OH YES BABY! YEAAAAAAAH!
IT HAPPENED! IT HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES! I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE RAIN IS GONE AND CASKETT IS MARRIED! Guys do you know what this means?! This is the last step closer to CASKETT BABIES! We've waited long enough right?
Castle's POV
They carefully walked through a bland hallway to Room 241, Rio’s apartment. Esposito was in front of Castle, gun already drawn. Both of them had on bullet proof vests as a precaution. Finally, they reached the right room number and circled around it. Esposito quickly glanced at Castle.
"You ready,” Espo mouths. Castle's heart was pounding out of his chest and he had a slight headache. His hands began to shake.
"Yeah," he muttered. Esposito backed up slowly then kicked down the door. It fell with a large WHAM and then they were in.
"NYPD show yourself!”
But it was empty. The apartment was abandoned. There were streaks across the floor where furniture used to be in the sun bathed room. Castle walked further inside.
"Looks like no one lived here,” Castle said.
"Impossible. I'll check out over here.” Esposito disappeared in another room. Castle looked out the window down to the street below. He almost turned away but something caught his eye. A man was pushing through a sidewalk of people. Rio.
"Esposito!"
"Bomb! Castle bomb! We have to leave!" Esposito sprinted out the door and Castle followed barely absorbing Espo's words. Along the way, Esposito knocked on tenats doors warning them but nobody answered and he gave up. Instead of going into the elevator like before, Esposito pushed through the fire exit with Castle at his heels. Luckily, it wasn't a tall building and the two got out in time.
Castle didn't see the explosion, he didn't have to. He heard the boom, felt the unbearable heat travel up his back, knocking him off his feet. Debris clattered around him like rain fall and the horrid screams of bystanders echoed through his ears. Slowly, Castle stood up and looked around for Esposito. A sharp pain went up his side unexpectedly and he almost collapsed from dizziness. Esposito was on his knees, some feet away, coughing while clutching his chest.
"Esposito," Castle grasped. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Esposito got up and Castle saw he had a cut across his cheek and soot staining the front of his shirt. They both looked back at what used to be an apartment building, now was a large pile of rubble. Pedestrians stood gawking at the mess, taking pictures, and yelling into their phones. To Castle, it didn't look like anyone was hurt, but there were people in the building. The thought made him sick to his stomach.
What if Kate was in there?
He looked around for Rio, but he was long gone. A hand landed on his shoulder and Castle turned. It was Ryan.
"Thank god, you two are okay."
"Rio escaped," Castle blurted out.
"He didn't get far. We caught him just two blocks from here."
"And Daniels?" Esposito asked.
"The building was already blown when we got there. Daniels is gone." Police cars, SWAT teams, and fire trucks surrounded them with a deafening blare.
"Come on let's get you guys medical help," Ryan ushered.
"No, we're fine. Let's get back to the precinct," Esposito said and walked by them to his car parked across the street.
Castle glanced at Ryan then followed Esposito. He also was eager to get back to the precinct to interrogate Rio. The pain in his side subsided to a dull ache while he walked. As Castle got in the car, Esposito cranked it up.
"We will find her," he told Castle and that alone reassured him. Esposito was confident, strong, and if anyone could find Kate it would be him. But Castle wasn't a cop. He didn't have the training, strength, or mind of a cop. Why did he ever think he was one? He was just pretending at first, but then it became real for him. Now the one time he needed to be a cop, for Kate, he realizes he's still pretending. Would he really be the one to save her or would it be the NYPD doing all the work? Or could they both be too late?
