The TANNER Series - Books 1-3 (Tanner Box Set)
Page 35
When nothing else happened, Tanner followed suit, but was ready to reach for the gun he kept secured in an ankle holster.
A man Tanner took to be Vic Conti walked towards them holding a gun at his side. The man matched the voice. Conti was tall, well built, with just a bit of gray at his temples.
He scowled at Sophia.
“This better be good, or I’ll kill the two of you myself, understood?”
Tanner understood and wondered if Romeo was about to have a very short life.
CHAPTER 14 - Intervention
“You’re salesmen, am I right or am I right?”
Merle and Earl sent Matthew Burns half-hearted smiles as they nodded in agreement.
“I knew it as soon as I saw you two get out of your car, and you can just skip my house altogether. There’s been a plague of your kind around here lately, everything from driveway sealer scammers to solar power hucksters, why I’ve had two of your type just this week. But tell me, what are you guys selling?”
Merle looked down at himself and then over at Earl and he had to admit, the new suits did make them look like salesmen. He looked back at Matthew Burns and smiled.
“We ah, we sell life insurance.”
“Whole life or term?”
“Huh?”
“What kind of policies do you sell?”
“Oh, um, all kinds, right Earl?”
“That’s right, yeah, we’re salesmen.”
“All I need is another beer, so unless you’re selling booze, I’m not interested.”
Merle attracted the bartender’s attention and pointed at Burn’s mug.
“Bring our friend another beer, and us too while you’re at it.”
Once he had his fresh beer in hand, Burns raised his mug in a toast.
“You guys are alright, hey, do you like football?”
Merle and Earl brightened at the mention of their favorite sport.
“We’re Cowboys fans,” Earl said.
Burns grinned at them.
“Me too, but I’m a fool for the college teams. I’m a Notre Dame fan and I just love the Fighting Irish.”
Merle shook his head.
“We’re Razorbacks fans,”
“With those accents I’m not surprised, are you boys from Arkansas?”
“We sure are,” Merle said, as he and Earl settled in for an afternoon of conversation with their new friend, Matthew Burns, having forgotten all about the fact that they had been sent to kill him.
***
Sara walked along the streets of Midtown Manhattan while keeping one eye peeled for signs of trouble. She had penned an investigative piece on Frank Richards and MegaZenith that would let the man know she had him in her sights.
Although the blog post wasn’t inflammatory, it did provoke thoughts about the man’s integrity and asked embarrassing questions about some of MegaZenith’s dealings with other companies; in particular, it brought up the violent fate that had befallen many of the heads of its competitors. A list that seemed to stretch the bounds of mere coincidence,
While Sara wasn’t looking for a violent reaction to the piece, she was hoping for a reaction, one that would grant her access to the big man himself, but so far, Richards hadn’t taken the bait.
Sara arrived for her lunch date with Jake Garner and was surprised to see her sister seated beside him.
Garner stood in greeting before offering her his own seat and then he sat across from Jennifer, who was seated on Sara’s right.
Jennifer leaned over and kissed her on the cheek in greeting and Sara saw the worry in her eyes.
“Don’t be so nervous, Jenny. I already know about you two.”
“What do you mean?”
“I happened to see you and Jake leaving a bar together yesterday, which should have you wondering why Jake would accept a lunch invitation from me today. What were you thinking Jake, that you could add another set of sisters to your scorecard?”
Garner gave her an odd look for a moment, but then he got it.
“Sara, Jennifer and I aren’t sleeping together and I thought that this lunch would be just that, two friends eating a meal together.”
“Friends? Is that what we are, Jake?”
“I like to think so,” Garner said.
Jennifer reached over and took Sara’s hand.
“Jake cares about you... even though you once tried to kill him.”
Sara freed her hand and swiveled her head back towards Garner.
“You told her about that?”
“Yes. I thought she needed to know. I thought that someone in your family should know just how obsessed and wounded the loss of Brian Ames has left you.”
Sara spoke through gritted teeth in an effort to keep from screaming.
“You had no right to drag my sister into this, or to breach my privacy this way.”
“You need help, Sara. I told you that when you visited me in the hospital and I still believe it’s true. Tanner dying didn’t cure your obsession and if I needed any proof, I found it in that blog post you wrote about Frank Richards. He’s your next target, isn’t he?”
“Of course he is. I believe he hired Tanner to kill Brian. Why wouldn’t I go after him?”
Jennifer touched her sister gently on the cheek.
“Oh baby, Jake is right, you do need help. It’s not healthy to be so angry.”
“Angry?” Sara said and this time her voice rose high enough to cause the nearest patrons of the restaurant to turn and look at her, while one of them, an older woman with short white hair, left the bar and walked towards their table.
“I’m not angry, Jenny, I’m fucking pissed beyond words that Brian was ripped away from me and... and I miss him, I miss him every moment of every day.”
With these last words, a tear escaped, and Sara wiped it away, as the woman with the white hair sat across from her.
Jennifer gestured at the woman.
“Sara, this is Dr. Whitaker, Dr. Whitaker specializes in helping people overcome depression.”
Sara stared at Dr. Whitaker and saw the woman smile kindly at her.
“Hello Sara, I’m Alice Whitaker, your sister and your friend are very worried about you and I’m here to offer my help.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open and she blinked in surprise as the truth hit her. She looked first at her sister and then at Garner.
“What is this, an intervention?”
Garner took her hand and gazed at her with deep concern showing in his eyes.
“I arranged all this because I care about you.”
Sara freed her hand from his grip, grabbed her purse, and rushed from the restaurant as if it were on fire.
CHAPTER 15 - Hunger knows no fear
On Staten Island, Tanner sat beside Sophia in the second-floor office of a warehouse, where the various parts from stolen vehicles were housed, before being shipped overseas.
They weren’t cuffed, but Tanner had been stripped of his gun, along with the weapon in the ankle holster. There were six men in the office with them, while more were scattered throughout the warehouse.
Vic Conti had listened to their stories before hearing Adamo’s plea of innocence and Tanner could tell that there was little love lost between Vic and Adamo.
“They got no proof that I did shit,” Adamo said.
Conti looked at Sophia with a sad expression showing.
“Saul’s right, Sophia,”
“What are you talking about? What about the crew he sent to kill me?”
“Tony Cello is the one who’s dead,” Adamo said. “And I don’t know anything about that.”
“Sammy Vega tried to rob Johnny R’s strip club last night, but got killed for his trouble. Did you send him there?”
“The Giacconi Family are our brothers. Why would I send Vega to rob them?”
“What about my father? I bet you know what happened there, don’t you?”
Adamo walked over and leaned down until his face was an inch from Sophia’s.
“Back off, baldy,” Tanner said.
Adamo laughed at him.
“Look at this guy. He looks like a clown. Is this the best you could do for a man, Sophia?”
“He was man enough to save my life and man enough to try to help me take you out.”
“How’d that work out for you, huh? Vic, enough talk, hmm? It’s time Sophia paid.”
“If it’s proof you want, I know where you can find it,” Tanner said.
“What are you talking about?” Conti said.
“There are two guys over in Jersey City that have been running their mouths off about how they helped Lars Gruber waste some guy for Adamo; they said they took him to an old box factory. Now that I know Sophia’s father is missing, I think maybe they were talking about him.”
Tanner had heard no such thing, but he had been there when Gruber killed Sophia’s father, Jackie Verona, and had later had Tim trace the license plate of the two punks that had delivered him for slaughter.
Tanner gave them the name and address and Conti sent three guys to check it out.
“The punk is just stalling,” Adamo said, but his face had gone pale.
When he headed for the door, Conti called him back.
“No one goes anywhere, no one makes a call, not until this shit is settled.”
Adamo puffed out his chest.
“This is how you treat your new Underboss, Vic?”
“Jackie is still the Underboss, Saul. That is, unless you know something I don’t.”
“I know that when a guy disappears it’s not good, and with Jackie gone, I’m next in line. Frank Richards said so.”
“Fuck Frank Richards,” Conti said and took out his phone.
Adamo pointed at him.
“I thought you said no calls?”
“Relax, I’m ordering pizza, we could be here for a while.”
“Let me call my restaurant and have them send some food over.”
“Pizza will do just fine, Sophia, you want sausage on yours?”
Sophia glared at Adamo.
“I’ll take it plain, there’s enough pig in this room already.”
“I’ll take pepperoni,” Tanner said. “And how about some beer too?”
Conti smiled at him.
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“No, I’m hungry.”
Conti laughed.
“You’re a trip, Romeo. I see why Johnny sent you to help Sophia, and I really hope that I won’t have to kill you.”
“That makes two of us,” Tanner said, and then he went back to thinking of ways to escape.
***
Garner caught up to Sara when she was a block away from the restaurant and grabbed her arm to make her stop walking.
“Let go of me!”
“No, you’re going to listen to me even if you refuse to speak with the doctor.”
Garner guided her into the doorway of a shoe store and placed a hand beneath her chin.
“I care about you, Sara, and that’s the only reason I spoke to your sister about why you left the Bureau.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Please, Jake, I’ve seen the way my sister looks at you and I know what you’re like. Have you bedded her?”
“The answer is no, and this has nothing to do with sex. Goddamnit Sara, I’m worried about you, Frank Richards may be every bit as dangerous as Tanner was.”
Sara searched his face.
“You know something, don’t you? Is the Bureau going after Richards?”
“Forget Richards and come back to the restaurant with me; Jennifer is worried about you.”
“I’m not talking to a shrink and you can tell Jenny that too.”
“Please, think about getting help. It’s not normal to be as obsessed as you are.”
“What you call obsession, I call justice, and I’ll see to it that everyone responsible for Brian’s death pays.”
Garner shook his head sadly and watched as Sara strode away.
CHAPTER 16 -Mary Ann, of course
Mario was leaning against the side of the limo and smoking a cigar when Joe Pullo tapped him on the shoulder.
Mario was so startled that the cigar fell from his grasp and hit the ground.
“Why so nervous, Mario?” Joe asked. “You got problems?”
“Ah, it’s nothing, Boss; just a thing with my daughter, but it’ll be alright.”
“What’s wrong with Maria?”
“It’s nothing, just a problem at school.”
“Okay, but keep an eye out, the trouble we had at the club might not be the last of it.”
Mario nodded and opened the door for Pullo. He was a nervous wreck and had been ever since the FBI had interrogated him.
He had managed to bullshit and give them just enough to hold them, but they’d be back, and the next time they’d want much more, they might even ask him to wear a wire.
He’d heard about snitches in the past, some who had even been moved into the Witness Protection Program.
Mario always thought he’d rather squat and feed his balls into a meat grinder than rat on his friends, he also didn’t want to be shipped off to some Podunk town and pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
No, he didn’t want to be a snitch, but if he didn’t do it, his daughter would be the one to pay.
“Take me back to the club, Mario,” Pullo said.
“You got it, Boss.”
“Just call me, Joe; I’ve known you since high school.”
“No, I’ll call you boss now; I did it for Johnny and I’ll do it for you.”
“Whatever,” Pullo said.
Mario studied him in the rear view mirror. He and Joe had always gotten along. Maybe he should come clean, tell Joe what happened and see if he and Johnny could think of a way to get him out of the mess he was in.
Mario opened his mouth and then shut it.
What if they just killed him? It would be the simplest thing to do. Just kill him and let the FBI go find another snitch.
Mario wiped cold sweat from his brow.
A snitch for the FBI? Me?
Mario had a sudden vision of himself sitting in court and pointing at his friends, as the FBI played a bunch of recordings he made while wired up.
That bitch FBI woman, that Michelle Geary, Mario wanted to kill her for using his daughter the way she did. Maria was a good girl who had nothing to do with drugs and Geary would ruin her life just to get to him.
The thought turned Mario’s fear to anger and he was blinded by rage, which is why he didn’t notice that the light had turned red and drove the limo into oncoming traffic.
There was the blaring of horns, the thunder of a crash, and then for Mario, everything went black.
***
In New Jersey, Merle and Earl laughed at the latest of Burns’ stories and called for yet another pitcher of beer.
The lunch crowd had cleared out and the brothers and Burns had moved their happy trio to a corner booth.
When the beer came, the three men refilled their mugs.
They drained their mugs quickly and Merle was about to call for another pitcher when Burns invited them back to his house, where he said he had better booze.
“I want whiskey and they’ll rob you blind for it here. Follow me home and we’ll put on a ballgame, and maybe later on I’ll grill some burgers.”
Merle and Earl followed happily along with their new best friend, as the three of them argued over who was hotter, Mary Ann or Ginger.
***
At the club, Johnny shook Robert Vance’s hand and then told Frank Richards’ new assistant to have a seat in front of the desk.
“What did you think of the girls out front?”
Vance smiled.
“I had my fill of strip clubs while I was in college. These days I like to be more hands on
with women.”
Johnny laughed.
“I hear you. So, is this a social call or did Richards tell you to come by and check on things?”
“Both, but I’m no snitch.”
“Al Trent was, that weasel looked for any opportunity to mess with me.”
“As I’m sure you know, Mr. Trent has his own problems to deal with.”
“Yeah, but what’s your story, Vance? How did you wind up in The Conglomerate?”
“I’m ambitious, without morals, and crave power. Why are you in the Mafia?”
“Pretty much the same, and it is the family business, so to speak,” Johnny said. “But there is shit I won’t do. It’s a limited list, but still, there are lines I won’t cross.”
Vance nodded in understanding.
“While I have no morals, I do have rules, and like you, I never break them.”
There was a knock on the door and Carl appeared with a tray containing two glasses. He handed one to Vance and the other to Johnny.
“Anything else, Boss?”
“That’s it, unless Vance wants something to eat.”
Vance declined food and Carl left with the empty tray.
Johnny looked across the desk at Vance.
“You work for Richards, how would you also like to work for me, or is that against your rules?”
Vance smiled.
“It depends, what would you want me to do?”
“I want you to be my eyes and ears at MegaZenith.”
“As I said earlier, I’m no snitch.”
“Alright, but for your own good, keep an eye on Richards. He may look Harvard, but he’s as dangerous as any street punk.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Vance said and then he downed the last of his drink and stood.
“Leaving?”
“Yes, and thanks for the drink and the warning, although I already was well aware that Frank Richards is a man who cares only for himself.”
Johnny wagged a finger.
“It’s not nice to talk about your boss that way.”
Vance smiled.
“I guess the drink loosened my lips, next time I’ll just have coffee.”
After opening the door, Vance spoke over his shoulder.
“Richards has something planned for the upcoming meeting of the ruling council and given the man he is, I can’t imagine it’s anything good.”