using his Jason Bourne-like spy skills awarded by the system, Castle spent nearly thirty minutes scouting around Kate's apartment building. Luckily, being in Queens and not Hell's Kitchen, Castle's late-night wandering looked like a troubled person walking off stress, raising no alarms. During these thirty minutes, he confirmed that there were no signs of direct surveillance from Fuller or anyone else around Kate's apartment. This was probably because it was a private matter, and Fuller didn't dare openly use FBI resources.

Having surveyed the surroundings, Castle returned to the car, bringing good news to Moz, "Moz, I can confirm there's no direct surveillance on Kate. Whether there's monitoring inside her apartment, I can't tell, but there's definitely no one around—neither Fuller's men nor Vincent's. So you can go straight to the door. Once you see Kate, whether she wants to or not, we can take her away!"

Moz didn't agree with Castle's plan to forcibly take Kate away. He insisted he could persuade Kate to leave willingly to see Neil.

Ultimately, Moz agreed to make Castle's plan a backup, keeping him in the car with continuous communication for safety.

After some quick planning for potential emergencies, they drove to Kate's apartment. Moz got out and headed to Kate's third-floor apartment while Castle stayed in the car, maintaining communication with Moz to monitor the situation.

Things went surprisingly smoothly. When Kate opened the door late at night to find Neil's best friend, Moz, she was surprised and overjoyed. Moz's persuasion took only a few words, especially "Neil is out of prison and has been looking for you," which instantly broke down Kate's defenses. Without further persuasion, she willingly asked to leave with Moz to see Neil.

From the moment Moz went upstairs to bringing Kate down with essential documents and belongings, it took less than fifteen minutes. Castle and Moz smoothly got Kate out of the apartment.

Once in the car, Kate realized that the driver was the writer Richard Castle, whom her boyfriend knew. Surprised, she stayed silent in the back seat, watching Castle drive fast, zigzagging through New York City for nearly an hour. Finally, Castle announced there were no signs of being followed. Only then did Kate notice Moz and Castle visibly relax.

Moz turned to Kate from the passenger seat and explained, "Kate, you already know Rick, so no need for introductions. The reason Rick drove around the city was to prevent Fuller, the federal agent monitoring you, and Vincent from tracking us. I hope you understand!"

Moz's words shocked Kate, "Vincent? You mean Vincent Adler? Is he involved in this? I thought only that federal agent was coercing me. How did you know Fuller had me under control?"

Moz and Castle laughed. Castle kept driving while Moz explained, "Kate, you need to thank Rick for this. He found you and learned you were being coerced by Fuller. We found out three hours ago. Neil couldn't come because he has an ankle monitor restricting his movement. So it's just Rick and me here to get you. We can talk more later. You'll soon see Neil and can ask him everything, including about that music box."

Moz said this because they were already in Manhattan, just two kilometers from Neil's place at 87 Canal Street. Kate would soon see Neil and get all her answers directly from him.

The car stopped in front of the white mansion where Neil was staying. Getting out, Kate couldn't believe her eyes, "You mean Neil lives here now?"

Castle and Moz exchanged a mischievous look and teased Kate, "Don't worry, Neil didn't sell his charms. He's just friends with the owner."

Their banter made Kate relax. She realized Neil was in much better condition than Fuller had led her to believe. Fuller had been deceiving her, making his refusal to let her meet Neil more understandable. Fuller was a complete jerk.

Castle and Moz's lighthearted jokes eased Kate's nerves as she followed them to Neil's door.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter