Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Lucas followed as closely as he could, narrowly missing cars on either side. Tires screamed, and horns blew as he raced by. The black car made an abrupt right turn, heading down a dead-end road, and Lucas made a quick decision, going past it to the next street.

  He turned down the road, realizing too late that it was one-way. He weaved in and out of traffic, just missing a box truck. He pressed the gas, accelerating to top speed, and took the next turn, pressing the brakes only when the van tipped precariously on its side.

  The van landed on four wheels, and he pushed ahead, once again heading the wrong way on a one-way street. "You're going to get us killed, Lucas!" Gabriel shouted.

  "He has Scarlett. I'm not letting them out of my sight." As the words left his mouth, the black car pulled out onto the street, heading right towards them. Lucas pushed down on the gas, aiming for the driver's front door. "Hold on!"

  They hit the car with such force, Lucas's head hit hard against the headrest as they came to a stop. He was momentarily stunned as the sounds of crunching metal and breaking glass fell around them. Shaking his head to clear away the cobwebs and the fog that threatened to overtake him, he opened the van door, staying behind it for cover. Fortunately for him, neither the driver nor the passenger in the front seat was wearing a seatbelt, and they no longer posed a threat. The driver was hanging half out of the broken windshield, blood pooling under his body. Lucas assumed that he was dead, and, if not, that he probably would be soon. The passenger's head had broken the side window, and blood was running from his temple. He was also either out cold, or dead.

  The guy in the back was struggling to free himself from the back seat. His gun was out, and he fired off a couple of shots. Lucas didn't return fire since he wasn't able to see Scarlett. Gabriel was on the other side of the door and had a clearer shot. Lucas glanced over at him and said quietly, "Keep him distracted."

  Gabriel nodded in agreement, and Lucas crept around the other side of the car, approaching it from the side opposite of where the guy was shooting. He'd gotten out of the car and was kneeling on the pavement behind the car door. Lucas crept down below the car window and opened the door. The guy saw him and turned his gun on him, but not quickly enough. Lucas fired, hitting the guy right between the eyes. He scooped Scarlett up, wincing at the pain in his arm, as he heard sirens screaming. He wanted out of there before the cops arrived. True, they had a lot of clearance and freedom with the police, but he was pretty sure that they wouldn't take too kindly to his causing an accident in the middle of D.C. traffic.

  He rushed towards the van, grateful it was still in drivable condition. Ethan was already in the driver's seat waiting for him, and he jumped in with Scarlett in his arms, laying her on the floor of the van.

  "Take us to the hospital," he said.

  Scarlett's face was pale. He was scared they'd hit her too hard, and she wouldn't wake up. He couldn't lose another person he cared about. He just couldn't.

  "Wake up, Scarlett," he whispered in her ear, breathing in her scent. His vision swam, and he swayed a little.

  "Whoa, Lucas. Your arm, man," Gabriel said.

  "Yeah, I'd forgotten about that." Lucas looked down to see his sleeve soaked in blood, the makeshift tourniquet not able to stop the flow. The adrenaline and stress of finding Scarlett had made him lose blood faster.

  Lucas blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. His head bobbed up and down as he struggled to maintain consciousness. It was no use. With Scarlett safe in his arms, he let go, slumping against the side of the van and finally letting his eyes close.

  Scarlett awoke to the sounds of beeps and the smells of disinfectant and rubbing alcohol. She tried to lift her head, but the pounding made her rest it against the back of the bed. Bed. Her eyes flew open as she panicked, remembering Damon and his gun.

  "Shhh. You're ok. I'm here," Lucas said. She opened her eyes, realizing she was in a hospital room.

  "Lucas? What happened? How'd you find me?" she croaked. Her voice was raspy, and her lips were dry. She needed water. As if he’d read her mind, Lucas stood and walked over to a sink, taking the plastic pitcher and pouring a glass of water for her. He walked across the room, and that's when she noticed the sling and bandage peeking out from under his shirt.

  "What happened to you?" She tried to sit up again, this time able to inch up a little before the pain became unbearable.

  "Just a nick. I'll be fine. Couple of stitches, and I was as good as new." Scarlett doubted that but wasn't in the mood to argue with him. She was just glad he was safe. When he hadn't returned, she'd worried he'd been hurt and been unable to get back to her.

  He handed her the cup, and she took a sip, the cool water easing the scratchiness of her throat.

  "So tell me," she said, closing her eyes against the bright lights in the hospital room. Intuitively, Lucas reached over and dimmed the lights.

  "I heard you scream and ran out just in time to see them lift you off the ground and put you in the car. You were out cold, and I wasn't sure if you were dead or alive. I figured that since they were taking you, you must be alive. I was able to follow them, then hit them with my van. They're all dead. Car accident killed the two in front, and I handled the guy in the back."

  Scarlett shivered at the thought of Lucas having to kill someone on her behalf. He didn't seem too fazed by it, though, so maybe he was used to it—or just angry enough that he didn't care at the moment.

  "Was Damon one of them?" Scarlett asked.

  "No. Why do you ask?"

  "He was there. He's the one that hit me in the head. I guess he left the others to deal with me since I was knocked out." She felt the back of her head, where a large, tender lump was. Her hair was matted with blood there, and she couldn't wait to take a shower and wash that stuff out.

  "We'll get him, Scarlett, I promise. Even if it's the last thing I do." Scarlett shuddered. She didn't want that to be the last thing he did, and she realized then that her heart was more involved with this man than she'd wanted to admit. It scared her. Everyone left her. All the people she'd loved and cared about had either died or been taken away from her. She needed to end this before it got too serious. She couldn't take another loss. She'd never make it if something happened to Lucas.

  Lucas took her hand and stared into her eyes. "I'll get him." Scarlett pulled her hand from his. He looked confused but let her go.

  "I need to rest. My head is killing me," she said, closing her eyes against the hurt she saw in his eyes.

  "I'll get the nurse to give you some pain meds," he said. And he placed a kiss on her forehead. She just nodded, unwilling to look him in the eye.

  It was better this way. And maybe if she kept telling herself that, she'd start to believe it.

  * * * *

  Lucas watched as Scarlett dozed back off shortly after the nurse came in to give her something for her pain. He wondered at the change in her—the distance she’d put up. She'd been through a lot over the last couple of days, though. It was normal to be out of sorts. He shook the negative thoughts from his mind and headed to the cafeteria to get some coffee and a bite to eat. Now that Scarlett had woken up, he could relax a little.

  Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialed Sully.

  "Castle."

  "Any leads?" Lucas asked as he walked down the hospital corridor.

  "Not yet. The guys searched the church after you left, and no one was there. Police are running forensics on what they found at the scene. Also, the police are breathing hard down my neck after that little stunt you pulled with the van."

  "No other way to stop them, man. You'd have done the same thing if someone you cared about was in that car."

  "You care about her?" Sully asked.

  "We going to talk about our feelings, Sully, or are we going to get the bad guys?"

  Sully chuckled. "Yeah, ok. Guess not. Just be careful. If your emotions are involved, it could end badly for everyone."

  "Got it. Let me know if they find something
." Lucas ended the call just as he arrived at the cafeteria. He was grateful that the hospital actually had some semblance of a coffee shop and not the instant, cheap crap they usually had, where you stuck a quarter into a machine and waited for dark sludge to pop out.

  He grabbed a bagel as well, as he thought about Sully's words. Damn right he cared about Scarlett, and it scared the hell out of him. Damon had already killed one person he loved—only over Lucas’s dead body would he get his hands on Scarlett, too.

  Lucas took his time getting back to Scarlett. She'd been passed out when he left, and he had someone watching the hall. She was safe. For now.

  As he stepped off the elevator, he nodded to the guard watching the corridor. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something was off. The hall was quiet, and although it was the middle of the night, it was too quiet.

  Lucas's instincts never failed him, so he set the coffee down, pulling his gun from the back of his waistband, and crept over to Scarlett's room. Standing by her bedside was a doctor in a lab coat. Lucas sighed with relief. Just a doctor. He replaced his gun and grabbed his coffee again. Pushing open the door, he realized too late that the scene wasn't quite right. The doctor had a syringe in his hand, pushing medicine into Scarlett's IV. That wasn't what was so alarming. Scarlett's wide, terrified eyes stared at him, her mouth covered with the doctor's other hand.

  "What's going on here?" Lucas asked.

  The doctor turned suddenly, dropping the syringe as he did. Lucas dropped the coffee, reaching for his gun, but the guy was quick. He ran towards Lucas, pushing into him with his shoulder and knocking Lucas off balance. The "doctor" ran through the door. Lucas yelled at the guard to get him, but the guy took off towards the stairwell at the opposite end of the hall. He glanced over at Scarlett, who had fallen back to sleep. He needed to catch the guy, but he also needed to get Scarlett help.

  He dashed towards the nurse's station and yelled at the nurse sitting behind the desk. "Someone was in Scarlett Ferguson's room. He gave her something. I don't think he got all of it in there. She needs help. Please."

  The nurse jumped into action, calling the code over the intercom. Lucas took off down the hall after the guy. He'd wasted only seconds, but they were precious seconds.

  He could hear the guy's footsteps on the stairs as he ran. Lucas jumped over the railing, not wanting to bother with the stairs. He did this a couple more times, gaining some ground. He caught sight of the guy just as he pushed his way out the emergency door. An alarm went off, a piercing sound that echoed loudly in the cement stairwell.

  Lucas rushed through the emergency door just as the guy jumped into a black sedan like the one he'd hit earlier that day. Lucas's eyes rested on the driver of the car. Damon.

  Damon smirked and gave Lucas a salute as he pushed the gas, and the car took off with a lurch. Lucas aimed the gun at the car, shooting as it drove away. He tried to get the plate numbers, but the license plate was covered with mud.

  "Dammit!" Lucas rested his hands on his knees for a moment, his breath coming hard and fast. Scarlett.

  Racing back up the stairs, Lucas took them two or three at a time. When he got to Scarlett's room, he was terrified at the scene. Doctors and nurses surrounded her. Orders were being shouting as nurses rushed around, grabbing medications and implements.

  A nurse went to rush by him, and he reached out his arm, catching her. "Is she going to be ok?"

  "We don't know yet. We're doing everything we can to counteract the drug until we know what he gave her."

  "Wait—"

  "Sir, I need to help her. Go sit in the waiting room, and someone will come get you when we know more." The nurse squeezed his arm as she escorted him out the door and pointed him towards the waiting room.

  He sat down in one of the chairs, his head falling into his hands. If he hadn't left, if he'd just stayed there in her room… She’d been alone. Unprotected. And now he didn't know if she would live or die.

  Minutes went by. He wasn't sure how long he sat there. He'd made a call to Sully right after he sat down, letting him know that Damon had reached her, had breached their security. Now, all he could do was wait.

  Isabel walked through the doors to the waiting room, and Lucas stood, embracing her tightly.

  "I thought you might need a friend," she said, smiling at him sadly.

  "Yeah, thanks."

  She sat beside him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing.

  "Any news?"

  "Not yet. Still waiting." The guilt for failing Scarlett was overwhelming. "If only I'd—"

  "Stop. You can't expect to be by her side twenty-four hours a day. You just went to get coffee. There was no reason to think that someone could get to her. Not with a guard at the door."

  Lucas knew she was right but was having a hard time accepting it. He felt like he'd failed her.

  "Mr. Falco?" A doctor stood at the door to the waiting room. Lucas stood, afraid to hear the words he had to share with him.

  "Ms. Ferguson is going to be ok. It looks like the drug he gave her was rohypnol—the so-called date rape drug. We were able to counteract that with another drug. Since we caught it early, she should have very few side effects from it."

  "Oh, thank God," Lucas sighed in relief. Isabel hugged him tightly.

  "It's a good thing you caught him. I imagine he'd planned to drug her and take her out of the hospital. We found a stretcher waiting just down the hall."

  Lucas's blood ran cold. He'd tried to take her. Out of the hospital. Damon was getting bolder—almost desperate.

  "Can I see her?"

  "Of course. She'll probably be asleep for a while, and she may have some hallucinogenic-type dreams. We'll be monitoring her closely." The doctor nodded and turned to go.

  Lucas walked to Scarlett's room with Isabel close behind. When he opened the door, he was overcome with relief to see Scarlett quietly sleeping. Her face was pale, the tiny freckles on her nose standing out brightly against the whiteness of her skin. Her red hair was so bright, lying on the white linens of the hospital bed. She was beautiful.

  He pulled a chair over and sat next to her bedside. Taking her hand in his, he pulled it to his mouth for a brief kiss. Isabel touched his shoulder.

  "Let me know if you need anything." He nodded in answer, and she walked quietly out of the room.

  Lucas laid his head on the bed next to Scarlett's hand. She was safe. And he planned to keep her that way.

  * * * *

  Scarlett opened her eyes. Light peeked through the windows of the hospital room, casting long shadows across the floor. She peered over to her side, where Lucas sat, her hand in his. He was fast asleep with his head on the bed next to their joined hands. She sighed in contentment and lightly touched the silky strands of his hair.

  Her head was fuzzy, and she felt like she could sleep for several days. She remembered waking up last night from the concussion, but this seemed different somehow. The lethargy was overwhelming, and it took all her energy just to hold her eyes open.

  Lucas lifted his head, a huge grin spreading across his face. His dark hair was tousled, as if he'd been running his hands through it. A five o'clock shadow graced his strong jawline, and his dark brown eyes looked tired. He'd stayed with her all night.

  "You should go home. Get some rest," she croaked out, her voice sounding like she smoked two packs a day.

  "I'm not leaving this place until you do." He smiled at her, but she could see the stubbornness behind his eyes. No use fighting with him.

  "What are they giving me to make me feel so tired?" she asked.

  "You don't remember?"

  "I remember waking up with a blinding headache here in the hospital room. That's the last thing I remember."

  Lucas's eyes shifted, and she realized something had happened.

  "What happened, Lucas?" she asked.

  "I walked away to get coffee and to fill Sully in on what happened. See if he had any updates," he started. He pushed his hands
through his hair, and Scarlett saw how it had gotten so tousled. He stood and paced the floor.

  "When I returned, something felt off. Not right. So I stepped inside and saw a doctor standing by your bed, putting something in your IV. That didn't alarm me too much, but it was the look on your face and the hand over your mouth that turned my blood to ice. He dropped the syringe when he saw me, not getting the full dose of rohypnol into your system."

  Scarlett couldn't remember a thing. She was suddenly glad she didn't remember the fear, but wondered if her subconscious would continue to hold on to that memory.

  "Did you catch him?" she asked. Her voice sounded small, unsure.

  "No. I chased him outside after getting help for you. He got into a car. With Damon." Scarlett let out a small gasp at the mention of Damon's name, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. "I shot at the car, tried to stop them, but couldn't." He looked at her. "I shouldn't have left you alone, Scarlett. If I'd been here, if I'd just—"

  "Shh. Come here." She patted the bed, scooting over a little to make room. Lucas sat down, leaning back against the bed next to her, and she pulled his hands into hers.

  "I'm ok. I'm fine. You got here in time. Thank you," she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder.

  "The doctors countered the drug with something else. Said that you'd be groggy for a couple of days, but that you would recover just fine." Scarlett squeezed his hand, knowing the guilt he felt would eat him alive.

  "I'm glad you were here. Grateful you came into my life. So stop beating yourself up. You stopped him. But I don't understand—why rohypnol? Isn't that the date rape drug? Was he trying to kill me?" Scarlett asked and shivered at the thought.

  "No, to take you. There was a stretcher waiting down the hall. We figure he planned to sneak you out the ER entrance." Scarlett's heart beat a little bit faster. She’d been so close. So close to joining her sister in her fate. Emery.

  Scarlett sat up straight in bed. "I have to get out of here. Em—"