Nick pointed at her. “You not funny.”
Nick glanced down in time to see John screech alongside the two men with Gus’s MP5 covering them. John left the driver’s side ran around and zapped the nearest man to the ground without a word. John then pointed at the ground and the other man dived onto it. Moments later, they were restrained in the vehicle’s back. John drove slowly toward Nick. Three men dislodged from two houses down the street perpendicular to where Nick had been headed. They approached Nick with hands in plain sight. As they came in sight of where they obviously hoped to see their two down the road companions, the three stopped at the sight of John’s car with Gus pointing an MP5 at them. The lead one of the three was Jacob.
Nick walked across the street into Jacob’s face. “You are a very lucky man. If the kids would not have walked with me this morning, you and these two with you would have bullet holes in your heads. I don’t know what you wanted, but whatever it was is done now. Don’t talk. I’m going to frisk each one of you, scan your ID’s, and send you all on your way. If I ever see any of you in the future I will kill you on sight. You first, Jacob. Put your hands behind your head.”
“We do not know how you did it but we know you killed Mohammed, you jackal! You threaten him and the same night he dies of something for which he had no medical history!” Jacob began gesturing at Nick. “You will pay for his death!”
Nick’s knee to his groin ended all conversation attempts. Nick then frisked Jacob, confiscating a 9mm Taurus. He scanned his driver’s license, taking a picture of him with the weapon. Nick repeated the process with each of the other men, who had immediately put hands clasped behind their heads after Nick’s adjustment of Jacob. He retrieved more weapons.
“We’ve done the same to the two in the car, Nick,” Gus said.
“Let them out. We’ll watch while they leave the area. Thanks for the arsenal boys. I hope none of your weapons were used in any criminal activity because I have your pictures with your weapons. If they were used in a criminal manner, you can expect to get a call from the local or federal police. One of you go get your vehicle. Drive it very slowly alongside your other nitwit friends.”
Nick pointed at a man in the group clearly uncomfortable with the situation. “You go. From your appearance you look to be the least insane member of this party. Get moving. I don’t have all day to play.”
The man Nick singled out accepted vehicle keys from another man in the group. He jogged down the street where they had been working their ambush. Nick pointed at another man on the end, his features tensed as if he were ready to rush Nick at the first opportunity. Taller, with lean featured short bearded look, Nick noticed the glare of violence raging close to the surface in his eyes.
“I can tell you have evil thoughts. Rest assured, if you move, I will shoot you in the head,” Nick said in Arabic.
“You have no right to hold us or take our weapons. Return them at once!”
Nick heard Gus and John enjoying the man’s demands. Nick drew his Colt as a gray Ford Expedition rolled slowly towards them. “I will kill you all if your friend does anything goofy or threatening with your Ford. Pray he simply halts next to you.”
The one sent to get the vehicle kept his hands on the wheel while stopping next to the group. Traffic was beginning to increase with a car or truck passing slowly until the driver noticed the weapons displayed. When the bad attitude man was the last to get in the Ford, he turned toward Nick, who had holstered his Colt after the Ford halted. Jacob had to be helped inside. He was still moaning with both hands gripping his groin.
“I will see you again in-”
The man never saw the roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He catapulted to the pavement in a heap. Nick regained his casual manner while gesturing at the downed man. “A couple of you pick up Porky here. Don’t speak, just leave. Remember, I warned you what would happen if I ever see any of you again. I don’t deal seconds.”
When the Ford was out of sight, Nick crossed the road to join the kids and Deke while John turned his car around into escorting position. Jean smiled as Nick approached with Deke sitting next to her. Sonny kept hold of her hand with one hand and the other on Quinn’s carriage. The image the two kids projected of a bond between them gave Nick both lighthearted and uneasy feelings of an unseen future. He took a deep breath.
“Well, that was an unusually distasteful start to the day,” Nick told the kids as he undid the carriage brake and began the short walk left to the coastal road bordering the ocean.
“I’ve never seen a kick like that except on TV,” Sonny said. He kept hold of Jean’s hand as they walked with Deke slightly behind Nick.