"Anytime, little sister. So, you want to tell me if Ethan is the guy that lights you up inside?"
"Nope. Not ready to have this conversation with you right now."
"Promise me we'll have it later?" He squeezed her more tightly to his side.
"I promise," she answered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"He's a good guy," he said quietly.
"The best."
The doctor walked in then, his clipboard in his hand. He didn't seem fazed by Isabel's teary eyes or the fact that she was sitting on Sully's bed.
"I'm going to reiterate that I'm releasing you against my better judgment. I'd really like for you to stay overnight."
"There's not a chance in hell I'm staying here, doc. So you can either release me, or I'll walk out of here on my own."
The doctor sighed. "I thought you would say that." He pushed some papers into Isabel's hands. "Here are the instructions for care."
"I've been shot before. I know the routine," Sully said.
The doctor's face paled, and Sully quickly added, "Ex-military."
The doctor seemed to recover quickly at that explanation. "You'll need to return in seven days to have those stitches removed. Keep them dry and clean. You'll need to take it easy for the next couple of weeks."
Sully snorted, and the doctor looked miffed. "You're free to go."
Turning around, he walked out the door without another word, clearly annoyed that his recommendations had been so blatantly rejected.
Isabel giggled. "He's just trying to help."
"I know he is." Sully sighed. "But I can't stay here when Bruno's out there gunning for us. It won't take long for him to realize we escaped. We need to be ready."
"Let's get some rest. We can conquer the world tomorrow," Isabel said, as she handed him an extra shirt they'd had in the van. His other one was bloody and had a bullet hole through it. She shivered at how close that bullet had come to killing him. A few inches higher, and there wouldn't have been a happy ending to this story.
A nurse walked in with a wheelchair. "Your chariot awaits, Mr. Castle."
"I'm perfectly capable of walking out of here on my own two feet," he protested.
"Not a chance. Hospital's orders."
Sully opened his mouth to protest, but the woman gave him a piercing glare. "Sit." Her command left no room for argument.
With a huff, Sully sat in the chair. Isabel stepped behind it. "Ok if I push it?" she asked.
"Of course. Get well soon, Mr. Castle," the nurse said as she gave him a wink.
"That woman could scare the pants off the most dangerous operative," he said.
Isabel laughed, throwing her head back. As she entered the hallway, her eyes met Ethan's, and her laughter faded. Something was different about him. There was a determination when he looked at her, as well as a softness she wasn't used to seeing there. What had changed?
Ethan stepped up to take over pushing Sully, who grumbled something about not being a damned convalescent. When they reached the double doors to the parking lot, Sully jumped up from the wheelchair and, without waiting for either of them, got into the van.
Ethan chuckled. "He'll be running a team meeting within an hour."
Isabel groaned at the thought. What she wouldn't give for a hot bath and a long nap, preferably with Ethan right there beside her.
* * * *
Isabel, Sully, and Ethan ambled into the hotel room.
"In bed, mister," Isabel said, pointing to Sully.
"Not a chance," Sully responded, heading towards the couch.
"Sully, you need to rest," she protested.
"I will. Right here. Team meeting in an hour. Then we can get some rest for the night."
Isabel groaned. Zach came out of the bathroom.
"What's all the groaning for?"
"Sully and his need for meetings." Isabel rolled her eyes. "How's Quita?"
"Tired. Beat up. But the doctor says she's going to be fine. They gave her fluids and pain meds. The doctor doesn’t think there'll be any permanent scarring." He took a deep breath and sat on the couch. "I put her in my room. I'll bunk with Ethan."
"That's good. Think she would mind if I checked on her?"
Zach shook his head. "I think she'd welcome the female companionship since she's been stuck with me for the past twenty-four hours."
He rubbed a hand over his face and into his hair. Clearly tired, he'd stayed by her side all through the night. Zach was such a good guy. All the Castle guys were. She was proud to call them family.
Isabel squeezed his shoulder as she passed by him and approached Quita's door. She gave a quick knock, and Quita answered with a quiet, "Come in."
"How are you feeling?" Isabel asked, shocked at the amount of damage Bruno had done to her face. Her arm was in a sling—she and Sully would match—and she was propped up on some pillows. She looked terrible.
"Better," Quita said, her voice tight from between her busted lips. "Good pain meds."
"Yeah, those always help."
"They make me feel loopy, though. Hoping I can wean off them tomorrow."
Isabel sat down in the chair near the bed, leaning forward to prop her elbows on her knees. "I'm sorry this happened to you. If you hadn't helped us—"
"Stop. It was the right thing. I couldn't stomach the thought of him killing you in my house."
Quita struggled to sit up, and Isabel popped up to help adjust her pillows.
"When I met with you and Ethan at the diner, I didn't know for sure what his plan was. He just told me I had to get you out of the room. I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but knowing for sure—those men showing up with guns—they had one purpose for being there. " She caught Isabel's hand. "I couldn't have lived with myself if I'd let them kill you."
"Thank you," Isabel said, squeezing her hand gently.
Quita dropped her gaze, letting go of Isabel's hand to pick at some imaginary lint on her blanket. "You all should leave. He's not going to stop until you're all dead."
"We aren't leaving you here alone. And we aren't going to be scared by him. We have families to protect. If we don't take care of him here, he'll come to us in D.C."
Quita nodded. "He will. I wish I could help, but I just can't. I can't tell you why. But I just—"
Isabel held up her hand. "It's ok."
"But it's not," Quita said, becoming agitated. Isabel was worried she would hurt herself, and also knew that the pain meds could make some people a bit emotional. She changed the subject.
"You and Zach seemed to get along pretty well. I hope he wasn't a nuisance."
Quita's facial features immediately relaxed. "Zach is sweet. I don't know what I would have done without him." When the dreamy look spread across her face, Isabel knew the woman must be smitten.
It wasn't hard to believe. Zach was a real catch. Sweet, kind, generous, smart, and sexy as hell. Who wouldn't like him?
"Well, he seems to like you, too."
"I'm no good for him. No good for any of you. You're only going to get hurt worse by protecting me."
Isabel straightened, laying her hand gently on Quita's shoulder. "We protect our friends."
"But I’m not your friend," Quita protested.
"You are now." Isabel smiled. "Get some rest," she said, and walked back to her room. She didn't have time for a nap, but she was going to take a bath if it killed her.
Chapter 23
Ethan stumbled out of the room that he and Zach were now sharing right before the meeting was to begin. He'd taken a shower and shut his eyes for about fifteen minutes. It was just before eight o'clock, and his bed was calling his name. Actually, it was Isabel's bed that was calling his name, but he wasn't quite sure how he was going to sneak over there. Zach wasn't exactly known for sleeping, so sneaking by him seemed like an impossibility. But better that Zach question his whereabouts than Sully.
Zach was already seated at the conference table with Sully, who looked a little like death warmed over. They
needed to wrap up this meeting quickly, or Sully was going to have a major setback.
Looking up briefly from his computer, Zach nodded a hello to him. Ethan nodded back and took a seat just as Gabriel and Lucas ambled in.
"How is everyone feeling?" Lucas asked.
"Ok here," Ethan said.
"Fine," Sully said. Sure he was feeling fine. Ethan believed that as much as he believed in Santa Claus.
"No difficulty breathing? No tightness in your chest?" Lucas grilled him.
"Nope. Izz should be out in a minute. You can ask her then, too."
"Ask me what?" she asked, coming out of her room.
Geez, the woman was beauty incarnate. She wore pajama pants that rode low on her hips and a t-shirt that bared her midriff. It wasn't revealing, but Ethan knew what that little strip of skin tasted like, and he wanted to taste her again. Ethan pulled his eyes away with difficulty.
"Any difficulty breathing or chest tightness?" Lucas answered.
"No. My throat's a little sore, but I should be fine."
Lucas nodded and settled into his seat.
Once Isabel was seated, Sully started the meeting. "What happened in the warehouse was too close a call for my liking. If it hadn't been for those thugs’ oversight and Isabel's knife"—Sully shuddered—"we'd all be dead right now. I don't know about you, but I don't plan to let that asshole get that close again."
Each member of the team mumbled his or her agreement.
"So what's the plan?" Gabriel asked. "I don't want him to get to Cate. And I know Lucas is worried about Scarlett and Emery. How do we take this guy down on his own turf?"
"We need something we can give to the police."
"But what would that even be? And who do we trust? He clearly had someone on the inside feed the FBI incorrect information. Someone clearly let those women be taken out of that warehouse right under the FBI's nose," Ethan said.
"It would only take one person giving bad intel to those on the ground. I have a friend inside. I'll call him. He's not our regular channel, but I think something is broken there," Isabel said.
"Maybe so, but I think our best bet is to search for incriminating evidence here. We have photos, but we need more. It would need to be heavy enough to prosecute him. Irrefutable confirmation. That, along with the pictures Ethan took, should be substantial enough to put him away for good."
"How do we know he won't just operate from the inside?" Lucas asked.
"Money. Once the money is all dried up, he can't do us any harm," Sully said.
"We need to get inside," Zach said.
"Inside where?" Gabriel asked.
"His club. His computer. Damn, even his home. He has to have incriminating information somewhere."
"He does," a voice from behind them said.
Quita. Her long blonde hair was pulled to the side in a low ponytail. Her face was black and blue, and her left arm was in a sling. She walked slowly, as if every step was measured and cost her something. If the rest of her body looked like her face, then it probably did.
"What do you mean?" Sully asked.
"He has a file on his computer at the club. It's a blackmail file. He has information on dignitaries from other countries, politicians, businessmen…you name it; he has it."
"Why would he keep such a file?" Isabel asked.
"Bruno is paranoid. He's also a bit obsessive-compulsive. He doesn’t make his own money. Everything he does, legal and illegal, is funded by someone else. So he keeps meticulous records in case one of his money trains runs away. He'll always have another one to jump on."
"Makes sense if you're a paranoid freak, I guess," Isabel said.
"So how do we get to it?" Ethan asked.
"We need to get someone inside. Isabel, we can put you in disguise—" Sully began.
"I'll do it," Quita interjected.
"No!" Zach called out, more loudly than Ethan had ever heard him react to anything before. Zach was a California surfer at heart. There wasn't much that got him riled up. "I mean, you're not well. You're still too fragile. You can't go back in there. If he catches you—"
"And if he catches her"—Quita pointed to Isabel—"he'll kill her. No questions asked. I have a better chance of getting in and out without causing much notice. Not to mention, he'll be out of the club tonight."
"I don't think any of us is in any shape to pull this off tonight," Ethan said, mourning his diminishing chances for an early bedtime.
"It's tonight, or not again until next week. He goes weekly to another club in Reno. I won't be able to get near his office unless he's out."
"I don't like this," Zach said.
"Yeah, me neither," Sully said. "But Quita's right. It's our best shot." He turned his hard gaze on her, and she didn't flinch. "Why should we trust you?"
"Sully, that's uncalled for," Zach started. Sully threw up a hand to stop him.
"I don't guess I've given you much reason to, except that you saved my life last night. And I'm tired of living this way. It's time I took control of my life. I want him to pay," she said, anger pouring off her in waves.
"Good enough for me," Sully said. "Ok, Quita. We'll do this. You're sure you're up for it?"
"Absolutely."
"So, tell us about this file.
"Like I said before, Bruno is paranoid. He paid a crap-ton of money for some computer geek—no offense, Zach," she said, a smile lifting one corner of her mouth.
"None taken," he said, but he looked troubled. Not at all the carefree Zach that everyone knew and loved.
"He paid him to encrypt the files. I overheard him bragging to one of the guys on his payroll. If I get those files, you'll be able to take Bruno down, as well as some of the bigger fish in this pond. Those buying and selling—the names and identities of those buying and selling women, guns, and drugs. And The General…" she finished.
"How do you know about him?" Sully asked, suspicion ringing in his tone.
"Bruno told me about him, and I overheard them talking about your team. I was Bruno's girlfriend, if you can call it that, but I was also his whore. He pimped me out to all of his big name guys, whether for a lap dance or other stuff." She looked away, clearly embarrassed at what she'd been forced to do. "Then afterwards, he'd beat me. Told me I enjoyed too much what he'd forced me to do. Insecure prick."
Zach growled under his breath. "When I get my hands on him—"
"Can you crack it?" Sully asked Zach.
"Have I ever let you down?" he answered, the anger still burning on his face.
"No, but I wanted to make sure you're all in on this."
"One hundred percent, boss."
"Are you sure it's worth risking Quita's safety?" Isabel asked. "I could always pretend I’m looking for a job. Get an interview."
"They'll see right through it,” Quita replied, “and you'll never get near that office. You want this information, right? It will keep you safe?"
"Of course," Isabel responded.
"Then I'm the only one who can help you."
* * * *
The team decided that Isabel, Ethan, and Zach would provide backup for Quita, while Lucas, Gabriel, and Sully kept watch at the hotel. They were sure that by now, Bruno had been notified that he hadn’t succeeded in killing them. No one wanted to come back to the room and have it explode on them, or find assassins lying in wait to gun them down as soon as they opened the door.
Ethan and Zach were dressed in hats and sunglasses, pulling off the “I'm so cool, I wear sunglasses at night” look. It wasn't much of a disguise, but with Bruno gone and his hired men not expecting them, they thought it would suffice. Isabel wore a blonde wig, heavy makeup, and fake lashes, and a wide-brimmed hat that she pulled down to cover half her face.
Quita arrived ahead of them, walking in as if she owned the place. Isabel had carefully made up her face as best she could, to try and cover some of the bruises, but it hadn't helped much. Quita had shrugged, feigning indifference to her bruised face. She'd taken half her
dosage of painkillers, in order to keep the pain at bay but also be able to function tonight. She'd bought the most outlandish hat that she could find at the hotel gift shop in order to help hide the severity of her injuries. It fit her stage personality, but Isabel was quickly realizing that the real Quita was much more subdued.
Music pulsed inside the club as one of the dancers gyrated on the stage. She was beautiful. Tall, slender, and curvy in all the right places. Isabel wondered briefly at what it was that made Quita do what she did. She didn't seem to enjoy it. And it was obvious that Bruno had her under his control. He was using something or someone in her life to keep her under his thumb.
Ethan hovered by her side, always within reach. He'd been different since the fire and their night together. She knew he wanted to talk, but there just hadn't been a good time to do so. If Isabel was truthful with herself, she would admit that she was scared. Scared he would decide that she wasn't worth fighting for—even though she kept telling herself that they could never be together. Things were too hard. There was too much at stake. She didn't even know if she had it in her to make a relationship work.
And yet, when she'd lain in his arms and the realization that she loved him had hit her, nothing had seemed more important than the two of them being together.
Quita brushed by them, giving them an almost imperceptible nod. She was going in. Zach followed closely behind her, taking up a position near the stage.
Isabel walked a few paces behind Quita, taking a different route. Ethan stayed close by, his hand at the small of her back. When they got near the hallway where Bruno's office was located, Ethan whipped her around, backing her up against the wall. They were far enough away not to attract suspicion, but close enough to hear Quita speak to the guard.
"Left something in the dressing room," she told him. Zach was so close to her, Isabel knew he'd be able to extricate her if the guard gave her any problems.
"You ain't supposed to be here. Bruno said you were sick." The thug looked her over, his gaze landing on her broken arm. Isabel peeked over Ethan's shoulder as he nuzzled at her neck, watching as the guy's face broke out into a grin.
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 67