HARD CASE (A John Harding Novel - Special Ops, Cage Fighter, CIA Agent) (29 page)

“I will not fail you, John.”

“Nothing will happen to you, Samira. Look appropriately frightened right up until I touch your hand. After that it will only be a matter of how many casualties.”

“I hope your friend will not be hurt.”

“So do I. She’ll bitch at me either way.”

“They see you, John,” Casey informs me. “They’re staying still. No weapons visible but one closest to the lady now is sitting real close to her with his arm around her shoulders. The dummy has his other hand on a coffee cup. One of the others may be very quick, John.”

“Let’s not play then guys. When you see me get to five feet away from the table pull the plug on the other two, weapons or not. We’ll have to settle for two live ones.”

“Understood.”

We walk in the restaurant and a smiling greeter moves to help us. “We’re joining another party, Ma’am. I see them. Thank you anyway.”

She moves away with a curt nod while Samira and I walk toward the table. Tess looks like smoke will be pouring out of her ears any second. Her mouth is a tightlipped slash. Good, maybe she won’t do anything stupid. Samira and I reach our launch point seconds later. Two popping sounds followed by one head hitting the table in a pool of blood and the other pitching backward off his chair distracted Tess’s bosom buddy. My right fist slammed squarely into his face. He flew over the back of his chair into a heap, spurting blood from his shattered nose everywhere. People at adjoining tables fled away from our set to with vigor, screams and all. Cleanup arrived moments later with sirens blaring and Homeland Security badges flashing. Our cleaning crew collected the dead and alive while I hustled Tess and Samira back out of the restaurant. Tess did not speak. I’m wondering if she was remembering my warning about getting involved with Government Inc.

Denny meets us outside at a dead run. He motioned me to the side because Casey and Lucas had our backs. “I had to do a quick info gathering session with the first guy. He agreed to call in and tell his buddies on the boat the deed is done. They’ll be coming to pick up the prize any second at Scott’s pier.”

“What’s chances he tipped them off instead?”

Denny grinned. “I’ll go with your crew and get out of here with Tess and Samira. Do you want backup at the pier?”

“No. We have two live ones. Do we need more?”

Denny shrugged. “If you can, then do. If you can’t, we’ll have to make do with what we have. Weapons free. Let’s keep Cleanup out of this other than cleanup. Get moving.” Denny gestured toward the Jack London Square gateway where a noisy crowd was forming before looking at his watch. “It looks like their distraction has arrived. As you figured before, the Amtrak train will be roaring down Broadway in about eight minutes.”

“Can you keep a lid on all this?”

“Who knows, John? We do what we do. Fallout from terrorist kidnapping attempts should be minimal. As to interrogations, the ones we have can disappear discreetly. The ones coming by boat would be tricky to question after public arrest.”

“I’ll think of something. Want us to meet you at the warehouse?”

“Yeah. I’ll drop everyone else off and get Tess under guard.”

I gave Denny a little salute and jogged toward the front of Scott’s where we figured the boaters would be arriving. I avoided Tess completely. Casey and Lucas popped out from different areas near the restaurant. Casey handed me an M-10 machine pistol and three clips. Nothing was in sight yet on the water so we kept watch near the upper railing looking down on Scott’s pier. Daylight fled us with each passing minute, emphasized by the rent-a-mob’s growing roar out front. Sirens and squad cars assembled quickly to quell what they didn’t know was a manufactured disturbance.

“What’ll it be, John?” Casey asked.

“I’ll front them. Denny says prisoners would be tricky to get custody of anyway so we can take what we can or not. I’ll be the good cop when they arrive.”

Lucas chuckled. “You’ll get yourself killed playing that shit. Casey and me ain’t playing any games so you better get busy if things go South or you could be a friendly fire incident.”

“Duly noted. You guys need a distraction. I’m it. Pick your spots and I’ll go down on the pier. There’s no backup. Cleanup will be hanging around but I can tell Denny doesn’t want them involved. Weapons free.”

“Okay Champ, go play decoy,” Casey ordered as he and Lucas headed in two different directions. “Say the word if you want to go preemptive on their asses.”

A muffled roar in the distance announced the Amtrak train heading our way. “I hear that train a comin’. It’s rollin’ round the bend.” My Johnny Cash gets a few laughs as Lucas and Casey jog away. I hustled down onto the pier and positioned myself to look like a security guard. With hands and M-10 clasped against my back I stood at parade rest in front of Scott’s restaurant. I was hoping our new arrivals would think I was assigned there by the restaurant. Boy, was I wrong, proving this decoy business is an inexact science.

The Amtrak train thundered down Broadway in front of Jack London Square with whistle blaring. A sleek speed boat in the thirty-five foot range raced into sight with four guys on deck. The driver slid that baby up smooth as silk along the pier while the occupants opened up on me. The first burst pinged into the perforated decking while another burst nicked my arm and stitched across my chest. I went with the force as I gasped and fought the familiar blackout. Seconds later, everyone on the speedboat was either rolling around in a pool of blood or not moving at all. I sucked air, got my numb feet moving, and dived onto the boat before it could drift off. Still sputtering like a three pack a day Lucky Striker with lung cancer I secured the boat as it drifted away from the pier. Casey and Lucas being Casey and Lucas I only found the driver still feebly breathing. His brethren leaked blood, brain, and tissue matter in various postures of death. I grinned in appreciation as I flipped the driver over. They’d clipped him in both shoulders and knees. Man, I love working with pros.

The pros from Dover showed up on the pier a moment later, keeping the hatch to the lower deck of the speeder in their sights until I eased the boat back alongside the pier. They jumped aboard and I headed out into the wide open ocean at a leisurely pace while Lucas threw a flash bang into the compartment below deck. We were rewarded with a scream of agony. It took only moments to bring the only other member of the crew up on deck. He cried real tears, screamed whenever a significant pain reached his brain, and eventually whipped his head around searching our faces for… I don’t know… maybe compassion. Yeah, he came up a little short.

“So, Princess… how’s it hangin’,” Lucas asked him.

Our passenger went into immediate Punjabi which I understood. I cut him off at the outrage track. I answered the prick in the language spoken “Hey, we’re not playing that here. I know you speak English. Quit pretending and start talking. You will not live beyond our voyage. Who sent you and who do you work for?”

“Why then should I speak? You will kill me anyway.”

I grabbed him up by the throat because I really didn’t care one way or another what he said. We had another live one with holes Lucas was busily patching up. “Who said anything about killing you? Casey here is a friend of mine with special skills. He and I play a game called Simon Says every so often when we get a nitwit like you to question. Casey… show our buddy here how the game works.”

Casey chuckled in that diabolical way only he can do. “Simon says break our good buddy’s left ring finger.”

Quick as a flash I gripped and busted tough guy’s left ring finger, shards of bone sticking out. He passed out after the initial scream of agony. We woke him up by dipping him upside down into the ocean. After a few surface dives he came up spluttering and gagging, trying to reach his injured finger. I threw him down on the deck so he could catch his breath and have better luck breathing.

“Well, Flash, tell us something that will persuade my friend not to start playing our special game. Make it real good, because your buddy over there with the bullet holes looks anxious to please. I think your initial Simon Says performance has him considering his options more carefully. We already know you wished to take Samira Karim. I want the names of your cell and all who helped you in this pursuit.”

His face a mask of pain while holding his damaged hand, he nodded silently when looking up into Casey’s smiling face. “I will give you all I know.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

***

Denny picked up on the first ring. “I heard you got dinged.”

“The rest went smoothly and I’m only missing a piece of skin. Lucas is busily sewing me up as we speak. He said he gets an extra five hundred for being fill-in medic because he has training. Did you get the file?”

“We’re already moving on it. We’ll let the suits pick up the rest, John. Tell Lucas I said bite me. Any problems with cleanup?”

“We had a burial at sea. Your crew took charge of the boat when we reached shore.”

“So I heard. Reddig doesn’t need any visitors. I couldn’t shut him up. Are you guys still at the Square?”

“Yep. Thanks for leaving our van. Otherwise, Lucas would have slapped iron to my wound and told me to man up. We didn’t know if you’d need help with Benny boy. Want me to tell the guys to go home?”

“Yes. I’ll tie up loose ends. Jafar’s at your house. Your crew has been paid, my treat. Ms. Connagher went home. We have her under surveillance until everyone on our list is dead or in custody. She left word not to contact her. Leave the van when you get finished. I’ll have it picked up within the hour. Samira would like to try again on an outing day after tomorrow. It should be much less exciting.”

Small doubt about that. I wonder if Tess meant for now or forever. “See you then, Denny.”

“Don’t you want to know what’s happened to Reddig?”

“Nope.

Denny laughed and hung up. Lucas applied a topical bandage to finish off his patch job on my arm. “We’re good to go home. Denny didn’t need any help with Reddig. Did you guys have a ride here or should I call for one?”

“I have my new GMC Terrain in the parking lot.” Casey watched Lucas finish with professional interest. “I don’t think you made the stitches tight enough. John’s goin’ to have a scar.”

Lucas laughed with us. “You wait until I need to sew you up, Case. You’ll wish you had Captain Ahab doing the honors with a harpoon. Want us to drop you somewhere, John?”

“Drop me off at the Warehouse Bar if you guys have time. I think a small celebration is in order. Want to join me?”

“Me and Lucas are already in the doghouse over our ruptured dinner plans. We have to go make things right.”

“Rain-check then anytime you want. Maybe we can down a few together at a port-a-call over in Somalia when Denny sends us over there with our new boat to wipe out the pirates.”

Lucas jumped up with his hands in the air with Casey laughing like hell. “Damn it, John, now you’ve went and done it. You know that prick probably has the van wired. He’ll take that remark to mean we’ve volunteered for duty.”

I got up and put an arm around Lucas. “C’mon. Take me to the bar. If family has dulled your edges, me and Casey will handle the Somalia gig. You know it’s coming.”

“Don’t insult me, punk! I’ve been thinking about it ever since Denny hinted at it. Remember the Americans those slime-balls executed when the US tried to negotiate. If Denny wants a trap set… then oh baby is he goin’ to get one. We goin’ to have some fun then, boys.”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about, Lucas,” Casey slapped hands with his partner enthusiastically. “I bet we get some dynamite fishin’ in while we’re baitin’ the trap too on our new boat along with a very nice payday. We’ll give my pard here the master cabin, John, seeing as how he’s old and decrepit.”

“Fair enough. Seriously though, what do you guys think are the chances of Denny having a Somalia vacation in mind?”

Lucas snorted in disgust. “You’ve known Denny a long time, John. Ever hear him mention anything haphazardly?”

No, I hadn’t. I shrugged. “Somalia it is then. At least we’ll have a little time before the boat’s ready. I have to get my business plans back in motion.”

We locked up the van and walked over to Casey’s GMC. When we were on the move, Lucas grinned around at me from the front. “Didn’t you mention something about your lawyer girlfriend partnering up with you in your new business enterprise after she signed up with Denny? After getting taken hostage twice, I don’t like your chances, my friend. The Russian deal was bad enough but taken by that crew tonight had to sour her on going into business with you.”

I can’t fault his logic on that one. The look Tess gave me when we split up tonight lacked any hint of affection. “I admit it. Tess might be a long shot in my new scheme. I tried to warn her about how things worked in Denny World but she wasn’t havin’ any.”

Casey nodded. “And you’re to blame of course.”

“Of course.”

Chapter Seventeen

Lora

The guys dropped me off in front of The Warehouse Bar. I called Jafar and he answered on the first ring. “I’m over at The Warehouse Bar if you need me. My phone’s on. You did really good today. It looks like we’ll be just escorting our client from now on.”

“That is very good news. I have been told we will be escorting Samira again the day after tomorrow. She asked if I could come over to her room after school tomorrow.”