The six men had shredded the front of Tanner’s house by firing nearly four hundred rounds of ammo. Spent magazines and brass shells littered the ground at their feet.
Adán told Choa to stay with him and then sent the other men to enter Tanner’s house and confirm that he was dead. The men carried a battering ram that had the logo of the Killburry police on it.
Four of his other men had entered the homes of the neighborhood watch group, who were also believed to be vigilantes. Adán knew that the husbands weren’t at home during the middle of a workday, but they would be taught a valuable lesson before he returned to the other side of the park.
Anna, Louise, Tina, and Josie were all herded from their homes at gunpoint. The women had their children with them, all but Josie, who was childless.
Other neighbors peeked out at the scene. Adán told his men to herd the children towards one of the neighbors who had a child of her own.
When Anna protested and held on to her baby, Adán changed her mind.
“If you want these children to live, you’ll let them go.”
The children were all handed off after that, and passed to the other neighbor, who disappeared with the crying brood back into her house.
When Adán noticed that one of his men had a fat lip sticking out from his ski mask, he asked what happened.
The injured man pointed at Josie, whose own bottom lip was bleeding.
“The little bitch caught me with a hell of a kick. I was glad that I had the gun.”
Adán spoke to the man, as well as the others who had rounded up the women.
“Stay with them while we make sure that Myers is dead,” Adán said, and then he and Choa moved towards Tanner’s house.
***
In the basement of Tanner’s home, Sara gazed in shock at what Tanner was showing her.
“A tunnel? Why is there a tunnel under your house?”
“Just be glad that it’s here,” Tanner said, and handed Sara a flashlight.
“Where does it lead to?”
“There’s a shed in my back yard. We’ll emerge inside it, and I have weapons hidden there too.”
“Lead the way,” Sara said, and was surprised to see Tanner head off to another corner of the basement. “Where are you going?”
Tanner didn’t answer, and up above there came the sound of someone knocking the front door off its hinges.
***
Moments later, Adán and Choa entered Tanner’s home and Adán shouted for his men.
A voice answered back from the basement.
“We’re down here! There’s a tunnel!”
Choa called Adán over to the mantle and pointed out the picture of Tanner and Alexa.
“That’s Myers.”
Adán smashed the picture frame, tore off the side with Alexa’s face, and used a phone to take a picture of the photo.
“I sent that to Chang. If Myers gets away, we’ll have the whole Brotherhood chasing his ass.”
Adán and Choa left the fireplace and rushed down to the basement. There was an entrance in a wall that had been hidden behind shelving. The shelving was pushed aside, and Adán called to his men.
“Do you see Myers?”
“No, but there’s no light coming from the other end. He must still be in the tunnel. Wait a minute, I feel something.”
Adán had taken two strides into the tunnel when it collapsed. Choa yanked his cousin backwards and hit the floor, as the screams of the other men reverberated throughout the basement.
Choa and Adán got to their feet and choked on the dust that filled the air. When he could find his voice, Adán called to his men, but received no answer.
Choa grabbed his cousin’s arm.
“We have to go!”
Adán silently agreed and rushed up the basement steps, with Choa following. Their feet slipped along the way, as the wooden steps were coated with a fine layer of dirt from the tunnel collapse.
They were headed out of the house when Adán punched a wall. The act was fueled by frustration and fury. Adán had just lost four men and they were all friends that he had known for years.
Instead of walking outside, Adán headed for the kitchen.
“Adán?” Choa said.
Adán turned on a burner atop the stove and a flame rose up high.
“I’m going to burn Myers’ house to the ground, Choa, right to the fucking ground.”
CHAPTER 16 – Burned!
Chief Ellison switched on the lights and siren as he headed towards the cul-de-sac where Tanner lived. He had been going there anyway, but then received calls that armed men were in the area and shooting up a house.
Olivia was seated beside her father with her rifle between her legs, and was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Two other patrol cars followed behind.
When Ellison’s radio alerted him to a call, he learned that all of the members of the neighborhood watch had been accounted for. That included Ted Anderson, who had to be tracked down at a house he was showing to a prospective buyer.
“There’s just one odd thing, Chief. None of the men can get their wives on the phone.”
The chief thanked his dispatcher and drove faster.
“Dad, one of the callers said that Tom Myers’ house was the one being shot up. What do you think that means?”
“If it’s as bad as they described... I think he might be dead.”
Olivia let out a sad sigh, as she gripped her rifle tighter.
***
Adán and Choa walked out the front door of Tanner’s home with tendrils of smoke swirling around them.
They had gone upstairs and set the bedroom on fire and then ignited several other rooms.
They rejoined their men, who were still holding the women at gunpoint, as the crackling sound of a growing fire filled the air.
One of the men asked Adán where the other men were.
“They’re dead, Myers tried to escape in a tunnel and it collapsed on him and the others.”
“What do we do with these women?” Choa asked.
Adán surprised everyone by taking off his mask.
“We waste these bitches, that’s what we do.”
Upon hearing those words, Anna, Louise, Tina, and Josie huddled together.
Louise began whispering a prayer as the men took several steps back and raised their weapons.
Automatic fire ripped the air, mixing with screams, and eclipsed the sound of the growing inferno that had been Tanner’s house.
***
Deke smiled when he saw that Alexa had returned to his hospital room.
She wore a bandage around her left forearm and was clutching a bottle of pills.
Deke started laughing.
“Only you would use a cactus as an edged weapon, Alexa.”
Alexa laughed along as she reached out and took Deke’s hand, to give it a squeeze.
“It was the only sharp thing available and so I used it, but I guess I owe you a gift.”
“Just having you here is gift enough, and oh yeah, you just happened to save my life. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Alexa said. She released Deke’s hand and took a seat next to the bed. “I have to drive to the police station when I leave here and give a statement. They’re saying that the man who came here to kill you was blinded in one eye. I think they’re also hoping to hold him responsible for the attack at Burke last week.”
“Good, that sounds like he’ll be going away for a long time,” Deke said.
“What are your doctors saying, Deke?”
“The news is good now that I beat that lung infection. I might get out of here by next week.”
“That soon?”
“Yeah, I’ll be a little weak, but my strength will return in time.”
“Are you going back to Burke?”
Deke shook his head.
“No, Alexa, I think it’s time I moved on. I had a lot of time to think while I was in here.”
“Oh, I’ll miss you,
Deke, really.”
Deke stared at her for a moment.
“Tell me the truth, why did you want to see me the day of the attack?”
Alexa made an apologetic face.
“I was going to say that we couldn’t be friends anymore.”
“Because I want more than friendship, right?”
“Yes, am I wrong?”
“Hell no, you’re not wrong. I only hold back because you’re already with someone. Now that you two have a house and are settled... I see that my hope that things might change were a waste of time. I’m sorry too, if I ever made you feel uncomfortable.”
Alexa patted Deke on the arm.
“You haven’t, and I’ll miss you as a friend.”
“I should have cut things off between us earlier,” Deke said. “When two people want different things out of life, there’s no hope for happiness. That’s just the way life works.”
Alexa winced at hearing Deke’s words. She and Tanner wanted different things, but they would make it work, she told herself. She and Tanner would be the exception.
There seemed to be nothing else to say, and so, Alexa said goodbye to Deke. As she walked back to her car, she was filled with a sense of loss for the end of a friendship, and found herself wiping at tears.
***
Dozens of rounds ripped apart Adán and his men, causing the marauders to scream out in pain and surprise.
It was Tanner and Sara. The tunnel that Adán’s men entered was a dead end. It had been built as a trap and designed to collapse. Tanner and Sara had escaped from Tanner’s home in the real tunnel he had built beneath the stairs, and which he sealed tight after entering.
They emerged from the tunnel inside his tool shed, where he kept a hidden gun safe. Inside the safe were a pair of AR-15’s that Tanner had modified to fire at full auto. Those rifles were now being put to good use to end the siege of Gentry Court.
Adán and Choa were positioned on the far side of the line of men. They had both been hit once, but their wounds hadn’t disabled them. Although, they were off balance and spattered with blood from their dying comrades.
Both men swiveled to their right to return fire. They never got the chance. Tanner had reloaded, slapped the charging handle, and sent a burst into the torsos of Choa and Adán. Sara reloaded an instant later, set her AR to semi-auto, and sent three-round blasts into each of the men.
The women of Gentry Court moaned in relief as they recovered from their close call, but then Josie pointed at Tanner’s home.
“Oh Tom... your house.”
Tanner turned and looked at his home, and knew that it was lost.
A gentle hand touched him on the cheek.
It was Sara.
“I’m sorry, but at least no one is in there.”
Tanner headed towards the woods even as he loaded a new magazine into the AR.
“Where are you going?” Sara said.
“To finish this. Those men were from Hodges. I recognized one of them.”
Sara followed.
“We’ll do it together.”
Tanner bit back his objections. Sara had nearly died as well, and she was as capable as anyone he’d ever known.
They marched through the woods, and would circle the park to emerge on the other side, while unaware that they were headed towards incredible odds.
As Tanner and Sara disappeared among the trees, police sirens grew louder, as Chief Ellison rushed to the scene.
He was far too late.
CHAPTER 17 – You can take the boy out of the prison...
“It’s a damn army,” Mike Hodges whispered to himself.
He was back to hiding behind the bushes and watching the houses across the street, his nephew’s house, and the homes surrounding it. Carloads of men were showing up, hard men.
Mike looked down at his old Colt revolver and knew that he’d never get revenge for the loss of his two nephews.
A hand appeared, a female hand that snatched the gun away, as another hand, a male hand, clamped over his mouth. Mike felt himself being dragged backwards around to the rear of the house and driven to the ground.
As a knee pressed against the small of his back, Mike heard a familiar voice whisper.
“What the hell is going on here, Hodges?”
Mike turned his head and saw a beautiful woman staring down at him with a pair of cold blue eyes. When he turned his head a little more, he saw the man he knew as Tom Myers.
“It’s The Brotherhood, Myers; they call themselves The Brotherhood. My nephew tried to join them... but they killed him. The sons of bitches killed Burt and Dexter.”
Tanner helped Mike to stand, and told Sara to stay put and keep an eye on him.
“Where are you going?” Sara said.
“To look around. I have to know what we’re up against.”
Sara shook her head.
“You’ve seen them. There’s too many.”
“There are never too many, just the lack of a plan. Don’t worry; I won’t engage them.”
“Then why risk it?”
Tanner sighed.
“I have to look for someone, actually two people, they probably got caught in the middle of this mess. If I’m not back in ten minutes, leave.”
Sara opened her mouth to protest, but Tanner had already disappeared behind the bushes.
***
There was a stream that ran by the rear of Hodges’ home. It was a tributary that miles away flowed into the river that ran by Chief Ellison’s house.
The gangbanger named Reo had taken Pete and Rocco there to kill them and dump them in the water. The order came from Chang, who didn’t want anyone around who wasn’t a part of The Brotherhood.
Reo’s buddy, Dominic, kept looking back at the house.
“Reo, we should just slit their throats and drop them in the water. Plus, this shit ain’t right. We’re out of prison now, we can go find some women.”
Reo smiled and slapped a hand across Rocco’s naked ass. He had secured the boy’s arms around a tree and yanked Rocco’s pants down.
“Look at this shit, Dom. Why let it go to waste?”
“Leave my little brother alone!” Pete yelled, and received a hard back-handed slap from Dominic. Dominic then pointed at Rocco.
“If you’re gonna fuck him, then fuck him before Chang sees us.”
Reo unzipped, unbuckled, and let his pants drop to the ground. As he reached out to grab Rocco by the hips, he heard Dominic make a weird noise, like a gurgled cry. That was followed by the sound of something splashing.
Reo turned his head to look over at his friend and saw Dominic falling forward with his throat slit wide open. Standing behind Dominic was a man with a bloody knife, and he was moving towards Reo fast.
“Shit!”
Reo took two steps towards his gun, which was laying on a nearby tree stump. He tripped over his own pants. In his rush to grab a weapon, he’d forgotten that his pants were unfastened.
Tanner ran over and gave Reo a vicious kick to the side of the head, as Pete rushed over to free his brother from the tree.
After Tanner’s kick stunned him, Reo had moaned and rolled over onto his back. His eyes fluttered open just in time to see the boot headed for his throat.
***
Tanner crushed the life out of Reo while keeping his head turned to watch the rear of the house. He could hear voices coming from inside, and was glad that the blinds were down. But if anyone came out, he would have to use the gun, which would alert everyone.
He had been listening at a window on the side of the house when he heard Pete yell at Reo, and went to investigate.
Something slammed into Tanner just as he removed his foot from Reo’s throat.
It was Rocco. The boy was shaking violently, as tears ran down his cheeks. Rocco wrapped his arms around Tanner, and spoke through sobs.
“You saved me, Tom Myers, you saved me.”
Tanner went to push the boy off, but instead, he patted him on the back.
“It’s okay, kid. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
With his face still pressed against Tanner’s chest, Rocco nodded.
“Thank you, Tom Myers, thank you.”
Tanner spoke to Pete.
“We have to get out of here and we have to do it quietly. Take your brother’s hand and follow me.”
***
Sara had remained waiting with Mike despite the fact that Tanner had been gone for more than twenty minutes. When she saw that he had company, she pointed at Pete and Rocco.
“Who are they?”
“They’re recent acquaintances.”
Mike pointed towards the park.
“My car is in there. Let’s get out of here before we’re spotted.”
Tanner stared at Hodges for a second, and then told Sara to give Mike back his gun.
They reached the car quickly and Mike asked Tanner where he wanted to go. After a moment’s thought, Tanner gave him directions to the lake property gifted to him and Sara by Conrad Burke.
As they drove along, Sara whispered to Tanner.
“You have to contact Alexa. She can’t just ride up to the house and learn what happened to it.”
“I know,” Tanner said, “and I am not looking forward to it. Alexa loved that house.”
Across the park, what had been his home was sending a column of smoke into the evening sky.
CHAPTER 18 – Cheeky
Chief Ellison leaned back against his police car and tried to make sense of everything he’d learned so far.
He was in front of Tanner’s house, which was a burnt hulk that still smoldered in places.
He had eleven dead bodies to deal with, including one of his own deputies. And while Deputy Ralston had been dressed like one of the men who made up the neighborhood watch group, the other ten men had been dressed like cops, in blue pants and shirts.
Six of the men had been cut down in the street by gunfire, while four other men were discovered in the ruins of Tom Myers’ house. To top it all off, those four were located inside a false tunnel built in Myers’ basement.
Tom Myers was missing, as was a woman named Sara Blake, whose car was found parked in Myers’ driveway.
The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 35
