“You didn’t even hit them! I…” Gus paused as he watched the gunboat go dark. “What the hell did you do, you wanker? Were you holding out on me?”
“Need to know, my friend. That is a newly minted EMP round, which can be fired from an M136 launcher. It explodes over the target, and shuts them down completely. Now, let’s shut our own lights off and do a drive-by. I have another load for my M136.”
“Can’t we simply fade off into the horizon?” Gus looked at his partner’s face, and steered toward the gunboat. “Do you have something under your skin about Iranian gunboats?”
Nick glanced over at his old friend with all levity aside. “Yeah. I don’t like being hunted… even when I deserve it. I’ve never asked for mercy, and I don’t issue it in return… even if I’m begged to. That’s close enough, brother.”
Gus throttled down. Nick walked calmly to the main deck, picked up the M136 launcher, and fired the load already in the chamber. The result was a massive explosion amidships at the waterline. Nick’s second launch blew apart the bridge in a spectacular shattering of the ship’s hull. He let it burn. When it didn’t end in the result he wanted, Nick fired the third round. The fuel tanks exploded in a disintegrating fiery blast that rocked The Majid. The gunboat pieces sunk out of sight in seconds afterward. Nick rejoined Gus on the bridge.
“Full speed ahead, Captain.”
Gus executed Nick’s order, glancing sideways at the rapidly disappearing gunboat. “I guess we’ll have to hope they didn’t get word out.”
Nick smiled. “The hell with hope. Full speed ahead, Gus. We’ll ditch the damn boat and go native if we have to.”
“Fuck you, Nick!” Gus throttled up. “I ain’t going native.”
“Calm down. They’ll probably scramble a couple jets if the gunboat communicated with anyone. If they see us, it won’t matter. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“I left it back at the Port of Shahid waiting for you to come back from walkabout.”
Nick put a hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Part of the reason I took this contract had to do with your whiney disregard for my everyday life back in Pacific Grove. We’re living there like kings, and you kept criticizing all my little pranks to make life more entertaining.”
“Pranks? Hiding Deke’s favorite squeeze toy is a prank. Sneaking into my house and cooking breakfast for me and my house guest was damn disturbing. That Ninja shit of yours is not a toy. You don’t suddenly walk into another man’s bedroom with a breakfast tray. Tina was scared to death, you sicko. When I told you to get back to business, I didn’t mean with me included.”
“I thought we were partners.” Nick drew away from Gus, pretending to pout. “I thought we were besties.”
“You murdered a whole Iranian gunboat crew in cold blood, and now you’re hurt because I wanted you to continue your assassin lifestyle without me? Give me a break.”
“Fine, tell me it wasn’t you that swallowed the bait, hook, line, and sinker? You were all upbeat then.” Nick took on a singsong mimic of Gus’s words. “That’s excellent, Nick. You have a boat at our disposal and everything. Count me in. When do we leave?”
“Prick.” Gus left his response to a one word acknowledgement of Nick’s accusation. He took a deep breath. “You’re right… damn it! I should have stuck to us going fishing on my new boat, and shut the hell up about this back to business crap. Maybe it was me going nuts. I watched you walking Danger to school with Deke every day, playing pranks on Rachel and me, and I really thought you were going to lose it. You’re a cold blooded killer, Nick. It was freaky seeing you as a homey husband and dad. I admit I never in a million years figured you’d take a contract for a high ranking Al Qaeda figure. You are one scary individual.”
“Well… at least I found out I wasn’t a complete psychopath. Having Rachel, Jean, and Deke the dog in my life made me realize I could care for something. Remember though, my plan initially was to use them as a front for killing people.”
“Yep. You strayed from form there. New York Times Bestselling Author Nick McCarty traveling the assassin trail with lovely wife Rachel and daughter Jean – a perfect cover until you found out you actually cared for them.”
Nick shrugged. “Shit happens. One thing I learned from this sandy hellhole project is it sucks. I don’t know what got into me, thinking I had something to prove. I put all this stalking crap behind me, especially the heat. In spite of all that… it felt good. Forget me taking on any contracts back in the sandpit though. Until the government gets serious and nukes these assholes from orbit, they’ll keep replacing our so-called targeted hits with other morons just as deadly. Tomorrow, fifty robed shitheads will be scrambling to replace Nazari. Go on, and get some sleep, Gus. I’ll wake you in a couple hours. We’ll be fine. The Iranians will take half a day to investigate the gunboat demise. By then, you’ll be docking us at the Port of Fujairah.”
“You just wanted to see me sweat.”