Cold Blooded Assassin Book 6: Red Horizon (Nick McCarty Assassin) (45 page)

There were cheers and applause while Nick talked with the security guards. “We didn’t expect anything like this obviously.”

“Hell of a move, Nick. I called it in. We thought this was just a book signing. Imagine our surprise. How many agencies do we call in on this? You have more experience than us Carmel cops.”

“Just locals until the suspect is identified. I’ll work the crowd. Might as well sell some books. It will relax folks a little.”

“Are you armed, Nick?”

“Yeah, I am, Ben. You and Dick deserve a bonus for this gig. I’ll take care of you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I know, but if you only knew how many novels this incident will sell, you’d know the bonus will be well worth it.” Nick shook his head. “This is going to be a mess.”

“Yep.”

Chapter Fourteen

Al-Saud

“Some book signing,” Rachel said as everyone sat on the deck together eating pizza. “I should take the rap for this since it was me who mentioned Muslim nutso attacks.”

“You should have seen it, Mom! Dad smashed him in the nose and he was dead,” Jean said with much excitement. “Sonny saw it too.”

“I’ve seen it close and personal,” Rachel said. “Is it over, Nick?”

“All we have right now is it was the media manufactured ‘Lone Wolf’ attack. Word is it’s my fault for portraying murderous Muslims as murderous Muslims in my novels. I’m supposed to be informed about his identity the moment they know who the guy is. He’s not on any database in this country. They’ve sent fingerprints and pictures out on the wire overseas. If they had let Gus and I get near the body, we’d have learned who it was in an hour if we’d been allowed to take his fingerprints and picture. Once we’re updated on the details, we’ll find out if he was just another whacko Islamist. He put a new definition on the tag ‘book killer’.”

“What about Pilgrim’s Way Books,” Rachel asked.

“They don’t want anything to do with Muerto’s book signings,” Gus said. “I’m betting when they make a tidy sum selling his novels that Muerto will be a welcomed guest once again.”

“The book signing was the best,” Jean said. “Everyone wanted books. No one even cared about the dead body.”

“Oh boy…” Rachel began when Nick’s phone rang.

“John?”

“Hey, Nick,” John Harding greeted him. “Kabong told us about your book signing just before the news broadcast hit. Anything further on the mutt who attacked you?”

“Not yet. I think it’s a solo crazy, but they’re all being brainwashed to kill at any provocation. I had Jean and her friend with me so I’m not real happy.”

“I can imagine. If you learn it’s a wider threat count us in.”

“I will, brother. I forgot to tell Kabong when Gus and I called him earlier about going to the sand later this week. Gus and Rachel have your number. If something bad starts here, I’ll have them speed dial you Monsters.”

“Absolutely. The Pilot Hill landing zone has already been constructed. Denny said it’s large enough for a Harrier jet landing. Laredo says it’s been a while since he flew a Harrier. We’re signed to get a refresher course. It starts in a month. Want to join us?”

“I sure do. Denny didn’t waste any time getting the LZ installed. I guess he wants the secret Monster Launch Pad running ASAP, huh?”

“That’s the plan. They’re finished with the armaments for the Ranger too, including a ‘Faraday Cage’ shielding all electronics. We may have to plan a cruise soon.”

“Count us in. I’ll tell Gus. How’s the filming going?”

“Very well. Reeducation camp for Nardo proceeded as planned. Lynn and Kabong will be doing final takes tomorrow. Sam and Janie will be there to accept transfer of the prisoner. Call me before you leave for the sand, brother.”

“Will do.” Nick disconnected, turning to his family and friends. “You probably heard parts of that. They have the Ranger armaments finished, Gus. We may be doing some cruising soon.”

“It will take all of us unless we sign on a crew to help. If we all go, we can cruise in safety if everyone pitches in. Issac has experience in the engine room as I do. I’ll go over the engine room features. I’ll create a list of provisions for possible breakdowns, maintenance, and repairs. I’m not handling the food.”

“That’s the bad part,” Rachel said. “Once you go cruising on a ship like ‘Starlight of the Seas’ with people waiting on you hand and foot, it’s difficult thinking about doing all the work required to keep everyone happy.”

“They had everything on the ‘Starlight’,” Tina agreed. “Count me out. I’m not going cruising with the pirates. We’ll be in a war zone I’m sure and it won’t be only meals and cleaning we’ll be pitching in to do.”

“Sonny and I will go,” Jean said excitedly. “We don’t care about food. We’ll clean and do chores. When do we leave? We’ll need to board our captured ships with knives in hand!”

“Jean!”

* * *

“We’re glad to have you back, Kabong. I have to leave soon.” Nick greeted Johnny and Cala at the door. “Thanks for speeding the identification process with Jafar. Did the rest of the filming go okay?”

“Yes, and Lynn says it’s the best episode yet. She really listened to my suggestions and acted on them. I have learned much about dialogue from your novels, Muerto.”

“Thanks. I’m glad Lynn liked your input.”

“As to our targets, Jafar thinks those other three will leave for the Mexican border soon. The one you killed, Gibril Salib, was last listed and seen in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, along with his cohorts Chahid Oda, Larbi Ajam, and Malik Naifeh. They left the camp hours before the Jordanian police arrested them for instigating treason against the King. The police in Jordan have since connected them with Isis. The four of them came here from the East Coast to be resettled in San Jose. Jafar believes they picked you as a high profile target. There is a new tactic since the stabbing deaths of the Paris policeman and his wife.”

“I’ve read about it,” Nick replied, leading the way into his kitchen. “The lone attacker stabs his target before randomly stabbing bystanders until escaping in the melee. So far, the bastards have gotten away with it. In the bookstore, our security guys would have been afraid to fire in a crowd. They never found the prick’s car. That means he had a driver, Johnny, and I think you and Jafar found him.”

“Jafar thought of hacking into Pilgrim’s Way Books security. All we needed after that was to plug in the time frame through the security company’s feed.”

Nick chuckled as he served his friends coffee. “They stopped right in front of it with their faces hanging out. We go tonight. You and Cala researching all the known and secret masjids in the area previously sure helped us now.”

“Yes. We simply made the rounds when we returned from the north,” Cala replied. “We found the van at the second fake masjid near Lover’s Point. When Johnny and I first checked it out, we marked it as a terrorist halfway house.”

“We won’t worry about electronics,” Nick said. “We’ll use the EMP gun before I go in. I bought a car off of Jerry for this job. When I finish, we’ll load them in their own vehicle, drop them off in the valley for prep work before disposal, and give the van and extra car to Jerry for recirculation. He’s in all the way and will be awaiting the arrival of both vehicles.”

“How do you do these type of break-ins, Muerto?”

Nick shrugged. “I’m an expert locksmith, Cala. Once inside, I kill everything with a heartbeat. Mistakes happen only in hesitation. I wish I could take prisoners tonight for Denny but we can’t take the chance this close to my trip to the sand. If I get Al-Saud in a position overseas at my safe-house to do a conference call with Denny, I’ll do it. Otherwise, I take care of business and get the hell out of there. Every extra minute I spend on peripherals endangers my helpers. C’mon upstairs. Everyone’s up there reliving the bookstore signing through Jean’s eyes. We have veggie tray and snacks.”

“If all goes well, will we have a morning at the beach with the Irish before you go, Muerto?”

“Absolutely, Johnny.”

* * *

Malik Naifeh stirred uncomfortably. He sweated profusely, soaking the sheets around him. Sitting up groggily and throwing off the covers, the light on his nightstand turned on. A masked figure waved at him.

“Hello there. I’m Muerto.” Nick sighed while taking off his mask. “Okay… I’m Nick McCarty. Your friend Gibril came to my book signing event with violence in his heart. I drove his nose-bone into his brain. You and your buddies, Chahid and Larbi, must have partied tonight. You all smell of booze. I guess you were all having a wake for poor old Gibril. It made things so much easier for me. I’ve already fixed them without any bloody mess. I gave you my slower acting liquid killer.”

Malik dived for his nightstand drawer only to be stun-gunned to the floor.

“That was stupid, Malik. Did you think I hadn’t already found and confiscated all of your weapons?” Nick stun-gunned Malik’s groin, causing screams so high in pitch, they only disturbed the dog next door. When Malik could speak again, Nick patted his head. “I really don’t want to do that again but time’s a wasting. Who put you idiots on me at the bookstore?”

“Fuck you! Arrest me, I-”

This time Nick applied the stun-gun until the already dying Malik passed out. Nick slapped him until he vibrated slowly into shuddering consciousness. Nick switched to Arabic. “Not very smart, Malik. You are dying. You have a couple of hours left before my injection kills you. If you want to spend the entire time having me caress your nuts with the electrodes on my stun-gun then keep playing dumb. Who sent you guys after me?”

Malik began to cry. Nick stun-gunned him again.

“Hello there again,” Nick said in Arabic when Malik regained the ability to speak. “Do not bother crying or whining. You are dead. How you pass the next couple of hours is up to you.”

Nick lit off the stun-gun, causing a heartfelt yelp of terror from Malik. “Blue arc or peace. Your choice.”

“Gibril hated your novels! He suspected you killed Mohammed Dafar in New York!”

Nick laughed. “I get it. He was a Dafar acolyte. Tell me about how you four connected with this shit-hole masjid to hide in. By the way… I did kill Dafar.”

“We…we trained in the woods up north,” Malik replied dejectedly. “A man named Saran Al-Kadi sent us here to await orders for what we were to do.”

Nick relaxed. “Saran’s Pilot Hill compound trained you assholes and sent all of you here. Good to know.”

Nick killed him with a wrench of his head, breaking Malik’s neck with a sickening crunch. “We’re good to go, guys. Let’s load ‘em.”

Acknowledgement followed Nick’s order. Nick dragged Malik down to the entrance, wrapped in his bedding as he’d done with Malik’s companions. Minutes after Gus and Johnny entered the house, they carted the three corpses out to the Chevy van, owned by the Elm Masjid. Everything after proceeded as planned, complete with Cala the ‘Cleaner’ taking charge of the bodies. They delivered the two vehicles marked for cleaning and recertification to Jerry. In the morning, Nick flew their UH-60 stealth helicopter out over the Pacific Ocean where they deposited the remains of their terrorists from the freezer.

Cala handled the controls on the way back as Nick continued her flying lessons. “I am doing well, huh Muerto?”

“You’re a natural, Cala, and you have no fear. As Laredo often says, that’s a key to piloting anything. Are you ready for lessons, Johnny?”

“No,” Johnny admitted from the back next to Gus. “I will stick to learning how to captain our various boats. Gus is going to teach me and Issac maintenance and repair on our different engine configurations too. Laredo has databases and intricate check lists for all the aircraft. He hopes we can be a self-contained strike force without outside help.”

“That’s a good plan,” Nick replied. “In the coming years, I see a need for being under the radar with nearly everything we do. I think we put a dint in the Islamic Trojan Horse. If we could get the government to quit importing the Muslim horde, we could actually make some headway in this war.”

“Were you ever tempted to make a hit on an American President,” Gus asked.

“Nope. I don’t think any tried to kill me like a couple of senators did. Presidents have term limits. I’d rather see regime change at the ballot box, if we can keep the dead people and illegal aliens from voting. I used to think America couldn’t be harmed by even a bad President in eight years with the system’s checks and balances. I’m not so sure anymore.”

“I think you should reconsider having Cala and I come along with you. We both speak fluid Arabic,” Johnny mentioned.

“I need to do this alone. I don’t want anyone else from here over there, especially you, Johnny. We have you in the clear in the USA, but over there Ebi Zarin is wanted by Interpol and a handful of other law enforcement agencies and secret police. You don’t want Cala caught in a dragnet meant to nab the dangerous Zarin.”

“True,” Johnny admitted. “That would not be good.”

“Does Paul know you’re doing this,” Gus asked.

“Yep. He loaned me a CIA safe-house through Denny’s auspices in Dubai for Khalil to stay at until I get there as I told you. I don’t want Khalil and his sons to be seen at the Atlantis until they’re needed. Khalil believes he can get one of his contacts at the Atlantis to make a keycard to Al-Saud’s suite.”