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

by Remington Kane

  He had never meant for her to smash into the tree. He had been planning to kill Jenna Richards in her home and make it look like a robbery that had gone bad, but when he approached her townhouse that night, he saw her get in her car and drive away.

  She ended up at a bar on Manhattan’s West Side, where several men plied her with drinks, but she ultimately waved them all off, they weren’t her type.

  Jenna Richards liked her men young, and the younger the better.

  Trent knew what her type was, he had heard the rumors among his peers and believed at least one of the stories to be fact, because he had seen her with the boy and when they noticed him coming towards them, he saw her pull one of her hands out of the boy’s pants.

  That boy had been Madison’s boyfriend and prom date during her senior year in high school, yet someone else that Madison had chosen over him, despite his having asked to escort her to the prom first.

  Madison had idolized her mother, and who could blame her, since her mother was the only parent that gave a damn about her. Frank Richards didn’t have much time or concern for his wife or daughter, and Jenna Richards had tried to fill the lack of love her husband displayed by showering Madison with affection and praise.

  Trent joined Jenna Richards that last night of her life and he could still recall the delighted smile she displayed at having run into someone she knew.

  ***

  “Al, hi, is Madison here too? Oh, but what am I saying, she’d never go out with you.”

  He stiffened at those words, while also realizing that she was drunk. She must have been drinking at home, gathering courage to go out and pick up a man.

  “Mrs. Richards, why don’t you let me take you home?”

  “I don’t want to go home, too many bad memories.”

  “But I thought you just moved in there a few months ago... when you and Mr. Richards began having difficulties.”

  “Difficulties? You might say that, the old fool can’t get it up anymore without the help of a pill, and I’m still a young woman, aren’t I? Don’t you think I’m still young, Al?”

  “You’re very youthful, yes, but let’s leave here. I know a much better place.”

  Jenna Richards narrowed her eyes and looked at Trent over her martini glass.

  “I know what you’re up to, Al.”

  Trent cleared his throat before speaking.

  “Wha... what? I mean, excuse me?”

  Jenna leaned across the table.

  “You want to be with me, admit it.”

  “Um, yes, I want to be alone with you.”

  “See, and if I was really old you wouldn’t want me, so that proves it, forty isn’t old.”

  Trent stood and offered his hand.

  “Let’s go to your place.”

  But when they arrived there, they had to stop for a red light on the corner, and Trent caught sight of Madison entering her mother’s building.

  “Mrs. Richards?”

  “Call me, Jenna.”

  “All right, Jenna, have you ever seen my father’s cabin? It’s quite nice.”

  “Your father died, Al.”

  “Yes, but the cabin is still there and I have a key. Why don’t we go there?”

  Jenna opened a small bottle and popped two pills into her mouth.

  “What was that?”

  “They help me to feel good.”

  Trent shook his head. Richards should have just let her be and she’d have likely overdosed or drank herself to death.

  He drove towards the cabin, which was on the outskirts of Tarrytown, New York, about thirty miles from the city.

  He had only ever traveled there by one route, and after having to detour because of road construction, he became lost.

  Jenna’s car had a GPS, but Trent didn’t know the address of the cabin offhand, only that it was at the end of a lane and so he pulled to the side of the road and parked, to find a map on his phone, while hoping to see a familiar street name.

  “Why are we stopping? I’m not getting in the back seat... unless you ask me nice.”

  Jenna was high and horny. Trent considered taking her for a moment, but then remembered that it would leave behind DNA.

  When he couldn’t get a signal, he stepped out of the car to see if a different location would help.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m looking for a signal.”

  Jenna giggled.

  “A smoke signal?”

  Trent ignored her as he saw a bar appear on his phone, but then it disappeared. He went a few feet farther, and was rewarded with two bars.

  “Yes!”

  The car started behind him and when he looked back, Jenna was waving goodbye and laughing hysterically.

  “Come back!”

  She sped up and that’s when the deer shot across the road. Jenna must have spotted it, because she swerved, left the road, and smashed the car into a gnarled tree.

  Trent stood frozen in place for a moment before rushing to the car. When he reached it, he found Jenna pinned behind the steering wheel, and saw that a jagged piece of metal had pierced her abdomen.

  She began to scream, as the shock of impact passed and the pain began. The airbag had deployed, but had apparently been punctured by the same piece of metal in Jenna’s stomach.

  She looked up at Trent with pleading eyes, as her voice escaped in a whisper.

  “Help me, Al.”

  Trent looked down at the phone still clutched in his hand and saw three bars, then, he looked in at Jenna and saw that she had passed out.

  He stood there in the moonlight, listening to the drip of the vehicle’s leaking fluids, as the radiator hissed, and the car, although smashed, still made that little ticking sound that modern cars make after you turn them off.

  At the time, he thought that the sound was coming from the engine, but later learned that it was caused by the exhaust pipes, catalytic converter, and manifold cooling down, and that the metal ticked as it contracted.

  Whatever caused it, to Trent, on that night, it was as if he were hearing the last seconds of Jenna’s life ticking away.

  Tick! Tick! Tick!

  Precious seconds ticking away, seconds that became minutes, minutes that meant the difference between life and death.

  And for the rest of his life, when he heard that sound, he would think of that night.

  Trent put his phone away, but then took it out and used it as a flashlight to check on the extent of Jenna’s injury.

  It was bad, as blood pooled on the seat between her legs and he knew that she would bleed to death without help.

  He left her there, just walked away and made it back to the city by train.

  Two days later, he was richly rewarded by Richards and became his assistant.

  ***

  Trent’s phone vibrated and broke him from his memories. It was Gary.

  “Get out of sight, there’s a car coming.”

  Trent jogged a short distance to a stand of trees and made cover just as the sound of the vehicle’s engine reached him.

  It wasn’t a car, but an old pickup truck. It must have been headed to one of the few homes that sat on the other side of the hill, where the road dead-ended.

  Trent watched it go past and then walked back to the van.

  Gary pointed off to the west, where the sun was nearly obscured by clouds.

  “It’ll be sunset soon, are you sure that the girl will come here?” Gary asked.

  “I can’t be certain, no, but it’s a safe bet.”

  “Or a waste of time,” Gary said.

  Trent ignored his pessimism, but he was beginning to doubt as well, because it had occurred to him that Madison could be someplace so far away as to make the sentimental visit arduous, and thus, unlikely.

  He gave a slight shake of his head.

  No. Madison was sentimental enough to make the trip, despite difficulty, and she would mourn her mother’s loss, she would appear, he knew it. She had to, because if she didn’t,
he knew of no other way to find her and that would seal his fate.

  Trent leaned back in his seat with a sigh and prayed that he was right.

  CHAPTER 30- Let’s make a deal

  Inside his Manhattan hospital room, Mario introduced his lawyer to the two FBI agents, Geary and Garner.

  The lawyer’s name was Kearns and he was a dapper little man with bushy gray eyebrows.

  Geary was not pleased to see the lawyer.

  “Does this man’s presence mean that you’ve decided not to cooperate?”

  “No, it means I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning that I know I’m screwed no matter what I do, and so I will cooperate, yeah, but under certain terms.”

  Geary’s face reddened.

  “You don’t set the terms between us you two-bit hoodlum, I do, or I can leave you alone and go after your daughter instead.”

  Mario smiled at her. There wasn’t a trace of warmth to it, but it was a smile, and it hid the intense hatred he felt towards her.

  “Hear me out; I’ll think you’ll like it.”

  The lawyer, Kearns, spoke up.

  “I tried to dissuade my client from his course of action but was ignored, and so I’m just here to make sure that if we come to an agreement that it will be honored.”

  “I feel better knowing that a mob shyster doesn’t like the deal,” Geary said, and Kearns looked indignant.

  “I am not a ‘mob shyster’ as you put it, Agent Geary. I’m a reputable lawyer with decades of experience.”

  “Whatever,” Geary said, as she took a seat. “Let’s hear the deal.”

  “It’s simple,” Mario said. “I’ll show you where Lars Gruber and Tanner are buried, and then you leave my daughter be and destroy any evidence against her.”

  Geary looked up at Garner, who was still standing. Dead or not, Lars Gruber was a prize and would raise their status within the Bureau. Tanner, while not the international fugitive that Gruber was, would also be a nice feather in their caps.

  Geary looked back at Mario.

  “We’re agreeable, but understand something, you can’t just hand over these bodies and walk away. You still have to give us those above you, such as Johnny Rossetti. If you don’t, we’ll make sure that the right people know that you led us to the corpses, and then you’ll be at the mercy of your so-called friends.”

  “I get that, all I care about is getting my daughter out from under the pile of shit you heaped on top of her.”

  “That happens as soon as we recover the bodies. How far away are they?”

  “Not far, but not too close either. I’ll tell you once we have a solid deal.”

  Geary made a face.

  “Please tell me that they’re not in water, God, how I hate a corpse in water.”

  “They were covered in bleach, but they’re in the ground,” Mario said.

  “We’ll go tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s good; the doctor told me I can leave then.”

  They spoke a little longer, mostly to Mario’s lawyer, as they set about solidifying the terms of the deal. Afterwards, as they walked towards the elevator, Geary asked Garner what was wrong with him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You hardly said a word in there and if we return tomorrow with Gruber and Tanner, we’ll have hit the jackpot.”

  “I just wish we had done it another way, other than using his daughter. The girl is an innocent.”

  “Fuck her innocence, she was a tool, and I’ll use anybody to take these bastards down.”

  “Why is that?”

  “It’s simple. Johnny Rossetti is a media darling, anything to do with him will be front page news, it’s great publicity, an excellent way to get your name in front of the public.”

  They reached the elevator and Garner hit the call button.

  “Now I see it, you want to get into politics.”

  “You’re damn right, that’s where the power and the money is. It wasn’t all that long ago we had a mayor in this city who made his name going after the Mafia and today he’s spoken of as presidential material and worth tens of millions.”

  Garner laughed just as the doors opened and three people got off, leaving the elevator car empty for them to step onto.

  “What was that laugh about?” Geary said.

  “Nothing, it’s just that someday I’d love to have a partner who simply wants to do the job and not be committed to some personal agenda.”

  “Everybody wants something, Jake, even you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve already had everything I wanted and lost it.”

  Geary shrugged.

  “Then you should go about trying to get it back.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Garner stared at her and as he opened his mouth to speak again, the elevator chimed.

  After clearing his throat, he and Geary stepped from the car into a clutch of people waiting to get on.

  “Jake, what were you going to say?”

  “Forget it. I’ll meet you at the office early and then we’ll come here and collect Mr. Petrocelli.”

  “That’s good, and come tomorrow, everyone in the Bureau will know my name.”

  Garner was looking forward to recovering Tanner’s body as well, and hoped that once it was established that the man was truly dead, it would give Sara some measure of peace.

  CHAPTER 31 - Dasvidaniya

  Vance settled into the chair in front of Johnny’s desk at the strip club, and asked a question.

  “How would you like to crash the leadership meeting tomorrow?”

  “I thought that was just for Dons and Corporate honchos like Richards, since my demotion, I don’t qualify.”

  “True, but would you like to be there? If so, I can arrange it,”

  “Why?”

  “That’s easy; I liked what you put in that last envelope and want more.”

  “No, I mean what’s the real reason?”

  Vance furrowed his brow in confusion.

  “I don’t get you.”

  Johnny slid a folder across the desk.

  “You’re well-hidden enough that the cops came up empty, but we have federal connections too. What’s your story, Robert Vance? Or should I use your real name, the one you were born with in Russia, Rurik Varanov.”

  Vance’s calm demeanor slipped away as his eyes narrowed in anger.

  When he opened the file, he saw that there was a brief sketch of his life, including the fact that he had been in Russia’s Federal Security Service, an organization formerly known as the KGB.

  “I see Richards has underestimated you,” Vance said.

  “Hmm, now why would Richards have a former officer of the Federal Security Service at his side, one whose specialty was targeted killing?”

  “Richards hates to lose. He had faith in Lars Gruber, but if the man failed, I was next in line for the job of eliminating Tanner, unfortunately, Tanner died by other hands. I consider it a shame; I would have liked a chance to go up against Tanner. He was another man underestimated by Richards.”

  Vance stood.

  “I also underestimated you, Rossetti.”

  Johnny placed his hand atop the desk and showed Vance the gun he was holding.

  “But you won’t make that mistake again, will you, comrade?”

  Vance laughed.

  “Rossetti, if I wanted to, I could take that gun away and force it up your ass.”

  Johnny cocked his head.

  “That’s interesting, you know, there’s not a trace of an accent in your voice, still, the phrase should have been, ‘shove it up your ass’ not ‘force it up your ass.’”

  Vance’s face reddened as he tensed up, and Johnny aimed the gun at his chest.

  “I think we’re done, comrade.”

  Vance stared at the gun, released a slow breath, then, walked to the door and left the office.

  Johnny laid
the gun atop the desk and smirked.

  “Dasvidaniya.”

  CHAPTER 32 - Can shadows bleed?

  Tanner and Sophia walked back to his car among a crowd of their fellow moviegoers.

  Tanner let Sophia pick the movie and groaned internally when she chose a romantic comedy.

  He liked Sophia, admired her grit and spirit, and if things were different, he might even stay with her longer.

  But he had plans to infiltrate the meeting of The Conglomerate’s ruling class and kill Frank Richards, and afterwards, he would disappear.

  His hope was to kill the man without being seen and then Romeo would vanish. As Tanner, he was thought dead, as Romeo, he would disappear, and after that?

  He had no idea, but would likely wind-up somewhere else and start over.

  “Did you like the movie?” Sophia asked, as she linked her arm through his.

  “No comment, but I did like the company.”

  They reached the car and Tanner walked around to the passenger side to let Sophia in.

  She put her arms around him and gazed into his eyes.

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow.”

  “It’s best; we’d never last.”

  She pouted.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I can’t stand romantic comedies.”

  He closed the door once she was in, and then caught the scent of tobacco. Without being obvious about it, he searched the parking lot, and past the moving forms of a family of five walking towards their car, he saw the glow of a cigarette shining from the rear seat of a jeep, along with the silhouettes of two men in front.

  He had seen that jeep before, it had followed them off the highway and into the movie theater parking lot when they arrived, but Tanner had thought nothing of it at the time.

  The family of five climbed into their vehicle and the father started the engine and turned on his lights. When the brake lights illuminated as he put the car in gear, Tanner could see the ground beside the jeep, along with the five cigarette butts atop it.

  Whoever was in the jeep had sat there waiting, while he and Sophia were watching the movie.

  When he climbed behind the wheel, he checked on the jeep via his rear view mirror and when he pulled out of his space, he saw that the jeep had moved as well, and was trailing behind them in the parking lot, as they headed towards the exit and the Staten Island Expressway.