Free Cold Blooded by Bernard Lee DeLeo

hand, I can’t stand the sight of Morris. If he even sneezes in my house, I’ll take my time and send him to you in pieces. Hurry up – I’ll hold.”
    Fifteen minutes later, a hulking figure in black stamped through the rooms. He stooped next to Jenson’s body and shouldered the burden carefully. Backing out, Morris spoke as he scanned the darkened room, his night vision headset casting an eerie light.
    “You’re lucky Jenson came in for you instead of me, Nick,” Morris’s gruff voice broke the silence.
    “The only difference is Jenson would have had to drag your fat ass out, leaving marks on my hardwood floor.” Nick trained his USP-Tactical on Morris’s head from the adjoining room.
    When Morris was out of the house, Nick moved to the front entrance, where he could see Morris loading the body into his car trunk. Nick brought the phone up.
    “Obviously, you didn’t believe me about the overseas package I have stashed away.”
    “I told them, Nick. They thought they could absorb it.”
    “Tell you what, just to keep this in the family, I’ll send you a hint of what will come out. Check the bulletin board for a coded file in fifteen minutes. Call me when you get a look at it.”
    Nick disconnected, went to his safe room downstairs, opened the safe there and brought out his notebook computer with satellite uplink. Minutes later, Nick uploaded a file. Twenty minutes after that, his satellite phone vibrated.
    “Are you out of your God damned mind?” Frank shouted in a smiling Nick’s ear. “Where the hell -”
    “Now you know how serious this is, Frank,” Nick interrupted. “Let’s keep our eye on the prize. Your friends don’t think they can absorb my enlightenment anymore, do they, buddy?”
    “Small doubt about that, you prick. You better pray we don’t find out where your package is overseas.”
    “Did I say I had only one? Sorry.”
    “Shit!”
    “I’ve had a lot of years ‘absorbing’ the way things work, Frank.”
    “Call me when you have the flash drives. You have a blank check for now.”
    “That’s the spirit. See ya’.” Nick ended the call and went to clean up the small mess he had made taking out Jenson.
    The safe room door opened and a smiling Nick entered. Rachel, Jean, and Deke huddled together on the bed in Nick’s upstairs safe room. Deke’s body lay sprawled over his companions’ laps.
    “Sorry about that. You three can come out now and go back to bed.”
    “What happened, Nick?”
    “Negotiations.”
     
* * * *
     
    Rachel smelled bacon and coffee. She walked down the stairs, breathing in the enticing aromas with relish. Sleep had come in fits of dozing nod-offs in between jerking upright at every sound. Rachel arrived at the stair landing and noticed the newly cleaned and freshly polished section of hard wood floor to her left. She skirted it carefully and continued into the kitchen. Nick, in black pajama bottoms, gray strapped t-shirt and slippers, stood at the stove watching a griddle. He smiled at her as she walked up next to him. Deke was already prone next to Nick’s feet.
    “I bet you make killer pancakes.”
    “Hardy har har.” Nick chuckled, looking surprised and impressed with her ad lib. “I have to watch these, so you can get your own coffee. With your vast expertise though, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble at all.”
    “I’ll manage.” Rachel giggled, filling the cup already set out for her. “You didn’t say how well the negotiations went last night.”
    “Very well, with only a few rough spots I’m sure are now worked out. After our walk to the beach, I’ll introduce you to the owner of my favorite café on the avenue. He’s always shorthanded, and the hours would be flexible.”
    “I thought if I decided to stay it would be as the wife of a rich novelist,” Rachel replied, sitting down at the table.
    “I’ve found over the years it’s best to make yourself appear handy and a hard worker. Projecting an image of wealth will