“I’ll take it.”
Nick tipped the Stoli bottle for him a couple more times until Gus confirmed the info. Nick jammed the hypodermic into Mazdaki’s neck. “There you go, Johnny boy.”
Nick watched eternity arrive to claim Mazdaki a moment later. “All done, Payaso.”
“Don’t say it!”
“El Muerto… away!”
Chapter Three
The Wedding
“Do you think Dad’s okay?”
Rachel paused in helping Jean with the back of her dress. Gus and Tina’s simply planned wedding ceremony, only hours away, seemed more complicated the closer it drew near. The only two not stressed were Nick and Gus. They had been joking with each other while trading one liners with married life the main subject. She knew the two men had been involved in saving a little girl, who claimed over and over a superhero named El Muerto rescued her with his sidekick Payaso, the dark man. Rachel suspected a terrorist act rumored to have been avoided had also been Nick and Gus’s doing. For plausible deniability, Rachel and Jean kept silent reluctantly, keeping their questions to themselves. They speculated on the quirky adventures of El Muerto and Payaso with much amusement, but only while watching the news, and only to each other.
“Give me a hint. What is it you think isn’t okay with him?”
“He used to let us in on more of what he does. We’re his team. I thought since he did so much for the government agencies lately, Dad could tell us more.”
Rachel put her hands on Jean’s shoulders, shaking her slightly. “Do you really think the Company is receptive to Nick creating El Muerto? He knows if we start tossing his new goofball creation amongst us as a joke, one of us will slip in public, and we’ll all be in trouble. If he knew we were speculating while watching the news, believe me, he wouldn’t like it. I’m happy he’s not taking jobs overseas. I look forward to going to Europe someday, but I’d rather it was on a book tour than as a mission cover. I do think he’s more uneasy about your interest. He doesn’t want you to be an assassin. Come to think of it… neither do I.”
Jean’s face reflected the ongoing war within her when considering how much she could safely confide in her Mom concerning her future plans. “I can’t be exactly like Dad, but I can help people, and get bad guys. If I do find my way in writing novels, I need real life experiences. Maybe someday I could tour with Dad while on a mission together.”
“You’ve certainly managed to scare the crap out of your old pregnant Mom.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention taking Quinn along as my apprentice,” Jean replied.
Rachel pointed a finger at her now giggling daughter. “Oh… you laugh now. Wait until you have a child of your own. You’ll think back on these days with commiseration for what you’re putting me through. Quinn will listen to his Mama, and be a good boy.”
“He’ll follow in the footsteps of his heroic older sister. I’ll make sure he calls you at least once a week.”
* * *
Screams from the room next to where Gus and Nick were drinking coffee, brought the two men scrambling in to witness the headlock and noogie being applied by Rachel to the squirming Jean. Both were fully dressed in their wedding outfits.
“Ladies!” Nick shouted.
Rachel stopped her assault, panting while still retaining a firm grip on Jean’s head. “She started it.”
“Did not! Get her, Dad. She’s out of control,” Jean said from her head-locked position.
“Honey?” Nick walked over to soothingly rub Rachel’s shoulders. “I’m sure Jean didn’t mean to upset you this much. Remember now, we have Gus’s wedding to attend as honored guests. This is not the behavior of friends on a wedding day.”
Rachel released Jean reluctantly. “She got me on my last nerve in an instant. You don’t know her Nick. When this little Jean the assassin grows up, she’ll drive us into the mental ward.”
“Uh oh. I thought we discussed this, my beloved daughter.” Nick drew Jean in with his other arm. “We were to work all aspects of education and training so you will have a myriad of options to choose from before college, always sparing your poor Mom from confrontations of this nature.
Jean rubbed her head. “Mom gave me a noogie on Gus’s wedding day. She should be punished.”
“Why you…” Nick tightened his hug on Rachel to prevent a reengagement of hostilities.
“Easy, Rach, I know there’s some tension with the ceremony. Let’s call a truce. I have a feeling the rapid flow of events these past days on tour are beginning to wear you two out. If this is getting to be too much of a strain, I can order a couple first class tickets home, and I’ll keep Deke with me.”
“Actually, the tour’s fun, but we’d like to be more in the El Muerto/Payaso adventure loop,” Rachel said. “Dagger is getting into trouble, because she’s projecting the unborn Quinn to assassin status, under her supervision, while on missions overseas with El Muerto.”
“In that case you deserved the noogie. I’m thinking of giving you one myself for that outrage, young lady,” Nick threatened.
“You can’t stop Dagger. She is a force of nature.” Jean folded arms over chest with chin up in distain.
Gus ruined the solemn upbraiding of Jean with suppressed laughter from the next room.
“I heard that, Payaso,” Rachel called out. “Maybe after the wedding, I’ll take this brat with me to Charleston to see Rick’s Mom and Sister. We’ll visit for a week before your book signings there. It will give us a chance to cool down while you and Payaso close out the East Coast stops. Are you sure Deke will be okay? We can take him with us.”
“He’ll be fine. Deke’s been getting three walks a day, and dog specialty foods. He’s in doggie heaven. I think you have a great idea about an early start for the family visit. I’ll miss you two, but Charleston is as you said, only a week away. El Muerto and Payaso are on an official break, so you won’t miss anything. Our hotel is moving Tina and Gus into the wedding suite, and it is fabulous, right Gus?”
Gus emerged from the room he eavesdropped from. “It is incredible. This would be a great time for you and Jean to scout out our hotel surroundings in Charleston while visiting family. I’m sure Nick has us booked into the best available, and you have to admit this tour in first class everything is an addictive treat.”
“I can’t argue with you there,” Rachel admitted. “I miss our place in Pacific Grove though. It’s the best place I’ve ever lived in. Hell… I even miss waitressing at Joe’s.”
Nick embraced Rachel. “The simple life is incredible, and I share your passion for it, my love. I knew we were soul mates the moment I saw your picture.”
Rachel pushed away. “Wait a minute. The first time you saw a picture of me was when you were issued a contract to kill me.”
Nick shrugged while Gus and Jean enjoyed the moment loudly in amusement. “Well… yeah… there is that. I think you destroyed my soul mate moment, you Philistine.”
Not even Rachel could comment on that statement for many moments with both Jean and Gus succumbing to Nick’s one liner.
“Okay… we all have smiles on our faces. Can we now show up for the long suffering Gus’s wedding without any further distractions? We’re his crew today. We want Tina to have a wonderful moment before Payaso ruins her dreams.”
It took an intervention by both Dagger and Rachel to intercede between Gus and Nick.
* * *
“I can’t understand you,” Rachel whispered. “You claimed to outgrow being called Danger Girl, and then you embrace an even more comic book nickname, Dagger. What is going on in that mind of yours, child?”
“Shush, Mom. We’re not supposed to talk,” Jean whispered back.
“I’m curious, damn it. First, you’re all grown up, and suddenly you’re in fairytale assassin land complete with killer nametag.”
“Do we have to talk about this now?” Jean’s hushed question did nothing to unfurrow Rachel’s brow or embarrass her into silence. “Besides, Dagger i
s a great name. I’m excited with all this stuff Dad and Gus have been doing. You saw Brenda talking about being saved on TV.”
“I did,” Rachel hissed out the side of her mouth as Nick glanced back at the two. “I also heard what happened to the girl’s attacker. I don’t think you could do that. Dagger’s not a force of nature, but Nick surely is.”
Jean stared at Rachel, trying to perceive what induced her Mom to begin the conversation so suddenly at Gus’s wedding. “Are you worried about leaving Dad?”
The question startled Rachel. She grasped Jean’s hand, brushing away a tear beginning to form with the handkerchief in her other hand for the wedding. “Yes… damn it. Sorry to spring the Dagger thing on you. My hormones are racing thanks to your brother Quinn. I thought visiting your Grandma Mona before Nick arrives in Charleston seemed like a great idea, until my imagination kicked in. Do you think El Muerto will run amok once we’re gone?”
Jean shook her head. “Dad promised they’re taking a break. He said it’s too hot in the news for playing superhero. Muerto went viral on YouTube with the pictures and headlines spliced together with that eerie song ‘Mad World’ playing in the background. One of the crime scene photos from the way that guy Berringer died was leaked. It’s on the clip too.”
“I hope Gus can remind him to keep playing author on tour until he meets us in Charleston.” Rachel took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Nick’s terrifying, but I can’t think of life without him.”
Jean leaned her head against Rachel’s shoulder. “That makes two of us.”
They waited in the small chapel, where a Justice of the Peace would preside over the small ceremony. Gus’s brother Phil escorted Tina in to give away the bride. Rachel acted as Maid of Honor, with Phil’s wife Julie and Jean next to her. Nick would be Gus’s best man. Katie Nason, Phil’s daughter followed Tina and Phil into the chapel with a small flower bouquet. Nick and Gus awaited the bride with welcoming smiles. Phil passed Tina’s hand on cue from the Justice of the Peace to Gus. The nerves, hesitation, and uneasiness ended a short time later after what turned out to be a touching ceremony.
Congratulations rang out long and loud after the kiss. Family and friends drove Rachel’s dark thoughts into her mind’s recess for the time being, but the conversation made a lasting mark on Jean, who watched Nick uneasily. She couldn’t keep from wondering if maybe her deadly step-dad would indeed succumb to his new quirky creation. The strains of ‘Mad World’ played on in her head while watching Nick hug Gus and Tina, a living illustration of a paradox. Jean knew no matter how Rachel or Nick tried to dissuade her, she planned to follow in Nick’s footsteps. She smiled, knowing making her Mom mental would be detrimental to future plans. Nick turned toward her suddenly, pointing at her with a grim expression. His sudden notice, as if he had read her thoughts, shocked Jean out of her reverie. Nick walked away from the group.
“You worry me girl when I see that look on your face. I see Jean the Assassin skulking between your ears. If you continue with this, you’re going to drive your Mom insane.”
“How…how did you know I was thinking that?”
“Your first lesson will be the poker face needed not to display everything on your features to someone who knows you like an old marked deck of cards, Dagger.”
“Mom’s worried El Muerto will go off the deep end if we leave you here alone.”
“I’ll talk to her. Besides, Gus will be with me.”
Jean giggled. “Lately, Payaso has been like your own personal sock puppet.”
“You take that back, you disrespectful bowl of Coco Puffs.”
That comeback took Jean moments to overcome. “Okay… I take it back, but you and your sidekick have to take a vacation from the superhero trail if you want to keep Mom sane.”
Nick guided Jean into the midst of the celebration. “I can’t do that right now, Jean. I’m working through a few personal items. You concentrate on having a great time with your Grandma. I may not get anything on the radar anyway before we leave. Gus made me realize there’s no going back. I plan on doing right, but pretending I’m a pedestrian following street signs blinking when to walk and when not to - is just out of my range.”
“You weren’t kidding with me about training, and giving me a chance though, right?”
“Absolutely not. If you keep pushing the Dagger nickname though, one of these days you’ll regret it.”
“If you can be El Muerto, I can be Dagger.”
Nick smiled, clasping Jean tighter to him. “Remember what I said, Dagger.”
* * *
Outside, the police were waiting for them in the anteroom of the chapel. Nick stepped forward immediately. “Hello, officers. How may we help you?”
“Are you Nick McCarty?”
Nick smiled with friendly intent at the huge black police officer with Stallings on his nametag. Jean instinctively gripped Nick’s hand, looking up at the police officer with concern. “I am indeed, Officer Stallings. How can I help you?”
Jean’s physical interjection made Officer Stallings pause, seeing the little girl grasping Nick’s hand with both hers staring at him unblinkingly. “We did some background checks on you, because of providing security for the book signings in Boston, after what happened to you in New York with that Kader family member attacking you. Ah… I…I’ve talked with Sergeant Dickerson in Pacific Grove. You know him, don’t you, Sir?”
“Yes,” Nick answered, enjoying Jean’s very effective ploy. “Sergeant Dickerson and I have become friends after some difficult happenings in my chosen hometown.”
Stallings smiled. “He claims you’re Pacific Grove’s ‘Castle’ like in the TV show.”
Nick laughed. “Yeah… I’m Castle in that I bought the police force in my chosen hometown an expresso machine. I doubt he considers me a go to source for solving crimes.”
“I think you’d be surprised by how much substance Dickerson credited in your thought processes regarding those ‘difficult happenings’. The way you handled the media trying to destroy you was an effort I admired very much. The faceoff at your house… that was the best. I know you can take the heat, and there will be heat on this one. I also know now you hold FBI and US Marshal credentials, and they’re not honorary. That surprised the hell out of me. Anyway, what I’d like to ask is if you’d take a look at a woman police officer’s murder with us?”
Nick was tallying the caveats in his head Stallings alluded to. At least Rach can see I didn’t create this situation. “Sure, I’d be happy to help if I can. We’re in the middle of my best friend’s wedding aftermath though. Is this something that just happened?”
“No,” Stallings admitted. “I’m sorry we interfered today. This was the one place we knew you’d be as sited in the newspapers.”
Stallings handed Nick his card. “Please call me when you’re free. I’ll send a car for you. If you could keep this to yourself I would be grateful.”
“We’ll keep a lid on it, Sergeant. I’ll call as soon as possible.” Nick shook hands with Stallings, and watched the officer retreat to his squad car with the two men accompanying him.
Nick turned to see his entire band of merry wedding attendees staring at him with big frowns, except for Gus, and of course Jean. “What?”
“You could have blown him off,” Rachel pointed out. “I think you may be confusing the concept of doing right.”
“Doin’ right ain’t got no end,” Nick quoted from ‘The Outlaw Josie Wales’.
“That was a bad guy who said that in the movie, Dad,” Jean said.
“So… what’s your point?”
* * *
After saying goodbye to the participants not staying at the Boston Harbor Hotel, Nick immediately turned to Gus. “Hey buddy… when should we bring the champagne and finger foods for that exquisite hot tub you have in the wedding suite?”
Gus roared with laughter. Only after seeing Nick standing there staring at him with a hurt expression did Gus respond. “You’re serious? You a
in’t comin’ up to our room, Muerto. I’ll call security if you force me to.”
“Payaso!” Everyone enjoyed Nick’s open mouthed surprised expression. “How could you say that to me, your mentor and friend?”
“You’re not my mentor. Take the family down to the hotel pool and hot tub. Enjoy. See you in the morning. Thanks for coming. Goodnight.”
Before Gus could get on the elevator with Tina who was on the verge of hysterics, Nick grabbed his arm. “Couldn’t we at least come visit for an hour or so to see the wedding suite?”
Gus carefully picked Nick’s hand off of his arm. “I have your e-mail address, Muerto. I’ll take pictures, and send them to you.”
Nick grinned as Gus ducked into the elevator, leaving his partner with a little finger wave. Rachel and Jean were of course enjoying the Muerto/Payaso interaction to the maximum with actual hoots of glee. “Oh… I see now. It’s a good thing Muerto is needed elsewhere.”
Nick’s statement of intent shut off the laughter within seconds.
“You’re not thinking about consulting on a murder case, are you?”
“What would you have me do, Rach? I’m a little exposed here in Boston. Come on. We’ll talk about it in the room for about thirty seconds. Then I’ll need to go help the police if I can.”
“Can I go with you, Dad?”
“Sure, if you want me in jail for child abuse.” Nick led the way onto the next elevator to their floor. “You two can come with me while I walk Deke.”
“Pass,” Rachel said.
“Ditto,” Jean echoed.
“It’s no damn wonder Deke likes me better than you ingrates.”
“We made him a homemade Nick doll. He chews on it while you’re away,” Jean stated.
“He’s very attached to it,” Rachel added. “He cries when we have to take it before you see what he’s chewing the shit out of.”
Nick watched them scurry down to the hotel room, wondering where he lost his edge. When he reached the hotel room door, Deke was waiting outside of it with his leash in his mouth. Nick went up to the door. “Really?”
Hearing the snickering inside, he leashed the very appreciative Deke, and walked him to the elevator. He had a waste bag dispenser built into the leash handle. “We’re going on a long walk before I collude with the local constabulary, Deke. I need to clear my head from evil thoughts in regard to your original owners.”
Cold Blooded III: Sins and Sanctions (Nick McCarty Assassin Series Book 3) Page 5
