Senator William Bracken, once composed and full of confidence, was now frantically pacing in his office. After carefully reviewing his allies, he came to the dismal realization that this time, he might not escape his fate. Just when he was trying to figure out how to suppress the situation, a phone call shattered all his hopes.
Bracken had just learned that Vulcan Simmons, who had long supplied him with illicit funds, had struck a deal with the prosecution. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Simmons had confessed to Bracken's crimes, sealing the senator's doom. Bracken's arrogance crumbled as he heard the news. Adding to his misery, his hitman Nick Coonan, who had been secretly tasked with eliminating troublesome individuals, had been captured and returned to New York by agents. Coonan's psychological defenses had completely collapsed, and he had already been interrogated by Beckett, who harbored a deep hatred for Bracken. Realizing his downfall was imminent, Bracken slumped into his office chair, resigned to his fate.
Bracken, well-versed in the art of political maneuvering, knew this wasn't just a simple mistake. It was clear that the Democratic Party and the New York police—especially Beckett—had joined forces against him. His hope for a reversal was gone.
What puzzled him was how everything had spiraled so quickly. Initially, he had only sent Nick Coonan to quietly assassinate Congressman Gavin, who had dared to threaten him. How had things gone so catastrophically wrong?
Forcing himself to calm down, Bracken soon identified the root of his troubles: the seemingly insignificant writer, Richard Castle. At first, Bracken had dismissed him, but now he realized that everything was somehow connected to Castle.
The beginning of the mess stemmed from the capture of Vincent Adler by the FBI. Adler was shot dead by a sniper right under the FBI's nose, embarrassing the agency and causing them to trace the link back to Congressman Gavin. Gavin, terrified that his connection to Adler would be uncovered, had called Bracken for help. Bracken, seeing Adler's death as a way to sever his own shady ties with Adler, refused Gavin's plea. In desperation, Gavin had threatened to expose Bracken if anything happened to him.
That's when Bracken had sent Nick Coonan to take care of Gavin. He planned for Coonan to kill Gavin and then eliminate Coonan to cover his tracks. But Gavin's people captured Coonan before he could act, and under intense interrogation, Coonan confessed that Bracken had sent him to assassinate Gavin. From that point, the situation spiraled out of control.
Even then, Bracken thought he could manage the fallout by paying off the right people. But at the worst possible time, Beckett—now a young precinct captain—had suddenly reappeared. She had gathered evidence of Bracken's past crimes and submitted it through the District Attorney's Office to the Department of Justice and Congress. Now, Bracken was being attacked from all sides.
In response, Bracken made a fatal error: he underestimated the gravity of the situation and rashly ordered his men to kill Beckett and her writer boyfriend, Castle. That decision only made things worse. Not only were his assassins caught, but when Bracken had them bailed out to try again, Castle had shot them dead right outside the precinct.
What's more, Bracken learned that Castle wasn't just any writer—he was an official consultant for the NYPD. Castle had legally killed the assassins, leaving Bracken humiliated and powerless. And then, to top it off, when Bracken hired the infamous assassin organization, the Brotherhood of Assassins, led by Sloan, Castle had set a trap in Central Park and killed one of their hitmen. That same night, another mysterious group bombed the Brotherhood's headquarters, reducing it to rubble.
Sloan had called Bracken in frustration, revealing a shocking truth: Castle was the son of a high-ranking member of the legendary High Table, an organization that ruled the underground world. Sloan, a man who feared nothing, was forced to back down after receiving a personal call from Castle's father. He warned Bracken that if he tried anything else against Castle, his own safety might be at risk. This revelation had sent chills down Bracken's spine, who had always thought he was just dealing with small-time players.
In the span of just a few days, Bracken had gone from a well-preserved, powerful senator to a desperate man with graying hair, pushed to the brink of ruin. He realized now that there was no way out. His downfall wasn't just about Beckett's desire for revenge; it was part of a larger political struggle. The Democrats had finally found his weak spot and were exploiting it to the fullest. Bracken knew political battles were ruthless and devoid of mercy. The opposing party wouldn't rest until he was utterly destroyed.
Resigned to his fate, Bracken accepted that his party had abandoned him. His only option now was to surrender and hope for leniency. As long as he kept his mouth shut, took full responsibility, and avoided further blunders, his life might still be spared. Despite Beckett's hatred, she wouldn't kill him—she'd seek justice through legal means. And although political battles were brutal, there were still rules: even in defeat, personal safety was typically guaranteed. The Democrats wouldn't risk murdering him in cold blood, as it would only backfire on them.
However, if he stubbornly continued to fight back—especially by trying to assassinate Beckett and her mysterious writer boyfriend again—he might genuinely face mortal danger.
Castle's exceptional skills had already left Bracken uneasy. And with the knowledge that Castle's father was a high-ranking figure in the High Table, the choice was clear.
Bracken's sense of defeat and despair was why Castle's system had determined that Castle had completed the mission to help Beckett seek revenge. Though the system had rewarded Castle, the achievement didn't particularly excite him. He was currently hanging out in the 12th precinct's main hall, shooting the breeze with Esposito.
As Esposito and Ryan looked at him with awe, Castle glanced at Beckett, who was busy in her office, and jokingly bragged to Esposito and Ryan, "Of course, I had to be well-prepared. By now, you should know who that guy I shot in Central Park really was, right? If I hadn't used overwhelming firepower to suppress him, who knows what might have happened if he had gotten a chance to fire back?"
Esposito and Ryan, thoroughly impressed by Castle's bravery in turning Central Park into a war zone, could only admire his audacity. And the fact that he faced no consequences for such a chaotic incident left them even more in awe. Both couldn't help but think, Man, having a police captain as your girlfriend sure is nice!
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