"You don't know that!" Sully yelled. "What the hell are you doing? If you get her killed, I'm going to strangle you with my bare hands."
"I'd suggest you back off, Castle, or you'll be doing time for threatening a federal agent."
Sully sighed and stepped back. He couldn't afford to get arrested. Once Maggie was freed, he wanted all his time to be with her, not cooped up in a prison somewhere with a bunch of stinky criminals.
Sully shuffled his feet on the gravel, and a gunshot sounded inside the barn. That shot was followed by a second one, and several FBI agents raised their guns to go in.
Then Kingston appeared, with his arm around Maggie's waist and holding a gun to her temple. Her arms hung loosely by her sides, and her face was black and blue. The whole right side of her face was puffy, and her eye looked as if it had swollen shut. A hundred bucks said that her cheekbone was broken. But the most concerning thing was the bright red blood spreading across her abdomen.
He'd shot her.
The bastard had shot her.
She stumbled forward, hardly able to stand on her feet. FBI warning or not, Sully was going to kill him.
Sully reached behind him and took out his gun—slowly, so as not to attract any attention. His team had gone back to wait with Zach and Brady, all except for Ethan. Sully found his gaze across the line of FBI agents standing near the van and gave him a nod.
No way in hell were they taking any chances with Maggie's life.
Sully stepped forward, and one of the agents pushed him back.
"Stand down, Castle," he said.
Sully stopped in his tracks. Kingston's voice called out, "Castle! Where the hell are you?"
Getting a nod of approval from the negotiator, Sully stepped forward so that Kingston could see him. He slipped his gun back into the back of his pants and held his arms out to his sides.
"It's me you want, Kingston. Not her. Let her go."
Kingston laughed humorlessly, and that's when he noticed the blood at the top of Kingston's shoulder. Maggie must have wrestled a gun from him and shot him, but he'd been able to shoot her as well. Damn that woman! He wanted to strangle her and kiss her. Not necessarily in that order.
"I'm not letting her go. She means too much to you. No, I’m going to stand here as you watch the life bleed out of her."
Sully could feel Maggie's eyes on him as he stepped closer.
"And take the chance of not killing me? Isn't that what you want most?"
"What I want most?" Kingston laughed again. He sounded a little crazy. "No, Sully, that's not what I want most."
"Then what is?" Sully asked. He was closer now. He could see the sweat dotting Kingston's brow, the paleness of his complexion. He could also see that the only thing that was holding Maggie up was Kingston's arm around her waist. She was dying before his eyes. He had to do something quickly.
"Power, Sully. What every god of the world wants. Power running through your veins as you determine who deserves life and death, wealth and poverty." Yep, he was crazy.
Sully knew it was time to act. Maggie didn't have any time left.
"Power? You think you're going to get any kind of power after this stunt?" Sully laughed. “You're going to jail, father. And I'm going to put you there."
Anger fumed in Kingston's eyes, making him look like a crazed psycho. Nothing had ever been a more accurate description.
"You," Kingston said, pointing the gun at Sully.
And that was their cue.
Sully lunged for Kingston in a sudden move. Roars of protest rang out behind him as the report of a gun sounded. Something hit Sully in the chest, knocking him onto his back. He heard Maggie's cry, but he had no breath in him to get up at that moment.
One of the agents rushed over to him as he tried to sit up, to find Maggie, to go to her.
"What the hell were you doing?" the agent in charge asked him.
"Getting the gun off her so that Ethan could take the shot."
Sully didn't even have to ask if Ethan had taken it. Of course he had. And he knew he'd shot to kill.
Sully sat up as the agent tried to push him back down. "Kevlar. Just got the wind knocked out of me. I'm fine." Sully shoved the agent's hands away.
"I should have you arrested," the agent said.
"If you're going to arrest me, could you do it later? I really need to get to Maggie."
The anger in the agent's eyes changed to pity, and Sully looked around him. EMTs had surrounded Maggie, and it looked as if they were trying to keep her alive.
Sully jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg and now in his chest, and ran as hard as he could. He pushed his way to her side. Her eyes fluttered open when he called her name.
"You're ok?" she rasped, her voice weak and frail.
"I'm fine. And you're going to be, too," he said, clasping her hand in his. It concerned him that the pain in her eyes hadn't faded.
"No, I’m not. Make sure they bury us together," she said, her breathing coming out in short little pants.
"What are you talking about, Maggie?"
"Sir, we've got to go now," one of the EMTs said.
"Wait! Pixie, bury who?" Sully asked, panic lacing his tone.
"Brady. Bury him next to me."
"Mags, Brady is fine. He's with Zach. He's ok."
A smile split her face, and tears trickled down her cheeks. Relief fell across her features, and she whispered her last words before her eyes closed.
"Good. Take care of him for me."
Chapter 29
Pain. Pain was everywhere—her legs, her head, her whole body.
Maggie tried to open her eyes, but only one would cooperate. Fear settled in her chest, and she heard the sharp noise of a beeping sound racing around her.
"Shh, Pixie. I've got you," Sully’s warm voice said near her ear. She tried to focus, but she was so dizzy, and everything looked so foggy.
"Where am I?" she asked in the direction of Sully's voice, still not able to see him.
Then his face swam into view. His beautiful face that was alive and well. She felt the tears start to collect and roll down her face, and was surprised to see that tears were tracking down his cheeks as well.
"The hospital. You were in surgery for four hours, but they were able to stop the bleeding. Your cheekbone is broken, but it will heal in time. You're going to be just fine, although a little sore for a few weeks."
Maggie groaned. "A little sore? I feel like I've been hit by a bus."
"No bus. Just a bullet, and apparently a couple of fists."
"What happened?" she asked him, wanting to know how everything had gone down.
"Kingston tried to shoot me, but I was wearing Kevlar. Ethan took the kill shot as soon as Kingston's gun was away from your head."
"I saw all that. I mean, how did you find me?"
"Zach put a tracker on your phone as soon as he figured out you meant something to me—apparently, that was months ago." Sully smirked. "Then we got a call from the president saying that he knew where Kingston was sending a team of mercenaries."
"The president of the United States called you?" she asked. "Like, on your cell phone?"
Sully chuckled. "Yep. Kingston wanted a special ops team, and the president thought that something smelled fishy, so he called me."
"I knew I liked that guy. Glad I voted for him."
Sully laughed harder this time as Maggie's vision started to swim.
"What happened down there, Mags?"
She sighed, not really wanting to relive the scariest moment of her life, but also knowing that he had probably been dying to hear the story for hours now. She didn't even know how long she'd been out.
"Wait, how long have I been out?"
"Surgery last night took four hours. You've been out of it all day. It's the following evening."
Twenty-four hours. She'd lost twenty-four hours of her life.
"Brady!" she exclaimed, trying to get off the bed. The beeping of her heart monito
r picked up speed, but the blinding pain in her side had her sitting back as quickly as she could.
A nurse popped her head in, and Sully turned to tell her that Maggie was ok. The nurse gave him an evil glare but left them alone.
"He's fine. He's with Isabel and the gang at the safe house. I asked him if he wanted to go home to Uncle Will, and he said he wanted to see you first. I called Will and Jenna and let them know that he was ok. They drove up here this morning and are also at the safe house. Everyone is safe and sound. Now, tell me—what the hell happened down there?"
Maggie closed her eyes, remembering that terrifying moment.
"Robert, the security detail, knows all about Kingston, by the way."
"Maggie!" Sully said, exasperated. She tried not to laugh, but it was quite difficult.
"Ok, ok. Sorry. Anyway, he took off up the steps. I stood there, looking at Kingston. I had worked my bindings loose. It was just the two of us, and I knew he was going to kill me. I tried to go after Robert, to get away, but Kingston pulled me down the steps. He had a gun aimed at my head, and, I don't know. Something just snapped in me. I lunged for him and caught him off guard. I wrangled the gun from his grip and then aimed and pulled the trigger."
Maggie closed her eyes, remembering the blood spreading across his shoulder and the feeling of knowing she'd screwed up. Instead of killing him, she'd only served to piss him off.
"I was shocked that I'd actually shot him, but I missed his heart and got his shoulder instead. He was angry and rammed me up against the wall. He took the gun from my hand and aimed for my torso and shot me. I don't remember much after that. The pain was so intense. I could feel my life slipping away from me. Then I saw that you were alive. I was so happy to see your face. But then he shot you." Her face crumpled as she thought back to Kingston’s aiming that gun at Sully and pulling the trigger. Maggie had thought that Brady was dead, and when she thought that Kingston had killed Sully, too, she'd given up on life altogether.
Maggie didn't realize that she was crying, but her face was soaked with tears. She lifted her hand to wipe them away, and Sully took it in his.
"I’m so sorry," he said, sitting next to her on the bed. He pulled her into his arms, and she relaxed. Thankful to be in his arms. Thankful he was alive. Thankful she was alive.
"What else happened?" she asked. Since she had been out during most of the takedown, she had no idea what else had transpired.
"Castaneda was arrested last night, as well as Avila—although I believe that Avila will turn state's witness against Haney. He was arrested in a separate operation last night. Castaneda will go away for a few years, and Avila will get a reduced sentence, but Haney won't see the light of day for a very long time."
Maggie sighed. So many people hurt, all because of one man's narcissistic ambition.
"The FBI also found several of Castaneda’s and Avila's men, who were a part of not only killing the marshals watching over Christy Knox, but also carrying out the fires and murders that happened when Garmoni came to town."
"How is Christy?"
"Safe. She'll testify before Congress about what Kingston and Haney were a part of, and of course will testify in the murder case against Haney, but hopefully in a few months, she'll be free. Stephen said that she's driving him crazy."
Maggie chuckled. Christy wasn't an easy person to get to know. And she was used to being in charge and having her own way. No doubt she was ready to live her life on her own terms again.
The two of them sat there for several minutes, Sully's arms holding her tightly, until Maggie started to feel groggy again. Sully laid her back against the pillow, and she closed her eyes. They popped open a second later, and she gasped. "Sully!"
He took her hands in his and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'll be right here, Pixie. I'm not going anywhere."
* * * *
Four days later
Maggie stretched her limbs as she snuggled more deeply into the covers of the rustic, four poster bed in Sully's cabin. The sun was peeking over the trees, and Maggie sighed in contentment. She was still healing, and would be for a few weeks, but each day, she felt stronger and stronger.
Having her son by her side, and the man she loved waiting on her hand and foot, helped a lot. With the threat of The General gone, Sully was a new man. He was more carefree, less stressed and tense, and he teased her mercilessly. She loved every second of it.
Brady opened the door to her room, padded in on his little bare feet to her bed, and climbed in. He snuggled into her good side and laid his head on her chest.
"Mornin', Momma," he said.
"Mornin', baby," she replied, with a kiss to the top of his head.
"I'm not a baby, Mom," he said, with such a grown-up little attitude that she couldn’t help but chuckle.
"No, you're not a baby. But you'll always be my baby."
That seemed to satisfy him, and he held out his hand for the remote control. Sully had brought a flat screen into her room so they could watch television together. She found the cartoon channels first, and then handed him the remote so that he could control the volume.
A knock sounded at the door, and Sully came in carrying a tray of breakfast food.
"Good morning," he said. They had developed a sort of routine the past few days—Brady coming into her room to watch morning cartoons while Sully made them breakfast. Then they'd sit and eat and laugh, and Sully would make all kinds of silly comments about the show they were watching. It felt normal. Like they were a family.
Sully put his arm around her, drawing Maggie close to him after they'd eaten. She was content. Of course, she wanted more of this, but for now, she was happy to be in his arms and in his life.
Sully had tried to give her space that first night, saying she could have the room to herself. She hadn't really wanted to be alone, but she also didn't want to be a burden. Sully had woken her that night as she’d screamed and thrashed with a terrible nightmare that was more of a flashback than a dream. Since then, he hadn't left her alone at night, and she was grateful.
Brady crawled off the bed and pattered into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, when a knock sounded at the bedroom door.
"Come in," Maggie called out.
Will and Jenna walked in, and Sully stood. "I'll give you guys some time alone," he said, just as Brady walked out of the bathroom. "Hey, big guy. Let's go get some clothes on. Maybe I can take you fishing today while your mom takes a nap."
Brady scrunched his nose in that adorable way she liked so much but took his hand. "Naps are for babies," he said.
"If you say so, buddy," Sully chuckled, and led him back to his room.
Jenna sat down on the bed while Will stood, his arms crossed over his chest. They looked a little bit nervous, and Maggie started to worry about what it was they'd come to talk to her about.
"Maggie, we're going to head home today," Will started.
"Thank you both for coming. I know you're due in just a few weeks, Jenna. It means a lot that you both came to stay with me and to help Sully with Brady."
Jenna smiled. "He doesn't need much help. The man's a natural."
Maggie felt a blush creeping up her neck. It wasn't like she was trying to keep her relationship with Sully a secret, but she hadn't talked much with Will about boys while she was growing up. And then after the disastrous affair with Anthony—well, she was kind of worried that he wouldn't trust her judgment.
Jenna stood and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, sis. Take care of yourself," she said, and left her alone with her brother.
Maggie felt nervous. Will clearly had something serious he wanted to talk with her about, and she was afraid he was going to want to take Brady from her. She'd been trying to get up the nerve to tell him that she wanted Brady to stay with her. That she and Sully could handle it. Was he going to tell her that Brady needed more time?
"Look, Will—"
"Let me go first, Mags."
She sigh
ed and waved her hand for him to continue. But instead of talking, he started pacing.
"You're going to have to spit it out already. You're making me a nervous wreck."
Will sighed and sat down at the foot of her bed, resting his elbows on his knees and pushing his hands through his shaggy blond hair that was too long on top. Then he sat up and looked at her, determination lifting his chin. A family trait.
"Brady needs to stay with you," he said. Maggie opened her mouth to respond, but he plowed over her. "I know you're recovering, and it's selfish of me to think only of myself right now, but you're in a good place with Sully, and I think it's time now that Anthony is gone." He sighed again and dropped his head, turning it slightly to look at her.
"Brady misses you. He's told us no less than four hundred times since we came up here that he was staying here to take care of you." He smiled. "So much like his momma."
Tears pricked her eyes, and she nodded. "I was going to talk to you before you left about him staying. I know I haven't made good decisions in the past—you know, with Anthony and all. But Sully is a good man. I don't know what the future holds, or how long he'll put up with us—"
Will lifted his hand. "Is that what you think? That I judge you for what Anthony did to you? That I wouldn't trust your judgment about Sully?"
She shrugged, and he scooted closer, placing his hand on her knee. "You were a kid, Maggie. Searching for love in all the wrong places, and all that. Anthony was a predator. You're not to blame for what he did. The moment you became pregnant with Brady, you made all the right decisions. You're a wonderful mother."
Tears ran down her face as she pulled him closer for a hug. "You're a wonderful father. You and Jenna are going to make this little baby so happy."
She saw the tears in Will's eyes as well. "We had the perfect little boy to practice on. And now it's time for him to live with his momma, full time."
Will stood, squeezing her hand.
"Love you, sis," he whispered.
"Love you, too, big brother."
He walked to the door and opened it. Then, as if he’d remembered something, he turned back to her.
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 122