Cold Blooded Assassin Book 6: Red Horizon (Nick McCarty Assassin) (16 page)

Neil chuckled. “The kids did damn good. Can we keep the police arrest as quiet as we can without documenting our rookie approach?”

“Of course. Do you need my Colt?”

“We already have the Colt on file. Keep it. Did you get any video of your intervention on behalf of cocky cops, Deadshot?”

“John filmed it. I’ll send the file when I get home along with my report. For the record, you approached the guys with hands on weapons. It wasn’t a situation calling for all of you to descend on the scene with guns ready to fire. I’m glad none of your crew threw a shot off in my direction. That was very nice restraint.”

“Thanks for the charity support,” Neil replied wryly. “I’m hoping we can get the two survivors to cop a plea. Their Uzi carrier being black could have some impact on the case with the usual criminal enablers who seize on anything to make us reactionary Nazis.”

“Yep. The only way the police are ever in the right nowadays is if they die in the line of duty.” Nick smiled. “We were doing a cartoon movie when one of our perps decided to pull the ‘Black Lives Matter’ card. Payaso pulled off his mask and got busy on him. John and I of course expressed outrage at his brutality.”

“I’ll bet. I’ve seen you testify. You’re the best in any court testimony of facts I’ve ever witnessed. If it hadn’t been for your main witness Dan dying before the Kensky case, I’m certain the jury would have convicted him with your testimony. I saw the way you ate Kensky and his lawyer’s lunch in front of the media outside the courthouse. If Kensky had really known you, he would have confessed again just to get put in prison for life.”

“That would have been disappointing,” Nick replied. “I’m glad Gerald was freed to make a new life for himself. He had dreams, needs, desires, and passion.”

“Right. How many hours did he have to enjoy all those wonderful treasures of freedom?”

Nick shrugged. “He had what seemed an eternity to ponder his transgressions. Gerald paid his debt to society in a way he never dreamed possible.”

Neil’s features contorted in distaste. “I’ve seen your Isis videos. Yuck. I’m glad you’re not doing those in our town. You three cartoons are together so much, someone would put two and two together. We received calls about gunshots early in the morning right after I talked with you at the Point. Did I miss something?”

“As it turned out… yes. It was a thread going somewhere I haven’t had a chance to brief you on. I’m working on making the morning’s adventure a onetime occurrence. We learned about a Kingpin of crap is off the coast causing gang, drug, human trafficking, and terrorist problems. I believe any bleeding back into Pacific Grove already happened with the calls you received. No other trace of that event will come to light.”

Neil took in a deep breath. “I remember when the only criminal activity in the ‘Grove’ was an unruly tourist once in a while.”

“I have it on good authority these incidents will be on an upswing because of our importing terrorists on a stupidly steady basis. California politicos rival any terrorist enablers I’ve found. I’m networking with another under the radar group I mentioned to you. They stopped a terrorist attack using a tanker to ram China Basin with an atomic bomb aboard.”

“You mean John Harding, right?”

“He’s the one. We’ll be collaborating to get rid of the offshore threat. I know you’re like me, hoping for authorities to waken from their naïve sleep of idiocy. Since they refuse to do so, we’re on our own to confront these assholes. I am going to make their life miserable until we hopefully live through this politically correct nonsense where we have to commit suicide to appease the cave dwellers.”

“Amen, brother. I’ll call you if I need you at the station. Your report would be great as soon as you can send it.”

“Will do. Watch your six, brother. I can’t be watching your back every moment.”

“Ouch,” Neil muttered, walking away with his head down.

* * *

Nick heard laughter coming from upstairs as Deke greeted him. “It sounds better than I thought it would, Dekester. Did you intercede for the Daughter of Darkness?”

Deke muttered an under the breath humming grunt while burrowing his head into Nick’s lap as his human master crouched near him.

“I bet no one thought to give my dog brother a beer… did they?”

Deke went wild in place, all four paws marking time, with tail wagging so fast it blurred to the human eye. Nick roughed his head with amusement. “Okay, lead the way. I-”

Deke streaked up the stairs before Nick could finish a thought in words. He grinned and followed Deke upstairs. In his enclosed balcony, family and friends watched the Jean show as she pantomimed one of her teachers at school who had recess duty during the week. She walked, talked, and recited clichéd lines so well, Sonny couldn’t breathe, he was laughing so hard. Jean wound her act down as Nick entered, going to the bar and pouring Deke a beer in his bowl.

“I’m glad this latest ten-year-old’s surveillance gig ended today. What have we learned today?”

“Never trust my Dad not to rat me out to Mother Gorgon?”

“Why you little turd!” Rachel went after Jean, but then returned to her seat without initiating an attack when Jean crouched behind Deke. “How did it all go with Neil, Muerto?”

“Very well. I told him John recorded the event. I’ll be sending him our files on Jean and Sonny’s case. He said there would not be any repercussions. I even got to keep my Colt. I won’t have to testify unless one of the accused makes a scene at the station.” Nick paused, putting a hand on Jean’s shoulder. “I recognize your impersonation. I’ve met that teacher with the Full Monty of liberal ideology you were disrespecting at the PTA meetings. I don’t know what she’s capable of in a classroom. I hope she’s sticking to covering the subjects she’s assigned to teach. Public schools are getting weird.”

“I know kids in her class,” Jean said. “Ms. Nazari teaches the five pillars of Islam. She encourages prayer rugs and beads! I thought teachers couldn’t teach religion in school.”

Sonny regained his voice at the reality message Jean imparted. “Ms. Nazari is in charge of recess. She doesn’t like Jean.”

“I make fun of her in ways she can’t get back at me for,” Jean admitted. “I do stuff like I was doing when you walked in. She only realized I was imitating her when the kids started laughing.”

Nick took a deep breath, looking longingly at the Bushmill’s bottle. He remembered making a Nazari family member his reentry into the Company when he killed Sheik Abdul Nazari in the sand. Rachel came over and poured him a drink from the bottle in spite of his reservations. “Relax at the table with us, Muerto. I’ve gotten over the unknown surveillance operation under my own nose. Gus and John explained you three cartoons were watching out for the kids. This Nazari bitch pisses me off too. She seems to think she’s in an Afghan cave. Insisting on wearing a headscarf, of course, even in the classroom, Florence ‘Islamic idiot’ Nazari isn’t teaching kids… she’s indoctrinating them. Jean drives her crazy which is the only reason she isn’t grounded until turning eighteen after hatching the protection racket, gang surveillance plot with her Igor.”

Nick sipped contentedly while listening to Sonny’s denials of being in thrall to the ‘Daughter of Darkness’, much to the amusement of his audience. He sat down at the table next to Rachel, glad his two thousand word goal in the new novel wasn’t hanging over his head. The new scenes with Fatima entrapping Diego, Jed, and Leo in a Caribbean gang plot unfolded on Nick’s keyboard in less than two hours during the day.

“What’s the ramifications of Viper’s assaulting Florence each day? I imagine she’s a new convert, having married a foreign Islamic national, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Rachel answered. “She’s one of those wild-eyed newbies, dedicated to screwing the rest of us female non-believers. Jean can tell you. I’ve arrived at the school in an attractive dress for working at the Monte Café, only to get the beady-eyed stare of retribution. You know how well I take to that. The first time, I didn’t give it a thought. The third time she eye-balled me, I went right into her face.”

Nick smiled. He could tell Rachel had imbibed a couple glasses of wine. It appeared Cala was again the designated driver for the others. “Okay, Rach… are you going to tell us what happened or do we have to beg?”

“I told her I don’t appreciate you staring at me like I was some kind of freak. She thought about playing the Islamophobia card, but thought better of it when I jutted a finger into her face and told her I’d bitch slap her into next week if she pulled it on me. Flo the Islamist mole runs when she sees me. I’m at fault for Jean’s behavior. I told her Flo has no right to push religion in a public school. Jean, knowing all the unsavory facts about Islam, challenges Flo on a daily basis. Flo would like to make Jean disappear. Instead, knowing she’s in the wrong, Flo has quieted her proselytizing to moments when Jean’s not around. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the kids have begun adopting Jean’s attitude toward Islam. I think they’ve talked about Flo to their parents. The parents have reinforced Jean’s take on Flo and complained to the principal.”

“The principal toned her down, Dad. She still goes nuts but she mutters on her own where we can’t hear her. I’m glad I don’t have her for a teacher. Watch this, Dad. I can do her perfectly.”

Nick stopped her with a gesture. “Flo has it coming, I’m sure. Her indoctrination program against school policy is something we’ll fight against. I don’t like you making fun of adults unless they’re in on the joke like we are. Like your Mom says, Flo’s an Islamic newbie, enflamed with her new calling, willing probably to sell out her country, and indoctrinate kids to her cause. I won’t soft sell the danger you kids already know about from this cult. I don’t sugarcoat anything. When someone believes in something against all logic and common decency, we step back and allow them to proceed on their discovery phase into reality, especially with the death cult. Flo may learn the hard way about her place as a woman in Islam. Because of the Kaders, you kids know of the dangers. Only one pseudo religion preaches the decimation of other races and religions who do not believe in their cult worldwide, while carrying out genocide in reality.”

“Do you believe in God, Sir,” Sonny asked.

“I sure do. I do not believe God wants us to kill or maim everyone who doesn’t believe as I do. The God I believe in doesn’t want us to mutilate, subjugate, or stone women for indiscretions. My God doesn’t want pedophilia to become a man’s right. I can freely believe in anything without annoying other people.” Nick grinned at Jean. “My God also doesn’t want me to allow a child under my care to be a bullying shrew either.”

“You said when Mom and I forced you to help the cop by the side of the road a long time ago, that we forced you to do what’s right, and sometimes you didn’t know what was right anymore.”

“Arrrrghhhhh… I’ve been pierced to the heart by my own words, although mutilated to fit Viper’s storyline. Let me put it this way – I don’t want you making fun of other people in front of me. We all make mistakes in judgement. I’ve made so many, I don’t even think about them anymore. I’m sure Gus has them all catalogued though. Restraint is the key to adulthood, Viper.”

“Restraint is the key for sissies.”

Nick stifled a laugh while Rachel gasped, staring at the ceiling in frustration. “I know your Mom agrees with you on many counts. One of the reasons charter schools are so popular is because of just this type of nonsense. Politely and quietly handling these incidents through the school authorities usually results in changes as you’ve already noted with the other parents complaining.”

Jean grinned at Rachel, who gave her daughter a quick negative head shake. “C’mon Mom, tell him.”

Nick refilled his drink. “Tell me what?”

“Nothing really. Her husband came over this past week to the school with her. He’s the whole package, full black beard, kufi skull cap, and pajama robes. I thought Flo was a nitwit but her husband takes the cake. This guy traipsed around with his hands clasped behind his back eyeballing everyone. He came over to us when I dropped Jean off for school. He said his name was Majd Nazari and his wife felt uncomfortable around us.”

“Mom said, ‘tough titty said the kitty, but the milk’s okay’,” Jean broke in while giggling. “A bunch of people around us started laughing. It looked like his head was going to explode. He started forward but Mom lit off her stun-gun. She told him to go hump someone else’s camel.”

Jean’s delivery and storytelling flair reduced the room to wild amusement for a few moments. It was only then Jean noticed Nick wasn’t laughing. “Dad… it’s okay. Ms. Nazari came over and clutched onto his arm, begging him to come along with her.”

Nick turned to Gus. “See what happens when we don’t have escort duties, Payaso.”

“Yes,” Gus replied wryly. “A tense situation gets handled without a killing.”

“Very funny. I’m not amused with the ‘Beard’ showing up to intimidate.”

Rachel, like Jean, saw the cold blooded killer flow over Nick’s features. “Hey… did you just insult me? After all we’ve been through, I would figure you’d assume I can handle myself. Flo saved his ass. I had my pepper-spray in the other hand. One more word from Majd, and I would have sprayed him and her until they dropped, after which I zap until all movement stops.”

Nick grinned and nodded. He sipped his refreshed drink. “There’s too much Islamist intimidation crap going on. This place is beginning to resemble the idiot European Union nations that don’t have armed citizens, importing the Islamic plague into their midst. Their own citizens, terrorized daily by these assholes, have actually begun knuckling under to the lunatics. They have Islamic No-Go zones now, where police have to ask permission to enter. Did you bunch know the French allow these troglodytes to burn nearly a thousand cars of citizens on New Year’s Eve since the ‘Arab Spring’ bullshit. Laugh now, but I’m rethinking my stance on mimicry. We’re not the French. We don’t surrender our identities and culture to a bunch of Islamic throat-slitting cowards. You’re lucky Nazari didn’t have you arrested for a hate crime, Rach.”