Spenser saw where Darrell had done spot welding to reinforce the original wire welds, and had bolted the kennel to the basement floor.
If the heavy padlock on the kennel’s door failed, Simone would have still had to deal with the ankle iron attached to the chain that had its other end bolted into the brick wall behind the cage.
Darrell had supplied the cage with a thin mattress, a blanket, and a bucket for waste. Had Simone ever been locked inside the cage, Spenser had no doubt that someday she would have died within it.
Simone had contacted him none too soon.
He took a few pictures of it to show Amy and Simone, and then waited for Darrell to regain consciousness. While he waited, he located the thirty-two thousand and change Darrell had hidden in a chest freezer. It was jammed down inside a box of frozen fried chicken.
The money was more than enough compensation and would easily pay for the trip to New Orleans as well. While Darrell was still out cold, Spenser went through his pockets, and that’s when he came across the drawing of Tanner on the wanted poster.
Spenser knew Tanner years ago when Tanner was living under the name of Xavier Zane, and he recognized him immediately.
“One million dollars, dead or alive.”
Spenser placed the poster in his pocket. New Orleans would have to wait.
Since he had found the money without his assistance, Darrell was no longer needed.
Spenser took a second syringe from the leather case. Two minutes after he was injected with the fluid from the second syringe, Darrell’s heart stopped beating.
An hour later, Darrell’s body was settled at the bottom of a pre-dug grave and Spenser was headed back to Amy.
“One million dollars,” he whispered.
Yeah, New Orleans would have to wait. Spenser had new plans.
CHAPTER 11 – Huh, now will you look at that
Tanner followed Jack Rockford to a bar on the other side of the city where Rockford met with a woman Tanner assumed was the man’s girlfriend.
That is, unless Rockford’s wife, who the helpful Trisha claimed was “a sweetie” was also a nineteen-year-old with huge chest implants.
Tanner sat on a stool at the bar and kept an eye on Rockford and his girl by looking at them in the mirror. He was unaware that he was being watched as well.
It was the bartender, a man named Eddie. Eddie had one of the drawings of Tanner sitting beneath the bar. There was a shotgun there also, but Eddie wasn’t a brave man and knew himself well enough to know that he could never shoot anyone in cold blood.
However, there was such a thing as a finder’s fee, and luckily, Eddie knew just who to call.
***
In Enid, Oklahoma, Georgie Macateer looked at his phone as he sat in a booth at a different bar, a bar named McGinty’s.
His cousin Eddie worked as a bartender in Oklahoma City, and had surreptitiously taken a picture of a guy he swore was Tanner.
Georgie was a slim guy in his fifties with a full head of curly brown hair. He had never married, loved to gamble, and had essentially taken over his father’s gang when his father went to prison for life back in the 1980’s.
Georgie’s father was dead now, but the gang lived on, and Georgie made a comfortable living while his men did most of the work.
Georgie brought the picture up on his phone. It showed a guy seated atop a stool at the bar in Oklahoma City. The man was turned sideways. It could be Tanner or a hundred other guys, but Georgie knew his cousin wasn’t a flake, and so he held up his phone for the other men in the booth to look at the picture.
“My cousin Eddie says that the guy in this picture is Tanner. If that’s true, we’re looking at a million dollars.”
There were four other men in the booth; they were part of Georgie’s gang, which had about twenty members. They all made their living with low-level drug dealing and protection rackets.
All four men squinted at the picture, as one of them, a thirtyish thug named Owen, asked a question.
“Why the hell would this Tanner come here?”
Georgie shrugged.
“Maybe he’s hiding out. I know I never expected to see him in Oklahoma.”
“You want to go check it out? It’s a three hour round trip.”
Georgie thought about that, and then stood up from the booth.
“We’ll go, hell, it’s a million dollar gamble.”
“Should we call in more guys?”
“Nah, either this Tanner is there or he ain’t, and if he is, we’ll handle him.”
Georgie took off with his men and headed south after Tanner.
Following on their bikes were The Tin Horsemen, Scar, Wound, Bruise, and Abrasion. They had overheard the conversation between Georgie and his men and asked if they could tag along.
After considering it for a moment, Georgie told them yes. He figured they would make a good distraction for Tanner. That Tanner would kill the four morons Georgie didn’t doubt for a second.
That meant that he would not only claim Tanner’s bounty, but also rid himself of a minor annoyance. Not bad for one night’s work, not bad.
***
Alexa was in Oklahoma City, and after visiting twelve other motels, she had located the motel where Tanner had stayed at when Derrick and Bobby tried to attack him.
She could feel that she was closing in on finding the man, but hoped that she wouldn’t be too late.
The motel clerk was an old lady and a talker. She told Alexa about the busted door lock on Tanner’s room, and said he was a gentleman for bringing it to her attention and paying for it.
“Normally, the guests just check out and don’t say anything, and then the management wants to blame me. But not your fella, he was a good guy and spoke right up.”
Alexa shook her head.
“We’re not involved. He’s... more like a friend.”
“A friend, hmm? Well I wish he had gotten friendly with me. It’s too bad he didn’t have a thing for old ladies or I’d have dragged him into one of the rooms.”
Alexa laughed and thanked the woman for her help.
She left the office, climbed into her van, and headed for the highway to go north, but at the first traffic light she came to, she felt the urge to drive east instead.
Alexa ignored the feeling, and after leaving the city, she headed north, eager to catch up to Tanner.
When she had driven another twenty miles, the urge to turn back grew too strong to ignore. When Alexa finally U-turned, she felt as if she had just scratched a mental itch.
Upon her return to the city, she headed deeper into its center. If Tanner was still in Oklahoma City, Alexa wondered what it was that was keeping him there.
She began visiting more motel parking lots, hoping to spot Tanner. When she reached the parking lot of the seventeenth motel she visited, something inside her told her to pull over.
Alexa looked around the parking lot of the motel and saw numerous cars, a young couple with a baby, and an elderly couple returning from dinner, but no Tanner.
Still, her “little voice” was telling her to stay put, and so Alexa opened a bottle of water, nibbled on a protein bar, and waited.
Behind her and three doors down was Room 32. It was Tanner’s motel room.
***
Tanner followed Rockford from the bar and to his girlfriend’s apartment.
Only an hour after entering the girlfriend’s apartment, Rockford came out with a smile on his handsome face.
Tanner had backed his rental up to the rear of Rockford’s Chevy. He was standing between the two cars and looking into the trunk of his rental when Rockford returned to his car.
“Huh, now will you look at that, if that ain’t the damndest thing. Hey buddy, come take a look at this.”
Rockford hesitated for a moment, but he saw the puzzled expression on Tanner’s face and grew curious about what could be in the trunk.
When he walked over and gazed down into it, he saw nothing. But after Tanner smashed him
on the back of the head with a leather sap, Rockford briefly saw stars. Rockford’s knees buckled, and Tanner guided his torso into the open trunk, then afterwards, he shoved in his legs.
After looking around and seeing that none of the three people about had noticed what had just happened, Tanner calmly bound Rockford, covered his mouth with duct tape, and slammed the trunk lid closed.
Rockford had been holding his keys when he was hit. Tanner picked them up from the ground and moved Rockford’s vehicle into the parking lot of an adjacent apartment complex, so that Rockford’s girlfriend wouldn’t wonder why his car was still parked outside.
With that done, Tanner returned to his car and drove off.
When he regained consciousness, Rockford would talk, oh yes he would, and with the information he supplied, Tanner would cause Alonso Alvarado, AKA Martillo, more grief.
It would also let Martillo know of his whereabouts, but that was all right, because before the man could act, Tanner would be with his mentor again, with Tanner Six, and then the two of them would come up with a plan to bring the bastard down.
Tanner grinned.
It would be like the old days all over again.
He drove to the outskirts of the city as he searched for an appropriate place to torture, and thought about the coming days.
CHAPTER 12 - Gutless
Tim Jackson had left a message for Tanner in his email account, and it contained a decoded copy of what had been on the website Chemzonic covertly used.
Nothing much was on the Chemzonic website that was on its surface incriminating, as even the decoded language was riddled with hidden meanings and euphemisms.
However, it was enough to convince Tanner that there was something rotten going on at the plant, and Tim had uncovered two other things that were interesting.
One was the wanted poster of Alexa, who was worth a hundred grand dead or alive.
The poster listed her “crimes” and Tanner was impressed. He had been told by Rico Nazario that Alvarado’s desert compound was impenetrable, and yet, Alexa had not only made it inside, but had also, as the poster put it, “blasphemed” against Alvarado.
Tanner didn’t know what was meant by that, but he assumed he would be pleased by it. He also liked the drawing of Alexa, and if she were half as beautiful as the sketch, she would be a looker.
There was yet a third drawing on a wanted poster, one that worried Tanner even more than the one with his own face on it.
It was of Tanner Six, with the age updated, and it was pretty close to how he looked. Alonso Alvarado must have been looking for Tanner Six ever since their encounter, and he was offering a huge reward for information about his whereabouts.
Tanner Six was unaware of that, as had been Tanner, because they had both assumed that Martillo, who was Alvarado, was dead.
Alonso Alvarado had to die for what he did to Tanner’s family, for Sophia, for placing a price on Tanner’s head, and to keep Tanner Six safe.
Tanner would kill the man. That was a fact, now; all he had to do was figure a way to do it.
He sent another email off to Tanner Six, one which warned him about the price on his head.
***
When Rockford awakened, Tanner made sure that the first thing he saw was the blowtorch.
Rockford actually screamed at the sight of the flame, and not a manly scream either. There was no one to hear him though, as Tanner had broken into an aircraft hangar on a private airfield, and the nearest structures looked to be miles away.
Tanner had secured Rockford to a metal chair after chaining the chair to a support post. The small hangar was spotless, without so much as a grease stain on the floor, and Tanner respected the work it must have taken to keep it immaculate.
With that in mind, he had wrapped the support post with clear plastic and covered the floor beneath Rockford’s chair as well. When the man bled, it wouldn’t leave a trace.
Tanner stood looking down at the big man and spoke to him.
“Rockford, I’m not a cop and I don’t work for the cartel. My name is Tanner. Maybe you recognize me?”
Jack Rockford tore his eyes away from the flame and stared at Tanner. Seconds later, liquid pattered unto the plastic beneath Rockford as he urinated on himself, and when that display of cowardice was done, the man threw up.
Tanner backed away and gazed down at Rockford in disgust. The man was terrified, and Tanner hadn’t even begun the questioning yet. Tanner turned off the blowtorch and sat in a chair across from Rockford.
“Tell me what’s going on at Chemzonic.”
Tears began streaming down Rockford’s face. The big blond Adonis looked like a former NFL quarterback, but he was nothing but a wimp.
“You’re going to kill me,” Rockford moaned.
“If you answer every question truthfully and do what I say I won’t harm you.”
“Then the cartel will kill me instead.”
Tanner shook his head at Rockford in bewilderment. The man had chosen to go into the wrong business. If you were going to work with a drug cartel to manufacture meth, it would be helpful to have an actual set of balls.
“Rockford, once you tell me what’s going on, I’ll contact the authorities. They’ll stick you in witness protection.”
“Alvarado owns people here, important people, maybe even Feds.”
“I won’t contact the Feds here just in case. You’ll be safe, and if you don’t cooperate I’ll kill you now, it’s your choice.”
Rockford sniffled.
“Some choice... what is it you want to know?”
***
Rockford told Tanner everything. He even disclosed the illegal activities that were taking place at the Mexico City plant.
Tanner freed his hands and had him write everything down. It took over an hour, and when it was done, Tanner secured Rockford’s hands again and gagged him. He wanted to get away from the man.
The dried puke smelled heinous, and Tanner suspected that Rockford had not only urinated, but had soiled himself as well.
“I’m leaving, but someone will come for you. That someone will be a federal agent. Try to back out, don’t cooperate, and we’ll see each other again, do you understand what I mean?”
Rockford nodded.
“Good, and don’t worry, Rockford, they’ll stick you in witness protection and give you a new life.”
He began mumbling, and Tanner loosened the gag.
“What is it?”
“Does my wife have to come with me when they give me a new life?”
“Yeah, or else she’d probably get whacked just for the hell of it.”
Rockford sagged.
“Damn, now I’ll be stuck with that bitch forever.”
Tanner put the gag back on.
It seemed that not everyone thought Cindy was a sweetie.
CHAPTER 13 – Contact!
Cousin Eddie, the bartender, had gotten a look at what Tanner was driving, so Georgie knew the plate number of Tanner’s rental.
Tanner had paid cash at the bar for the two beers he’d consumed while there, and so unfortunately, they couldn’t get a name off a credit card.
No matter, if Tanner was at a motel they’d find him by morning, but luck was with Georgie, and a sharp-eyed Owen spotted Tanner as he drove past them while they were stopped for a light.
“Georgie, that was Tanner that just went by, hang a left.”
Georgie had to wait until traffic passed by, and then he made the turn while the light was still red.
***
Tanner drove into the parking lot of his motel and made a quick circuit around the cars. Alexa remained unseen, because the windows of her van were tinted, but Tanner took note of the vehicle as he left his car, and when the driver side door of the van opened, his hand was moving towards the gun on his belt.
***
It’s him! I’ve found him. Alexa thought, as Tanner drove past her van and parked.
Tanner was already out of his vehicle and in
front of his motel room door when Alexa left her van. She walked towards him at a quick pace, and when she saw him reach for his gun, she held her empty hands in front of her.
“I’m unarmed, and, I think we can help each other. My name is Alexa Lucia.”
Tanner stared at her with a perplexed expression.
It was the woman from the wanted poster, from Mexico, he was sure of it, but if so, what was she doing here?
“How did you find me?” Tanner asked.
Just then, Georgie pulled into the lot. His car was followed by Scar and his gang on their rumbling motorcycles.
Georgie stopped the car short and stared at Tanner and Alexa. Although they weren’t standing close together, he could tell that they had been involved in a conversation.
Georgie thought that Alexa looked familiar and that she might mean something to Tanner, and when Scar pulled up alongside of Georgie’s car, Georgie pointed at Alexa.
“Get that girl! We can use her.”
Tanner opened the door to his motel room as Georgie drove towards him, but before entering, Tanner shouted to Alexa.
“Run!”
Alexa didn’t run. She was a fighter.
As The Tin Horsemen jumped off their bikes and headed towards her, Alexa positioned her feet in a defensive stance and took out her knives.
***
Spenser Hawke arrived home in Wyoming after dropping Amy off at her store in town.
Amy had not been too happy about the cancelled trip to New Orleans, and she didn’t understand why Spenser wanted to go after Tanner.
“You’re financially comfortable, aren’t you? Why risk yourself going after a man like this Tanner?” she had asked.
Spenser couldn’t explain it to her, or rather, he wouldn’t explain, but the million-dollar reward didn’t mean the same thing to Amy that it meant to Spenser.
He checked his messages, and afterwards, he took a shower and sat on his sofa with a bottle of beer to think.
Spenser lived in a home he had built himself; actually, he built it with friends, “his boys” as he liked to think of them.
The home had two floors with spacious rooms and an awesome view of the Bighorn Mountains. It was a lot of house for only one man, and he had begun to hope that Amy might someday come there to live.
The TANNER Series - Books 10 -12 (Tanner Box Set Book 4) Page 5
