Hard Case VII - Red Waves (John Harding Series Book 7) (29 page)

“I guarantee it.”

“I will be at Pain Central at ten. Thank you for calling.”

“See you then, Claude. We’re also getting together later at The Warehouse in Oakland if you’d like to join us with your wife and daughter or alone.”

“I will ask.” Claude disconnected.

That went well. I sipped my liquid Beam brother courage as both Lora and Al waited impatiently for an update. We were all sitting in the kitchen together. They knew who Claude Chardin was. “It’s all good. Claude seems interested in making some money. I plan to confiscate a few Isis fortunes tomorrow. We didn’t have time to fool around with that stuff today. Would you two like to discuss anything about the cruise?”

“Nope. Mom and I talked it over. She understands the chances of the pirates ever winning against you and the others is never happening,” Al answered. “Those guys from Pacific Grove do the same stuff you do, right Dad?”

“They do. Nick McCarty has credentials with the CIA, FBI, and US Marshals Service.”

“Wow… he’s a real US Marshal?”

“Yep, badge and everything.”

“He writes bestselling novels too, doesn’t he?”

I looked at Lora, wondering if this were some kind of word trap. “He is a New York Times Bestseller list author. The Cruise Line wants him as a guest speaker and to have book signings aboard ship which he plans to do as many times as they want him.”

“And he kills people?”

“Clint says he’s arguably the most dangerous assassin in the world.”

“How do they rate assassins? Is there a meter reader that flies around the world checking notches for kills?”

“He probably killed the former most dangerous assassin, Mom,” Al stated. The kid’s been around the Monster Squad a lot and Lynn in particular. She knows the score all too well. We normally don’t play pretend. She understands we’re in a very dangerous business. Al also realizes we survive by being the best there is at what we do.

“Is that true, John?”

“Al has it just right but it was a case of self-defense. The guy came after him when he was with his family.” Uh oh. I looked at my Beam brother with an accusatory stare of betrayal. Thanks for letting me shoot my stupid mouth off, partner.

“So he’s a target every day of his life?”

The hell with this. “We all are, Lora. You’re beginning to sound a hell of a lot like your sister, Tess. Have you been exchanging Cheeseburger stories or something?”

Being compared to her sister Tess silenced Lora and drew a snicker from Al who knows her Mom and Aunt Tess can’t be in the same room for more than five minutes without a fight. “I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

“We’re at war, Lora. I’m a Marine. We don’t sit on the sidelines while the enemy blows the hell out of our fellow citizens and threatens America. We’re losing young men and women overseas because we’re doing this war half-ass with one hand tied behind our back. The enemy has no rules of engagement. My crew doesn’t either. We haven’t lost anyone because we slam them with everything we have. Nick and his crew work the same way. We’re doing this mission full bore. There may be as many as thirty to forty infiltrators aboard the Starlight. I don’t plan on allowing over eight thousand people to be taken for extortion and to blackmail my country into a corner. I explained the dangers. You and Al don’t have to go.”

“We know we’ll be safe on the boat. I had a premonition all day you’re not letting the attack go unanswered. You and the crew are going to trace the pirates to their home port, aren’t you?”

“We will if we can. Otherwise, they’ll launch on another ship when no one can help. We plan to get their attention on this mission. We have to make this assault so costly as to set back Isis and the Muslim Brotherhood for a long time. I think we have a plan in place to do just that.”

“At what cost, John?”

“How could I answer that? Any mission involving combat carries danger with it. We make the missions as safe as we can.”

“Okay.” Lora stood. “Let’s go in and watch something on TV. How about ‘Secondhand Lions’, Al?”

“Yeah! Good one, Mom. I want to see Hub beat the crap out of those teenaged hoods.”

Me too. “Yep. Outstanding choice.”

* * *

Halfway through the movie I get a call from Alexi Fiialkov. We paused the movie. “Alexi. How are you?”

“I am good, John. Jafar texted me earlier about a meeting at The Warehouse. I will be there. I also talked with Lynn and Clint. They said you’re meeting with Claude.”

“He’s meeting me at Pain Central tomorrow morning at ten. I believe he wants a piece of the action.”

“May I attend the meeting? It has been a very long time since I saw Claude.”

“Sure. I know you’ve probably heard a few more port details you can share in person. You don’t have an active problem from the past with Chardin do you?”

“On the contrary. I confess I used his services when no one else was available or willing. I heard tonight of some very good news concerning Felix Moreau.”

“That’s the general feeling. Felix will not be missed from what I’ve heard so far.”

“You are quite correct in that. Moreau was the ultimate assassin. I do not know how this McCarty outsmarted him but I like that he did very much, my friend. He will be with you on this mission, huh?”

“Yes he will. Nick’s already been invaluable in handling the events leading to our being able to possibly pinpoint the infiltrators aboard Starlight. As you know, it moves him into the top spot where Clint says other assassins take aim because they’re a screwy bunch. I’d appreciate knowing anything you hear about an attempt on the horizon to take Nick out.”

“Of course. I wish to work with this Nick in the future. He must be right at home with the Monster Squad.”

“He is very much at home working with us. Nick and Lynn have already been trading torture techniques. I will see you tomorrow morning at ten, Alexi.”

“Until then, my friend.” Alexi disconnected.

I refreshed my brothers Bud and Beam for the coming climactic events in ‘Secondhand Lions’. I felt Lora watching me. I turned in quick rebound from our bar. “What?”

“What’s Alexi’s part in all this?”

“Support, and he wants to see Claude again on an informal basis. I’m making that happen tomorrow morning.”

“You hurt that guy real bad. What if he tries to hurt you?”

“He won’t, Al.” I’m not sure what part of my ass I’m pulling that assurance out of. “He could have made an attempt many times but he hasn’t. I think he may have been hoping we’d get him involved in another enterprise needing his talent. Most of the fortune he made is probably gone. We can help him with that. Business is business, Al.”

Al tried to stare me down. Fail. “I’ll take your word for it, DL. Is he really important for the mission?”

“See, that’s the unknown part of this, Al. We won’t know some things until they happen. We’re trying to stack the deck in our favor before any of this becomes reality. Experimenting or wondering why we’re missing something during an assault with a few dozen of the enemy swarming towards weapons they’ve stashed would be a nightmare.”

“Do you think Nick wonders about the same stuff as you, Dad?”

“I guarantee it. Let’s go watch the movie.”

* * *

Deke greeted Nick with his usual excited fervor, never breaking the commandment to not jump, but circling his male master like a spinning top. Nick knelt down to pet his drinking buddy with thoroughness. “Dekester! How has the McCarty household been in my absence? Did you get walked, pal?”

“Yes, we walked him,” Rachel answered for Deke, approaching Nick from the kitchen with their baby son Quinn in her arms and Jean following in her wake. She kissed Nick while he made Quinn laugh. “Did everything work the way you expected?”

“Almost. We accomplished nearly everything we wanted to do. Harding’s crew can be counted on. I’ll have his number on your phone from now on. If we ever get trouble I get incapacitated dealing with, call him. How’s the cruise preparations going?”

“Good, except for an addition Jean wants to make.”

“Sonny,” Nick stated, knowing exactly who the addition would be. The two ten year olds were inseparable. They had been training together every spare moment since they came back from their camp experience. “We won’t be gone that long, Jean. Besides, you know what his folks will say when they read or hear about the pirate attack after it happens. The Salvatores will know their son was aboard and I somehow had something to do with it.”

Jean crossed her arms, giving Nick her Viper stare. “Sonny’s my minion. He won’t be able to function without my direction. Besides, you own his folks.They know better than to cross you after all you’ve done for them.”

“You mean when I blackmailed them into helping with a kill mission?”

“No. When you kept Phil Salvatore out of prison,” Jean continued. “You’ll need Viper and Cracker with you on this to protect Mom and Kong while you’re busy.”

“What have I told you about calling my baby, Kong!” Rachel smacked Jean in the back of the head with her free hand.

“It’s his codename for when we fight the forces of darkness in the future,” Jean protested, rubbing the chastised spot on her head.

“Harding has a daughter your age who doesn’t throw knives and is probably a lot more feminine acting than you, Viper,” Nick said. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring Sonny along. He might like a girl who doesn’t treat him like a prisoner of war.”

Jean stayed silent for a moment with Rachel and Nick exchanging knowing looks. Jean shook her head. “I’m not afraid of competition. I own Sonny. We’ll give Harding’s daughter a codename too. I’ll expand my crew. What’s her name?”

“Alice. She has a nickname: Al.”

“We’ll call her Ox.”

“The hell you will,” Nick said sternly. “You’ll do no such thing. If she wants to be in your crew, Al can pick her own codename.”

“Then I can bring Sonny?”

“If it’s okay with his parents we’ll take him along,” Nick agreed. “No sneaky stuff either. Ask them without any blackmailing plot you two invent when they say no.”

Hands went to hips. “What if they do say no? I might need leverage. Viper calls the shots with the Salvatores. I have to keep his folks in line.”

“No blackmail,” Nick repeated. “If I find out you blackmailed Phil and Clarice, and I will, you won’t see another training session or electronic device until you’re forty.”

“Fine!”

“I can’t believe we’re making jokes about being on a ship under attack by pirates both on board and surrounding us. I know the Deluxe Cruises Line actually pursued you to do signings on the level, Nick. It’s exciting as hell going aboard a luxury liner like that and staying in the primo royal stateroom, but are you sure you’ve thought this through. You’ve taken us with you before into unknown circumstances. You always had a way to escape with us. Out at sea we’ll be the clichéd sitting ducks.”

“John has that covered. We have a troop stealth helicopter at our disposal on the assault ship going with us called the Valkyrie. We won’t have to fly anyone off though because we’re going to make the ship safe for everyone except pirates. Count on that. I’d like to know where you two stand on this because once we’re on the ship, I need you all to stay put. I want to know where everyone is at every moment.”

Rachel shifted Quinn in her arms. She hugged Nick and kissed him. “We’re going. When I think of those thousands of people in danger depending on a handful of agents I get the creeps.”

“Did you just insult me?”

“You always say that, Muerto, but it is spooky. Let’s go up on the deck. Have you gotten any writing done on your new novel?”

“I’m doing okay averaging fifteen hundred to two thousand words every day. I’m hoping to be free of complications for a while here at home so I can get ahead.”

“Speaking of complications, I forgot to tell you the PD called.”

“You mean my pal, Sergeant Neil Dickerson? Did he mention anything about what he wanted?”

“He asked me if you could call as soon as you get home. Neil said he knows better than to call you on mission.”

“He knows more than he should. I think he was a little miffed with all the Kader capers that went on before we found all the players were tied in with the late Omar Fontaine. Maybe Neil wants to tell me I have a few days to get out of town.”

“With all the people you’ve killed here, who could blame him? Maybe he should order you to get out of town. The mayor might have already asked him to do just that.”

Very possible
. “That’s mean, Rach.”

Jean enjoyed the interaction. “Yeah, Mom. Sergeant Dickerson counts on Dad for tough situations. Dad saved his life a couple times.”

“When we get settled after your police phone call how about sharing the plot of your new novel. Is it going to have Diego, Fatima, Jed and Kabong’s new fiction character Leo on board an ocean liner attacked by pirates?”

“I’ll tell you all about it once I phone Neil and then get my buddy Deke and me a beer.”

“I’ll take care of the refreshments,” Rachel said. “C’mon, Viper. You need to earn your keep around here. The knife throwing’s not taking care of business.”