Alone in the study with Beckett, someone who knew him well, Castle had no need for pretense or to hide his intentions. "Yes, I scared that guy off myself. It was simple—I didn't want him causing trouble here in New York."
"Especially not in your Manhattan jurisdiction!"
Beckett looked at him, baffled. "Did you forget he's a dangerous terrorist? How could you let him go after finding out where he was hiding? Even if you didn't want to call the FBI, you could have at least given me a call."
Castle shrugged and replied with a smirk, "His hideout was in Queens, quite a way from your jurisdiction. What excuse would you have to go over there? And besides, this guy isn't just a terrorist—he's a notorious arms dealer. He's got heavy weaponry. If you took your team to catch him, what if things escalated?"
Beckett's patience snapped. "That's still no excuse to let him get away!"
Castle immediately softened under her anger. "Look, I just didn't want him causing trouble in New York, and I didn't want you guys taking unnecessary risks trying to catch him. If he causes problems in other cities, what does that have to do with us?"
Beckett was furious. "Even if he attacks another city, he'd still be doing it in our country. Don't you care about that?"
Seeing how serious she was, Castle explained, "No need to worry. I had Jarvis monitor his calls. He's terrified now and plans to flee the country tonight, heading to South America to lie low."
Beckett's sense of duty kicked in. "You're still tracking him? Where is he? Why not just arrest him and put an end to this once and for all? By the way, do you know why I came back to question you about this? Jo called me. She was puzzled about why you needed to test drones that are already in use. I told her you were testing them for police applications, but really—look at the mess you've made!"
Castle put on a serious expression. "This Bakawi character may look like he didn't bring many people with him to New York, but he's a major arms dealer with deep pockets. Who knows if he's got additional reinforcements waiting in hiding? Why should the NYPD risk its neck for the FBI or any other agency? And do you know why he has such a vendetta against us? Because years ago, several domestic arms dealers, unable to compete with him, convinced the CIA to take him out. They called in the military to launch a Hellfire missile strike on him, but Bakawi survived by a twist of fate, though his entire family was killed in the attack. It's his vendetta against them, not ours."
Beckett knew Castle wasn't telling her the whole story, but as an NYPD officer, she only cared about keeping her turf free of incidents like the major attack that had happened years back. Beyond that? It was the city, not the federal government, paying her. Why get entangled?
Still, how to explain all this to Jo without raising more questions? That would be a headache...
Moz arrived, saving Castle from his awkward predicament. He certainly couldn't tell Beckett that he'd let Bakawi go just to see him eventually unleash havoc in "London Has Fallen." If he did, she might actually shoot him. Moz's arrival provided a welcome distraction, and Castle breathed a sigh of relief.
Beckett also understood that Castle was hiding something but didn't press him further. Bakawi had left New York, so her jurisdiction was safe from potential attacks. No need to argue with Castle over an outsider.
As for Jo's side? With Bakawi gone from New York, the responsibility was off her shoulders. Why ask too many questions?
When Moz arrived, Beckett tactfully left the study to give the two men some privacy.
Moz was there to update Castle on the latest developments in the New York Senate race. The candidate he was advising, Rutledge, a Democrat, was virtually guaranteed to win. For the first time, a Democrat would win in a Republican stronghold, which was fantastic news!
It also meant Moz could finally step back. Though Senator Rutledge hoped Moz would stay on as his chief of staff, Moz, who valued his freedom, had no intention of accepting. So, he came to inform Castle of his success and let him know he'd be bowing out.
Bob Lee Swagger also planned to step down from Rutledge's security detail once he took office, taking his dog Sam and settling down to enjoy a quiet life.
While Castle was pleased to hear about the Senate race, Moz and Bob's decision left him frustrated.
Why were all his friends just as lazy as he was? No ambition at all? Moz was wealthy, probably wealthier than Rutledge, who only managed to secure his Senate run through Castle and Gianna's support, so it made sense that he didn't want to be a chief of staff.
But Bob, refusing to guard Rutledge? That was unexpected. Although Bob was also financially comfortable after sharing in the bounty they recovered from the Freemasons' hidden treasure, wasn't he a bit too carefree? Did the world's greatest sniper really intend to retire?
Well, they were his friends, and if they wanted to be lazy, so be it. At least Bob was loyal and had always appreciated Castle's help. He liked this quiet, loyal sniper. But would Sam, Bob's dog, want to leave? Lately, Sam had been having a grand time at Castle's estate, spending days running with dozens of Russian guards and feasting at beach barbecues. Would he want to leave?
As for Moz, if he didn't want to be a chief of staff, so be it. He was practically a ghost, with no records left in any official databases and a deep-seated distrust of the government. Castle's recent exposé of Project PRISM had only validated Moz's suspicions.
Besides, Moz used to pull cons with Neal. Asking him to don a suit and pretend to be a high-society figure every day would be absurd.
With Benjamin Arthur's inauguration as president set for January, and with a senator in New York funded by his connections, Moz was ready to leave it all behind.
Conveniently, representatives from Pratt & Whitney were due at Castle's estate tomorrow to negotiate over recent upgrades Jarvis had made to their drone engines without Castle's knowledge. Moz's timing was perfect; he could help with negotiations.
Moz listened to Castle's tale, stunned. This guy was unbelievably lax. He'd let his AI handle the drone design, leaving Jarvis to make the prototypes. He hadn't even realized Jarvis upgraded the engines. And now, to cover up the AI's involvement, he'd have to claim credit and haggle with Pratt & Whitney? Moz could only sigh, wondering how he'd gotten himself involved with Castle.
Originally, Moz had come to inform Castle of his plans to retreat to his Brooklyn hideout for a well-deserved break, but now he was drafted into Castle's scheme.
Castle himself would attend tomorrow's meeting to handle the technical aspects, leaving Moz to negotiate the financials. Moz could only sigh in resignation.
Meanwhile, Beckett was on the phone with Jo, fulfilling her earlier promise. "Yes, he's been working on police drones for Northrop, which is why there was an unmanned test today… Yes, about Bakawi—he escaped toward New Jersey… Okay, all good. Let's catch up soon."
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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