“Oh boy,” Nick muttered as Payaso and El Kabong stifled their amused reaction to Jean’s baiting of Kensky. “Jean, Daughter of Darkness, must you take every opportunity to make light of an extremely serious matter?”
“We’ve talked about this, Dad,” Jean said matter-of-factly. “I’m going to be just like you. I’ve toned it down in front of Mom as you asked. You said yourself Sonny and I are throwing daggers as well as anyone you’ve ever seen. We shot expert when you took us to the range too with the .22’s. I’m way ahead of schedule. I know you’re going to mutilate and kill that wanker Kensky. He deserves it. He wants to kill us all, and torture Sarah.”
“Good Lord in heaven,” Nick whispered looking prayerfully at the roof of the SUV. “Couldn’t you at least consider writing or being a doctor, or even a race car driver? You’re nine, Dagger. Everything changes as we get older. I don’t want you to be like me. Your Mom will shoot me right in the head.”
“Dagger has Sonny recruited for the assassin trail too, Muerto.”
“Uncle Gus?” Jean stared at Gus’s amused eyes in the rear view mirror accusingly. “Recruiting? Really? Sonny likes it over at our house better than his house with those manikins he has for parents. Is it actually possible for two cardboard cutouts to procreate?”
“Don’t change the subject,” Nick said, ignoring the hilarity caused by his far too knowledgeable Daughter of Darkness. “We have to be careful because we don’t want the manikins in our business. I like Sonny. He’ll have to watch what he says to his parents or they won’t allow him anywhere near our house. You’ve already got the boy joining the Marines with you. What’s next?”
“Like Uncle Gus said. It’s the assassination trail for us.”
“Your Mom’s head will explode if you keep this up. I need help raising your brother. Quinn will want his Mom around. You’ll put her in a mental ward with all this assassination talk. She needs you to help her around the house like you’ve been doing. We sure got messed up with this trial in May. It’s a bit lucky they let Agent Kaitlin free long enough to ruin Kensky’s case. I knew with Dan gone the trial was screwed.”
“I miss Dan,” Jean said, solemn for the first time.
“As do we all,” John added. “There has been a bright spot in this for Jean with her teacher Dimah. We’re watching out for her cousin Cala, so she’s really helping us out with Jean’s schoolwork load.”
“I think it’s you mostly watching Cala, Uncle John,” Jean spiked him.
John shrugged at the amused reaction Jean received for her observation. “I care for her, and Cala likes me. With Dimah’s wedding approaching in June, this will be a very nice time in the weeks ahead. Does she still want you to give her away, Nick? You haven’t talked about the wedding much. It is all Cala talks about.”
“Yep. Rachel will be Maid of Honor, and I’ll be giving the bride away,” Nick acknowledged. “We need to get back to Pacific Grove. Dimah will be starting to freak out that she doesn’t have a Maid of Honor to help her before the wedding.”
“You wouldn’t be thinking about a double wedding would you partner?” Gus glanced back at John while stopped in an intersection.
“Cala is a very exciting woman,” John replied as Jean gripped his arm.
“Uncle John! That would be so neat! You and Cala are a great couple. I like her. She’s in Dad’s personal witness protection program like Mom and I were a couple years ago. My teacher’s family is nuts with the honor killing crap. I’m glad Cala escaped like my teacher did. I can tell she likes you a lot, and she’ll be living at Dad’s house in Carmel Valley with you for protection.”
“Yes, in many ways the Kader family represent every single drawback and travesty in Islam today,” John replied, patting Jean’s hand. “I believe Cala needs more time to know if she wants to be with me. I am being very respectful, but I am very much taken with her.”
“I like where you’re headed, Brother John,” Nick said. “I thought I saw a spark there between you and Cala when we went with Dimah to meet her plane. I saw Dimah immediately begin to take on matchmaking duties after the meeting too.”
John chuckled. “She is indeed thrusting herself into Cala’s life like an older sister. Since Dimah likes me, I have an inside ally. With how well Cala and I get along though, I don’t think we’ll need much in the way of matchmaking. I am relieved to know you approve, Muerto.”
“What’s not to like? Cala appeared ready last night while sitting with you to become a lot more than a member of what Dagger calls our personal witness protection program. With Dimah thinking of moving with her Bill the Marine, Cala would not have anyone out here.”