Hard Case VII - Red Waves (John Harding Series Book 7) (32 page)

John signaled and the terrified Al Sirani channeled his fright into a very convincing confession as Nick had outlined. John checked the video along with Gus. “This is very good, Muerto.”

“Good job, Moe.” Nick brought over a tablet and pen with gloved hands. “Write it out and sign it to be left with your great acting job for the authorities. Use neat penmanship or get punished. On a second sheet, write out all your passwords and account numbers for us to get your unearned money. We will take it immediately so don’t leave anything out. ”

Al Sirani did as ordered. Nick checked it over closely. “Yep. This will do. We’ll leave the thumb-drive here on this desk. Let’s go, Moe. You have places to go.”

* * *

An hour later, Nick delivered Al Sirani to Monterey Regional Airfield along with the electronic devices gathered at the fake masjid. Denny Strobert met him with Laredo. Nick shook hands with the two men. “Moe made a confession to killing all his cohorts, bragging about how he would now cause havoc in America. That means he dies on video after you get through with him, Denny.”

Strobert remained quiet looking into Nick’s unsmiling features, remembering all he knew about the most deadly assassin in the world. “I’ll have Crue make the video with your Unholy Trio when we finish extracting anything and everything he knows. Thanks for this, Nick. I believe Al Sirani will be the best key we’ve had for our mission.”

“No problem. I’ll be in touch if I get word of anything else when the masjid fraud and dead hit the news. It may bring something else out of the woodwork. See you two when I see you. Take good care of my boy, Moe.”

“I will,” Denny answered.

Laredo and Denny watched Nick walk away with oddly similar views.

“That guy gives me the creeps, and that ain’t easy to do,” Laredo said.

“Ditto.”

“Are you sure he’s on our side?”

“Yep, but like our crew, he’s on our side on his terms. Lucas treats him like his long lost son so I have no doubts.”

Laredo chuckled. “I get it. No Denny dirty deals behind his back – just straight up or else.”

“You have an annoying way of putting things, prick.”

“He is a murderer!” Al Sirani picked a bad moment to speak, thinking he was in the company of the regular federal authorities.

Denny cuffed him on the side of the head, sending Al Sirani to his knees. “Shut the fuck up, Moe. I know you think Nick treated you badly. I have a lady working with me who will show you a new horizon of what pain is all about unless I get the information I need.”

Laredo boosted the groaning Al Sirani to his feet. “Be good and helpful when you meet Cruella Deville, Moe. Usually, she’ll cut you some slack if you’re super cooperative from the first moment on in her presence. Otherwise… it sucks to be you, pal.”

“You people can be tried for war crimes at the world court!”

“We’re the people shitheads in positions like the world court piss their pants at when they find out we’re coming for them,” Denny replied after he and Laredo shared an appreciative humorous moment over Al Sirani’s warning. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but when you get in front of Cruella Deville don’t make comments like that. She’ll toast those thoughts out of your head like marshmallows at a campfire.”

* * *

I actually slept a full night after my day reacquainting with terrorists and convincing my family I wasn’t using them as bait. It was wrong and I knew it was wrong. I wondered not for the first time how Nick handled his family. They were a lot like mine. Casey, Lucas, and Tommy chose to keep their families separate completely by unanimous agreement. Clint and Lynn, Jafar and Samira along with Nick’s friend John Groves with wife Cala clung together in the trade. Jess, Dev, and the minions were still in a transition phase. Lora did her part when instances related to Monster work appeared on our radar. She no longer thought of anything I did as a permanent job position and passion. My situation resembled the old cliché about the wife knowing her husband to be, but sure she can mold him into something more palatable. It could be a phase Lora was dealing with and the cruise would snap her out of it.

I was hungry so I made breakfast for everyone. No one awakened by the time I finished cooking so I called them in. They came reluctantly. Al poked her head into the kitchen, confirming her bacon interest obsession. Lora took a few extra moments but she also succumbed to one of the most delightful odors ever.

We all dug in without sound for a few moments, the rye toast disappearing as fast as the bacon. “I’m glad to see you two have an appetite.”

“You cast the bacon spell on us, Dad. Are we going with you to The Warehouse for dinner?”

“I hope so. The Monster meeting is really just a time to reacquaint ourselves with Claude. The fact we’ll be asking a few more questions at Pain Central is incidental. I have to feed our prisoners. Claude thought it a good time to meet. Lynn thought so too. Maybe Claude will come tonight if the meeting this morning goes well.”

“You haven’t spoken about any UFC fights on the horizon, John,” Lora mentioned, changing the subject from one she had hidden fears of but could do nothing about. “Does that have any significance?”

Oh boy. “Not really. The lower ranked fighters aren’t thrilled about facing me to get ahead. The champ fought Berserker for a narrow victory which usually means a rematch, acing me out of a title shot for the time being. I may get an undercard match soon though.”

“You mean after you save the world?”

“Your timeline seems logical, dear.” Where the hell is this going, I wondered?

“Maybe it’s time to take a break from the UFC.”

“But Dad’s almost the champ, Mom. He’s due for a title shot, right Dad?”

I shrugged. No one knew what went on behind closed doors. I hadn’t given anyone a reason to cut me out but you never know how things like title shots happen. The champ has a lot of leeway if he’s as popular as The Rock was. “I’m probably due. That doesn’t mean I’ll get one. As it turns out, the UFC is giving me a break. Tommy, Jess, and Dev haven’t been able to interest anyone in even an undercard match since I beat Berserker. Let’s leave it at that. I better go feed the Pain Central guests. I’ll see you two a little later.”

I gave Lora and Al a kiss and a hug. I could tell Lora was having some issues with our lifestyle I would be hard pressed to fix. Sometimes, nothing satisfies a mate. I’ll work it out. There’s nothing like a Monster cruise to smooth over some rough spots.

At Pain Central, I fed my prisoners, listening to all their bitching and moaning about the conditions at our lovely holding cells. If I had Crue with me, I would have went into one of the cells and practiced my heart snatch trick. On the other hand, if Crue was with me, the prisoners would be hiding under their racks. Unimaginable pain outdoes fear of death anytime I guess. It was then a few of the newbies from Francois’s crew decided they could test the boundaries. The Albanians knew better. We pass tests here at Pain Central with flying colors. Five of the larger guys were sharing the same cell, apparently trading bad ass thoughts about their predicament.

“You… big man. You need a woman to protect you. Pussy!”

I laughed as the Albanians gasped. Apparently they hadn’t shared the heart wrenching story of their cellmate’s demise. I hadn’t gone over our audio recordings yet.

“Good one. I needed a laugh this morning, boys,” I told the bearded dolt doing the talking. “Keep the jokes coming. I don’t take offense to the usual crap so fire away. Choose your words carefully though. You will be held accountable for them.”

“You think you are safe, big man,” the bearded idiot, who looked like Bluto from the old Popeye cartoons, kept flying into danger.

“Remember what I told you, Bluto. It was the only warning you get.” I swept the outside cell area. After I spoke, Bluto and his cellmates came to the shielded cage area, shouting the usual about my mama and I probably sucked dicks for quarters amongst other insulting jewels. I chuckled at a couple of them. When Bluto and the boys couldn’t piss me off, Bluto got stupid.

“We will be free from you soon, pussy. Then we make you and everything you love our mission!”

Uh oh. The Albanians scrambled in the cage nearby.

“Do not provoke this man, brother. He kills without hesitation!” One of the Albanians nearest Bluto’s cell tried to save his life. Unknown to him, that ship had already sailed.

“You Albanian pussies are only fake men. We are Isil. We fear nothing! We know these people cannot hold us for long. Soon, we will be free to hunt. We hunt in packs until our prey die screaming.”

The Albanian shrugged and sat down, gesturing to his crew to sit. “It is your funeral, dog.”

“You call me dog? You will die too for that!” Bluto lost touch with reality completely, raging around in the cell with his fired up comrades.

The Albanian smiled at them. “I will not be dying by your hand, dog.”

He was right about that. The audio sounded with Lynn’s voice while I finished tidying the outer area. “Hey Cheese. Clint and I are here with the baby having coffee. Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, Crue. I have to make a transfer from one of our cells to the freezer.”

“Really? Well okay! I’ll be down in a moment. Clint will watch on the big screen. Which cell?”

“Seven.”

“Got it,” Lynn confirmed.

A few minutes later, Crue arrived with coffee in hand and her MP5 over right shoulder. “What’s the adjustment for?”

I explained the situation with Bluto and company screaming insults which had Lynn enjoying the unexpected humor.

“So… this Bluto guy thinks he’s getting out to kill everyone in your life, huh? Wow, now isn’t that an ambitious life goal,” Lynn replied with a sigh. “I must be slipping, Cheese. I’ve lost a step. In the past, holding cell guests wouldn’t have anything to say after I helped deliver them here. I gave these ingrates some very special insights illustrating how slim the thread of their survival was. Yet here they are, disrespecting the hell out of us. No wonder you’re upset, Cheese.”

I grinned and nodded while receiving the Lynn Montoya Dostiene official morning sanction of my situation. I could imagine Clint holding his son while enjoying the scene in our viewing area.

“It is good you get your woman to come protect you, pussy! Maybe she is man enough to come into our cell!” Bluto delivered with perfect timing.

“I got it, Cheese. Five for the freezer. Clint? You hearin’ this?”

“Yeah, babe,” Clint answered over the audio. “We have room in the freezer.”

I unlocked the outer cell area cage and went inside after giving my Colt and knife to Lynn. Bluto and the boys went wild with anticipation after I handed Lynn my Colt.

“Are you sure you want to do it this way, Cheese?”

“Yep. I’ll be out in a moment.”

“You will be dead, pussy! We make blondie beg for us to return your body to her.”

“Well… aren’t you the most adorable little entertainer, Bluto,” Lynn said.

I didn’t bother talking. Lynn opened cell seven until I could get inside. Bluto charged me as his friends backed away momentarily. I used his momentum to run him full bore into the cage on the other side of the cell. I needed to save him for last. His four cellmates lost their momentum but it was too late. I unchained the monster inside. The strikes, knees, and stomps in close quarters were a specialty of mine. This wasn’t my first rodeo. In moments I had one dead with nose-bone through his brain. The other three remained writhing on the cell floor with broken faces, crushed Adam’s Apple, and sternum caved in from one of my vicious close order knees. I turned to Bluto then, struggling to get to his feet with a hand out to ward off anymore punishment as he bled heavily from his face. I jammed the prick against the cell wall I smashed his face into.

“Hey, Bluto, remember about choosing your words carefully? You didn’t. I’m the word collector. I know. Your heart ain’t in it right now, huh big boy? Let’s see.”

“I…I’m done!”

Heh…heh… “I don’t think so.” I ripped the front of his shirt apart, stepped back and did a heart snatch strike beauty. I showed big mouth Bluto his heart. “Paid in full, big boy.”

I let Bluto drop, placing his heart next to him for company while he shuddered into eternity. When I turned, Adam’s Apple and crushed sternum were already dead. I reached down and snapped the neck of broken face before wiping my hands off on his clothing. Lynn opened the cell door. I turned to face Bluto’s still living companions. The women screamed at the brutality, crying with those irritating wails of theirs.

“Anyone else want to choose their words carefully?”

Silence from the men. The Albanians were all looking the other way, already aware of the outcome. Crue rushed into the cell area over to the wailing women.

“Shut the hell up or I will come in there and carve your faces off for skin masks!”

They shut the hell up.

“The Albanians are being helpful. They will probably be shipped home unless they do something stupid. We haven’t decided about you Francois boys and girls. You’d best think of some real interesting tidbits of information or there won’t be a need to send any of you anywhere but hell.”

I followed Lynn out. Except for some sniffling from our two female guests the holding area’s quietude felt oddly satisfying to me. My mood, optimistic at first this morning as I went about my duties, soured slightly when handling holding area chores. Since making sure there was no way in hell Bluto and his boys would ever be around to fulfill their insults and threats, the calm after the storm returned.