When Esposito drove to the gate of Richard Castle's new estate, Big Ivan, who had already been notified by Castle, was waiting there with two men. As soon as Bob Lee Swagger got out of the car, his sharp instincts immediately alerted him that the three burly men with obvious Slavic features standing before him were of the same kind as him. Feeling a bit tense, he instinctively shrank back and hid behind Castle.
Castle noticed Bob's reaction and calmly explained to his former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant: "This is Big Ivan, the head of my security detail. He's a retired Russian special forces operative, and so are his men. Get to know them—they'll be responsible for our safety over the next few days.
Oh, and by the way, my estate is fully stocked with weapons and gear. If you're worried, you can arm yourself!"
Esposito and Ryan acted as though they hadn't heard Castle's blatant mention of having enough weapons at his estate or his offer to let Bob, now just a witness, arm himself. Their indifference to this bold statement made it clear to both Big Ivan and Bob just how much authority Castle commanded among the police.
Upon hearing Castle's offer to arm himself, Bob's eyes lit up. He knew that as long as he had a weapon, it wouldn't matter whether his enemies were sent by Montana Senator Charles Hahn or Vice President Andrew's men—Bob Lee Swagger was no helpless lamb waiting for the slaughter.
After Castle's hearty laugh confirmed he was serious, he introduced Esposito and Ryan to his head of security. "Let's go. I've got three friends inside who were a big help today. I'll introduce you to them. Oh, Bob, you already know one of them—Mozzie, who acted as your lawyer during your defense. Let's head in, guys!"
The estate's grand hall was brightly lit as the group entered. Mozzie and Neal Caffrey were sitting comfortably on the sofa, each with a glass of wine in hand, chatting leisurely. The chubby little guy was seated in front of a drone control console, seemingly operating two drones surveying something over New York. One of the drones was clearly tracking two cars from an altitude of over 3,000 meters. When Bob saw the two cars on the screen, he immediately recognized them as the ones that had attacked him not long ago.
However, what shocked Bob more than anything was the fact that Castle's estate housed military-grade drones, comparable to those used by the military. He turned his head in surprise to look at Castle, who was in the middle of introducing Mozzie and Neal to Esposito and Ryan. For a moment, Bob didn't know how to ask about the many questions swirling in his mind.
On the screen in front of the chubby guy, it was clear that even though it was night, the drone's camera was still perfectly tracking the two vehicles. The image quality made it evident to Bob, a seasoned veteran who had fought in operations aided by drones, that Castle's drones were undoubtedly military-grade.
It was the chubby guy who first noticed Bob standing next to him, looking utterly lost. Recognizing the legendary sniper whose stories he had once heard from his uncle, the guy kindly introduced himself after confirming that one drone was tracking the car of those who had attacked the police, while the other was monitoring Vice President Andrew at a luxury hotel in Manhattan. "Hi, Bob, I'm Harry—Harry Mitnick. I handle the tech stuff and operate the drones. Nice to meet you!"
Bob finally regained his composure, showcasing the composure expected of a top-tier sniper. His earlier lapse had only occurred due to his overwhelming surprise, and perhaps also because he subconsciously trusted Castle, the man who had pulled him out of his predicament. The friendly introduction from Harry snapped Bob back to his usual self.
Castle only glanced briefly at the excited conversation between Bob and Harry, choosing not to intervene. He turned to Mozzie, looking a bit surprised. "When did you guys start tracking those who attacked the cops and Bob? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I could have had Beckett send out officers to arrest them right there at the precinct!"
Mozzie looked innocently at Castle and Esposito, who was clearly thrilled by this new information. "I didn't know either! I just got here not long ago myself. It's the kid here who figured it out."
Esposito interrupted Castle before he could grill Harry about it, asking directly, "This is a real-time feed, right? So, those guys driving around Queens are the same ones who attacked our precinct and tried to kidnap Bob? That means if I call Beckett right now, we can catch those idiots?"
Castle nodded. "Yep, this is a real-time satellite feed. Virtually no lag. Call Beckett now, and she can send a team to block them in. If we can capture those involved in the attack and anyone else interested in Bob, well, let's just say some people are in for a sleepless night!"
Esposito wasted no time, excitedly calling Beckett to give her the update. Meanwhile, Bob, listening to Harry's explanation, was having his mind blown. Castle, a novelist, was also a drone designer? And a shareholder in Northrop Grumman? Were all writers this impressive nowadays, crossing into multiple industries?
Castle then walked over, pointing to Mozzie and Neal as he introduced them. "You already know Mozzie. This is Neal, Neal Caffrey—an art master."
Neal, with a lazy grin and a glass of wine in hand, interrupted Castle's exaggerated introduction. "Come on, Rick. I'm no master; I'm a thief. Nice to meet you, Bob. I'm Neal, Rick's friend."
Bob, a battle-hardened sniper who had seen and done it all, was nonetheless baffled by Castle's bizarre circle of friends. Having witnessed Castle's close ties with law enforcement firsthand, it was surprising to see him associate with someone like Neal Caffrey, a world-class thief. Despite his military background, Bob wasn't ignorant. He knew Neal Caffrey's infamous reputation well; even in the army, he had heard tales of the thief who could steal priceless art from heavily guarded museums around the globe.
Like Bob, Neal was someone who had reached the pinnacle of his craft. Whether in sniping or stealing art, those who excelled in their field often held a mutual respect for each other, as Bob now did for Neal.
While Castle was introducing Bob to his friends, Ryan and Esposito stayed focused on the task at hand, standing behind Harry and feeding real-time updates to Beckett as she coordinated officers to intercept the criminals.
Finally, Castle poured himself and Bob a glass of fine red wine, courtesy of Mozzie, and laughed. "Let's sit down. We need to bring Bob up to speed on everything that's been going on. Plus, Bob has quite a few scores to settle with Senator Charles and Colonel Johnson, who tricked him."
Once seated, Castle began recounting the intelligence he had gathered, along with Mozzie and Neal's theories about the whole situation, helping Bob fully grasp the bigger picture.
Reflecting on his past experiences watching Shooter, Castle had always thought that if not for the significant information gap between Bob and Colonel Johnson's group, these conspirators hiding in the shadows would never have stood a chance against someone like Bob Lee Swagger. After all, when push came to shove, Bob had wiped out his enemies in that remote Montana cabin despite all their schemes.
Now, with Bob exonerated early on and their intelligence sharper than the villains', Castle was curious to see what tricks the masterminds had left up their sleeves.
Moreover, with Castle's dad's former subordinate, Frank Moses, on his way to New York, Castle could only imagine the kind of surprises they were about to spring on Senator Charles Hahn.
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