The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart

by Remington Kane

  Sandoval stepped closer to Alexa, and being a small man, he stood an inch shorter than she did.

  “You are a beautiful woman and you have the heart of a warrior. Your companions are extremely capable men, and while this plan of yours has merits, you will still be vastly outnumbered.”

  Alexa stared at Sandoval with defiance. “We will not fail.”

  Sandoval turned from her, while shaking his head sadly. “Such a sad waste of a fine woman.”

  Afterwards, he climbed back inside the limo and disappeared behind tinted glass.

  Dante walked over to a door at the side of the building on their left and asked that Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser follow him inside, as the limo roared to life.

  The old building was a long narrow warehouse that held only empty shelves. Overhead lights dangled from the ceiling, and they walked from one circle of light into another, as they moved across a concrete floor that here and there showed stains and displayed cracks.

  Dante soon entered a glass-enclosed office, where he stepped behind a desk. When Tanner and his companions stood before him, Dante pointed at a blank pad that had a pen laying on it.

  “Write down any supplies you need, but in Spanish. I can speak English, but I can’t read or write it for shit.”

  “The thing that would help us most is transportation,” Tanner said.

  Dante nodded. “We’ll fly you to Mexico City and give you a place to stay.”

  Spenser rubbed a hand over his beard. “A plane is risky, but it would speed up our timetable.”

  “We’ll be using Sandoval’s private jet. Trust me, it’s safe, and I’ll be flying with you.”

  “Fine,” Tanner said. “And it’ll likely be the least risk we’ll be facing.”

  Alexa grabbed the pen and looked at Tanner. He named a few items, mostly weapons, and then added one that made Dante smile, while also causing Alexa to give Tanner a quizzical look. Tanner had told her to get a dress, and the sexier the better.

  “It will be used as a weapon,” he said.

  Alexa gave him a doubtful, yet knowing look, and Spenser laughed at her expression.

  Before leaving the warehouse, they solidified their plans concerning the phony pallet of goods that they hoped to smuggle inside the compound. Dante told them he would handle getting it onto the truck that made the deliveries.

  “What about the driver?” Alexa asked. “Will he cooperate?”

  “He will once we kidnap his wife,” Dante said.

  “Couldn’t you just bribe him?” Alexa asked.

  “If we used only greed he might betray us, but he is a young man who recently married. He will do anything to protect his bride. Fear usually works better than greed.”

  “Do not harm her in any way,” Alexa said. “Killing and using the relatives of an enemy is Alvarado’s way, not ours.”

  Dante smiled at her. “Don’t worry, the men I’ll be using are professionals. But understand something, if you fail to kill Alvarado, he will kill the driver and his wife for helping you.”

  “He won’t get the opportunity,” Tanner said.

  Dante smiled at the three of them. “Ah, if I had a touch more madness in me, I would join you, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve grown wiser. Still, I’m betting that you’ll be successful.”

  “We’ll need a place to stay tonight once we reach Mexico City,” Spenser said. “And tomorrow we start handing grief to Alvarado.”

  There was a brown envelope on the desk. Dante picked it up and handed it to Spenser.

  “That’s a partial list of Alvarado’s drug couriers in the Mexico City area. But I warn you, do not attempt to kill any of these men near one of the meth labs, their security is tight.”

  Spenser took the envelope but gestured toward Alexa. “She has her own list of targets.”

  Dante grinned. “That’s right; you were busy killing Alvarado’s people even before you breached the compound.”

  “Yes, and with the help I have now, what I did before will be nothing in comparison.”

  When they left the warehouse, Tanner took note that the snipers were gone from the rooftops. He assumed they were a part of Sandoval’s private guard.

  Dante stared at the three of them in turn, before locking eyes with Spenser. “The last time you attacked Alvarado, it gave Sandoval the opportunity he needed to rise to power.”

  “Yes, and?” Spenser said.

  Dante looked around to make sure that none of the other men were in hearing range, then spoke again.

  “My boss believes you will fail. And yet, it occurs to me that if you were to succeed, someone would have to step in to fill the power vacuum left behind.”

  Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser all traded looks, then turned their attention back to Dante.

  “For a man to make such a bold move,” Tanner said. “He would still need help controlling Alvarado’s troops, but yes, it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

  Dante took out a phone, fiddled with it, and held it up. On the screen was a close-up photo of a young man with curly brown hair, and there was a tattoo of a cross on the man’s neck.

  Dante looked at Alexa. “You do remember Joaquin, yes?”

  “Of course.”

  “When the trouble begins, he will help you, and if you are successful, he will signal me. Do you understand?”

  “Understood,” Tanner said. “But you’ll need your own men if you’re going to take over that compound.”

  Dante smiled. “I have them. They’re the men from the villages surrounding the compound. Alvarado crossed the line when he killed those prostitutes. They were worthless whores to him, but to the men from the villages, they were their daughters and sisters. I also have the police around the area of the compound in my pocket, although they weren’t cheap.”

  Tanner looked at Dante with a new appreciation.

  “It would seem that Sandoval isn’t the only one who knows when to take advantage of a situation.”

  Dante gave a single nod. “In this world, you either rule or serve, and I’ve grown tired of serving.”

  “You’ll get that signal,” Tanner said, and Dante laughed with pleasure.

  17

  Hurry Up And Wait

  Amy arrived in Mexico with the Tin Horsemen and was unable to contact Rodrigo by phone.

  After leaving Spenser’s home, they had driven to Yellowstone Regional Airport and made sure that the crate they towed was loaded onto the cargo plane.

  That went smoothly, but then their own flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem, and Amy and the Tin Horsemen spent several boring hours waiting to board another plane.

  They finally arrived in Dallas, only to learn that their connecting flight to Mexico City would also be delayed. By the time they landed in Mexico and cleared customs, it was nearly midnight.

  Amy had tried all day to get in touch with Rodrigo with no success. When she spoke to Alexa from the airport in Mexico City, she learned that Alexa had made calls and discovered that Rodrigo and Emilio had visited Emilio’s sister in Durango, after learning that she had become ill.

  The illness turned out to be just a stomach flu, and Rodrigo and Emilio were on their way back home.

  “It’s a long drive and Papa will stay somewhere overnight,” Alexa had told her. “He carries his cell phone when he travels, but knowing Papa, he probably forgot to turn it on.”

  Amy told Alexa not to worry, and that she and the Horsemen would go to the house and wait for them to come home, and then take them to safety.

  Spenser voiced his concern for the delay, reminding her that Alvarado would eventually send men to the home, But Amy told him she would do all she could to help Alexa, and not to worry.

  “I love you, Amy,” Spenser told her.

  “I love you too, Spenser, and I’ll gather up Alexa’s family and meet you at the rendezvous point you told us about, don’t worry.”

  After renting a large SUV with satellite navigation, Amy input the address for Rodrigo’s h
ome, and she and the Tin Horsemen began the two-hour drive to the house in San Juan Del Rio.

  While the other three horsemen slept in the back seat, Abrasion sat up front with Amy.

  “You’ve been quiet today, Lionel. Is anything wrong?”

  “No Amy, I’m good.”

  “I can’t thank you and the others enough for accompanying me on this trip. I think I would be very nervous if I was alone, and I’m so scared for Spenser. It’s like he’ll be walking into the lion’s den.”

  Abrasion said nothing. Amy took her eyes from the dark road and glanced at him again.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine, but maybe I should try to catch some sleep too. Wake me if you need me to drive.”

  After saying that, Abrasion crossed his arms and leaned over toward the door with his face turned away from her.

  Amy gave him another glance, then she placed her gaze back on the road and chewed up the miles that separated them from Rodrigo.

  Beside her, Abrasion pretended to sleep.

  They arrived in San Juan Del Rio and drove to the house, just in case Rodrigo had driven straight home. There was no vehicle in the driveway and the home was dark, so Amy drove back to the highway where they checked into a motel.

  After grabbing only a few hours of sleep, they were back at the home belonging to Rodrigo Lucia, Alexa’s father. The house sat at the top of a slight hill, and there was a line of decorative ash trees to the left of it, while on the right, the street curved and continued toward Federal Highway 120, where it ended in a cul-de-sac of new homes.

  Amy drove up the hill and pulled to the side of the road that was bordered by trees, while staying a few dozen yards from the home.

  Alexa had described Rodrigo’s vehicle, and said that it was a red Chevy Tornado, which was a small pickup truck. It was nowhere in sight.

  “It looks like they’re still not back yet,” Bruise said, then he took a bite out of a breakfast sandwich they had grabbed on the way.

  Scar opened his door and stretched. “I’ll go check out the house and make sure everything looks normal.”

  The other Horsemen joined him, and Amy watched with a growing sense of apprehension as the boys walked around the well-maintained home. When they began walking back toward the vehicle, Scar sent Amy an “Okay” signal.

  “Does everything look normal?” Amy asked, as the boys climbed back in the SUV.

  “Yes,” Abrasion said. “So, I guess we wait?”

  “We wait,” Amy said, as she looked around nervously. “And I certainly hope they return soon.”

  18

  Midnight Rendezvous

  Roberto Muñoz liked his job on most days, but lately, it was a pain in the ass.

  Roberto was a collector for the Alvarado cartel. He spent his work life going from one small business to another in Mexico City and picking up envelopes of cash. The money paid for protection, and although Roberto occasionally had to teach a late payer a lesson, the job was an easy gig.

  Over the three years he’d had the job, only once did someone attempt to rob him, and they were a couple of young punks. Roberto shot one of the boys in the arm when the kid hesitated to pull the trigger on the shotgun he held. The pair got away but were stupid enough to seek medical attention at a nearby hospital.

  For stopping the robbery, Roberto got a ten-grand bonus from Alvarado, while the two that attempted the robbery were sent home. They were sent home in packages, a piece at a time. As far as Roberto knew, no one had tried to rob any of Alvarado’s people since then.

  Roberto entered a shop that sold cigars and nodded in greeting at the owner. The man nodded in return and took an envelope from the cash register, which he then handed to Roberto.

  As he was about to leave the shop, Roberto remembered, let out a sigh, and showed the man the drawing of Alexa. He had been showing the drawing around for three days and hated doing it, despite the reward that would be his if he somehow found her.

  During normal times, Roberto could finish his collections by noon, but it took time to show the picture and ask questions, and he knew he’d be lucky to make it back home by two.

  The store owner shook his head, and Roberto told the man to hang up the flyer where people could see it. If anyone recognized the woman, they were to call the number at the bottom of the paper.

  Before leaving the store, Roberto slipped the envelope of protection money into the satchel he carried, then took out another flyer to show the owner of the next business, which was across the street.

  The woman that managed the store gave him the same dirty look she always gave him as she handed over her envelope. She was an employee, not the owner of the business, and Roberto wondered why she took things so seriously.

  On the other hand, the woman’s daughter always smiled at him. She did it once again, from where she was setting up a holiday display. The girl was cute, with long legs and a nice rack, but she was only nineteen or so. At thirty-nine, Roberto knew he would feel sleazy if he slept with her, seeing as how he had a daughter nearly her age.

  Once again, he went through the routine with the flyer, but was shocked when the girl said that she knew who it was.

  “You know this woman?”

  The girl had walked over and moved behind the counter. “That’s the lady that owned the jewelry store in the mall. The store is gone now, but look, I bought these earrings there.”

  Roberto looked at the tiny diamond stud earrings as the girl leaned across the counter, then his gaze drifted down to a view of the girl’s cleavage. When he raised his eyes, she was smiling at him.

  “Tell me which mall, and also the location of the store.”

  The girl reached under the counter and grabbed a pad and pen. “I’ll write it down for you.”

  She did so, and when Roberto returned to his car, he noticed that she had written something in small letters beneath the name of the mall.

  PICK ME UP IN FRONT OF THE STORE AT MIDNIGHT.

  Next to that, she had drawn a heart.

  Roberto laughed as he took out his phone to report what he’d learned, and yes, he was back at the store at midnight.

  Minutes later, at the compound, Alvarado told Martinez what Roberto had uncovered.

  “One of my people found someone who says she knows the woman. She says that the woman helping Tanner once owned a jewelry store inside a Mexico City Mall.”

  “That’s great; would you like me to send people to the mall?”

  Alvarado smiled a wolf’s grin. “No, I will send my people. Once they make contact with the management there, it won’t be long until we have a name. When that’s known, we will find those she loves and use them against her.”

  Martinez grimaced as he thought about Alvarado getting his hands on his loved ones, such as his daughter, who lived with his ex-wife.

  He had been holding his breath earlier when Dan Matthews made his deal with Alvarado, fearing that the man would reveal his ties to Conrad Burke, who was helping Tanner. Luckily, Matthews had failed to disclose that relationship.

  Tanner couldn’t make his move on the compound soon enough to suit Martinez, because once the man and his friends were captured, he would be free to leave, and there was a point there when he thought he might never make it out alive. Thank God, Alvarado was finally in a good mood.

  “Martinez.”

  “Yes sir?”

  “The next delivery truck is due Friday at noon. I want it kept outside the gates until Tanner and his friends are in chains.”

  “I assumed as much, and there will be dozens of men surrounding that truck when it’s opened.”

  Alvarado looked alarmed. “Remember, I want them alive.”

  “Yes sir, the men are clear on that. The team opening the truck will be armed with only teargas and Tasers.”

  Alvarado sighed. “How I wish my son Juan had lived to see this day. He always said that I would find the man who crippled me, and now that day is finally here.”


  Martinez folded his hands in front of him. “I’m sure your son is looking down on you.”

  “What?”

  “Your son, I ‘m sure he’s in heaven and looking down on you.”

  Alvarado stared at Martinez and searched his face. Had he detected even a trace of sarcasm or derision, he would have had him killed.

  “Leave me.”

  After seeing the look in Alvarado’s eyes, Martinez scurried from the office without uttering another word.

  19

  Chop Chop!

  El Bar Del Primo in Mexico City was a private club for several of Alvarado’s senior narcos, who at night would bring their girlfriends to hear the live local bands that played there.

  In the afternoon, over lunch, they would often talk business. Four of them were gathered together at a back table while they waited for two more of their friends to show.

  When a silver Maserati pulled up in front and two men stepped out of it, the big man guarding the front door unlocked it and placed his hand on the doorknob. That was when two booming shots echoed down the avenue and the men from the Maserati fell to the ground, each with gaping exit wounds where their faces had been.

  “Out the back door!” shouted one of the men in the booth, and the four men raced down a hallway. When the first man reached the rear door and unlocked it, he went out slowly and with his gun arm leading the way.

  There was a blur of movement, a flash of steel, and both the arm and the gun fell to the ground.

  As the man who’d lost his arm gaped at his spurting stump in wonder, his companions turned around to head back into the club. That’s when the big man who’d been guarding the front door plowed into them while in a blind panic.

  All five men stumbled outside after the collision. Three had fallen, including the man who’d lost his arm. When he reached out to grab the severed limb with his other hand, he yelped in surprise, as a second, and then a third arm fell near him. He lost sight of all three limbs when a spray of blood filled his eyes.