After listening to the recording Castle had sent him, Moz didn't even need to consult with Castle beforehand—he knew Rick would agree to his plan.
Moreover, because Castle was one of Benjamin's biggest financial backers, and had effectively saved the president's entire family during the White House attack, Moz was confident that he could convince his boss to throw the full weight of the U.S. government behind Castle.
This was an opportunity.
Right now, the U.S. was funneling weapons and resources to Turkey's internal opposition and its neighbors, exploiting both the Syrian-Turkish territorial dispute and the ongoing conflict with the Workers' Party militants. The goal? To bleed Turkey dry.
But if they could also catch Turkey—alongside India and Japan—red-handed in an international scandal involving the attempted abduction of a U.S. citizen, wouldn't that further cement the U.S.'s position as the defender of "justice"?
And then there was Castle's own determination to put an end to these constant threats.
This time, Castle wasn't just seeking help from the usual military contractors—he was reaching out to DuPont, one of the most powerful defense conglomerates in U.S. history.
If Benjamin, as the president, publicly supported Castle before the operation even began…
If Castle agreed to Moz's plan to use himself as bait, luring the enemy into a trap…
Then not only would they crush the intelligence task force from Turkey, India, and Japan, but Benjamin would also strengthen his ties with America's most influential defense contractors.
And that would be a huge advantage going into the midterm elections.
(For context, the U.S. midterm elections determine control of Congress.)
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for re-election every two years, with each state's representation based on population.34 of the 100 Senate seats are contested every two years, with each senator serving six-year terms.Three additional Senate seats will be filled via special elections due to vacancies.37 states will elect new governors.Various state and local legislative bodies will also hold elections.
Most major defense corporations aligned politically with the Republican Party.
If Benjamin, a Democrat, could leverage Castle's situation to build stronger ties with these corporations, it would massively benefit his administration and his party's position in Congress.
Would Benjamin agree to this?
Of course.
Power follows money.
Castle wasn't just any private citizen—he was now part of the American elite.
Would the U.S. allow three foreign nations to target someone like that?
Absolutely not.
If they let this slide, what was stopping other nations from trying similar tactics in the future?
The wealthy and powerful in the U.S. would never tolerate a precedent where a foreign country could kidnap an American entrepreneur just because they wanted his technology.
These corporations had no problem stealing valuable assets for themselves—but they certainly wouldn't let foreign powers get away with it.
This was about protecting their own interests.
And if they needed to make an example of Turkey, India, and Japan to do it, so be it.
So would Castle agree to Moz's plan?
Hell yes.
Why fight this battle alone when he could enlist the entire U.S. government and its wealthiest defense contractors?
Even though Castle had no illusions about India, Turkey, and Japan being formidable adversaries—after all, these were sovereign nations with real power—he also knew that with the full force of the U.S. behind him, the advantage would be entirely his.
This wasn't arrogance—it was rational strategy.
And when Moz and Benjamin called Castle to present the plan, he barely hesitated before agreeing.
Because Castle knew Japan.
He knew their national character.
The Japanese were cunning, arrogant, and cowardly in equal measure—bold when they had the upper hand, but quick to grovel when things went south.
They had a long history of putting on a submissive front while secretly plotting underhanded schemes.
The only way to stop them was to beat them so thoroughly that they wouldn't dare try again.
And now, Castle had Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and DuPont in his corner.
He had Benjamin Arthur, the President of the United States, ready to back him up.
He wasn't just defending himself anymore—he was about to crush his enemies.
But before he could move forward with the plan, there was one more person he needed to convince.
His son's mother.
Beckett.
When Castle told her that Japan was targeting him again, her reaction was immediate.
"What? Those little bastards are after you again? For your tech? Are they out of their damn minds? Where are they? Are they in New York?"
Castle, cradling his now-sleeping son, gave her a wry smile.
"It's not just Japan this time. They've teamed up with Turkey and India. They're sending a joint task force specifically to go after me. And to make sure they succeed, they're planning to lure me out of New York—or even out of the U.S.—so I can't rely on your help."
Beckett's eyes blazed with fury.
"WHAT? Those little shits! Do they have a death wish?"
Castle quickly tried to calm her down.
"Babe, listen to me. This isn't just some random attack—this is a full-scale intelligence operation by three governments. But don't worry, we already have a counter-plan in place."
Beckett shot him a glare.
It wasn't that she resented him for constantly attracting danger—hell, she was proud of how brilliant he was.
But she hated that people kept trying to come after him.
And now, it wasn't just one country—it was three.
She understood geopolitics well enough to know that a combined effort from Japan, India, and Turkey wasn't something Castle could just brush off.
Even in New York, even with her backing him, this was too big to ignore.
"So what's the plan?" she asked, her voice tight with frustration.
Because one thing was clear—if they were going to deal with this, they needed to go all in.
______
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