Castle laughed heartily, like a con artist: "Good, your refusal was perfect. Only by holding out can you maximize your value. Now, things are clear. Since the other side has already jumped out impatiently, it means they can't wait to make a move on William Bracken. If we act now, even if the Elephant Party bears a grudge, they'll direct their hatred at the Donkey Party. So there's no need to hide anymore. What we discussed earlier can officially begin!"
Beckett's eyes lit up. "I was thinking the same. I'll immediately contact Internal Affairs at the NYPD and take down those four dirty cops tied to William Bracken. Do you have the evidence? We need to use it to break their mental defenses right away!"
Castle stood up. "I've stored it in a safe place. I'll go get it now. You contact Internal Affairs, and we'll meet at NYPD headquarters. How about that?"
Beckett, not wanting to waste any time, stood up as well. She had waited ten long years for this moment, the chance to avenge her mother. Walking toward the exit, she added, "Good. I'll take Esposito and Ryan with me to headquarters. Be careful when you retrieve the evidence—I'm worried that Senator Bracken won't give up easily. He might even target you."
Castle sneered. "I'd like to see him try..."
With that, Castle walked out. In fact, the evidence was already stored in his personal space, but he needed an excuse to bring out the documents Montgomery had hidden so well. Thus, he had no choice but to split up with Beckett.
As Castle left the precinct alone, he leisurely followed behind Beckett and Esposito, who were headed to NYPD headquarters. However, his sharp sixth sense alerted him that someone was secretly watching him.
Castle wasn't surprised. He had expected Senator Bracken wouldn't stop after his failed attempt yesterday. What did surprise him, though, was that the senator had sent people to follow him as well. This was unexpected.
Castle's intuition was right—he was indeed being watched. But it wasn't just the assassins sent by Senator Bracken; FBI agents Jones and Diana were also tailing him.
Yesterday, Jones and Diana had no chance to approach Castle because he was with Beckett. After reporting back to FBI headquarters, their boss, Peter, became suspicious about the origins of the two assassins who had tried to kill Beckett and Castle. After some digging, they discovered that the assassins were linked to Senator William Bracken. Peter, sensing an opportunity in his stalled investigation, sent Jones and Diana back today to monitor Castle.
Arriving near the police precinct, Jones and Diana quickly noticed another car parked nearby with people inside, seemingly waiting to make another assassination attempt on either Beckett or Castle. The situation intrigued them.
When Beckett left the precinct earlier, two officers escorted her. Yet the suspicious car didn't follow her. Instead, it stayed put, clearly indicating that their target wasn't Beckett, but Castle, Beckett's partner and boyfriend.
Just as Castle was about to open the door of his Mercedes-Benz S400, his "Jason Bourne's Agent Skills"—a reward from the system—kicked in. He immediately noticed the two cars parked on the street near the precinct, their occupants watching him intently. One of them was a GMC SUV, which he instantly recognized as the same vehicle from yesterday, driven by FBI agents. The two inside were likely Jones and Diana, Peter's trusted aides. The other car, however, likely contained Bracken's assassins.
Castle couldn't help but wonder why Bracken would send assassins after him. Did they see him as an easy target? Were they trying to use his death as a warning to Beckett? Didn't they realize that killing him would likely only enrage her and make her more determined to continue the investigation?
In truth, Castle was wrong about the assassins. Bracken had indeed thought exactly that. Politicians often think differently from ordinary people. They love to use methods like "knocking on the mountain to scare the tiger" or "hitting a person to warn others." It was inevitable that someone like Castle, who had never been involved in political struggles, would misinterpret their intentions.
Senator William Bracken had not yet fully torn off his mask with the Donkey Party. He hoped that by eliminating Castle, he could show Beckett how serious he was about protecting his position. Whether this act scared or hurt Beckett, Bracken could then refocus his energy on dealing with his true threat—the Donkey Party. In Bracken's eyes, Beckett was just a nuisance; the real danger lay with the Donkeys. After failing to kill Beckett yesterday, Bracken shifted his focus to Castle, figuring that killing him would send the same message to Beckett without causing as much public outcry.
Castle had no idea about these calculations, nor did he care. The situation was clear: Senator Bracken wanted him dead to send a message to Beckett. That was all Castle needed to know. And since Beckett was now at NYPD headquarters, preparing to launch a formal investigation into Bracken's corrupt officers, the battle had already begun. Castle decided it was time to show he wasn't someone to be trifled with, to avoid being underestimated in the future.
As for the FBI agents watching him? That was none of Castle's concern. If they were willing to stand by and watch him get killed, they were no friends of his. He hoped that showing his skills might even scare them off, making it less likely they'd keep hounding him.
Having made up his mind, Castle stopped pretending to be a harmless writer. He bent down, opened the glove compartment, and grabbed the Glock 17 he had stashed inside the day before. Loading a round into the chamber, he rushed straight toward the SUV carrying Bracken's assassins.
His sudden move shocked not only the two assassins in the SUV but also Jones and Diana, who had been monitoring him. None of them expected a seemingly harmless writer to pull out a gun and charge at the would-be killers. Was this really what a writer would do?
Castle's decision to confront the assassins right outside the precinct was a smart one. He was well-known around the 12th Precinct, thanks to his relationship with Beckett. When the officers on the sidewalk saw him running toward the SUV with a gun, their first instinct wasn't to stop him. He was too familiar to them, and they subconsciously saw him as one of their own.
"Bang bang, bang bang…" The two assassins, realizing they had been exposed, tried to start their car and escape, but Castle was faster. Without hesitation, he fired two shots at each of them...
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