An hour later, Nick and Jean were packing the gear. Rachel had taken Deke with her for a walk to get away from the noise an un-silenced twenty-two makes. When they were putting their packs on, Rachel led Deke over the small bluff toward them.
“How’d she do?”
“She hit nearly every time.”
“I’m going to be a sniper when I grow up,” Jean announced. She giggled at Rachel’s stunned expression. “I knew that would push your button.”
“I blame you for this, Mr. Oakley.” Rachel turned on Nick, who had been laughing, but now was retreating with hands up in surrender fashion.
Nick changed the subject. “It’s getting hot. Let’s go see if I can rent our Excalibur Cabana.” He started hiking toward where they had left the Escalade. “We’ll see if Suzan and her kids want to meet us there. If you wear your ball cap, and look inconspicuous enough, maybe I’ll let you toss in a few quarters at the slot machines, Wonder.”
“I’m not liking these nicknames,” Rachel muttered, falling in behind Nick, with Jean and Deke bringing up the rear.
“You could be Nikita,” Nick suggested, stopping to glance back at Rachel.
“Who?” Rachel thought he looked unusually surprised as she and Jean reacted without recognition to the name.
“Oh, come on, you never saw the ‘La Femme Nikita’ television show?”
Rachel blushed, remembering, while Jean continued to look mystified. Deke began jumping around as if he recognized the name.
“La Femme Nikita was a TV program about a secret organization, where Nikita killed people for some pseudo government organization,” Rachel explained.
“That is so cool!” Jean exclaimed. “I like it way better than Wonder Woman. Nick and Nikita, assassins for hire. I like it.”
Nick and Rachel exchanged glances. Nick started walking again, throwing his hands in the air. “Okay, I’m going to hell. I’m doomed.”
Rachel mouthed ‘you are the one’, and high-fived Jean behind Nick’s back. Nick looked around, sensing something. Rachel and Jean were looking at the ground as they followed him. Rachel peeked up in time to see him shake his head and continue on.
“I think I’ve been served,” he called out over his shoulder.
Chapter Thirteen
“Thanks for inviting us.” Suzan toasted Nick and Rachel with her iced tea glass. “I didn’t think you two would want to socialize with me.”
The three were relaxing inside the cabana Nick had rented again at the Excalibur while watching the kids swim. Nick made sure Jean, Kelly, and Garth had pool floats, dive batons, and dive masks to keep them entertained.
“We needed to talk, and the kids like the pool. Did you contact your husband about Brewster?”
“Yes, last night. Jim said he’d inform his bosses. He told me he’s still planning on being home Thursday. I’ll explain your idea then. Have you talked to your Marshall contacts?”
“Not yet,” Nick admitted. “I need to sell them on what I have in mind when I call. I don’t quite have the sales pitch down. It has nothing to do with what we talked about. They will be enthusiastic about the flash drives and a corroborating witness. I need them to turn their heads as to how we acquire the drives. Have you noticed anyone hanging around you don’t recognize, or a car on your street you haven’t seen before?”
“No, and I’ve been watching.”
“Is this freaking you out?” Rachel asked.
“Of course, but nothing could be worse than watching my kids dragged away. How long have you been in hiding, Rachel?”
“Over a year.”
“Jesus! And now you’re on the run.”
“I had it coming. Jean didn’t though. I’ll do anything to make things normal for her again.”
Nick saw three young guys and two girls, all in their late teens, pointing at the kids. The group had left the Excalibur a moment before, wearing swim gear and carrying towels. The tall dark-haired young man in the lead said something to the others and they all laughed. He headed directly for the kids. Nick stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel peered around Nick. “They’re just kids.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Nick looked around for some Excalibur employees. It being Monday, there was a minimum of staff on duty and none near the pool.
“No!” Jean shouted, as the dark haired teen grabbed the end of Jean’s pool float.
“Get away from the little girl, Dexter,” Nick warned him, walking to the pool edge cattycorner from the group. “Don’t make me tell you twice.”
“Oh crap,” Rachel murmured under her breath, as the group started gesturing and mouthing off at Nick. Rachel picked up her purse.
“Swim over here kids,” Nick told Jean, Kelly, and Garth, ignoring the insults and threats.
Nick watched one of the teenage girls doing her best to talk the others into walking to the other pool, but the dark haired pack leader had other ideas.
“Don’t, Glenn. Let’s go to the other pool!” The teen peacemaker tried reasoning with the leader to no avail. He walked purposely around the pool toward Nick with the others following. Glenn’s companions looked at Nick uneasily as they drew closer. They were looking for fear, and not seeing it.
“We want the pool floats, Pop. Your kids have been hogging them long enough.”
“They don’t belong to the Excalibur, Dexter. They belong to me.” Nick put up a warning hand when he saw that Glenn was planning on walking up to get in his face. “That’s close enough, Dex.”
Glenn stopped, the smirk on his face made Nick forget why he didn’t want to end up in a Las Vegas jail.
“What makes you think we won’t stomp your sorry old ass into the cement?” Glenn laughed.
Nick smiled when he heard a familiar crackling arc. The teens jumped back in surprise as Rachel joined Nick with the stun gun from her purse.
“Run along kids and I won’t have to zap anyone,” Rachel urged.
“Good thing you have the old lady along for protection.” Glenn spat on the cement between them as he backed away with his friends.
“Nikita handles all my light work, punk.”
“That was tight, Mom,” Jean said as the teenagers walked away toward the other pool after a few parting words.
“I hope you didn’t mind my ad lib, Nick,” Rachel whispered, as Suzan motioned her kids out of the pool.
“Not at all.” Nick shook his head. “It was one of those escalating tragic sequences. You pulled the plug on it. Nice.”
“I think we’ve had enough excitement for today.” Suzan held up one of the throw away cell-phones Nick had Rachel buy. “I’ll call you if anything comes up. Thanks for the phone.”
“No problem.” Nick gave Kelly and Garth a little wave. “If Jean dreams up any adventures we think you two will be interested in, we’ll give you a call.”
“I think I’m getting my psycho on,” Rachel remarked as Suzan and her kids walked away. “I wanted to toast that Glenn kid.”
“Oh lady, when you stop being afraid, and start contemplating violence, it’s very habit forming.” Nick put his arm around Rachel’s shoulders. “Shall we go home and call the US Marshalls? I wonder what our canine interior decorator has been up to while we’ve been gone?”
