273. Chapter 273

After In the Belly of the Beast, Again

By

USCBdad

Disclaimer: I'd be in the belly of the beast before I'd claim to own Castle. Rating: T Time: See above

Elena Markova appeared to be completely relaxed in front of the man she was told to call Lazarus. What a fool. She thought. He spends tens of millions making sure that everyone knows his name and face, and he wants me to call him Lazarus.

Or am I the fool? He brought me here after I saved that cop. Why? She mentally shrugged. Not much I can do about it. His two guards took most of my weapons away and there are two of them.

Lazarus was talking to her. "I wanted to meet with you because I have a great many things that need to be done and you are one of the few people who can really help me. I hope we'll enjoy a long and fruitful partnership." He smiled professionally at her. "However, you must excuse me now, Ms. Markov. I have many things to do. Miles to go before I sleep."

"And you have promises to keep." Elena shot back.

"A fan of Robert Frost. You surprise me, Ms. Markov."

I hope I do. Elena stood and shook his hand. "I'm looking forward to working for you, sir."

"Michael and Tim will see you out."

Lazarus left by one door while Elena and her two guards left by another. They had reached the garage in the basement of the building when they made their move. Tim, the bigger one, slid his hand towards the pistol on his right hip. Elena reacted immediately. She pulled a small, razor sharp knife from behind her belt buckle and slashed at Tim's jugular. He yelled and his hands went to his neck. She turned and kicked Michael in the back of the knee. She felt a sharp pain in her arm, but didn't stop. She stabbed at Michael's neck, punching the knife blade into his throat, crushing his larynx. She turned back to Tim who was on the floor, his hands still trying to staunch the blood pouring down his front. Elena grabbed his head and turned it sharply until she heard a distinct crack. Turning back to Michael she saw that he was dying. She retrieved her weapons and Tim's weapons, then took the money from Tim's wallet. Seeing Michael was dead, she took his weapon and money as well.

On the floor she saw a syringe. She picked it up and read its contents. She cursed, both in Russian and in English. She pulled up her sleeve and examined the small puncture wound. Then she looked at the syringe to see how much had been injected into her. I'm dead.

She laughed. She now had money and weapons and nowhere to go and no reason to go anywhere. Then she remembered a detail from her briefing. She nodded and walked out of the garage and caught a taxi.

Luckily she hadn't been too far away and was there in minutes.

"Here we are, lady. Seventeen fifty." The cabbie held out his hand.

Elena passed him a hundred dollar bill. The only denominations that the two dead guards had had.

"Lady! Can't you read? The sign says I can't make change for anything bigger than a twenty."

Elena smiled at him. "Keep the change. In fact, have another hundred." She tossed him a bill.

"Another…Hey, thanks. Hey! Do you need a ride back from here?"

Elena ignored him.

Kate Beckett was tired when she got back to the loft. She opened the front door and at once felt a muzzle of a gun against her back.

"Don't move, Detective Beckett."

Kate froze. "Elena Markov? So Lazurus wants me dead after all."

Elena laughed. "No he wants me dead. And I am dead."

"You're very lively for a corpse."

"It's a neurotoxin. Lazarus' thugs injected me. They were a bit clumsy, so I only got a bit in me. But that just means that I die slowly." Elena pushed Kate forward. "Do you have any vodka?"

"I think we have a bottle." Kate went to the kitchen and very slowly got a bottle and a glass down. Elena had her put the bottle on a table in front of one couch while Kate sat on the other. Elena took a drink.

"My name is not Elena Markov, but that is how you should bury me."

"Perhaps I should call a doctor?" Kate suggested.

Elena shook her head. "I know the neurotoxin. I used to be with the Russian FSB."

"The Federal Security Service, Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii, abbreviated FSB in Cyrillic. The successor to the KGB."

Elena nodded. "You speak Russian. You know. Yes, the Chekists." Elena looked at Kate. "Chekists is…"

"A slang term for the secret police. I know." Kate leaned forward. "Why did Bracken try to kill you? I know Lazarus is Bracken."

Elena shrugged. "He is like Putin. No matter how much power and wealth he has, he's afraid it isn't enough. He's always afraid. So he kills anyone who knows too much. Or maybe he knew I wouldn't work for him. I would never work for a man. I hate them. Men are pigs. The FSB were pigs. My American husband was a pig. I like women. I'm a lesbian." Elena looked at Kate for long seconds. "Your man? Is he a pig?"

"No. I love him. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. We love each other. I wouldn't have a life worth living without him."

"Does he beat you?"

"Never." Kate said firmly.

"Does he satisfy you in bed? Or does he just satisfy himself and leave you?"

"He does things to and for me that I've never experienced."

Elena laughed. "I should have slept with your man, this Richard Castle, then."

Kate shook her head. "I don't share. Ever."

"Oh, then I'd take you both to bed. You are very beautiful. We'd have fun." Elena laughed. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'll soon be dead." Elena's head drooped for a second. "Where is he? Castle. When will he be back?"

"He's at his publisher. He's on a conference call with another publisher in Asia. It's morning there, so he'll be a few hours. I hope.

Elena picked up her vodka glass, but it slipped and spilled. She refilled it, and emptied it in one gulp. "Have you ever been with a man and a woman in bed?"

Kate shook her head. "Like I said, I don't share."

"Two men and you? I had two men take me when I started with the FSB. Training, they called it. They laughed when I cried. They hit me and called me a whore. I wished I had killed them before I left Russia." The glass dropped from her hand. She used two hands to steady the pistol. "I won't kill you, but if you try anything, I'll shoot you in the foot. Very painful and it will immobilize you."

"I won't move."

"Good. I have something for you." She reached into her boot and pulled out a key. "It's a safety deposit box key. New York and New Jersey Bank on 5th Avenue in Lower Manhattan. There's a lot of money there. Use it to bury me properly. And use the rest for…What do the Irish have?"

"A wake?"

Elena nodded. "Have a nice party and remember me." Elena looked around, then shook her head. "You will find evidence about my other killings also. Nothing that you can use to get Bracken, though. He's too damned careful. Kill him for me if you can."

"I'll put him in prison. That's what I do."

Elena looked confused. "You know it was a setup, right?"

Kate nodded. "I thought something like that. Elena the low level drug courier would try to kill herself, but not Elena the assassin."

Elena nodded. "He knew they'd send you. You were the only one they had. Then I would save you." Elena looked confused again. "Do you know why? They never tell you these things. They never tell you why. Just who, when and where."

Kate nodded. "Part of it. He had my mother killed. I found evidence that could hurt him, but not so badly that he couldn't try to kill me. It was a stand off until I saved his life. I think he thought he owed me."

"You saved his life? Foolish woman. I think he's trying to make you think he's a good person by saving your life. He's a monster. Better you should kill him."

The pistol slipped from Elena's hand. Kate slowly got up and checked her pulse. It was very weak. She grabbed her phone and called 911. By the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late.

Kate rested her head on Rick's shoulder several weeks later at the Old Haunt. "So we have to pay for a professional killer's wake ourselves?" He asked.

"All of her money was seized as evidence."

"And we're doing this because?"

"Elena saved my life. I owe her something for that. And she helped me close more than a dozen contract killings in New York alone."

"And since she had no friends, we're a two person wake?"

"You wouldn't expect me to share you, would you?"

"Never." Rick said. "Never ever."

"But I can't help but wonder what Elena would have been like if she'd found a good man like I did."

"She'd have been almost as remarkable as you are."

"Too bad it didn't work out that way."