553. Chapter 553

After Dressed to Kill

Episode 6.14

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: You can see by my outfit that I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: This is a sequel to Chapter 416, because I love Tatiana.

As soon as Rick and Kate got off the elevator, all eyes in the bullpen turned to them. The two exchanged glances.

"Did you do something wrong?" Rick asked her.

"Why would you think I'd be the one to do something wrong?"

"You don't think I could get everyone in the bullpen…"

"Captain Gates wants you two in her office right now." Espo interrupted. As they passed he whispered, "They have some dude in there who must be high powered. Gates actually smiled at him."

"Is her face damaged?" Castle whispered back.

Kate glared at him, then schooled her face to a neutral expression to face the captain.

"Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, this is Special Agent Vlasov, Drug Enforcement Administration."

Vlasov exchanged handshakes with the two. "I understand you did some undercover work and met with an ex-model and model agency owner named Kerry Joyce. Correct?"

Kate nodded. "Yes. She was a suspect in a murder investigation. But her alibi was solid and we have evidence the killer was a George Wells, a low level drug dealer and hanger on in the modelling world. Why?"

"Ms. Joyce wasn't a very successful model and she's even less successful at running an agency. She got on our radar about six months ago. She makes a lot of trips to Europe. We got word that she'd muled in some heroin originally from Afghanistan. By the time we got word of that, she'd made her drop and gone on her merry way. All we could ever get was some surveillance footage indicating she'd been in the same store as a midlevel narcotics smuggler. But, we kept an eye on her."

Kate frowned. "Most smuggling rings either use professional mules, or if they use an amateur, they use them once, maybe twice. Do you think she's going to mule again?"

"We've got someone inside the Russian mob in Europe. He says that Joyce contacted them and offered to mule for them regularly. She ships a lot of clothing over from Europe, travels back and forth regularly, and is willing to work fairly cheap. But, they decided against it. The Russian mob is full of male chauvinist pigs. How could a mere woman do important work like smuggling?"

"So?" Castle asked.

"Joyce decided not to take no for an answer. She's arranged for a couple of kilos of heroin to be sent from Europe in a shipment of her clothes. Problem is, she has no one on this end to sell to."

"And you want Kate…?" Castle didn't like where this was going.

"Kate, as Tatiana, will contact Joyce and tell her that a Mr. Vlasov, that's me, was contacted by some friends in Europe. They admire her initiative and say they'll buy from her here in the US."

"That's an awful lot of work for a very small time smuggler." Castle said.

Vlasov shrugged. "She's made a connection with a group in Europe we have no info on. When she has the heroin, we arrest her. She gets a choice. She can go to jail for a long time or work for us and get us inside a new smuggling ring in Europe."

Kate put her arm around Rick. "Tatiana will do. But only if her boyfriend Reekie come to. Joyce knows about Reekie. Will wonder why Reekie not with Tatiana."

Vlasov looked at Captain Gates who nodded. "Tatiana and Reekie it is, then."

Tatiana was dressed in a short red skirt that barely covered her ass. Over that was a slightly shorter mink coat. Even though it was hot, a Russian lady would show off how successful she was. Or how generous her man was.

"Tatiana Romanov to see Kerry Joyce." Tatiana said to the bored looking secretary in the rather shabby office.

"Who?" She asked, disinterestedly.

"Tatiana, dear!" Joyce shot out of her office. "How good of you to drop by. I know we'll get along just famously."

Tatiana smiled. "First we talk business." She led the women back into the office.

"I can book you to a very nice spread in…"

"You looking to sell heroin you buy in Europe. Two kilos. Come in today on Swissair from London to JFK. My boyfriend Reekie has friend named Vlasov. He's willing to help out. Buy from you. If product good, he buy more. Pay good money. You meet?"

Joyce smiled coldly. "First, I have to make sure you're not wearing a wire, darling. Do you mind?"

Tatiana handed over her coat, then let Joyce search her. Joyce spent far too much time searching between her legs, and then her ass, and her boobs. Finally she was done. "Do you like women, Tatiana?"

"Tatiana like money."

Joyce laughed. "We will get along just famously."

The four met at a small restaurant. It was quiet, after the lunch rush and before dinner. Rick and Kate, still as Tatiana, sat and listened as Vlasov and Joyce negotiated. Finally, a price was agreed on.

"We go pick up product now." Vlasov said, starting to rise.

Joyce shook her head. "Do you think I'm dumb or something? Go with a big, strong man who's obviously carrying a gun to pick up the product? No way. I have a man picking it up at JFK and he'll deliver it to me and Tatiana. Then Tatiana and I will bring it to you. Someplace very public. The goods will be in a briefcase, you have the money in a briefcase. We exchange and we both walk away."

Vlasov looked at Kate and Rick. Kate spoke first. "If Tatiana have to work, Tatiana needs to be paid." She held out her hand, palm up.

Rick spoke. "Tell you what. How about I pay Tatiana? She's been wanting to spend a week in the Caribbean. That way you'll owe me, Vlasov."

Vlasov nodded and Joyce and Tatiana left together.

"I don't like letting Kate leave with her."

"Relax, Castle. We have people watching them. She'll never be out of our sight."

They hadn't gone a block from the restaurant when Joyce grabbed a helmet off of a parked motorcycle and tossed it to Tatiana. "Get on behind me."

"You steal motorcycle?" Tatiana tried to stall.

"This is mine. See? I have the keys. Now get on."

The two sped off on the motorcycle, going down narrow alleyways and through parks where no car could follow them without being obvious they were tailing the women. The police tails soon lost the two women.

Joyce drove into a warehouse in Brooklyn and stopped in front of a young Hispanic man and got out. "Do you have it?" She asked.

The man pulled a gun out and pistol whipped Joyce with it. "There are people who don't like amateur bitches stealing their business." He aimed at Joyce's head. "You first, blondie."

"Wait!" Tatiana cried. "Tatiana like big strong man. Tatiana can be good to you. You like?" Tatiana opened up her top, showing her purple, and very skimpy bra.

The man licked his lips. "Yeah, I like. Just remember I have the gun, bitch. Now get over here."

Tatiana walked over and began to undo his belt, then unbutton and unzip his pants. She pulled them sharply down to his ankles, then kicked him hard in the balls. As he bent over in pain, she grabbed his pistol, dislocating his thumb as she did so. Then she kicked him again.

"Kill the son of a bitch." Joyce hissed. "Shoot his balls off first."

Kate turned to her. "Sorry." She said without her Russian accent. "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. You're under arrest."

Much later, Reekie and Tatiana were back at the loft. "I can't believe that you're holding me to taking you to the Caribbean for a week. That was just part of my cover."

Kate pushed her boobs against him as they sat together on the couch. "Reekie don't love Tatiana any more. And Tatiana love her Reekie so much."

Rick sighed. "There's a travel agency on line I use. How does Jamaica sound? I can get us plane tickets and hotel reservations in like half an hour."

He began to get up, but Kate pulled him back down. "Reekie can do tomorrow. Tatiana needs her Reekie tonight."