Got Your Six Part 3 of Giving a Hand Verse
Sep. 1st, 2013 06:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gemspegasusTitle: Got Your Six
Author: gemspegasus
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Ezra Standish, J.D. Dunne, Chris Larabee, Buck Wilmington, Vin Tanner, Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jackson.
Crossover: Castle/The Magnificent Seven (ATF)
Disclaimer: Castle is owned by Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC. The Magnificent Seven belong to MGM, Mirisch, Trilogy and John Watson. Thank you to Mog for creating the ATF universe of ‘The Magnificent Seven.’ I'm only saddling them up for a 'ride' or 7.
No copyright infringement is intended and no money was made from this of course. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence. This story is for entertainment purposes only.
AN's Set in my "Giving a Hand" verse and occurs during the Castle Season 5 episode, "The Wild Rover." Some dialogue of the fic is taken directly from the episode, "The Wild Rover." Alternate Universe-Canon dirvegence. Slight mention of Castle Season 5 episodes, "Under the Influence." The fic is set in my "Giving a Hand" verse. It is part 3 , written out of sequence. I am still writing part 2 of the verse and hopefully it will be posted soon. There are some small references to part 2 in part 3. In "The Wild Rover" Kevin Ryan is undercover in the Irish Mob without any backup. Esposito calls for backup in the form of Ryan's cousin, Ezra Standish whom is an agent of the ATF.
Changed the scene of Ryan outing himself as a cop toward the end of the episode because I have read too many mag 7 stories where Ezra's identity was never revealed. And since in my head canon Ezra and Ryan are cousins, I thought Ryan's identity should be protected too.
Staten Island, New York
NYPD detective, Kevin Ryan fist bumped Javier Esposito and said, " See you on the other side, partner." He stepped out of the taxi and strode over to the doors of "Kelly's Tavern." Kevin Ryan took a deep breath and exhaled as Fenton O'Connell opened one of the doors of the bar and walked into the pub.
Parked less than a block away from the tavern, Esposito watched from the driver's seat of the taxi as Kevin entered Kelly's. His knuckles tightened around the taxi's steering wheel. The thought of his partner without backup infuriated him. He'd find someway to give Ryan backup or his name wasn't Javier Esposito. As he reached for his cell phone it began to vibrate on the seat next to him.
The caller id read Beckett.
Once he answered the call, Beckett told him Captain Gates wanted to see him in her office.
12th Precinct
Gates had good news for Esposito. Javier Esposito would be mentoring Joey Malone's community service mandated volunteer hours at the 12th Precinct. A small smile crossed Esposito's face as he thanked the captain and then stepped out of her office.
Castle asked if everything was alright as soon as Javier had crossed back into the bullpen.
Esposito sat on the edge of his desk and told Castle about Joey then their conversation turned to Ryan.
Javier admitted, "I'm telling you man, he's not the Ryan I know. I'm not just talking about the haircut and the clothes. It's like he's a different dude."
Castle stood across from Esposito and replied, "That's what he's supposed to be. He's in character, he's Fenton, that's good."
Javier argued, "Yeah, what if he's not good enough? After seven years he's gotta be rusty. These Staten Island boys are no joke."
Before Castle could respond, Beckett called Castle over to the white board across the room.
Esposito gestured for Castle to go.
As Castle left, Javier rounded around his desk and yanked open the top drawer. He scrounged through the drawer looking for a phone number he had written down on a tiny scrap of paper. He finally found it toward the back of the drawer. Esposito let out a quiet yes and quickly dialed the number.
Denver Colorado - ATF Federal Building
The sound of Frank Sinatra's song, "New York...New York" rang out from the inner pocket lining Ezra Standish's jacket. Ezra set aside the cup of coffee from which he had been sipping, glared at an innocent-looking J.D. Dunne and answered his private cell phone.
As he heard Javier Esposito's news, Ezra paled and uttered a softly-said cuss word.
The elite undercover agent's change of demeanor caused Ezra's teammates, Vin Tanner, J.D. Dunne and Buck Wilmington to stop what they were doing.
Vin and J.D. immediately gathered around Ezra's desk.
On his way over to Ezra's desk, Buck popped his head into Chris's office and said, "Ezra's upset."
ATF Team 7 SAC, Chris Larabee abandoned the report he was working on and stalked out of his office.
The moment Ezra ended the call, Chris demanded, "What's wrong?"
A still shaken Ezra answered, "my cousin Kevin Ryan went undercover into the Irish mob again. He was a great undercover for fourteen months but he hasn't been undercover for seven years!"
"Kevin's an undercover too?" J.D. said at the same moment that Buck muttered, "Fourteen months?"
Vin beat Chris to the next question, "What else?"
Ezra's voice icily replied, "His partner told me, the FBI didn't provide Kevin with a wire or locator. He doesn't have any real backup to speak of."
"The hell he doesn't." Chris said, before immediately calling AD Orin Travis.
Vin, Buck and J.D. nodded in agreement to Chris's words.
Buck and J.D. got in touch with Josiah and Nathan and explained what was going on.
Sanchez and Jackson cut their meeting short and rushed back to the office.
To Team 7, Kevin Ryan was more than Ezra's cousin, he and his crew at the NYPD 12th precinct and the writer Richard Castle had helped both Ezra and J.D. a few months ago. The Nichols family had sought vengeance against Ezra and J.D. while the two ATF agents had been undercover in New York. Ryan's crew, which included Richard Castle and Team 7 had banded together and took down the Nichols family.
Within the hour, Team 7 was on a flight to New York.
AD Travis's voice floated out of Chris's Smartphone as he relayed both the FBI's and Captain Gates of the NYPD 12th Precinct reactions to the ATF's involvement in the case.
Once Travis had hung up on him, Chris ordered, "Josiah, you'll be our liaison with the FBI agent Walker.
Josiah agreed as he hunkered down in his seat to study the file on agent Walker which J.D. provided him with.
Everyone else studied their dossiers on the Irish mob of Staten Island.
New York City
Once they reached the airport and disembarked both Chris and Ezra made a phone call.
Chris called Detective Kate Beckett.
Ezra phoned Richard Castle.
Kate Beckett sifted through the myriad reports of Bobby S's activities as she tried to find concrete proof to link him to Whelan's murder. When she heard her cell phone ring, she was a bit distracted and absently lifted her cell phone to her ear without looking at the caller id. The words spoken by Chris Larabee on the other end of her phone snagged Kate's attention immediately.
Meanwhile, Castle was in the break room, getting a coffee for Kate and for himself. He had just finished pouring the second cup of coffee when his cell phone began to ring. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the caller id and quickly answered. "Ezra, what can I do for you?" Castle listened intently as Ezra outlined Team 7's plan. Richard then replied, "I am at the precinct right now, J.D. can pick up the keys to my condo on Staten Island when he drops Josiah off."
After disconnecting with Ezra, Castle picked up the two coffee cups and headed out to the bullpen.
Castle had just reached Kate's desk as Kate ended her call with Chris Larabee.
Beckett ignored the cup of coffee, Castle placed on her desk. She and Castle spoke at the same time..."You'll never believe who just called me..." And both of them tailed off as they heard the ding of the elevator doors.
Esposito was rounding the corner of the hallway near the elevator when he spotted Josiah and J.D. striding towards Beckett's desk. A small smile broke out on Esposito's face. He swiped it off as one of his colleagues handed him photos from the security cameras at the raceway in Yonkers.
Josiah and J.D. arrived at Kate's desk and greeted Beckett and Castle.
Josiah then asked, "Do we know how Ryan is doing?"
Kate answered, "I don't know. And I hate not knowing things."
Josiah wondered at the momentary uncomfortable look that flashed across Richard Castle's face but refocused as J.D. asked for Castle's keys.
Castle handed them over as Kate's phone dinged a text message.
She summarized it for those around her desk. "It's from Lanie. She's identified the fibers on Jimmy Whelan. They're wool from an Australian sheep."
Castle quipped, "Perhaps Bobby S. had an accomplice, a cold-blooded murderous sheep."
J.D. snickered and then he and Beckett exclaimed, "that's it!" as they studied the white board.
"Seriously?" Castle said as he glanced at both of them.
"No, not that. This...look at his jacket..." She patted Bobby S's photo.
And J.D. continued, "His jacket is leather sheerling with wool."
"That ties him to the murder." Castle concluded.
"It looks like." Josiah added.
Esposito reached Beckett's desk in time to hear both Castle and Josiah. He said hello to the two ATF agents and then disagreed with both Castle and Sanchez. "Not so fast. There are no cameras in the VIP parking area of the racetrack. But it turns out, Bobby S. had a lucky day. His forty to one longshot won. Netted him 14 grand."
"And wearing the same coat." Castle said.
Esposito kept speaking, "Problem is he is filling out his W2 g tax forms at the exact same time that Jimmy got whacked."
Josiah uttered, "So, Bobby S., can't be our killer. Let me know what else you unearth after I finish talking to Agent Walker." Then he walked away toward Captain Gate's office where the FBI agent waited.
"Bobby S. was being set up, someone borrowed his car and planted those fibers all in an effort to make him look like the killer," Beckett theorized.
Esposito responded with, "If someone's trying to set Bobby S. up, Ryan needs to know."
J.D. added, "And Ezra needs to know too." At the look on the faces of the three New Yorkers Dunne explained, "Ezra is the best undercover agent of the ATF. He has years of experience with both the ATF and FBI. Ezra's been in the game a long time. Ryan's a great cop but how long has he been out of the undercover game? Who better than Ezra to guide him through the pitfalls?
Beckett admitted that J.D. made a valid point and instructed Esposito to contact Ezra to inform him of the situation.
A smile crossed Dunne's face as his cell phone rang. He answered right away, "Buck, I'm leaving now, was just getting a bit more info. Yeah, Esposito is here. Okay, okay, I'll see you in a few."
Esposito turned around and gave J.D. a questioning look. His cell phone began to vibrate. He answered and heard Ezra Standish on the other end. He waved goodbye to J.D. as he filled Ezra in on what was going on with the case. The last words he said before he ended the call were, "I'll set it up."
Staten Island - Lower Boy Diner
Forty five minutes later, a hoodie-clad Kevin Ryan, aka Fenton O'Connell cat - footed into the diner. His eyes swept over the few patrons of the diner. At first his eyes skimmed over the thug clad in a black-leather jacket whom sat in a shadowy booth at the back of the diner. A second look around the diner caused Ryan to focus his gaze on the man in the back booth. He blinked in shock as he recognized him. Ryan slid into the booth, flipped the hood off his head and looked expectantly at his cousin sitting across from him.
Ezra Standish softly said, "Bobby S didn't kill Jimmy, the real killer stole his car and set him up."
Just as quietly, Ryan replied, "Or Bobby ordered the hit and loaned his car to the killer."
Ezra's voice was insistent, "No, Forensic evidence was purposely left behind. It’s a frame job. It is probably someone on his own crew." Ezra's expressive eyes tattooed a message to Ryan that Ezra couldn't say out loud.
"Ok, I'll keep my eyes open." Ryan answered both the spoken and unspoken message.
One of Ezra's side-swept bangs fell messily onto his temple as he nodded and then gestured for Kevin to drink the still steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
Kevin took a sip or two of the coffee before Ezra asked, "Have you made any progress?"
Ryan responded, "Yeah, I've been invited to Bobby S's pool game tonight. It's my shot at getting that bible."
"Excellent. Offer him five pounds of the product and tell him you can get more next week. The Mason brothers know keeping their vendors happy is the best way to move the merchandise." Ezra said at the same moment as a waitress passed by their booth.
Ryan didn't know how Ezra knew about the Mason brothers but he rolled with it. "Got it." he uttered.
Once the waitress had walked by them, Ezra continued on in a sotto voice, "O'Connell be prepared to be rounded up by my team tonight."
In his own sotto voice, Ryan began to argue, "I can out my self to..."
The ruby ring on Ezra's index finger clinked against his coffee cup as he cut Kevin off with a low but emphatic, "No! I am thinking of your wife, and your future family. Men like the crew you are currently running with, don't forget or forgive. They will go after you and yours. You have read of what happened to my team leader's family. I do not want that to happen to yours. Remember what nearly happened to me a few months ago? You will grant me and my team the honor of taking down Fenton O'Connell and the others, so my cousin and his family may live safely."
Two sets of blue eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
Finally, Ryan jerkily nodded his head and looked into his coffee cup. The New York detective yielded because he knew Ezra loved him and was trying to protect him and Jenny. The other reason Ryan conceded was the fact that he hadn't recognized Ezra when he had first entered the diner. Ezra's skill as an undercover agent had him coming in disguise even if this was just an information drop.
Ezra saw King, one of the men on Bobby S.'s crew entering the diner and parking himself on a stool by the counter.
King waved the waitress over and she sauntered up to him.
She giggled as he whispered in her ear and then she repeated everything she'd overheard as she passed the booth with O'Connell and the unknown man. She smiled at the twenty she palmed as King slipped out of the diner through the kitchen.
Ezra was satisfied and queried, "You remember the tricks I showed you when playing pool?" After Ryan's positive response, Ezra handed over a napkin, and said loudly, "Call my man Malone to let him know when you have delivered the merchandise and he will get you more when you need it." Then, Ezra slid out of the booth and strode out of the diner. Ryan read the napkin which had written upon it call me on Espo's phone when you need me. Be careful, you're being tailed. "
Ryan balled the napkin into his hoodie pocket and legged it over to Siobhan's apartment.
Surreptitiously, he looked about for his tail and finally spotted King following him. Ryan shook his head in exasperation and continued on to Siobhan's place.
Siobhan's apartment
Ryan burned the napkin in Siobhan's small fireplace as he told her what Ezra had told him about someone setting Bobby S. up.
Siobhan exclaimed, "You can't go to the pool game tonight."
Ryan countered with, "I have to go! I won't get another chance. You won't get another chance. What's the combination of Bobby S's safe?"
The bar owner told him and Ryan assured her that they would get through this situation before he warned her about King following him. At her door he said, "I gotta go, big night tonight," and then left her apartment.
Richard Castle's Harbour Court Condo - Staten Island
In Castle's comfortable study, the portable phone switchboard which J.D. had set up began to light up and ring. Dunne quickly called out, "Incoming!" and across the room, Buck Wilmington rapidly set the ear bud into his ear as J.D. punched some keys on his laptop.
A more husky-voiced Buck answered the phone. "O'Rourke. Yeah, O'Connell worked with me here in Chicago. Tony and Matt sent him out to New York to investigate the possibilities of expanding their business in the big apple. He and Devlin are my men on Staten Island. "
Liam Finch whom was on the other end of the call, described Ezra to Buck.
Buck confirmed that Ezra was his man Devlin and ended the call by telling Finch that he had to go because the Mason brothers were waiting for him.
Finch thanked him for his time and hung up.
J.D. and Buck exchanged wide grins and high fives.
12th Precinct
Esposito, Beckett and Castle were brainstorming the Irish mob case. They figured out that Liam Finch, Bobby S's number two was staging a coup.
Beckett wanted to call Ryan and warn him. Castle questioned if that wouldn't blow Ryan's cover. Esposito warned if they didn't Ryan could end up dead.
Josiah and Agent Walker had overheard the conversation and called their respective teams to notify them of the new development.
Chris Larabee and the rest of Team 7 whom were already en route to Bobby S.'s house acknowledged the new info. Vin who was driving tonight, sped up and they reached the edge of Bobby S's property in time to see Ryan and Liam driving out of the driveway.
Without waiting for Chris's order, Vin followed Ryan and Liam down to the docks.
J.D. conveyed the information of Ryan and Liam's apparent destination to Josiah at the precinct.
Josiah passed the information along to Walker who sent FBI agents to the docks.
While Walker conferred with his fellow FBI agents, Josiah observed Beckett dealing with Ryan's upset wife. He congratulated her on their way to Staten Island.
She thanked him as she and Esposito loaded their weapons.
The Docks
As they got into position, they heard Ryan say, "I just can't do it Bobby. I can't shoot her."
Liam Finch brought his gun to bear on the back of O'Connell's head. And just as he was about to pull the trigger, a knife whizzed through the air and embedded itself into Finch's gun hand.
Chris Larabee yelled out, "Freeze, ATF!" as Finch crumpled to the ground in pain.
Four members of Team 7, stalked out of the shadows with the FBI and Esposito and Beckett at their side.
Larabee shout out, "You're under arrest!"
Esposito who was armed with a rifle trained his sights on Bobby S. who had twitched his hands angling for the pistol in the back of his pants.
Chris who was closest to him said, "You don't want to mess with him. He was special forces."
Kate Beckett had her gun aimed on them all as well and Buck added, "You don't want to mess with her either."
Agent Walker of the FBI was cuffing Bobby S. and told him that they would put him away for a long time.
Bobby S. had laughed and taunted him with a jeer.
The FBI agent had just given him a stony-faced expression and marched the man to a waiting van.
J.D. finished cuffing O'Connell and led him to a patrol car on the opposite side of street from the van holding Bobby S.
Nathan Jackson bandaged Liam's damaged hand before a waiting FBI agent whisked Finch away.
Then Nathan went back to check on Siobhan.
Meanwhile, O'Connell had just about reached the patrol car when a pair of hands reached for him from the shadows of the corner building.
Ezra hugged his cousin while Josiah, J.D. and Castle surrounded them in a circle.
Josiah explained to Kevin that O'Connell would be arrested and driven off in the police car for show. He would be free to go once they reached the precinct.
Ryan nodded and handed over the bible to Josiah who would in turn give it over to Agent Walker of the FBI later.
Once Ryan had completed his business with Josiah, Castle slapped Ryan on the back and congratulated him on a job well done.
Ryan muttered his thanks as J.D. led him away to the police car.
Kevin Ryan's home
A couple of hours later a tired, Kevin Ryan went home and found his wife Jenny waiting up for him.
"Jenny, honey what are you still doing up? It's late." Kevin whispered as he hugged his wife.
She returned the hug tenderly and replied, "You know all those tests we took the other day?"
Kevin murmured, "yes."
Jenny continued, "They were for nothing. Because I am already pregnant!"
Then she locked her lips onto his for a breath-stealing, tender kiss.
The End
Author: gemspegasus
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Ezra Standish, J.D. Dunne, Chris Larabee, Buck Wilmington, Vin Tanner, Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jackson.
Crossover: Castle/The Magnificent Seven (ATF)
Disclaimer: Castle is owned by Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC. The Magnificent Seven belong to MGM, Mirisch, Trilogy and John Watson. Thank you to Mog for creating the ATF universe of ‘The Magnificent Seven.’ I'm only saddling them up for a 'ride' or 7.
No copyright infringement is intended and no money was made from this of course. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence. This story is for entertainment purposes only.
AN's Set in my "Giving a Hand" verse and occurs during the Castle Season 5 episode, "The Wild Rover." Some dialogue of the fic is taken directly from the episode, "The Wild Rover." Alternate Universe-Canon dirvegence. Slight mention of Castle Season 5 episodes, "Under the Influence." The fic is set in my "Giving a Hand" verse. It is part 3 , written out of sequence. I am still writing part 2 of the verse and hopefully it will be posted soon. There are some small references to part 2 in part 3. In "The Wild Rover" Kevin Ryan is undercover in the Irish Mob without any backup. Esposito calls for backup in the form of Ryan's cousin, Ezra Standish whom is an agent of the ATF.
Changed the scene of Ryan outing himself as a cop toward the end of the episode because I have read too many mag 7 stories where Ezra's identity was never revealed. And since in my head canon Ezra and Ryan are cousins, I thought Ryan's identity should be protected too.
Staten Island, New York
NYPD detective, Kevin Ryan fist bumped Javier Esposito and said, " See you on the other side, partner." He stepped out of the taxi and strode over to the doors of "Kelly's Tavern." Kevin Ryan took a deep breath and exhaled as Fenton O'Connell opened one of the doors of the bar and walked into the pub.
Parked less than a block away from the tavern, Esposito watched from the driver's seat of the taxi as Kevin entered Kelly's. His knuckles tightened around the taxi's steering wheel. The thought of his partner without backup infuriated him. He'd find someway to give Ryan backup or his name wasn't Javier Esposito. As he reached for his cell phone it began to vibrate on the seat next to him.
The caller id read Beckett.
Once he answered the call, Beckett told him Captain Gates wanted to see him in her office.
12th Precinct
Gates had good news for Esposito. Javier Esposito would be mentoring Joey Malone's community service mandated volunteer hours at the 12th Precinct. A small smile crossed Esposito's face as he thanked the captain and then stepped out of her office.
Castle asked if everything was alright as soon as Javier had crossed back into the bullpen.
Esposito sat on the edge of his desk and told Castle about Joey then their conversation turned to Ryan.
Javier admitted, "I'm telling you man, he's not the Ryan I know. I'm not just talking about the haircut and the clothes. It's like he's a different dude."
Castle stood across from Esposito and replied, "That's what he's supposed to be. He's in character, he's Fenton, that's good."
Javier argued, "Yeah, what if he's not good enough? After seven years he's gotta be rusty. These Staten Island boys are no joke."
Before Castle could respond, Beckett called Castle over to the white board across the room.
Esposito gestured for Castle to go.
As Castle left, Javier rounded around his desk and yanked open the top drawer. He scrounged through the drawer looking for a phone number he had written down on a tiny scrap of paper. He finally found it toward the back of the drawer. Esposito let out a quiet yes and quickly dialed the number.
Denver Colorado - ATF Federal Building
The sound of Frank Sinatra's song, "New York...New York" rang out from the inner pocket lining Ezra Standish's jacket. Ezra set aside the cup of coffee from which he had been sipping, glared at an innocent-looking J.D. Dunne and answered his private cell phone.
As he heard Javier Esposito's news, Ezra paled and uttered a softly-said cuss word.
The elite undercover agent's change of demeanor caused Ezra's teammates, Vin Tanner, J.D. Dunne and Buck Wilmington to stop what they were doing.
Vin and J.D. immediately gathered around Ezra's desk.
On his way over to Ezra's desk, Buck popped his head into Chris's office and said, "Ezra's upset."
ATF Team 7 SAC, Chris Larabee abandoned the report he was working on and stalked out of his office.
The moment Ezra ended the call, Chris demanded, "What's wrong?"
A still shaken Ezra answered, "my cousin Kevin Ryan went undercover into the Irish mob again. He was a great undercover for fourteen months but he hasn't been undercover for seven years!"
"Kevin's an undercover too?" J.D. said at the same moment that Buck muttered, "Fourteen months?"
Vin beat Chris to the next question, "What else?"
Ezra's voice icily replied, "His partner told me, the FBI didn't provide Kevin with a wire or locator. He doesn't have any real backup to speak of."
"The hell he doesn't." Chris said, before immediately calling AD Orin Travis.
Vin, Buck and J.D. nodded in agreement to Chris's words.
Buck and J.D. got in touch with Josiah and Nathan and explained what was going on.
Sanchez and Jackson cut their meeting short and rushed back to the office.
To Team 7, Kevin Ryan was more than Ezra's cousin, he and his crew at the NYPD 12th precinct and the writer Richard Castle had helped both Ezra and J.D. a few months ago. The Nichols family had sought vengeance against Ezra and J.D. while the two ATF agents had been undercover in New York. Ryan's crew, which included Richard Castle and Team 7 had banded together and took down the Nichols family.
Within the hour, Team 7 was on a flight to New York.
AD Travis's voice floated out of Chris's Smartphone as he relayed both the FBI's and Captain Gates of the NYPD 12th Precinct reactions to the ATF's involvement in the case.
Once Travis had hung up on him, Chris ordered, "Josiah, you'll be our liaison with the FBI agent Walker.
Josiah agreed as he hunkered down in his seat to study the file on agent Walker which J.D. provided him with.
Everyone else studied their dossiers on the Irish mob of Staten Island.
New York City
Once they reached the airport and disembarked both Chris and Ezra made a phone call.
Chris called Detective Kate Beckett.
Ezra phoned Richard Castle.
Kate Beckett sifted through the myriad reports of Bobby S's activities as she tried to find concrete proof to link him to Whelan's murder. When she heard her cell phone ring, she was a bit distracted and absently lifted her cell phone to her ear without looking at the caller id. The words spoken by Chris Larabee on the other end of her phone snagged Kate's attention immediately.
Meanwhile, Castle was in the break room, getting a coffee for Kate and for himself. He had just finished pouring the second cup of coffee when his cell phone began to ring. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the caller id and quickly answered. "Ezra, what can I do for you?" Castle listened intently as Ezra outlined Team 7's plan. Richard then replied, "I am at the precinct right now, J.D. can pick up the keys to my condo on Staten Island when he drops Josiah off."
After disconnecting with Ezra, Castle picked up the two coffee cups and headed out to the bullpen.
Castle had just reached Kate's desk as Kate ended her call with Chris Larabee.
Beckett ignored the cup of coffee, Castle placed on her desk. She and Castle spoke at the same time..."You'll never believe who just called me..." And both of them tailed off as they heard the ding of the elevator doors.
Esposito was rounding the corner of the hallway near the elevator when he spotted Josiah and J.D. striding towards Beckett's desk. A small smile broke out on Esposito's face. He swiped it off as one of his colleagues handed him photos from the security cameras at the raceway in Yonkers.
Josiah and J.D. arrived at Kate's desk and greeted Beckett and Castle.
Josiah then asked, "Do we know how Ryan is doing?"
Kate answered, "I don't know. And I hate not knowing things."
Josiah wondered at the momentary uncomfortable look that flashed across Richard Castle's face but refocused as J.D. asked for Castle's keys.
Castle handed them over as Kate's phone dinged a text message.
She summarized it for those around her desk. "It's from Lanie. She's identified the fibers on Jimmy Whelan. They're wool from an Australian sheep."
Castle quipped, "Perhaps Bobby S. had an accomplice, a cold-blooded murderous sheep."
J.D. snickered and then he and Beckett exclaimed, "that's it!" as they studied the white board.
"Seriously?" Castle said as he glanced at both of them.
"No, not that. This...look at his jacket..." She patted Bobby S's photo.
And J.D. continued, "His jacket is leather sheerling with wool."
"That ties him to the murder." Castle concluded.
"It looks like." Josiah added.
Esposito reached Beckett's desk in time to hear both Castle and Josiah. He said hello to the two ATF agents and then disagreed with both Castle and Sanchez. "Not so fast. There are no cameras in the VIP parking area of the racetrack. But it turns out, Bobby S. had a lucky day. His forty to one longshot won. Netted him 14 grand."
"And wearing the same coat." Castle said.
Esposito kept speaking, "Problem is he is filling out his W2 g tax forms at the exact same time that Jimmy got whacked."
Josiah uttered, "So, Bobby S., can't be our killer. Let me know what else you unearth after I finish talking to Agent Walker." Then he walked away toward Captain Gate's office where the FBI agent waited.
"Bobby S. was being set up, someone borrowed his car and planted those fibers all in an effort to make him look like the killer," Beckett theorized.
Esposito responded with, "If someone's trying to set Bobby S. up, Ryan needs to know."
J.D. added, "And Ezra needs to know too." At the look on the faces of the three New Yorkers Dunne explained, "Ezra is the best undercover agent of the ATF. He has years of experience with both the ATF and FBI. Ezra's been in the game a long time. Ryan's a great cop but how long has he been out of the undercover game? Who better than Ezra to guide him through the pitfalls?
Beckett admitted that J.D. made a valid point and instructed Esposito to contact Ezra to inform him of the situation.
A smile crossed Dunne's face as his cell phone rang. He answered right away, "Buck, I'm leaving now, was just getting a bit more info. Yeah, Esposito is here. Okay, okay, I'll see you in a few."
Esposito turned around and gave J.D. a questioning look. His cell phone began to vibrate. He answered and heard Ezra Standish on the other end. He waved goodbye to J.D. as he filled Ezra in on what was going on with the case. The last words he said before he ended the call were, "I'll set it up."
Staten Island - Lower Boy Diner
Forty five minutes later, a hoodie-clad Kevin Ryan, aka Fenton O'Connell cat - footed into the diner. His eyes swept over the few patrons of the diner. At first his eyes skimmed over the thug clad in a black-leather jacket whom sat in a shadowy booth at the back of the diner. A second look around the diner caused Ryan to focus his gaze on the man in the back booth. He blinked in shock as he recognized him. Ryan slid into the booth, flipped the hood off his head and looked expectantly at his cousin sitting across from him.
Ezra Standish softly said, "Bobby S didn't kill Jimmy, the real killer stole his car and set him up."
Just as quietly, Ryan replied, "Or Bobby ordered the hit and loaned his car to the killer."
Ezra's voice was insistent, "No, Forensic evidence was purposely left behind. It’s a frame job. It is probably someone on his own crew." Ezra's expressive eyes tattooed a message to Ryan that Ezra couldn't say out loud.
"Ok, I'll keep my eyes open." Ryan answered both the spoken and unspoken message.
One of Ezra's side-swept bangs fell messily onto his temple as he nodded and then gestured for Kevin to drink the still steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
Kevin took a sip or two of the coffee before Ezra asked, "Have you made any progress?"
Ryan responded, "Yeah, I've been invited to Bobby S's pool game tonight. It's my shot at getting that bible."
"Excellent. Offer him five pounds of the product and tell him you can get more next week. The Mason brothers know keeping their vendors happy is the best way to move the merchandise." Ezra said at the same moment as a waitress passed by their booth.
Ryan didn't know how Ezra knew about the Mason brothers but he rolled with it. "Got it." he uttered.
Once the waitress had walked by them, Ezra continued on in a sotto voice, "O'Connell be prepared to be rounded up by my team tonight."
In his own sotto voice, Ryan began to argue, "I can out my self to..."
The ruby ring on Ezra's index finger clinked against his coffee cup as he cut Kevin off with a low but emphatic, "No! I am thinking of your wife, and your future family. Men like the crew you are currently running with, don't forget or forgive. They will go after you and yours. You have read of what happened to my team leader's family. I do not want that to happen to yours. Remember what nearly happened to me a few months ago? You will grant me and my team the honor of taking down Fenton O'Connell and the others, so my cousin and his family may live safely."
Two sets of blue eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
Finally, Ryan jerkily nodded his head and looked into his coffee cup. The New York detective yielded because he knew Ezra loved him and was trying to protect him and Jenny. The other reason Ryan conceded was the fact that he hadn't recognized Ezra when he had first entered the diner. Ezra's skill as an undercover agent had him coming in disguise even if this was just an information drop.
Ezra saw King, one of the men on Bobby S.'s crew entering the diner and parking himself on a stool by the counter.
King waved the waitress over and she sauntered up to him.
She giggled as he whispered in her ear and then she repeated everything she'd overheard as she passed the booth with O'Connell and the unknown man. She smiled at the twenty she palmed as King slipped out of the diner through the kitchen.
Ezra was satisfied and queried, "You remember the tricks I showed you when playing pool?" After Ryan's positive response, Ezra handed over a napkin, and said loudly, "Call my man Malone to let him know when you have delivered the merchandise and he will get you more when you need it." Then, Ezra slid out of the booth and strode out of the diner. Ryan read the napkin which had written upon it call me on Espo's phone when you need me. Be careful, you're being tailed. "
Ryan balled the napkin into his hoodie pocket and legged it over to Siobhan's apartment.
Surreptitiously, he looked about for his tail and finally spotted King following him. Ryan shook his head in exasperation and continued on to Siobhan's place.
Siobhan's apartment
Ryan burned the napkin in Siobhan's small fireplace as he told her what Ezra had told him about someone setting Bobby S. up.
Siobhan exclaimed, "You can't go to the pool game tonight."
Ryan countered with, "I have to go! I won't get another chance. You won't get another chance. What's the combination of Bobby S's safe?"
The bar owner told him and Ryan assured her that they would get through this situation before he warned her about King following him. At her door he said, "I gotta go, big night tonight," and then left her apartment.
Richard Castle's Harbour Court Condo - Staten Island
In Castle's comfortable study, the portable phone switchboard which J.D. had set up began to light up and ring. Dunne quickly called out, "Incoming!" and across the room, Buck Wilmington rapidly set the ear bud into his ear as J.D. punched some keys on his laptop.
A more husky-voiced Buck answered the phone. "O'Rourke. Yeah, O'Connell worked with me here in Chicago. Tony and Matt sent him out to New York to investigate the possibilities of expanding their business in the big apple. He and Devlin are my men on Staten Island. "
Liam Finch whom was on the other end of the call, described Ezra to Buck.
Buck confirmed that Ezra was his man Devlin and ended the call by telling Finch that he had to go because the Mason brothers were waiting for him.
Finch thanked him for his time and hung up.
J.D. and Buck exchanged wide grins and high fives.
12th Precinct
Esposito, Beckett and Castle were brainstorming the Irish mob case. They figured out that Liam Finch, Bobby S's number two was staging a coup.
Beckett wanted to call Ryan and warn him. Castle questioned if that wouldn't blow Ryan's cover. Esposito warned if they didn't Ryan could end up dead.
Josiah and Agent Walker had overheard the conversation and called their respective teams to notify them of the new development.
Chris Larabee and the rest of Team 7 whom were already en route to Bobby S.'s house acknowledged the new info. Vin who was driving tonight, sped up and they reached the edge of Bobby S's property in time to see Ryan and Liam driving out of the driveway.
Without waiting for Chris's order, Vin followed Ryan and Liam down to the docks.
J.D. conveyed the information of Ryan and Liam's apparent destination to Josiah at the precinct.
Josiah passed the information along to Walker who sent FBI agents to the docks.
While Walker conferred with his fellow FBI agents, Josiah observed Beckett dealing with Ryan's upset wife. He congratulated her on their way to Staten Island.
She thanked him as she and Esposito loaded their weapons.
The Docks
As they got into position, they heard Ryan say, "I just can't do it Bobby. I can't shoot her."
Liam Finch brought his gun to bear on the back of O'Connell's head. And just as he was about to pull the trigger, a knife whizzed through the air and embedded itself into Finch's gun hand.
Chris Larabee yelled out, "Freeze, ATF!" as Finch crumpled to the ground in pain.
Four members of Team 7, stalked out of the shadows with the FBI and Esposito and Beckett at their side.
Larabee shout out, "You're under arrest!"
Esposito who was armed with a rifle trained his sights on Bobby S. who had twitched his hands angling for the pistol in the back of his pants.
Chris who was closest to him said, "You don't want to mess with him. He was special forces."
Kate Beckett had her gun aimed on them all as well and Buck added, "You don't want to mess with her either."
Agent Walker of the FBI was cuffing Bobby S. and told him that they would put him away for a long time.
Bobby S. had laughed and taunted him with a jeer.
The FBI agent had just given him a stony-faced expression and marched the man to a waiting van.
J.D. finished cuffing O'Connell and led him to a patrol car on the opposite side of street from the van holding Bobby S.
Nathan Jackson bandaged Liam's damaged hand before a waiting FBI agent whisked Finch away.
Then Nathan went back to check on Siobhan.
Meanwhile, O'Connell had just about reached the patrol car when a pair of hands reached for him from the shadows of the corner building.
Ezra hugged his cousin while Josiah, J.D. and Castle surrounded them in a circle.
Josiah explained to Kevin that O'Connell would be arrested and driven off in the police car for show. He would be free to go once they reached the precinct.
Ryan nodded and handed over the bible to Josiah who would in turn give it over to Agent Walker of the FBI later.
Once Ryan had completed his business with Josiah, Castle slapped Ryan on the back and congratulated him on a job well done.
Ryan muttered his thanks as J.D. led him away to the police car.
Kevin Ryan's home
A couple of hours later a tired, Kevin Ryan went home and found his wife Jenny waiting up for him.
"Jenny, honey what are you still doing up? It's late." Kevin whispered as he hugged his wife.
She returned the hug tenderly and replied, "You know all those tests we took the other day?"
Kevin murmured, "yes."
Jenny continued, "They were for nothing. Because I am already pregnant!"
Then she locked her lips onto his for a breath-stealing, tender kiss.
The End
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