“Can we have Chinese tonight, Dad,” Jean asked.
“That sounds good to me. I’ll run it by our guests. Start writing the stuff down you’d like to order while I let my cartoons and T-Rex in. I’ll send T-Rex up for a moment while I update the cartoons about Pilot Hill.”
“Intercom me about the food so we can order while you talk.”
“Will do, Hon.”
At the door, Nick ushered everyone to the kitchen while pointing upstairs for Tina. “Rachel and the kids are upstairs, Tina. They’re picking out Chinese food to order if that sounds good to all of you.”
“Oh yeah, it does,” Tina stated. The others agreed to Chinese with enthusiasm. “I know just what stuff to get.”
In the kitchen, Nick poured Bushmill’s Irish for Gus and Johnny. “You’re designated driver again, right Cala?”
“Yep. I’ll have some of Rachel’s iced tea though.”
Nick served the iced tea. Once seated, he recounted where the operations they were involved in stood at the moment. “John told me we go tomorrow night. Can Issac go on that short of notice, Gus?”
“Are you kidding? He’s so pumped, he can hardly speak. What about the ‘Red Dragon Security’ guys?”
“Chuck and Sal will be there. We needed extra perimeter troops. Even with all of us, it will be good to have Cala, Samira, and Issac along as armed extra drivers. Laredo and Jafar will be updating us with satellite shots and troop numbers. If all goes well, I’ll own the main house before anyone needs to be inside. Final tweaks will have to be done after we fly into Oakland.”
“What about Al-Saud?”
“I made overtures for a communication at my drop. I see you have your laptops with you. Did anything on the electronics you retrieved from the hotel room reveal anything of note?”
Cala held out an iPhone. “I went into their rooms dressed in a burka so I couldn’t be filmed. We checked them out of their room electronically after I gathered everything in the room. Johnny loaded it all in a hat and hoodie. Omar has a direct line to Al-Saud on his iPhone.”
“We will go through everything at home later,” Johnny added.
Nick waved the iPhone. “This is outstanding. It will save us time if Al-Saud thinks it’s Omar calling. I have an added idea to discuss with him. If he agrees to the contract terms, I’ll let him know I’ll be in Dubai soon, and ask him if he would like me to look for anything in particular to bring him from Al-Kadi’s compound.”
“That is very devious… and delicious, Muerto,” Cala said.
“I think I’ll sip one down here and call our buddy Al-Saud. I’ll have to wait until eleven tonight. With the time difference it will be 9 am where he is. I don’t want him to be irritated because I woke him. He may have received word of my greeting on the Dark Web by now but I doubt it. This phone call will be fun. I guess we’ll talk later after I contact Al-Saud. We’ll be flying to Oakland tomorrow at 10 am so it would be best to get a good night’s sleep.”
Gus and Johnny booted their laptops into networking operation. They spent the next half hour until the food arrived briefing Nick on everything Omar and his cohorts stored on their electronic devices. Johnny made a file with everything, except the Al-Saud phone number, and sent the digital fingerprints to Paul Gilbrech, including pictures of the dead men. Nick added a brief on how he planned to handle the Isis/Al-Qaeda rivalry. The food arrived and the friends adjourned to the balcony.
“What kind of mischief did you cartoons invent down there,” Rachel asked.
“How many have you had, Rach?”
“Never you mind, Muerto. I only sipped one other after you left. Quinn has been entertaining us with facial contortions.”
“While you’re gone, we don’t have to stay in the safe-room, do we, Dad?”
“Not if I can trust you and Sonny to be as observant as you two were at the Point when the hoodies tried to get your Mom and me. Both of you take your knives, stun-gun, and spray with you everywhere. Pretend while I’m gone we’re back on the road with the mobsters chasing us. By the time I get back from this outing, I’ll have a lead on our safety factor here at home.”
“We’re on it,” Jean stated, bumping fists with Sonny. “Nobody better mess with Viper and Cracker. Let the cuttin’ begin!”
Rachel’s head dropped to the table. “Oh my God!”
*
At eleven o’clock Nick used Omar’s phone and direct line to Al-Saud. He answered irritably in Arabic. “You were supposed to call me the moment after you met McCarty. Is he dead? I saw a vague notice to me from him on the Dark Web. What is going on?”
“I am not dead, Prince,” Nick replied in Arabic. “Your emissaries confronted me at my daughter’s school. They are dead. You could have contacted me on the Dark Web. Why throw away your men’s lives in so wasteful a manner?”
Silence.