Tanner wasn't made of money, but if he had to work an extra year before he retired it would be completely worth it. Fuck, he'd work until he dropped for his children.
Chris's eyes widened. "You mean it? Really, Dad? I never thought you'd give me a chance."
"If you don't want to work for me, and I could understand why you wouldn't," Tanner replied, "I can talk to some of my sheriff friends in nearby towns. They might be able to hire you. Keeping a good deputy is tough."
"I'll work hard, Dad. I promise." For the first time in a long while Tanner saw hope in his son's expression.
"First thing, I'll call your grandpa. Then you can talk to Stacey. Tell her what we've talked about and see if she's open to you coming down there for a month or two."
"That long? What about everything here?"
"What's here that's more important than your family and your health?"
Chris straightened up. "Nothing, I guess, when you say it like that. It just seems too easy."
"It won't be." Tanner shook his head. "It will be the hardest thing you've ever done, getting sober and building back the trust you've lost with Stacey. It will be work and it will take time. It won't happen in a few weeks or even a few months."
"What if I drink again?" Chris's lips were turned down and he looked so much like the little boy Tanner remembered.
"You might. But you are in charge, Chris. If you drink again, then you start your sobriety all over. And you keep doing that until one day you get ready for bed and realize you didn't crave a drink that day. Those are the good days. The bad days are going to be hell. But if you slip, you just get back on that horse. Just like when you were a kid and you would fall off of Lightning."
His son smiled. "I never fell off of Lightning. That was the meanest damn horse that ever lived. He would throw us off and then laugh about it."
Tanner laughed. "He was an ornery thing. He did seem to take too much pleasure when anyone flew over his head. But the point is you didn't let him win, did you? You got right back up on him and rode him."
"Do you ever want to drink, Dad? Do you still think about it after all this time?"
Tanner knew what Chris wanted to hear, but lying wasn't something Tanner did with a clear conscience.
"Every now and then when life seems to be tough, I think about taking a drink." He exhaled slowly, wanting to make sure he said this just right. "But then I remember what alcohol did to my life and how much better it is now. I don't even like the smell of booze anymore. It makes me physically ill. I doubt I could even keep a drink down after all these years. In my mind I've associated it with everything bad in my life. So the answer is every now and then. But as time passes it's less and less. Shit, it was probably over a year ago the last time I thought about it, and then only for a minute. I want to live more than I want to drink."
Chris nodded, apparently accepting Tanner's answer. "What do I do now?"
He reached for the phone in his pocket. "Let's call your grandparents. Make arrangements for you. Then you can call your mom and let her know you're going to Arizona."
Chris was clearly relieved, the color coming back into his skin. "Thank you, Dad."
"You’re welcome, son." Tanner choked out the words, the love he felt squeezing his heart. His own father had told him but it was really brought home at this moment. You never stop being a parent no matter how old your children are.
Tanner dialed his parents and felt a sprout of happiness inside him start to grow. Emily was in Billings, Chris would be going to Arizona. Now the only issue was Abby.
How would he get Abby away from Fenton?
* * * *
Madison bustled into the coffee shop and hurried toward the table where Sherry was waiting. She and Madison were going to catch up since they hadn't seen each other since Sunday before their flights. Madison's father was taking the patients this morning since he was leaving for Seattle in the afternoon.
Madison shrugged off her coat, draping it over an empty chair. "I just need to order my coffee."
"I already did." Sherry pointed to a large steaming cup that was wafting a heavenly aroma. "I'm way ahead of you. As usual."
Madison laughed and sat down, stuffing her gloves and scarf into her coat pockets. "Can't disagree with you there. I'm always trying to catch up with everything that needs to be done. No rest for the weary."
Sherry cocked her head to the side and gave Madison a mischievous grin. "A great sex life will play havoc with your rest."
Madison didn't even try to pretend. Instead she nodded solemnly. "You're right. Totally worth it."
Sherry cracked up laughing. "I want to hear every dirty detail, especially any extra special sinning you may have done in Sin City."
Madison snorted. "You were the one on your honeymoon."
Sherry waggled her eyebrows. "Yes, we were. And can I say that Dan was up to the task, so to speak? I never knew what a freak my husband was. He'd always been good before, but he was positively inspired in Vegas." She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "I loved it. Married sex will never get boring, that's for sure. We'll be swinging from the chandelier when we're eighty."
A picture of a scantily clad Sherry and Dan hanging off a crystal chandelier flashed through Madison's mind. She scrubbed at it with some mental bleach, determined not to dwell on such disturbing images.
"The really big news is my dad is in love and is moving to Seattle."
Sherry's mouth fell open. "Zowie, I didn't see that coming. I don't think I've ever even seen your father go out on a date. Are you okay with this?"
"I want him to be happy." Madison sipped her hot coffee. "He's sacrificed so much for me, especially after Mom died. He deserves this. I will miss him, though. It's been strange and nice at the same time to live under the same roof again."
"You could always Skype and stuff." Sherry's eyes went wide. "Unless you're thinking of moving back to Chicago. Say no. Say no," she begged.
"No," Madison said firmly. "I'm not entertaining any such thought. I'm glad I came home. It's really made me realize how cold and sterile my life was there. I'm not going anywhere." Madison paused. "Tanner was worried I was planning to leave, too."
"Of course, he was," Sherry exclaimed. "He's in love with you."
Madison shook her head but her insides quaked. She wanted Tanner to be in love with her, but it scared her, too. Being with him was changing her whole life– it was changing her. She liked this new, more confident person but she was out of her comfort zone.
"He's never said he's in love with me."
"Please," Sherry scoffed. "I saw the way he looked at you in Las Vegas. He worships you. A man like Tanner Marks isn't going to go on and on about his feelings. He's going to show you."
Remembering the sensual foray of his tongue across her flesh as he'd licked off the chocolate made her flush with heat. He'd shown her a thing or two that night. Could he have made love to her that way but not feel anything? Madison didn't know enough about men to be able to answer that question.
"I have no complaints about how he treats me. He's caring and respectful."
"Geez, he's caring and respectful with everyone, Madison. When a man is in love, especially at the beginning, they're proud of their woman. They want to show her off and tell the world what they have. Tanner had his arm around you like you were solid gold."
"I'm not sure how I feel about being his trophy," Madison replied.
"I didn't say trophy." Sherry wagged a finger at her. "I said gold. Something precious. That's a pretty good sign."
Madison sighed. "Let's face it. I've never been good at reading a man's signs. He may have to rent a billboard for me to get it."
"I can suggest it, if you like." Sherry's eyes lit up, her mouth curved in an evil grin.
"Don't. You. Dare. I mean it. I'll deal with this on my own. Maybe I'll just tell him I've fallen in love and see what he says."
"No! You can't do that." Sherry smacked her forehead. "You have to let him be the one. If
you say it first, you're handing over all the power in the relationship."
Exasperated, Madison drank the last of her coffee. Love had too many damn rules. She'd never learn them all. "And power is important?"
"Of course it's important. He needs to feel like he's won your love. You can't just hand it over like it's nothing."
"Fine. I won't say anything." Madison pushed away the empty cup. "Is it okay to invite him over for dinner tonight or will that be seen as needy or pushy?"
"The more regularly he sees you the better. Then he won't like when you're not there. Yes, invite him." Sherry's smile died. "Um, you're not planning to cook are you?"
"I'm not planning to poison him," Madison retorted. "My cooking skills have really improved."
"I'm sure they have." Sherry patted Madison's hand. "But…well, don't you want to put your best foot forward? You don't want Tanner to see any weaknesses this early, do you?"
She was pretty sure Tanner had already seen some but she didn't want to upset Sherry by saying so. "I can grill a couple of steaks. How bad can that be?"
Sherry wrinkled her nose. "Remember when you fixed dinner for your dad and the meat was charred on the outside and frozen in the middle?"
That hadn't been one of Madison's finest moments, but she'd been sixteen at the time.
"I know to defrost now. It'll be fine."
"Or the time you cooked a turkey on Thanksgiving and didn't take out all the giblets and stuff inside of it first?"
"That was a mistake anyone could have made," Madison protested. "The labeling on the turkey is deceptive."
Sherry started to dig in her handbag. "I think I might have a pizza coupon in here."
"Your confidence in me is overwhelming. With friends like you..."
Sherry held out a piece of paper triumphantly. "Here it is. Take it. You know, just in case."
Madison plucked it from her best friend's fingers and stuck out her tongue. "Fine, but I won't need it. You're worrying for nothing."
A couple of steaks and a salad. She had this completely under control.
Chapter Sixteen
"Thanks for coming. I really appreciate you doing this on short notice." Marshal Evan Davis stood at the front of the group, all meeting at the roadhouse.
Tanner had made it with minutes to spare after his morning with Chris, who was currently being driven to the Billings airport by Deputy Sam. Tanner had wanted to take his son to the airport, but he was already committed to being here for this meeting.
He'd been about to call Logan and tell him when Chris had shaken his head and told him it would be easier if someone else drove him. No long goodbyes, no emotional crap. He was, after all, heading into a delicate situation with Stacey and his addiction treatment. A no-pressure drive with Sam would give Chris time to clear his head.
Tanner had reluctantly agreed, and Sam assured him he'd make sure Chris got to the plane on time and sober. Chris, for his part, would be texting Tanner when he landed in Arizona. Tanner’s dad would be picking Chris up at the airport.
"Are we finally going to hear about this super secret assignment?" Logan grinned.
"You are." The Marshal smiled and pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase. "I'll hand these out, but I'll be taking them back at the end of our meeting. I can't have any of these floating around. Not that I don't trust you. I do. That's why I asked for your assistance."
Stapled packets were handed down to each man. Tanner flipped through his quickly, noticing all the men were doing the same. Evan seemed content for them to peruse the papers for the moment as he'd paused his presentation.
Griffin Sawyer, the quietest of the group, opened to the last page. A map of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. "Can we assume this is a prisoner transport to Florence?"
Evan nodded. "It is. I figured you would know what was up even before I told you. I'll just preface all remarks by saying everything today is confidential. You aren't to tell anyone. Not your mother, brother, or…" Evan looked directly at Seth, "…your wife. No matter how beguiling she may be. If this has any chance at all of working, absolute secrecy is a must."
Seth raised his eyebrows. "I get what you're saying. So say it."
"I will. A high-ranking member of the Jackson drug cartel has been captured in Canada after breaking out of prison. He snuck onto a vendor's truck and rode right out of there. He's been sitting in jail awaiting extradition to the States. It's been months of paperwork, but we finally have clearance to bring him back to this country."
Reed stroked his chin. "He went to Canada? Why not the Caymans? Or Central America?"
"He had a girlfriend there. And for awhile it worked. He blended in like he was just another ordinary guy."
Logan grinned. "Let me guess. It was his girlfriend who turned him in? A woman scorned and all that shit."
Evan chuckled. "Bingo. Apparently this guy, Howard Kerr, was doing the neighbor and the girlfriend found out. She didn't get mad. She got even. She called the authorities and he was arrested shortly thereafter."
Jared laughed. "And that, gentlemen, is why I'm still single. Women are crazy."
Seth's expression softened. "They're not all crazy. You have to find the right one."
"That is not so easy to do," replied Tanner. "If you find a good one, hold on."
"I intend to. Go on, Evan," Seth urged.
"Kerr is now at a prison near the border of Canada. On Saturday, Canadian officials will release him into our custody. Our mission, should you accept it, is to escort him down to Florence where he will be kept in a supermax environment. We won't make the same mistake with him twice."
Tanner paged through the booklet, scanning the dossier on Kerr. Mid-thirties, non-descript, which probably was to his advantage when he was hiding out. He was a high-level moneyman for the cartel, which didn't exactly scream violent felon. The guy looked like an accountant or maybe an actuarial.
"Do you think he'll try to bust out in transit?" Tanner asked.
"No. We think the Jackson cartel will try and bust him out. As best as we can tell, Kerr knows the whereabouts of laundered drug money."
Reed slowly smiled. "And only he knows the location. Nice life insurance policy."
"He's smart. You got to give him that," Logan said. He looked up at Evan. "How smart is he? Or the better question is, how smart is the cartel?"
"Smart isn't the question." Tanner shook his head. "How deadly is the question. We're dealing with the Warner cartel trying to take over a drug route and the body count keeps going up."
Evan's head swiveled to Tanner. "Warner? Are you sure?"
Tanner nodded. "We're working with the DEA." He exhaled slowly. The story was going to come out sooner or later, so it might as well be now. "I've already told Logan this, but since this meeting is confidential, I'll tell all of you. I had a conversation with DEA Agent Anderson on Sunday. You know that Fenton guy who's marrying my ex-wife?"
Tanner quickly recounted the tale. By the time he was done, there were several jaws hanging. Including Evan Davis's. Evan slapped the papers on the desk.
"Fuck. This is not good. The Warner cartel is in direct competition with the Jackson cartel. They rule that drug route. If Warner wants it, driving a Jackson member right through that territory could be deadly."
"Then we'll fly him," Seth suggested.
Evan shook his head. "They expect us to fly him. They'll be waiting at the airport. The reason I chose driving is that it would be a surprise."
Tanner tapped his fingers on the table. "We simply have to be smarter than they are. We can make them think we flew the guy. Then confuse them if they figure out we've driven him."
Evan pursed his lips. "I was planning multiple vehicles anyway, but I could get a decoy transport to the airport. Also have a decoy team waiting on the airfield near Florence."
Jared nodded. "We could have vehicles taking different routes so even if they find us, they'll have to split up to follow all of us. It shrinks their numbers and helps us keep t
he advantage."
"I was planning on at least one other decoy vehicle but we may need to think bigger. We need to diagram it all out. Step by step. Every move. I don't want to leave anything to chance," Evan replied.
Seth stood up and grabbed an armful of soda cans from the bar. Only water and soda could be served when the roadhouse was closed.
"Here. We may be here for awhile." Seth handed out the cans to each of the lawmen. Tanner popped the top on his root beer.
"Is it just us or will there be other marshals?" Griffin asked.
"I can get as many men as we think we need," answered Evan. "This is an important assignment, which is why I was able to bring all of you in."
Tanner leaned forward, his arms resting on the table. "So no one knows this is happening? What about Kerr himself?"
Evan shook his head. "He has no idea when or where."
Reed tapped his chin. "If anyone was going to break him out while in transit, he would be watching the prison then. Maybe someone inside as well."
Evan sighed. "That's my fear. We've done everything we can to keep this a secret, but one person could blow it all sky high. Make no mistake. This will be dangerous. I'll understand if anyone wants to back out now that they know what they would be signing up for."
The men at the table all grinned and chuckled. Logan took a long drink of his soda. "Shit, Evan. This is what a lawman lives for. Most of us spend our days chasing cattle thieves and wife beaters. Pushing paper and filling out forms. I, for one, wouldn't miss this for the world."
Tanner nodded along with his friends. He could feel the adrenaline pumping and his excitement sharpen. There was nothing like facing danger to make you feel vibrantly alive.
Evan slapped another stack of papers onto the table. "Then let's get to work. I'll go through what I had originally planned and we can make changes wherever needed."
* * * *
Justice Healed Page 15
