Kate Beckett (Castle)

Detective Kate Beckett noticed something was wrong as soon as she entered her apartment. It was completely dark. Normally she left a small lamp turned on, and she could've sworn she'd turned it on this morning, but now it was dark. Her left hand inched towards her holster as her right reached towards the light switch.

The light flicked on and illuminated a figure sitting at the small table in her kitchen. He was a tall, thin man, with slender fingers, interlocked in front of him as he leaned back on the chair, completely at ease, even as Beckett levelled her gun at him. He had a handsome scruff of stubble around his neck, and tanned skin, as if he spent too much time in the sun. His green eyes merely registered a faint curiosity as he watched Beckett flick the safety off.
"Put the gun away Kate, before someone gets hurt." The man said, in a voice that rang with authority. The way he phrased it, it was almost a command. Beckett hesitated for a moment, then clicked the safety back on and slowly lowered the gun. She hadn't recognized the man until he'd spoken. They'd only ever met face-to-face, once before, and it was a long time ago.
"Daniel?" She asked, "what are you doing here?"
"I ask the questions Kate." Again, it was a command. He continued, his voice perfectly calm. "I am angry, Kate. Very angry. Do not let my demeanour fool you, I am seething right now. I'm sure you know why." She was beginning to suspect. By now, Beckett had a pretty good idea of who this man was, and to have him sitting in her apartment could only be bad news. "I am angry, because you betrayed me, Kate." The man continued, "Earlier today, several Tac Teams from the NYPD raided buildings of mine and took many things which are quite valuable. They arrested anyone they found, including my second-eldest son, and my younger brother." The man's voice was calm, and his words were slow, but he was visibly shaking with fury. Beckett again felt the sudden urge to reach for her gun.
"I didn't know." Beckett said, almost pleading. "I didn't know, or I swear I would have told you. It was an entirely new task- headed up by Detective Schultz, I only found out about it two days ago, and I had no idea they were close to making arrests."
The man named Daniel was shaking his head. He spoke again, "I don't care, Kate. We had a deal. You didn't hold up your end of it, so I'll no longer hold up mine. My associates need to learn that there are consequences to betraying me. Examples must be made." Beckett grabbed for her gun again. The man didn't seem fazed. "What are you going to do Kate? Shoot me and then claim it was self-defence? I have detailed files on everything you've ever done for me. They are currently in the hands of my most trusted associates. If I don't ring them every hour, then my associates will deliver those files to every police station in town, as well as the New York Post. If that happens, there is no way you can avoid prison, and I think you can guess how long a former homicide detective would last in prison. So, by all means, shoot me, but it will be a rather hollow victory won't it?" Beckett cursed, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then holstered her weapon, though every instinct in her body was telling her to pull it out and shoot the slimy prick.
The man was looking at her now, with some curiosity.
"You've come far, Kate. A long way from that insecure hotshot, fresh out of the academy."

Beckett remembered it like it was yesterday. She had graduated top of her class from the academy, beaten numerous records and had glowing recommendations from her training officers, but she still wasn't getting any respect. She had the burning desire to become a detective, but after 18 months of nothing but busting small-time pot dealers she was no closer to her goal. She knew she had to get a big arrest, something that would turn heads and earn the respect of her peers and the notice of her superiors. It was around that time that a man approached her. He introduced himself as Daniel and said that he knew something of what she was going through. He knew what it felt like to be disrespected, and he wanted to help her. At the time she'd just assumed he was some creep who was trying to hit on her or something. He handed her a piece of paper with an address scrawled on it.
"Be at that address tomorrow at exactly 0320, and you'll have an opportunity to change your fortunes." He said, and then left. At the time, Beckett had thought this was incredibly strange, but she figured she would at least check it out. She brought her gun, and convinced another officer to accompany her, in a u/c car, as backup. That night, Beckett made her first major arrest. She had arrived at the address to find it was the site of a weapons-deal. Dugan O'Hare, a lieutenant in the Irish mafia was trying to purchase a crate of M4-A1 rifles, with under-barrel grenade launchers. Beckett and her colleague managed to break up the deal and arrest the supplier and O'Hare.
For the next few days, Beckett was over the moon. She won plaudits and accolades from her superiors and her peers, she had finally gained some recognition and respect. Then she received a phone call from Daniel.
"Well done Kate. I hear O'Hare is going to be spending the rest of his life behind bars. You got the accolades you wanted. Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"
"Yes," she reluctantly admitted.
"Good. I can help make sure it lasts." He paused for effect here, then continued. "I think a partnership would be mutually beneficial. I will keep slipping you information and you can keep putting bad men behind bars. You'll be doing a good thing for the city, and gaining respect in the process."
"And what do you want in return?" Beckett asked, softly, her voice wavering.
"Well, you are a sharp one. Nothing is free of course. I'm not asking you to do anything too bad. All you have to do is give me a heads-up if the department is coming to raid my business." His voice was smooth and silky, and very persuasive. He probably would have made a killing as a Snake Oil salesman in the Old West. Beckett felt her heart race, she couldn't believe she was actually considering this, and yet...she loved her new prestige. She didn't want to go back to being on the outside. She knew that this kind of fame was temporary, it would not last, and she so desperately wanted it to last.
"Kate?" Came the voice through the phone. "Are you still there?"
"Yes." She replied. "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"Of course," came the voice. "Think about it. Take your time. But I'll expect an answer by the end of the week."
The following days were for Beckett as she agonized over the decision to enter into a deal with Daniel or not. She had tried to find information on him, but knew nothing except that his name was Daniel and he was Lebanese. Some of the criminals of the city spoke of him as a rumour and it was said that he had his fingers in nearly everything: trafficking, extortion, , fraud, theft, and apparently, the NYPD. Beckett looked around the bullpen at her fellow officers and wondered if any of them were working for Daniel. She grappled with the moral consequences of what she was thinking of doing. Eventually, she decided she would do it. She liked her newfound status. Earlier that very day she had been uncomfortably reminded of how quickly her respect could disappear, when a colleague who had never liked her, had refused to provide her with backup when she asked for it. That night, she went home, had a few glasses of Merlot, picked up the phone and dialed the number Daniel had given her.
"I accept."

She was jerked back to the present by her name.
"KATE" Daniel said loudly, though not fiercely. "I expect people to listen when I speak." He glared at her, until she composed herself and mumbled a hasty apology. "As I was saying Kate, examples must be made, and of course, debts must be repaid. Our arrangement was to be for ten years. You said you would be in my debt for ten years, and now, so close to the end, you've stumbled. There is still ten weeks to go, which means there is ten weeks of debt that is still to be repaid."
"I can pull some strings, and get your family released, if that helps." Beckett said. She was an accomplished detective and a fierce crime-fighter, but for some reason whenever she was around this man, she felt meek and timid.
"No, I will do that myself. My influence reaches that far, at least. I have some other ideas on how you can repay your debt. You will need to take leave from your job, but that shouldn't be a problem. Police officers have a very demanding job, it's perfectly reasonable to ask for some personal time."
"What will I be doing?" Beckett asked nervously.
"I haven't decided yet. Perhaps I'll keep you with me as my personal bodyguard for the next ten weeks. Although..." His eyes looked her up and down, taking in her high-heeled boots, the faintest outline of a bra-strap, visible beneath her shirt. He was taking a good long look.
"Looking at you now, you are much prettier, it would be such a shame to waste that. I have some businesses in Florida that you could work at, topless bars and the like. Or maybe I'll just doll you up and take you to my business meetings, like a trophy." This time, Beckett couldn't stop herself. She reached for her gun, to blow this creep away.
"Kate. You made a deal. The debt must be paid." He was using his persuasive snake-oil voice, and looking her directly in the eyes. "For the next ten weeks, I decide what happens to you, and that is final. There is nothing you can do about it. You agreed to this. Ten years of indebtedness, that's what you agreed to." He paused, as Beckett lowered her gun. She had agreed to it.
"Now, tomorrow you will go and tell your boss that you need time off. Tell him it's personal time, or that you're going to care for a sick relative, I don't care. For tonight, you will not be staying here. I've booked you into a hotel suite across town. There's a car downstairs waiting to take us there. Now will you come voluntarily, or are you going to resist? It's always more fun when people resist." Beckett began to follow Daniel out the door.
"B...but. My things?" Beckett said, looking in the direction of her bedroom.
"You won't be needing them." Daniel said with finality, "At least, not for the next ten weeks." He gestured for her to precede him through the door. He waited patiently as she locked the door, then they walked down to the car together. For the faintest of moments, the thought of escape flitted across Beckett's mind, but she dismissed it. Daniel was a man of many resources. He would find her eventually. Reluctantly, she slid into the leather back seat of the large European saloon car and took one long look at her apartment as it pulled away from the kerb and slowly glided out into traffic.

Ten weeks. It's just ten weeks, then I'll be free of this man forever. Beckett thought. What's the worst that could possibly happen in just ten weeks?