Nick happily walked Deke and Jean to school, taking extreme pleasure in the still gray skies, cooler ocean generated temperatures, and watching Deke hop up and down as he walked next to Jean. All was right with the world for a moment. He glanced over at Gus, his brother by another mother, with light hearted enjoyment. In that heartbeat Nick spotted the accelerating car in the distance. He threw the smiling and shocked Gus toward Jean.
“Protect Gus!” Nick pushed Gus toward Jean and Deke, only adjusting at the last second to what evolved. He saw Gus take Jean down, covering her with his own body and Deke sitting calmly at their side. Nick grinned as he drew his Colt.
Nick did not wait for gunfire. His senses, honed over the past missions, ripped reality into his ongoing perception of everything. Nick stood in a shooter’s crouch, weapon aimed. The moment Nick saw the machine pistol appear at the rear passenger window, he fired a three shot group into the driver’s head. The vehicle caromed to the tree enhanced side, opposite their walking path to the school. Nick noted the engine didn’t rev as he approached the vehicle on a dead run. He killed everything in the vehicle, seeing surprised looks from the other occupants as he fired without hesitation into each head. No one hunts me or mine.
Nick reached in and turned off the key. He recognized the features of what was left of the faces belonging to the shooter’s companions. “Aw… shit.”
Gus peeked from his duty in shielding Jean, knowing he was the last defense if Nick failed. He eased the 9mm handgun from its side holster, ready to bring it to bear on anyone until his own last breath. “Nick?”
“It’s me, brother. There’s no use in Jean going on now. I’m calling Rachel. She can pick you, Jean, and Deke up. We have another Kader problem, Payaso.
Gus helped Jean to her feet while Nick kept watch, Colt in hand. “Are you okay, Jean?”
“Yep.” Jean hugged Deke who remained vigilant at her side. “How many, Dad?”
Nick took a deep breath from his crouch. “Three. Please call your Mom. It would be better if she heard your voice first.”
“Sure. I got this.” Jean called home, laughed, and brought the phone over on speaker with both Gus and Deke at her side. “It’s Mom.”
“Hi, honey.” Nick did not relax for a moment. “Little busy. It’s the Kader show again. Please head here. I’ll have Gus call Johnny to warn him.”
“On my way.”
Gus had his phone in hand, calling Johnny.
Nick stayed vigilant as he heard sirens approaching.
*
An hour later, Nick sat at Neil Dickerson’s desk. Neil joined him with a folder, sitting down opposite Nick with a pinched look on his face. “First off, I’m glad you, Gus, and Jean are alive and well. Please don’t think otherwise. That said, this new incident on the heels of the gangbanger shooting is going to be rough. Your friends in the US Marshal’s Office confirmed for the DA that you have been targeted by the Kader family. I took this folder detailing the planting of explosives on your house. I explained how the Kaders were also tied into the Fontaine incident. I think if he could, the DA would order you exiled from Pacific Grove.”
“I couldn’t very well allow them to kill us,” Nick said.
“I think the execution style killings in the car worried the DA, his words, not mine.”
“Apparently, he doesn’t know much about those MP5’s they aimed out the window at me. They were fully automatic, Neil. We would have all been dead in seconds. I couldn’t very well allow them to recover from the tree ramming and open fire.”
“I told him. The fact all three had fully automatic submachine guns definitely made an impression. The DA thinks you can just shout halt and the whackos with submachine guns lay down their guns and surrender. I reminded him it would be much better to worry about where the hell those three came into possession of the guns.”
“I’m concerned about that myself. I recognized one of them, Ishmael Kader. He’s the only male Kader I’ve ever met who I thought was reasonable. There he was, in the backseat of the car this morning, getting ready to blast us with a submachine gun. That means Cala Kader’s marriage to Johnny Groves set off the crazies in the Kader family. They refused my offer of a dowry, even though it was much greater than Fontaine’s. Ishmael was the Kader family negotiator. When I talked with him last, Ish wanted no part of me. Did you have a chance to find out who Ish’s friends were?”
“Yes. I’m sure their identities and background won’t make you feel any better. They were accepted in the last bunch of Syrian refugees.”
“Oh goody. It wasn’t enough I had the family already here trying to kill me. Now, California decided to import them for me. Ever wonder if maybe our looney tune leaders want to be part of a new Caliphate the Muslims keep killing people all over the world to install?”
“I don’t know, Nick. I meet people in this state all the time. I live near some very good people. They work blue collar jobs. They live a conservative life style – but they go out on Election-Day and vote into office the worst idiot leftists they can find to vote for, who don’t believe in anything they do. I don’t have an answer for it.”