John, who typically spoke very little, was surprised to learn that Castle had almost taken on a case related to the Assassin Brotherhood, a bizarre and dangerous organization. Fortunately, Castle had the good sense to hand the case over to the FBI after realizing it involved brainwashed individuals killing each other. This revelation shifted John's focus away from asking Castle for fatherhood advice and onto this strange situation instead.
"Rick, how did you know about the internal workings of the Assassin Brotherhood? And how were you able to accurately predict that today's events were due to Cross's defection from the Brotherhood? Why do I feel like your intelligence sources have expanded significantly in the past six months, and their accuracy and timeliness have improved a lot? Am I imagining things?"
It wasn't surprising that John Wick had this feeling. Ever since his car was stolen by that idiot heir from the Tanasoff family, who also killed the dog Helen had left him, Castle had seemed different. When John had just woken up from a coma and wasn't fully clear-headed, he instinctively called Castle, who seemed to flip a switch and became a different person. Not only did he insist on helping John take on the Tanasoff family, but he also revealed secrets about the D'Antonio family after John had dealt with the Tanasoffs. He warned John that Santino D'Antonio, who had a blood oath with John, was dissatisfied with his sister Gianna being named the D'Antonio family's heir. Santino planned to use the blood oath to force John to kill Gianna, and then eliminate John under the pretense of avenging her, thus securing his place as the family's next leader.
If Castle hadn't informed John of this and urged him to secretly meet with Gianna in Marseille, Santino's plan might have succeeded. The blood oath was a serious obligation John had made to leave the High Table, and if Santino had demanded John fulfill it before Castle had warned him, John would have had no choice but to comply. Breaking a blood oath would result in severe punishment from the High Table and the global Continental network.
Thanks to Castle's warning and encouragement, John managed to contact Gianna before Santino could, leading to an unexpected turn of events. John found himself falling into Gianna's charms, and now they even had a child together. Gianna managed to retrieve the blood oath from her brother, nearly causing a rift between them.
Although John spent most of his time in Rome with Gianna, he was still aware of Castle's actions. He could swear that Castle had changed significantly over the past six months. Before their raid on the Tanasoff family's nightclub, Castle wasn't the type to kill without hesitation. But after witnessing John's slaughter at the nightclub, Castle seemed different.
After John left New York to reunite with Gianna, he heard that Castle had gone on a killing spree in France, followed by collaborating with the police on a murder investigation, and even teaming up with Mozzie and Neal to take down the infamous Ponzi scheme fraudster, Vincent Adler. John had always wanted to ask Castle about these strange changes but never found the right opportunity—until now, as they were driving together on the highway. Learning that Castle had almost gotten involved with the Assassin Brotherhood was the final push that made John's curiosity unbearable.
Castle didn't intend to hide anything from his friend, except for the fact that he was a time traveler. He proudly revealed that he had become a skilled hacker and had installed a backdoor in the police department's internal servers, allowing him to access information at will. He also mentioned his connections with King from 8th Street, giving John the impression that Castle's improved intelligence gathering was due to multiple sources and a broader network. John, trusting Castle and having experienced the benefits of 8th Street's information network himself, accepted this explanation, even if it left him with a few lingering doubts.
After discussing Castle's recent extraordinary behavior, they arrived near the mansion on Long Island that a congressman had lent to Vincent Adler as a hideout. Although Castle was tempted to watch the action unfold, he knew that if Peter Burke spotted him, all his previous efforts would be in vain. Castle understood that Peter, a highly skilled FBI agent, knew about his friendship with Neal Caffrey. If Peter saw him nearby, he might suspect Castle's involvement in the operation. So, suppressing his curiosity, Castle drove towards Gianna's estate instead.
Mozzie was not at the estate; he had gone to Manhattan to act as Neal's lawyer after the FBI had taken Neal back into custody. Only Gianna, who was heavily pregnant, and an excited Harry were at the estate. Harry was busy inspecting the two drones on the lawn that had played a crucial role in their recent operation. Castle had ordered Harry to retrieve the drones to prevent the FBI from realizing someone had been watching them from above, which could lead them back to Castle.
John, carrying two rifle bags, went inside to greet his pregnant girlfriend, while Castle lay on the lawn next to Harry, feeling relaxed after completing a significant task.
Harry, still examining the drones, casually spoke to Castle, "Uncle Rick, Gianna's people have placed the surveillance receivers in the mansion as you instructed and set up the scene. I saw a group of FBI agents rush in when I was retrieving the drones. Your plan to mislead them might actually work!"
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