The TANNER Series - Books 4-6 (Tanner Box Set Book 2)

by Remington Kane

  After watching him hobble back inside the house, the second guard appeared, coming from the opposite direction than the first one had. After watching the man until he rounded a corner of the house, Tanner left the shadows and went to the car, where he reached in and pulled on the trunk release lever.

  Tanner removed the duffel bag from the trunk and sat it by the door, behind a large bush; he then climbed inside the trunk, but only after he pulled back the carpet to uncover the cable that controlled the trunk release, so he wouldn’t be trapped inside.

  He had his gun ready in case Sheer opened the trunk again, but doubted that he would do so, since the duffel bag had to be wedged inside and had taken up all the space.

  Twenty seconds after lowering the trunk lid, Tanner could hear Sheer approaching in that faltering gait that the crutches gave him.

  The motor started, just after the front end of the car lowered from Sheer’s weight in the driver’s seat, and soon they were on the move.

  Once Tanner had Sheer away from the ranch and without the guards to intervene, he would get answers from the man. He would also teach him the price for not heeding his warning, a warning he delivered when he shot him in the foot.

  Tanner was young, and he had discovered that those older often discounted him because of his youth.

  But Sheer would learn the folly of such thinking and it would be the last lesson he would ever learn.

  Within minutes, Sheer was motoring along on Highway 16, and Tanner settled in for the ride.

  CHAPTER 25 - Me first

  Tanner felt an unfamiliar twinge of concern for another human being the moment he heard what had happened.

  Romina was missing.

  After a polite, if strained, meeting with Maria at the ranch, when Chaz Willis came by to pick up Romina for their date, the two teens left in his car and headed to the movies.

  Chaz was seventeen, tall, dark, and as good-looking as his father. He spoke politely to Maria and appeared to adore Romina, who was smiling at everything the boy said, and looked as happy as Tanner had ever seen her.

  Tanner had wanted to follow, just in case, but both Romina and Maria told him that it wouldn’t be necessary, and so Tanner stayed behind and lay down for a nap before he rose to begin his usual nightly vigil.

  Doc shook him awake less than three hours later, and that’s when Tanner learned that Chaz had called the house asking to speak to Romina, who he believed had abandoned him at the movie theater.

  When Maria told Chaz that Romina hadn’t come back home, and discovered that her phone wasn’t being answered, Maria had asked Doc to get Tanner.

  Tanner found her standing outside. She was staring at the driveway as if she were willing Romina to appear.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Maria said, and Tanner saw that her eyes were on the verge of tears.

  Javier was present as well and looked numb with worry for his sister.

  Maria let loose a long sigh.

  “I called the police and they said that it was too soon to panic, and I understand that, but with everything else that’s been going on around here, I just... oh God, where is she? I called her friends and no one knows anything, I even tried Tonya Jennings, wondering if she had gone to see her, but no, no one knows where she is.”

  Headlights came down the drive and Chaz Willis’s car appeared. When he climbed out of it, the kid looked both bewildered and scared, as he approached the group and explained what had happened.

  “When the movie ended, we both had to use the bathroom, and so I went into the men’s room while Romina walked towards the ladies’ room on the other side of the lobby. When I came out, I walked over there and waited, but after fifteen minutes went by, I started to worry. That’s when I asked a girl I know to check and see if Romina was inside, and she said that she wasn’t.”

  “What did you do then?” Tanner asked.

  “I looked everywhere for her and kept calling her phone. I thought we were having a great time, but then, I don’t know. I thought maybe she dropped out of the date for some reason... and that’s when I called here.”

  Another set of lights came down the driveway and Tonya appeared. She walked over to Maria and took her hand.

  “Is there any word yet?”

  Maria shook her head, and this time a tear fell. She looked over at Chaz with pleading eyes.

  “Have you done something to my daughter? Is your father behind this?”

  Chaz looked taken aback by the accusations, as well as insulted.

  “Mrs. Reyes, I would never hurt Romina and neither would my father.”

  “I have an idea,” Tanner said. “Maria, where does Romina’s ex-boyfriend live?”

  “Billy? Do you think he’s done something to her?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

  “I know where Billy lives,” Chaz said.

  Tanner joined him in his car, as Maria joined Tonya in hers, to follow, and Doc and Javier stayed behind in case Romina came home.

  Chaz gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove, and his handsome young face twisted into a grimace filled with hate.

  “If that fucking Billy has hurt Romina, I’ll kill him, I swear I will.”

  “You’ll have to get in line,” Tanner said, as he gripped the knife in his pocket.

  CHAPTER 26 - A waste of a good room

  Somewhere north of San Antonio, Texas, September 1997

  After more than an hour had passed, Tanner began to think that stowing away inside Sheer’s trunk wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  When the car finally came to a stop five minutes later, Tanner felt the car rise, as Sheer removed his bulk from the vehicle. Tanner gripped his gun tightly, while waiting for the trunk to open.

  The trunk lid stayed closed and a scraping sound came, as Sheer slid the nozzle of a gas pump into the opening on the side of the car.

  Within minutes, they were back on the road, and it was another half an hour until Sheer stopped again and left the car.

  Tanner took a chance and pulled on the cable that controlled the trunk release. It took much more effort than using the latch inside the car, but after three seconds of steady pulling, the trunk unlatched and popped open partway.

  They were at a motel that sat off a highway. After verifying that no one was in sight other than the people in the passing cars, Tanner stepped out of the trunk and felt his cramped legs and back sigh with relief.

  Before closing the lid, he covered up the release cable with the carpet again, and then secured the trunk lid shut as quietly as he could.

  The car was parked just to the right of the window that looked into the motel office, and Tanner saw that Sheer was taking a room, as the middle-aged motel manager handed a key across the counter.

  The woman pointed to her left, likely indicating to Sheer where his room was located, and Tanner moved in that direction before Sheer could turn around.

  He was at the ice machine and facing away when Sheer backed the car into the slot before Room 12.

  Sheer hobbled around on his crutches to the rear of the vehicle just as a young couple was walking by. The woman was a blonde wearing a short dress, and after saying hello to the couple, Sheer watched the woman until she and her boyfriend entered their room, which was two doors down from Sheer’s.

  Tanner used this distraction to ease closer, and when Sheer opened the trunk with his key, Tanner was standing right behind him.

  Sheer whispered, “What the hell...?” as he stared into the empty trunk.

  Tanner gave out a little whistle, and Sheer nearly fell as he spun to face him on his crutches.

  “Tanner?”

  After ripping the car keys out of Sheer’s hand, Tanner gripped the crutches and kicked Sheer in his ample gut, which caused the ranch foreman to fall on his ass inside the trunk, while also banging his head on the rim of the trunk lid.

  “We need to talk,” Tanner said, and he shoved Sheer’s legs inside the trunk and closed it on him.


  Twenty seconds later, Tanner had the car back on the highway and was searching for a secluded spot.

  Back at the motel, the crutches laid discarded on the ground.

  Sheer would soon have no need of them, or of anything else in this world, and he would tell Tanner everything he wanted to know.

  CHAPTER 27 - Dragon slayer

  Romina’s ex-boyfriend, Billy, lived in a quiet neighborhood of new two-story homes.

  Each home had a driveway on the left and a deck in the rear, but no basement, and with the house shrouded in darkness, Tanner feared that the boy may have taken her somewhere else.

  That is, if Billy was even the one who took Romina.

  It briefly crossed Tanner’s mind that the Harvey brothers might have grabbed her, but he dismissed the idea, because that level of escalation didn’t seem like something they would have the balls for. Also, they would have to know that he would kill them once he found them.

  Romina likely accompanied the person who had her on her own, or was tricked by them, and she wouldn’t trust the Harvey brothers enough for either scenario to play out.

  Tonya parked her car behind Chaz’s, and Tanner walked back to speak to her and Maria, as Tonya lowered her window.

  “You two stay here while I check out the house.”

  “It looks like no one is at home,” Maria said, but Chaz pointed to the car that he had parked behind, an old Chevy.

  “I’m not 100% sure, but I think that’s Billy’s car.”

  “Everybody wait here,” Tanner said. “I’m going to check out that car and then the house.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Chaz said.

  “That’s not a good idea, kid.”

  “I wasn’t asking,” Chaz said, and Tanner nodded, liking the boy’s fire.

  “Let’s go.”

  When they reached the car, Chaz let out a little moan after looking inside.

  “That green sweater on the back seat there, Romina was wearing that inside the theater because of the air-conditioning.”

  Tanner recognized the sweater as well, and when he peered down the driveway, he saw a narrow strip of light coming out from beneath the garage door.

  “Stay behind me,” he told Chaz, and then he walked towards the garage.

  As they drew closer, they could hear a male voice that sounded plaintive in tone, but couldn’t make out the words. Once there, Tanner tried the door handle very gently and discovered that it was locked, he then eased around to a window on the side and peered in through a gap on the right, at the edge of the curtains.

  Romina was seated in a wooden chair at the back left hand corner of the garage, and was tearful and frightened.

  She appeared to be unharmed, but her ankles were duct taped to the chair legs while her wrists were similarly bound to the arms.

  Seated and facing her in a matching chair was a boy with long blond hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt and pants from a suit. The boy was pleading with Romina while one hand gestured wildly and the other hung limp and held a gun.

  Chaz whispered, “Oh shit,” when he spotted the gun, and Tanner gestured for him to remain quiet, before taking the boy by the arm and pulling him away from the garage.

  “Go to Ms. Jennings and have her call the cops. If Billy’s parents come home or if anybody else tries to come back here, stop them, especially Maria, Mrs. Reyes; the last thing we want to do is panic Billy.”

  “Alright, but what are you going to do?”

  Tanner brought out his gun.

  “I’m going to free Romina.”

  Chaz looked at the gun and then up into Tanner’s eyes.

  “Are you going to kill him?”

  “We’ll see, but Romina is coming out of there alive. I promise you that, and one more thing, I’ll need the keys to your car.”

  Chaz hesitated for just an instant before handing Tanner the keys.

  While Chaz walked over to talk to Tonya and Maria, Tanner started Chaz’s car. While keeping the lights off, he turned into the driveway, cut the engine, and let the vehicle coast towards the garage. Once there, he restarted the engine, turned on the high beams, and blasted the radio.

  He was out of the car and standing at the side of the garage door when it went up three feet, and Billy ducked beneath it, before letting the door fall shut behind him. Tanner watched as Billy shielded his eyes with his hands and saw that he had tucked the gun behind his back in his waistband.

  “Who’s there?”

  Tanner fought the urge to shoot the little psycho. Instead, he just reached over and removed Billy’s gun, which caused the kid to spin around and face him, while crying out in surprise.

  “Hey!”

  Tanner smashed Billy across the face with an elbow and Billy’s hands flew to his broken nose. Tanner then kicked him in the balls, grabbed him by the hair, and kneed him in the side of the head for good measure.

  Billy collapsed to the ground with a moan, and Tanner raised the door and stepped inside the garage.

  “Tanner!” Romina said, as he drew closer. Until that moment, she had been so blinded by the headlights that all she saw were shadows.

  Tanner freed her by using his knife, and Romina hugged him fiercely.

  “Oh thank God, I thought he might kill me.”

  “You’re safe,” Tanner said, as he felt feelings that he thought were long dead. It was a need to protect, and he knew that if something had happened to this girl that he would not have forgiven himself for failing her.

  After hugging her back, he pried her loose and spoke.

  “Did he rape you?”

  “No, he just kept begging me to take him back. I think he’s high on something, maybe heroin.”

  “Your mother is out front with Chaz and Ms. Jennings, go see her.”

  Romina pointed at Billy, who had made it to his hands and knees, but looked as if he might puke.

  “What about him.”

  “I’ll stay with him until the police come.”

  Romina eased past Billy as if he were toxic, and then she ran down the driveway towards her mother.

  Tanner turned off Chaz’s car, killed the lights, and helped Billy over to the chair that Romina had been strapped into.

  “Look at me, kid.”

  Billy did so, and Tanner could see that he had broken his nose, while the left side of Billy’s face was already beginning to swell.

  “I want you to listen to me and I want you to hear me.”

  Tanner jammed Billy’s own gun into the boy’s mouth with so much force that it chipped one of the boy’s teeth and cut the roof of his mouth.

  “You are going to plead guilty to every charge, you will plead as an adult and you will serve every last day of your sentence. I don’t care what your parents want. I don’t care what your lawyer may say, but you’ll confess to your crimes in writing, you’ll do your time, and you’ll stay away from Romina. If you fail to do what I’m telling you, I will kill you. Do you understand me?”

  Billy stared at Tanner with wide eyes and nodded as best as he could, with the gun jammed in his mouth.

  Tanner searched the boy’s eyes and grimaced, while guessing that there was a chance he’d have to kill the little turd someday. If he weren’t so tied in with the Reyes family, Billy would be dead already, kid or not.

  Tanner stood and put away the gun, as Billy spit out bits of tooth and gagged on his own blood.

  The cops were coming and Tanner would have to talk to them.

  Tim assured Tanner that the fake ID he sent him would pass scrutiny, and Tanner was about to put it to the test.

  Billy began sobbing, while Tanner walked over and sat on the hood of Chaz’s car, just as Tonya appeared. She took one look at Billy and shook her head in disgust.

  “You hurt him, good!”

  “Yes.”

  “Given the chance, I might have killed him,” she said, and Tanner heard the anger in her voice.

  “I still might,” Tanner said, and saw Billy flin
ch.

  Tonya walked around until she was standing before Tanner, and then she leaned forward and kissed him. Tanner took her in his arms, and to his surprise, she didn’t back away.

  “What was that kiss for?”

  “For saving the damsel in distress,”

  “I fight dragons too.”

  Tonya laughed.

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Blue and red lights filled the night, and Tanner knew that the cops had arrived.

  Tonya stepped back as she sent Tanner a smile.

  “To be continued.”

  She then went off to speak to the cops.

  “Billy?” Tanner said.

  Billy answered in a nasal tone, due to his broken nose, which had already swollen.

  “I believe you, man... I saw it in your eyes.”

  “And if you’re lying, someday they’ll be the last thing you see.”

  Tonya returned with two cops and a long night became longer.

  CHAPTER 28 - They’re coming

  Somewhere Northwest of San Antonio, Texas, September 1997

  Tanner bumped the car slowly along a rutted road and killed the engine, before walking around to the trunk and opening it.

  Sheer gazed up at him with wild eyes and held up a hand as if he could block bullets with it.

  “Don’t kill me!”

  Tanner put the gun away, reached down, and dragged Sheer out of the trunk and onto the ground.

  Sheer whimpered in pain, because his damaged foot had slammed against the lip of the trunk.

  They were down an old unused patch of broken asphalt that at one time must have been a road. It was located in a strip of desert two miles from the highway.

  Tanner shut the trunk and sat on it, as he asked his first question.

  “Why does McKay have so many men around?”

  “It’s ah, it’s for Parker and you, he was afraid that you would try to kill him.”

  Tanner got off the trunk and kicked Sheer in the face hard enough to send him rolling away. If McKay was afraid of Frank Parker, he’d have cops around, but he didn’t want cops around, because they might start asking questions.