“This is my Mom, Rachel,” Jean said. “Mom, this is Patrick Villa, a friend of Neil’s.”
“Glad to meet you,” Rachel said. “Would you like to see a menu?”
“No, thank you. Coffee is fine.”
“Just as well. My regular cook is out sick. The fill in is so slow, I’ve had three customers pass out from malnutrition before he finished their order.”
“I heard that,” a gruff voice called out from the back, evoking amusement from the crew at the table. “See if I ever fill in again, Boss.”
“You’ll fill in when I tell you to fill in, Muerto,” Rachel answered over her shoulder. “The kids are hungry. They ordered scrambled eggs not roast duck. Just remember to crack the egg first before putting it in the pan.”
“This is about the extra five pounds you put on, isn’t it? Heh… heh.”
“Uh oh,” Jean mumbled to much amusement as Rachel gasped. She dropped the dish towel and jogged into the back where a very loud initial commotion ended in relative silence. After five minutes passed without further noise from the back, Jean sighed. “Go break up the parentals, Sam.”
Sam leaped to do Jean’s bidding. In moments a startled yelp preceded a string of curses from Rachel. She peered around the corner of the backroom pointing at Jean. “Did you send icicle nose in to roust me, Scarface?”
“Leave Dad alone so he can finish cooking breakfast, Trailer Trash.”
“Sonny! Are you letting The Daughter of Darkness disrespect Momma?”
“If you ever want grandchildren… then yeah, Mom,” Sonny replied.
“Tyson Salvatore! Did you just pull the grandchildren card on Momma?”
“Had to, Mom. We have to solve Mr. Villa’s problem. It will help with our own problem concerning those rascally Norteños.”
“Hey Hon! Gus called. They’re on their way with uninvited guests.”
“Okay, babe.” Rachel glanced around while walking to the entrance and locking the door. “Benny… better take Sam in the back. I don’t know how much noise Muerto plans on making.”
Benny scrambled to the back with Sam. Rachel sat down at the table next to Jean. “Here they come.”
A vehicle with open windows screeched to a halt outside the restaurant. A hooded man in the front passenger seat began poking a rocket launcher out the window while another man in the rear leveled a machine pistol through the rear passenger window. Villa yelped a warning and leaped from his chair, only to be grabbed by Jean.
“Wait one, Patrick.”
Two short bursts of automatic weapons sounded. The first pulped the rocket launcher guy’s head. The second ripped across the shooter’s chest in the rear. A third burst smashed the front windshield and through the driver’s head. A van drove to the curb at the rear of the vehicle with the dead men. Villa watched a black man with graying hair and a shorter Middle Eastern man run to the vehicles sides with silenced automatics. They fired into each body before an attractive Middle Eastern woman hurried to each body. She took digital pictures and used DNA kits on each. Before she returned to the car she looked at the restaurant with a big smile and waved. Everyone but Villa waved back. The Middle Eastern man pushed the driver into the passenger seat floor. He drove away with the dead people. The woman who waved followed him at the wheel of the van. The black man waited for a shorter white man with bush cut graying hair to join him from the restaurant back in jeans and a black t-shirt.
“That’s the Terminator,” Benny said from the backroom doorway with Sam next to him.
“You and Sam can join us now, Benny,” Rachel said as she stood.
Villa watched in terrified amazement as the two men laughed together before entering the restaurant together. Villa recognized the man Benny referred to as the Terminator. It was Nick McCarty. Retrieving the apron sticking out of his back jeans pocket, McCarty put the apron on. The two men approached the big table together.
“How’d he do, Viper?”
“He didn’t run,” Jean answered. “It was nice of the Norteños to be dumb enough to announce their plans on unsecured lines. What a bunch of boot camps. That was a pretty violent demo, Dad.”
Nick shrugged. “I’m tired of repeating our resume as if we just came off the boat from Never/Never land.”
“It was a twofer,” Gus said, holding his hand out to Villa who shook it. “I’m Gus Nason, Mr. Villa. This is Nick McCarty. We’re sorry for the introduction, but we’re having our own disagreements with the Norteños. They want to use us as an example to the rest of the businesses on Lighthouse Ave not to mess with them.”
“We saw the ‘Cleaner’ with Uncle John,” Jean said. “How many is that in the freezer?”
“Seven. Cleaner may have to make room.” Nick shook Villa’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I know Neil explained the basics to you, but we had an unauthorized visit by the Norteños coming. I thought showing was better than telling. They want to add Pacific Grove to their protection racket. Neil’s worried. He’s taking heat as Chief of Police. He knows getting people to help with a sting operation on a murderous gang like the Norteños is a waste of time.”
“So… you just kill them?”
“I guess you missed the part where one of them had a rocket launcher. They’ve already tried the regular drive-by shooting. We have bullet proof glass, but I handled them before they could get a shot off. The gang doesn’t know what happened to the first four they sent. They won’t know about these three either. The kids and I are ready to go on the attack. When I heard your son Mike was being threatened for not representing those assholes, I figured the bunch threatening him would be an excellent object lesson to the Norteños that they can’t have Pacific Grove. They have a rather large contingent so we have to start somewhere.”
“How do you get away with this?” Villa couldn’t believe what he’d seen or heard so far.
“The same way the Norteños get away with it,” Gus answered as Nick went into the back and came out with a hot tray of scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, and bacon for his crew to dig into. “We make sure there’s no evidence left. The police can’t do anything about adults leaving the area. The gang can’t tell the cops they sent ‘bangers on a kill mission and they disappeared.”
“We have to go on the offensive,” Nick added. “We plan to hurt them real bad. We may as well start with the ones threatening your son. I’ve taken a bite out of their parent organization ‘Nuestra Familia’ a time or two. This is the first time they’ve made a heavy intrusion into Pacific Grove and they’re going big. Even I was a little surprised seeing a rocket launcher. If we don’t stop them they’re going to blow up the Monte. That would be very bad.”
Rachel gripped Nick’s hand as she felt the red hot killer rage surge through him. Her touch siphoned off the surface rage. He smiled at her. The kids ate in silence, listening but not interrupting. They knew intimately what Nick’s solutions to out of control gangs were. If anyone blew up the Monte Café, it would mean war. Nick bought the Monte for Rachel when Joe Montenegro retired. He had been as happy as she was to buy the place with all the memories that went along with it.
“So you see, Patrick,” Nick continued, “we’re invested in solving this Norteños problem. Do you know where the segment after Mike are located? We’d only need a general area or group of streets they frequent. We’ll investigate. We’re going to take care of our own segment tonight. We can take care of yours as a follow up tomorrow night. I plan to get their unconditional surrender.”
“You have a fortune. Why not buy them off?” The moment he said it, Villa regretted it. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“It’s a legitimate question. I don’t do that… ever.”
“The ones hassling Mike make their headquarters in a commercial building on the Phoenix block in Seaside.”
“Yep. That’s where our visitors are coming from too. It may be we can end Mike’s problems tonight along with our own. That was the first part of our mutual concerns. Neil said you had a name you wer
e afraid to even talk about. I’m very interested in that name and how you heard it.”
“Mike defended a Norteño on a murder charge. The DA wanted to make a deal in order to get at the Nuestro Familia. Because the murder charge was for the killing of another gang member the DA offered witness protection if Mike’s client would cave on everything he knew about the Familia. The guy agreed he could go into the program if his family could go with him. The DA agreed. The client named Cornelio Morado as the kingpin of the Monterey Peninsula Norteños.”
“Well now, that’s just so nice.” Nick turned to Jean. “I want everything and anything on Morado, Viper. This is the break we’ve been waiting for.”
“On it, Dad. What about tonight?”
“We’re going to make the Norteños extinct in that location tonight. How did Morado get onto Mike?”
“Neil thought Morado had ears everywhere in the department. They killed his client within two days. Then they started on Mike. He told the guy who delivered a threat from Morado that he was through with the case. Mike explained even if he wanted to testify he couldn’t because of lawyer/client privilege. It wasn’t enough. They want him dead. The only thing stopping them is the police protection Neil ordered for him round the clock. We know they’ll get to him or my grandkids soon if we can’t get them to back off. My wife and I have been in hiding since all this began. We would have all been gone by now but we thought the police would soon be able to stop these gangsters. I know now that thinking will get us all killed. How can this be allowed to happen.”
“Illegal immigration, drug use gone wild, no backup for the police from anyone, and the media giving sainthood to all the ‘bangers that get what they deserve. The gangs nearly across the board own parts of most major cities,” Nick answered. “You’re right. We live in rough times. It didn’t happen overnight. It won’t get cured overnight. Gus can tell you though - they’ve been guarding the Cornelio Morado name.”
“We broke through their communications,” Gus said. “No one spoke of the Morado name which means he may be the mystery link we’ve been looking for. They broadcast their assault plans as if they don’t care what anyone does about them or who knows. I know Nick doesn’t want to admit it but if the Norteños get a controlling foothold in Pacific Grove as they have in Monterey and Seaside, we’ll be hard pressed not to either be in constant open warfare, or be absorbed into their structure.”
“We can stop them,” Jean said.
“Hey,” Benny said, pointing out the window. “There’s a bunch of them.”
Seven obvious gangbangers wearing Norteños colors with red as the driving color, some with red shoelaces, belts or shoes themselves. They wore black hoodies with San Francisco 49er caps or University of Nebraska caps, because the sports gear reflected their colors. The Norteño in front wore a hair style popular with them, a Mongol type topknot in the back with a shaved side. He was the only one without cap or hood. They scanned the street around them, obviously looking for sign their brethren visited earlier. It became clear they meant to come inside the Monte Café.
“Don’t kill them in my Monte,” Rachel warned, drawing appreciative laughter.
Quinn moved Benny and Sam to the rear corner. “Keep Sam calm, B. If you see something we don’t, send him.”
“I will.”
“Sit next to Benny, Mr. Villa,” Sonny said.
Sonny, Quinn, and Jean slipped on aprons like Nick and Rachel wore, moving over to the counter area. Rachel handed Gus a cup of coffee. He sat down in front of Benny and Villa. Sam sat at Benny’s right. Topknot sauntered in with smiling assuredness a couple steps ahead of his companions. Rachel greeted them with Jean next to her while the last of the Norteños’ crew cleared the door.
“Hi. Table for seven?”
Topknot chuckled. His companions glowered at Nick, Sonny and Quinn nearby, making hand movements at their sides, fingers pointing down in two’s or three’s as they included shrugging side to side gestures meant to impress in their gangster act. Quinn chuckled. His humorous reaction drew head back, half lidded belligerent stares of challenge.
“We lookin’ for some friends, Mrs.” Topknot made an encompassing gesture with his hand at the restaurant surroundings. “They was supposed to drive by… and you know… say hello. I guess they late.”
“Does that mean you want a table for seven to wait for them,” Rachel asked, still smiling.
A young hard looking woman moved near Topknot. “What the hell we doin’ Jess? Alfredo missed the date. This dump be a smokin’ ruin if he been by. Call the prick.”
Topknot/Jess glanced down at the woman. “Did that. Chill… Rita.”
“Table for seven,” Rachel repeated.
Rita glanced at Rachel with annoyance. “Take a walk you old skank.”
“Uh oh,” Jean muttered.
“Oh… you did not just call me an old skank!” Rachel backed up in a sideways martial arts fighting stance, gesturing with outstretched hand in a come on gesture. “Nobody disrespects Momma in her own place! I’ll bitch slap your eyeballs out of that Pokemon face of yours, girlie! Come get some!”
Jean backed away from her Mom with a sigh as Rita gasped out a string of obscenities. Rachel’s Pokemon insult had drawn snorts of amusement from Rita’s companions. Rachel added a foot tapping impatient gesture to the mix.
“Well Poky… I ain’t got all day. Let’s get to it, Horse-face.”
With a short scream of rage, Rita launched. A few things happened a split second later. Rachel jabbed the hand she had at her side forward to meet Rita with an arc from the most powerful stun-gun Nick could acquire. Rita voiced a short shriek and collapsed in a loose jointed, vibrating pile. Jean leg whipped Jess to the floor, a seven inch razor sharp blade at his throat. Blood trickled down from the blade. Quinn caught two Norteños up and slammed them together on their backs to the floor as if they were small sacks of sand. The other three, caught completely by surprise were suddenly staring at Sonny from a foot away. Benny sent Sam snarling to his side with a hand gesture.
“Down on your knees, boys, hands clasped behind your heads,” Sonny directed. They didn’t move. Sonny’s roundhouse kick struck the foremost Norteño with thunderclap suddenness. He catapulted unconscious to the floor.
The one behind him dropped to his knees, hands clasped behind his head. The third grabbed for a weapon at his back. Sam engulfed his wrist. Each time the man moved in the slightest, Sam’s jaws tightened until the Norteño was kneeling. Nick and Gus went around then, frisking the downed Norteños, collecting weapons ID’s, and money. It was all done in silence.
“Quite a haul,” Nick said. “Thanks for coming by, kids. We’ll keep all your stuff. I left you your keys so you can get into your Mommy’s basement. Call a meeting and take the Monte off your list.”
“We… we own this city!” Jess was careful how he talked around Jean’s knife.
“We’ll see.” Nick grinned at Rita who was sobbing her way into a shuddering sitting position. He noticed Rachel was waiting with a big smile, not having paid the slightest attention to what happened around her.
Rachel knelt down and slapped Rita across the face with attitude. Rita fell sideways, crying and gripping her face. “Want to call me anymore names, bitch?”
Rita shook her head in a terrified negative motion.
“Poser!” Rachel stood and kicked Rita in her side, eliciting a scream of pain. “Get the hell out of my restaurant you cheap punks.”
Jean allowed Jess to get on his feet, smiling and keeping pressure on his throat. “You’re in charge Jess. Take your crew out of here. If anyone does anything but leave, I’ll kill you first. Understand?”
“Yes. This ain’t over.”
“We know,” Jean replied. “Run along now.”
While the sullen and sobbing crew stumbled out, John, Cala, and Tina approached the entrance. One of the guys Quinn had slammed to the floor reached out to push John out of the way. John threw him to the sidewalk and popped his sho
ulder out of joint. Tina and Cala fired off arcs from their stun-guns while John kicked and prodded his downed opponent yelping to his feet. The rest wanted nothing to do with any more confrontations. Their disjointed retreat from the restaurant caused much amusement amongst the audience at the Monte Café window. The three newcomers traded greetings with their comrades inside.
“Did they come by to see if the attack worked?”
“Yeah, Uncle John,” Jean answered. “Then the woman with them called ‘Trailer Trash Momma’ an old skank. It was so on then. She was the one still crying and hiding her face on the way out.”
“We missed all the fun,” Tina said. “I knew I should have come along with Gus instead of waiting until Gomez finished his bloody business. Then John and the ‘Cleaner’ show up at the door smelling like the horror lab. So… Momma got her groove on, huh?”
Rachel put an arm around her long time friend’s shoulders. “I should have put it on video for you, T. I lured the young bitch into attacking my stun-gun. She dropped with the new stunner Muerto bought me like she was hit with an elephant gun. Then the kids schooled the rest of them. It was fun times for a moment. Mr. Villa here has the same problem we have at the Monte – the Norteños. What was that about smell?”
“Nothin’,” Tina answered. “I took care of it.”
Cala’s hands went to her hips. “She Fabreezed us!”
“You’re April Fresh now, Cleaner,” Tina replied. “Don’t be hatin’. Did you stay out of trouble, Gus?”
“Yes dear,” Gus answered. “Muerto and I merely observed. Say something, Kabong.”
“I do not like being April Fresh.”
Gus chuckled. “We have a name – Cornelio Morado. We also have our next informant’s address. You are planning to see Jess aren’t you, Muerto?”
“Oh yeah. I don’t know if he knows anything about Morado, but he seems like our best bet for now. We will have a busy night, my friends. I rested well. I’ll watch Jess today. If I see a chance to separate him from the herd for questioning I’ll do it.”
“We are ready, Muerto,” John said. “Payaso and I already discussed it. We will back your play and help with driving and interrogation. The April Fresh Kabong shall be ready for surveillance and IT duties. I asked Jerry for a van when I delivered the Norteño mobile. We drove over in it. Cleaner wants to ask a favor.”
Nightmare in Red Page 34