Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) (39 page)

“I see I’ve been called to rubber stamp another kill mission.”

“Rubber stamp is such a harsh term,” I said. “You stating you’re in full agreement with a kill mission of these assholes has a much better ring to it. Right, Monsters?”

Barked out affirmatives signaled universal agreement. Denny chuckled and shrugged. “You do know we’re having to give up some players to be named later because of this, right?”

“Better to have them and use them than never to have used them at all.”

“Thanks for that convoluted piece of crap, John. Let me know when it’s over. Jafar already sent me the coordinates. Since you’re doing this, leave no two stones together. One story. Our call on the scene. I still have the crew in the area that cleaned your last Isis extermination.”

We snapped to attention and saluted by my prearranged signal. Denny promptly flipped us off while trying not to laugh and disconnected. I could pretend this wasn’t serious, but Denny was running interference in DC because the atom bomb threat wasn’t taken seriously. We stopped it so no big deal. We planned to make it no big deal. Carlos told Lynn this secondary compound was the last one fed from the pipeline they created through the tunnels. This meant setting back infiltration for years if Denny could get someone in DC interested in securing the border before we were obliterated.

* * *

I flew the Mi-24 straight onto target with ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ thundering from our speakers. I mean their hangar shook from the audio wave we swept down on them with. We held fire through the first pass with every gun manned by a Monster. Our enemy stumbled out of the structures in disoriented confusion, the music nearly on a weapon’s level of sound. Every one of us was shouting along with it.

We took small arms fire during the second pass. Soon, they had no more questions about what we were doing there. We nearly leveled the hangar on the first pass. We streaked into our turn with XM25 blowing apart everything left standing after the first pass. It was a Monster Squad apocalypse as we descended upon them for the third wave, decimating even the small building stones left. I couldn’t be sure although I came in low, but Casey said the sound rocked the small debris apart as if we were firing sonic blasts. Fires spread and secondary ammunition explosions filled the air with smoke and flame. Through the smoke and fire, I weaved the Mi-24 weapons still blazing, leaving nothing behind but charred ash, and a vapor trail.

I turned the Mi-24 toward its new home with the ending strains of ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ and Monsters yelling in harmony while celebrating death and destruction below. No matter what happened on earth in the smallest corner of some third world dung hole, every single Monster on board knew if we waged war on the Islamists everywhere on the planet as we did here on the outskirts of San Joaquin County, California, we would free the earth from the plague of these throat slitting vermin forever. We had wiped out the plague with fire here on our land. We rode together in satisfied silence with what we were allowed to control in our small way.

* * *

With all prisoners awaiting rendition through Denny in the morning already settled into holding cells, I had Jess and Dev bring Chuck to Pain Central with his wife Trista, the cling-on. I shook hands with Chuck before showing them to their new quarters for the time being, including our entertainment room and bathrooms. Trista waited only five minutes before starting to complain about lighting, the facilities, and that she needed her bags brought in. It was a good thing Lynn had already went home with Clint. I believe I would have asked her for a favor. A few minutes alone with the Mistress of the Unimaginable would have worked wonders for Trista. Probably if I simply made sure Lynn was around Trista for a short period of time, Lynn would be begging me for the opportunity to school Trista.

“Please shut up, Trista,” I ordered. “Don’t make me list all the things I’ve found out about you that would make any sane human being call Nino Romanski, and hand you to him with a big bow around your neck.”

Trista did a great open mouthed, wide eyed gasp of outrage. Chuck began to talk, but I waved both off. “I will fix this because Chuck is Al’s Father. I don’t want any explanations, excuses, or promises. Also, stay within the area I’ve shown you. If you go outside the area I’ve shown you, one of my men will zap you back into the area. Is all that clear? Yes or no will be sufficient.”

Chuck simply nodded.

Trista said, “yes, but I don’t know why I’m being treated this way.”

“Then you’re even dumber than I suspected. Stay here. We’ll take care of this as soon as we can.”

I left them, and found Quays. “Those two are not allowed anywhere other than the living quarters, entertainment room, and the facilities. Use the cattle prod on them with my blessing if they give you any shit.”

“Sure, John. I heard the one you called cling-on complaining ever since she walked in the door. Are you going to make a deal with Crue?”

“Great minds think alike. I’m thinking of making sure to put Trista everywhere Crue is. After half an hour Crue will be begging me to let her train the beast.”

Quays shook his head. “No, amigo. That is a dangerous game after having successfully put Crue into the ocean three times in a row, and then banned her.”

“Dangerous is my middle name.”

“You don’t have a middle name, hombre,” Quays said. “Don’t fool around anymore with Crue. Let’s get Romanski. Then you can go knock the tats off the Viking in Vegas, where we will have a Sin City extravaganza vacation.”

“I’m telling you Quays, if I put Trista in with Crue, I won’t have to promise any favors. Crue will do her for free.”

Quays backed away from me as if I was radioactive. “You’re burning too hot, Dark Lord. You need a cooling down period.”

“Okay… okay, I will consider your advice.”

Quays made the sign of the cross. “Go now, and sin no more.”

Cute.

* * *

Although it was Sunday night, and my girls had been entertaining out of state guests, they were waiting for me. We had been exceptionally efficient, especially Crue. She had broken Carlos in fifteen minutes. Crue didn’t draw it out because she wanted her own ‘Ride of the Valkyries’. We let her work the Gatling Gun. We finished our business quickly with Isis, so I made it home at nearly 1 am after helping Chuck and Trista homestead at Pain Central.

“Hi. I figured you two would be in bed already. How did the visiting day go?”

“Mom almost Gronked Trista,” Al said. “Thanksgiving would be a mess with her around. If you think that Thanksgiving with Aunt Tess was bad, we should invite Aunt Tess along with Trista. Wow, what a home movie that would be.”

“That’s sick!” Lora was not amused. “Even your Aunt Tess doesn’t deserve that holiday dinner. You’re out of line, minion of the Dark Lord!”

“If my DNA Dad is still with Trista this summer, I’m not going there to stay.”

“That will not happen,” I said. “I’ll pay to bring them here and put them in the hotel of their choice in San Francisco. You can visit there for as long as they want. I don’t want you in Arizona with Trista. I never presume to know another man’s marriage, but that woman is nuts. I still don’t think all this has altered her head even a little bit.”

“Let’s quit talking about her. Want to go in the kitchen and have a Beam brother?”

“That sounds like heaven. I’m sorry all this extra drama wiped out our family day. We’ll be able to do a bunch of family days once I straighten out Nino. How was your visit with your Dad, Al?”

“It was okay when Trista wasn’t interrupting. She can’t stand to be in a room without being noticed. What’s that saying adults use… ah… oh yeah - ‘she sucks the air out of a room’.”

After we enjoyed that excellent description of Trista the cling-on, we adjourned to the kitchen for my nightcap. They had ginger-ale while I sipped the double Beam. “Any problems other than misunderstandings with houseguests?”

Lora and Al exchanged conspiratorial glances. Oh good. “Spit it out. I saw that secret look fest. What’s going on now?”

“Al wants to watch you fight the Viking in Vegas.”

There’s some good news. Gee thanks, Lora. Of all the times to step up with your heavy duty Mom persona, perhaps this would have been the right venue for it. Nope. Put it on the Dark Lord. He can do it. “You know what happened when you saw a bad round in the Rattler fight, Al. I don’t quit. I don’t want you there if I’m getting whupped bad. It will upset you. It’s not a sport for kids to watch. Anything can happen, and often does.”

“It’s different now, Dad. I can handle it. Mom said she’ll go with me. We can walk out if it gets bad.”

These two would stay in their seats, unable to prevent anything, while The Berserker tore me apart. Both would be crying, which would probably upset my Monsters, and they’d start shooting people. I don’t like this. I drank down my Beam and poured another. Liquid courage it’s called.

“First off, good parenting, Lora. I learn by example. Secondly, I’ll approve your request young one, but I don’t want to see any tears. You grab Wimpy’s hand and drag her out if it gets bad, okay?”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Wimpy? I got rolled. There’s no need to get personal, DL.”

“If you say so.” I plan to get real personal with you in a little while.

Chapter Thirteen

Nino and the Viking

I only missed two pokes and three hooks. The Zen was working so well Tommy began accusing Dev and Jess of giving me signals. Lucas and Casey enjoyed the fallout as Dev and Jess were sent to the other side of the Wolf. When that didn’t help, Tommy made Casey join them. When that didn’t work, Tommy called me in at the forty minute mark after I nailed his hook try. He almost didn’t let go of the pole in time on that one when I did a Dragon Hands spider-monkey on him.

“Get out of the water, you freak!” Tommy was the butt of a few zingers from his ostracized comrades on deck.

When Casey, Dev, and Jess loomed into sight with amused waves I did the porpoise for them including dolphin noises ending in Tommy is a pussy. Considering we needed to wipe out a Russian gang on the East Coast we were in pretty good spirits. Clint was working the case, networked with Jafar and Laredo in DC, using all the satellites available to our very black-op gang of Monsters. I had no doubt by the time we returned from the training run, there might very well be a location for the Nino mob. Then it would be a short plotting time, and a very violent action plan.

I scrambled out of the water with I know a shit eating grin on my face. “Tell me the truth, T. The Berserker is in trouble, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, John, he is,” Tommy admitted.

“Recon!” Lucas walked back with his fist pumping. “Hell of funny today with T actually banning, Case, Dev, and Jess from this side of the boat for shooting you signals. Once we settle with Nino, we are going to party in Vegas.”

“That’s my plan,” I told him. “Lora allowed Al to ask if she could go to the fight.”

“Crap!”

“Yep. That’s how it struck me too, Lucas. Lora passed the buck and never broke stride doing it either.”

“You’ll have to ask Clint and Lynn to sit with them,” Dev said. “It’s a bad idea, but we’re all in the same boat. Rose made me promise to let her and the kids see the UFC event. They’ve watched the videos of what it looks like inside the Mandalay Bay Arena.”

“I’m stuck too,” Tommy said. “I guess you’ll have a slew of guests at this one, Dark Lord, my kids included.”

“Same here,” Jess said. “You’re in better shape than when you fought the Rattler, brother. Maybe it’ll go the whole five rounds, and you’ll get a decision.”

“It ain’t going to a decision,” I told him. No use sugarcoating this. “I’ve been working too hard on this to let tats off with a decision. If I get the right chance I have a surprise for him. I’m hoping this won’t be so damn brutal you’ll regret allowing the families in.”

“Mine’s all coming too,” Lucas said. “We’ll make sure they get a block of tickets all together. Casey and Linda are excited as hell to see the fight at the Mandalay Bay. I think even their Mom’s pumped about it. It’s hard to tell with Sarah. I can tell you one thing. She don’t take shit. If she thinks the fight’s too brutal, Sarah will strong arm the whole gang out of the arena.”

“Anna thinks the fight might make her have the baby so she’s going,” Casey added. “She even said she’s going to eat a pepperoni pizza first before the fight.”

Now that was funny. “Okay then. The only problem we have before the big Vegas vacation is little old Nino. I’m afraid he’s going to begin his journey to the dark side soon. We should do this like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. I figure a quick in and out if we narrow his position down just like Lucas suggested before.”

“Too bad he doesn’t have a compound. We’d have a hell of a time getting a good assault helicopter, but man, if we could somehow do the ‘Apocalypse Now’ performance for him,” Casey said with a big comical sigh. “That was so sweet.”

“That’s a damn work of art you created there, John,” Lucas agreed. “We’re putting the ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ as the number one type assault to do for all time when it’s even a little bit possible. The only thing we have to add is we need a cameraman on the ground. I want the next one on video from the ground.”

“Oh yeah! You got that right, Lucas,” Casey said. “Hey, Tommy, you, Dev, and Jess want to come along on a ‘Salt the Earth’ op if we get another.”