Sean had lost more than his group. He had lost everyone who he considered to be a friend, while some were more like family to him than his own flesh and blood.
He wiped away tears of pain and rage as he looked at the building where his friends died. He wanted to get revenge, wanted to kill Conrad Burke, but doubted that he would ever get the chance.
No, Burke was now out of reach, but there was someone else he could kill. It was a man who was being credited with bravery and hailed a hero. That man would be easier to kill, because he was in the hospital.
Sean clenched his hands into fists whenever he thought about Deke Mercer, a man he considered a traitor to his race. He had read about Deke’s battle to survive, however, that morning’s paper was full of good news about the man.
Apparently, Deke Mercer would live. He had successfully battled a lung infection. It was reported that he was expected to be moved out of intensive care and placed in a regular hospital room. There were even instructions in the article about how to leave flowers and gifts for the man.
Sean wiped at the last of his tears as a smile lit his face. The fools buying flowers should hold off on sending them to the hospital. In a day or two, they could send those flowers to a funeral home instead.
Sean decided that he was going to kill Deke Mercer, and God help anyone who stood in his way.
***
Deputy Ralston dropped Tanner off in front of his house on Gentry Court and then backed up his police cruiser into the driveway of Tanner’s neighbor, Josie Anderson.
Tanner already knew that Ralston and Josie were sleeping together, but he thought it bold for the cop to do so during the day, when Josie’s husband could come home and all the neighbors were out and about.
When Ralston noticed Tanner looking at him, he pointed at the Anderson’s home.
“Um, Mrs. Anderson has some clothes for a police charity drive. I figured I might as well pick them up while I’m in the area.”
“I see,” Tanner said, but he didn’t care about Ralston’s excuse for visiting his neighbor. Tanner wouldn’t care if Ralston screwed Josie on the front lawn.
***
Back at the police station, Ralston’s boss, Chief Ellison, was thinking about Tanner, the man he knew as Tom Myers.
He chuckled as he remembered Jim Brett’s futile efforts to land a punch on Myers, and then he recalled that Myers had already had late night company in his home before they showed up. One of them was Josie Anderson, Tom Myers’ neighbor, and a woman that the town grapevine had labeled a slut. The chief didn’t care who slept with whom or how many, as long as it didn’t lead to anything illegal.
At least one of the other women was a neighbor of Myers, and likely all of them were. They were also the wives of the neighborhood watch group. As Ellison recalled seeing them, he remembered that they were dressed in black.
It all came together for him in a flash, and Chief Ellison realized that he had been looking at the wrong group of spouses. The vigilantes weren’t those bozos from the neighborhood watch group, it was their damn wives.
The chief sat back in his chair, shook his head, and laughed.
“I’ll be damned.”
***
Tanner entered his home to find that Alexa was in a good mood. She had read the news in the paper about Deke’s recovery.
“He even sent me a text with the help of a nurse. He wants to see me tomorrow.”
“Give him my thanks when you see him.”
“You could come too, you know?”
“No, I can’t, or don’t you remember why you were going to the Burke campus in the first place?”
The smile left Alexa’s face.
“No, I remember. I was going to tell him that I never wanted to see him again.”
“Which is a lie,” Tanner said.
Alexa opened her mouth to deny it, but then nodded.
“I like Deke, and yes, I would like him to stay in my life. How do you feel about that?”
Tanner took her in his arms.
“I’ll never ask you to deny yourself. You have feelings for the man, but you’re with me. If you ever want more from Deke than friendship, let me know and I’ll be on my way.”
Alexa looked up into his face.
“I don’t think of him that way, really I don’t. But Tanner, do you ever feel as if I’m asking you to deny yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Because I want to live a normal life?”
“And I want to stay a Tanner.”
Alexa’s eyes began to tear.
“Why is it so hard to stay happy?”
Tanner chuckled.
“It’s the world of opposites that we live in. Black and white, up and down, in and out, happy and unhappy. It’s inescapable.”
Alexa wiped at her tears and kissed Tanner.
“You asked me if I was happy yesterday. Are you happy?”
Tanner brushed back her long hair with his hand.
“You’ve made me as happy as I’ve ever been, and no matter what happens in the future, nothing can take that away.”
Alexa hugged him.
“Just hold me for a while, okay?”
“Yes,” Tanner said, and the two of them held each other while wondering where fate would take them.
CHAPTER 7 – Gift giving, the billionaire way
Tanner arrived at the lake and saw that there had been a few changes.
There was a huge blue and white RV, a recreational vehicle, set atop a space near the lake that had been cleared of trees to hold it. There was also a tank of natural gas for fuel. A twin of the mammoth vehicle sat on the other side of the lake. The second RV was green and white, and a new road diverged off the old one that wound around to it.
The old road had been gravel, but the old and new road were freshly paved. There was also a walking path that connected one RV to the other. The roads and the path had solar lighting along their edges to light them up at night. The shack still remained, and Tanner waited by it for Burke’s arrival.
His wait was a short one, and Burke arrived in a limo with three security guards, and a woman that Tanner had never seen before. Sara followed behind them in her own vehicle.
One of the security guards had a keen eye. He asked Tanner if the slight bulge in his pocket was a weapon.
When Tanner said it was, all three men placed their hands on their guns while sheltering Burke behind them.
Burke told the men that Tanner was allowed to be armed in his presence and the guards relaxed, slightly.
The woman Tanner didn’t know was Amanda Zwicky, and she sent Tanner a shy smile as Sara introduced them.
“It’s nice to meet you, Tanner. I understand that you saved Mr. Burke’s life last week.”
“Burke was doing okay; he was just outgunned.”
“Bullshit!” Burke said. “God knows where I’d be right now if not for you, and Miss Blake, I owe her for saving my wife.”
“Why are we meeting here, Burke?” Tanner said. “Do you have work for me?”
“Ah, no Tanner, also, Miss Zwicky has yet to be brought up to speed on what it is you do.”
“I see, so why the meeting?”
Burke grinned, then headed down a fresh section of road that led to the nearest RV.
“I’m here to thank you and Miss Blake. Please, both of you, follow me down to the lake. We’ll walk, since it’s such a beautiful day.”
Everyone did as Burke said, but two of his security people moved forward to precede him. Tanner could tell that the men were well trained, and despite Burke’s praise, they all kept an eye on him. They had marked him as a dangerous man, and were being cautious.
After their party reached the first RV, Burke opened the lock on the door and invited everyone inside.
The RV was new and beautiful, and bigger than many apartments.
“What is this, Burke, your new bachelor pad? Did your wife kick you out?”
“No Tanner, in fact, this RV belongs to you, as my gift
.”
“Miss Blake, you might have taken note that there is a duplicate RV on the other side of the lake. That one is yours.”
Sara blinked in surprise.
“Sir, thank you, that’s incredibly generous. I know that these vehicles do not come cheap.”
Burke grinned.
“They’re a pittance compared to your other gift.”
“I have another gift?” Sara said.
“Yes, both you and Tanner, you see, Miss Blake, I no longer own this land, you and Tanner do. This side of the lake is Tanner’s property, while the other side is yours. When I said that you two had my gratitude, I sure as hell meant it.”
Tanner and Sara both stared at Burke as if they were waiting for the punch line. When he just kept grinning at them, they stared at each other.
Tanner held out his hand.
“Hello, neighbor.”
Sara took his hand and shook it, then began to giggle. She fell into one of the captain chairs in front of the dashboard and swiveled about in the cushioned seat.
“Are you really giving me half this land, Mr. Burke?”
“Yes, absolutely, of course, you’ll have to accept it, as will Tanner.”
Sara was still reeling from Burke’s revelation.
“When you said that you were going to build homes here someday, Mr. Burke, I planned to buy one. So yes, I’ll take it. Thank you so much. It’s truly beyond generous.”
“You saved my wife. I can never repay that.”
“I hope you’re just as generous with Garber and Deke, Burke,” Tanner said. “From what I hear, those two did as much as Sara and I. And Deke paid a steep price.”
“Mr. Garber and his men have all received tokens of my appreciation. As a matter of fact, two of Garber’s men retired early with the money I gave them. Mr. Mercer will never have to work again either, unless he wants to.”
Burke reached into an inside pocket of his suit coat and removed an envelope, which he handed to Tanner.
“Please deliver that check to Miss Lucia for me. Mr. Garber told me that Alexa had been instrumental in taking back the cafeteria and freeing the hostages.”
Tanner smiled and shook his hand.
“You’re all right, Burke, you really are, but what about Sloane Lennox, has he recovered yet?”
Burke laughed.
“Sloan is taking a few weeks off at the advice of his doctor, but he’ll be back.”
“He did have a close call,” Tanner said.
“One more thing,” Burke said. “From this point on, you’ll be briefed about new assignments at a different location. That decision came from Thomas Lawson. I understand that we’ll be given more information soon.”
“What is Lawson’s story, Burke?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Tanner, but the man has more political clout than I’ve ever seen. If he asks for something he gets it. I assume it’s because he produces results.”
“And will I be working soon?”
“It’s doubtful from what Lawson said, it seems that an assignment was in the works in Africa, but was handled by someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“A Mr. White, I believe you know him. Lawson said that the assignment was more suited to him than you, and I believe he didn’t work alone.”
“Hmm,” Tanner said. “I’ll have to ask White about that if I see him again.”
“You expect to see Mr. White?” Burke asked.
“No, but I’ve a feeling our paths will cross again.”
Zwicky cleared her throat and everyone looked at her.
“When will I be brought up to speed on what it is that Tanner does for the company?”
Burke gestured at Sara.
“Miss Blake, we’ll drive around and let you have a look at your RV. While we’re walking back to the limo, why don’t you fill Miss Zwicky in on what it is that Tanner does.”
“Yes sir.”
Sara left the RV with Zwicky trailing behind. Tanner followed everyone out, but then said that he would stay and explore his own RV, Zwicky shook his hand.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Tanner.”
“Same here, Miss Zwicky.”
“Oh, call me Amanda.”
“I’ll do that, and congratulations on your promotion.”
***
After leaving Tanner’s RV, Zwicky gripped Sara’s arm.
“Oh my God, but that man is hot.”
Sara smiled.
“Tanner does have a way about him, yes.”
“What does he do, and why is it so mysterious?”
***
Inside the RV, Tanner watched the others walk away. Sara and Zwicky were in the lead, and Sara was telling Zwicky about his profession, and why he was at Burke.
He knew that Sara had gotten to the point when Zwicky suddenly stopped. She asked a question that Sara nodded yes to, and then Zwicky looked back at his RV with her mouth hanging open slightly in shock.
Zwicky and Sara resumed walking, but every few steps, Zwicky would turn her head and stare back at his RV.
Tanner wondered how Zwicky would react towards him at their next meeting. One thing was for certain, he’d made an impression.
He walked around the RV for a few minutes as he became familiar with the huge beast of a vehicle. Afterwards, he settled behind the steering wheel and called Alexa.
When she answered, he began by saying six words.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
CHAPTER 8 – The deal
In Killburry, Hodges was giving a tour to a member of The Brotherhood’s council.
The man’s name was Chang, and he had been a member of The Brotherhood since the days when it was solely comprised of Chinese. Chang was the guiding force behind the organization’s expansion.
What was once a gang of eight Chinese youths had grown to be an army of nearly a thousand men.
Chang stood just under six feet tall, wore his hair slicked back, and was well dressed in a gray suit. He was accompanied by several bodyguards, and Adán.
Hodges had his son, Dexter, at his side. The young man was dressed well in a black suit with a charcoal-hued shirt and red tie. Dexter had even gotten a haircut, and Hodges thought his Uncle Mike was right. Dexter did resemble Hodge’s late brother a great deal.
Choa walked along between the two groups. He worked for Hodges, but was Adán’s cousin.
As the assemblage moved about, Hodges commented on the homes. Chang showed no reaction to anything he said and Hodges wondered if that was good or bad. The homes were maintained as a matter of course, but Hodges had kept Pete and Rocco working hard. He’d made sure that the front of each property was swept clean and that the lawns had been cut.
The homes weren’t new by any means. Few of them contained even a stick of furniture, but they were habitable. They would make good barracks for troops or could be used for storage.
Once the group was done looking about, the party returned to Hodges’ house and sat in his office. Two of Chang’s bodyguards stood outside the door, while two more flanked the chair he sat in. Hodges was seated with Dexter on an old leather sofa, and Adán and Choa stood behind Hodges’ desk, just taking it all in.
“So, Mr. Chang, what do you think? Do we have a deal?”
Chang spoke in a soft voice, but his English was excellent, although it carried a slight accent.
“Your houses, they’re not bad, but we will need more from you if we’re to come to an agreement.”
Hodges face fell. He had hoped that there wouldn’t be any bullshit.
“When you say, ‘more’, what do you mean by that?” Hodges asked.
“There is no furniture. Do you expect the men to sleep on the floor?”
“No, but I thought that someone else could handle that.”
“There is help available. As fate would have it, some of the members of The Brotherhood have an undertaking in the works. It involves pilfering the storage warehouse of a furniture manuf
acturer.”
Hodges smiled.
“All right then, problem solved. They can bring the goods right here once they have them.”
“These men do not work for free and would expect compensation.”
“From me?”
“Of course, as I said, we have no need for empty houses. You must furnish them first, and through these men, but you’ll be given a very good price.”
“How much are we talking about?”
Chang named a number and Hodges swallowed hard. It was an amount he had, but just barely. He would also need the money back that he had given his Uncle Mike to hold.
“Okay, let’s say that I agree, then do we have a deal? You get the houses... furnished houses, and I get a seat on The Brotherhood Council, yes?”
“No,” Chang said.
“No? Why not?”
“We would require one more thing from you.”
“Yeah?”
“The houses, this house included, would all have to be signed over to a corporation that is owned by The Brotherhood.”
Hodges just sat with his mouth open, stunned by Chang’s gall. He was asking him to sign over his life. Once he did so, why would they need him?
Hodges might have been too stunned to speak, but Dexter found his voice.
“Yo, Dude, do you think my father is an idiot? There’s no way we’re signing that deal.”
“Be quiet, boy,” Chang said. “Men are speaking.”
“Fuck you! I’m a man.”
Both of Chang’s bodyguards took out their weapons and pointed them at Dexter. Chang softly said, “No,” and the guns went back in their holsters.
“What the hell?” Hodges said. “My kid didn’t even show a weapon.”
“You should teach your boy about respect,” Chang said, “or others will do so.”
Hodges glared at Dexter, but when he looked back at Chang, he shook his head.
“My son needs to learn when to talk and when not to talk, I agree, but I don’t disagree with what he said. I’ll give The Brotherhood the use of the houses, and I’ll even pony up the cash for the furniture, but Chang, the houses stay mine.”
“Is that your final word, Mr. Hodges?”
“It’s gonna have to be, yeah, and I think it’s a good deal for both of us.”
The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 31
