Clint clapped Jafar on the shoulders. “God… good story, kid. Yours is funnier than mine.”
“John told me that night we were very much alike, in that his drunken father came home to beat the crap out of him when he was young. Instead, John Gronked him and left the area in his car. I know in taking this position, I am in the company of highly skilled and very deadly men. Please let me know if I am ever out of line. You do not know me very well yet, but please know I do not wish to offend you by accident. I should have been truthful in this business I have with Azim. I apologize.”
Clint waved him off. “Forget it. If you’re thinking I won’t cut you the same slack as the rest of this crew you’re wrong. I’m sure Denny is stirring things up, even as we speak, with the new stuff we’ve provided him with.”
“I hope to be an agent all of my friends here can depend on. Samira loves our home and she does not ever wish to move. I will make sure she gets her wish or I will be dead.”
Clint fist bumped with Jafar. “Amen, brother.”
* * *
I watched our new guest, Muhammad Abdul Azim. He woke up finally, his head probably throbbing. He then realized he could not move his limbs. His eyes darted back and forth, because we had also strapped his head in place. Our buddy Azim was not happy. That touched a happy place in my soul. See… Jafar and Samira were like my kids. I remembered back to when I hid out with Samira and her family in a cave when she was just a little girl. She stepped up. She didn’t whine or complain. Jafar knew she was a keeper the moment he laid eyes on her. Jafar wanted Azim like a snake wants a big fat rat.
After our info gathering phase, we hit our targets hard and decisive. The civilian population would never know because these particular people had made the deadly mistake of taking on Murderer’s Row in their natural habitat. I unfastened Azim and gave him some aspirin, massaged his shoulders, head, and neck. He was very tense, mostly because he recognized me the moment he saw my smiling face come into view. Saud Morcos and Ruslan Umarov were next to him, but still unconscious. There were no other survivors of our foray. All but these two had been left with a Denny Strobert cocktail syringe full of afterlife potion. We didn’t fool around with niceties. All the bad guys were dead… all of them. Yeah… the newspapers would be full of speculation. We didn’t care, because we have a pact. Our West Coast Murderer’s Row incorporates one basic tenet – we do not allow foreign entities to allow our Constitution to become a suicide pact. Our select group, when we have incontrovertible proof someone around us has decided to shit on our country or our friends, we take those facts and act on them in ways beyond the law. Boo hoo. Light a candle and move on. Allowing known terrorists coupled with ACLU lawyers to reach our perverted justice system with judges who’ve negated their positions by either selling out the constitution or their moral integrity, doesn’t sit well with us.
“He’s fine, John.” Jafar hovered in a way only passionate interest explains. “Tell him about the deal.”
Azim perked up, as he rubbed his previously fastened parts. I could tell he knew who Jafar was. His brain was humming, trying to make sense of it all without any facts other than he had went to bed the night before and woke up here. “What of my family?”
“They’re fine, pal,” I reassured him. “Unlike your ilk, we don’t make war on wives and children.”
“I will tell you nothing.” Azim hung his head in a defiant posture with his hands clasped in tight fists.
“That really hurts our feelings. I’m at a loss here, Jafar. How could we have been more obliging? Mr. Azim has taken an immediate dislike to us.” I got a kick out of Jafar simply smiling but saying nothing. The kid never disappoints me, except of course when he sides with Minnie-me against the Dark Lord.
“He hasn’t even heard our deal yet, John,” Jafar picked up where I left off.
Azim wasn’t stupid enough to leap up and start engaging us. He had thought about it with serious consideration, but knew instinctively it would end badly for him. “What is this deal you speak of? I want a lawyer. I will speak with you no longer.”
I shook my head with the proper amount of sadness. “We don’t allow the ACLU in at this level, Mr. Azim. You are far beyond their traitorous clutches. The deal my young friend speaks of is a chance you have right now to actually hook up with your ACLU buddies and their scum sucking lawyers. All you have to do is take on my friend Jafar here. If you win, you get the ACLU promised land of traitorous lawyers. If not, he’ll probably beat you to death. I’m hoping he lets us test your theory about ‘you will say nothing’, but it’s his call. See, you decided to go Jihad on his wife Samira. We’ve decided to retaliate. Sucks to be you.”
Azim looked at Jafar and I with his beady little eyes trying to perceive what his chances were. “I am listening.”
He seemed a bit too cocky so I walked over, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him free of the floor with his hands batting and pummeling my hand. After a minute’s attitude review, I put him on the floor again. “I don’t like it when you assume too much, meat! Be careful how you react to us in any way, shape, or form. You feel me?”
Azim sputtered, choked, and made placating gestures to the effect he understood.
“Okay,” I proceeded. “My brother, Jafar, wishes to kick the crap out of you for what you have said and intimated about his wife, Samira. I’m in agreement. Here’s what you get on my word: ability to call in any ACLU traitorous dogs you want to if you win. If Jafar wins, you get a chance to tell us everything, along with a quick painless death. What do you say?”
Azim grinned. “I know you will not abide by your own rules, but I wish to kill this young pup anyway. I agree to your terms. Let us begin.”
Casey came out of the shadowed part of our greeting room. He helped Azim into the gloves and explained how the camera feeds would be focused. Azim shook his head, in obvious disdain for the professed rules. “I am not stupid! Get out of my face. I know you will break your word if I win and kill this young piece of shit!”
Casey grinned over at me. “Well hell, John, let’s start slicing on this prick now. He only thinks we won’t get everything out of him.”
I don’t conduct business like that, even with Azim. I could always get him later. “I gave my word, Case. Azim will get what he wishes if he wins. If I short change Jafar, what the hell do I do for respect in what I promise? I promised Jafar a life and death meet up with this sack of shit. I don’t like it any more than you, brother.”
Clint’s chuckle from the shadows made me look up. I figured he had a more direct intent in mind for Azim, but he surprised me.
Clint walked forward, putting a hand on Jafar’s shoulders. “You trained him, Dark Lord. Don’t go pussy on him now.”
He was right of course. “Let’s do this.”
Casey helped Azim into the MMA gloves as I did with Jafar. In moments they were faced off at each other, and I could tell from the expressions we wouldn’t need much to get things going. I gestured at our would be opponents. “Get it on!”
Azim charged across at Jafar, who sidestepped the flying knee he launched, and floored the passing Azim with a lightning quick, back of the head strike. Jafar let Azim regain his feet, gloved hands clenched at his sides. Both of them, as if by prearranged signal moved in on each other. I was about to find out how well I had done as a teacher, because I could see Azim wasn’t some unpicked posy. To his credit, Jafar remembered to keep his rage in check. He impressed me over the next few moments. Azim landed shots with purpose, catching Jafar coming in with a couple left hook stunners. The second shot put Jafar on his butt.
Azim launched a side kick to Jafar’s head, he narrowly rolled out of the way of. Blood gushed from his nose Azim had flattened with the second left hook. Yeah, I watched my pupil’s handling of the first broken part I knew about. He spit blood without taking his eyes off Azim. Jafar was in shape, but besides the blinding pain a busted nose causes, it affects your wind. I noted he acted as I had schooled him – short bre
aths where he could, and react to the fighter not the nose. Azim threw a straight right hand, Jafar rolled down under while leg whipping his opponent. He caught Azim completely by surprise. The leg whip worked perfectly. Azim landed flat with the back of his head bouncing off the cement floor.
Jafar went into full mount position with elbows and hammer fists. In seconds, the stunned Azim went from in danger to near death. Jafar did as I had coached him. After his first devastating flurry, the kid went to measured strikes, waiting until he had a clean shot before pummeling Azim. I shook my head at Clint and Casey as they moved forward to save our interrogation subject. They grinned and returned to watchful positions. The kid didn’t let up when Azim’s head no longer showed any signs of moving in between blows. He held up finally, his gloved hands dripping blood, and his breathing ragged. I noted Morcos and Umarov stirring into consciousness during the last takedown.
I walked over next to Jafar. “You done, kid?”
He stood up to face me. A bloody mess, with a flattened nose, Jafar smiled. He looked like a ghoul. Taking a deep, gulping breath through his mouth, Jafar held up a finger. “Almost.”
That said, the kid leaped into the air. He came down full bore with a right foot stomp that caved in Azim’s face, killing him instantly. Well, this payback stuff is hard to predict. Satan’s Spawn would of course be displeased, but I could tell by the chuckling laughter behind me, Clint and Casey thought the ending was pretty entertaining. For me, when you decide to make statements branding a man’s wife a whore, prostitute, and mark her for death, sometimes that ill advised talk comes back to haunt you. Jafar played it through. He walked over to the wide eyed Morcos and Umarov, shaking a bloody fist at Morcos.
“You are next, dog! Cut him free, John!”
Yeah, the kid was on a roll. I could tell in his eyes, Morcos didn’t want any part of the raging bloody specter dripping Azim’s blood on him. “I think we should give our buddies, Saud and Ruslan a chance to talk, kid. You know Denny. He’ll be wanting an accounting as to what happened to Azim. A cooperative Morcos and Umarov might make him a bit more receptive as to Azim’s sudden departure from planet earth. I believe Saud here for sure wants to be helpful, right pal?”
Our Saud couldn’t move much, but what he could move, he moved in a violent show of affirmation. Naturally, that tickled my two comrades. Umarov mimicked him even though he hadn’t been asked. Clint and Case knew we had methods far beyond a Jafar beat-down to get Morcos’s cooperation, so they weren’t really concerned with whether Morcos or Umarov would help us out. They knew both would… eventually. I uncovered Saud’s mouth with a rip of duct tape. His face contorted momentarily with Jafar hovering around him dripping blood.
“I…I want to make a deal.”
Yeah, Saud, that’ll happen. “See, kid. Saud wants to be helpful. Maybe you won’t have to grind his head into bloody pulp. You know of course we’re going to make you clean up Azim from our floor, right?”
Jafar leaned over with his broken nosed, blood dripping face, to smile into Morcos’s eyes. “Yes, I am very good at cleanup, John. No problem.”
* * *
We were meeting in Denny’s bat-cave. He loves our warehouse House of Pain. I could tell Strobert was less than happy with our results. His mind, of course, amped into the future, which limited his ability to enjoy the moment. He sees scenarios where he keeps these mooks alive somewhere secret so he can return to them like a garden of infamous information. I’m more of a day to day guy. They’re not like a set of your mother’s good china. You break them, and you go get some more.
Denny stared at me, gauging how his perspective would mesh with mine. He correctly assumed it wouldn’t, sighed, and shrugged. “At least you allowed me to keep a couple.”
“I aim to please.” What the hell’s the use of trading barbs with the Spawn of Satan? I can’t predict what he sees in the future. I do have an imagination of sorts though.
“You could have stopped the kid from stomping Azim into eternity, John.”
“Was there a question for me in there, Denny, or are you just blowing off steam?”
Strobert waved me off. “I get it. The teams from Homeland Security hit the spots Morcos and Umarov gave us. We did well. It’s my job to caution you as my company rep to keep the bigger picture in mind.”
Denny was already laughing when I couldn’t keep the look of angry disdain off my face. Note to self – work on the poker face with Strobert. “You can kiss my big picture ass. The kid killed Azim in cold blood. It’s his first, and I have no doubt he could do it again. He’s tested goods. Jafar knew what you wanted. He knew what I wanted. He looked me in the eye, jumped up and stomped Azim into hell.”
“I get that, and believe me, I’m arranging future missions in my head with that in mind. Staying in the present though, any suggestions for immediate procedure you’d like to share?”
I consider my answer to Denny carefully. “I think we sit tight now with all channels open for threads entwining into what we’ve done. You have Morcos and Umarov for bad guy input.”
Strobert nodded. “That’s how I figure it too, John. Okay, let’s take a breath and keep the feelers out. You still thinking about backing Clint with a team?”
“Whatever Clint needs to get those wankers is exactly what I’ll provide. Clint’s already worked out a wish list and I agree with it completely. I know he sent it to you too.”
“I have it, but interdivisional camaraderie dictates a different ending. I’d like you to make sure we have live suspects.”
I laughed. It was a few moments before I could engage coherently in the conversation. “Fuck you, Denny! Those people have to die. If you’re not onboard with that, maybe you better duck into the cellar and stay away from our obvious need to happen scenario.”
“I’m getting pressure for an FBI show trial, John. It’s one I can’t ignore.”
Rage would have been the common reaction here, but I knew how things worked with this stuff. The same FBI minions who owed most of their latest successes to Clint, wanted him to put aside his serial killer end game and play ball, but Clint already told me they’d take whatever he gave them. No way I’m forwarding that determination by a guy who should know better. Who knows? Denny may be lighting me up as a test for all I know.
“Fuck you, Denny. Let me lay it on the line for you, partner. It don’t matter how many government agencies try to sack our op. We will kill these three, Denny. I don’t care where they are, or how many people we embarrass, they die, period. If it hurts your ambitions, I guess you’ll have to lay low out of this.”
Denny looked me in the eye without turning away. “That’s what I figured. Any chance you keep the team on the West Coast, and allow Clint and Lynn to do this on their own?”
“Clint’s already requisitioned the West Coast Avengers. Our participation is a done deal. Best to figure out your involvement or non-involvement in this, Denny. We want you as CIA Director, but if you think we’ll cave on psychopaths killing on sprees, you’re out of your bureaucratic mind!”
“Understood,” Denny acknowledged while looking away. He held out his hand after a moment and I shook it. “I don’t want to end up so jaded I don’t know right from wrong. I’d rather have all of you at my back than the Washington fucks any day… any way.”
“Good to know, my friend. I never figured you for a kiss ass serial killer stance… at least I prayed not. We’ll make this serial killer trio demise as righteous as we can, but know this: their deaths are a forgone conclusion, and any ripples in the force will be dealt with extreme prejudice. You feel me, brother?”
Denny didn’t waver. “I got it, John. Know this, no matter what I face, I ain’t ever going to screw my team over… ever. It has nothing to do with fear or political complications. When things get unsavory or too hot to handle, I’ll take the heat, and join you all. It took years to have something like we have out here. I’m not pissing on it over a few complications. I hope their deaths look good, because
there will be a spotlight on them.”
He’s got me there. “With the way my newest members work, I’m not real sure that’s possible. You saw what happened in Vegas to the serial rapists. I’ll do my best to express your desire for a good looking death scene, but in the end, it will be Lynn and Clint who make the final sendoff scenario after they find out where all the bodies are. Best if you work on an ending where the bodies are burnt to a crisp and maybe the info found on a hard drive.”
Denny nodded.“Not bad, DL. How are Lora and Alice doing?”
“Alice still insists on sleeping in the safe-room. I guess it will take a while to earn her trust back. Lora keeps to herself about it. She knew what she was getting into. Your cleanup crew was the best, Denny. They had the place looking better than before the attack by the end of the day. I think Lora cut me some slack because of it. Let’s call it a night so I can go home and take the girls out to dinner or something. They’ll probably refuse, thinking they’ll get killed in the restaurant parking lot, but hey, I don’t make the rules.”
Denny laughed, nodding his head in agreement as I spoke. “You ever think of going into management full time, John?”
Yeah, but all the scenarios end up with me forcing unintended consequences. I’ve been around Strobert long enough to know how management works. I probably couldn’t cut it. That’s why I have a day-job. “Nope. Not doing that. You’re the best I’ve ever seen at it, Denny. I’m not you. We both know that.”
Denny grinned. “I thought the same way as you back in the day. Keep it in mind, John. I could use a second in command I can trust. It’s a joke at your expense with the West Coast Avengers, but you have the tools for it.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. I have so many things working the right way, I’m not going to change what ain’t broke.”
“Fine. I’m not wanting you anywhere you don’t want to be, but it is something to think about, John. I could use the backup if I ever get the directorship.”
“I would help for sure. Whether I make it official… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to me you need much help, Spawn. How about if the West Coast Avengers help you out as a team? That sets the right tone for me.”
Hard Case: Boxed Set Books 1,2 & 3 (John Harding Books) Page 57