Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  The narrow hallway led her to the kitchen, and there, at the small kitchen table, sat Brady, coloring with crayons in a coloring book. Maggie forgot reason and sense and ran towards him.

  "Brady!" she cried.

  Brady looked up, a smile on his face, and darted towards her. His little arms wrapped around her hips, and he sobbed, his face buried in her stomach.

  "I’m so sorry," she cried, the tears falling freely from her eyes.

  She knelt down to talk to him at eye level, meeting his gaze. "I'm so sorry, baby. Are you ok?"

  He nodded. "I was so scared," he said, not able to fully pronounce the R sound, so that it came out as scay-wed.

  "I know, buddy. I'll get you out of here."

  "Do you have to go away again? Can't we just stay together?" Together came out as togevah, and it melted her heart. His mispronunciation—and his desire to stay with her. She wanted all of that so badly.

  "I’m working on it, baby. I'm working on it."

  Maggie pulled him tightly against her chest, her heart constricting with how much she loved this child. She stroked his hair and closed her eyes, inhaling his little boy scent.

  "Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly, looking him over for any scars or any signs that Anthony had laid a hand on him.

  "No, Momma. I'm ok." He leaned back into her, and Maggie held him tightly. She wanted this. Every single day. Not just once a month. Anthony had stolen that from her. She wouldn't let him take Brady away from her ever again. This ended today.

  "Well, isn't this the heartwarming scene? Mother and child, together again." Anthony's voice sounded from behind her. She felt Brady stiffen in her arms, and his little body began to shake. His fear gave her courage. She was going to get him out of this.

  Maggie stood, pushing Brady behind her and out of Anthony's direct line of sight.

  "I'm here. Just like you asked. Now let Brady go. This is between you and me."

  "It's good to know the little bastard knows how to speak. So it's just me he won't talk to. Apparently, I need to teach this child how to be a man. He needs to learn respect for his father."

  Over my dead body, Maggie thought. Anthony wouldn't lay a hand on Brady. She would give her life to make sure of that.

  "What do you want, Anthony? Surely I was never that important to you. Why can't you just let us go?"

  Anthony threw his head back with laughter. "No, you aren't important to me at all. But I don't like that you ran away from me. You didn't ask my permission. You just left. No one leaves me."

  As he spoke, he walked towards her until he was standing toe to toe with her. His handsome face repulsed her. He was a devil masquerading as an angel. And she hated him.

  He drew a finger down the side of her face, as if in a loving caress. When he reached her chin, he took it in his hand, squeezing so hard that Maggie's eyes welled with tears, and her fingers clawed at his hands uselessly.

  "You will pay for that," he said, spittle flying onto her face.

  She didn't see it coming. One minute, she was staring into his soulless eyes, and the next, she was seeing stars. His other hand had come up so fast and hard, it had spun her head around, and she had fallen to the floor.

  Brady's sobs broke her heart. She hated that he was seeing this. It was why she'd left Anthony five years ago. Maggie hadn't wanted her little boy to grow up in a home with violence, where he learned to beat women when it suited him.

  "Stop that crying, boy, or I'll give you a reason to cry."

  Brady's sobs turned to sniffles.

  "What are you going to do with me?" she asked, hoping that keeping the attention on her would buy Brady some time to get away.

  "For starters, you're the bait."

  "Bait?" she asked, confused.

  "Kingston wants that boyfriend of yours and his team. Using you as bait seemed like the best idea."

  "It's a trap."

  "Of course it's a trap. Did you really think I was going to give Brady over to you and let you go free? He's my son. He has my blood running through his veins. No way am I letting the heir to my empire be raised by a whore."

  Desperation climbed up the back of Maggie's throat. How were they going to get out of this? And please, God, she thought. Do not let Sully walk into this trap.

  Sully was smart. He wasn't stupid. He'd put two and two together. He knew she wouldn't have left him unless it had to do with Brady. And hopefully, Zach had some kind of magic that he could use that would lead them to her. She just needed to keep Anthony occupied. Keep his attention off Brady.

  "Over my dead body," she said, uttering the words that she'd only thought earlier.

  "That can be arranged." The grin on Anthony's face was pure evil. He would enjoy hurting her, ending her life.

  "So when does this little plan of yours take place?"

  Anthony laughed. "All in good time, Maggie. Be patient. This will all be over soon."

  With those words, Anthony turned to leave. Maggie started to relax, but then six men dressed in black, with guns slung over their shoulders, walked in.

  Maggie scrambled towards Brady, but two of the men grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away.

  "Brady!" she shouted, fighting off the remaining four that were picking her up off the floor. She kicked and screamed. "Brady!" Reaching for him with all that she had, she struggled to get free of their grip.

  A man slapped her hard across the face, cutting off her cries. Her vision momentarily blurred.

  "We're taking you upstairs. The kid will be there, too. Now shut up, or I'll hit you again," he said into her ear.

  Her hands were tied tightly behind her back, and one of the men took her cell phone from her pocket. She had hoped to be able to call for help once Anthony left, but she hadn't had time. The man smashed it onto the floor, and bits of the cell phone scattered beneath his foot.

  The men led her up a back staircase and into a bedroom. There was a bed with no linens on it and a rocking chair. No other furniture was in the room. Off the room was a small bathroom, and Maggie could just see a small pedestal sink and mirror.

  Brady was standing by the window, looking out. One of the guys stepped around her and gave him the crayons and the coloring book. They threw her on the bed and walked out, locking the door behind them.

  As soon as they left, Maggie struggled to sit up. With her hands tied behind her, it was harder than usual. Brady rushed to her side.

  "Momma, I'm so scared," he said in his tiny little voice.

  "I know, baby. It's ok." She couldn't hold him, and that fact alone broke her heart. Maggie moved to the edge of the bed and fell to her bottom on the floor. "Get in my lap, sweetie."

  Brady crawled into her lap and wrapped his arms around her chest. He cried big, wet tears, and Maggie struggled to keep her own at bay. Finally, he looked up and gently touched her face.

  "Does it hurt?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

  "Nah, I'm fine," she said reassuringly. The truth was, her head was throbbing, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

  Brady seemed reassured by that answer and laid his head on her chest. "Listen, baby, I need you to promise Momma something, ok?"

  Brady nodded but didn't look up at her.

  "When I tell you to, you run, ok? Don't ask any questions. You run and hide in the woods. When you get to the road, go left. Here, hold your hands in front of you." Maggie watched as Brady held his hands in front of him. "Now, which one makes an ‘L’ with your finger and thumb?" Brady scrunched his nose and looked at his fingers.

  "Dis one," he said, holding up his left hand.

  "Very good! That's your left hand. So when you get to the road, you go left, ok? There's another house just down the road. You knock on the door and ask them to call the police, and then you tell the police where you came from, ok?"

  "But I don't want to leave you, Momma," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

  "I know, baby. But I need you to do this for me, ok? You call and get help. Tel
l them to call Sully Castle."

  "Like what princesses live in?" he asked cutely, his nose scrunching up in disgust.

  Maggie laughed. "Yep, just like that. Promise me, little man."

  Brady took a deep breath and let it out, then snuggled in closer. "I pwomise, "he said sleepily. In a few moments, his breathing deepened, and Maggie knew he was asleep.

  She had arrived at the farmhouse about mid-morning. It had to be almost lunchtime. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything before she'd left. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Brady's steady breathing. He was her whole world. She'd given up everything for him, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

  Maggie's mind drifted to Sully. Did he know where to find her? If so, why hadn't he come for her yet? Maybe he was too weak to come. But he'd send some of the guys, wouldn't he? On one hand, she wanted the help, but on the other, she didn't want to be the one responsible if someone got hurt because of her not thinking this through, of her not telling Sully what was going on and leaving them in the dark.

  Why hadn't she thought to leave a note? Or at least answer his phone calls?

  Stupid.

  The day wore on, and Brady awoke, coloring on his pages and asking her lots of questions. They spent the day in hushed conversation, making up for lost time. Her arms were sore, and her hands numb from where they'd tied them. Going to the bathroom had proven difficult since she couldn't pull up her own pants. She'd had to have Brady help her.

  Soon, night fell. It came early this far east. There was no electricity, so when the sun went down, she and Brady were plunged into darkness. Brady was scared, and, frankly, so was she. Bad things happened in the dark.

  An hour after the sun had set, Maggie heard footsteps on the stairs. Brady curled into her, and she wished her arms were free so that she could hold him.

  Anthony opened the door, a battery-operated lantern in his hand.

  "It's time," he said.

  "Time for what?" she asked, fearful of his answer.

  But he didn't answer her. He took her by the arm and jerked her to her feet. Then he looked at Brady and said, "If you don't want me to hurt your mom, you need to listen and do what I say. Understand?"

  Brady nodded and took Anthony's hand.

  This time, they went down the front steps, passing in front of the front door. Maggie saw the only opportunity she thought she'd have. When they reached the bottom step, she nudged Brady with her hip.

  "Run," she hissed.

  Brady jerked his hand from Anthony's and took off through the front door. Anthony, startled at the change of events, was stunned momentarily. Maggie took advantage of his state and rammed her shoulder into his gut, giving Brady a head start.

  Anthony recovered quickly and shoved her out of the way as he ran to the front door. Maggie was on his heels, and when he got to the porch, he looked at his guys, who were standing there watching the little boy disappear into the darkness.

  "Why are you all standing here watching him? Shoot!"

  The men looked in horror at Anthony, and a wail worked its way up Maggie's throat.

  "No!" she screamed.

  With her body, she rammed into the only one of the men who'd actually raised his gun to shoot her son. His arm dropped, and the shot went wild.

  "What are you waiting for?" Anthony screamed at the other men.

  "We were hired to shoot and kill a national security threat, not a little boy." The man who must have been in charge of the other men grabbed the gun from the one who'd shot at Brady. "We don't kill innocent children," he said, and shoved the gun into the guy's chest.

  Anthony set off down the steps, running towards the woods. Maggie prayed that Brady had enough of a head start and could get to safety before Anthony reached him.

  Peering into the darkness, she waited for Anthony to return with her son. One of the men had secured her when she'd tried to go after him, so she stood peering into the pitch black night, waiting for something. Anything.

  A gunshot pierced the air, and a sob that sounded inhuman was wrenched from Maggie’s gut. She sank to her knees, her vision blurring, until finally, she gave in to the night.

  * * * *

  An hour earlier

  "Sully, I've got something!" Zach exclaimed excitedly from the van door. They were parked about a mile down from the farmhouse. There weren't very many houses on this road, so it was an easy place to stay out of sight.

  Sully rushed over to Zach, peering over his shoulder.

  "What is it?"

  Zach scrolled through the pictures. Charles Kingston was standing next to Garmoni and three other major gang leaders in D.C. There were pictures of him laughing, shaking hands with them, and—most incriminating—handing over a stack of cash to each guy.

  "He can explain that away, though. It's not enough."

  "This is…" Zach said, bringing up a recording and pressing play.

  "Three million each up front. Then an additional one million a year for ten years. It's enough for you to get out of the United States and set up residency on a tropical island," Kingston said in the recording. Sully recognized his voice.

  "How do we know you're good for it? What if it all blows up in our face?" a man with a Spanish accent asked.

  "Did you see what I did to Luftar? Even Lopez and Winters were vulnerable to Castle Investigations once I leaked where they were. Damon was always a liability, and orchestrating his death was pretty easy. All I had to do was convince him to try and kill that bitch. If he succeeded, great. But I didn't think they'd let him anywhere near her. He almost did, though…" Kingston laughed uncontrollably, and Sully heard Lucas growl under his breath.

  "I have a way of making people disappear if they don't serve my purposes. I've single-handedly orchestrated the death and demise of underground leaders all over the world. Reporters. Even soldiers. My position as secretary of state and as a general gives me almost more power than the president. So, if you know what's good for you, you'll go along with this."

  "Fine, Kingston, we're in," Anthony Garmoni said over the computer speakers. "What's the plan?" Finally, someone had said his name. The evidence they needed.

  "Take out Castle Investigations. Then we'll create total anarchy in D.C. I'm counting on Congress to declare a state of emergency, which is where our powerful allies in the House and Senate will come into play. The chaos will be so bad, so widespread, that the president will have no hope of reelection, and I'll be a shoo-in."

  "What happens once you're in power?" another Spanish-accented voice asked.

  "We change the course of history," Kingston said.

  The recording stopped, and no one on the Castle team said a word. Sully looked up. "We've got his name on the recording and his admission of guilt. Any ideas as to how this was recorded?"

  "My source? Avila. He was at the meeting. Decided this wasn't his style and turned it over to me," Zach said.

  "You've had Avila as a source all this time?" Gabriel asked.

  "Not entirely. I didn't realize it was him. He'd hinted at something big happening. I think he saw this as someone coming in and taking control of his territory. He liked the way things were. He was the big guy in charge. When Garmoni entered the scene, that all changed. He just wants things to go back to the way they were," Zach said.

  "So he's willing to turn witness and testify?" Lucas asked.

  "Not entirely sure what he's willing to do. But this should be enough evidence to give to the president and get The General and Garmoni and Castaneda off the streets. My guess is that Avila will disappear for a few months when all this hits the fan."

  "Zach, get the president on the line."

  "That may take a little while, and the sun is going to set soon," Zach said.

  "Fine, you stay back. Get the president on the line. Tell him we need backup," Sully said. Several of their contractors had shown up, but if Sully knew The General the way he thought he did, they would need more than what they had to go up against
him.

  "I'll start calling," Zach said.

  "Good. Let's get closer, see what we're up against. It's almost nightfall. When it's dark, we'll use night's cover to get close to the farmhouse. I'll take Ethan and three of our guys. Gabriel and Lucas, you take the other three."

  "Sounds like a plan," Gabriel said.

  They loaded their gear and set off toward the farmhouse. The sun had almost completely gone down when they finally hit the tree line.

  For the next thirty minutes, they watched as men swarmed the area. It looked as if there were two teams of mercenaries, each with six soldiers. Sully’s guys were outnumbered, but that had never stopped them before.

  Four black sedans pulled up in front of the barn. The drivers' doors opened, and what looked like Secret Service agents piled out. One of them opened the door to the middle car, and a man stepped out. He stood and stretched, and then turned slowly around.

  Kingston.

  Sully peered through the binoculars, and Kingston stared towards the woods. As if he saw Sully, as if he could see through the piercing darkness, a slow smile stretched his lips. Anger made Sully's blood boil as Kingston turned and went into the barn.

  "Is that—" Ethan hissed.

  "Sure is," Sully growled. They would need to be smart. They couldn't just charge in there with guns blazing. They'd get themselves killed. It was imperative that they stick to the plan.

  "This changes nothing. We go in just like we said. Two teams, one in front and one in back. Once we've cleared the house, we take the barn. Understood?"

  "Yes, sir," the guys muttered.

  "When we reach the barn, try to exercise caution with the security team. They're just doing their jobs. Hopefully, the cavalry will arrive before we get to that part."

  A flash of light caught his eye, and Sully glanced over to the farmhouse. There was a faint light on upstairs, probably from a flashlight or lantern. The light hovered in the window and then disappeared.

  "Ok, let's split up. It's almost go time. Wait for my command," Sully said, his leg throbbing like crazy. He'd been able to stay off it most of the afternoon, but now that he was upright, it was killing him. The rough terrain they'd crossed in the woods hadn't helped.