Nightmare in Red

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “We flew Bill’s people out in secret. Everyone’s at the Lover’s Point Inn so there won’t be any last minute delays. Even the Marines are on a three day pass,” Nick said. “I believe as the designated father of both brides I have done an exceptional job in making this happen. I didn’t have to kill anyone either.”

  “Muerto, you are a true yenta,” Gus said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Loose Ends

  Nick stepped away from the brides, retreating to an area out of the way after giving Dimah and Cala away. A small group of family and friends joined with the dress uniformed Marines in attendance as audience to the wedding. Sonny acted as ring bearer for both wedding parties as Jean acted out flower girl duties for both. With Gus as John’s best man, Rachel’s Maid of Honor for Dimah and Tina for Cala, only Bill’s Marine best man was the one wedding party representative not a member of Nick’s inner circle.

  Nick listened to the vows and heartfelt personal recitals by the grooms and brides with happy acceptance of a nonviolent occasion he mentored from beginning to end. With a perfect morning, rocky coast, Pacific Grove beach scene surrounding the event, the balmy weather added an element quite different from the usual foggy coolness. Joe Montenegro, owner of Monte Café, dressed in the same wedding party tuxedo as Nick moved quietly to stand next to him as the ceremony ended.

  “Are you sure you want me to fill in for you, Nick?”

  “Yep. I have to look after any outside interruptions that might occur. The reception begins right now over at the catered area you saw near the other stand of trees. Dimah and Cala know to treat you like the Father of the Bride for the reception. Did they finish the nursery addition I ordered for the Café yet?”

  “Almost. Does Rachel really want to come back to work the café?”

  “She can’t wait, Joe. She’s nuts. Rachel loves working the Café. With the nursery and computer room, she can continue with your permission to work while watching over Jean and Quinn when I’m not around.”

  “Thank you for all that, Nick. I don’t know what to say. It will be great to have Rachel working at the café again. I don’t know how to repay you.”

  “Filling in here is payment enough. I have to get into character as reception security guard. Enjoy yourself, Joe.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have any trouble, Nick,” Joe replied. “The Kaders would be nuts to mess with the reception and a squad of Marines.”

  Nick smiled at his old friend. “You don’t know the Kaders the way I do, Joe. I’ve been keeping track of visitors landing from back East. The bastards imported a couple of unscrupulous men to ruin everything. I can’t have that. I’ll touch base with you later, my friend.”

  “Be careful, Nick.”

  “Always.” Nick walked away unobtrusively to a panel van parked across the coastal highway. Inside the van, Nick dressed in jeans, black pullover shirt, and a black leather coat. He added a black San Francisco Giants hat and left the van with what looked like a saxophone case.

  Nick had left his Unholy Trio friends out of the loop for the first time. He found a way atop Lover’s Point Inn. His range finder stakeout revealed exactly what he had been expecting. After much thought, Nick had picked out the sniper’s nest he would have used on the wedding and reception party the day before. It had to be close to a vehicle but far away from any place the team could be stopped or spotted right away. Walking the route in both directions dressed in old man’s garb with hat and cane, Nick had taken his time with Deke happily accompanying him.

  His search proved fruitful a short time before sundown when two men in all black jogging outfits, with ball caps and hoodies, climbed the small rocky escarpment Nick had picked out as a likely nest. It had full view of the wedding and reception areas. Nick didn’t share the information, but he knew the Kaders were watching his wedding planner and all catering outlets. He played with Deke while watching the two men using scopes and range finders as if birdwatching on the beach. After an intensive search for a perfect spot within view of the Kader sniper group’s nest, Nick entered the roof area of the Lover’s Point Inn. It had proven to be a perfect counter nest.

  Nick entered the Lover’s Point Inn roof area on his final deadly business. In moments he constructed his counter nest. He could hear the music playing in the reception area as he assembled and mounted his M107 sniper rifle with silencer. As he had done the day before, he used his range finders to plot wind speed, direction, and temperature. The wedding reception proceeded into joyous celebration. Nick watched the hit team move into place on the rock escarpment. They draped a tarp around themselves colored in dark gray mottled hues very much like the rocks. Nick aimed without fanfare and shot the shooter through the head with a .50 caliber bullet taking half his head off. Squeezing once again, he pulped the head of the blood and brain sprayed spotter. He shot each one again before packing his things.

  He called Paul, explained the circumstances for the hit and where the bodies were. “They have a sniper rifle and any dummy can tell they’re a sniper team.”

  “Good. Let’s leave the scene as is. Let the locals investigate. I’ll keep an eye on it. What are your plans now?”

  “Get dressed and rejoin the reception as Father of the Bride.”

  “Only you, Muerto… only you.”

  * * *

  “I don’t like this, Nick.” Rachel watched Jean and Sonny walk away with other kids attending camp, led by a young woman adorned in camp counselor’s clothes. “Are you sure these camp people and kids will be safe in the presence of The Daughter of Darkness?”

  Nick chuckled while shifting Quinn to a more comfortable position in his chest carrier. “This is the wealthiest summer camp in existence. Sometimes as parents we have to let go the reins of parental authority so our children may mature.”

  “You’ve been saving that gem to smack me with for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Ever since we loaded the kids this morning. How did it sound?”

  “It sounded like you should stick to writing fiction and leave the psycho-babble to the experts. Answer the question, Muerto.”

  Nick moved closer, running his fingertips over Rachel’s back, leaning over to kiss the nape of her neck with whisper soft caress. “We will have a couple of weeks without Viper playing ninja while we look for ways to express our physical affection anywhere in the house we want.”

  Rachel closed her eyes, moaning under Nick’s touch. “Let’s leave her until they close the camp down. She’s not a firebug so they’ll survive until September. I know you. What added gimmick do you have in place to keep Viper under surveillance?”

  “John and I planted bugs in everything her and Sonny have. They believe all they have to do is trigger the communication apparatus I gave them for doing their ninja games. Of course John and I will be alternating with Gus to keep our known part in this operation going while they play ninja, but we’ll also have them under our watchful eyes at all other times. I agree with you. It’s always best to not underestimate The Daughter of Darkness. Cala will be carrying her iPad with her for all times other than ninja missions. John said she’s super excited to help.”

  “Cala’s funny in how she’s embraced her ‘Cleaner’ nickname.”

  “I’m hoping it stays just a nickname for a while. We all need some time off from the War on Terror and politics. The last week with events winding down after Princess Di’s resignation have been a lot of fun. I finished ‘Dark Interlude’ and shipped it off to Cassie. I postponed helping Tim and Grace for the time being. They’ll have to step up their own efforts for a change. It’s funny how Grace embraced the out of the box corrections I make. Paul claims chatter on the terrorist front has been reduced to nearly nothing at all for the time being. He thinks we really hit them hard these past weeks.”

  “Not to mention the Kader firestorm when those two assassins were traced to immigration manipulation by the East Coast Kaders and they were identified by Interpol as hired mercenaries.”

  �
��All I know is they were off our plate. Dimah’s with Bill on the base. The ‘Cleaner Cala’ is with John and all is well with our very strange world.”

  “Bite your tongue, Jinx.”

  “My tongue is too valuable to be abused in such a manner.”

  * * *

  Sonny began to whisper but was waved to silence by Jean. They dressed in all black outfits including full face masks. Motioning him away from their position so as not to be overheard, Jean stopped in a crouch behind a cluster of trees.

  “They’ve been talking for an hour. We have them on audio plotting to take Emily Waterson. This is huge, Sonny,” Jean whispered fiercely. “No way did I ever suspect anything like this when we saw them walking on the perimeter of the ranch. I thought they were just a couple of pedophiles who were checking out kids.”

  “Let’s call your Dad. He’ll know what to do. Let’s turn on the com units.”

  “No. Don’t you dare! This is our big chance, Cracker. We’ll tail them, practice our skills, and keep track of what they have planned. We’ll go on network if they make a move for Emily.”

  “This is not a game, Viper. We need your Dad, John, and Gus.”

  “Am I leader or not?”

  Sonny shrugged. “You are, but you’re wrong this time.”

  “We’ll see. Get your head in the game. C’mon. We’ll back track toward them. I hope they’re still meeting in the same spot. It’s a good thing there’s nearly a three quarter moon.”

  Practicing the stealth in the woods after dark they had been working on for the past three days since arriving at camp, Jean and Sonny carefully approached the spot they had been watching the kidnappers from. They heard the snap of a twig too late.

  * * *

  Miles away, Nick threw the headset on the table. John and Gus had stopped laughing at the kids when it became clear what they were doing and who they were after. The ninja kid ploy ended quickly for everyone involved. Nick figured wrongly Jean would contact him the moment the two got clear of the situation. Instead she did exactly what he had not expected.

  “Drop me as near to our GPS location for them as we can get, John,” Nick ordered as they ran out to the cars. In moments he tuned his iPad into the signal while putting on his own com unit. He listened to the commotion on the other end of their connected network with grim featured patience. “You two find their vehicle and stake it out in case they get past me.”

  “We’ll find it,” Gus promised.

  * * *

  The kidnappers, both over six feet tall, lean and muscular, had ambushed the returning Jean and Sonny, overwhelming them before they could react. The one with short cropped black beard and long dark hair tied at the back of his neck held Sonny by the throat on the ground with knee in Sonny’s sternum. The other man with shaved head and small goatee held Jean smashed into the ground on her face.

  “Damn Les, what they hell are these two supposed to be?” The bald man asked.

  “They look like they’re pretending to be Ninja’s. Tie and gag them, Burt. We can’t do the grab tonight anyway. We’ll dispose of these two somewhere else.” Les took the small pack off his shoulder and threw it to Burt. “There’s duct tape in there. Bind the girl first. Then I’ll do the boy.”

  “This is going to screw our time frame,” Burt replied while duct taping Jean. “When they discover these two missing, there’ll be a massive hunt for them.”

  “What better time to grab the Waterson girl. It won’t matter. We can only do this one thing at a time.” Les caught the duct tape. He flipped Sonny over and began taping his hands. “Damn, you kids are quiet. I thought I’d have to smash your heads to keep you quiet.”

  “Sir,” Sonny said. “Before you gag me, I need to warn you of something. The man who watches out for us is a killer. If you let us go, you and your friend can leave. Maybe he won’t find you.”

  Les laughed appreciatively before duct taping his mouth. “Thanks, kid. I needed a laugh. So you ninjas have a grand master killer looking out for you both. Good to know. Did you hear that, Burt? The kid ninjas have a killer on the loose protecting them. Burt?”

  Burt sat cross-legged behind Jean, his hands folded in his lap, head down. Les threw the duct tape on the ground. He walked over to his partner with the hair standing on the nape of his neck. “What the fuck’s wrong with you, Burt?”

  Then he smelled it – the coppery odor of blood… a lot of it. Les reached down and poked Burt’s shoulder. The body flopped on its back, Burt’s wide horrified eyes sparkling in the moonlight, his throat cut so deep it opened like a big maw of blood. Les stumbled away from the corpse, fear stealing away thought and reaction. They would not have helped him anyway. Death arrived for him in a powerful wrench of his head, Les’s neck snapping in an intense pain filled split second of time. Les crumpled to the ground, his darkening vision focusing for a last moment on the prone girl’s face as his head hit the ground, face pointing in her direction. Her eyes watched his fading ones with cold interest.

  * * *

  “It’s done, Payaso,” Nick said. “The kids are okay. Did you find their vehicle?”

  “We have it. You’ll need help with the bodies. Kabong and I are headed your way now. What do you want to do with the kids, Muerto?”

  “I’ll talk it over with them and let you know, brother. See you in a few.” Nick freed Sonny first, leaving his gag for him to take off.

  Nick walked over to Jean. “I ought to leave you tied and gagged you little brat. What have I taught you? Retreat, regroup, come at the problem with overwhelming force.”

  He knelt down and freed Jean’s wrists and ankles. She sat up and ripped off the gag without a sound. “That was so cool! How’d you know where we were, Dad? Oh… you bugged us. I should be mad but I’ll let you slide this time.”

  “Gee… that’s very understanding of you, Viper, you idgit!”

  Jean giggled. “What’s an idgit?”

  “It just means a dummy,” Sonny answered for Nick. “I’m sorry, Sir. We do know better. We’d be dead if you hadn’t bugged us.”

  “You advised her to do the right thing, Sonny. If you kids aren’t too traumatized I’ll send you both back to camp while I deal with Burt, Les, and who wants Emily Waterson kidnapped.”

  “You should have let Les live until you found out why they were doing the job, Dad,” Jean instructed.

  “You do realize when you return from summer camp I am going to take everything you love away from you for two months.”

  “No fair! I broke a kidnapping ring with Cracker. We’re heroes!”

  “Fine. I’ll let your Mom decide after I explain the whole situation to her,” Nick replied.

  “Make it one month and I won’t tell Mom we were bound, gagged and near death.”

  Nick sighed. “Deal.”

  The End

  Future Nick and Jean Bonus Story III

  The Norteños

  The balding man in a brown suit looked around with annoyance when confronted by a blonde haired woman with facial scars and a grim visage, wearing low cut jeans and a black windbreaker with the red globe of the Marine Corps on it. A step behind on each side of her walked two men dressed in similar fashion to the blonde, both well over six feet tall and heavily built but not in a weight lifters bulging style. Both men wore their hair cut short and razor cut around the sides and back. About ten paces behind the three walked a thin teenage boy with a sixty pound white long haired mutt trailing the boy’s every movement with perfect control.

  “Where’s McCarty?”

  “My Dad doesn’t take meetings at this level,” Jean said. “Neil Dickerson vouched for you. That means something to my Dad and to us. Neil said you fear for your family’s safety. He told my Dad your son Mike is a defense attorney. Let’s go have a coffee at the Monte Café across the street. You can start the story from there.”

  The man seemed surprised. “Neil told me it’s a good sign if I get asked to have a coffee at the Monte.”

  Jean grin
ned. “Yeah. It’s a start. Whether we do more than hear your story depends on you, Mr. Villa. If I didn’t get decent vibes from you out here, I would have told you to take a hike. You look okay to me. This guy on my right is my husband, Sonny Salvatore. My brother Quinn is on the left. I’m Jean McCarty Salvatore.”

  The men shook hands. Jean leaned around and waved at the teenager. “C’mon, Benny. We’re good. Bring Sam.”

  Benny smiled. He hurried forward with Sam pacing him happily. Jean turned to Villa again. “This is our adopted brother, Benny. That’s Sam next to him. Now you’ve met the crew. Let’s get that coffee.”

  “You do understand this group threating Mike is very dangerous, right? They burn houses down with families inside, assassinate political leaders who don’t go along with their agenda, and collect protection payments from everyone in the Monterey County area. Hell, they probably take payments from the Monte owner.”

  “No… they don’t, but my Dad became interested when the Norteños tried.”

  “No disrespect meant, but you kids don’t look dangerous enough to take on a gang like the Norteños. I don’t understand why Neil thought your Dad could help me anyway. He’s a novelist, isn’t he?”

  Annoyance streaked across Jean’s features for the first time. “Yeah, my Dad’s a novelist. We’re not here to beg you to let us help you. If you don’t want our help then see ya’.”

  Jean walked across the street. Sonny, Quinn, Benny, and Sam followed her without more than a smile. Sam was the only one to glance back at Villa. A moment later after thinking about his son and what Neil Dickerson had explained the police could and could not do, Villa crossed to the Monte Café. Inside, an older version of the blonde haired Jean served coffee to the young people he had followed at a large table in the restaurant’s rear section. Sam the dog sat with his chin resting on the young Benny’s lap. Jean pulled a chair out for Villa. He sat down and the older woman brought him coffee.