The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set)

by Remington Kane

  It was almost too fast for the eye to follow. At the end of it, she thrust forward and placed the blade beneath Josie’s chin before the smaller woman could twitch.

  “Tell me more about how skilled you are, Josie,” Alexa said.

  Josie swallowed hard and looked over at Tanner.

  “I think we should keep our distance from each other, Tom. No offense.”

  Tanner smiled.

  “That would be healthier... for both of us.”

  ***

  Chief Ellison let out a great sigh as he looked down on Bart McGurn, who was actually Silicon City’s security chief, Jim Brett. Brett was tied up like a Christmas turkey.

  As he took out a knife in preparation to cut off the zip ties on Brett’s wrists, Ellison heard laughter and turned to see his daughter giggling.

  “Deputy, this is not funny.”

  “I’m sorry, Dad, I mean, Chief, but look at him, and this is Silicon City’s best?”

  “Olivia, that’s rude. I’m sorry, Brett, she didn’t mean it.”

  The chief’s daughter pointed at Brett’s ears.

  “Not only is he blindfolded, but he can’t hear us either. See? He has tape over his ears, and I bet there’s something stuffed behind the tape.”

  “Oh,” the chief said, and then laughed. “He does look funny laying there like that, doesn’t he? But now let’s get serious; I’m going to remove the tape from his ears, along with the blindfold.”

  Olivia did her best not to smile, but the corners of her mouth were still tilting at an upward angle. Once the chief had Brett free, they saw that he was one very pissed-off man.

  “Those sons of bitches! One of them was lurking in my damn closet. When I backed in there to hide he choked me out.”

  “Are you sure it was a choke hold?” the chief asked. “People usually recover from that quickly.”

  “It was a choke hold all right, and when I woke up, I was blindfolded, deafened, gagged, and bound up.”

  “That sounds like an expert, or someone with a heck of a lot of experience,” the chief said. “They had to move you to the bed and truss you up the way you were in less than a minute.”

  “How long was I like that?” Brett asked, and then he looked at the bedside clock. “Oh, hell, it felt a lot longer than that.”

  “We came in because you failed to touch base with us at the top of the hour. It’s a good thing for you that we had that protocol in place, otherwise, you might have stayed tied up all night.”

  Brett rubbed his wrists, as he tried to get circulation back into his hands.

  “So, what do you think? Was this the vigilantes sending me a warning, or am I done for and they know it was a sting operation?”

  Olivia held up the note they found on the bed beside Brett. It was written in block letters with lipstick taken from his wife’s dresser.

  The note said: NICE TRY, COP!

  “You are so busted,” Olivia said, and although she fought the urge. She couldn’t help but laugh.

  Brett’s face reddened from both anger and embarrassment.

  “Vigilantes my ass! This was that damn Tom Myers.”

  “Now, Jim, we don’t know that,” Chief Ellison said, but Brett had already headed for the door. He ran down the stairs and out into the night with the chief and his daughter following.

  Chief Ellison was speaking to Brett, trying to calm him down, but the man was hell-bent on reaching Tom Myers’ house and beating the snot out of him.

  Brett pounded on Myers’ door and then rang the doorbell over and over. When the door flew open, Myers, who was Tanner, stood there with a smile on his face.

  “More company, aren’t we the popular ones, and at such a late hour.”

  Chief Ellison looked at the group of women standing behind Myers and recognized several of them, including Myers girlfriend. The girlfriend was the only one not dressed in black and the chief felt something tickle his brain. Before he could figure out what it was, Brett’s booming voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Myers, you son of a bitch, I know you’re the one who did it. I’m gonna kick your ass.”

  The chief was about to speak when Alexa beat him to it.

  “Not in my house! If so much as a lamp gets broken, I’ll beat up both of you.”

  Tanner gestured towards the lawn.

  “Let’s take it outside, McGurn.”

  The chief issued a warning.

  “I’ll arrest both of you if this doesn’t stop now.”

  Both Tanner and Brett ignored him. Brett was full of fury, while Tanner looked amused. Brett threw the first punch at Tanner’s head, and grunted with frustration as Tanner ducked beneath it. Brett threw another punch, then another, and another, Tanner either ducked or moved aside at the last instant.

  Brett wasn’t slow or clumsy, he was just no match for Tanner’s speed and agility. Brett’s inability to land a punch on Tanner only frustrated him further, and his efforts devolved into nothing more than wild swings.

  By the time he missed landing a dozen blows, it had become comical, and the women began giggling, including Ellison’s daughter. As for Ellison, he was watching Tanner and wondered how a “freelance researcher” could have such obvious fighting skills.

  The would-be fight ended when an exhausted and sweat-drenched Brett fell to his hands and knees atop Myers’ lawn. He was gasping for air between muttered curses. Meanwhile, Tom Myers had never thrown a punch, he had only ducked and dodged, and the effort hadn’t winded him at all.

  Myers looked the same as he had when he opened his front door.

  The chief walked over and helped Brett to stand, and then led him towards his house. The chief’s daughter was staring at Tanner in admiration, that is, until her father called to her.

  “Deputy Ellison, why don’t we leave those good people alone.”

  “Yes,” Olivia said. She turned to leave, but not before sending Tanner a smile.

  CHAPTER 5 – Called on the carpet

  The following morning, Sara arrived at the Burke Corporate Campus and saw that there had been more changes since her previous visit.

  She had been there only two days earlier and could tell that a lot had been done during that time to enhance the main building’s security.

  There had been earlier modifications as well. Employees were no longer allowed to enter or leave through the lobby, but rather, they had to travel through a secured side entrance. Each employee would be issued a badge that not only allowed them access onto the property, but would also grant them entry into the building. The badge could also be used to track an employee’s location, and was needed whenever anyone so much as entered a bathroom or break room.

  However, there was no swiping of cards across a panel needed. All of the badge’s functions were automatic. But, if you arrived to work without your badge, you would not even make it onto the employee parking lot without being escorted to the building by a guard.

  Sara was one of the few employees to receive a badge so far, as many employees were still on a two-week paid furlough instituted by Conrad Burke. His people had gone through hell at the hands of a group of neo-Nazis, and he was allowing them time to heal.

  A few key employees continued to come in, or opted to work from home. Still, the cost of the lost productivity along with the security enhancements was enormous, but Burke didn’t care.

  He had gone to many funerals over the past week, as his slain security people were laid to rest. He had also given each family monetary compensation, generous monetary compensation, although, how could money ever compensate for such loss?

  Sara had tossed the badge in her purse when she first received it and found it to be unobtrusive as she went about her day. However, a small smile lit her face whenever she thought of Tanner walking around the building with a badge.

  The image brought to mind a tiger wearing a leash.

  When she spotted the new head of security, she decided to ask her if Tanner would need a badge, and if so, could she ple
ase be the one to give it to him. Sara wanted to see the look on his face.

  The new head of security was familiar to Sara, as well as a recent acquaintance, and friend. Burke’s new security chief was Amanda Zwicky.

  Zwicky had sent Burke a memo months earlier warning him that the company’s security protocols were woefully outdated and inadequate. Her memo went largely ignored, but now she was listened to and her suggestions were being implemented.

  Zwicky was making three times the money she had made at Burke L.A., and Sara thought that her new friend seemed happy in her job.

  “Mr. Tanner?” Zwicky said. “Yes, I understand that I’ll be meeting him later today, but he won’t be coming here. Mr. Burke has other plans and has arranged to meet Mr. Tanner at a place he called, ‘the lakeside property.’ The meeting is scheduled to take place in half an hour.”

  Sara frowned in disappointment. She so wanted to see Tanner’s reaction to being told that he would need to tote an employee badge around everywhere. Then, she wondered why Mr. Burke would want to meet Tanner at the lake.

  “Did Mr. Burke say why he wanted to make the change?”

  “No Sara, but he does want to see you in his office.”

  “Okay, I’ll go up now.”

  “Sara?”

  “Yes?”

  “Mr. Tanner, who is he? He’s not listed in any of the employee records that I have.”

  “It’s just Tanner, not Mr. Tanner, and Tanner’s job description is something that Mr. Burke will have to fill you in on.”

  “I see, but I did ask Mr. Burke’s executive assistant about Tanner. Ella speaks highly of him. In fact, she says that he saved Mr. Burke’s life, and her own.”

  “That’s true.”

  “He sounds very brave. I look forward to meeting him. Mr. Burke wants me to come to the lakeside property too.”

  “Tanner is many things, and yes, brave is one of them.”

  ***

  After going through four separate security measures, which included a scan of her purse and the answering of a code word, Sara entered Mr. Burke’s refurbished office. The code word changed daily and was unique to each visitor. Sara had received the code word from Zwicky before heading to the office. While she was on her way up, the guard was informed of her imminent arrival and told what code word she’d been given.

  When prompted by the security guard, Sara gave him the code word that she received. If she had failed to give him the right word, she would never be allowed into the office.

  The office’s former glass wall had been replaced with ballistic glass. Inside the office, Burke’s bathroom had been expanded into a section of the adjoining conference room, and could now double as a safe room.

  When Sara was escorted in to see Burke by Ella, she was glad that at least one thing hadn’t changed. Burke still sat behind the old wooden desk that had belonged to his grandfather, the founder of the company.

  Burke greeted her with a bright smile. Sara had always felt that the man liked her, but after she had saved his wife, along with Alexa, Burke seemed especially warm towards her.

  “Miss Blake, how are you today?”

  “I’m well, Mr. Burke, and how are you?”

  Burke shook his head sadly.

  “I just feel sick about all the people we lost. If only I had listened to Miss Zwicky sooner.”

  “It would have helped, yes, but it wouldn’t have stopped the attack. The police found explosives and grenade launchers inside the truck the neo-Nazis arrived in. They would have wreaked havoc one way or another. Don’t blame yourself, sir.”

  “How can I not? Still, we have to go on, and that’s partly why I want to speak with you and Tanner. We’ll be leaving later to meet him at the lake property.”

  “Later? Miss Zwicky said that the meeting was soon.”

  “It’s been pushed back by Tanner. He just sent me a text saying that something came up where he is.”

  “Oh, I wonder what that could be.”

  ***

  In Killburry, Tanner was riding in the rear of a police car. He wasn’t cuffed or under arrest, but had been asked to the station by Chief Ellison.

  The request from the chief had been relayed to Tanner by the chief’s daughter, Deputy Olivia Ellison. Deputy Ellison kept an eye on Tanner in the rear view mirror as she drove along.

  “You haven’t asked why the chief wants to see you.”

  “No, I haven’t,” Tanner agreed.

  “Aren’t you curious?”

  “It’s a ten minute ride; I’ll find out when I get there.”

  Olivia smiled.

  “It involves one of your neighbors.”

  “You don’t say?”

  “Um hmm, Bart McGurn.”

  “The boxer?”

  Olivia giggled.

  “I think it will be some time before he starts a fight again.”

  “McGurn should stick to yelling at his wife, but what about him?”

  “Someone assaulted him last night. That’s why he was so angry.”

  “He thought I had done it?”

  “Yes he did.”

  “Have you questioned his wife? I think she has more motive than most.”

  Olivia laughed.

  “I’ll look into that, Mr. Myers.”

  “You do that Deputy Ellison, you do that.”

  ***

  Once they were at the station, Olivia admitted to her father that she had informed Tanner about the attack on Bart McGurn.

  The chief frowned at his daughter.

  “I wanted to inform Mr. Myers of that, Deputy.”

  “She couldn’t help herself, Chief,” Tanner said. “She was trying to get a reaction out of me.”

  They were in the chief’s office with the door closed. Tanner sat across from the chief while Olivia stood on her father’s right.

  Olivia squinted at Tanner.

  “Why aren’t you nervous? Most people would be.”

  “Why do you wear that uniform? Most women don’t.”

  “I’m not most women, Mr. Myers.”

  “I can see that, and I’m not most men.”

  Olivia smiled, as a blush darkened her face. When her father turned his head and looked up at her, Olivia cleared her throat and stood straighter.

  The chief sighed, and then turned his attention back to Tanner.

  “Do you know anything about the attack on Mr. McGurn?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Would you care to elaborate on that?”

  “Would I care to elaborate on, no? No, I would not.”

  The chief stared hard at Tanner and Tanner looked back at him with a placid expression.

  “Mr. Myers, I’ll be straight with you. I think you’re hiding something. I think you know who these vigilantes are.”

  “What vigilantes?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. The people who have been harassing the sex offenders, drunk drivers, and now, wife beaters.”

  “I thought that was your job,” Tanner said.

  “No, my job is to arrest those people once they’re caught in the act. It is illegal to assault and threaten them. Despite their past actions, those people still have rights.”

  “I see, but I don’t know anything about vigilantes. Perhaps you’ve been misinformed.”

  “Myers, I have statements from several people who claim to have been beaten and told to leave town.”

  “Are those statements from sex offenders and drunk drivers?”

  “They are.”

  “Then, maybe that type of person is also prone to lying.”

  The chief pointed a finger at Tanner.

  “Don’t try to get smart. This is serious business we’re talking about here.”

  This time it was Tanner’s turn to sigh.

  “This isn’t serious, Chief. If what you’re saying is true, it’s a blessing. It would mean that you have a group of involved citizens committed to helping you, and that th
ey’re willing to risk themselves to run criminals out of your town.”

  “My concern is that they’ll one day go too far and seriously injure or kill someone.”

  “Someone like a child molester?”

  “Maybe, or maybe someone innocent who they think is a child molester. Myers, I will not have this in my town, do you understand me?”

  “I do, but as you know, I’m a recent resident, and some of these events happened before I came here.”

  The chief reached for a file on his desk.

  “About that, you seem to have appeared from thin air. I can’t find anything having to do with you that goes back more than a few years. You also move around quite a bit, why is that?”

  “I bore easily.”

  “Oh, you won’t find it boring here, not if I discover that you have anything to do with the vigilantes, and Myers, do me a favor.”

  “Anything for you, Chief,” Tanner said.

  “The next time you talk to the vigilantes, let them know that I will see them prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

  “Am I free to go, Chief?”

  “Yes.”

  Olivia moved around the desk to follow Tanner out, but her father called to her and made her stop.

  “Have Deputy Ralston take him home. I want you to stay here. We need to talk.”

  “Yes, Chief,” Olivia said, in a resigned tone.

  She left her father’s office with Tanner and handed him off to Ralston.

  Before he left, Olivia offered Tanner some advice.

  “Don’t do anything that would cause me to have to come get you again.”

  Tanner looked her over and then met her eyes as he smiled.

  “It might be worth it just to see you.”

  Olivia blushed once more, before turning and rushing back to her father’s office.

  CHAPTER 6 – Hold on

  The sole neo-Nazi to survive was a man named Sean.

  Sean had been sent ahead to prepare a hideout for the group, and thus, was spared their fate. He stood among the woods that bordered the Burke Corporate Campus and watched the activity, as workers continued to make improvements in the building’s security.