“Yeah, right,” Gus snorted out his pronouncement with a headshake accompaniment to Johnny and Cala’s amusement. “I agree with you on the atrocities the guy has committed. Damn… I thought the Saudis were slightly more civilized.”
“Only on the surface,” Nick replied. “I know the Nasimi Beach establishment from a past job in Dubai. My contract was for a Syrian General who thought he was a playboy. He stayed at the Atlantis too and he loved the waterpark.”
“Did you kill him at the hotel,” Johnny asked.
“No. I killed him on a fishing excursion about ten miles off shore. I acquired a small fishing boat, fished in the area he liked to frequent, dressed like a nomad on the water.”
Nick remained silent while he and Johnny carefully lowered Omar into his body-bag.
“Do not leave us hanging, Muerto,” Gus admonished. “You shot him in the head from five miles away, right?”
Nick chuckled. “Nope. He had his boat captain try to capsize my boat, laughing and drinking… until he saw me stand in the boat with the XM307 25mm grenade launcher. I guess you could say I had the last laugh.”
“Weren’t you afraid they would catch you,” Cala asked.
“I didn’t leave a thing other than tiny pieces of debris on the water surface. Then I moved away down the coast to my safe haven in Ajman. I traveled from there across the peninsula to Khor Fakkan where Frank had a boat waiting for me. We had a hard time getting paid for the job because they didn’t find the debris for weeks. Someone in Qatar issued the contract. It established me as one of the top five private hitters in the world.”
“So that general was a bad guy, huh,” Cala continued with interest.
Gus laughed, remembering a similar question Rachel told him she asked. “He was to someone, right Muerto?”
Nick shrugged. “Yeah, we didn’t really look into right and wrong on contracts in the sand. They were all bad to us except the Israelis. The Mossad agents helped me out of a number of tight jams both in Europe and the Middle East. We had similar interests. Anyway, I guess I’ll have to add the Prince onto my list. I have a rather unusual idea about how to do it. I’m thinking of taking the contract on Al-Kadi and confirm it with my usual upfront funds transfer.”
“You dog! You’re going to see Al-Kadi with the ploy to take the contract on Al-Saud as an ice breaker,” Gus finished his thoughts with certainty. “What will you tell Al-Saud when you turn around and take a contract on Al-Kadi? We did just put his messenger boys in body-bags.”
“Very observant, Payaso. I’ll tell Al-Saud he should have approached me in the regular way. Then, I’ll tell him the truth – I tortured his men until I found out his plan and then killed them. He’ll think about that for a few moments and ask how he can make things right. I’ll tell him no hard feelings and I’ll take the Al-Kadi contract for double my usual price. He’ll laugh like the rich pirate he is in reality and cough up my upfront fee, asking when he can expect completion. You’ve been around me too long to have figured out my twisted plot so quickly.”
“Show of hands,” Gus addressed the amused Johnny and Cala. “Did anyone not figure what Muerto planned the moment he mentioned taking the contract on Al-Kadi?”
No hands. Nick chuckled. “Does this mean you’ll be converted to the entertainment of Kabuki dancing too since you know me so well, Payaso?”
“Just because I can decipher a sicko’s plans does not mean I want to be one.”
“Understood. We’ll put our room temperature guests in the freezer and then I’m going home to do some Dark Web contracting. Johnny, can you and Cala collect the ID’s, return the Ford, and retrieve all their gear from the hotel?”
“Absolutely,” Cala answered for Johnny.
“Drinks, conference, and dinner afterward at your house, Muerto?”
“Yes. I should have word about Pilot Hill by then, Johnny. Can you and Tina come over too, Payaso?”
“We wouldn’t miss it. I want to hear about your conversation with Al-Saud. That will be one interesting interaction,” Gus replied. “You’ll have to return to the sand in order to get him. Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to settle with killing Al-Kadi, and collecting the fee?”
“Better for whom,” Nick asked as they loaded the bodies on the gurneys again for transport to their freezer. “Al-Saud knows me too well. He sent men to Jean’s school. I’ll have to repair that break in my security net just like I’ll deal with the New York Kader. Eliah Kader will have to be tracked while we’re on the Pilot Hill mission, so everyone bring your iPads with you on our trip. We know all his hotspots in New York, thanks to Lynn. If he runs, we’ll have to find out where. As I explained, I did a job in Dubai before. I can’t expect Al-Saud to go fishing, but there are a number of easily approachable places at the Atlantis Water Park in Dubai.”