Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) (25 page)

“Your Dad bitch slapped him, and his manager convinced him to leave before he died on the dock.”

“He slapped him in the face… right on his tattoos?”

Al even had me laughing at that one. It was many moments before Lynn could answer.

“Yeah, Al, right on the tats.”

She turned to me then. “Weren’t you scared, Dad?”

“They weren’t in the cage with millions of people watching, Al,” Lynn answered for me. “Your Dad’s a professional. The Viking is pretend.”

Al’s eyes furrowed. “Does that mean you’re a sure thing to win, Dad?”

“Nope. Not in the cage. They have rules and referees in the cage.” Marla brought me refills right on time. “The Viking may beat me in the cage, but it won’t be as easy as he thought.”

“There wouldn’t have been any confrontation if not for Ray Alexander,” Tommy said.

I sipped some Beam. “I believe the Karma train is finally arriving at the station for our old buddy Ray, T.”

* * *

To say Ray Alexander strode from the refurbished fight arena near International Blvd. in a rage would be an injustice. He slammed his hand onto parked car hoods, kicked loose trash in the street, and generally looked like he had gone insane. Alexi Fiialkov had fired Ray only moments before for spying on John Harding for The Berserker and his manager. He also still owed Fiialkov nearly twenty-five thousand dollars. Fiialkov let him know the debt had a one month window on it before things got real nasty. Ray never figured Northman and Donner would ever rat him out. As he neared his Mercedes, Ray beeped it open. Before he could get inside, a huge figure clad in black appeared behind him, and grabbed Ray in a neck hold.

“Say hello to Van Rankin in hell for me.”

The last thing in life Ray felt was his neck wrenched so badly his head almost came off. He bounced the dead cat bounce, his eyes staring out at the littered street for a few seconds until the light faded like a lantern wick with no oil in the tank.

* * *

I popped the trunk on the Mercedes and deposited poor old Ray Alexander. Gus came alongside me with his usual bright eyed lust for a new addition to the Pain Central Auto Garage. “Oh my God, John. This is a beauty.”

We exchanged keys. “It’s all yours. Put Ray in deep freeze. It’s been a long day and night. I’m going home to get some sleep. This adjustment couldn’t wait any longer though. Thanks for driving me over.”

“Back in the Bay again tomorrow?”

“Yep. I have a date with the Viking. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“I doubt you will. Tomorrow we’re filming after you come back from the training session. Crue wants to shoot the scene at high noon. Jess is picking the Hollywood kids up at Oakland International at 8 am. We’ll get them situated at Pain Central until Crue gets done torturing you.”

“I got her good, Gus. Did you hear?”

“Oh yes, dead man. I heard. How do you think that will work out this coming early morning?”

“Not well,” I admitted.

“Good luck, amigo.” Gus got in the new Pain Central vehicle while I jogged to our other company car, mentally crossing one more pain in the ass off my list.

* * *

Tommy peeked inside the body bag and laughed. Yeah, Tommy has a little Monster in him too. “This will be the first time I actually am anxious to see you prepare breakfast for the sharks. I can’t believe you went home after yesterday, and slipped back out to help Ray into the light.”

“Gus was available, and Alexi knew where the prick would be. There are no security cams there, so it was the perfect place to give Ray a ride. Compared to atomic bomb Tuesday, today should be fun.”

“That’s because you’re not in the water yet,” Crue contradicted me over her shoulder as she bugged Jess and Dev who were fishing off the Wolf’s side. Clint, Casey, and Lucas were at the opposite railing with their own lines in the water.

We struck out for the outer reaches of the Bay early, because the guys expressed an interest in fishing before they baited the Great Banana. Jafar, Samira, and the baby would be spending the day with Lora at our office, so he was making sure Al and the twins reached school on their final day before summer vacation. Samira now carried the baby Mia everywhere. Although these past days had been nightmarish, they sent a powerful message, especially inside the gang leadership. Ray Alexander fit in fine at the end, although no one would know about Ray but us.

I smiled, knowing Lynn wanted first dibs on the Great Banana, I would be ready for the hook. If I was wrong, I’d be getting an initial hard ass poke. The reason this regimen in the Bay worked relied on the almost intuitive sixth sense it built for the pole. I knew it hovered near me, ready to strike like a pit viper. I maintained the swim stroke Tommy called out while engaging in Zen survival. The poking drills in the Bay were the reason when Marko ‘The Assassin’ blinded me in the cage, I could still fight, including the final strike I killed that rat bastard with. After prodding The Viking yesterday I had to be ready. When we were in the cage together with a referee and millions watching, Rutger could beat me into a coma. The poke drill would help me survive until I could find a way to take him down to the mat where the hook drill might enable me to ruin his day. It may be I will start this morning drill pissing off the most cold blooded female killer I have ever run across. Such is life as a Monster.

Lynn stormed to the center of the boat, hands on hips as if sensing my reverie. “All hands on deck. That goes for you Snow Whites too, especially you, Snow White Sands. Get away from the Cheeseburger before you contaminate him. Ahab! Get this barge moving. I have some issues to work out. The Great Banana is suited up. He needs toughening. Let’s get to it.”

As Ahab and Nightshot Casey moved to the bridge, Clint was laughingly getting the pole ready for Lynn, while fondling her ass. She slapped at his hand but didn’t move away.

Dev and Jess joined Tommy, who had been flipping off Lynn over his new nickname. “Don’t go in the water, brother.”

“Have to, Jess. I’ve got a date with my Viking princess.”

“Damn, I wish you had video on that bitch slap you gave him,” Dev added.

“Jafar or Laredo can probably get it off the dock security cams. I thought of them when I figured I might have to make those two disappear yesterday.”

“Oh yeah! Jess and I need to see that. Like Jess said though, don’t go in the water. Crue may not even give Tommy a turn today.”

“I think they’re right, John,” Tommy added, glancing at Lynn. “Fake falling on the deck and hurting your knee. We’ll help you sell it.”

“Nope. I’m good to go. Watch this first one, T.”

Tommy grabbed my arm. “Don’t you cross Psycho. Play nice or you’ll be in a body bag.”

I enjoyed that exchange as did Dev and Jess. Unfortunately, Crue noticed our lighthearted moment too, intuitively knowing we were discussing her. I waved and got in the water to take the heat off my brothers. They retreated to the other side of the boat. Lucas started the small electrical trolling motor on the Wolf, getting the boat moving forward with me loosening muscles while adjusting my mask and snorkel. I also needed weights inserted in my suit to get negative buoyancy. At the beginning of this bullshit, I was allowed fins. Now, of course, those are not permitted. I argued I might need an extra second to beat jaws to the fantail, but with Clint backing my play, no shark ever lived long after a bump.

Lucas knows I don’t have a motor attached to my ass, but I do have to stroke. Tommy calls out the stroke change. I have a few minutes in between our actual engagements before I have to start again. The prick called out the butterfly stroke – the absolute worst for doing the Zen mind anticipation. Tommy picked the stroke I’d have the most trouble taking Crue on while doing my counterstrike. He was trying to save my life, but I wasn’t appreciative of it this morning. I wanted to take on ‘The Wake of the Red Witch’. The butterfly stroke takes concentration. Like in a fight though, I can vary my speed cutting through the water. It doesn’t work all that well for the poke strike, but it makes the hook more difficult.

They normally allowed me to swim for a few minutes before nailing me. I built up speed outracing the Wolf’s trolling motor to the limit I was allowed to go toward the bow. I achieved a great rhythm. It seems impossible to become one with the pole, but after so many torturous hours in the water, I could feel it hovering above my head. Then, whether a danger pheromone being given off, or simply a sixth sense, I knew the hook was coming. I slowed. The pole with hook engagement shot past my head. I spun while gripping it as if doing an arm-bar on an opponent, yanking, twisting, and wrapping legs. Lucas did what he was supposed to do - shut down the trolling motor so the Wolf stopped, thereby throttling me as I surged past. This pole defense was so good, Crue couldn’t drop the pole to let the chain take the brunt of my twist as the boat slowed. It yanked her into the water with a yelp while trying to turn a somersault into a dive. Oh my… I nearly teared up as I watched Lynn tumble by me as I was shifted toward the rear side of the boat still holding onto the pole with my hold. Lynn sputtered to the surface, spitting ocean water in a fury of fist slapping rage.

The crew erupted in extremely loud appreciation of my feat. Lucas fled from the pilot’s seat to witness the aftermath of the dunking. If you ever wondered what a gorgon would look like surfacing in an ocean, I believe I could describe the mythical creature. She didn’t even swim for the fantail. Lynn pounded the surf raking my lineage back a thousand years. Oh man, she pulled out all the stops. Finally, the temperature of the water, and the wall of noise coming from the happy crew, led by Ahab’s bellowing he-haw, started the gorgon toward the fantail. She thought about coming for me. I saw the killer inside calculating. Lynn knew she couldn’t take me out of the water. In the water I could whup our whole crew at the same time. I remained hanging onto my blessed pole.

Every voice inside my body was crying out for me to give her a finger wave and smile on the way by. I couldn’t resist the voices – and it was so good, even though I would probably have to pay with my life. I’d need Clint, Lora, and Al to come back from this one. The moment I did the finger wave and smile, Crue jetted toward the fantail at full speed. I waited. I knew my brother Clint would have to do unarmed combat with his mate to save me, but I trusted him completely. The commotion finally ceased aboard ship, and Tommy poked his head over the side with a big smile.

“I don’t know how long you have to live, brother, but thank you for that. Are you ready to continue?”

I unwrapped from the pole, giving it a boost into Tommy’s hands. “I’m good to go, T.”

Lucas, Casey, Jess, and Dev all joined Tommy at the railing for a momentary wave.

“Recon!” Lucas shouted before heading toward the pilot’s chair.

I took a deep breath, and began stroking, keeping pace with the boat. Tommy handled the rest of my time in the water. The exciting success carried the remnants of my small victory into the rest of the training session. I nailed every pole poke but one with a lightning fast side-hand strike. I even managed to get half the hook attempts. Tommy gave me the boarding sign. Man, I felt good. I wished I didn’t have to help with the bank robber scenes so I could sip a few all the way back to port. Sending Ray Alexander to Davy Jones Locker in pieces for our happy finned contingent was such a momentous occasion I did have a beer with Tommy.

Once Lynn left the water, and Clint calmed her down, she took a shower before changing into sweats. Clint made her some tea, and they went to sit on the bridge. The reason the crew enjoyed the scene so vocally while she was in the water made good sense. No one wanted to celebrate her dunking while she was within range of a weapon on the boat. We had no idea if she would kill us if we kidded around with her, and we didn’t want to find out. Even Lucas only smiled while steering the Wolf back to port. The rest of us remained near the fantail in great spirits. I was a hero. We celebrated my small victory in hushed tones of appreciation.

“At least you have a great security system, brother,” Dev said. “You have the new fingerprint scanner entry pad now.”

“Yeah, but Tommy’s print is on the entry list,” Jess pointed out. “Crue will cut his finger off to get in.”

We had to muffle our enjoyment of Jess’s reminder, but Tommy was not convinced it was a joke. He pointed at me.

“I want off the keypad and a written statement I’m not in your security system.”

After we yucked it up over that demand, Jess toasted me. “Stopped the atomic bomb, bitch slapped the Viking, and dunked Crue, all in a twenty-four hour period. You are the man!”

“Yeah, until Psycho slits his throat,” Tommy added.

“I helped save her son. I’m golden.”

“We’ll remember to have that engraved on your tombstone,” Casey said. “You seem ready for Vegas and the Viking already. Are you sure you want to keep training out here?”

“Yep. All the way until we go. I don’t have any illusions about my chances in the cage against Rutger. When we finish with the scenes for the Hollywood kids, we’ll need to spar today. I’d like to see if the quickness is still there for the boxing part. The way I figure it is I have to hurt the Viking boxing with him, or I won’t ever have a chance to get him on the mat.”

“The boxing will keep your head still attached, but the only way you’ll get him interested in going to the mat with you is your leg kicks,” Tommy said. “The Bay training keeps your legs in great shape. He’s probably doing the usual roadwork or possibly the walking or running in water that’s popular now. You do it for real out here without fins. We have to keep your fight plan in three absolute musts: keep head attached, kick like a mule, and get the damn arm-bar when you hit the mat.”