Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) (24 page)

“Agreed. It will be a great diversion from all this to do the bank robber movie with our pet Hollywood Bounty Hunters. We’ve had a great time with her directing.” I think Tommy began getting suspicious of my conversational skills, because he began trying to stick his head in front of me, peering at my eyes with a big smile. “Keep it up, T, and I’ll do as Crue suggested before… give you a swimming lesson.”

“Have you had anything to eat since this morning, Cheese?”

“Yeah. I had a couple sandwiches after my date with the atomic bomb. Why? Am I slurring my words or something?”

“How many flasks of Beam have you had?”

“This is my second,” I answered, “and there will be a third. In answer to your unspoken question, I’m feeling the Beam brother all the way to my toes. It’s the Bad News Cheese Breaking Training. Did Dev and Jess call in yet about the everyday home base happenings?”

“Everything’s fine. They patrolled everyone’s place, splitting duties with the minions. They’re going to come unglued when they hear what you bunch stopped from happening along our seemingly safe coastline. Samira took baby Mia to stay at Lynn and Clint’s place while we’ve been gone. They have their own nursery there because of Clint Jr. I think Denny sent Maria to stay with them too, so she wouldn’t be alone. Casey’s wife is at Lucas’s house. No one was alone today.”

I nodded with satisfaction. If anything ever happened on the home front while we Monsters were out saving the world it would be a very bad day for someone. I glanced toward the bow, seeing we were only about a mile from port. “Damn… we either made good time, or I’m more drunk than I thought.”

“Probably a little of both, brother.”

I took another sip of Beam, stood carefully, and joined our relaxing Monsters.

“Hey, Cheese. Did you crash land in Beamville yet,” Lynn asked.

“Almost. The pod’s descending with the parachute slowing the speed. It will be good to get home. I think I’ll take Lora and Al to The Warehouse for dinner if they haven’t eaten yet. Is Alexi helicoptering back to the port?”

“Yes,” Jafar answered. “We could not tell him anything over open lines, but he knows the threat’s ended. Maybe he will be at The Warehouse later. I can text him for you.”

“I’ll call him later if the plans work out for dinner. I’ll let all of you know when and if we decide on dinner at the Warehouse.”

“It shouldn’t be too crowded. I bet the babies would be okay. If they get noisy, we can always cut it short,” Lynn said. “I’d like to go somewhere and have dinner. It will feel like real life in a fantasy land after today.”

“Sounds good to me,” Casey said. “Sarah and Anna are together at Lucas’s house. We already took showers, so let us know what you decide.”

“Clint will miss my home cooking though,” Lynn said.

“Oh yeah… devastated,” Clint replied to much amusement. “I think we should build a reality show around your cooking prowess, babe. We could call it Deville’s Death Wish Diner.”

Even Lynn enjoyed that ace. Lucas was slowing for approach as the rest of us prepared to get the Sea Wolf locked into place.

“John,” Tommy said pointing at the pier entrance. “That looks like Rutger and Floyd waiting for us.”

There wasn’t much doubt about that. I could see the giant plainly. “They look like someone shot their dog, T. Did you hear anything about the upcoming match that might be causing a problem?”

“Nope. Maybe the Viking injured himself in training.”

“I hope not. What the hell would I do without the torture sessions in the Bay? Cruella Deville would have to learn a new hobby to replace torturing the Cheeseburger.”

“Very funny, Cheese,” Lynn replied. “That big asshole has his game face on. You’d best get yours on. Damn… it looks like we’ll get some lighthearted entertainment today. If you don’t feel like messing around with him, ask the Viking for his autograph. That always throws them off balance.”

I enjoyed Lynn’s remark with the rest of my compatriots, but down deep I knew my mate, the killer inside, was still very much near the surface. Talking with Tommy soothed whatever blasphemous feelings I retained from the mission. I unleashed the killer today. It’s very difficult to handle that particular Pandora’s Box. Being in the company of killers makes a difference. I had been in combat with my Monsters. They fight the same demons as I do after a mission, especially if any of us lose our perspective for a time. I was reminded I may have been letting the killer surface for a moment on my features. I’d been staring too long.

“Are you okay, John?”

I snapped out of my daze, noticing Lucas wasn’t the only one watching me. “I think so. Who do you have porting the Wolf?”

“I’m letting Achmed the Dead Terrorist park the Wolf. It’s part of my ten step program of rehabilitation from being so obsessive about the boat. Of course I’m cutting one finger joint at a time for every ding during the porting maneuver.”

“I heard that!” Achmed was not happy in the pilot’s chair.

Lucas lowered his voice. “You did good stepping back from the brink today, boy.”

“I had help. Thank you.”

“We need you, kid. We haven’t got the island fixed up yet.”

“Very true, Pappy. We sure as hell earned a bunch of slack in the leash today.”

“We did that for sure,” Lucas agreed. “Now… what the hell is that big fuckin’ zombie doing on my pier?”

I gripped his shoulder. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out for you.”

Chapter Eight

Darkness and Light

Jafar did a great job porting the Wolf in spite of the pressure. Clint, Casey, and I tied her down from stem to stern. We had already secured the gear and weapons. Since the Viking and his manager hadn’t moved from their original spots, Tommy and my crew checked them out while we completed our porting duties. I may have been a bit more deliberate in my duties which the Monsters picked up on with interest and followed my lead. By the time we moved toward our locked pier gate, twice as much time had passed as normal for docking. Jafar opened our gate and held it for the rest of us to exit. I put down my bag to face the Viking.

“Hi Rutger… Floyd… what brings you here? Did something happen about the match?”

“We have been waiting long time for you,” Rutger said. “Send your little friends away so we can talk.”

That order was met with much amusement. So much so, all my Monsters put their bags down to see what kind of entertainment this was going to lead to. We had just stopped a nuclear holocaust. Some big dork making a living fighting inside a cage did not impress. Floyd looked uncomfortable as hell, but Rutger stared at me as if I was kicking him in the leg. Tommy stepped closer to the action. He was in charge of fight business.

“What’s this all about, Floyd. We’re good to go. Nothing’s changed.”

“We’ve heard a lot of rumors, Tommy. Rutger and I were getting worried John wasn’t taking this fight seriously. I admit we’ve been keeping an eye on your operation because we have a lot of money tied into this match. If it falls through or we can’t meet our obligations everything Rutger and I have been working for will be in danger. We’ve heard about gun battles, street fights, and even Drug Cartels putting out hits on John. Naturally, we’re worried. We had an agreement about the fight being a priority.”

A few things would have to be confirmed in this. There was no way in the world these guys should have access to even rumors about all that. I felt the heat rising again. So many things had happened the last few days on a threat level, we may have gotten careless. Being confronted by these two about it was bullshit. Tommy knew instinctively we needed to know how the hell they had heard all that.

“Who is this contact of yours?”

“That is not important,” Rutger chimed in.

“It is to us,” Tommy said. “If you want any more discussion concerning anything, we need to know where you heard all that. You have a right to know whether we’re training. We are. We just returned from training in the Bay. Who did you hear the rumors from, Floyd?”

“Ray Alexander. I admit we paid him a great deal of money to keep us informed about your workout and training regimen. He has political contacts, and of course works for Alexi Fiialkov.”

“Don’t bother name dropping Alexi on us,” Tommy replied. “He wouldn’t give that snake Ray Alexander the time of day. He certainly wouldn’t inform on anything to do with John. That answers our question. Ray has contacts amongst the scum of the earth, and he’d do anything to screw John. What kind of real question do you have? John will be in the best shape of his life by fight time. That should be all you need to know.”

“I can smell booze on this Hard Case,” Rutger gave me the disdainful wave off. “I thought him serious enough not to turn into drunk before fight.”

The Viking, his face tats, the disrespect in his broken English, his wave off – they all spiked into my admittedly Beam brother induced buzz, and not in a good way. I didn’t much care what he or his manager thought. Even the Alexander connection meant only a possible adjustment. They call him The Berserker in the UFC. Let’s find out. I can go to Vegas anytime I want. I shot forward and smacked Rutger in the face hard enough to knock some tat ink loose. My Monsters scrambled to get bags out of the way. The Viking actually bellowed, fists up, as his shocked manager latched on to him. I had only backed a step away waiting. Tommy knew better than to touch me.

The UFC, the Octagon, fights orchestrated for masses of screaming fans – all good fun, but they existed on one plane of existence. My killer waited on another level beyond. He measured the Viking outside the Octagon, beyond referees and rules, and found him wanting. The killer inside watched the raging, hold me back Viking with cold knowledge if Floyd didn’t manage to stop him, Rutger would die on this pier choking in his own blood.

“It would be best if you and Rutger leave.” Tommy knew the killer and the consequences. “If you don’t get Rutger away from here, John will kill him. I’m not a referee, and John’s friends won’t stop him.”

Floyd, still wrestling Rutger back, looked fearfully around at the empty docking area. He saw my grinning Monsters waiting for the death of the Viking. Floyd understood suddenly there would be no witnesses allowed to live. He and his ‘Berserker’ would disappear without a trace. Floyd lowered his head and butted into the less enraged Rutger, jolting his fighter back a step, and saving his life.

“Stop this! We have to go now! Right fucking now, Rutger!” He pushed the hold me back Viking away with Rutger giving play acting ground while gesturing at me with playground threats.

“I break you in cage! Hear me… I break you!” Rutger kept the bellow going off the dock.

I promised myself I would get some of that. Lynn peeked around at my face with a big smile as the Monsters retrieved their bags.

“Well aren’t you just the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen. Clint and I will meet you at The Warehouse with the baby.”

I nodded as Clint went by with a shoulder bump. “Okay Lynn. I’ll see you and Clint later.”

“I will call and make reservations, John,” Jafar promised. “Samira and I will bring Mia for as long as we can.”

“Thanks, little brother.”

I picked up my gear bag.

“Recon!” Lucas and Casey joined me. “I see Jess and the limo on the road waiting. I’m glad now we rode here with you. You damn hothead! You almost had us back on the Wolf for another shark feed.”

“Yeah… yeah I did, Pappy.”

* * *

They opened an area for all of us celebrators. We had babies, teens, Monsters, wives and girlfriends of Monsters. Lora and Al sat with me once again as if all life events were back in order. The Monsters knew better, but we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine when the light beams hit us. I had made a few calls, one of them to Alexi Fiialkov. Now, I could relax with Lora and Al. We Monsters were drinking in moderation, but there also was a limo standing by I rented for the night so Jess and Dev could join us with their loved ones. Even the minions were all there. We certainly made for a full house at The Warehouse. To make everyone who stopped in happy not in the Monster Squad, we paid all the tabs. Most were Oakland PD.

I was on my second Bud and Beam brother set. I could see Al was having a great time playing with newborns, and kidding around with the amiable Monsters. We had not shared the facts of what we had done, because there could be no slips of information until the government pussies figured out how they could cover it up so the poor Islamist murderers wouldn’t be all lumped together in an unfavorable light. The food would be coming soon, but Marla kept her eye on me, and I was planning on having a third set.

“You haven’t mentioned the new training, Lynn,” Al said. “How did Dad do?”

“I didn’t use the hook on him in the last one we did, and he hit the pole so hard he nearly broke my wrists. There will be blood.”

Al and everyone else laughed at Lynn’s declaration. “How did he do with the hook?”

“Tommy and I got him good on that one. We yanked him out of the water like a big tuna. We almost didn’t need any more training. The Viking and his manager stopped by the dock when we got in, and thought he could say anything he wanted.”

I was trying to wave off Lynn, but she was having too much fun waiting for the next shoe to drop. Al listened intently. “Wow, the Viking came to the docks. What happened?”