So, all that talk about "family" was just a load of nonsense. Could the bond with someone like Han—just a partner in crime—ever compare to the importance of one's own son?
Take Elena, the woman who gave birth to Dominic's son, for example. She was shot in the head on that shadowy plane. And what did Dominic do? Shrug it off. Since she'd already given him a son, she was of no use to him anymore. The sultry Michelle Rodriguez by his side was all he needed. For Dominic, the Brazilian cop had been nothing more than a tool for producing a child. That much was clear when Hobbs showed him proof that Letty was still alive while he was with Elena; he barely hesitated before running back to Letty. Sure, he eventually avenged Elena by taking down her killer with a "crow flies" dive-bomb, but was that enough? Hardly.
This alone showed that Dominic was no saint. His so-called "family" mantra was just empty words. If he truly saw Han as a brother, he should have turned against Deckard Shaw after Shaw saved his son. But no, the fact that Han was killed by Shaw didn't seem to matter—Han was, after all, just an Asian ally.
So, when it came to Dominic's brand of selfish, selective loyalty, why would Castle bother to help? Why should he care about saving others' children when he could hardly protect all his friends? With so many people on Earth, it wasn't his job to be their savior.
Castle didn't see anything wrong with his perspective. He had worked with Dominic and his crew back in Brazil, but at that time, he'd kept his identity concealed. All their contact was thanks to the chubby kid who Castle had sent on a trip with a hefty $1 million. Since then, Castle had kept his distance from the gang, especially after causing trouble for Vanessa and Dominic in New York. Now, he had even less reason to step in and help them.
Truth be told, they moved in different social circles, so it wasn't realistic for them to become close.
Once the chubby kid returned, Castle planned to see just how committed he was to rescuing his German hacker friend. If he insisted, Castle would thoroughly explain the significance of that "Eye of God"-like program and warn him about the inevitable interest from the CIA. This way, those self-proclaimed global saviors at the CIA would be more than willing to step in and free the hacker from the warlord's grasp, all under the guise of heroism.
Meanwhile, Deckard Shaw was en route to Tokyo to blow up Han, and Castle decided it was time to subtly alert the CIA about Heidrich's program. Letting those "worldly" agents realize the software's potential in complementing their ongoing PRISM surveillance project would motivate them to involve Dominic and his crew.
Having decided to remain a spectator with popcorn and soda in hand, Castle shelved his plans and joined Beckett and Alexis for some sightseeing, blissfully unaware of the unfolding chaos.
Meanwhile, the chubby kid and Ramsey were being escorted back to Italy by four bear-like bodyguards, traveling nonstop from Frankfurt.
Deckard Shaw, meanwhile, had secretly boarded a flight to Tokyo.
Only one person was deeply concerned with Shaw's movements: Hobbs, the Diplomatic Security agent who'd once helped Dominic arrest Shaw's brother, Owen. After Shaw had single-handedly fought through the hospital's security and met with his unconscious brother, Hobbs had grown wary. Shaw's dossier was intimidating—he'd once led black ops for the British government and turned into a mercenary after his country tried to eliminate him. This made Hobbs suspect he and Dominic's crew would become Shaw's next targets.
Hobbs contemplated warning Dominic, but without concrete evidence that Shaw was planning revenge, he held back. Little did he know, this hesitation would eventually cost Han his life.
Castle was oblivious to these developments, preoccupied with whether his girlfriend and daughter were enjoying their Venice trip. Not even the chubby kid and Ramsey's return to Rome could distract him from his plans to visit Florence with his family.
During a call, Castle took the opportunity to thoroughly explain to the chubby kid and Ramsey the immense interest that the CIA would have in Ramsey's Eye of God. He clarified that if he hadn't hidden Ramsey after the chubby kid had caused a stir on her computer, it might have been her in Heidrich's place, kidnapped and used by the CIA.
After scaring the pair with this revelation, Castle provided additional context using his knowledge from a past life, disguised as recent intelligence reports. He explained the unfolding situation and the CIA's probable moves, attempting to alleviate the chubby kid's concerns for his friend's safety.
"Uncle Rick, are you saying that because the CIA is interested in Heidrich's program, they'll go to the trouble of rescuing him?" the chubby kid asked, wanting to confirm his uncle's intentions.
"Absolutely. Even if you want to save your friend, Jarvis has tracked him to Azerbaijan. Do you think we could successfully rescue him in such a chaotic place on our own?" Castle was adamant, afraid the kid might do something reckless, like hiring mercenaries.
And that was entirely possible. The chubby kid was quite wealthy now and had connections, thanks to spending time with Gianna from the D'Antonio family and taking lessons from John Wick himself. Plus, he had those lion-marked gold coins, which Castle, Gianna, and John had all given him over time. In theory, organizing a rescue mission in Azerbaijan wouldn't be difficult for him.
"So, Uncle Rick, you're saying that if we leak the existence of Heidrich's program to the CIA, they'll go in themselves to save him?" The kid was still puzzled, though. "But if they save him, won't they just keep him under their control? Isn't that no different from his current situation?"
Castle couldn't exactly admit that he simply didn't want to get involved, so he tried to reason with the kid. "We could send a team, but I think that since your friend's kidnapping has already drawn attention, especially after your bodyguards clashed with the kidnappers in Frankfurt, the German police will certainly investigate. Once they know the boy is a hacker, they'll want to understand why he was targeted. And if they uncover the truth, do you think the CIA won't catch wind of it?"
"In other words, we don't even need to notify the CIA—they probably already know what Heidrich invented and why he was taken. If we assemble a rescue team, we'd just be duplicating efforts and might even clash with the CIA's operatives."
Castle's reasoning was sound, and to further convince the chubby kid, he had him use Jarvis to verify the German police's investigation and any CIA involvement. The kid quickly found evidence that the CIA was, indeed, already aware of the situation and interested. Convinced, he agreed to wait and let the "all-knowing, disaster-prone" CIA make the first move.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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