“There’s an open contract out on you,” Cody told him.
“For how much? Maybe we can make a deal.”
Cody thought about that and realized that old man Giacconi had truly been wise. In making the payment whatever remained of the money Rigoletto had stolen, Rigoletto couldn’t pay-off anyone. Everything he owned was the pay-off.
“No deals,” Cody said.
They wound up in the finished basement. There was a sectional sofa and a console TV on one end, and a large chest freezer, a refrigerator, and a wet bar at the other. The bar held no liquor, but the appliances were plugged in despite being empty of food.
Cody shoved Rigoletto onto the sofa.
“I want everything you took from the mob when you ran, including that envelope of cash tucked inside your coat.”
Rigoletto’s face fell at those last words. “You were watching me with Alberto?”
“That’s right, and I’ll take that envelope.”
Rigoletto passed it over. It held ten-thousand dollars. Ten grand for twenty years of neglect.
“You have a choice to make, Rigoletto. You can tell me where the money is, or you can refuse and suffer through a torture session. Either way I’ll get the money.”
At the mention of the money, Cody saw Rigoletto’s eyes looked toward the chest freezer. He opened the lid on it, saw nothing, then found a soft-sided briefcase tucked behind it. Rigoletto’s groan told him that he had found the cash.
Cody opened it and looked inside. It appeared to be about half of the money Rigoletto was said to have stolen.
“Where’s the rest of it?”
“That’s it, well, that and the money in the envelope. It adds up to a little over a hundred thousand.”
“What did you spend the rest of it on?”
“I gambled it away.”
Cody walked back over to the sofa and stared down at Rigoletto.
“I was serious about the torture. What did you spend the money on?”
Rigoletto slumped deeper into the sofa.
“I bought a boat. I was going to live on it and sail around the world.”
“You should have stuck to that plan.”
Rigoletto sighed. “I wanted to see my boy one last time.”
“You did. Where is the boat?”
“It’s in Florida. I was all set to go and then I… shit.”
“Whose place is this?”
“It’s mine, I mean I sublet it for three months under the new identity I picked out. I needed a place to lie low. I had Sam and the Feds looking for me.”
Cody raised an eyebrow at that. “You’d been planning to run for a while?”
“Yeah, for all the good it’s done me. Damn! Why didn’t I just stay in Florida?”
“Where are we?” Cody asked.
Vincenzo looked confused by the question until he remembered that Cody had been hidden on the floor between the car seats.
“This is Brooklyn.”
Cody questioned Vincenzo for more details concerning the boat then shot him in the chest without warning. It was a round to the heart. Vincenzo had only enough time to register surprise before his eyes closed forever.
Vincenzo Rigoletto was dead. Tanner Seven had fulfilled his first contract.
149
Home
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, APRIL 2004
Cody docked the cabin cruiser that had once belonged to Vincenzo Rigoletto, then headed for the dockmaster’s office. He had arrived earlier than he’d planned, so Romeo hadn’t yet come to greet him.
His voyage to Indonesia by sea had given him much time alone to think. His thoughts mainly concerned May Ling.
In spite of everything, he still loved her, and her absence was a physical ache. When Spenser described how she had turned his trust in her against him, Cody shook his head in incomprehension.
Yes, Spenser had killed her brother, but he had also saved her life at the risk of his own. To maim him with a knife and leave him for her father to finish off… the coldness that took, it sickened him. It shouldn’t have though, the sound of her firing at the back of his head still echoed in his mind.
The May Ling he loved died along with Ryker’s murderous daughter and Cody couldn’t say where one started and the other one began. All he knew was that her memory would haunt him for the rest of his life.
* * *
Cody spotted Romeo coming down the dock. Beside him was Nadya. The teen had matured and grown taller in the years since Cody had last seen her, but she was as beautiful as he’d remembered.
Nadya was chattering along as they walked. Romeo smiled at something she said, then laughed. Seeing that lifted Cody’s heart. He had not seen Romeo smile since Emma died. To see him laugh was heartening
He walked off the boat to stand in front of it and was spotted by Nadya first. She recognized him despite the passage of time and the fact that he had grown a full beard. Nadya made a cry of delight and ran toward him with the enthusiasm of a small child. Cody opened his arms as she grew closer and she leapt into them while giggling.
Her innocence and joy at seeing him made Cody laugh as well. Nadya’s artless nature was the opposite of May Ling’s cunning, deceit, and craftiness. Visiting the girl was exactly what he and Romeo needed.
The mood shifted when Cody conveyed his sorrow at the loss of Bagus, Nadya’s father. Nadya said she was also sad to hear of Emma’s tragic loss.
She never mentioned May Ling, and Cody assumed that Romeo had kept some things left unsaid. Nadya, at fifteen, was still a child. She didn’t need to know about the depths of deceit that some were capable of. Cody wished he were still ignorant of it as well.
* * *
“I don’t like you with a beard, Xavier,” Nadya said, as they ate lunch in a restaurant near the dock.
Cody ran a hand over his face and said that he might shave the beard off soon.
Romeo, through Emma, had heard that Nadya and her mother were living with relatives in Jakarta. When Romeo tracked them down, he found that they were now on their own and renting a house that was half the size of the home they once lived in. With Bagus dead, Nadya’s mother had sold their charter vessel and was working as a maid in one of the large hotels. In other words, they were getting by.
After lunch, they returned to the boat. Nadya loved the cabin cruiser and said that she missed being on the water.
“Maybe Romeo will take you out sometime,” Cody said, while handing Romeo the keys to the boat.
Romeo looked down at the keys, then up at Cody.
“What? You’re serious?”
“You lost your boat in California; I hope this makes up for it.”
Romeo grabbed Cody in a hug. “Thanks, bro. I always wanted to live on a boat, and this one is a beauty.”
Nadya soon said her goodbyes and Romeo insisted that she take a taxi home instead of the bus. He gave her money for the fare and said that he would be by to see her in a week.
“I guess we’ll take the boat out, and bring Dumadi along, he’ll love it too.”
Nadya said that she would and headed off the boat.
“Who’s Dumadi?” Cody asked.
“He’s Nadya’s boyfriend. The kid is sixteen and captain of the school’s soccer team. He seems all right.”
“I think she still has a crush on you though. She hangs on everything you say.”
Romeo waved that away. “She’s over that.”
“Time will tell,” Cody said.
* * *
They drank rum as they sat on the deck. Romeo told Cody about the contract he’d completed in Florence and Cody filled him in on Rigoletto.
“The New York mob could give you plenty of work. You might consider going back there now that they know you.”
“They don’t know me. Rigoletto had the money and this boat. I had no reason to make contact with the Giacconi Family.”
“Bro, you’re like the man of the hour. Let them know that you capped the guy and you’ll be in.”
Co
dy nodded. “It makes sense. I’ll do it. Now what about you?”
“I have a contact who will get me work. I can probably do well here on six contracts a year, maybe less now that I have my own floating palace to live on.”
Cody looked around at the boat. “I wouldn’t call it a palace. It’s ten years old.”
Romeo ran a hand over a brass railing. “She’s a palace to me, and thanks again, man. I love it.”
A pair of young ladies walked by. When they spotted Cody and Romeo, they sent them a wave. Romeo acknowledged them with a smile, while Cody nodded.
“They were cute,” Romeo said, “but I haven’t dated anyone. It’s still too soon, you know?”
“I know.”
“Cody?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s someone out there who could really love you. Don’t let that treacherous bitch May Ling sour you against all women.”
“I love women, but I’ll never fall in love again.”
“It’s not up to you, bro. It’s fate.”
“No, I will not allow it.”
“That’s not good. There’s a coldness in you now that was never there before, and May Ling put it there. You’ll meet someone someday, hell, so will I, and yeah, it will be different, but it will still be love. Don’t run from it. You don’t want to be alone forever.”
Cody said nothing in return, and the conversation moved on to other things.
* * *
Days later, Romeo drove Cody to the airport. They hugged each other like the brothers they were and promised to stay in touch. Cody told Romeo that he didn’t need to wait with him. As he was walking away from the car, Romeo called out to him.
“See you around, Tanner.”
Cody turned back to look at him and they shared a smile. Yes, he was Tanner, and a legend was in the making.
* * *
IOWA, APRIL 2004
Spenser approached an old farm house while using a cane to help support himself. With his one eye he read the faded name on the mailbox. HAWKE
As cliched as it sounded, the home looked smaller than he’d remembered it being. Oddly, the vast fields surrounding it appeared more expansive.
An old woman stepped out onto the porch. She squinted at him despite the wire-rim glasses she wore. When she realized who it was she was looking at, her smile made her appear thirty years younger.
“Spenser.”
“Hi, Grandma.”
She stared at him, taking in the cane and the eye patch.
“I see you’ve had some trouble, boy.”
“Yes, ma’am, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“You look like it handled you. Well now, get on over here and let’s say a proper hello.”
Spenser went to his grandmother and hugged her, as he did so, Olivia Hawke whispered in his ear.
“It’s good to have you home, boy. I love you.”
“I love you too, Grandma.”
* * *
Within minutes Spenser was seated at the kitchen table and having a hot meal. His grandmother knew what he did for a living. It was through his grandmother that Spenser had first met Farnsworth. Olivia Hawke and Farnsworth had known each other well when they were younger.
Years earlier, while Spenser was still in his teens, the Hawke family faced a serious threat. Olivia had called on Farnsworth to help. She knew who and what her old friend was and understood that he could defend them from the men out to harm them. When it was all settled, several people had died, and the family was torn apart.
Although he hadn’t been home since leaving many years earlier, Spenser and his grandmother had stayed in touch through letters and phone calls. The same could not be said of other family members.
* * *
Olivia hung up the phone and shook her head at Spenser.
“Gregory says he doesn’t want to talk to you. He claimed I was foolish to even call him. That boy always did have a stick up his ass.”
“I see my big brother hasn’t changed his opinion about me. What about Anna?”
“Your sister was there too; they work together. Gregory said that she felt the same way about you that he did.”
“I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.”
“You do have an unusual profession, son.”
“I’m no longer a Tanner. There’s now a Tanner Seven.”
“Because of your injuries?”
“I’ll heal… except for the eye, and I’ll find a way to put my skills to use.”
“Hell yes you will. You’re too damn young to retire. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll have my foreman put you to work. A little farming will get you back in shape. You’ll see.”
Spenser looked around the old kitchen and remembered happier times.
“Grandma.”
“Yes, son?”
“It’s good to be home.”
150
Making Friends
NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 2004
Cody had flown back to the States and checked into a hotel room in Manhattan. The next day, he entered Rigoletto’s rented home in Brooklyn with dry ice and a hacksaw. After entering the basement, he dragged Rigoletto’s body out of the chest freezer and went to work.
* * *
In the early evening hours, he arrived at the funeral parlor owned by Sam Giacconi. Cody was clean-shaven again, having gotten rid of the beard that morning. He was dressed in jeans, boots, and wore a black leather jacket over a dark-green shirt. He carried a white box under one arm.
A man exited a corridor on the right and walked toward him. He was dressed in a cheap suit and had thug written all over him. The guy was about thirty, had two days’ worth of stubble, and there was an old scar across the bridge of his nose. Cody also observed the bulge that was under his jacket, where a gun sat in a hip holster.
The man made a point of looking at his watch before speaking.
“We’re closed. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“I’m here to see Mr. Giacconi,” Cody said.
“It’s after business hours, pal. You need to come back tomorrow.”
“I’m not here about funeral business; I’m here to talk to Mr. Giacconi about his other business.”
That made the guy take notice and give Cody a closer look.
“Are you a cop?”
“No, are you?”
The hood made a sighing sound before speaking again.
“What do you want to see Mr. Giacconi about?”
“I’ll discuss that when I see him.”
“He ain’t here, so you can discuss it with me.”
“No, I can’t. Go call Mr. Giacconi and tell him I’m here.”
“Why can’t you tell me what you want?”
“Because you’re a lackey and this is too important to trust to a lackey.”
“Lackey?”
“It means subordinate, underling, or in your case, flunky.”
“You’ve got a smart mouth.”
“And you’ve got a phone call to make.”
The man stared at Cody for a long moment as if he was pondering what to do next. The fingers on his right hand curled into a fist, then wisely uncurled.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” After taking only a few steps, the guy stopped and looked over his shoulder. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Tanner,” Cody said, and felt the pride that came with uttering those words.
The guy disappeared into the office, where he made a call. Cody followed him and stood outside the door. The hood stayed in the office, but ten minutes later another man entered the funeral parlor.
Cody got his first look at him as he walked down the corridor toward the office. The man was about his height and age, give or take an inch or a year. He wore a good suit, had dark hair, an impassive face, and moved like he was full of confidence.
The man studied him, then spoke.
“I’m Joe Pullo, why do you want to see Mr. Giacconi?”
“A bit of business.”
>
“This business, does it have anything to do with that box?”
Cody stared at Pullo for long moments before handing the box over.
“You’ll do.”
Pullo took the box. When he eased up a corner of one flap, he saw the pale white face of Vincenzo Rigoletto staring up at him through clear plastic. Tanner had delivered Rigoletto’s head in a box.
“Tell the old man that I’ll be around if he needs any other work done. The name is Tanner.”
Pullo stared into the box for so long that he hadn’t noticed Cody walk away, but when he caught up to him near the front doors, he called to him.
“Hey! How much was left?”
Cody hesitated, but then answered.
“A little over a hundred grand, Rigoletto used the rest to buy a boat, an old cabin cruiser.”
“A boat? Hell, he could have lived on that forever.”
“No one lives forever,” Cody said, then he left Pullo holding the white box with the head inside it.
* * *
Back out on the streets of Manhattan with his life ahead of him and a legacy to uphold, Cody took in a deep breath. He was Tanner Seven, he had done it, and he had already made his first kill.
Tanner walked along the concrete canyons of Midtown while taking in the sights, sounds, and flavor of the big city. It didn’t take him long to decide that he would stay in New York for a while.
While strolling along, he passed a group of young ladies entering a bar. One of them bore a resemblance to May Ling. It brought back the ache of losing her, while memory ignited the sting of knowing her, of discovering the real May Ling.
It’s in the past, he told himself. Then, Tanner, not Cody or Xavier, made himself think only of the future, for in the past, in the past lived the dead.
Young Guns Box Set Page 66
