By the time Beckett got home from work, Castle had already spent the entire afternoon gathering intel. His research on the legendary treasure hidden in the Kerala temple had become significantly more detailed, thanks to Jarvis meticulously sorting and categorizing every piece of relevant information. While the treasure's existence hadn't been confirmed with absolute certainty, the evidence was compelling enough to make it seem very real.
Beckett had planned to update Castle on the FBI's interrogation of the captured operatives from the failed attack on their estate. But as soon as she stepped through the door, she was bombarded with Castle's insane plan—completely catching her off guard.
"You're insane! And you—" she shot an accusatory glare at Gianna. "Why the hell would you agree to this madness?!"
Castle was about to explain, but Gianna, grinning mischievously, cut in. "Relax, Kate. I thought the same thing at first, but hear me out. First, take a look at the research we gathered this afternoon."
Beckett scowled at her chaos-loving best friend but, for the sake of humoring her, turned to read through the documents on the computer screen.
She wanted to shut down this ridiculous plan, so she examined the information very carefully.
Castle tried to speak again, but once more, Gianna beat him to it.
"Kate, I also thought this was just another one of Rick's revenge-fueled schemes—a ridiculous idea about stealing treasure from India just to annoy them after their agents tried to kill him."
Beckett folded her arms, watching her friend intently.
She knew Gianna well enough to understand that if she was seriously entertaining Castle's scheme, then there was some merit to it.
Gianna continued. "But after spending the afternoon researching it, I realized something. Rick isn't wrong. That temple in Kerala? It really does have an enormous treasure hoard."
She pointed at the screen. "Look here. And here. Historical records, religious texts, legal disputes—everything points to this temple being ridiculously wealthy. Since the 16th century, there have been rumors of a massive hidden treasure. And in 2009, a former Indian intelligence officer, Sundararajan, actually sued the government for failing to protect the temple. His argument? The temple contains a priceless treasure that must be safeguarded."
Beckett rolled her eyes. "Gianna, that was two or three years ago. Are you seriously telling me that India—a country obsessed with wealth and power—hasn't discovered it yet? Are you expecting me to believe that this Sundararajan guy never bothered to check for himself?"
Gianna grinned, hugging her friend playfully. "That's exactly the crazy part, Kate! This Sundararajan guy is a deeply religious man—he would never violate his own temple's sanctity. And for some bizarre reason, the Indian government has completely ignored the case. They've made zero effort to investigate it."
Beckett swatted Gianna's hands away, scowling. "You're only agreeing to this because it's dangerous and exciting, aren't you? Admit it—you just want an excuse for an adventure."
Across the room, Castle stood next to John, watching their two stunning wives argue. He felt very satisfied.
With a smirk, he turned to John. "So, buddy, we're about to sneak into India. Excited? Feeling the adrenaline yet?"
John, who had survived countless death-defying missions, gave Castle a long, unimpressed stare. His usual icy expression had melted in the presence of his two children, but Castle's ridiculous enthusiasm made him sigh.
"Rick," John muttered, "if this was a stealth mission, fine. But why are you dragging your entire family into it? What if something goes wrong?"
John still wasn't aware that Castle and Gianna had already changed the plan.
Earlier that afternoon, Gianna had suggested bringing more people on the trip, and that was when Castle had realized something crucial:
He didn't actually care about the treasure.
What he truly wanted was to screw over the Indian government—to ensure that they never got their hands on the treasure.
And if that was the goal, then why keep it a secret?
Why not inform the real power players in the U.S.—the arms dealers and the government higher-ups who had been supporting him all along?
If he told them about the treasure, they would definitely jump at the opportunity. And with their resources, getting a full-scale operation to extract the treasure would be easy.
Most importantly, by sharing the loot, Castle would strengthen his relationships with these powerful figures. People always preferred working with someone willing to share rather than someone who hoarded everything for himself.
Even selling the treasure would become much easier with these government and military connections involved.
Castle had only realized after talking to Gianna that this was the smarter move.
The sheer scale of the treasure made a solo operation impractical.
Just the gold chains alone—each weighing two kilograms—numbered over 1,200 pieces. That wasn't even counting the countless other gold artifacts, statues, and gemstones.
How the hell was he supposed to transport all of that alone?
If he spent too much time gathering the treasure, what if India found out?
Sure, he could store everything in his personal pocket dimension, but how would he explain that to Beckett and Gianna when he returned?
It was far safer—and far smarter—to make this a joint operation.
By bringing in the arms dealers and high-ranking government officials who had already supported him before, he could easily mobilize a well-equipped team to properly secure the treasure.
Gianna had immediately supported this idea.
Neither of them needed the money. Their last two treasure hunts had already made them ridiculously rich.
So why not share this one—and make some powerful allies in the process?
That was why Castle and Gianna had been so determined to convince Beckett.
This wasn't just some personal heist anymore.
This was an opportunity to bring together powerful allies and collectively screw over India.
Beckett finally realized what was happening.
Castle and Gianna weren't just planning a private trip to Sri Lanka.
They were mobilizing the most powerful figures in America's military-industrial complex—all under the guise of a tropical family vacation.
And Castle?
He was doing all of this just to slap India in the face.
Beckett sighed, rubbing her temples. "You cannot live a normal life, can you?"
Castle grinned. "Would you love me if I did?"
Beckett gave him a look but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Gianna smirked and whispered, "Kate, just think about it. Sun, sand, cocktails… and we get to rob India blind. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Beckett groaned.
She was surrounded by maniacs.
______
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