To prevent the lucrative B-2 upgrade contract from being stolen by their shameless rival, Lockheed Martin, during the fallout of Castle's feud with Northrop Grumman, the latter had scrambled to patch up their fractured relationship with him.
At the very least, they couldn't allow Lockheed Martin to enjoy exclusive access to Castle's groundbreaking optical cloaking technology. That alone was enough to send Northrop's executives into a panic, prompting them to seek out Castle as if their careers depended on it—because they likely did.
The senior vice president tasked with maintaining the company's relationship with Castle had been left in a tough spot. He knew full well that Northrop's board had royally screwed up when they sided with the Japanese during the Christmas incident, angering Castle and damaging what had once been an excellent working relationship.
Privately, the VP had plenty of choice words for the board's shortsighted greed. But as a mere corporate employee—albeit a high-ranking one—there was little he could do but bite his tongue and follow orders.
And so, when the board ordered him to lead a team to New York to mend fences with Castle, he reluctantly complied. For the first time in his career, the company even provided a private jet for the trip, underscoring just how urgent the situation was.
Meanwhile, Sugiyama Hachi and the Yamaguchi-gumi thug who had managed to "escape" the safe house were enduring a living nightmare. For two days straight, they had been relentlessly pursued across New York by Big Ivan and his team of Russian ex-special forces operatives.
Thanks to Jarvis's total control over the city's surveillance systems, Big Ivan had split his team into four groups, keeping the pressure on the two fugitives without actually catching them. Every time Sugiyama thought they had shaken their pursuers, Ivan's men would reappear, forcing them to flee once more.
Driven to desperation, Sugiyama had contacted Japan for reinforcements. However, since Castle had already provided detailed intelligence to the U.S. military about Japanese covert operatives in Hawaii, their network there had been all but dismantled. This left Sugiyama with no choice but to reach out to the Yakuza's diminished West Coast presence and, finally, their home base in Japan.
The response from Japan was immediate. The elder Watanabe patriarch, furious at the situation, decided to personally travel to New York with a team of mercenaries. According to Jarvis's intelligence, the group consisted of a ten-man unit of seasoned mercenaries recruited from war-torn regions in the Middle East. They were scheduled to depart Tokyo that evening on a private jet, with a refueling stop in Hawaii before arriving at LaGuardia Airport the following morning.
Watanabe's intentions were clear: he was ready for a final confrontation with Castle, even if it meant going down with him.
When Castle learned that Watanabe was bringing a team of professional mercenaries to New York with the intent to assault his estate, he realized he couldn't keep the matter to himself any longer.
He understood that if things spiraled out of control—especially if the mercenaries caused collateral damage—there would be consequences far beyond his ability to manage. And more importantly, there would be hell to pay at home if he didn't inform Beckett beforehand.
So, when Beckett returned home from work that evening, Castle finally decided to confess everything.
Castle's "confession" was delivered with a mix of nervousness and sheepishness. He detailed how he had learned about the Japanese "assassins" targeting him, how he and John had investigated their safe house in Red Hook, and how they had deliberately avoided involving the NYPD since it wasn't in Beckett's precinct.
He explained his plan to use the three assassins as bait to draw out Watanabe's network—a plan that had fallen apart when the "assassins" turned out to be nothing more than hapless Yakuza thugs. Finally, he admitted to sending Big Ivan and his team to scare the three into fleeing, forcing them to call for reinforcements.
Castle didn't leave anything out, including the fact that the three Yakuza had already been eliminated by Ivan's team and their bodies discreetly disposed of by The Continental's cleaners. He also confessed that Watanabe was now on his way to New York with a team of mercenaries, determined to launch an all-out attack.
What surprised Castle most was Beckett's reaction—or rather, her lack of one. Instead of being angry, she praised him for having the presence of mind to come clean before things got out of hand.
This left Castle dumbfounded. Since when was his wife so tolerant of his... less-than-lawful methods?
Beckett's explanation put Castle at ease.
It wasn't just Castle who had been furious about Alexis's kidnapping—Beckett, too, had been deeply affected. After living with Alexis for so long, Beckett had come to care for her like family. While her position as a police officer prevented her from taking the same actions as Castle, it didn't mean she wasn't just as angry.
The fact that Castle had hunted down and punished the perpetrators of the kidnapping felt, to Beckett, like justice being served.
The same logic applied to the current situation. The Yakuza thugs had come to New York with the intent to kill Castle, and while they may not have been professional assassins, their actions were unforgivable. That Castle had dealt with them decisively—and ensured their remains would never be found—was a relief rather than a cause for concern.
"Here in the U.S.," Beckett reminded Castle, "we have a saying: 'No body, no case.' Do you know how many open cases I already have in my precinct? Who's going to care about three missing Japanese nationals?"
What truly pleased Beckett, however, was that Castle had informed her about Watanabe's impending arrival. It showed that he wasn't letting his confidence in Big Ivan's team make him overconfident. By bringing her into the loop, Castle was acknowledging the potential for things to go wrong and ensuring they could prepare accordingly.
To Beckett, this was a sign of growth. Her husband, who had always been a bit childish and impulsive, was finally learning to act with foresight and caution. It was also a sign that Castle saw her as someone he could trust and rely on—a partner in every sense of the word.
This realization made Beckett genuinely happy, even if her priorities in the situation might seem odd to others.
As for Watanabe and his "elite" team of mercenaries? Beckett wasn't particularly worried.
"This is New York," she said with a smirk.
Even if the mercenaries managed to secure weapons with Watanabe's financial backing, they would still be no match for the NYPD. With drones equipped with surveillance and even missile capabilities patrolling the skies, the mercenaries' chances of pulling off anything substantial were slim.
And that wasn't even factoring in the possibility of federal intervention. Beckett's friend, Jo Martinez, the head of the FBI's Joint Task Force in New York, could easily frame the situation as a potential terrorist threat, ensuring the full force of federal law enforcement came down on Watanabe's team.
To Beckett, Watanabe and his mercenaries were less of a concern than the Northrop executives who were scheduled to visit the estate the next day. Their motives were far more ambiguous—and potentially far more dangerous.
"Let's focus on the people we know are snakes," Beckett said, patting Castle on the shoulder. "I'll deal with the mercenaries. You figure out what those corporate suits really want."
For Castle, her calm yet commanding demeanor was both a relief and a reminder of why he had fallen in love with her in the first place.
(End of Chapter)
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