The three of them enjoyed the dark humor for a moment.
“We shouldn’t be talking like this in front of the Daughter of Darkness.”
“I already gave Jean my word I wouldn’t hide anything from her having to do with her safety. This has to do with all of us. It could be a real good time to go on tour in Washington though. I’ll mention it to Ms. Kader tomorrow morning if Gus walks along and holds Deke. I’ll help Jean get ahead of her assignments. She didn’t miss a beat on the trip back East.”
Nick saw they were drawing near their home. “Take a tour around the block. I want to check out the parked vehicles.”
“On it, Muerto.” Rachel steered past the house and up the steep block to the top and back down with Jean mimicking Nick’s focus on vehicles. When they completed the block inspection Rachel drove into their garage after Nick opened the garage door by remote. “Was it clear?”
“I believe so. Let’s close the garage door. I’ll go in the house first. We can’t be too careful. I know I could let Deke check first, but he’s my beer buddy. I don’t want him taking the first hit.” Nick left the vehicle while checking the clip from his Colt. He ordered Deke to wait as he went in to check the house after disabling the alarm.
“Hey,” Rachel called out. “I don’t want you to take the first hit either, Muerto.”
Jean made a snorting noise. “That’ll be the day.”
Nick returned moments later. “All is clear on the home front.” Nick kissed Jean on the top of her head. “Right this way little missy to your bedroom. I will be awakening you early. Thanks for coming with your Mom tonight. It gave me that much more cover.”
Jean threw her arm around the lower part of her face while going into a crouch. “The dangerous Dagger, Daughter of Darkness, saves the famous El Muerto.”
“We’re doomed,” Rachel declared to the ceiling while putting the dangerous Dagger in a headlock on the way to the stairs.
“I don’t know about you, Deke, but I could go for a couple of beers on the deck. Care to join me?”
At the word beer, Deke launched onto his hind legs hopping in tandem with Nick to the stairs. “I think you have a drinking problem, Fang. I may have to stage an intervention; but for tonight, we’ll let it pass. Now, get back on all fours before you break something.”
*
Nick escorted Jean with Deke on leash, past Gus holding the screen door for them.
“Did you hear what happened, Uncle Gus?”
“No. I couldn’t drag the details from closed mouth Uncle John. I knew something happened from the fact he couldn’t shut his mouth during our phone conversation. All he could say was ‘you must go to the beach this morning, Payaso’ over and over. We can’t leave your Dad alone for ten minutes without missing an adventure. Are you ready for school, or did you ignore your studies all weekend?”
Jean rolled her eyes while taking Deke’s leash. She adjusted her school pack. “Big chance of that. I had to work like a slave under El Muerto, with his minion, the Momster handling his light work.”
“Keep talking, Dagger, and tonight you’ll have a little writing exercise to perform called ‘I will write it is wrong to disrespect my parents five hundred times’. You’ll love that one. It’s really fun. Is there any other verbal treasure you’d like to share with Uncle Gus?”
“The Daughter of Darkness has point.” Jean lowered her head, and scampered with Deke down the walk.
“I see Jean is still working on her parental one liners.”
“She has the adrenaline rush from last night running through her. I’m glad she slept as much as she did.” Nick quickly went over the details, hitting all the high points in a matter of minutes while he and Gus trailed Jean and Deke.
“I’ll say one thing for you, Muerto: when your life goes into the toilet, fifty hands reach for the flush handle.”
“What? Leave it to you, Payaso – always looking at the negatives. I encounter the good fortune to uncover and end a plot to assassinate the United States CIA Director, who also happens to be a friend of ours, and you act like I walked into a wood chipper. I expect more from my sidekick, the deadly dangerous Payaso.”
“Turn that record over, Muerto. You have a billionaire murderer pay his way to your family’s front door, and you think the roses are in bloom? I don’t think so. I can read between the lines, brother. You’re wondering how many ears this guy whispered your personal info into before he went bye-bye. I bet Jerry loved your Kingpin of crime adjustment.”
“Yes, he did. Jerry is a man who sees things in a more positive vein unlike you, my insidious sidekick.”
“Insidious? Jerry only sees new limo, tools, and potential. I’m around you much more in the target zone.” Gus put his hands to his temples, looking up. “I, the all-knowing Payaso see a hurriedly advanced road trip to Washington until the hometown fires burn down.”