The TANNER Series - Books 1-3 (Tanner Box Set)

by Remington Kane

  Carl Reese, seated across from them, was drugged as well, but it didn’t seem to be affecting the man at all. He was a foot taller than Tim and weighed twice as much as Madison, and Tim realized that he would likely succumb last.

  Reese spoke to Madison, who he knew as Drew.

  “Why don’t you take off your top, Drew? It’ll save me the trouble.”

  “I’d rather play in traffic than have you touch me, pervert.”

  “Now, now, be nice. I could have had you two arrested for corporate espionage, but instead, I’m letting you keep your freedom. That’s worth a roll in the hay, hmm?”

  Madison didn’t answer, instead, she fluttered her eyes and her head lolled. It was no act; the Rohypnol in her system was kicking in.

  Tim felt it as well, as his eyes seemed to want to close on their own, but a spike of adrenaline revived him temporarily.

  He looked over at Reese and saw the man run a hand over his face as if to stifle a yawn, but then Reese rose to his feet and walked around the coffee table to stand beside Madison.

  “That’s it sweet piece, get nice and drowsy, and you know what, you’re gonna like it too. You’ve probably forgotten what it’s like to be with a real man if Timmy here is what you’re used to.”

  “He’s twice the man you are,” Madison said, but the words came out of her mouth like sap from a tree in winter.

  She laid her head atop the sofa, but then jerked herself upright, as her eyes stayed half-closed.

  Reese smiled down at her, but the smile became a yawn and when he raised his hand to cover his mouth, he took a step backwards, as if stumbling. Afterwards, he went back to the loveseat and sat.

  “Shit, you two are contagious, just watching you is making me sleepy.”

  Tim wanted to say something but found he couldn’t muster more than a moan, as the drug came down on him like a hammer. He looked at Madison and saw that her head rested on her shoulder and although her face was turned away from him, he could see that her mouth hung open.

  Reese was holding the glass that had held his soda, as he shook his head and blinked.

  “Why am I getting drowsy? There’s no way you could have switched glasses with me, and anyway, I drank mine first.”

  “Psychosomatic,” Tim said and was amazed at how much conscious effort it took to mutter that one word.

  “Psychosomatic?” Reese repeated. “What, like it’s all in my head?”

  Tim nodded.

  Reese stared back at him with a blank expression as he slid down lower in his seat.

  A moment later, Reese sat up with a start.

  “I’m really tired, but not too tired.”

  He rose, then, walked over and lifted Madison off the sofa by grabbing her around the waist. Madison made weak sounds of protest and moved her arms, but Reese pulled her along easily, dragging her towards the bedroom.

  Tim stood, determined to stop Reese, only to fall to his knees, and then to the floor.

  “Nooooo...,” Tim said, but the sound barely carried, and Reese and Madison disappeared into the bedroom.

  CHAPTER 46 - The envelope, please

  Lars Gruber had Mario drop him ten blocks from the strip club and told him that he would enter through the back door when he arrived.

  “When will that be?” Mario asked. “Johnny will be waiting.”

  “I’ll arrive when I arrive, fat man, so just tell Johnny R to wait.”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Gruber,” Mario said, and drove off with Merle and Earl.

  The limo was barely out of sight when a red Mercedes pulled to the curb and Gruber climbed inside.

  ***

  Not far away, Tanner was parked beside a fire hydrant, watching.

  He had been following Johnny Rossetti’s limo in the hope of catching the man unaware while on the road, but instead, he followed it to the airport.

  He didn’t know who Gruber was on sight, but knew that if Johnny sent his limo to pick him up at the airport, then it meant he was a somebody.

  After Gruber climbed into the second car, Tanner kept following him, and in less than ten minutes, the car drove up a ramp and inside a warehouse that was once a box factory, but had several large FOR SALE signs across its front.

  Tanner left his car in front of another hydrant and walked around to the rear of the building.

  By the time he found a broken window that was close enough to hear what was being said, he had almost missed the action.

  Jackie Verona, Underboss of the Calvino Crime Family was tied to a chair and gagged.

  Verona was about fifty, in good shape and had all his hair, which was still dark, thanks to hair dye. In his youth, he had been a mob hit man and was not above practicing his former trade when needed.

  The man from the airport was standing before Verona and holding a gun, while three young punks looked on. No, make that two young punks, the third one was well dressed and the driver of the Mercedes, he wore glasses and had an air of authority about him.

  He stood before Jackie Verona with the man from the airport, as the other two watched and waited from several yards behind.

  When the man with the gun spoke, Tanner heard the German accent.

  “I want you to know that you were a gift to me. Your friends feared that you might interfere in my work here, and since your son was an informer, why not you?”

  Jackie Verona mumbled and shook his head violently.

  The German shrugged.

  “Yes, but why take the chance, on your loyalty, or my life.”

  The man raised the gun and shot Verona once in the heart and once in the head, killing him. Afterwards, he removed the clip and handed the gun to the young man in glasses.

  “I understand you have use for that weapon, Mr. Trent?” the German said.

  “I do. It will be used to frame someone, insuring that this will never come back on you.”

  “And who would that someone be?”

  “Johnny Rossetti, after all, it’s due to his incompetence that we needed to hire you?”

  Lars Gruber smiled.

  “I see why Richards keeps you around.”

  “Thank you and the best of luck with Tanner.”

  “It’s not luck, I’m simply better than Tanner will ever be, I’m better than anyone.”

  Trent smiled.

  “But not modest.”

  “Never that,” Gruber said, smiling.

  Trent spoke to the punks as he handed them an envelope.

  “You know what to do with the body, and once it’s done, I suggest you leave town.”

  The punks nodded, looked inside the envelope and smiled.

  ***

  Tanner debated staying with Gruber, but decided to stick with the punks instead.

  After Gruber and Trent left, Tanner watched the two punks move Jackie Verona’s body from the chair, and carry it to an old Pontiac that was sitting up on blocks behind the warehouse.

  The car had no window glass left and its surface was more rust than paint. After opening the car’s trunk, they dropped Verona’s body in without ceremony and slammed the lid shut.

  With that done, the punks walked over to a green Camaro with New Jersey plates and drove off.

  Tanner walked back to his car, cruised around the area while thinking, and when he had a plan in mind, he drove back to the empty warehouse.

  The lock on the back door gave him little resistance, and after going inside, he retrieved a white envelope from the floor. It was the same white envelope that Al Trent had handled,

  After backing his car up to the Pontiac, Tanner opened his trunk and transferred Jackie Verona’s body into it.

  He knew the plan in his head was an elaborate one, but he also knew that if he could pull it off, that he would have The Conglomerate off his back, possibly for good.

  Tanner drove along, laughing to himself, and looking forward to the night to come.

  CHAPTER 47 - Kick a man when he’s down

  Gruber finally arrived at the club hours later a
nd let Johnny in on his plan to kill Tanner.

  They were in the office with Merle, Earl, and Mario.

  “You’re going to pretend to be me? How? I mean we’re about the same size, but we don’t have the same hair color and you look nothing like me.”

  “I don’t have to be an exact match; I just have to give the impression that I’m you. I want you to leave the club, climb in the limo and go somewhere, somewhere big and busy, like a mall or a department store. I’ll be there waiting for you, dressed exactly like you, and when I leave, I’ll be flanked by four of your men, the bigger the better.”

  “And what do I do?”

  “You stay where you are, or you leave by another exit, it won’t matter, because if Tanner is watching, he’ll think I’m you.”

  “What if he’s not fooled?”

  “Then, you will have to deal with that, but this is the plan. I spoke to Frank Richards on the drive in and he approved it.”

  “I bet he did, he’s probably hoping I’ll get whacked first, but let’s say your plan works, what happens then?”

  “I come back here and wait for Tanner to make his move. He’s a reckless fool and he’ll be stupid enough to attempt to hit you here, despite all the men guarding you, possibly even because of it.”

  Johnny gave Gruber an incredulous look.

  “I’ve got over a dozen guys here and dozens more coming. Do you really think Tanner is stupid enough to risk those odds?”

  “It feeds Tanner’s ego to defeat superior odds,” Gruber said, before staring at Merle, Earl and Mario, with disdain. “And from what I’ve seen of your men, he’ll likely get past them; when he does, he’ll meet me and die.”

  Johnny looked Gruber over and smirked.

  “What’s so special about you, pal?”

  “I’m the best killer in the world. That’s what makes me special.”

  Johnny rubbed his chin as an idea occurred to him.

  “How about a hospital, is that a busy enough place for you?”

  “A hospital would be excellent. They’ll likely have an awning outside and I’ll be even harder to see as I make my way to the limo. And one more thing, we’ll wear hats, which will cover my hair and obscure my face when I pretend to be you.”

  Mario asked a question.

  “What hospital, Boss?”

  “We’re going to see Joe Pullo.”

  “That’s good, it’ll cheer him up.”

  Johnny nodded, but he wasn’t thinking about cheer, he was thinking about revenge.

  ***

  Tim awoke after being asleep for hours and drifted in a haze of half-sleep as he tried to fight off the drug.

  There was a puddle of drool under his chin and he dragged himself through it as he crawled towards the bedroom.

  “Madison?”

  There was no answer and fear pushed Tim to his feet, to stumble along like a drunk. He was more tired than he could ever remember being, but it brought back a memory of when he was a child and his mother was still alive.

  She had taken him to the city, it was his first time in New York, and they spent the day visiting The Bronx Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History. By the end of the day, he had a belly full of junk food and a mind filled with pleasant memories, but he was tired, he remembered that he was so tired and that his mother had to carry him onto the train for their ride home.

  That was a good tired, this was not, and he fought going under with everything he had. After what seemed like a millennium, he reached the bedroom doorway and saw that Madison was lying sideways across the bed. She was fully dressed, except for her blouse.

  Reese was on his knees beside the bed with his arms outstretched atop the mattress, and in one hand, he clutched the blouse Madison had been wearing.

  Reese was stirring as well and he looked over at Tim with half-closed eyes and spoke.

  “Drugged me... somehow... how?”

  Tim ignored Reese and pulled himself up by using the doorframe.

  Reese rolled over until he was sitting on the floor with his back against the bed and then fumbled at his waistband, in an attempt to pull his gun free, but that simple task proved too much and his hand dropped to the floor, as his eyes closed.

  Tim tottered into the bathroom across the hall, where he collapsed onto the tile floor.

  The feel of the cold, hard tiles against his cheek roused him and he pulled himself up and over the lip of the bathtub. As he fell, the spigot cut his forehead and the pain revived him further.

  With fingers that felt numb, he turned on the faucet and cold water rained down on him, causing him to shiver, but also granting wakefulness. He sat up inside the tub, shivering and breathing in and out quickly, then laughed as he realized he felt much better.

  Fearing it wouldn’t last, Tim scurried out of the tub, dripping wet, and looked for a weapon. When he returned to the bedroom, he was holding the lid off the back of the commode, and he stumbled over to Reese and brought the heavy porcelain crashing down atop the man’s head, causing the lid to break in two.

  Reese made a croaking sound and flopped sideways onto the floor.

  Tim pulled the gun from Reese’s belt, then, remembering the flash drive, he dug it out of Reese’s side pocket.

  With Reese handled, he sat on the bed beside Madison, who appeared to be asleep, the breasts beneath her red bra rising and falling in a steady even motion.

  Tim realized he was drifting off again and went back to the shower. This time he was able to stand, and after only a few seconds under the cold stream, he went to the kitchen, while leaving a trail of water in his wake, and prepared an insanely strong pot of coffee.

  While he waited for the coffee to brew, he downed two energy drinks he’d found in the fridge and took out his phone.

  “Tanner.”

  “It’s Tim, I need your help.”

  His words sounded slurred to his own ears and Tim worked his mouth. Between the drug and the busted lip Reese had given him, he nearly mumbled.

  “Tim? Where are you?”

  Tim told him the street and described the apartment house; he hadn’t noticed the street number when he arrived.

  “We’re on the second floor. It’s Carl Reese, man, he followed us here and drugged us... but, but, Madison drugged him too.”

  “Where is Reese now?”

  “He’s here, unconscious; I smashed the toilet lid over his head.”

  “How much does he know?”

  “He knows we’re phonies, but not our real names.”

  “Was he armed?”

  “Yeah, he had a gun. I took it from him.”

  “Tie him up, I’ll be right there.”

  “What are you going to do with him?”

  “I’m going to stick him in the trunk of an old Pontiac.”

  “What?”

  “Nevermind,”

  Tim took the time to sip some of the strong coffee before going back to the bedroom. Madison was mumbling and her eyes fluttered, as the effects of the drug waned.

  Tim used scarves found in Madison’s dresser drawer to tie Reese’s hands together and lashed them to the headboard.

  When he was finished, he glared down at Reese and kicked the unconscious man hard in the balls.

  Tim didn’t know if Reese would feel it when he regained consciousness, but it made him feel better to do it.

  CHAPTER 48 - Marone!

  Tanner arrived in, of all things, a stolen flatbed truck with six portable toilets on the back. He parked it a block from the apartment and made his way there on foot.

  He bent down and examined Reese, whose head sported a large lump.

  “He’ll be out for a while.”

  He then noticed the bandage on Tim’s forehead and the cut on his lip.

  “He hit you?”

  “The lip, yeah, but I cut my head falling into the tub.”

  Madison came out of the bathroom wearing a pink terrycloth robe and Tim handed her a second cup of coffee. Madison kissed him.


  “My hero,”

  “You’re my hero; thank God you spiked his drink.”

  Tanner held his hand out.

  “That text you sent me earlier said you downloaded Richards’ files. Let me have the flash drive.”

  “Here, and I’ve got the whole thing in cloud storage too, but Tanner, I can’t break the encryption.”

  “Try anyway, and you did good work, Tim, you and Madison both.”

  “We’re heading to the place I told you about. I sent you the directions, but why don’t you join us?”

  “I can’t. Not yet, I have to finish things here first.”

  “Are you talking about my father?” Madison asked, as she dried her hair with a towel.

  Tanner shook his head.

  “Not yet. Tonight I’m going to a club.”

  ***

  Inside Johnny Rossetti’s strip club, Merle and Earl huddled in a bathroom stall together as they placed a call to Sara.

  She was back home after being treated at the hospital for her head wound. The doctor had wanted her to stay for a day of observation, but she refused and decided to rest at home instead.

  “Lars Gruber? Are you certain that’s his name?”

  “Yeah, why, you know him?” Merle asked.

  “I know he’s wanted by the FBI and Interpol for questioning in several murders. He’s a hit man just like Tanner. I guess they’ve decided to fight fire with fire.”

  “Gruber’s an asshole, but they say he’s good and Gruber thinks Tanner is coming to the club.”

  “Thank you, guys, this news is worth a bonus, and be careful there. Just stay out of Tanner’s way.”

  “That’s our plan,” Merle said.

  When the call ended, Sara left her bed and got dressed; she too was going to a club.

  ***

  At New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Johnny R visited with Joe Pullo.

  Pullo sat up in bed with the right side of his chest bandaged and an IV bag attached to his arm.

  “How bad are you, buddy?”

  “Shitty, but I’ll heal, and I’m sorry, Johnny, but Tanner just outsmarted us.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I know you, you did your best, but Tanner, he’s inhuman.”

  “You should go away, if you want to live, you should hide.”