After returning to New York, Richard Castle was ready to take a well-deserved break. Over the past month, he had completely worn himself out. However, bad news awaited him: his agent and publisher were ready to cut ties with him since he still hadn't finished the second book of the Nikki Heat series. If he kept delaying, his increasingly exasperated agent might team up with his ex-wife to blockade his front door!
Fortunately, Castle had gathered enough material for the second Nikki Heat novel. He also had the perfect opportunity to ride the wave of publicity surrounding the scandal involving Senator William Bracken. After all, if he didn't capitalize on the numerous highlights he had been involved in during this case, it would be a waste.
With his decision made, Castle returned home, pulling out the novel outline he had developed during breaks while researching drones and missiles over the past month. After confirming that the outline didn't reveal any classified information, Castle quickly jumped back into work mode.
Once he started writing, Castle became so immersed in his rich material that he lost track of time. It wasn't until his mother, Martha, who had been taking care of Alexis during his absence, returned home that he realized it was already dark. After a warm greeting, Castle saved his work and headed into the kitchen, eager to prepare a special dinner for his mother and daughter as an apology for not being able to spend New Year's with them.
By the time Alexis came home, Castle had prepared a feast and was gleefully boasting to Martha about acquiring 2.5% shares in Northrop Grumman, proudly declaring himself a major shareholder.
Feeling like a high-ranking executive, Castle was interrupted by a call from Gianna, who had some complaints.
Castle suddenly remembered that before Gianna and John had returned to Rome, he had asked Gianna for two teams of bodyguards. These two teams, totaling ten people, had arrived in New York after the New Year. However, since Castle had been holed up in a top-secret lab at the time, Gianna, unable to reach him, had no choice but to house the bodyguards at Castle's Long Island estate.
Moreover, the estate Castle had wanted to purchase before the holidays was now up for sale. Gianna had called him only after Little Fatty (a contact) informed her that Castle had returned to New York.
Ecstatic that the estate he'd been eyeing was available, and that it was less than two kilometers from Gianna's, Castle quickly made plans to visit Gianna's estate the next day to see the property and meet the ten bodyguards intended to protect his mother and daughter.
After confirming that Gianna and John were in good health and just waiting for their baby to arrive, Castle mentioned that he might be flying to Europe soon. In addition to taking his daughter on vacation during her upcoming winter break, Castle needed to deliver some "sensitive" items to a contact.
After promising to visit Gianna and John in Rome, Castle finally earned her forgiveness and hung up.
No sooner had Castle ended the call than Beckett, the busy precinct captain, arrived at his apartment. Martha and Alexis, being considerate, left the living room to the couple, who hadn't seen each other in over a month. Martha even packed up and headed to her boyfriend's place, while Alexis quietly giggled and went upstairs to study.
This left Castle and Beckett to catch up on everything that had happened over the past month.
Castle learned that former Senator William Bracken was about to be indicted, and although Vulcan Simmons had made a deal with the DA, he hadn't escaped punishment. Meanwhile, Nick Cunanan was likely facing life imprisonment. Although New York State still had the death penalty, it was largely symbolic, meaning life imprisonment was the harshest penalty.
Once Beckett finished updating him, Castle smugly shared that he had recently acquired an additional 1.5% of Northrop Grumman's shares. Predictably, Beckett was astonished. "Why would they give you so many shares? Is your missile and explosive research really that valuable?"
Castle explained the difference between foundational material research and the application of new technologies, emphasizing that the high-explosive material he had developed (or rather, "borrowed") was vastly superior to existing explosives like TNT or RDX. As long as Northrop Grumman held the rights to this advanced, easily producible material, their return on investment would far exceed the 1.5% of shares they had given him.
Just like the 1% of shares Castle had previously received, Northrop Grumman hadn't been interested in his drone itself. What they had really acquired was Castle's revolutionary semi-automated flight control system, which was the real prize.
Castle had handed over the source code for this system in exchange for that 1% stake, unlike his earlier deal with an Italian company where he had only licensed the technology without giving them the source code.
As for this latest batch of shares, they weren't given in exchange for the design of the "Jericho" missile, but for the formula and production process for his new high-explosive material, which was the true gem.
The ever-busy precinct captain was finally learning that she had been focusing on the wrong things all along. Beckett nodded, clearly enlightened, and cast a sultry glance at her lover.
Picking up on her signals, Castle scooped up the long-legged beauty and carried her to the bedroom, completely forgetting his original plan to tell Beckett that he had purchased a batch of cutting-edge equipment and weapons for her precinct as a donation...
It wasn't until the next morning, as Castle was driving to Long Island, that he remembered how, after striking a deal with a high-ranking official at Northrop Grumman in Nevada, he had secured a trove of top-notch equipment for Beckett's 12th Precinct. This included the world's most advanced bulletproof vests—lightweight but offering unparalleled protection—produced by a company from his previous life's homeland.
The haul also featured the latest communication gear and 150 short-barreled SCAR-L carbines from Belgium's FN Herstal. These rifles, when issued to Beckett's precinct, would give her officers firepower surpassing that of the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit (ESU), essentially New York's SWAT team.
Castle had gone all out, equipping each officer in the 12th Precinct, including patrol officers, with a SCAR-L carbine that could easily be stored in their patrol vehicles. He had also procured M1014 automatic shotguns, along with non-lethal bean bag rounds and lethal ammunition. When loaded with 12-gauge slugs or buckshot, the M1014 was no joke.
The SCAR-L, originally designed for special forces and chambered in 5.56mm NATO rounds, was a beast. The rifle had only started production in mid-2007 and was so new that even most U.S. special forces had just started receiving them. The short-barrel version was especially compact, with its shortest barrel measuring just 253mm, making it much smaller—and far more powerful—than the Remington shotguns the officers had been using.
On top of all that, the SCAR could be fitted with grenade launchers, meaning Beckett's officers would truly be armed to the teeth. Any would-be criminals daring to challenge them would be easily overpowered by officers wielding these high-end rifles.
Castle had thought of everything, from offensive to defensive gear, and thanks to his status as a Northrop Grumman shareholder, he had secured all this equipment for under $15 million at internal prices. Otherwise, SCAR rifles—so new that even special forces hadn't fully adopted them yet—would have been nearly impossible to get.
Remembering this, Castle hurriedly called Beckett to inform her of his contribution. Beckett, however, had already reported Castle's donation to her superiors. They, of course, had no intention of turning down such a generous offer. Calmly, Beckett told Castle to bring the equipment over, assuring him that she'd provide the necessary donation paperwork, before hanging up and returning to the pile of paperwork on her desk.
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