The narrowness of the passage engendered claustrophobic feelings and Big Ralphie’s wide shoulders became wedged in twice before he made it to the other side and started up the second set of moss covered stone steps.
Laurel began to walk up the steps, but Joe reached past Sophia and held her back.
“Big Ralphie’s going to need some room to swing that spade.”
He was right, as the huge man stood hunched over six steps from the top and repeatedly swung the tip of the shovel at the wood blocking their exit.
It took over a dozen good whacks before a hole appeared between two boards, and six more before the gap widened a few inches.
That was when the wooden handle of the spade broke and rendered it useless.
Big Ralphie appeared to Joe as if he were about to cry, as he took in the broken tool, but then anger lit his round face.
After practically lying down atop the steps, Big Ralphie managed to turn himself around until he was facing the others and after climbing up the steps backwards and hunched over, he pressed his wide back against the floorboards and strained to stand up.
The big man’s face looked scarlet in the light from Laurel’s phone, as he pushed with all he had, and when the wood broke, it was like the shattering of a window and Big Ralphie stood triumphant, with his smiling face above floor level.
Less than a minute later, everyone had scrambled up into the vacant warehouse and were grinning at each other in relief.
A metal gate could be viewed through the glass of the front door, making that exit unfeasible, and everyone stared across the street at the flaming building they had just escaped from and realized how lucky they were to be alive.
Joe led everyone to the rear, and with one mighty kick, Big Ralphie opened a small door, and the group piled out into the trash-strewn parking lot under the light of a full moon.
Joe smiled at Sammy.
“Way to go kid, we’d be toast if not for you.”
Sophia spun Sammy around, leaned against him, and raised her head to kiss him.
“My hero,”
Sammy took her in his arms, but the kiss lasted just a second, as everyone looked up at the man standing halfway down the metal fire escape. The man was laughing, had a long rifle slung over his back and was pointing an AR-15 at them.
“Vance,” Pullo spat out.
“Everyone take out the guns nice and slow and place them at your feet.”
The men complied, and as they did so, Sophia eased her hand inside her purse.
Vance clucked his tongue at her.
“Sophia Verona, it’s so nice to finally meet you, now drop the purse or I’ll blow your head off.”
Sophia let go of the purse and it hit the ground just as a shot went off, and for an instant, she thought that her gun had somehow fired from its impact with the pavement.
That thought fled from her mind as Vance let out a cry of pain, bent over in agony, and tumbled off the fire escape.
That’s when the figure in black appeared holding a gun at arm’s length, and walked over to stand above Vance.
Vance stared up at the man who shot him and knew he was about to die.
“Hello Vance, I was wondering who fired that shot from the rooftop.”
“Tanner? But I heard you were—”
“Goodbye Vance.”
The shot that followed was nearly drowned out by the blaring sounds coming from two arriving fire trucks.
Tanner holstered his gun as he walked over to join the group, noticed the sparkle of Laurel’s engagement ring, and then looked at Sophia, who was still in Sammy’s arms.
He sighed.
“Whenever I go on vacation everything changes.”
Sophia went to him, and as they kissed, Sammy hung his head.
“Tanner?”
“Yeah, Joe?”
“Are you ready to get back to work, buddy?”
Tanner gazed over at Vance’s corpse.
“I’ve already started.”
TWO FOR THE KILL
By
REMINGTON KANE
CHAPTER 1 - Bones
Brooklyn, New York
Tanner fired three silenced shots at the punk playing video games and watched him tumble off the side of the bed and onto the floor.
The man’s two companions were in the living room at the end of the hall. They were oblivious to their friend’s death, because one of them was asleep with the aid of whiskey, and the other had his eyes closed while wearing headphones.
The man who was asleep died without ever waking, as Tanner jammed a knife past his ribs and into his heart.
The eyes stayed closed, although the man shuddered, and seconds later, the body voided its bowels and bladder.
The stench reached the man wearing the headphones, and he whipped them off and looked about the room.
The man with the knife wound to the heart looked to be asleep, and what little blood seeped from the wound blended in with the maroon shirt he wore.
“Hey, Yuri, wake up. Did you shit yourself? How much did you drink?”
“He can’t hear you; he’s dead.”
The words came from behind, and as they were spoken, the man felt the tip of a silencer press against the back of his head. He was young like the others, but wore a good suit.
“What do you want, money?”
“I want to know where Michael Krupin is,” Tanner said.
“I don’t know where he is; I swear.”
“Too bad for you,”
“Wait! I don’t know where the boss is, but I know where a guy named Bohdan Volkov can be found.”
“Why would I care about him?”
“You work for Joe Pullo?”
“I work for myself. Are you saying that Joe Pullo would care about this man, Volkov?”
“Hell yeah, my uncle says Pullo hates him.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Anton.”
“You’ve just made yourself useful, Anton.”
Tanner flipped the gun over and smashed it on the side of the punk’s head. The kid groaned, went limp, and slid down in his seat.
After binding his wrists and ankles with zip ties, Tanner heaved Anton onto a shoulder and headed out the back door.
There was a car sitting in the driveway with its trunk open, and behind it, another body, which was lying near four 5-gallon gas cans.
Tanner had killed the man before entering the house, which Pullo had told him was a known residence of several Russian street soldiers.
The dead man had actually been removing the gas cans from the trunk of the car when Tanner came upon him. They were the same gas cans that had been used to start the fire at the Cabaret Strip Club.
Tanner dropped the unconscious Anton into the trunk, slammed the lid shut, and then climbed behind the wheel.
Once he reached Bedford Avenue, he gave Joe a call.
“Give me some good news, Tanner.”
“Krupin is in the wind, but tell me, does the name Bohdan Volkov mean anything to you?”
There was a pause on the line, and then Pullo spoke one word.
“Yes.”
“I have a kid here who says he knows where you can find him. He’s also one of the crew that killed your men and set fire to the club.”
“He wants to deal, after trying to burn me to death?”
“Yeah,”
“Take him to the clinic; Laurel is there treating one of my guys who burnt his arm. Sophia is there too, and I’ll be along once I deal with this fire.”
“The club is gone?”
“It’s ashes, and it makes me miss Johnny even more.”
“I’ll keep the kid on ice until you get to the clinic.”
“Hey Tanner,”
“Yeah, Joe?”
“We still need to talk... about you and Laurel.”
“That’s all in the past.”
“I love her as much as you do.”
“No, Joe, you love her more. It’s why she chose y
ou.”
“Alright, enough hearts and flowers, just tell Laurel that I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Right, but who is this Bohdan Volkov?”
“He killed a friend of mine, Sam Giacconi’s son.”
“Yeah, I remember hearing about him, but Bohdan Volkov called himself Bobby, Bobby Volks?”
“That’s him, and once I find out where he is, he’s a dead man.”
“That’s something I could help you with, unless you’d like to do it yourself?”
“I’ve got something else in mind. I think it’s time Sammy earned his bones.”
“The kid? Does he have it in him?”
“That’s what I need to find out.”
“Right, see you soon.”
Tanner ended the call and headed for the clinic, and Laurel.
CHAPTER 2 – Friends?
Tanner strapped Anton onto a gurney and then watched as Laurel examined the punk’s head wound.
“What did you do to him? The capillaries in his left eye have burst.”
“I slammed him on the side of the head with a gun, but he’ll wake up soon.”
Once Laurel finished with Anton, Tanner reached out and took her hand, the hand with the engagement ring.
“That is a very big diamond.”
Laurel moved closer.
“Say it. Say the words when there’s no gun in your face.”
Tanner sighed.
“I love you, Laurel Ivy.”
Laurel grinned.
“Do you love me enough to be happy for me?”
“Are you talking about you and Joe?”
“I love him, Tanner. I love you too, but with Joe, I know he’ll always be there.”
“And I ran away?”
“Yes.”
Laurel removed her hand from his and took a step backwards.
“This won’t cause trouble between you and Joe, will it?”
Tanner leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“He’s a good man; you couldn’t do better.”
“How long have you two been friends?”
“Friends?”
“He’s your friend and you know it. I think either one of you would risk your life for the other.”
“Maybe so, but it wasn’t too long ago that he tried to kill me.”
“He told me about that; and he was only following orders.”
“He’d have killed me all the same.”
Laurel shook her head.
“I don’t think so. I think he would have wounded you the way you wounded him.”
“I was having an off day.”
“Liar; why is it so hard for you to admit your feelings?”
Tanner broke eye contact and looked down at the floor.
“I’ve known Joe for about ten years.”
“How did you meet?”
“I handed him a box with a head in it.”
Laurel made a pained expression.
“I hope you’re kidding.”
“Actually, Joe and I got to know each other when old Sam Giacconi sent the two of us on a road trip.”
“A road trip, where to?”
“Wilmington, Delaware.”
CHAPTER 3 – Gut feeling
NEW YORK CITY, TEN YEARS EARLIER
Inside the Giacconi Funeral Home, Tanner entered the office with Joe Pullo and met with Sam Giacconi.
Tanner thought the silver-haired old man was impressive looking in a well-tailored black suit with a maroon tie, and he waited, as Giacconi looked him over as well.
Tanner was also wearing a black suit, but he had no tie and the collar of his white shirt was unfastened. There was a holster on his right hip, but only a discerning eye would have noticed the bulge beneath the tailored suit coat.
Sam offered Tanner his hand, and they shook.
“Tanner, that was good work you did in finding Vincenzo Righettleto, and placing his head in a box was a nice touch. I was tempted to mount the damn thing and hang it over my fireplace.”
“Now that you know my work, I hope that you have more for me.”
“I do, and I’m glad Joey was able to find you.”
Pullo frowned at Tanner.
“Actually, he found me. I came out of my place this morning and saw him leaning on my car.”
Sam laughed.
“You’re a pip, Tanner, but if I was you, I wouldn’t piss Joey off. My boy here is no one to mess with.”
Tanner looked at the two men.
“Your boy, are you related?”
“Joey’s as much a son to me as my own, but no, we’re not related. Still, that’s partly why you’re here. I want to hire you to back up Joey on a hit.”
Tanner shook his head.
“I work alone.”
“It’s four grand whether you make the kill or not, but the bastard I’m sending you after is too dangerous for one man to handle.”
“That depends on the man,” Tanner and Joe said at the same time, and then afterwards they looked at each other in surprise.
Sam laughed.
“Yeah, I’ve got the right two guys. You’re both ready to take on anything alone, but I’m telling you, Carlo Conti is no punk.”
Joe straightened in his seat.
“Carlo Conti, is that who I’m going after?”
“That’s right, do you remember him?”
“Hell yeah, I was just a kid when he left here, but I remember him, and I also remember all the stories. If they’re true, then yeah, Conti won’t be an easy kill.”
“Who is this Conti?” Tanner asked, as curiosity peaked his interest. He liked working alone, but he also loved a challenge.
“Conti was an enforcer for The Calvino Family out on Staten Island. We’ve gotten along well with them ever since Joey here planted old Albertino Calvino, and put them in their place, oh, and Tanner, Joey was only fifteen when he made his bones.”
“Some start early,” Tanner said, and he himself had first killed while only sixteen.
“Anyway,” Sam said. “We were at peace, but Carlo Conti didn’t like that, and so he went on a one-man war against us. Before he finally stopped, he had killed over a dozen of my guys, and when he left, he left with money he’d taken off a civilian. Some guy who was stupid enough to keep lots of cash in his house and then go around blabbing about it.”
“How much did Conti get?” Tanner asked.
“Does it matter?” Sam said, and Joe answered him.
“The more money he had, the farther he could run.”
Tanner looked at Joe and nodded. Pullo was sharp; he liked that.
Sam sighed.
“The cops figured he got about thirty grand, but remember, this was back in 1989, so that money could buy more then. And anyway, it doesn’t matter, because I know where the bastard is.”
“How?” Tanner said.
“One of my guys, a kid named Rossetti; he spotted Conti walking down the street while he was in Delaware on business. He said that he was sure it was him, but by the time he turned the car around, Conti was gone.”
Joe looked doubtful.
“How could Johnny R be sure it was Conti? He had to be only about ten-years-old when Conti skipped.”
“Carlo Conti and Johnny’s Uncle Al were tight before Al moved out to Vegas. The kid grew up seeing Conti a lot. He’d know him, and Johnny’s a smart one, like you, Joey.”
“How old would Conti be now?” Tanner asked.
Sam looked thoughtful as he spoke.
“Let’s see, it’s been about oh, fifteen, sixteen years? Carlo was thirty-something back then, so late-forties, early-fifties. But if I had to guess, I’d bet he’s still the same hard case he always was.”
“Why not farm the work out?” Tanner said. “You must know people in Delaware.”
Sam leaned forward and locked eyes with Tanner.
“This bastard killed my men. We’re going to be the ones to put him down.”
Joe looked over at Tanner.
“
Are you in or out?”
Tanner spoke to Sam.
“Just so I’m clear on this. You want me as backup, right?”
“Yeah, Tanner, you watch Joey’s back and he calls the shots, but if you get the chance to put that animal Conti down, do it. That civilian he killed, he killed him in bed along with the guy’s wife. I want that sonofabitch dead.”
The answer was no.
Tanner wasn’t backup, he was a Tanner now, and Tanners worked alone. But then, he remembered something that Tanner Six often said, and had said to him the day he passed the name on to him.
“Trust your gut, Cody. Your eyes will play tricks on you, your heart will lead you astray, and your mind wants to believe whatever it’s told, but your gut, your gut always knows what to do.”
Tanner turned his head and stared at Joe Pullo.
“When do we leave?”
CHAPTER 4 – The big boys
FBI Agent Tamir Ivanov made his way past the barricades surrounding the smoldering remains of the Cabaret Strip Club.
After Joe signaled his men to let him pass, Ivanov walked over to stand beside him.
“I hear you had a close call tonight.”
“Too close,” Joe said. “And I’ve already given a statement to the cops.”
“Chill, Pullo; I’m not here to hassle you. I just came to see what the damage was and to look at the two stiffs with the rifles. I recognized both of them. They worked for Krupin.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know where I might find the kid, would you?”
Ivanov laughed.
“I don’t, and I wouldn’t be for sale if I did. But my guess is that Mikey Krupin is in the wind, at least for now.”
Joe looked around.
“Where’s that partner of yours? She’s easy on the eyes.”
“That she is, and she’s also busy. It seems that someone wasted a Russian crew in Brooklyn, and Agent Moretti is handling that scene. Would you happen to know anything about that, Pullo?”
“Not a thing.”
“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought you’d say. I bet you also don’t know anything about the Italian hoods who are overrunning Krupin’s territory as we speak.”
“I know that when the boss is away and his top two lieutenants are dead, that it’s a good time to strike.”
“Mm-hmm, and it looks like you’re about to win this war.”
The TANNER Series - Books 7-9 (Tanner Box Set Book 3) Page 14
