Nick stared at Paul in a way that made the CIA director look away. “You have something in mind, Paul. Let’s quit dancing. I appreciate the credentials for Gus. They’re long overdue, considering the missions he’s helped on. He is beyond reproach pertaining to actual security. Now that we have that out of the way, what is this all about?”
Gilbrech handed Gus a USB drive. “Load this, Mr. Nason. Take as long as you deem necessary to give me your insights on it.”
After fifteen minutes going over the data Gilbrech provided, Nick settled into his seat with a more relaxed posture. “This is good intel, Paul. I have no qualms taking this on. It will be the first official sanction taken on by El Muerto and Payaso. I like it. What put you on the trail of this pervert, Mel Berringer?”
“The funny part is you sanctioning that Amazon ‘Book Killer’ Dafar for us. It made an indelible imprint amongst many threads we follow. This Amazon ‘Book Killer’ phenomenon proved very interesting. I ordered a blanket audit over the known ‘Book Killers’ on Amazon. Only one popped out at us. He goes by the name ‘Big Texas Son’. He’s famous on the Internet for diving into a successful novel’s reviews on Amazon, professing knowledge of plagiarism and doing a one star hit piece.”
Nick waved off Gilbrech. “Hey… people do one star hit pieces all the time on the Amazon marketplace, especially on popular novels. They either don’t read the Amazon preview titled ‘Look Inside’, or they’re the dupes of other authors in the same genre. It’s famous. What does this have to do with our relationship, Paul?”
“Simply put, this ‘Big Texas Son’ is a winner… and not in a good way,” Gilbrech admitted. “He kills without conscience. The only way he came up on our radar was due to your highlighting Mohammed Dafar’s involvement. He went insane denigrating your name, knowing all along it might point back at him. Dafar figured he was anonymous. Not so, my little perverted asshole.”
“What triggered Dafar was your insightful revelations of Islamic Law in your novels,” Gilbrech continued. “Dafar could not keep his fanatical Islamist tendencies to himself. We worked with that formula in monitoring other so called ‘Book Killers’, data mining for a real life fanatic being unable to resist a ‘Book Killing’ where the subject strikes too close to home. It proved to be an interesting experiment. Big Texas Son took exception to a number of True Crime authors portraying accurate and damaging profiles of pedophilia tied into serial killings. He went on a crusade to do one star hit pieces reviewing their material, using his anonymous avatar. It didn’t take long to discover why. Berringer has a history going back fifteen years involving the disappearances of young girls in places he stays for short periods of time, very much like Kroneg, the difference being the eleven girls were never found. Some portrayals in the True Crime novels listed many disturbing characteristics we think Berringer took exception to, because of their resemblance to him – hence his being unable to resist doing what he thinks are anonymous hit pieces.”
“I agree with your premise. Does this guy live in Texas?
“Nope, he’s right here in Boston, which was the main reason I came to see you today. Big Texas is planning something we can’t ignore. A higher entity in Homeland Security just had his seven year old daughter kidnapped. We’re not involved, nor do we want to officially be tied in any way, shape, or form to this case. We know the HS official is being blackmailed to reveal the names on HS’s secret terrorist watch list. He’s stalling, because the man knows his daughter will disappear no matter what he does. The same supposedly anonymous IP address, used on the Amazon marketplace for Big Texas Son, is also where we’ve traced the origin for the ransom demand. I want to know if you and Gus would be interested in somehow saving this little girl as El Muerto and Payaso. If you fail, I will find ways to obfuscate your attempt so neither of you will ever be involved. The girl will be out of time soon.”
“If you don’t play me, I will do anything to get the girl back safely to her parents,” Nick stated. “This does look like a job for El Muerto, and his trusty sidekick, Payaso. If something goes haywire, where Gus and I get hung out to dry, the follow-up will be brutal. If you understand that, we may have a basis to discuss this op.”
“I understand completely. While I have no idea what your end game is in relation to this operation, I have no one with the tactical expertise or funds to pull this off on their own, and get the girl out alive.”
“Give us everything you have on this Big Texas shithead,” Nick said. “We’ll locate her somehow, probably by making Berringer beg me for the opportunity to reveal her location. Once that’s done, we may or may not have a problem. This could get ugly. I don’t halfway house these assholes when I get finished interrogating them. Big Texas will die a painful death.”
“Understood,” Gilbrech stated. “This guy has been on our watch list ever since your first ‘Book Killer’ revelation. I won’t try and pretend I understand why you’re doing this for us, but I am grateful.”
“Grateful meaning you already know where he is, and the address. That you haven’t moved on the intel means you’re afraid the Company will get a black eye for operating out of their jurisdiction. I understand it, but I don’t agree with it. Bad is bad. Let’s concentrate on making this right. Send all the ingredients to Gus. We’ll take it from there. I like the new parameters on our cooperation. It appears to only apply though if some bigwig’s child or spouse is involved, but I’m okay with that for now. We’ll make our own parameters for anything we do separate of the Agency.”
Gilbrech handed Gus another memory chip. “Berringer’s addresses are on the chip, along with the office he uses under the guise of an environmental protection consultant. He owns three places in the Boston area. This is his home base, and the first time he’s ever done anything close to home. I want it to be his last, clean or messy. I’m as nuts as you are, Nick. This comic book persona is so insane as to be useful.”
Nick saluted with comical delivery. “El Muerto away! Come, Payaso, we have a mission.”
The driver had been parked in front of the Boston Harbor Hotel for many minutes. Nick and Gus stepped out of the limo, leaving Paul Gilbrech laughing. “What did you think, Gus?”
“I think we need to get a little girl safe and sound to her parents while destroying the Western Hemisphere if need be. We’re really risking a lot doing this. I’m not convinced this isn’t an elaborate trap, but the evidence is damning where Big Texas is concerned. I want to help with this girl’s safe return, but I don’t want to be sold out doing it. With you, getting sold out is not an option.”
“Right you are. We’ll need to visit Berringer first. Don’t worry. If the girl’s alive, we’ll find her. There may be problems with the approach, depending on his security system. You let me worry about that. We have the address from the CIA flighty guy who likes our new comic book gig. We’ll approach with caution, and I will kill everything in sight except Big Texas. I’m hoping he’s alone, but I can’t take that for granted until we find the girl. I’ll need you to monitor satellite uplink at all times so we can get heat signatures, and watch my back. If he’s alone, I’ll have to make sure I take him alive. By the way, don’t worry about me playing games with this. If it’s convenient for El Muerto to leave a calling card once the girl’s found, then great.”
“I know you wouldn’t fool around with her safety,” Gus replied. “You going into the park without a gun last night was a bit disturbing though, Muerto.”
“Indeed,” Nick admitted. “I was caught in the moment, and I nearly cost Sharon her life. El Muerto will have to be much more attentive to his sidekick, Payaso.”
Gus sighed as they entered the hotel. “I can tell I’m going to be stuck as Payaso, so I want a scary clown mask. I refuse to look like Bozo.”
“Of course, Payaso.”
“It’s been a long day, and an even longer night. I’ll get my tech gear together. Do you have everything you’ll need to move on Berringer tonight?”
“Yep. I still have
my bag packed from the Kroneg caper, including the 9mm Berretta with silencer I should have taken with me in the park. Do you have our jammer with your gear?”
“I do, but we have to be careful with the EMP gun. That thing is potent. Where the hell did you get it anyway?”
“It was before Rachel and Jean came along. I was supposed to return it, but I told my old dead boss, Frank, an explosion destroyed it, taking down my target. We’ll have trouble informing our crew of yet another mission for El Muerto and Payaso, but it can’t be helped. I’ll meet you in the hallway outside the rooms in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be there if Tina doesn’t sap me in the back of my head.”
* * *
Nick watched Berringer’s house with his night vision monocular. “He’s not home. Are you getting any kind of a security system signal?”
Gus met Nick’s glance with a nod from his satellite uplink screen. “He has a good one with remote cams. I count eight feeds, which he can access. Do you still want to take a chance on blasting it, and hoping he won’t notice?”
“He has no idea anyone is on to him. I don’t like gambling, but if I zap his system, I can wait for him inside. Then the only unknown will be whether he returns home with company or not. If he gets spooked, we’ll have a hunt on our hands. It’s an intelligent gamble, Gus.”
“I agree. Do you have a special backup plan if he arrives with guests or cohorts?”
When Nick remained silent, Gus waved him off. “Forget I asked. If you lie down with dogs, you will get fleas.”
“This is a tough one, because we’re out of our element. Paul was right bringing this to us. The regular uniforms would screw the crap out of an operation like this. They’d be slow on the uptake, ramrod guys in there at first to gather information who had never done it in their lives. If at the end they realized they needed an armed SWAT team, they would have hesitated to the point it would have been a bloodbath or a complete misfire. We’re the front line on this, Payaso, and we know how it’s done. I kill, torture, and extract info. You watch my back and make sure the info is good. We’re a team now. I used to think I was a loner, but trading one liners with you, along with a family in attendance is a step beyond anything I ever imagined. It feels like all this has put me a few steps around the bend. I like it all, and you know what happens if I don’t like something.”
Gus chuckled. “Yeah, brother… I know. I’ll monitor everything from here, so go zap his place, get inside, and let me know if there are any other problems I can help with.”
“El Muerto… away!” Nick left with Electro Magnetic Pulse gun in gloved hand along with his equipment bag. He zapped everything from a safe distance away. Moving in next to the door, he picked the lock within seconds. “I’m inside, and scoping out the interior.”
“Acknowledged. Be careful of hidden gifts, Muerto. You didn’t put that stupid mask on, did you?”
Silence.
“Okay… fine… play the El Muerto card all the way. Enjoy.”
“Always.” Nick moved into the house interior with mini Mag-lite trained on each area as he passed. He paid close attention to the closets, rapping on the closet walls, searching for any hidden entry to a throne room where Big Texas would either store his mementos or souvenirs heralding his horrific past. He found it in the master bedroom closet, but it was more than he had expected. A room beyond the false wall revealed everything he expected and more. Nick’s features tightened. He bent to the little girl tied and gagged within the room’s interior, her face a storm of terrified emotions. Nick approached with hands cautioning his good intentions.
“Hey… don’t be afraid. I’m here to set you free, honey. Payaso… help me out here.”
“The little girl’s name is Brenda.”
Nick cursed himself for not spending the extra few seconds finding out the girl’s name they were rescuing. “Let me know if we get visitors, Payaso. I’m freeing Brenda.”
Brenda’s eyes widened even more at the mention of her name. Nick moved to her, carefully releasing the bindings, and easing the gag sealing Brenda’s mouth. He listened without interruption to her sobbing appeals, finally just gathering her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
“I have you now, Brenda. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. You will be with your Mom and Dad very soon.”
“Really?” Brenda’s joyful face nearly upset Nick into a killer mode best left in the darkness. “That’s a really great mask. You…you’re a good guy, right?”
“I am El Muerto!” Nick patted her hand. “I’ll get you out of here right now, and then-”
“Incoming, Muerto! They arrived an instant ago. There’s four of them. I see Berringer. He has three Middle Eastern guys with him.”
“After I intercept my guests, I’ll bring Brenda out to you, and make Paul send someone for her. I need to do some information gathering before I settle with Big Texas for his sins.”
“Understood. Do you need any help?”
“No thanks.” Nick smiled at Brenda. “Please stay here for a moment, Brenda. El Muerto has to arrest some bad guys, and then I’ll get you out of here, okay? Don’t be scared if you hear noises.”
“You…you really won’t leave me, right?”
“I’ll be back real quick, honey.” Nick patted her hand. He made a shushing motion to Brenda before closing the false wall.
“They’re at the door,” Gus said.
“I’m in position.” Nick knelt into a shooter’s crouch, calmly taking aim at the entryway.
* * *
“When will you have the information?”
“Soon,” Berringer told him. “My security system is down. It’s important I take care of this. We can take no chances. Once we have the Homeland Security list of suspects, we can build and alter everything. If they have no clue about your cell, Hamas and Isis will strike back at will when needed.”
Berringer checked his system, but could not detect what triggered the shutdown. He opened the door, and held it for his companions. “This is crazy. I paid a fortune for this system. At least we’ll be able to go over our plans for Boston Harbor. A strike there will-”
The muffled silencer shots, downed his three companions instantly, grabbing their knees while writhing on the floor in agony. Berringer fumbled to open the door, only to have shots smash into both of his shoulders. He pitched face first into the closed door, and down to the floor. He rocked there, hands crisscrossing to his wounds. A masked figure approached. He shot into the feet and knees again of each man. Berringer pleaded as the smiling masked face leaned toward him.
“Don’t! We have money! What is this about?”
“Just the usual, Big Tex – justice, retribution, and penance for your sins.”
Berringer’s mouth tightened at the mention of his Amazon ‘Book Killer’ alias. “Who are you? We need to make a deal! This doesn’t have to happen. Who do you work for? We can deal!”
* * *
“Do you hear this prick, Payaso?” Nick cinched each wounded man with plastic ties at wrists behind their backs, and at the ankles. He confiscated their weapons as well. He then added duct tape to the mouths of each one, cutting down on the noise level considerably. “We have more going on than we thought. It seems Big Tex is a traitor as well as a pedophile. It’s going to mean extra time in hell for his companions too. I’ll be out with Brenda in a moment.”
“I’ll call Gilbrech, and let him know what’s happening. I’ll make sure he sends someone discreet to take Brenda. Damn fine job, Muerto.”
“It’s going to get even better shortly, Payaso, but Brenda still alive is a gift I do not take for granted.”
“Nor will her parents. I’m parking in the front right now.”
“Be there in a few.” Nick hurried into the master bedroom, ignoring the duct taped mouths whining for something Nick knew they would never get: mercy. He opened the false closet wall, catching a terrified and sobbing Brenda into his arms. “It’s all over, little one. I’m going to take you
out past the bad men, and to my partner, Payaso. He will have someone to take you to your parents within minutes.”
“I…I’m glad you’re okay, Muerto.”
“I’m fine, honey. The other guys… not so much. Close your eyes if you like. I’ll carry you past them quickly.”
Nick reached the entrance with the moaning victims of his assault an obvious sideshow for Brenda. She didn’t close her eyes. Her mouth tightened into a firm grimace as she recognized Berringer. Brenda pointed at him, while patting Nick’s shoulder excitedly.
“He did it! He took me, Muerto!” She sobbed suddenly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she buried her head into Nick’s shoulder. “He hurt me… he’s bad, Muerto.”
Nick glanced down at Berringer, the cold blooded psychopath rising within him in anticipation. He smiled, meeting Berringer’s wide eyed look while patting Brenda’s back. “I know, honey. I wish there were some way I could erase what he’s done, but I can’t. I promise you this, El Muerto will never allow him to do it again to any other little one like you.”
Brenda pulled back as Nick crossed the threshold. “I don’t want you to get into trouble, Muerto. The police won’t put you in jail, will they?”
Nick closed the door behind them. “You don’t worry about any of that, Brenda. My sidekick, Payaso, is a great guy. I’ll leave you with him. Payaso will make sure you are reunited with your Mom and Dad real soon, within hours.”
Brenda hugged Nick tightly. “I’d like that so much. I…I never thought I’d see them again.”
Cold Blooded III: Sins and Sanctions (Nick McCarty Assassin Series Book 3) Page 3
