Tanner Six told Tanner that Alvarado would be sending men to kill him as well, and they would likely be more highly trained than the street soldiers he’d been using.
The man is many things, but foolish isn’t one of them. Tanner Six had written in an email. He’ll likely hire outside help, trained mercenaries, or possibly another hit man. You won’t be able to outgun them, but you can out-think them.
Tanner hadn’t considered that Alvarado would hire professional help, because the man had hundreds, if not thousands of men working for him, but it made sense, and yeah, if they were good, they would be trouble.
You’ve grown wiser over the years. Tanner typed back in an email, as he teased his mentor.
I still know a trick or two that you don’t. Tanner Six had responded. And Cody, be careful, you’ll be going up against a bunch of yahoos, yes, but Alvarado will be upping his game, count on it.
After writing back and forth, Tanner Six suggested a plan. Tanner liked it, and wrote back.
I’m going with your plan. I’ve grown a little wiser too.
***
When Alexa came downstairs the following morning, she had placed her laptop on the kitchen table and showed Tanner the news story about the motel, where he had killed Georgie and his men.
“It’s being blamed on those bikers right now, but I did see where they interviewed a bounty hunter who said he was looking for you.”
“Fortunately, half the people out there think I’m a myth, even segments of the law-enforcement community don’t take me seriously.”
“I grew up hearing the myth,” Alexa said. “But my Tanner was Tanner Five.”
Tanner headed over to the back door in the kitchen.
“Come with me; I want to see what the outside looks like in daylight.”
Alexa followed, and they were both surprised to see that the home’s lawn looked well groomed.
“I guess the lawn service gets paid automatically as well,” Tanner said.
They walked out to the shed and found an ancient motorcycle with flat tires. The bike looked like something from the sixties, and some small creature had once nested inside its leather seat. Besides the ancient green and yellow striped bike and a few yard tools, there wasn’t much to see, and the shed itself looked like a stiff breeze could knock it over.
Out past the shed, the land soon ended and there was a road with traffic going in both directions. Beyond that was a chain-link fence, and then the rear of a bowling alley.
They walked out front by using the driveway and traveled both ways along the quiet street. There wasn’t much to look at but trees when they walked back the way they had driven in the night before, but there was a stream on the other side, which sat at the bottom of a short hill.
The nearest home was around a curve and on the opposite side. To reach it required driving over a small wooden bridge that had been built above the stream, and beyond that, the home sat back from the road.
In the opposite direction, the road dead-ended where the stream curved westward, and beyond a rusty wire fence was the roadway seen from the field. Tanner walked over to the thick overgrown hedges on the right side of the road, and when he stood on his toes, he could see the dilapidated shed sitting a dozen yards to the right.
When they returned to the house, Alexa gestured out at the wide field.
“This must have been a farm at one time.”
“Yes,” Tanner said. “And now it’ll be the place I make my stand.”
“You want to stay here, why?”
“If I move I’ll be pursued and have no option but to fight wherever I’m attacked, but here, I can control things, and the only way to survive superior numbers is to be prepared.”
They walked out into the field again, and once more, Tanner asked Alexa how she had found him.
“I explained that. I simply followed my, well, you would call them hunches.”
“That’s beyond a hunch, and it makes me think that you’re hiding something.”
Alexa stopped walking and held out her right hand.
“Take my hand.”
“Why?”
“Just do it. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes when I touch someone, I get... impressions, and if it works with you, I’ll be able to tell you something that I have no way of knowing.”
Tanner shrugged and took her hand. He didn’t know if she was feeling anything, but he was, and he had to resist the urge to pull her closer.
Alexa had shut her eyes, and after nearly a minute passed, she said something that shocked Tanner.
“Cody? Does that mean anything to you? I also see the word... Buffalo? Or maybe it’s the animal that you’re thinking—”
Tanner had jerked his hand free and was grabbing his gun from under his jacket, but as he was bringing it up, Alexa kicked at his hand and sent the gun flying into the air. She then dived for the weapon and caught it before it hit the ground.
The act had placed her on her knees, and she sensed Tanner coming up behind her. She kicked out once again, and just barely managed to catch Tanner with a sweep kick that took his legs out from under him. She then stood and pointed the gun at Tanner where he lay on the ground.
She had his gun and had thought him defenseless, but he was a Tanner she reminded herself, and she gazed with trepidation at the grenade clutched in his hand.
The grenade was in Tanner’s right hand, while its pin was held in his left. If Alexa shot him, he would release the spoon, the safety lever, drop the grenade, and take her with him.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Tanner? Why did you try to shoot me?”
“What you said, there’s no way you could know that, that is, unless you were working for Alvarado.”
Alexa turned red with rage at the accusation.
“I would die before helping that man, and what was so special about what I said?”
Tanner gazed up at her.
“You said, ‘Cody’ and then the word ‘Buffalo’ what were you talking about?”
“I don’t know why I said those words, but they were there in your mind.”
Tanner hissed through his teeth.
He wanted to trust this woman, and he did believe in a sixth sense. He himself had displayed such a nature at times, even though he thought of it as following his gut. There was also Nadya, Romeo’s wife, who had exhibited a talent for seeing the future on more than one occasion.
“If you’re the real deal, lady, you have a scary gift.”
Alexa sat the gun on the ground beside Tanner.
“You can trust me, and there’s no one on earth who wants to kill Alonso Alvarado more than I do.”
Tanner carefully placed the pin back in the grenade. He then picked up the gun, slid it into its holster, and stood.
He walked over to Alexa and saw that she appeared nervous, but unafraid.
“Tell me something else,” Tanner said.
Alexa raised her chin up.
“If I can, I will. What would you like to know?”
Tanner smiled.
“Where would you like to go for breakfast?”
CHAPTER 19 – Essential items
Alexa and Tanner had agreed it was best to grab breakfast from a drive-thru window, and after they ate, Tanner went shopping inside a superstore that carried nearly everything.
Alexa followed along, and was both fascinated and puzzled by many of the items he bought, such as the matching set of work clothes that came in a hideous green color, and the clipboard and cheap calculator.
While they walked through the aisles, Alexa went about the market loading a cart with food and other household supplies. She was a decent cook, and was tired of eating fast food.
In the cleaning aisle, Tanner gathered soap, bottles of ammonia, and other chemical cleaners.
She assumed that he would use the items to make a bomb of some sort if needed, and when they entered the home improvement department and bought galvanized pipe, a hacksaw, and boxes of nails, she was sure that he
r hunch had been correct, and hadn’t asked any questions.
Tanner wore a baseball cap with a long bill to block his face from the cameras most stores had, while Alexa had donned a hood.
When they entered the store’s electronics department, it intrigued Alexa, and when Tanner loaded security cameras into the cart, she assumed that they would be setting up video surveillance, although she had expected him to be gathering items that were more of an offensive than defensive nature, still, she said nothing.
However, when he grabbed three packs of condoms off a rack, Alexa felt the need to ask a question.
“Do you have plans that I should know about?”
“There’s no plan, but I live in hope.”
Alexa laughed as she shook her head in wonder.
“Do you have any idea how many people want to kill you, and this is what you’re thinking of?”
“I can put them back,” Tanner said.
After staring at each other for a moment, Alexa grabbed the condoms from his hand and tossed them in the cart.
“What else do we need?” she asked while walking away, and behind her, Tanner grinned.
“I think we’re good, but when we get back we’ve a lot of work ahead of us, and I doubt we’ll finish early.”
“Once we get back to the house, I want you to explain everything to me.”
“I will, but I’m hoping to not need most of this. Still, it’s better to have it than not have it.”
“I still want to know.”
Tanner nodded at Alexa. He wasn’t used to having a partner, but she deserved to know their plans. He had also liked that she hadn’t pestered him about every item he bought.
“I’ll explain everything when we get back, but you should know, Alexa, you might be safer staying on your own.”
“Alvarado wants us both dead, and it’s mutual. We stay together and kill the bastard, or we die together.”
Tanner looked her over, she was all woman, but she had the heart of a fighter.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Two reasons?”
“And they are?”
“One, I’m impressed by your courage.”
“And the other reason?”
Tanner smiled and then his gaze fell upon the boxes of condoms.
Alexa laughed and laid a hand on his chest.
“If we survive this, we’ll explore that second reason.”
Tanner took the hand that was atop his chest and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“We’ll survive.”
Alexa had smiled in agreement. Tanner released her hand, and they left the store and went off to prepare for war.
***
Spenser was getting set to go to Oklahoma when Amy came driving in from the road.
After their earlier conversation, Spenser wondered if he would ever see Amy again.
When she left her vehicle, Amy was carrying a suitcase, and Spenser first feared that she had brought an empty bag along to have something to pack her things in, but no, he could tell by the way she was handling the suitcase that it already had weight inside it.
“I’m coming with you, Spenser.”
Spenser met her several feet from his truck and took the bag from her.
“That means that you’re sticking with me?”
Amy smiled, and then she kissed him.
“I love you, and I’ll take you as you are, all of you, your past included.”
They hugged, and then Spenser gestured at her bag.
“I’m glad you’re with me, but I don’t think you should go on this trip. It will be dangerous.”
“Yes it will, for you, and I’m not going to let you face that alone.”
“All right, I know better than to try to talk you out of something.”
As they were about to leave, Amy asked how long a drive it was to Oklahoma City.
“About seventeen hours, and I want to do most of it today, but we’re not going that far south.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going where Tanner believes he’ll be safe.”
“And you’re sure he’ll be there?”
“Time will tell,” Spenser said, and then he drove towards Tanner.
CHAPTER 20 – Respect for the dead
Tanner had agreed to bury the body found in the basement, and so after digging a hole, he went down there with a sheet to wrap up the corpse.
The man had been very old, Tanner could tell, and there were no rings or other jewelry on the body.
When Alexa came down to help, Tanner was surprised, as most people were squeamish around the dead. However, Alexa put on a pair of gloves and helped Tanner to wrap the dead man in the sheet.
“I found some things last night that belonged to him,” Alexa said. “His name was Ralph Harper, he was eighty-six when he died, and he won several motorcycle races back in the sixties. There is a box of trophies in the back of the bedroom closet.”
“I guess that old motorcycle in the shed meant something to him,” Tanner said.
Alexa nodded.
“Yes, I found a box of pictures as well, and in several he appeared to be riding that green and yellow motorcycle. He had also been married, but his wife and his teenage daughter died in a fire in Chicago in 1974.”
Tanner stared at Alexa.
“How do you know all that? Did you feel it, sense it somehow?”
Alexa laughed.
“No, of course not.”
“It wouldn’t be any stranger than you finding me the way you did.”
“I’ve always been psychic, but trust me, finding you that way was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. What I call my ‘little voice’ has never spoken to me as clearly as it did when I was searching for you.”
“Why do you think that is?” Tanner said.
Alexa smiled at him.
“We were meant to be together, to join forces, and soon the two of us will make Alvarado pay.”
Tanner just stared at Alexa without speaking. He wanted to trust her and could use an ally, but he just didn’t know what to think of her yet. One second he was certain she was legit, and in the next instant, he would have doubts about her.
Tanner lowered his gaze and went back to taping his end of the sheet closed.
“I found some papers,” Alexa said. “They were in the closet and they had to do with the deaths of his wife and daughter. A lawsuit followed the fire; it was something about a faulty oven. This house and some money were left to him by his mother, she passed away not long after his family died, and... it looks like he just dropped out of life then.”
Once they had the body wrapped, Alexa offered to help Tanner carry it up the basement stairs. Tanner assured her that he could carry the bundle alone, and soon they were on the right side of the home, where they decided to bury the body.
Tanner had made the hole deep and he and Alexa lowered the corpse in the grave, covered it up, and then sat an old wooden bench over the spot. It had just started to rain, but the forecast called for more of it to fall throughout the day, and to be heavy at times.
“I want to say a few words,” Alexa said.
“Like what, a prayer?” Tanner said.
“Yes, it’s one of my grandmother’s favorites.”
Alexa recited the prayer, in Spanish, as Tanner stood by silently. When she was finished, Tanner noticed that she wiped away a tear.
“Why are you crying?”
“This man, Ralph Harper, he suffered a great loss and then he just gave up. And this was a man who once embraced life. He was a racer, a competitor, and a winner; I was just thinking how terrible his loss must have been to cause him to just give up that way.”
“Yes, but you lost far more than he did and you never gave up.”
“I had Rodrigo, my Papa... without his love... I may have turned inside and hidden myself away too.”
Tanner reached over and touched her on the cheek.
“Never give up; we all die soon enough.”
Alexa took his hand.
“Is that the Tanner motto?”
He smiled.
“I guess it could be, and I also think we’d better get to work on our security precautions. Maybe we can finish before this rain gets too heavy.”
He released her hand, but Alexa reached out and took it again.
“Tanner.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not what I expected.”
“In what way?”
“You’re... nicer than I’d thought you’d be, you know, for a hired killer.”
“I chose my profession because I’m good at it, but I’ve been so busy the last few months defending myself and helping out others that I’ve barely had a chance to take a real contract. Once Alvarado is dead and the past is behind me, I’m going to get back to basics, and that means taking a contract on a target. I am a killer, Alexa, and I won’t apologize for it.”
Alexa moved closer.
“I wasn’t criticizing you; it was actually the opposite.”
Tanner was leaning in to kiss her when the sky opened up and the rain increased tenfold. Alexa screamed, then laughed, and while still holding Tanner’s hand, she ran for the porch, and pulled him along.
Once they were beneath the cover of the roof, they stood together watching the rain, as flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance, followed by the rumble of thunder.
Alexa still gripped Tanner’s hand, and as he looked out at the rain, he smiled.
CHAPTER 21 – With friends like yours...
The huge coordinated raids on the Chemzonic chemical plants took place the next morning, and by noon, there were over thirty arrests in the United States and Mexico.
Jack Rockford’s information was of incalculable value and it led Jake Garner to another source, one of Chemzonic’s Vice-presidents. That Vice-President, the woman who Tanner had thought was losing her hair, also made a deal.
The woman looked relieved when Garner showed up at her home, and told him that the stress was killing her. Garner’s superiors agreed to place her inside the witness protection program, and she revealed how Chemzonic had gotten in bed with The Alvarado Cartel.
The TANNER Series - Books 10 -12 (Tanner Box Set Book 4) Page 8
