Cold Blooded Assassin Book 6: Red Horizon (Nick McCarty Assassin) (15 page)

“Recon! Don’t you and Dead Boy hurt my superyacht! Good plan. Don’t think for a second I’ll let you exit the Stealth with grenades, Dead Boy.” Lucas caused much amusement as Nick went silent. “I knew it! Why do this if you’re going to blow the shit out of it at the first indication of a problem?”

“Oh… I don’t know, Lucas,” Nick replied finally. “I was hoping John and I could survive this op. The grenades were to make sure that happened.”

I raised my hand. “Show of hands. All in favor of Nick and me surviving in case we have to use grenades raise your hands.”

No hands. Only snickers.

Nick chuckled. “No one raised their hand, did they?”

“Not a one, the pricks. I like your approach though. It’s a long swim, but would pretty much guarantee an undetected arrival. I can’t think of anything better. It seems we need to confiscate our new superyacht before going after Al-Kadi.”

“Agreed. I wouldn’t want to leave too much time go by in case he’s in constant contact with Carone. These assholes networking like they’re doing makes me wonder how many money sources they actually have. We know the damn Saudi’s are funding a lot of this crap. In addition, they own most of our top politicos lock, stock, and barrel. I’m wondering what the hell has to happen before we get to actually stop these bastards.”

A chorus of loud agreement followed Nick’s statement from my crew. “Probably an event like the atom bomb on a tanker running into China Basin, or them blowing Boston Harbor to hell and gone.”

“Damn it! I can’t pull back and let something like that happen,” Nick muttered. “I guess if they keep stocking our American swimming pool melting pot with piranhas from the Middle East, sooner or later our leaders will get what they want – a conflagration or Sharia Law. They’ve certainly stocked more upper level administration positions with Sharia Law advocates. Ever wonder where all the outrage went when the feminists disappear during any talk of a woman’s position under Sharia Law and Islam? The Gay Movement is a joke. They’re executed under Sharia Law… yet they are also silent. I guess the pictures and video of our ambassador in Benghazi, raped, tortured, and burned for hours, didn’t convince them of Islam’s other than peaceful intentions toward the Gay Movement.”

“We hear you, Muerto,” Lynn said. “I’ve dealt with the Middle East cave dwellers enough to know when they come calling, I give better than I get. The Gay Movement is a laugher just as you say. I guess they plan to burrow into the underground after they help lose the only nation on earth where they had real sanctuary. The one I’m curious about is the new transgender bullshit movement. They’ll disappear under Sharia so fast, no one will even notice. They’ll have to go back to pretending in their own bathrooms during dress-up time in the dark.”

Lynn struck a comical cord with that one. We Monsters don’t permit men to go into women’s bathrooms when our kids and wives are in there. God help the guy in a dress going in to share the bathroom with Lynn. He will be a woman after that experience and won’t have to worry about the right biological equipment. His will be gone.

“I will call you once satellite surveillance of our hoped for mountain retreat and superyacht give us some definition on a final approach to both. That was a disturbing deal with Carone’s minions attacking you at your beach with the kids around. We can’t have that, brother. We’ll kill them all. I’ll talk with you soon.”

“You Monsters watch your six,” Nick said. “I’m getting the itch of violence. It happens whenever I figure I haven’t killed enough people.”

“Amen to that, Nick.” I disconnected. “I love Nick’s idea about the superyacht at our new island sanctuary. I hope it works out that he and I can save the ship during mission op.”

“You damn well better, Recon,” Lucas barked. “It’s written in script now. You and Dead Boy must pirate the Tempest and bring her into the fleet. That’s an order.”

“Blow it out your ass, Ahab. If Nick and I get into trouble, the grenades will fix the situation real quick and we ain’t dyin’ to preserve the superyacht so the rest of you better be very attentive when Nick and I get aboard.”

“We’ll have to be close and steaming full bore,” Lucas said. “Otherwise, the only suggestion I have is an attack by Stealth once you and Nick secure a landing zone. Then we can plunk armed people right where we need them instantly.”

“I like it, Lucas. We’ll have to go full helicopter assault on this one. I say we sail on the ‘Valkyrie’. It has the helicopter LZ’s we need for doing this. I’ll text your idea on to Nick. I’m sure he’ll be on board with it.”

“Damn… this collaboration with Nick is getting freaky good,” Lynn said. “I have to plan another directorial action down in LA with El Kabong. He has fresh ideas and knows how to get them across to me at the right time. The new season of LA Bounty Hunters will be in production soon. I hope Nick can spare him for a time.”

“If we pull off the confiscation of Carone’s superyacht Tempest and Al-Kadi’s compound at Pilot Hill, we’ll have some valuable launch sites. I bet those two guys have a couple of nice offshore accounts to share with us too. We’ll have the budget of a small country soon.”

“We’ll have to create some discreet defensive systems on board the superyacht, Recon.”

“I know, Lucas. Carone probably has some good systems already. We know his radar is first rate. It’s a nice touch it can launch Panga boats from its interior. We’ll have our own ‘Mother Ship’ although the Valkyrie with the helicopter launch pads and RGM-84 rocket array is already a battleship. We’re approaching superpower status, Ahab. I think we need to get you an admiral’s uniform.”

“One more ship and I think we need to attack Saudi Arabia,” Lucas replied in character.

I threw a line in the water again. “I’m beginning to believe we should do just that. We need to watch them closer. Maybe we could find proof of something horrendous we know they enabled. We could hit them hard under the same circumstances as we did Iran.”

“Well… aren’t you the cutest thing,” Lynn said. “Put that talk on the back-burner for now, Cheese. I need to direct a real movie before I’m put to death by my own country.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m glad we’re networking with Nick. He has a knack of turning over rocks and revealing new leads to threats and people. Dangerous times, my friends.”

“It’s a dangerous time for Carone and Al-Kadi,” Lucas stated. “I see a bad moon rising for those two and everything they own.”

“As Dead Boy would say – absolutely,” Casey stated.

* * *

“I told you, Cracker.” Jean smirked at her partner in crime.

Sonny’s mouth tightened into thin lipped frustration. “I didn’t doubt you. I told you we should take this to your Dad.”

“I have to see this through. We’re good together, Cracker. We see things no one else does. Dad’s into some big ops. He doesn’t have time for this small stuff.”

“Small stuff? This is an extortion ring,” Sonny hissed. “They’re collecting money for protection. These three guys are small time hoods, pretending they’re connected. That doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous.”

“We spotted them in the market near the school,” Jean whispered. “Keep your voice down. There’s no question these guys are shaking down the owners for money. Our next step is to get the owners together. We have all the evidence to bring these guys down. The only part to fill in is testimony. Once the owners know there’s no mob behind these guys, they’ll testify against them. This is our case.”

Sonny watched the three men, dressed in three piece suits, with dress fedoras. They looked very impressive. He and Jean followed them. They had the license plate number for their Lincoln MKX. From that, Jean had used Nick’s satellite uplink laptop in the safe-room to learn the address they listed. It seemed to be a small time operation with thug type, heavy-handed threats. Three drive by shootings listed in the news happening at businesses on the thugs’ list convinced the business owners to pay for protection. The three entered the last restaurant on their list while he and Jean moved behind the building’s edge they were conducting their surveillance from.

“Hello there, you little twerps!” Rachel grabbed Jean by the ear, shaking her. “What the hell is wrong with you, ‘Daughter of Darkness’?

“Ow!” Jean looked around sullenly, seeing Nick and Gus, with John and Cala behind them holding Quinn. Sonny had jumped into a defensive stance. He relaxed with shoulders slumped. “We may as well wear clown clothes with signs saying ‘Stupid is as Stupid Does’, Cracker. The entire band of cartoons snuck up on us.”

“I can’t believe this! When your Dad told me he had something to show me, I thought it would be a nice surprise. Instead, it’s my two ten year old charges following dangerous thugs on the Sunday night they’re supposed to be at a movie. Did you two even go inside Lighthouse 4 movie-theater when I dropped you off?”

“I can’t believe Dad ratted me out.”

The innocent observers restrained amusement until then. The ‘ratted out’ tagline generated a laugh-out-loud moment until Rachel turned on them with hands on hips. “You knew what they were doing all along, didn’t you, Muerto? Don’t think for a moment I’ll forget this you Unholy Trio nitwits. I’m really surprised at you, Cala.”

“What? I didn’t do anything.” Cala pointed accusingly at Nick. “It’s Muerto’s fault! He called it innocent fun. Besides, we’ve been tracking them. No one was in danger.”

“So why wasn’t I told about it?”

“You are too close to the T-Rex. You cannot be trusted with information from the inner circle,” Cala stated, shifting Quinn into a human shield with a squeal as Rachel moved on her.

“Give me Quinn. I’m going to show you an inner circle… of birdies, when I clock you upside your head, traitor!”

“Calm down, hon.” Nick only regained the ability to initiate coherent speech a moment before. “We could never have fooled Jean if you’d known from the beginning.”

“Dad’s right, the traitor! I read you like an old Diego novel,” Jean remarked, enjoying the attention shifting to Rachel. “Cracker and I have the goods on an extortion team. We were ready to move on them when you ruined our surveillance gig. These guys will get away with it now.”

“What exactly were you and Cracker going to do,” Nick asked, taking Rachel’s hand. “You both know we’re in dangerous times right now with my alter ego.”

“It started out as a game. We saw these three suits taking the store owner into the backroom where we stop for an ice cream when you allow us to walk Deke with the com units in. Hey… you’ve been bugging us! You rigged our com units to transmit even when we don’t activate them, didn’t you?”

Nick waved off Jean’s waving finger. “Think of it this way, doody. If something happens to you like a stray bullet from a drive-by, what do I tell your Mom… whoops?”

“But…but we have them. You can’t stop Viper and Cracker now!”

Nick pointed at the store. “Just watch.”

Three police cars drove to the curb a couple of car lengths away from the front of the store without lights or sirens. They had a perfect viewing when Neil and his partner stepped away from their car with the others following suit. It was all perfect until the three emerged from the store. At the first shout, the one in the middle with sharkskin suit and deep gray fedora yanked a mini Uzi from inside his custom suit. In a flash, everyone saw the cops had not drawn weapons, unsure if it was anything but a dress-up con. No one saw him move. The loud bang from Nick’s .45 Colt sent a hollow point slug into the man’s forehead from seventy-five feet away across the street. Gus and John immediately pulled everyone against the building side. The police drew weapons, pointing everywhere. Neil kept his sidearm pointed at the remaining suits.

Once the two suits were handcuffed and the coroner called, Neil gestured at Nick, who was peeking out, making sure he wasn’t shot by the good guys. “C’mon over, Nick.”

Nick turned to Gus. “Take everyone home, Gus. I’ll see you all on the deck sometime soon, I hope.”

“Will do, Muerto.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Jean said, hugging Nick.

“We’ll talk about it later, Viper. Good instincts as always, Sonny.”

“We really weren’t going to confront them, Sir.”

“I believe you. I’ll see you all at the house.” Nick kissed Rachel. When he saw Neil watching, Nick proceeded like a convict walking the ‘Green Mile’ death row final jaunt to the electric chair.

“Knock it off,” Neil ordered. “You’re killing me here.”

“No,” Nick pointed out, “they were about to be killing you here.”

“Thank you for our lives. We should have treated this situation with more respect,” Neil stated. A heartfelt echo sounded from the other police officers. Neil turned to one of the veteran officers. “Take over, Bill. I need to speak with Marshal McCarty.”

“Sure. Nice shot, Nick.”

“Thanks, Bill.” Nick followed Neil away from the scene.

“Jean and Sonny really did this on their own?”

“John, Gus, and I took turns monitoring them. Jean scoped the protection con guys using my satellite uplinked laptop. I have a program to see anyone’s keystrokes from the moment it’s used. She used it during the time I had to have her in the safe-room with Rachel, Quinn, and Sonny during a time I was away. We looked into it. It was my decision to allow her and Sonny to play detective. The moment the kids gathered enough evidence to get these clowns to plea out, I called you. Rachel didn’t take it well. The kids have been using deception to do their surveillance with Rachel as the unknown enabler. I had no clue the chumps were packing machine pistols though. I’ll be hearing about that when I get home.”