Young Guns Box Set - Books 1-4: A Tanner Series (Young Gun Box Sets)

by Remington Kane

  “Please, Granddad?” the girls said together.

  “All right, we’ll go talk to them, but they won’t believe us.”

  The girls each kissed him on the cheek and Farnsworth smiled.

  “What do you mean some guys are here to kill you?” Nate asked Roscoe.

  “They’re a couple of punks looking to make a dollar by killing my ass, but they’re the ones who will be lying six feet under.”

  Nate grabbed up a shotgun he kept by the door; like the trailer and the truck, it was ancient and had once belonged to his father.

  “We got to get ready for them.”

  “We’ll be ready, don’t worry, but they won’t be back for a while.”

  Nate wrinkled his brow in confusion.

  “Why did they leave?”

  “They didn’t. They’re parked over at the shopping center. I bet they come in at night.”

  “Damn, I guess I ain’t sleeping tonight.”

  “You can sleep your ass off after we kill these two punks, and I’ll buy you a new trailer to do it in.”

  “Why would I need a new trailer?”

  Roscoe grinned. “Because, I’ll be blowing this one up, and those two punks along with it.”

  “You want to blow up my daddy’s trailer?”

  “And get you a new one, well, not new, but better than this.”

  “I don’t know, Pete. This is my home.”

  “I’ll buy you an acre of land too. That way nobody will be able to run you off again.”

  “My own land? Damn, that would be nice.”

  “So, we got a deal?”

  “I guess, but I’ll miss this place, and won’t the cops come calling?”

  “I’ll make it look like an accident by rigging up the propane tank to blow. You’ll be in the clear.”

  Nate looked around at his hovel on wheels.

  “I’ll sure miss this place.”

  “But you’ll be a landowner,”

  Nate smiled. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

  Roscoe smiled back at his dim friend. He had no intention of buying him a trailer or land, nor did he have the money to do so. Most of the cash he’d cheated his partners out of was lost at a blackjack table in Vegas, while the rest was spent on hookers and cocaine.

  Roscoe liked Nate, but you did what you had to do in this world. Nate would be just another person he used along life’s journey, but Pete Roscoe would survive. That was more than he could say for the boys out to get him.

  Roscoe laughed. “We’re gonna have a blast tonight.”

  83

  Pissy Pants

  MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, MARCH 2018

  Dalton Geary a.k.a. Mr. Smith was wondering what was going on.

  His aide, Kent Mead had been abducted and the bodyguards claimed that Cord Givens the limo driver was involved, along with a blonde woman.

  Then, his ex-wife gets a visit from the police, and again, Cord’s name is mentioned. There was also talk of the incident that took place in Death Valley, where several people died.

  “What the hell is Cord up to?” Geary wondered aloud.

  “I don’t know, Dalton,” Cynthia said.

  “Exactly what did the police say?”

  “They mentioned Cord and Herb Barker. I’m sorry, Dalton, this is all my fault for hiring Barker in the first place.”

  Geary stroked her face.

  “You were young and confused at the time, but we’ve gotten past that.”

  “Have we? Then why are we divorced and living separately?”

  Geary smiled. “Just because I’ve forgiven you doesn’t mean that I trust you. In fact, I’m wondering if you’re a part of this somehow?”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. Do you own any blonde wigs, Cynthia?”

  “Dalton… I love you.”

  “You love the things I can give you; you only tolerate me. If I was a different man I’d have had you killed years ago, Cynthia. If I find out you’re involved in this I just might—”

  A voice called out from the driveway. “Mr. Geary?”

  The figure came around the bend and Geary saw that it was Cord. He pointed at Cord while talking to his bodyguards.

  “That man is Cord Givens. I want him alive, but you kill him if you have to.”

  “No problem,” said one of the men. “He appears to be unarmed.”

  “Then he’s an even bigger idiot than I thought he was,” Geary said.

  One of the bodyguards stayed with Geary while the other two, along with the limo driver went for Cord. Before he could speak, Cord’s cowboy hat was knocked off his head and a punch delivered to his stomach. Afterward, he was shoved to the ground, then once again his hands were bound behind his back.

  “He smells like piss,” the limo driver said in a tone of disgust, “and his pants are damp with it.”

  They dragged Cord back to where Geary stood. Geary looked him up and down, then asked a question.

  “Have you gone mad?”

  “Mad? No, I was kidnapped.”

  “Mr. Geary,” said one of the bodyguards. “Jake and I will check out the driveway. This man didn’t arrive here on foot and he may not have come alone. I suggest you get inside.”

  Geary nodded his understanding, took Cynthia by the arm, and began walking toward the house, as the bodyguards jogged away to check the property. When Cord spoke again, it froze Geary in his tracks.

  “Tanner, that’s who kidnapped me and killed Mead. It was Tanner, Mr. Geary.”

  Geary turned and stared at Cord.

  “Tanner?”

  “He’s here, out front in the driveway. I think he followed your wife here.”

  Geary cursed and rushed toward the house while practically dragging Cynthia along. Once inside with the doors secured. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  While watching from the doorway that led to the kitchen, Tanner and Andrea smiled.

  84

  A Word To The Wise

  DOUGLAS, ARIZONA, APRIL 1999

  “I don’t freaking believe it,” Romeo said.

  He was talking about Farnsworth, who had pulled up beside them in his dark blue van. Farnsworth exited the vehicle along with Kayla and Zoe.

  “We come in peace,” Farnsworth said.

  “How the hell did you get here?” Romeo asked, but Cody stayed silent. He had an idea how Farnsworth had gotten there.

  “Never mind that, boy. We’re here to warn you about something.”

  “I thought Phoenix was your turf,” Cody said. “Or are you now warning us to stay out of all of Arizona?”

  Kayla moved close to Cody.

  “Granddad is serious… oh, what do I call you? I know your name isn’t really Jack.”

  “You don’t need to know my name.”

  Zoe was pouting at Romeo.

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  “Yeah, and my name isn’t Brett.”

  Cody brushed past Kayla and got into Farnsworth’s face. The two were both tall men, but Farnsworth was a hair taller. If Farnsworth was intimidated by the angry young man glaring at him, it didn’t register. If anything, Farnsworth appeared to be amused.

  “I’m getting sick of you and these granddaughters of yours. If you keep butting in to our business I’m going to forget how old you are and kick your ass.”

  Farnsworth laughed. “Sonny, you try it and you’ll be the one bleeding. Now you and surfer boy here listen and listen good. Pete Roscoe knows you’re here and he’ll be ready for you when you go after him.”

  “He doesn’t know we’re here,” Romeo said.

  “Yes he does,” Zoe said. “He was watching you guys climb up that hill earlier.”

  “If that’s true, then why didn’t you grab him then?” Cody asked.

  “If we had, you two would have come after us and tried to take him away,” Farnsworth said. “I’m only warning you now because these girls asked me to do it.”

  “We don’t want you to get blown up like you almost did at that
shack,” Zoe said.

  “What? You were there too?” Romeo said.

  Zoe realized she had said too much and clamped a hand over her mouth.

  “I don’t know what your game is, Farnsworth, but we’re not buying your act,” Cody said. “Pete Roscoe has no idea we’re here, and we’re going in tonight to grab him. And yeah, if you get to him first, we’ll take him away from you.”

  “Goodbye, old man,” Romeo said.

  Farnsworth smiled. “I tried to warn them, girls, but they’re going to have to learn the hard way.”

  Kayla took Cody’s hand.

  “We’re not lying. Roscoe knows you’re here.”

  Cody freed his hand, then just stared at her.

  Kayla stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Don’t get killed.”

  Zoe did the same with Romeo, as Farnsworth looked on.

  The old man climbed behind the wheel of the van and the girls slid in beside him.

  “We’ll see you boys around,” Farnsworth said, as the van rolled away.

  When he judged it was safe to do so without being seen, Cody dropped down and shimmied beneath the car, where he found the tracking device.

  “No way,” Romeo said, as he realized what Cody was holding.

  “Yeah, that’s how they got here; they followed us.”

  “Did you believe what they said about Roscoe knowing we were here?”

  “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter, does it?”

  “Hell no,” Romeo said. “We were trained better than to just go charging in blind.”

  “You stay here in case that old truck leaves the trailer. I’ve got some shopping to do.”

  “You’re going to rig up a distraction?”

  “Like Spenser says, deception and stealth are our best tools.”

  “I know, and in a few hours, Roscoe will be ours.”

  “Do you think they’ll just charge in there, Granddad?” Kayla asked Farnsworth.

  “Honey, you don’t have to worry about those two, they know what they’re doing.”

  “Why do you sound so sure?” Zoe asked.

  “I’m a good judge of people. That kid with the evil eyes is a smart one; a punk like Roscoe won’t get the better of him.”

  “I’m still worried,” Kayla said.

  “Don’t be. I’ll be watching those boys’ backs. As soon as it gets dark I’m going over to that trailer.”

  “What? But what if Roscoe sees you?”

  “He won’t, and neither will those boys. I’ve been doing this type of work a long time, honey. I know how to move in the dark.”

  “I don’t like it, but what about us?” Zoe said.

  “You’ll be busy too, and if things go the way I expect them to, Pete Roscoe will be hog-tied in this van in a few hours.”

  Kayla grinned, and as they often did, the girls spoke the same words at the same time. “What do you need us to do, Granddad?”

  Farnsworth laughed. “You’re going to like this.”

  A few hours later, after sunset, Pete Roscoe had finished rigging a propane tank to blow up the trailer. He left a battery-powered lantern burning and the radio on, to make it seem like someone was inside. After easing out onto the trailer’s rickety metal steps, he set up the wire that would trigger the explosion and closed the door.

  When he reached Nate, he saw that the man was crying.

  “What are you bawling about?”

  “I’m really going to miss my trailer.”

  “You’ll be better off without it.”

  “What do we do now, sit in the truck?”

  “No, we’re going out in the field there in case those boys decide to come over the hill. If they try that, we’ll blast them with our guns and bury them out in the desert.”

  “I hope they do come that way. Then my trailer won’t have to be blown up.”

  “Yeah, but they’ll probably come stomping up the driveway,” Roscoe said.

  He was wrong, because Cody and Romeo had already crested the hill and were headed their way.

  85

  Psst, Over Here

  MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, MARCH 2018

  Tanner had sent Cord up to the house to meet with Geary while having two objectives in mind. The first, was that Cord’s presence would distract and further confuse Geary, and secondly, it would force his bodyguards to split up, as it had.

  While two of the men were off checking the property, the remaining two had led Geary indoors, not knowing that Tanner and Andrea had come in through a rear window to wait for them.

  Tanner whistled once, and the four men and one woman standing by the door turned and looked in his direction. Tanner was crouched at the end of a hallway, in the threshold of the kitchen, with Andrea behind and to the right of him. They both held their guns up and were ready to use them.

  Cynthia grasped Geary’s arm. “Those are the cops I told you about.”

  “He’s no cop; that’s Tanner,” Cord said.

  “We’re here for Geary,” Tanner told the guards. “Don’t be stupid and you’ll live.”

  One of the men guarding Geary, the one who had driven the limo, raised his hands in surrender, however, the one with the rifle was bringing it up to fire. Tanner placed a round on the left side of his forehead and the man dropped like a stone.

  Cord attempted to run away even though his hands were cuffed behind his back. Andrea fired three rounds at him. Two of them caught Cord in the torso. He went down hard and crashed into a table, then lay face up. Given the amount of blood soaking the carpet beneath him, Cord would bleed out in minutes.

  Geary grabbed Cynthia and ducked behind the burly limo driver, then tried to open the door. Tanner placed a round between the driver’s legs and caught Geary in the calf. The man howled in pain, but he kept trying to open the door.

  Thinking he had been shot at, the limo driver went for his gun. Before his hand could close around the grip, Tanner shot him in the chest twice and the driver collapsed backwards. Cynthia screamed as the blood hit her, and the driver’s weight against her drove her down to the floor.

  Geary had finally managed to open the door, but when the driver fell back against Cynthia, she in turn pressed against Geary and knocked him off balance. The door slammed shut as Geary slid to the floor.

  By the time Geary made it to his feet, Andrea was standing nearby and pointing her gun at him.

  “Remember me, asshole?”

  Apparently, Geary didn’t, because he gave Andrea a blank look.

  “I’m Andrea Barker. You had my father killed.”

  “Oh,” Geary said.

  Those remaining alive startled from the sound of the rifle going off, as well as the noise of the picture window shattering.

  Tanner had claimed the rifle from the floor and was shooting at the guards who had gone off to check out the property. Having heard the gunshots, the men were returning to the home to investigate. Their training and caution had placed them twenty feet apart from each other. However, Tanner’s marksmanship was such that he could hit both men before either could take cover.

  And yet, the rifle had been unfamiliar to him, and so he had to place another shot in the first man he’d hit, as he had only wounded him in the thigh. With both men dead, Tanner turned to deal with Geary, and received a surprise.

  Cynthia Geary had claimed the gun from the holster of the dead limo driver. She had one arm wrapped around Andrea’s throat and was pressing the barrel of the gun against Andrea’s side.

  “Drop the rifle or I’ll kill her,” Cynthia said.

  And to Andrea’s surprise, Tanner did just that, and as the rifle dropped to the floor, Dalton Geary dove for it.

  86

  The Choice

  DOUGLAS, ARIZONA, APRIL 1999

  Romeo kept watch while listening intently, as Cody prepared a distraction for Roscoe and his friend Nate. A soft glow illuminated the hill they had crawled over due to the light of the shopping center’s signs. Still, acros
s the expanse where Nate’s trailer sat, the darkness was almost total.

  It was after one a.m. and the shopping center’s stores were all closed, with traffic sporadic out on the highway. Nate’s trailer was distinguishable due to the glow of a light burning inside it.

  If Farnsworth hadn’t been lying, then that light was a ruse to draw them in, and Roscoe and his friend were in wait nearby and ready to pounce.

  Cody was tying a pair of flashlights onto a cactus so that they would dangle at the height a man might hold one. Once they were secure, he added the batteries. He was careful to only tighten the flashlights’ tops enough to barely make contact, so that they flickered on and off when he shook them. As Cody tested them, he kept a hand over the lenses, so the light wouldn’t travel. Once done, he and Romeo moved away quickly, so as not to become targets themselves.

  Cody whispered to Romeo.

  “I hope this works. If the flashlights stay dark, I just wasted our time.”

  “It worked when we tested it in the car; all we need is a breeze to shake the flashlights.”

  That breeze came a moment after they stepped away, and the flashlights blazed to life as their contacts connected with their batteries. From a distance, it looked as if two people holding lights were walking along in the dark.

  Romeo gave Cody a soft punch on the shoulder to celebrate, then the boys moved silently toward the trailer.

  Less than ten feet away and lying prone on the ground, Farnsworth shook his head in admiration of Cody’s plan. He had come over the hill long before the boys arrived and had observed everything. While looking at the flashlights hanging from their strings, Farnsworth smiled.

  “Clever boy.”

  “Look! There they are,” said Nate, as he pointed out at the twin glows just over two hundred feet away. He and Roscoe had moved into position far behind and to the right of the trailer, where they sat in a pair of folding lawn chairs. They had been waiting for the explosion of the rigged trailer blowing up. Roscoe had been so certain that the boys would come charging in to attack the trailer, but now, it appeared he had been wrong.