419. Chapter 419

After In the Belly of the Beast

Episode 6.17

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'm not planning to run for the ownership of Castle, but I could use a few hundred million dollars. Rating: K Time: See above

Elena Markov walked quickly through the woods. Her job was over. The next question was what should she do next? Lazarus had told her to save Detective Beckett's life, which she had done. When Vulcan Simmons found that Beckett was alive and Harden was dead, he'd be furious. Worse, he'd recognize the manner in which Harden had been killed and connect it to her. Then he'd be frightened. If Lazarus valued Beckett's life highly enough to keep her alive, and to double cross Simmons, it would tell Simmons that his relative value was not as high as he had thought.

Elena stopped to think. I could go to Simmons and tell him that it was all a setup. That Lazarus had set Beckett up to be captured so that I could rescue her and repay her for saving Lazarus' life. Simmons was smart enough to understand that he'd become just like me: A loose end that needed to be cut off. Permanently. My talents and Simmons' money? Elena shook her head. Simmons is smart and ruthless, but he's not even close to being in the same league as Lazarus. No, a partnership was out.

Elena sighed. As usual the only person I can depend on is me. It's better that way, but I miss having someone. Elena smiled. Perhaps I do have someone.

She began to trot through the woods. In five minutes, she saw the car. The driver was standing beside it, looking for her. He spotted her. "Everything go well?" He asked.

Elena smiled at him. "Of course." Then she frowned. "What's that?" She said, looking behind him. He whirled, drawing his sidearm. Elena's knife sliced through his throat and he collapsed. She retrieved his weapon and went through his wallet, removing the money. The documents in his wallet were doubtlessly false. She was sure that he was just another ex-military thug, of which Lazarus had a seemingly endless supply. She dragged his body to the back of the car, opened the trunk and lifted him in.

Lazarus wouldn't have killed her here, so close to Simmons' base and the body of Harden. That was too dangerous. No, he'd arrange for her death at the rendezvous. Something quick, and her body would go to an unmarked grave. She got in, started the car and headed for a safe house she'd set up.

Vulcan Simmons checked his watch. "What the hell is Harden doing out there? How long does it take to put a bullet in someone's head?"

Mr. Jones shrugged. "She's an attractive woman. Perhaps Harden decided to have some fun with her."

Simmons snorted. "Harden's idea of fun is putting a bullet in someone's head. He should be back by now." He looked at his watch again. "Send someone out to find out what happened. I may have to discipline Harden for this."

Mr. Jones smiled and walked out of Simmons' office and told a guard to go find Harden.

"Harden? Where the hell are you? Both Simmons and Jones are really pissed off. Where the hell are you?"

Kate heard him and saw the flashlight he had well before she could see him. When he got a bit closer, she could see he was armed with a submachine gun and probably a pistol. She had managed to cut her bonds and called the precinct. And she had Harden's pistol.

"Harden! You asshole, where are you?"

"NYPD!" Kate yelled. "Drop your weapon. On your knees, hands on your head. Now!"

The goon fired a short burst in her general direction, but missed. His flashlight told Kate exactly where he was. She fired once and he collapsed. She ran to him. He was dead. She took his two weapons and spare ammo clips and started away from the compound.

Mr. Jones rushed to the fence where several guards had gathered.

"A short burst followed by a single shot. You want us to check it out." A guard said.

Mr. Jones shook his head. "She's still alive, she's armed and she has Harden's phone, at least. The police will be on their way here. We have to leave." Mr. Jones walked back to the main building. Vulcan Simmons was not going to be happy.

Once back in New York City, Simmons let everyone know how unhappy he was. "How in the hell did Beckett kill Harden?" He demanded.

"According to our source in the NYPD, he fell, and they wrestled for the gun. It went off and Harden is dead. Then she shot the guard." Mr. Jones answered. "Don't worry. No one can connect anyone of us to that place and it was scrubbed clean. The police have nothing."

"Beckett knows about me." Simmons snapped.

"So? She has no evidence of anything. And she thought you were behind her mother's murder before and nothing happened. Don't worry."

Simmons thought for a moment. "You're right. They have nothing."

Mr. Jones smiled. "Of course I'm right." And Lazarus doesn't want you worrying about anything until it's too late for your worrying to do any good.

Richard Castle was surprised to find a beautiful, dark haired woman grabbing him and kissing him passionately as soon as he got to his car. He pushed her away. "I'm sorry. You have the wrong man." Then he felt the gun in his ribs.

"I've missed you so much, darling." She said loudly. "Now get in the car, Mr. Castle." She whispered.

Once in the car, he was forced to drive to an abandoned pier on the Hudson River.

"I'm Elena Markov." She said, then smiled. "Well, not really, but that's the only name you'd know me by."

"You saved Beckett's life. Why?"

"Lazarus, who you know as Senator William Bracken, set it up. He has a twisted sense of honor. Detective Beckett saved his life. He felt that by setting her up, putting her in danger and then having me save her would even things between them."

"We thought that was it." Castle said, nodding. "But why are you telling me all this?"

"Vulcan Simmons would have realized that I killed Harden if you hadn't put out the story that Beckett shot him. If Simmons realized that Lazarus saved Beckett's life, he'd wonder just how valuable he himself was to Lazarus. And he'd figure out he means nothing to Lazarus. But, if Lazarus had his "rogue" assassin killed for killing Harden, Simmons would feel secure. At least until Lazarus didn't need him any more."

"But you're not dead."

Elena laughed. "You are quite the detective, Mr. Castle. I worked out what would happen. My contact was supposed to take me to a safe house for debriefing. I assume I would have been killed here. Oh, I'm sure the NYPD will never find my contact. I'm very thorough."

"And you brought me here…to help you escape Bracken?" Castle guessed.

Elena shook her head. "No. I have money, documents, contacts, everything that I need. And I'm afraid I really can't trust you or Detective Beckett with any information about myself."

"Then why am I here? Or should I say, why are you here?"

"What I do need is someone to occupy Senator Bracken's mind. Someone to keep him from worrying about me." She handed Castle a USB drive. "There's nothing that you could use in a court on this, but it should give you some ideas as to where to look when you continue your investigation of Bracken. Places he won't want you to look."

Elena reached over and pulled the car keys from the ignition. "Now, I must leave you. I'll leave the keys by the garbage can by the street. I suggest you go straight home and don't try to follow me."

Castle nodded as she got out of the car. In spite of having a spare key, he waited ten minutes before starting the car.

"She kissed you?" Kate asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes. She kissed me! But isn't the important part that she gave us information about Bracken?"

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Getting information about Bracken? Of course."

"No, the kiss." Kate stopped but then smiled. "As long as you didn't enjoy it too much." Kate said thoughtfully. "But she was right. None if this would make it into a court, but it helps."

"And I swear, I didn't enjoy the kiss."

"Did you kiss her back?"

"Kiss her back? Of course not!"

"I never thought you did." Kate teased.