Red Horizon Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cold Blooded VI: Red Horizon

  (The Nick McCarty Series)

  by

  Bernard Lee DeLeo

  *****

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Bernard Lee DeLeo and RJ Parker Publishing Inc.

  ISBN-13: 978-1535092517

  ISBN-10: 1535092513

  Cold Blooded VI: Red Horizon

  Copyright © 2016 by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  Cover Illustration by: Aeternum Designs

  *****

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. Please respect the author’s work. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real life persons, events, or places is purely coincidental.

  *****

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

  Nick McCarty’s Unholy Trio and Dependents (Main Characters)

  Nicholas McCarty – Delta Force – 6’ – Nicknames: Terminator, Muerto, Dead Boy, Delta Dawn, Gomez

  Rachel Hunter McCarty

  Jean Hunter McCarty – Nickname: Danger Girl, Daughter of Darkness, Viper

  Deke the Dog - Dekester

  Gus Nason – Nicknames: Payaso

  Tina Nason (Wife of Gus Nason) – Nicknames: T-Rex

  Ebi Zarin/Johnny Groves – Nicknames: Johnny Five, El Kabong

  Cala Kadir Groves (Wife of Johnny Groves) – Nicknames: Cala the Cleaner, Reaper

  Jian Chen – ex-terrorist – recruited to help Nick’s crew – Nickname: Dark Dragon

  Sonny Salvatore – Nicknames: Cracker - Parents: Phil and Clarice Salvatore

  Quinn McCarty – Nicknames: Kong

  Justin Rivers – Nicknames: Jay, Predator – Parents: Dale and Beth

  Neil Dickerson – Pacific Grove policeman – works with Nick’s crew

  Paul Gilbrech – Director of the CIA

  Clyde Bacall – Assistant and driver for Paul Gilbrech -works with Nick’s crew

  Ben McCarty – Adopted son in future Nick and Jean bonus story – Nicknames: Benny

  Sammy – McCarty family’s dog in future Nick and Jean bonus story – Nicknames: Sammy the werewolf

  Robyn MacEachern - Homeland Security/CIA liaison with Canada, coordinates operations on the border with Canada Border Services Agency.

  Ken Carter – CIA agent – collaborates with Nick during special assignments.

  John Harding’s Monster Squad and Dependents (Main Characters)

  John Harding – Force Recon Marine - 6’6”, brown haired buzz cut, 250 pounds – Nicknames: Hard Case, Cheeseburger (Cheese for short), Recon, Dark Lord, DL

  Lora Radcliff Harding – John’s wife, 5’7”, long auburn hair, 130 pounds

  Alice Radcliff Harding – John’s stepdaughter, long auburn hair, ten years old – Nicknames: Al, Beeper-Girl

  Lucas Blake – Force Recon Marine - 5’8”, Black, buzz cut, 155 pounds – Nicknames: Ahab – Wife: Sarah, Children: Casey (named after Casey Lambert) and Linda

  Casey Lambert – Delta Force - Nicknames - Night-shot – Wife: Anna – Children: Lucas (named after Lucas Blake)

  Tommy Sands – Nicknames - T, Snow White Sands

  Devon Constantine – Nicknames – Dev, Wife: Maria, Stepkids: Luke, Kelly

  Jesse Brown – Nicknames – Jess, Wife: Rochelle

  Jafar Kensington – Nicknames - Achmed the Dead Terrorist

  Samira Karim Kensington – Jafar’s Wife - Nicknames – Sam - Children: Mia

  Dennis Strobert – Marine - Nicknames - Denny, Spawn – Wife: Maria – Children: Brewster

  Gus Denova – Cruella Deville minion – former Cartel enforcer

  Silvio Ruelas – Cruella Deville minion – former Cartel enforcer

  Quays Tannous – Cruella Deville minion – former Cartel enforcer

  Clint Dostiene – Air Force SOCOM– Nicknames: Man from Nowhere – Wife: Lynn Montoya

  Lynn Montoya Dostiene – Nicknames: Cruella Deville, Crusader Crue, Dr. Deville – Children: Clint Jr.

  Laredo Sawyer – Nickname: Laredo – Wife Sybil Moore

  Danessa Moore - Nickname: Dannie – Lynn Dostiene’s live in assistant

  Amara Nejem – Lynn Dostiene’s live in assistant

  Earl Taylor – Oakland Policeman

  Enrique Rodriguez – Nickname ‘Rique – Oakland Policeman

  Jeff Furlong – Oakland Policeman

  Alexi Fiialkov – Former Russian Mob – Shipping Magnate – Handles USB matches

  Marla Tomlinson – Favorite Waitress at The Warehouse Bar – Fiialkov’s Girlfriend

  Claude Chardin – Former Terrorist and Assassin – works with John Harding’s crew now.

  Della Sparks – John Harding’s neighbor – Children: Lebron, Jim, and Kara

  Hollywood Bounty Hunters – Kensy (Buffster) Talon, Kevin Halliday (ex-felon), Les Tavor (ex-Hell’s Angel), Jet Lemarkus (ex-gangbanger), Daniel Atkins, Jerry Sooner, Calvin Douglas, Sigfried Kandelus, Charlie Dubrinsky (Lawyer/Manager)

  Tom Wilder – Commander of a Seal Team – works with John Harding’s crew

  Janie Labrie – FBI agent who works with John Harding’s crew

  Sam Reeves – Janie Labrie’s partner – FBI agent who works with John Harding’s crew

  Chuck Bushholz – Force Recon Marine – Red Dragon Security – Lucas Blake’s friend

  Sal Sallaz – Force Recon Marine – Red Dragon Security – Lucas Blake’s friend

  Thom McGaffey – Force Recon Marine – Red Dragon Security – Dog: Lando – Governor of the new Isle of Hope

  Chapter One

  Summer Camp Revisited

  “Emily Waterson,” Nick repeated after cutting another razor slice along his strapped down victim’s stomach, evoking more muffled screams. “Powder our friend a little, Johnny.”

  Gus moved aside to allow his friend past with the bleach spray bottle. After the application, Nick waited five full minutes of burning agony for the man on the gurney down in his underground facility near the Carmel Valley house he gave to Johnny Groves. Nick nodded at Gus who washed the blood and bleach away, adding some salve.

  “We don’t like to waste time, Conrad. When I remove your gag I better hear the answers to every question I can think of about your buddies Les and Burt. I told you we already know who they are and who you are. Being strapped in our hell room made no impression on you. Now that we have the ‘you can’t torture me’ and ‘I want my lawyer’ out of the way, you need to understand the rules of this interrogation, little buddy.”

  Gus removed the gag from Conrad’s mouth. Nick gave him a sip of water through a straw as he gasped for breath around it. Conrad Al Sabi, a Saudi national worked for the Kingdom. Ever since 9/11, Nick had known with sixteen terrorist bombers and the mastermind being citizens of Saudi Arabia, it wasn’t rocket science to conclude the Wahhabi cave dwellers fomented the attack. The failed kidnapping of Emily Waterson, Jean and her friend Sonny had uncovered at summer camp, represented a direct tie back to the Kingdom. Nick planned to solve the mystery with Conrad.

  “We are buying up real estate!” Conrad sobbed and gasped
, working feeling into his mouth. “I…I have my orders. The conglomerate of Wahhabi investors in the Kingdom sent us to buy land in remote sites. The other land purchaser died… in Washington state. A compound built there acted as a training center… to…to establish a Canadian conduit into America. It was located near Onalaska… but it was mysteriously destroyed.”

  “I believe we had the pleasure of making that compound extinct, right guys?”

  “Yes, Muerto,” Johnny replied. “We salted the earth on that operation.”

  “I am cursed of Allah! You three are that ‘Unholy Trio’ set of murderers.” Conrad made a grave error and paid for it immediately with pain.

  When Gus removed the gag this time, Conrad knew better than to make judgement calls from a position of representing an Islamist sect Nick felt should be exterminated. “I assume now you realize calling American patriots murderers because we confront you chicken-shit throat slitters will get you punished.”

  “Yes!” Conrad cried real tears with great wracking sobs. “I…I will tell all! I know you three. It is rumored your ‘Unholy Trio’ was behind the ocean liner massacre.”

  Gus moved between Nick and Conrad as his scalpel poised for a return trip. Nick gritted his teeth and nodded at his old friend. “Slow learner. If you mean helped execute vicious shithead pirates, and their enabling Iranian backers, hoping to endanger thousands of innocent people on the cruise ship ‘Starlight of the Seas’ then yep… that was us. I learned some new interrogation methods from a very unique patriot in our sister group, the Monster Squad: Lynn Montoya Dostiene. We killed until the ocean ran red with Muslim murderer blood. You’re blessed because you’ll be one of the few who ever knows anything about that very successful black op. You won’t live to tell about it anyway. The interesting part is that the Kingdom knows about the ‘Starlight’ op. It makes sense. The Kingdom finances most everything of a terrorist nature all over the globe.”

  Realization dawned on Conrad with Nick’s words – he would not be surviving the interrogation. He saw in his captors’ eyes his only reward for cooperation lie in no further pain. Al-Sabi closed his eyes. “Saran Al-Kadi is my boss. Saran marked Emily Waterson for kidnapping by those two dolts. I hope you tortured them to death!”

  “I didn’t have time,” Nick said. “Stay on topic or you can make up for my missed opportunity. We know Emily’s Father is Bret Waterson, a state senator. What’s his role in all this?”

  “He…he has begun blocking our land acquisitions in California as if he either knows of our ambitions or he is being fed information from a different source. Al-Kadi felt we could gain an upper hand by snatching Emily as proof we could touch them at any time. Dealing with the senator through the Les and Burt idiots, we hoped to negotiate his daughter’s release once we made clear what he needed to do.”

  “I’m unclear as to the importance of one state senator,” Nick remarked.

  “The bastard… I mean… Waterson organized grass roots, massive anti-Islam and Sharia Law demonstrations. His petitions on the Internet drew signers in the hundreds of thousands. His popularity increases on a daily basis. We have no defense against his accusations… except Islamophobia and xenophobia. Our counter moves weren’t working. He could well run for governor. Saran felt we needed to stop him any way we could, but his personal life and record are… exemplary.”

  Johnny scanned through myriad avenues connecting Saran Al-Kadi to numerous groups tied to ‘The Muslims of the Americas’. He brightened suddenly, pointing at his screen. “Johnny Five comes through again. He contributed huge sums of money to our deposed traitor: Senator Diane Cameron. Perhaps now would be a good time to build a further file on Cameron and imprison her.”

  Nick sighed. “I wish. She made a deal we can’t break to avoid being hanged from the nearest tree until dead. I should put a bullet through her head, but I can’t get Paul to sign off on it yet. He makes the point we need a definite time space for our own security. He’s right of course, but every time we get inside a plot out here, it has Cameron’s fingerprints on it. I wonder if this thread would be enough for him to okay bringing her to room temperature.”

  “Forget it, Muerto,” Gus said. “You’ve already sanctioned one sitting United States Senator. I don’t think adding a retired one would be good either. Do you think Paul knows about Senator Ambrose?”

  “He knows,” Nick answered, still gauging how much good Conrad could do them to further any knowledge of this particular ongoing fact finding mission. Every time he looked at the man while thinking of all the tragedy and heartbreak he had authored, reality intruded on the side of violence. “Where do we find your buddy, Saran? Be careful how you answer, Conrad. I’m not in the mood for playing sixty questions… or two for that matter. I’ll light you up.”

  “I don’t know where he is. It…it’s the truth.”

  Nick grinned. He gestured at Gus. A moment later, the squirming Conrad wore his gag again. “Let me tell you another thing I may have forgotten to mention, Conrad. I have a sixth sense for lies.”

  Gus and Johnny enjoyed that admission.

  “My friends are laughing because they know I don’t give a shit whether I’m right or not about my sixth sense. I have a feeling, and I’m going to teach you what happens when I have a feeling.”

  Nick cut Conrad’s ball-sack. Bleach was applied, and no one questioned whether or not Conrad planned to add something to the discussion or not. He literally danced in place, begging for relief with high pitched muffled whistles of excruciating pain filled cries. Nick dumped water with baking soda over him. No one touched Conrad’s wounded area.

  “Please… give me something for the pain!”

  “If you don’t start talking, the pain you feel now will be like a long lost friend when I start again,” Nick said.

  “He… he’s in Sacramento… please… If I-”

  Nick motioned for the gag.

  “An estate… near Pilot Hill! It has sixteen acres of land and… and three residences on the property. Al-Kadi uses it not only for a home when in California. He… he uses it for a dispersion area for cells planned around the state. Everything… everything is there. Identity forgery facilities, underground training complex where any weapons training can go unnoticed. It only has one access road on Plum Drive. I…I have been there many times. I can lead you to the rear access road where-”

  “Give us the address,” Nick ordered. “Do so quickly.”

  Conrad rattled off the address with Johnny checking everything from ownership to threads leading to suspicious front groups. Nick used a wooden stirrer to apply analgesic salve to Conrad’s injured parts much to Gus’s amusement as Nick made faces of distaste. After nearly ten minutes, Johnny smiled and nodded.

  “It is an incredible place exactly as he described. A shipping company in Los Angeles owns the property. They are an offshoot of a corporate entity tied to ‘The Muslims of the Americas’.”

  “Yes! I can lead you-”

  Nick gave him a hotshot of death in the neck. “No thanks, Conrad. I’m sick of you already, but you were helpful enough to get your relief from pain. Besides… someone in authority would want to use your ass. I don’t want to see you over my shoulder someday. I have enough problems as is.”

  Nick waved as the shot robbed Conrad of motor function and life, the startled look on his face fading to grim acknowledgement of death. He shrugged at his friends. “I know… I know… with patience who knows what we could have gotten. These asshole invaders trigger my barf reflex with their crap. Hell… if I gave a damn… they’d be the injured parties. We’re practically escorting them into the country. Islam births new atrocities every day, and we’re still bussing them in to protect them from themselves. Really! Let the mongrels eat each other alive in the sand. I don’t care!”

  Johnny came over to put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I hear you, brother. Cala and I are done with Islam. We can worship God in our own way. We do not need to be even innocent worshippers of such an unrepe
ntant and silent host of tragedy. It matters not about this worshipper of death. What will be our next step, Muerto?”

  “We don’t know how many banditos Al-Kadi has on the site of this sixteen acre place,” Gus added. “I know you believe in ‘One Riot, One Ranger’ but we have to be realistic if success is a goal.”

  “When you have a Muslim horde problem, and you don’t have any other choice, who you gonna’ call?” Nick paused for effect. “The Monster Squad! I’ll call Paul. We need official backing for this. If we get it, he can call Denny Strobert. I’ll call John personally to prep him. I don’t even know if they’re available for an op like this so soon after the ‘Starlight’.”

  “Issac still wants a part, Muerto,” Gus said.

  Nick noticed the uneasy stance his partner stiffened to while talking about his copilot on the ‘Starlight’ op. “I thought Issac wanted to return home to St. Lucia and buy a business.”

  “He’s like us, Muerto. He can do more than one thing. We can fly him back here in no time. Issac wants to continue the helicopter training he’s already completed, in addition to his skill at piloting a boat.”

  “I admit it,” Nick replied. “Issac interests me. What’s his angle in all of this? St. Lucia, named by the French, absorbed by the English in war, and carries on with English common law. They’re a sovereign nation now. What does he want with throwing in with us on black ops? I’m sure he understands the dangers, especially when I paid him off after the ‘Starlight’ op. I explained how close we came to being blown to kingdom come by the Iranians.”

  Gus chuckled with a helpless hand gesture. “He thought we conjured up the F-18 Superhornets when the Iranian jets arrived. Issac was lost. He watched the F-18’s dust those Iranian Migs and barrel roll over us in triumph like a six month old puppy with a piece of steak. I explained as I know you did that we were seconds away from death when they arrived. Issac loved the adrenaline rush. He also loves the money.”

  “Yep.” Nick and Johnny unstrapped room temperature Conrad into a body bag for Cala the Cleaner to prepare for burial at sea in pieces. “Nothing wrong with pursuing the money trail. Issac does his job. He didn’t panic either. I’m thinking he would be a good candidate for flying lessons on a larger scale than helicopters. It’s good he went back home for a while to see what he can stir up on St. Lucia. We’ll call him if something arises we could use him for. Let’s put Conrad in the freezer. I need to get home, write another thousand words while I sip a couple, and call Paul. If he’s interested, I’ll call John. I’m glad since we had a joint venture you’ve adopted the Johnny tag, Kabong.”