“Yes, but there wasn’t any way to get both Uncle Naseer and his son, Saif without bringing down the law on us. I’m going to a special hell for admitting that much to you, but I know once you heard goofy Uncle Naseer died, you’d blame me no matter what you heard. So, here we are, at nearly two in the morning talking about my taking another human being’s life. Where do you think that would put me on your Mom’s shit list?”
Jean giggled. She pushed away, looking into Nick’s eyes without a glance at anything else. “Number one probably, but I know why you did it. I knew something happened, because Mom was all upset when you went over to Gus’s house last night. I pestered her until she admitted the Uncle and son confronted you on the beach. I knew right then he was so dead. I can handle all this, Dad. Being with you on the road with bad guys trying to get us every moment, I never saw you scared, and so I wasn’t scared either. It’s like you said then: we’re a team. You do what’s right. I know that. The bad guy is dead. That’s a good thing.”
Nick cringed inside. He had no idea if all of the people he killed were bad. The look of complete trust in Jean’s eyes brought out a tightening at his mouth and eyes. “Listen to me, kid. I don’t know if all the people I’ve killed were bad. They sent guys after me I served with, brothers in arms, and I killed them. We can make any excuse to doctor our feelings toward it, but frankly, I am a very bad man. There may well be repercussions from Naseer’s death. What I do doesn’t always solve things, Danger. Many times my actions were used to provoke responses. I am not Batman. I’m closer to a serial killer than a superhero.”
Jean pointed her finger at him. “You could have ditched Mom and me at any time. You didn’t. You kept going, no matter what, to keep us safe. We learned a lot, Dad! No one else on earth could have kept Mom and me alive. Forget right and wrong in this. I think caring for people who care about you is the only right.”
Nick patted her arm, giving away no acknowledgement of her nearly clairvoyant theory. “I’m not denying anything. I’m giving you the Robocop details. I’d bet twenty bucks your Mom gave you the lecture on those nasty little unintended consequences, and you gave her the same spiel. Then she reminded you who it was that started the boulder going down the hill.”
Jean’s first instinct was to deny Nick’s supposition. She had never lied to Nick. Jean believed him to be a human lie detector, and knew she wasn’t close to being able to fool him. “Yeah, she did. I acted on the right side. And yeah… I knew you might have to kill people to protect Ms. Kader. So… that settles it. I’m just as evil as you. Let the games begin!”
Jean danced around, drinking in Nick’s at first abhorrent reaction, followed by his laugh. Nick raised his eyes to stare at the ceiling. “I am so doomed. Go to bed, evil child. I’ll be waking you early, and I’m bringing Deke to give me a hand. Where is Deke anyway?”
“Locked in my room. I couldn’t chance him spoiling my unfortunately doomed stalking trial.”
“Go to bed, and let loose the canine Kracken. It is probably taking every fiber of his being to not bang against the door and howl bloody murder. Goodnight, my little manipulator. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad. Deke nipped me while I was coaxing him inside my bedroom. I think he reads people’s minds too.”
“Deke knew instinctively he could have been the perfect cover for your ploy. His jumping into me crazy as he always does might have dulled my Ninja sense of strawberry.”
“I’ll remember that. The Deke will streak down here shortly. Wake me at ten.”
“Your class starts at 8:30 sharp. I’ll be waking you at the same time I wake Gus: seven. That’ll learn you not to play stalking games with the Terminator.”
“You’re mean! I hate you.”
Nick listened to Jean giggle all the way to her room, where she let loose the Kracken. Deke virtually leaped to the bottom of the stairwell, eyes darting everywhere as he sniffed out his prey. Nick collapsed in a fetal position while Deke attacked, rooting out every opening with unrelenting low snarl of bliss. Nick surrendered, hugging Deke. Let out into the fenced in yard, Deke marked his territory for the next twenty minutes while Nick focused on the fog bank still obscuring the ocean front down the hill. He sat on the stoop, waiting patiently for his canine counterpart.
*
“Time to pay the piper, little one!” Nick rocked the groaning Jean without mercy. Deke backed his attack, digging adroitly under the covers to reach with cold nose on bare skin. A yelp signaled victory as Deke redoubled his attack.”
“Help…help me!” Jean rolled under the covers in misery, trying to fend off the determined Deke, who added a low growl to his actions. “Deke! You traitor!”
“Nick told me what you did, young lady,” Rachel said from the doorway, watching the show with amused interest.”
“Dad! You traitor!” Muffled squeals continued to be heard as Deke disappeared under the covers. “I give up… I give up.”
Jean pitched out from under her covers, roughing up the emerging Deke before heading for the bathroom with the affable and triumphant Deke following her. “I will have my revenge!”