Chapter seventeen [Video/action]

[thebestseller]

[Private to New Moore PD, no time for security]

Something about the home invasion robberies and murders last month just clicked. Might be smart to send a unit to the pawn shop in case it gets ugly. I'm nearly there myself, and I think Beckett may be there already.

[Action]

[And with that, Castle enters the shop, the phone playing a live feed, as he appears to have walked in on the worst-case scenario possible- because, of course, the owner did it, and of course, he has a gun.

The already cluttered small space of the Pawn Shop seems to be in heightened disarray, knickknacks and antique items strewn every which way. The video feed settles onto the center of the conflict – the pawn shop owner is holding a gun, pointing it at Beckett who is standing directly in front of him.

Beckett seems frozen in place, her hands spread to her side, no effort being made to speak or reach for her own sidearm.]

Comments

[action]

[themuse]

[Subconsciously, Kate gripped Castle when his hand found hers. Once the Pawn Shop owner let go of the gun, his hands lifting in clear surrender, Kate found her feet again.

She tried to step back, nearly falling into a wood bookshelf behind her as she stumbled. Kate felt lightheaded, and breathless, and confused, and she shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality.]

I... [She glanced at Beifong, still struggling to find words. She wasn't going to feel safe until the guy was in handcuffs, so she pulled her hand away from Castle and took another step back, bumping into the shelf behind her.]

[action]

[steelweb]

[Beifong warily stepped forward, pulling the released gun toward her. She didn't have the finesse to be able to put it into a drawer or anything, but she could (and did) put it on the back counter. The shop owner stared beligerantly around, at a loss for words to express his fury.]

Your hands. On your head. Now.

[Beifong's voice was even and unyielding, as she stepped forward. She shot Beckett a glance with a reassuring half-swoop of her eyelids. With a lunge, the owner attempted to make her pay for that brief lapse in attention, swinging a heavy fist at her head, but Beifong was a martial artist, and those instincts kicked in quickly. She sidestepped, tangled his leg with her own, and slammed her elbow between his shoulderblades. The floor shuddered as he slammed into it. In a moment, Beifong stepped over to straddle him and wrench his arms around behind him, cuffing him.

Now that the danger was passed, of course, the backup came pounding in to take control of the suspect and left Beifong to go check on Castle and Beckett. She kept her voice low and her tone gentle, looking over both of them searchingly.]

Are either of you hurt? He didn't fire?

[action]

[thebestseller]

[Castle didn't have any time to react when the man began to charge on Officer Beifong- thankfully, the woman was obviously a seasoned fighter and had everything under control in a trice, and before long, the scene was secure.

He turned to face Kate, giving her a silent smile of reassurance, reaching over to brush a strand of hair behind her ear before turning to face the officer, shaking his head.]

No. You arrived at the right second to prevent that. Thank you.

[action]

[themuse]

[Kate wasn't sure what to say. She still wasn't even sure it was over, and a flight instinct kicked in. Suddenly the Pawn Shop was way too small, and she still couldn't catch her breath so she pushed past Castle.

Attempting to muster some kind of look of thanks to Beifong, she pawed at a nearby vanity as she pushed herself towards the door, trying to block out the commotion of the arrest and doing her best to not get in the way of any of the other officers.

Forcing herself to turn and look at Castle and Beifong again, she paused for a minute before finding the words she wanted to say.]

Yeah, uh... Thank you. I, uh, I just... need some air. You gonna be okay in here?

[action]

[steelweb]

[Beifong's face softens a little, and she nods, waving a dismissive hand.]

We'll be fine. Good work finding him. Castle, you go with her. But don't go far - we'll want statements from you both later. You know the drill.

[action]

[thebestseller]

[Castle is already following Beckett, not even considering that she might not want him to, but stops and nods firmly.]

Yes, ma'am. We'll be close by whenever you need us.

[And with that, he was at Kate's side again, unwilling to leave it until she made him go.]