✔ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ War Dogs [The Punisher | Frank Castle]✔

─⌖❖ 29

"I still have to apologize to you," Page gratefully accepted a cup of tea that Madani's mother brought to her at the windowsill from which she looked out onto the street, "You had every right in the world to say no."

In the last few hours Castle's condition had improved and became stable, thanks to Madani's father for taking care of the injuries.  All the Punisher needed was time. If only the doctor knew, because as soon as Castle was able to walk, the latter would pick up where he had initially left off. That much was certain.

"Madani.... where's Russo?", Page heard Frank ask a little later, as she looked alternately at her phone and outside, "Did you get him?".

"Um no, he got away.", and knows who where, Madani had forgotten to say.

The war wasn't over yet. Brother against brother. Not until all the pieces fell, then it was over. However, no one knew for sure how many there were, at least how it looked on the opposite side.

─⌖❖⌖─

Nice gesture by Madani to just let Frank go, but not without the warning that the agent would shoot him as soon as they both met again. Just wait and see, Page thought, because there have been clearly more violent and better trained people trying to kill Castle.

"Jesus, am I ever going to get rid of you?" it escaped Castle at the sight of Page leaning with her shoulder in the frame of the open apartment door, blocking his way, "I've got the FBI waiting for me downstairs."

"Not as far as I know," and if it was, it wasn't Page's fault, but someone else's, nonetheless, it would have been heard long ago if the FBI were downstairs outside the house, "What makes you think that?"

"With my luck, I can assume," there was no denying this, yet Castle had often gotten off lightly and with luck, this had little to do with it, "I don't want to hurt your little girl heart, but there won't be a third date. You're not my type."

"Oh, my poor little girl heart has survived worse," Page could assure Frank and took a step aside to let him pass, "Believe me, you have no idea what your type is."

It was Stark who said to elevate friend and foe in wealth, because then it would become apparent who was who. And Frank Castle looked similar, because his motto, his motto was simple, him against the rest of the world, all by himself.

"What do you say to your father?" asked Madani while Page was still looking out the door, even though Frank was long gone, "About Castle."

"Nothing at all. Don't worry," someone else would have to answer for that and not Page directly, "You will. I might have been within my rights, but you don't want to have anything to do with a possible obstruction of justice that got in the way."

And with that, Page was free and the case that had been taken away from her was likely to come back to her.