Reborn as an American Writer

Castle waited until the calls between the chubby guy and Tej were over. He calmed down the agitated Tej, Roman, and the two strong-willed women, Giselle and Vanessa. They were informed that while Dominic and his team had faced an attack from Hernan's men, they had miraculously escaped unscathed and had even rescued Hobbs, who was on the brink of being killed. The chubby guy's proposal to Tej was to quickly transport the weapons from the villa's basement, find a temporary hideout, and wait for him to contact Dominic. He would notify them immediately once he established contact with Dominic about where to rendezvous.

Watching the drone footage of Mia miraculously driving the Knight XV to evade Hernan's blockade, Castle couldn't help but laugh. What pleased him more was that he had managed to prevent Elena, the Brazilian police officer, from falling into Dominic's trap. Otherwise, she might have ended up being seduced, bearing his child, and eventually being abandoned when Dominic found out that Letty was still alive.

Due to Castle's interference, the petite Brazilian beauty didn't mistakenly fall for Dominic. Thus, the later events of her being kidnapped to threaten Dominic would not happen.

Castle, now forced by the System to have only Beckett as his woman, had begun to resent society and plan to retaliate against any man who had the chance for romantic entanglements. This included Neal Caffrey, who was currently in New York enjoying a romance with Alex, whom Castle had already listed as a scumbag, ready to give him a lesson and make him recall the despair he felt when Kate disappeared not long ago.

Setting aside these unnecessary thoughts for the moment, Castle asked the chubby guy, "Is the drone following Hobbs and Dominic's escape?"

With an innocent look, the chubby guy replied, "Uncle Rick, you know that a quadcopter drone can't keep up with their speed. But don't worry, I've hacked into Rio's police surveillance system. I can cut off the police feeds whenever necessary, so Hernan's men won't be able to use them to track Dominic and the others."

Castle, with a concerned expression, said, "That's not necessarily true. You've heard the saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot'? Now that Hobbs' team is down to just two members, if Hernan is smart, he won't give them a chance to catch their breath and regroup. If I were Hernan, having already crossed the line, why not hunt down Hobbs and Dominic until they're dead?"

The chubby guy, still somewhat naive, didn't fully grasp the depth of Castle's analysis but generally trusted his judgment. He asked, "So, you're saying Hobbs and Dominic are still in danger?"

Castle nodded. "Exactly. It depends on Hernan's response now. Based on my observation, he's likely to continue sending men to hunt them down. So, our task now is..."

The chubby guy, fired up, exclaimed, "Uncle Rick, just tell me what to do!"

Seeing the chubby guy's sudden enthusiasm, Castle shook his head and chuckled. "Calm down. I'm not asking you to take a bullet. Do you really think you can save Dominic with your chubby frame?"

Imagining himself as a superhero, the chubby guy was both amused and annoyed by Castle's joke. With a sense of humor, he deflected Castle's teasing and redirected the conversation to the escaping Dominic and his team. "So, how do we help them evade Hernan's next move?"

Castle laughed heartily. "You have the satellite phone number from Hobbs' car, right? Call him and suggest they temporarily ditch the Knight XV, which stands out too much. Then give them this address..."

Castle pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, showing the address of a well-known dock in Rio de Janeiro.

The chubby guy's eyes widened. "Uncle Rick, don't tell me you got them another safe house?"

Castle proudly corrected him, "Wrong. I've rented a yacht for them. Don't forget, Hernan is furious and will be scouring Rio for them. No matter where I set up a safe house, Hernan's men might find it. But if they take the yacht and head out to sea, Hernan's goons will have no way of finding them..."

Castle's plan seemed thorough. The yacht was large enough to accommodate everyone, and Dominic would have a great opportunity to convince Hobbs to team up with him against Hernan Reyes. "Once you've contacted Dominic, make sure to inform Tej and the others. Tell them to stop looking for random hideouts for the weapons. The yacht can hold everything and everyone. Have them head to the dock and meet up with Dominic. Once they're all on board, they can sail out and rest assured that Hernan's men won't easily find them, and even if they do, they can't launch an attack in the open sea!"

Castle's thoroughness in backing Dominic, even going to the extent of renting a yacht, impressed the chubby guy to no end. How obsessed must Castle be with seeing Dominic's confrontation with Hernan Reyes? When did he find the time to rent a yacht without anyone knowing?

Facing the chubby guy's bewilderment, Castle dismissed it with a scoff. "You're still young and don't understand these things. Who said I rented the yacht myself? I had the hotel staff do it for me. I just paid for it. Remember, money solves most problems in the world. If it doesn't, it just means you don't have enough money. Got it?"

Castle's slightly twisted worldview was beginning to corrupt the chubby guy's innocent mind. To avoid further contamination, the chubby guy cleverly snatched the paper from Castle and hurried off to contact Dominic and his team.

A short while later, the chubby guy returned, having relayed the information to Dominic. He reported to Castle, who was leisurely piloting his drone back to the hotel. "Uncle Rick, Dominic and his team are heading towards the dock, but Hobbs refused to abandon the Knight XV. He said it has a lot of confidential materials. Elena, the Brazilian cop, is going to find a safe place to hide the vehicle. Also, Tej and the others have loaded the weapons into their car, and they're heading to the dock as you instructed. But Uncle Rick, do you really think Dominic can persuade Hobbs to join forces against Hernan Reyes?"

"Chubby, you've spent too much time behind a computer and not enough with real friends. You don't understand the bond between comrades or what it means to be brothers in arms. I can bet that the only thing on Hobbs' mind right now is avenging his fallen team members. Remember, those four who died were not just his subordinates; they were his brothers."

With his drone finally returning, Castle stood by the window, waiting for it to land. He continued without looking back. "I'm sure Hobbs will agree to team up with Dominic. And even if he doesn't immediately, his remaining teammate will persuade him. Just watch and see."

The chubby guy, pondering the implications of Castle's words, asked, "So, you believe Hobbs will definitely join forces with Dominic to retaliate against Hernan Reyes?"

Castle, securing the drone, turned to face the chubby guy and said, "Absolutely. Hobbs will agree. Besides losing his team, there's another comrade still with him. Even if Hobbs hesitates, his teammate will push him to accept. Just watch. You'll see for yourself."

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