Blowback, p.6
Blowback, page 6
part #12 of Nathan K Series
“He’s wearing a tan suit, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s Jake Barrett. Trevor’s uncle.”
Nathan turned to Octavia. “Looks like you need me on your side again. Unless you’re willing to risk all of us dying. Some of us more than once.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
They put together a plan in seconds. Not much in the way of words passed between them. Nathan simply picked up Maggie and loaded the weapon. Octavia stood, told Robin and Dieter to stand, and waited with her CZ-75B still on them.
“When you go,” Nathan said to Robin, “text me with the next location. I’ll meet you there.”
That was it. That was the plan.
Nathan peeked out the curtain once more. Jake Barrett gestured to his man to knock on the door of Room 2. The man pulled out a Desert Eagle – an expensive and pretentious handcannon that had enough firepower to Swiss cheese the door in seconds. No more time to wait. Nathan stepped out.
He could feel the eyes of every armed man in the lot turn towards him. Before he managed to close the door, a hand grabbed him from behind and spun him around.
Octavia stood in the doorway with only her bra on top and her pants unbuttoned. “You don’t think you’re leaving without a goodbye kiss,” she said and pulled Nathan into an embrace.
For one second, the world disappeared. Only Nathan’s lips touching Octavia’s lips existed. She had lived centuries, and apparently, she had learned a few powerful skills. He had never experienced a kiss like that before. There was no discernible difference in technique than any other kiss, yet somehow his nerves electrified and his breath caught. When she pulled back, his eyes fought to refocus.
With a lick of her lips, she closed the door, leaving him stunned as he wobbled toward his car. Barrett and his men snickered. That sound returned reality fully into Nathan’s brain. The little ruse achieved one simple but vital step — Nathan made it to the car without being shot. But in the following seconds, he would pull the curtain away and reveal the truth.
He started the car, slipped Maggie to his side, shifted into reverse, and gunned the engine. The wheels dug into the dirt, spewing dust and announcing his intention, but Barrett’s men were too slow. Nathan shot backwards, ramming the side of the second SUV. The crunch of metal hid the crunch of bone, and he saw the pained expression on the driver as the door crumpled along with the arm.
Nathan stopped only after knocking the SUV sideways an inch or two. He shoved open the door, rolled out, and positioned at the front tire. Octavia had popped out the doorway and shot the driver of the first SUV. Nathan swung over the hood, pulled off two rounds to suppress enemy fire, and then aimed for the man with the Desert Eagle. One shot to the head.
The misting souls rose in the air, but Nathan kept his focus on Jake. With a firm stride, he crossed the parking lot, letting Maggie lead the way, always trained on the large man in the tan suit. He trusted that Octavia would shoot anybody daring to make a move. But as he closed in on Barrett, he understood that nobody would risk the life of the boss.
Jake had one hand in his coat, reaching for his sidearm, but never got it out in time. With Maggie’s barrel staring like the eye of a ravenous beast, Jake reconsidered his options. He let go of his weapon and raised his hands.
“Smart choice,” Nathan said.
“Not for you.” Barrett’s voice had more gravel than the parking lot.
“Take the gun out slowly and put it on the ground. I’m sure you’ve been through this once or twice before. Don’t do anything stupid, and I won’t have to blow your head off.”
Barrett played along. Only used two fingers to pinch out his gun — a shiny silver .38 revolver with pearl handle inlays. “You’re the one doing stupid things at the moment.”
“We can talk about that later. Right now, we’ve got to get moving. I trust your men will clean up this mess. You wouldn’t want the police giving you trouble.” Over his shoulder, Nathan said, “Octavia, get going.”
This was part of the plan most implied when Octavia kept her weapon on Robin and Dieter. The look in her eye, the slight incline of her head, all of her motions indicated that despite the arrival of Jake Barrett and friends, the matter between them had not been put on a shelf to be taken up again in another decade or two. No matter how all of this played out, she would take Robin as insurance. When this ended, Octavia had silently promised she would do all in her considerable power to keep Robin alive because she knew Nathan would do all in his considerable power to come back for her.
The door to Room 7 opened once more. This time Octavia emerged with her weapon sweeping the area for any potential threats. A quick motion of her head sent Robin and Dieter scurrying behind her. As they rounded the corner, Octavia backing away the entire time, Nathan kept his focus on Barrett. But he could hear everything. The door opening, the shuffling feet, the van doors slamming shut, the engine turning over. A moment later, the three of them kicked gravel under the van’s wheels as Robin drove onto the road, heading west into the desert.
Once the sound of the old engine died in the distance, Nathan pointed his chin at the first SUV. Jake glanced over and shook his head. He wasn’t arguing, though. Merely making a comment at the stupidity of his captors.
“You’re going to regret this,” he said.
“I’ll add it to my list — regret meeting Jake Barrett. Now, get in. I’m driving.”
The interior was spacious and loaded with all the luxury options. Barrett wriggled in the passenger seat, repeatedly sizing up Nathan. At some point, out of frustration or desperation, he would attack. Nathan made sure that Maggie always threatened Barrett. Driving with one hand, he pulled onto the road and headed east toward the city.
He checked the rearview mirror. The other SUV followed. Nathan accelerated and watched them keep pace. He slowed and they did, too. Good. The men in the SUV understood that to attack meant a bullet in their boss.
Bellowing an Aussie phrase that went by too fast for Nathan to catch, Jake Barrett threw a punch. Muscle memory saved Nathan — not for the first time, either. He shifted away from the fist, taking a glancing blow instead of a knockout to the jaw. He came back hard, cracking Barrett’s nose with the butt of Maggie. Blood splashed free over Barrett’s mouth.
“None of that,” Nathan said as Barrett pinched his broken nose back into place. Clearly, he had done so numerous times. Nathan went on, “I don’t want to kill you, but you try anything again and I’ll shoot you in the head. It’ll make things more complicated, but if that’s the way it has to be, then so be it.”
“You friggin’ moron. I swear on the lives of my brothers —”
“About them — I don’t know you or your family at all, and I don’t care. I’ve got no interest in messing with you. I’ve got no interest in whatever your family businesses are — legal or not. I do have an interest in Dieter. I need just a few days’ work out of him. After that, you do whatever you want. Not my problem.”
“You really this dumb? You shot at me and my men to protect Dieter? Because what? You need him to smuggle something for you. There are twenty other smugglers out there every bit as shitty as he is.”
“He’s the one my partner trusts.”
Jake pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his nose, then his hands. Seeing he merely smeared the blood around, he wadded the cloth and stuffed it back. “I’ve been around some stupid asshat crap in my time, but whatever you’re doing tops it all. You just decide to take on the Barrett family because you like this smuggler over the others?”
“My options are limited and my needs very specific.”
“Well, whatever your problem was, it’s over now. What you did back there — you put a contract out on your life. No matter what you do to me now, you’re a dead man.”
Nathan checked the mirrors again. Then he shook his head and sighed. “You should rethink that. I know you have to protect your reputation so the rabble don’t decide to revolt, but I promise you that coming after me would be a bad idea. The kind of thing that makes a contract killing look quaint.”
“I love you big talkers. Especially when you’re whining for mercy at the end.”
“Just a few days. Call it four. Be patient, and Dieter is all yours. Put on a show of searching for us, if you want — as long as you don’t find us.”
“Shut up. You ain’t got anything to threaten me with, and even if you did, Dieter is too big a target to avoid.”
“Because he killed your nephew? Your vendetta can wait.”
Jake turned his bulk, and Nathan thought the man might try for another punch. Showing no fear over Maggie as dark, clotted blood bubbled from his nose, Jake said, “If he had simply killed Trevor, my brothers would still want Dieter’s head, but we could wait four days. Hell, we could wait years, if we had to. We’d be watching and waiting, until the moment was right to not only kill the man, but make sure nobody ever questioned his death. A professional job. We wouldn’t be shooting up trinket shops and we wouldn’t be killing innocent girls stupid enough to fall for my nephew. We certainly wouldn’t be making deals with biker trash, that’s for sure.”
Nathan thought over all the holes in Dieter’s story. “What else did he do to you besides kill Trevor?”
“It’s about how he killed Trevor. Your good pal smuggler could’ve done a drive by at any of the discos Trevor liked to hang at. He could’ve waited until his daughter said goodnight after a date, then follow Trevor to his home and pop him in the back of the head. Easy stuff. But no. Not Dieter.”
Nathan’s gut sank. “What did he do?”
“Kidnapped the boy. Tortured him.”
Part of Nathan wanted to laugh. The Dieter he had met could jump a guy, accidentally kill him, and hide from repercussions. But kidnapping? Torture? Only Barrett’s frosty glare and dead tone gave the idea any credence.
With a bitter curl to his lip, Barrett said, “He must have hunted Trevor, followed the kid around until he knew when the bodyguards and crew were gone. Snatched Trevor one night and took him to a basement under a Chinese restaurant. He tied Trevor up and started cutting. I’m sure Trevor acted tough, defiant, a real man. But being tortured will break anyone eventually. You know what, though? I don’t think Dieter wanted to kill Trevor. He wanted to torture that poor kid for weeks, months, maybe forever. But Dieter’s hate kept him from seeing how much abuse a body can take. I know this because afterward, after Trevor had slipped away, Dieter continued to inflict wounds.”
Nathan did not doubt a single word. He wanted to, but he couldn’t come up with an angle for Jake to lie. Only the knowledge that Octavia stood between Robin and Dieter kept Nathan from turning around and racing off to protect his partner.
“I see the doubt on your face,” Barrett said.
Nathan didn’t bother to correct him. “Oh?”
“Wondering how I know any of this, right? Well, Dieter thinks he’s smarter than he is. It never occurred to him that the owner of the restaurant works for us. When Mr. Ling figured out the dying man was Trevor Barrett and none of this was sanctioned, you know he moved fast. Too late, though. By the time we got there, it was over. You get this all, now?”
Nathan knew it was pointless, but he thought he would try anyway. “Two days. That’s all I’m asking for.”
“I don’t care about whatever problems you had or what you needed from Dieter. You’re helping him escape, and you’re holding a gun on me. You killed some of my men, too. Dieter is a walking corpse. You ain’t going to do much better.”
“Doesn’t seem smart to threaten me when I’m the one holding the gun.”
Barrett shrugged, and he meant it. “I live every day with a gun pointed at me. Sometimes it’s the police gunning for me. Sometimes it’s a rival family wanting to push us out. Today, it’s you. Nobody ever shoots.”
“One of these days somebody will.”
“That’s part of the life. I ain’t going worry about it.” He glanced over at Nathan and raised an eyebrow. “You ain’t going to kill me, anyway. If you were, I’d be dead already.”
Nathan edged to the side of the road, slowed down but didn’t stop. “I know you think you’ve got me figured out, but you’re wrong.”
“You going to kill me then?”
“If you come after us, if you get in my way with Dieter, I’ll do a whole lot worse.”
“Threats don’t work on me.”
“Wasn’t a threat. Pure promise.” Nathan used Maggie to point at the door. “I’m not slowing down more. You want out — now’s your chance.”
Barrett paused, unsure if he would get a bullet in the back. But he acted true to his word. He lived with the threat of death hanging on him always. Pushing open the door, he stumbled out, managed to stay upright, and flipped off Nathan’s car.
Checking the rearview mirror, Nathan watched as the other SUV picked up Barrett. Ready to floor it, Nathan waited, his eyes locked on that mirror. Come on, he thought. Come after me.
But the SUV turned around and headed back toward the motel — presumably, going beyond that point, straight after Dieter. Which meant Robin and Octavia, too.
“Damn,” Nathan muttered, pulled off the road, and stopped. A few swipes on his phone and he had Robin. “I need to know where you’re going and a few options on how to get there without using the same roads you’ve used.”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll call you back.”
“Don’t have that long.”
Robin hesitated. “They’re coming after us?”
“Afraid so. Tell Octavia. And get ready.”
CHAPTER NINE
Racing across back roads that barely had pavement and some that barely had gravel, Nathan replayed his conversation with Jake Barrett numerous times. The whole thing had been intended to stall Barrett from following Robin — the longer the better. He couldn’t kill Barrett without the fallout making life even more difficult for the moment — crime bosses had that effect. And if Barrett had bought into any of Nathan’s talk, if he actually acquiesced to Nathan’s demand for a few days before going after Dieter, that would have been a bonus. He never expected it to work, but it didn’t hurt to ask.
Only now, as the dirt flew under his wheels, he wondered if Barrett had been playing a game right back. The story of how Dieter had tortured Trevor, the Chinese restaurant that allowed the abuse and never questioned it until too late, the ease with which Dieter kidnapped Trevor — lots of little details that didn’t quite make sense. They provided a shaky foundation to an unreliable tale.
Moreso, for a man who had supposedly tortured and murdered a young man in recent days, Dieter had acted quite normal. Well, normal for a smuggler bringing his daughter into the business. He showed no signs of trauma — and torture was traumatic for everyone involved. Perhaps his calm was from the satisfaction of having saved his daughter, but according to Dieter, the death had been accidental.
Smuggling, murder — those two sat far apart on the crime continuum. Dieter should have been deeply troubled by what he had done and terrified at the expected retaliation. Also noteworthy — after the death of Becka, Dieter had no problem screwing over Nathan and Robin in order to get this revenge.
Nathan rubbed his head. No matter how far away from civilization he drove, he could not find the solitude that would ease his mind. Not when he pictured Jake Barrett’s controlled glower. When set free, the man had made no attempt to hurt Nathan. He jumped into his SUV, turned around, and headed straight for Dieter.
Overprotective father accidentally kills crime boss’s son or raging father kidnaps and tortures to death criminal for dating his daughter — both rang of truth and lies. Jake Barrett believed his version. And a man acting upon a deep belief could be the most dangerous. One thing for certain — Robin hung in the middle.
Nathan tried to get his SUV to move a little faster.
By the time he reached the farmhouse, the sun kissed the horizon. He came in from the south, far from view of the main road. He pulled over. Grabbing his phone, he approached the final miles on foot so the dust kickup wouldn’t give him away.
The farmhouse — two stories, large columns, old plantation vibe — looked out of place engulfed by desert. Perhaps this had been a working farm long ago, but it could not have grown a seed or raised livestock in decades. Not even an errant kangaroo to be seen. The land was dead and the house dying.
With nothing but flat terrain in all directions, Nathan worried he would be spotted long before he could help, but the landscape also gave him a clear view of the enemy he faced. Unfortunately, he faced a lot of them. Jake Barrett had called in for back up, and when one of the bosses called in, everybody responded.
Five SUVs, two dozen men, and even more guns — all surrounding the farmhouse. Nathan thought of ants invading a rival mound. Until Barrett motioned with his hand and all the SUV headlights popped on, lighting up the house like a mini-film premiere.
Covering another hundred feet, Nathan crouched behind a large rock. Making sure to mute all noises from his phone, he called Robin. Before he could finish giving his position and situation from his viewpoint, she said, “I’ll have all of that in a few minutes. I’m almost through cracking into a weather satellite. A little rerouting and I’ll get at least one clean pass across the area before the weather service realizes something went wrong with their equipment. Probably not enough time to get another pass — they’ll try a few emergency takeovers, which I can block, but eventually they’ll just reboot the system, and I haven’t got the time for a more sophisticated hijacking. Octavia’s stepping outside to help buy me time, but I’m not thinking it looks too good.”
Nathan had spent enough hours listening to Robin talk that he could tell the difference between her excited rambling, her nervous chattering, and her terrified babbling. “It’s going to be okay,” he said.
“Maybe you forgot, but I’m not immortal.”
From his pocket, Nathan pulled out his ear-comms, stuck them in, and synched up with the phone. “I’m hands-free now. You can keep talking.”
