“Damn, Cody, and you thought you’d never fall for anyone. And dude, that girl loves you back. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
“Yeah, she loves me.”
“Congrats, man.”
Cody shook his head in wonder.
“I never felt like this about anyone before. I can’t get her out of my mind.”
Romeo nodded. “I know the feeling.”
“Emma?” Cody said.
“Yeah, man, Emma, and I still love that girl.”
Cody pointed toward the TV. “No, Romeo, I mean Emma’s picture is on TV.”
“What?”
Romeo turned and saw a photo of Emma. He restored the sound just as the photograph was replaced by the scene of the underground parking garage where the kidnapping had gone down. A reporter was speaking in the background.
“Eco-terrorist organization Green Wrath has taken credit for the abduction of oil executive Bruce Hart and his stepdaughter Emma Hart. Left behind was Hart’s wife, who suffered a laceration to her scalp and a concussion. At this time, police have no leads in the case.”
Bruce Hart’s photo was put up on the screen, with Emma’s photo beside it. Romeo rushed over and placed a hand on the TV.
“Emma, oh Emma.”
The images faded, to be followed by a car commercial.
Cody walked over, cut off the TV, then took Romeo by the shoulders.
“We’ll find her. We’ll track those bastards down and make sure Emma is safe.”
Romeo looked up and nodded, he was still stunned by the revelation that the woman he loved was in such danger.
Cody took out his phone. “I’ll call Kay. Maybe she’ll know something about the kidnapping that they’re not releasing to the public.”
“Emma, Cody, we’ve got to find Emma.”
“We will, brother, we will.”
Romeo removed a set of keys from his pocket. Along with the keys was a ring. It was an emerald ring that he had given to Emma, one she had given back to him when she ended their relationship.
Romeo removed the ring from the keychain and squeezed it in the palm of his hand.
“Hold on, Emma, baby hold on.”
87
The Law Comes To Call
THE BOUDREAUX FARM, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 2019
Jake returned home from school and Tanner put him to work. He had Jake helping him place motion detectors along the driveway and at strategic points around the house. While that was going on, Kendra was near the barn with the tractor. Tanner had instructed her on what needed doing and she was working hard to accomplish it before it got dark.
Tanner was on a ladder, as he and Jake worked together putting up a camera near the house, the boy asked Tanner questions.
“Tanner isn’t your real name is it?”
“It’s more like a title.”
“And my great-granddaddy was a Tanner too?”
“He was one of the best.”
“And just what is a Tanner?”
“We’re men who train to be able to handle ourselves in any situation.”
“Like taking on a biker club? Who would train to do that?”
“There are a few of us.”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being here, Tanner. Mom and I wouldn’t have stood a chance without you.”
“Don’t underestimate your mother. She’s held on longer than most would have.”
Jake pointed north, indicating an area beyond the barn and the water tower.
“My best friend Derek lived at the farm that was our neighbor. His father wouldn’t sell either, but then someone beat him up while he was out in the field.”
“A biker?”
“Mr. Dawson wouldn’t say, and a day later he sold the farm to Randolph Grey. Now my friend lives in the city and his father is working at a factory job. The last time Derek called me he said the city sucked. I miss Derek, and Mom misses Mr. Dawson too.”
“They were dating?” Tanner asked.
“Mr. Dawson’s wife died about two years ago, then he and Mom got close.”
“You won’t be moving to the city. I’ll make sure that you and your mother can stay here.”
Jake looked over at the barn again, where his mother was using an attachment on the tractor.
“I think your plan will work but maybe some of the bikers will escape the trap.”
“If they do, I’ll handle them.”
“With those weapons I saw?”
“Yeah.”
“Tanner.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t just wound them. Kill them. If you wound them, as mean as they are, they’ll just keep coming back.”
Tanner studied the boy. Jake hadn’t made the statement to prove that he was tough-minded or to sound macho. He knew that some people should be handled like rabid dogs, or else they would repay mercy with brutality. Although only eleven, Jake possessed a natural wisdom and understanding of his fellow humans.
“I have no plans to wound. I play for keeps.”
“I’d help you fight them off, but Mom won’t let me.”
“That gun you had yesterday, do you know how to use it?”
Jake smiled. “I’m a good shot, with rifles too.”
Tanner’s phone vibrated in his pocket. When he checked it, he saw that it was alerting him that the motion detectors were being activated. He had just finished installing the camera, so he climbed down from the ladder.
The sound of an engine was heard, and through a gap in the magnolia trees Tanner caught a flash of a vehicle rounding one of the curves along the driveway. It was a police car with decals on its doors and lights and a siren mounted on top.
Kendra had finished her job and was walking over. When she saw the police vehicle, which was an SUV, she made a sour face. The car belonged to the town’s Chief of Police. When he stepped out of it, Tanner thought the man looked like a Ken doll come to life.
The chief’s name was Brett Cross. He was a blond hero-type with a cleft chin and blue eyes. Those eyes betrayed jealousy as he saw Tanner standing beside Kendra Boudreaux.
“Why are you here, Brett?”
“I heard you had some trouble out here last night, Kendra. Why didn’t you call me?”
“You weren’t needed. Mr. Tanner here handled it.”
“And just who is Mr. Tanner, a new boyfriend?”
“If he were, what would it matter to you?”
The chief stared at Tanner. “What’s your business here? And why are you wearing a gun?”
“My business here is none of your business.”
Chief Cross puffed out his chest. “I could make it my business, and I could do so while you sit in a jail cell.”
Tanner took a leather case from a rear pocket and handed it to the chief.
“Before you do something stupid, take a look at that.”
They were a set of credentials identifying Tanner as an agent of Homeland Security.
“That’s your picture, but this doesn’t say Tanner.”
“I’m not using my real name, Chief, for obvious reasons.”
Tanner didn’t know what those obvious reasons might be, but the line sounded good. It seemed to appease Chief Cross. The chief handed back the credentials.
“This man won’t protect you from real trouble, Kendra. Why not sell the farm and play it safe?”
“Tanner has done more to protect us than your whole damn department. You know what’s going on around here and how Randolph Grey has gone after everybody’s land, but you’ve done nothing.”
“There’s no proof that Grey is behind anything. Grey is a businessman and a friend of the mayor. I can’t drag the man in and question him like he’s some low-life.”
Kendra waved a dismissive hand at the chief. “Just go away. You’re useless.”
“Oh, honey, don’t be like that, I’m just trying to—”
Kendra shoved a finger in Cross’s face. “Don’t call me honey; those days ended a long time ag
o.”
Chief Cross hung his head. “You sure know how to hold a grudge, but I’m a different man now.”
“Goodbye, Brett,” Kendra said.
The chief sighed, glared at Tanner, then marched back over to his vehicle. Not once did Cross acknowledge Jake’s presence, nor even glance his way. It was obvious that Kendra and Cross had a history. Tanner thought that if the man was looking to get back into the good graces of the boy’s mother, he should at least say hello to Jake.
“What a jerk,” Jake said, as they watched Cross turn his vehicle around to head out.
When Tanner looked over at Kendra, she shrugged.
“Brett and I dated when he first came to town five years ago.”
“You don’t trust him, why not?”
“Two reasons, one, we broke up when I found out he was dating other women.”
“His loss,” Tanner said.
Kendra smiled. “Yes, it is.”
“And what’s the second reason you don’t trust the chief?”
“He was just another deputy two years ago when he ran for Chief of Police. One of the reasons he won was because he had a lot of money backing him and placing his campaign posters everywhere.”
“Let me guess. That money came from Randolph Grey.”
“You got it, but what was that you handed over to Brett? I thought I saw a badge.”
“That identified me as a federal agent. I’m not one, but the credentials are real.”
“How did you get that?”
“From a friend in government.”
“That sounds like a nice friend to have,” Kendra said, then she looked at Jake. “Could you cut some firewood? We’re getting low.”
“I have to put gas in the saw first. Do we still have any left?”
“I saved a gallon. It’s in the barn,” Kendra said.
“You use a chainsaw to cut firewood?” Tanner asked.
“It’s a lot easier than the axe,” Jake said, “more fun too.”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
After folding up the small ladder, Tanner carried it over to the barn with Jake walking beside him.
“Tanner?”
“Yeah?”
“My mom likes you, but I don’t think she likes you that way, you know what I mean?”
“I won’t hit on her, Jake. Besides, I’m engaged.”
“Really? Someone is going to marry you?”
“Yeah, kid, and sometimes I can’t believe it either.”
88
A Risk Worth Taking
LONDON, ENGLAND, OCTOBER 2003
Kay let the boys into her flat and they settled in the small living room. When Romeo’s connection to Emma Hart was explained to her, Kay gave his hand a compassionate squeeze.
“Anything,” Romeo said. “Any lead, no matter how small or unlikely, that’s what we want. I have to find Emma.”
Kay made a sigh of distress. “There’s nothing. I’ve spent the last two weeks searching for a lead and I’ve come up empty.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Cody said. “Maybe our focus is too narrow.”
“What do you mean,” Kay said.
“Instead of trying to find Livingston, maybe we should be focusing on someone affiliated with the man and his organization. Livingston’s people didn’t make those suitcase bombs out of thin air, they had to have had a supplier and expert help. Who would give them such help?”
“Ah, yes, but the authorities have already traveled down that road and come to a dead-end.”
“Meaning?” Romeo said.
“There’s a man named Ray Canterbury. He’s a former member of Green Wrath and an expert in firearms and munitions. He started his own group, they’re back-to-nature types, or at least they claim to be. Many of their members have worked as mercenaries and have police records. Three former members of Canterbury’s group were found dead at that compound where the bombs were manufactured. The police raided Canterbury’s commune shortly after finding that link between the two groups. They discovered nothing more than a pair of old rifles used for hunting. There were no explosives, no cache of handguns, or even much ammunition found.”
“Where is this commune?” Cody asked.
“It’s southwest of London, in an area that’s about two hours away by car.”
“How remote is this place?” Romeo asked. “Is it isolated enough that no one would ever hear them target practicing?”
Kay shook her head. “While it’s in a sparsely populated area, I doubt they could practice with firearms on a regular basis without anyone noticing or reporting the activity. That’s one reason why the authorities have ruled them out. It’s now assumed that Livingston’s people acquired their arms and explosives elsewhere.”
“You say that Canterbury is a former member of Green Wrath. Why did he leave the group?”
“It was years ago, before the kidnappings began. All I found out while researching him was that he and Livingston were once very good friends. I assumed the two of them had a falling out over something.”
“Or, they’re still working together, and Canterbury is the one who recruits the violent members of Green Wrath.”
“I guess that’s a possibility.”
Romeo turned to Cody. “I say we check it out.”
“We will. I want to talk to Canterbury. He might know something that will help us find Livingston. Once we find Livingston, we’ll find Emma.”
“You should know,” Kay said, “that Ray Canterbury’s group is sizable. If those men are armed, you’ll be going up against daunting odds.”
“How large is his group?” Cody asked.
“I don’t know the exact number, but I would guess there are twenty or more there.”
“If they’re helping Green Wrath, there will be a hell of a lot less than that when we finish with them,” Romeo said.
“Kay, make up a file with everything you’ve got on Canterbury. Romeo and I will study it while we drive to his commune.”
“I’ll send it to you, and please be careful.”
“One more thing, Kay,” Romeo said. “I’ve read about the previous kidnappings, but is there anything that didn’t make it into the news?”
Kay’s mouth flattened into a grim line before she answered him. “No, there was nothing.”
Romeo studied her closely. “You’re lying, why? What is it?”
“I was trying to spare you. The kidnap victims who died, including Mrs. Cromwell’s husband and grandson… some were beaten, but they died of dehydration. Their captives never fed them or gave them water.”
“Emma might only have days left,” Romeo said.
“We’ll find her,” Cody said. “We’ll find her.”
* * *
Before leaving for the commune, Cody had to see May Ling and explain to her that he might be gone for a few days. He stopped at her hotel to visit her while Romeo was out gathering the supplies they would need.
“A seminar?”
“It’s about real estate. Romeo and I like it here and might stay a little longer than planned. If we do, we’ll start working, and we need to know more about the English real estate system.”
“It sounds like you’re planning to live here for a while.”
Cody took her in his arms. “London is where I found you. That will always make the city meaningful to me.”
May Ling kissed him. “I want to give you something to think about while you’re away from me.”
They headed for the bedroom. Cody felt bad about lying to her, and he dreaded the day when he would have to tell her the truth about himself. When Emma found out about Romeo, it ended their relationship.
“Why the sad face?” May Ling asked.
“I wish I could stay with you always.”
“I’ll be here when you get back.”
“Yes,” Cody said, then he thought. But for how long?
* * *
Ray Canterbury’s back-to-nature commune was located in the Meon Valley. It was an
area of rolling green hills and beautiful vistas.
The boys rented an off-road vehicle and drove it close to the border of the commune’s land. Afterward they hid it by camouflaging it with a green tarp and branches. They had decided to scout the commune by pretending to be hikers. The backpacks they wore had sleeping bags attached and contained rations.
They were armed, but kept the weapons hidden from view in case they ran across a local out for a hike.
After arriving at the edge of Canterbury’s collective, which sat in a small valley, they watched the activity taking place through a pair of binoculars.
Farming, everyone they saw was involved with farming. Fall vegetables were being harvested while others, like onions, garlic, and shallots were being planted.
There were no guns in sight, nor did they hear any being fired for target practice. Generators and solar panels were visible and supplying what little power was needed for the “back-to-nature” community. After watching for hours, Cody was beginning to fear the trip was a waste of time.
“Damn it,” Romeo said in a soft voice, which told Cody he was thinking the same thing.
They observed the commune for several more hours, then decided to camp out overnight and take turns keeping watch.
* * *
At just after two a.m., Cody was shaken awake by Romeo.
“Trouble?” Cody asked.
“We’re good, but something spooked them down there. I didn’t hear or see a thing, but lights came on around the camp, and look, see that group over by the house we think is Canterbury’s? They’re on the left, staying in the shadows.”
Cody stared through his binoculars; after refocusing them, he saw something that made him smile.
“It’s hard to tell, but those look like assault rifles. So, they do have guns here.”
A man shouted something. He was outside the commune and waving a flashlight above his head in a signaling motion. In the still night air, his deep voice carried to the boys.
“It was just a deer!”
Romeo lowered his binoculars and looked at Cody.
Young Guns Box Set Page 40
