American TV Writer

The situation unfolded just as Castle had anticipated. As his tech-savvy friend controlled the drones and they made only two passes down the streets flanking the 12th precinct, Castle's sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar figure through the powerful military-grade surveillance equipment sponsored by Northrop Grumman. It didn't take long for him to recognize the black man sitting in the ordinary Buick—it was none other than the "Gunsmith," a character Castle remembered from his past life, specifically from the movie *Wanted*, where the man was an assassin for the Brotherhood. 

After Castle confirmed that a Brotherhood assassin was indeed lurking nearby, Beckett finally believed what Castle had been saying all along: William Bracken wasn't willing to let her topple him so easily and was desperate enough to risk a suicide mission to take her down with him.

With this realization, Beckett didn't even stop to ask the crucial question of how Castle was so sure that the black man sitting in the car was an assassin from the Brotherhood. Instead, she furrowed her brow, hands on her hips, and angrily asked Castle, who was busy fiddling with the computer, "Castle, what are we going to do now? You said this assassin is highly skilled and has some unpredictable methods. We can't just risk going out there, right? But if we don't, how are we supposed to capture or take him down? I can't exactly send a patrol officer over to check his driver's license, can I?"

Castle chuckled. "I've already thought about that. He's here targeting you, obviously. I'm pretty sure he spotted me when I got out of the taxi and entered the precinct earlier. So, I plan to go out there myself, see if I can get him to shift his focus from you to me. You can stay behind me as backup. What do you think?"

Beckett immediately rejected the idea. "No way! Last time you shot someone outside the precinct, and if those guys hadn't turned out to be assassins we'd already caught the day before, the DA wouldn't have let you off so easily! You're not a cop, you don't have the authority to fire a gun. I can't agree to let you act as bait. Forget it!"

Castle wasn't offended by Beckett's forceful rejection. He knew she was just worried about him. But given his enhanced skills, he knew he was the best candidate to draw the Gunsmith out. Now, he just needed to convince her.

"I understand you're worried I won't be able to defend myself against the assassin's attacks, but I've been meaning to tell you—I'm actually quite skilled. You don't need to worry. Think about it, last time when I shot those two assassins Bracken sent, does that seem like the work of someone who's never fired a gun? I told you, I trained for a long time under the world's best assassin. My skills are now on par with that former number one assassin! I'm confident I can handle whatever this guy throws at me, and only after he makes a move can we legally and rightfully retaliate, right? I also don't want you to have to face a legal battle with the DA again because I had to shoot another assassin."

Beckett hesitated, recalling that Castle had indeed mentioned a friend who had once been the top-ranked assassin in the world. Perhaps his idea wasn't so bad after all. Castle was right—if the assassin's target was them, her own skills wouldn't be enough to withstand an attack. And with no overt hostile action yet from the assassin, there was little she could do to stop him. What they needed was bait.

And Castle, being so calm, clearly had confidence in his own abilities. Maybe she really should consider his plan.

Seeing Beckett's hesitation, Castle pressed his advantage. "Look, I've got a beautiful girlfriend like you. Do you think I'd suggest something like this if I wasn't absolutely sure I'd survive? I know I can handle whatever that assassin throws at me. If we don't do this now, how else can we deal with him legally? Don't forget, these assassins are opportunists, like hyenas. You can't possibly guard against them everywhere, all the time. We need to hurt them badly enough that they won't dare come after you again. And don't forget, this time, both of us are targets. If I don't act as the bait, who's going to lead the officers? You don't think just because everyone at the precinct knows I'm your boyfriend, they're going to follow my orders, do you?"

Castle's words made Beckett chuckle despite herself, and they also persuaded her. She finally made up her mind to let Castle act as the bait. Of course, her decision wasn't based solely on what he had said; it was also because the assassin had already been exposed without realizing it. Beckett felt confident that with two drones locking onto the assassin, they could either capture or kill him.

Beckett's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. How many secrets did her boyfriend actually have? Watching him effortlessly direct their tech guy to monitor the assassin with military-grade drones, and seeing how easily his friend hacked into New York's traffic system, it was clear that this wasn't their first time doing something like this. How much had Castle kept hidden from her?

But now wasn't the time to probe into Castle's secrets. There was an assassin outside, watching them like a hawk. Whatever secrets Castle had could wait until later.

True to her decisive nature, Beckett quickly moved to action. She knew Castle hadn't driven to the precinct today, which meant his Mercedes—equipped with bulletproof vests and automatic rifles that had once surprised even her—wasn't available. So, after some thought, she decided to hand her Glock 17 to her boyfriend. Though this was a clear violation of regulations, as the precinct captain, Beckett figured it was a minor issue. If Castle took down the assassin with her gun, what trouble could there be? And even if there was, what did it matter? The most important thing now was Castle's safety.

Castle found it both funny and touching that Beckett, who usually stuck to the rules, would hand over her gun to him. He thought to himself that if it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to scare his girlfriend, he had plenty of weapons in his personal storage space—two M134 miniguns, for example. Not to mention the heavy sniper rifles and RPGs he'd acquired for emergencies!

Smiling, Castle took Beckett's gun but quickly handed it back after weighing it in his hand. "I can't use this gun. I understand your intention, but today isn't like the time I shot those assassins outside the precinct. Then, I was using my registered gun, which was approved by the precinct. If I used your gun to kill the assassin today, it would cause you a lot of trouble. Actually, I already have a handgun on me. Given how tense things have been lately, I've been carrying it with me at all times..." He lied smoothly, pulling a Glock 17 from under his arm, identical to Beckett's. Of course, this wasn't true—he had just pulled it from his storage space, using this excuse to refuse Beckett's offer while still keeping her happy.

Beckett, not knowing Castle was lying, believed him. Having seen his shooting skills firsthand, she didn't insist and instead began preparing for Castle's "fishing operation."

What was she doing? Beckett planned to get Castle a bulletproof vehicle. Most of the precinct's patrol cars were only equipped with bulletproof glass on the front windows, but there were a few that were fully armored. Beckett's goal was to find a fully bulletproof car for Castle, so he could draw the assassin's attention while she and the officers followed to take down the assassin.

And not just capture—eliminate!

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