Cold Blooded Assassin Book 6: Red Horizon (Nick McCarty Assassin) (24 page)

“Good Lord,” Gus muttered. “The comedians make jokes about mother-in-law problems. This is ridiculous. By the way… no one talks of the moms. Where is Dimah’s mom? Johnny, where the hell is Cala’s mom? Do they ever speak on behalf of the children their husbands wish to sell into slavery and murder?”

“It is not a subject we discuss,” Johnny admitted as Gus stopped in front of Nick’s house. “Cala claims both mothers supported their husbands with the same vitriol and wailing support of anything destroying America. They have turned their own sons to the dark side. Cala tried to talk with her brother. He told her if he sees her he will kill her on sight. I have decided to relieve him of his life but Cala asked me to hold off from doing so for a time.”

“Let me know,” Nick said. “Dimah has expressed the same request. The males in the family get no special exceptions from this point on. Ask Cala if she would like us to teach her brother about shooting his mouth off down in the chamber of horrors.”

Johnny grinned at Nick. “Yes. It will be as you ask, Muerto. Cala can take care of herself but I worry he will catch her unawares.”

“We cannot lose the ‘Cleaner’, Johnny,” Nick replied, getting out of the vehicle. “If Cala sees the brother in the chamber of horrors, she can ask him anything she likes once. Then, we’ll know which way the brother will go. If we see any animosity toward Cala after he hears her plea to remember they have blood ties, we will try the hard way. After that, he sleeps with the fishes.”

Johnny chuckled. “Yes, Godfather. Shall we meet at the Point after Jean and Sonny get to school for a discussion of coming events, complete with the Deke and the Irish?”

“Of course, dog brother. Will you be joining us, Payaso?”

“Yes, dog brother, if I’m allowed to come out and play by the infamous T-Rex.”

Chapter Eight

Back to School

Jean sat with disgruntled frown and arms crossed in the front seat while Nick drove. Nick could see Sonny smiling in the backseat. Deke sat happily with his head hanging out the window, tongue lolling in the breeze. The decision to drive from now on to school did not sit well with Jean who openly preferred gun battles to peaceful transfer to the school grounds.

“You’re getting to be a spoiled brat, Jean,” Sonny stated.

“What?! Oh…my…God… Sonny Salvatore! You did not just disrespect me with the S word!”

“Yeah… I did. You deserve it, you little whiney wart,” Sonny finished with a flourish. “Your Dad’s trying to protect us. You were nearly killed the other morning. I care about you! I don’t want you killed because you insist on being an idiot!”

Nick grinned. The two carried on conversations as if they were twenty instead of ten. He could tell Sonny’s words about caring for her silenced Jean. He could see the myriad retorts she wanted to zing him with floating across the Daughter of Darkness’s features. “Sonny’s right, kid. You’re not bait in a trap. Once I make sure the threat is gone we’ll walk again together with Deke. Until then, it’s not happening.”

“You’re going to walk Deke to Assassin’s Beach this morning,” Jean accused. “What about that?”

Jean’s renaming of Otter’s Point threw Nick off for a moment while unable to contain the amusement he would share later. “One day soon, we’ll be walking old Deke to the beach, and you’ll be fully capable of protecting the old Dekester with knife or gun. You can wait until those times come.”

“Deke!” Jean’s sudden teary eyed sob brought Deke across the seat into Jean’s arms. After noting she wasn’t in danger, he stuck his head out of her window.

Knowing he had crossed a future tragedy of age not to be dealt with, Nick shut up. The remainder of the short ride to parking the car near the school was completed in silence. When they were parked, Nick started out of the vehicle but Jean grabbed his arm.

“Don’t, Dad. Sonny and I will be fine. C’mon Sonny.” Jean kissed and hugged Deke before getting her bag from Sonny. “Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, Kid. I’ll be over to pick you both up after school. Your Mom’s working the Monte today on the late shift.”

He watched Jean and Sonny walk along toward school with Sonny hesitantly taking her hand. Nick smiled, looking over at Deke. “Sorry I mentioned your years down the road, my canine brother.”

Out of nowhere a bearded man ran at Sonny and Jean. Sonny saw him coming and shoved Jean behind him. Deke yipped plaintively as Nick forced him down on the seat with a stern ‘Stay’ order. Deke slithered to the open car door. He slid down to the pavement. Nick ran a full speed sprint to the scene. The bearded man shoved Sonny to the sidewalk, reaching to grip Jean. Nick’s charge upended and flattened the man whom he guessed was Majd Nazari. Nick resisted the instant reaction of snapping the man’s neck. Instead, He revealed something Jean and Sonny did not know the extent of: his physical strength. Nick grabbed the easily hundred and eighty pound man off the sidewalk by his robe at the neck and belt, snatched him over his head, and body slammed Nazari to the ground. For a split second Nick forgot where he was, readying a killing stroke to the man’s neck.

“Dad… behind you!” Jean’s scream brought Nick around in an instant, Colt in hand.

Nick had only a moment to see the two coming at him before Deke smashed the leader to the ground, ripping him at arms, hands, and groin. Nick pistol whipped the man’s partner to the ground, resisting the impulse to shoot him in the head. “Deke! Hold!”

Deke lunged across the man under him trying to writhe into a fetal position with screams of pain. Deke grabbed his throat, snarling wildly, and only calming when his victim stopped moving. Nick did a quick weapons search of the man he had pistol whipped, bleeding from the head wound, and groaning in shock. Nick confiscated everything he found into his windbreaker, including the 9mm Beretta pistol and wallet. He then stood and pointed at the pistol whipped man.

“Deke! Hold!” Deke left his first hold to grip the second in the same manner. Nick acquired a Glock 9mm, knife, and wallet from him in quick succession. He looked toward where Jean helped Sonny to his feet. “Are you okay, Sonny?”

“I’m good,” Sonny stated with emphasis as he saw Nick point his Colt up through the man’s throat. “Please… it’s all good, Sir. Jean and I are okay.”

“We’ll go in the school, Dad. I’ll call Mom and let her know we’re okay.”

The Terminator retracted slightly as Nick catalogued where he was, the details, and the oncoming sirens. He nodded at Jean, waving her toward the school. “Thanks, Jean. I’ll see you kids later.”

The gaping mouthed stares from the school crowd generated a perception not blending with reality for Nick. He realized there could be no violent endings for Jean’s attackers at this time. Jim Amos and Rita Gonzalez moved to his side instantly. Behind them, Ruth Gurkovsky secured the scene. Nick relaxed, seeing his three military background friends from a past flag incident at the school.

“Hey, brother,” Jim said. “Can we help? Rita, Ruth, and I have decided to become the Nick McCarty backup crew here at the school.”

“Your wife, Rachel, is a badass,” Rita added. “We would have moved in on the scene the other day but she backed the beard here off without blinking.”

“We saw the whole thing this morning, Nick,” Jim said. “So did my kids.”

“Thanks, Jim.” Nick watched Ruth take Florence Nazari to the ground with attitude. By then, the police cars arrived. Nick took a deep breath as Neil Dickerson approached.

“How many dead?”

“Very funny,” Nick replied, motioning Deke to his side. “I took everyone’s advice and drove Jean and her friend Sonny to the school this morning, even though my daughter pointed out if we stop doing our normal routines, the terrorists win.”

Nick had to pause as Jean’s line drew avid amusement from everyone within earshot including the police. “They got out, walked toward the school, and Majd Nazari attacked them. Sonny stepped in front of Jean to protect her. Nazari cuffed him to the ground. He then grabbed for Jean. He didn’t make it. Deke and I handled Nazari and his two buddies.”

“That’s exactly what we saw,” Jim said. “My boys and I couldn’t believe this kind of thing can happen outside a school. Ruth has this idiot’s wife on the ground over there. She’s a teacher although anyone who has a kid in her class would dispute that.”

“He…he is a murderer!” Majd Nazari screamed in outraged falsetto voice. “McCarty killed five men last night! He makes war on innocent families!”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about. Do you know anything about five guys dying last night?”

“He’s right, Nick. There were five deaths, but I received substantial proof it was an internal Muslim Isis problem. They apparently killed five Kader males for not following through on a Sharia edict to kill Dimah and Cala Kader. Also… I’ll bet there’s been a Fatwa issued by some clown in the Isis ranks on your life for helping Dimah and Cala. The other adults in the house were sedated and unhurt.”

“We were defending ourselves!”

“By beating up on two ten year old kids,” Rita asked. “You sick piece of shit! I hope you and that idiot wife of yours get sent to prison.”

Ruth joined them as one of the other police with Neil took charge of Florence. “It looked as if these three planned to kidnap Nick’s daughter. No other explanation makes any sense.”

“You…you are all in this plot to kill us!” Neil gestured for Majd and his cohorts to be cuffed while Nazari raged on. “We will sue for this act of barbarism and discrimination.”

Once they were handcuffed, joined by the sobbing Florence, Neil read them their Miranda rights. “You attacked a United States Marshal’s child. Nick McCarty also has credentials with the FBI. You’ll be charged in accordance with that attack. I’m curious how you could know about those killings at the Kader household since they are not on the news, or been mentioned on any police band.”

Majd immediately shook his head in angry response. “I want my lawyer, as do my friends. I see what you are trying to do! You want to blame Muslim murders on Muslims instead of the murderer right here with you.”

“You idiots kill each other in whole scale slaughter overseas,” Ruth said. “Why wouldn’t authorities suspect Islamists to do the same here?”

“Racist!”

Ruth laughed. “You’ll have trouble pulling that one off. We all saw what you did. My kid hates your wife. She tries to brainwash the kids with that Sharia Law bullshit. I hope you’re pressing charges, Nick.”

“I sure am. They attacked Jean. I will see this through. I believe they were attempting to kidnap Jean just as it looked. I’ll wager Majd had a driver ready to load her and take off. Sonny jumping between him and Jean gave me enough time to reach them without having to open fire which I would have done. You and your buddies owe Sonny for every one of your stinking lives. If you had laid hands on Jean with your buddies, I would have shot you all in the head.”

Neil made contact over his com unit.

“I have some men patrolling the area looking for anything out of sync, and yes, they’ll be profiling. I’ll have statements taken here so none of you folks are inconvenienced,” Neil said after hoots of appreciation for Nick’s declaration of death quieted. “Can you come to the station though, Nick?”

“Sure. I’ll drop Deke off at home and reassure Rachel. She has to be at work shortly.” Neil held bags for the weapons, labeling each as Nick informed him of whom they belonged to.

Nazari began to respond but Neil motioned him to silence. “Save your spiel for the precinct and your lawyer. Let’s get them loaded, including the wife. Keep her separate. I want to make sure their stories don’t get loaded together in the squad car. I don’t think you understand how serious this is, Mr. Nazari. You’ve all brought firearms onto public school property. I’m betting none of you have a license to carry. I know Nick does. We won’t need to do much for a conviction on the weapons’ charges.”

Florence Nazari began wailing as she was frog marched toward a squad car by a police woman. Many of the parents watching the drama stifled laughter as she was guided into the car. Majd and the men restrained with him shouted at her in Arabic.

“They’re telling her to say nothing,” Nick told Neil. “Ruth knows Arabic. She can back me up.”

“Nick’s right,” Ruth agreed. “They must have been desperate to try and do this kidnapping or whatever in broad daylight.”

One of the other police officers ran up to Neil, pulling him aside for a conference. Neil returned with a smile. “You were right, Nick. The driver waited too long in the area. He was driving one of Nazari’s vehicles – a Honda SUV with the license plate covered. They surprised him, but he was armed.”

“We have been entrapped! These men are my bodyguards! My wife and I have many enemies and our lives threatened.”

“Lie to the infidel, huh,” Nick replied. “Good luck with that defense. Did ten year old Sonny attack you? Three of you big strong dupes and a driver, all to capture one little girl. My… you must be very proud.”

Neil tugged the now cursing Nazari toward a squad car with his other officers dragging along the other two. “See you at the station, Nick.”

“I’ll be there.” Nick shook hands with everyone. “I am really sorry to have brought this business to the school. I suspect it has to do with a Homeland Security case I’m working right now for the Department of Justice. We believe the Kader family Neil mentioned are involved. It seems their cohorts got them before we could. You all remember Dimah Kader. She’s doing great now. She and Bill, her Marine, live on base so she doesn’t have to deal with her family. Rachel and I will talk about putting Jean in a private school or hire a tutor. I don’t want to endanger other kids.”