Hard Case V: Blood and Fear (A John Harding Novel Book 5) (8 page)

* * *

Everyone comically skirted around Jafar and Samira with a quick wave, even Cruella Deville. Jafar stared expectantly at me, as did his pregnant wife, Samira. I smiled at them, after tying down The Lora securely to the dock. I could tell with one glance I’d guessed right that Jafar hoped to dump his no go decision in my lap. I don’t think so, kid. We fight our own family battles here in monster land.

“Hi kids. I heard from Lynn what you’d like to do, Samira. You do understand I usually take the first hit through the door with Kevlar on, right?”

“Yes, John,” Samira said with respectful acknowledgement. I had been one of her family’s CIA guards attached from Marine Recon in Afghanistan when she was only a kid. I knew the lingo, so I’d been an obvious choice. “Did Lynn explain my simple operational approach? I can do it without bullets firing or having to wound the suspect or worse.”

“She did explain your plan, but although very tempting, I’m concerned about the danger. Since I believe you’re capable of doing it, I will let Jafar have the last word. If it’s okay with him, it’s okay with me.”

That statement evoked a squeal of delight from Samira, and a ‘someone shot my dog’ look from Jafar, confirming what I had suspected. The kid loved Samira more than life itself. He had high hopes for a future with Samira and children, but the cost of being in our group weighed heavily on him. I recruited him out of a jail cell. I gave him a dangerous new start. He loved it until a mission drew Samira into our group. Now, having won the hand and heart of the lovely Samira, who became our mission because she speaks out for change in Islam, Jafar wants to avoid being a barrier to her goals. Unfortunately for him, Samira wants more than speaking engagements. Lynn has made it plain to her she’s not a Cruella Deville, nor could she hope to be - but she loves the interaction between Lynn and Clint, sharing everything in their lives. I doubt very much if she understands the danger as thoroughly as she claims, or the misery her demands to be more active in our group cause her mate. I’m not her Mommy though, so I passed the buck where it belongs.

Jafar stepped up. “I will not forbid this action. Such a decree would only alienate you from me. I am with John forever in this hellish endeavor to do what is right. I know you wish to help, but I doubt you see what it would mean to me if I lost you. I suspect because my friends laugh and joke about the unimaginable, you think the danger is a joke too. It is not. My friends’ continued survival hinges on the fact they are so dangerous and skilled in these endeavors they are without peer. You are not Lynn, nor am I Clint Dostiene. They are something I sometimes think beyond your imagining. What they are together is not beyond my imagining. John’s Lora does not wish to be Lynn or Lynn Light. That is all I will say. I will back your play, my love.”

The kid made an impression on her, but I could tell she had already set her mind on completing at least this task with him or without him. She hugged him tightly. “I know you worry, but I must do this. I want to be more a part of this deadly business with you. I believe in this path, my love. I wish to walk it with you.”

I grinned. She ate the kid’s lunch. Done deal. Now, we needed to keep her alive so we didn’t have to deal with those nasty unintended consequences. I put my arm around Jafar. “You have my permission to be first at the door on either side. Would you like that?”

Jafar vehemently shook his head. “I want you, Casey, and Lucas first in line.”

“Lucas and Casey will have one side. You and I will have the other side, little brother. We will see the brave parakeet through this most dangerous endeavor, despite her questionable decisions.”

That prompted a gasp from Samira, followed by a long cursing diatribe in Pashtu. I enjoyed it, but Jafar liked it even more as tears of laughter streamed down his cheeks, bent over at the waist. She was of course cursing me out. I understood Pashtu though, and reminded her of a duty one who loves has to a mate in Pashtu.

“Only the fortunate sometimes journey through their lives with one beloved beyond all things. To discard such a gift without thought is a mortal sin, punishable beyond imagining.”

That sobered my little parakeet to reality, with Jafar gripping her hand with both of his. “It is just so, my love. This is not a game, and everything will not always come out right.”

Samira patted his hands. “Step up, Homey. We’re goin’ ta’ war, baby.”

She nailed us good with that one, but she saved a final hug for Jafar, clinging tightly to him, tears running down her cheeks. “I know what loss is, my beloved. I will not lightly weigh my loss on you, but I must do this.”

Jafar simply hugged her. “I know.”

“Sorry to break this up, but we have a bad guy possibly holding onto much invaluable information. Let’s go introduce him to Lynn Light.”

While we laughingly strode off the pier Samira glanced back at me as I followed. “Your proverb will not be forgotten. There will be blood.”

I nodded meekly in agreement. Such is life in monster world. We sometimes deal with situations where killing and torture have no part. It’s an inexact science as a group leader. It was true what Jafar told his mate about our oddball group. We have the skills to react to any threat, but shit happens. When the BBC woman from my past and her asshole terrorist partner entered my home and took Lora and Al prisoner, only combat skill freed them. Lynn made their deaths legendary. Denny covered the act with a fatal car crash with the bodies burned beyond recognition. Luck played a part, but we do reduce the luck factor as much as humanly possible. I watched Jafar and Samira wrapped together as they walked along with some uneasiness. As Samira said when speaking of retaliation to my Pashtu reminder that there would be blood. When you care about someone, no matter what kind of skilled monster you are, there will also be fear.

* * *

We drove by the house Edoja and Azi shared. Not wanting a blood bath either in the house or on the street located in the Oakland hills, Laredo coordinated real time satellite imaging to Jafar in our ready van. I watched him closely as we passed the old house built on the steep slope of Lawlor Street. Jafar did not look happy with what he was seeing. At a glance, the only promising factors were the house had a ramshackle redwood fence shielding the front from the street, and the large gate did not have a lock on it.

“You have your game face on, little brother. What’s the problem?”

“I’m getting four heat signatures. Edoji is not alone.”

Casey, networked in with Jafar, pointed out a few possibilities. “It still looks good, John. There are three in the back part of the house, on the lower floor. I see on the plans, a long staircase separates the two house floors. Lucas and I can take the lower part. We’ll approach alongside the house by that steep driveway. You and Jafar take the upper front where the porch is. The moment Samira gets a guy to the door, zap him, and throw a couple of flash-bangs down the staircase. Lucas and I will take it from there.”

“I like it, Case, but we won’t have as much backup at the door. What about it, J?”

Jafar took one look at Samira’s stern face, and went for the alteration with tight mouthed acknowledgement. “Casey’s plan is a good one. Let us get this done.”

Jafar checked Samira’s Kevlar under her clothing, tightening the Velcro straps slightly. With Dev driving, Jess had lookout duty. It would be their job to make sure we had a reasonable chance of slipping inside the fencing. Then they would circle the block and park where Dev could move into pickup position in seconds. Our ready van is an EMT vehicle with all the bells and whistles. We were all dressed as emergency medical techs. The ploy had worked so well in the past, we had adopted it as an operational choice. The moment after whoever on the upper floor opened the door, Jafar would shift the Taser into Samira’s hands. I would be ready to maim or kill. I handed Lucas and Casey a couple of gas masks. Our flash-bangs could maim and kill too. They also affected breathing.

“We’re ready, Dev. Take us in front.”

“On our way.” He rounded the block into position, while Jess watched for people moving on the sidewalks, or doing lawn chores outside.

“Clear,” Jess said.

Dev stopped at the front gate, and our hit team piled out and quickly through the fence. Lucas and Casey scrambled down the steep driveway while Jafar and I split around Samira as she approached the door located on a small porch under an awning.

“There’s too many windows down here at the back, John,” Casey said in my ear. “It will only take seconds to get in after the bangs.”

“Ringing the bell now, Case. Be ready in case they start bailing out the back rather than waiting for me to blow their eardrums out.”

“You just keep Jafar’s parakeet safe, boot camp,” Lucas said. “This ain’t our first swim in the pond, you disrespectful cracker.”

The parakeet growled for Lucas’s amusement while I, the boot camp cracker, prepared for violence. Jafar readied the Taser. Samira rang the bell. We all saw an indication someone looked through the peephole in the door. A deadbolt was slid into the open position. As the door began to open, Jafar slapped the Taser into Samira’s hands. The moment the door opened to a point where the guy answering it was in view, Samira fired the Taser into him. She ramped the juice, and then cut it off. I grabbed the dropping shock victim, slamming him face first onto the floor, where Jafar restrained him.

I found the stairwell, which was indeed a long one. Hearing voices, I ran down the steps and pitched the flash-bang into the open living area. It blew to the usual screams of agony. Then I threw in the second one. All quiet on the western front. I heard the door slam open at the back, while pulling my mask into place. My part was to stay out of the line of fire until I received a clear sign from Lucas. It came a moment later. I went down through the small doorway with plastic ties ready. We had all live casualties, so that was a good thing, because we didn’t know who the hell was who, nor did we know if Edoje was the one Samira took down at the door.

“We have Edoje with us,” Jafar said.

“Good.” I quickly took pictures of our soon to be new guests at the House of Pain. I sent them directly to Laredo.

It was then time to cart our suspects upstairs. None of us felt like carrying them, so Lucas began kicking the shit out of them like he was waking a bunch of boot camps on their first day at the Marine Recruit Depot at Parris Island. They pissed and moaned, but Lucas did not cease until they were staggering up the stairs. We collected them in a little grouping near the front door, along with anything and everything having to do with computers or communications. They stared at us with hate filled eyes, mucous covered faces, and a little blood at noses and ears. I took a wet towel and wiped them off.

“In a couple minutes we’re going to herd you guys into our transport. Anyone making a noise or slowing our progress loses something immediately.” I had my butterfly knife with razor sharp blade at Edoje’s right ear, drawing blood. “Want a demonstration?”

“We will come quietly!” Edoje spoke real fast for the group.

“Okay then, but remember any noise, and every one of you four loses an ear. Understand?” I had their attention. They nodded in energetic agreement. I called Dev, and we hurried the whole bunch out through the gate into our spacious EMT rig. Besides, we stuffed them into a corner on the floor. We hadn’t counted on four ride along new companions, but we’d make due. Denny called as we were getting underway. “Terrorists Are Us. Welcome to the new terrorist Mecca where the USA lets in anyone from terrorist nations, as long as they come here to reduce our population.”

I drew laughter from my friends inside the van, but Denny merely chuckled while letting the background noise subside. “Edoje’s companions are all Nigerian Boko Haram. Did they have vehicles?”

“Hold on, and I’ll check a couple of things.” I turned to the huddled masses yearning to be free in the van corner. “Anyone not demonstrating English understandably dies right now. Who would like to live?”

They demonstrated the English language until Lucas had to bop them in the head. “Shut the fuck up. He wanted a simple answer, not a damn speech.”

“Next on our question list is how many vehicles do you jerks have, and where are the keys. I saw two vehicles at the driveway entrance, inside the gate. Do you have any others?”

“No, they are our only transportation,” one of the others with Edoje admitted.

Edoje stared at the speaker in surprise. “These people will torture us if we lie, idiot! They are not cops. We will all die shortly. Speak the truth, and maybe it will be a quick kill rather than a torturous death. There is a van parked in front. All the vehicle keys are on hooks at the left side of the entrance.”

“Did you get that, Den?”

“I’ll send a team. Can I have these guys for trading purposes after Crue interrogates them? Before you ask, I don’t have a clue who let them in, or how they weren’t arrested way before now. It would be a good question for Crue to work on. It would be good to know if both the entire Senate and House are selling us out for money, or if this is just a vote getting ploy to legalize everyone who crosses the border, even if they want to kill us all. At least we’d have some idea where we stand in all this crap.”

“I think we know where we stand… right next to the other seventy percent of our citizens who keep demanding we lock down immigration and the borders, all to no avail. I’m venting. I’ll find out a few facts, or Crue will.”