“Chris Monte is dead? What happened?”
Kagan ignored his questions. Henry knew it was because it might bring up the subject of his grandmother. Once again, he had to resist the urge to ask about her. A part of him didn’t want to know what Kagan knew. If she were dead, by not knowing, he could continue to assume she was alive and unharmed. If so, she’d be worried sick about him.
Kagan’s phone rang and he moved to another seat to take the call. Henry stared out the window. There were lights below as they flew over towns whose names he didn’t know.
Cody would come for him, but he wouldn’t just sit back and wait to be rescued. He wanted to be a Tanner someday and follow in Cody’s footsteps. If he were worthy of the name, he should be able to free himself. Henry leaned back and closed his eyes. An opportunity to escape would come. When it did, he would take it.
Henry startled awake. He had fallen asleep and stirred when Vasquez and Jax laughed loudly again. He wondered how much whiskey Jax had drank.
His father returned to his side with the news that they would be landing soon. This time when he looked out the window Henry spotted a major city below. There were several skyscrapers that must have been over seventy-five stories tall. There was also a sports stadium, although it was darkened and not hosting a game.
In the distance was an airport. The jet flew past it and they landed at a smaller private airfield. To reach it, they had flown over a walled estate. Even from the air it looked huge and Henry guessed it contained at least fifty rooms. There had been two swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, and a section of land that looked like a darkened golf course. There was also a landing pad on the roof where a helicopter sat. Kagan had pointed down at the estate.
“That’s your new home. It’s one of several villas we own.”
“It’s huge,” Henry said. He had also caught Kagan’s use of the term, we. His father was trying to lure him into his world by displaying his wealth and insinuating that it was Henry’s as well. Did the man think he would forget that he’d been abducted at gunpoint?
They were on the ground minutes later. A dozen armed men were on hand in case there was another attempt on Kagan’s life. They were all dressed the same. Olive drab clothing seemed to be the uniform for the guards.
Another limo was there for their use; it was white and bulletproof like the first one. They piled in and took the short drive to what Henry couldn’t help but think of as a palace. Once they’d driven through a thick iron gate, he could see the building up close, the word palace was the only thing that seemed fitting.
“You live here?” Jax asked.
“It’s one of my homes,” Kagan said.
“Holy shit,” Jax said, and Vasquez laughed.
There were several men wearing suits who greeted Kagan with smiles as he climbed from the limo. Henry kept his expression blank as Kagan, while speaking Spanish, told the men of Henry’s heroics at the airport. He also praised Jax.
The men, whom Kagan referred to as his “associates” seemed suitably impressed. Henry suspected they wouldn’t dare appear otherwise. After all, they were his father’s toadies.
They entered a foyer that was big enough to contain the house Henry lived in. The marble floor gleamed with a lustrous brilliance and sixty feet above was a circular skylight that displayed the stars.
Kagan dismissed the men and said that they would meet in the morning and that he expected them to have answers about the attack. He also dismissed Faye and said that he would see her tomorrow. Before leaving, Faye smiled at Henry. Henry detected sympathy in the smile. Faye understood that he was not there of his own free will. He wondered if the same were true for her.
They were given a tour by Kagan who had two armed guards near him at all times. They were young and reminded Henry of the two who’d been killed back at the airport. To Kagan, they were likely as interchangeable as white socks.
Henry nodded toward the men. “What are their names?”
Kagan shrugged. “They’re bodyguards. They don’t need names.”
The home truly was a palace. It had been constructed of granite and had thirty-six rooms. There was a game room, a billiards room, a bar that was bigger than most real taverns, a ball room, a movie theater with a hundred seats, a library with thousands of volumes, and an indoor Olympic swimming pool. Before opening a final door, Kagan smiled devilishly.
“You boys have earned a treat. You can have anything you want in this next room. Just choose and I’ll have it sent to you later.”
He opened the door and Henry gasped. There were women inside. There were a lot of women and the room was vast and stretched back over fifty feet. The women wore revealing lingerie, jewelry, and smiles. Some were exotic, many were white, some were black, and a few were Asian. Without exception they were beautiful. The youngest looked to be in her late teens and the oldest was maybe twenty-five.
“It’s a damn harem,” Jax said.
“Exactly,” Kagan said. “Choose any woman you want, and I’ll have her sent to your room.”
Jax looked around while licking his lips. Before choosing, he glanced over at Henry and smiled.
“I’ll take that chick on the right, the hot blonde in the black and white nightie.”
Henry looked at the woman and understood why Jax had smiled at him first. The woman bore a strong resemblance to Olivia.
“Henry, you can have any of them, and at any time. What I have is yours, Son.”
Henry had been mesmerized by the sight of so much beautiful flesh and the suggestion that it was his for the taking. Then he tore his gaze away from their bodies and searched their eyes. What he saw in their eyes didn’t come close to matching the plastic smiles they wore. In one set of eyes, he glimpsed misery, in another, hopelessness. It made him wonder if they were being kept against their will. His growing desire was replaced by pity for the women. If Kagan would abduct his own son, why not someone else’s daughter?
“I don’t want any of them.”
“They won’t mind, Henry. They are here to serve us.”
Henry turned away from the women. “You can’t buy me or bribe me into wanting to stay here. I told you earlier that I already have a life and that I didn’t want to come with you.”
Kagan reddened with anger but held his temper.
“Hey, Kagan,” Jax said. “Can I have two since Henry don’t want none?”
Kagan’s annoyance at Henry faded and he laughed. “You want two women? Hell, boy, I’ll let you have three of them.”
Jax grinned like Alice in Wonderland’s Cheshire Cat and chose two more women, a redhead and a black woman with a set of long perfect legs.
To complete the tour, they were shown to their rooms. They were half the size of a basketball court and furnished luxuriously. They each had a projection TV and Kagan showed them how to get programs in English while they were inside Henry’s room.
“There are clothes in your closet, Henry. Jax, we’ll have to find something for you to wear.”
After Jax was escorted to his own room by the guards, Henry requested a phone so he could call his grandmother. Kagan said no.
“Then at least let me send her an email. To let her know that I’m all right. She has to be worried about me.”
“No phones and no computers, Henry. Are you certain you don’t want one of the women?”
“I’m sure.”
“Something special to eat then?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Kagan patted his cheek. “I wish you’d let me spoil you. You’re my son.”
Henry said nothing. There was no sense in making Kagan angry. He didn’t think of him as his father. Why would he? He’d only met the man hours ago and suspected that he might have harmed his grandmother.
With a sigh, Kagan turned and walked to the door, before leaving, he let it be known that a man would be stationed outside Henry’s room and that there were guards patrolling the grounds at night.
Henry nodded his understandin
g and Kagan left.
After watching the last half of a familiar movie on television, Henry showered and climbed into bed wearing a new pair of boxer shorts. The clothing in the walk-in closet was all in his sizes and matched his style. More than one item was a duplicate of a shirt or a pair of jeans that were back home in his closet. He wondered if Chris Monte had broken into their house and gone through his things for Kagan. It seemed likely.
He had lain there for only a few minutes when he heard the door opening. Light spilled in from the hallway and revealed that he had a visitor.
It was Faye. She was barefoot and wearing a gossamer pink robe. Her hair was loosened from its bun and framed her lovely face. She appeared nervous but managed to smile.
Henry turned on a bedside lamp. The negligee Faye wore did nothing to obscure her curvy figure. Henry felt himself stir beneath the boxers. He was attracted to Faye; seeing her all but naked sent a shiver through him.
“Your father asked me to visit you,” Faye said. “He told me that you liked me.”
Henry stared at her, imagining what it would be like to have her. He searched Faye’s expressionless face and could read nothing in her eyes. She smiled. It was a forced smile, without warmth.
“What would happen if I sent you away?”
Fear flashed in her eyes at that.
“He wants me to make you happy, Henry,” Faye said.
Henry stared at her for a moment more then pulled back the covers. “Come here.”
Faye went to him. She seemed relieved and resigned at the same time. She went to take off the negligee and Henry held up a hand.
“Leave it on.”
Faye gave him a puzzled look then climbed in beside him. Her warmth, the scent of her, and the softness of her flesh sent a tingle coursing through him. Henry almost reached a hand out to caress her. He caught himself and moved over to allow her more room in the bed.
“Did Kagan threaten you to make you do this?”
Fear flashed in her eyes again.
“You don’t have to answer that… and you don’t have to do anything else. Stay here for a while and if Kagan asks, I’ll say that we… you know.”
A single tear slipped down Faye’s right cheek. Henry covered her with the sheet. Despite everything, he wanted her, and the view of her body wasn’t helping things.
Kagan thought he could tempt him to stay at his side by using sex. Henry chuckled. It was a hell of a good plan.
Faye glanced at him, wondering why he had laughed. Henry waved it off and asked a question.
“Does Kagan always get what he wants?”
“Yes.”
“Not this time,” Henry said.
Faye smiled, just a slight curve of her lips, but it was genuine.
“Where are we at, Faye?”
“We’re near Mexico City.”
“That’s pretty far south from the American border, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She stayed in the room for over an hour and then Henry told her it should be safe for her to go. After she left, Henry found it impossible to go to sleep. Faye’s scent lingered on the sheets, as the memory of her body lingered on his mind.
His hand strayed down to his crotch. When it was done, drowsiness overtook him, and he faded off to sleep.
16
Bring Him Back
The next morning, Cody had said goodbye to Sara and Lucas and was driving to the hospital before heading to Mexico. Steve Mendez had called him and let him know that Laura wanted to see him.
Visiting hours had yet to begin, but Mendez had arranged for Cody to be allowed in early. Mendez waited outside Laura’s room while Cody met with her.
Laura was lying in bed with monitors around her and a pair of tubes running into her left arm. She looked pale but smiled as Cody approached the bed. When she spoke, her voice was strong but sounded a bit scratchy, as if she had a cold.
“You saved me—again.”
“It was pure luck that I was nearby. I was on my way to the house to see if Henry wanted to go for a plane ride.”
“Steve told me that Henry is missing. Kagan Andreas has him.”
“Yes.”
“You’re going after him. I know you are. You saved Henry and me from Brock Kessler and from that man, Armstrong. You’ll save him from Kagan too.”
Laura had surprised Cody by mentioning Armstrong. Armstrong had been the leader of a gang of sex slavers who had taken Henry’s girlfriend, Makayla. As Tanner, Cody had killed Armstrong and freed the other girls Armstrong had abducted. Laura had been there as well but had never seen Cody.
“How do you know that I was the one who killed Armstrong?”
“I recognized your voice when you called out to Armstrong by the barn, and later, after he was shot. It made sense that you were there. Henry had asked you to find Makayla and you did it. I don’t know who or what you are, Cody, but I know you’re a damn good man. Henry idolizes you and I can’t blame him. Find Henry, bring him back home, please?”
“I plan to, Laura. I’ll be heading to Mexico when I leave here.”
“Kagan is dangerous, and he has a lot of men. Please be careful.”
“I will be, and I’ll have allies once I get there. I’m acquainted with an enemy of Kagan’s. I’m hoping he’ll help me.”
Laura sighed as drowsiness overcame her. Her wounds had weakened her, and the medication made her sleepy. Cody’s assurance that he was going to help had eased her concerns over Henry.
“Thank you, Cody. Tell Henry that I love him. I love that boy so much and he’s all I’ve got.”
“I’ll tell him, but he knows already, and he feels the same way about you.”
Laura nodded as her eyes closed and she gave in to sleep.
Cody returned to the hallway and Mendez raised an eyebrow at him.
“She wanted to thank me for saving her and asked me to bring Henry back.”
“She asked you that?”
“I don’t think Laura knows I’m Tanner, but she knows I’m more than a cattle rancher. She didn’t doubt that I would go into Mexico to find Henry.”
“She’s a smart lady. She restructured our filing system at the station during periods when it was slow. It’s so much easier to find things now. I never asked her to do that, she took it upon herself.”
“I think Henry and I will have to sit down with Laura and have a talk when we get back. If he’s going to be my apprentice, we can’t keep it hidden from her.”
“Now that will be some chat. ‘Hey, Laura, I’d like to train your grandson to be a hit man. What do you think about that?’”
Cody smiled. “It’s not a usual topic of conversation.”
“She likes you, but I don’t know if she’ll sign off on Henry becoming a Tanner.”
“We’ll see. My own mentor’s grandmother gave her permission. Then again, I hear she was a special lady and had grown up with Tanner Five. Right now, I have to go and get Henry.”
Mendez grinned. “You always amaze me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You talk about getting Henry as if you were picking him up from the movie theater instead of traveling to another country to go up against fantastic odds and risking your life.”
“I’ve spent decades dealing with similar situations, and I have decades of more experience from men who have done the same. I’ll get Henry back. There’s no other outcome.”
“Call me if you need me.”
“I will, but something has occurred to me and I want you to handle it.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s possible that Kagan might find out that Laura survived and send someone here to finish her off. She needs to be protected.”
“You’re right, and I should have thought of that. Don’t worry; I’ll see that she’s guarded at all times.”
“Good.”
“Kagan might send someone to kill Chris Monte too.”
“Yeah,” Cody said, and headed for the elevator.
17
Switched At Birth?
Morning at Kagan’s palace found Henry awake early. He opened his door to check and found that the man keeping an eye on him was still there. The guard told him good morning in Spanish and Henry shut the door.
After showering and getting dressed, he stepped into the hall and told the guard that he wanted to see Kagan. His father had told him that breakfast was at eight a.m. and to ask the guard to bring him to him.
The guard answered Henry in halting English and said that he would take him to Kagan. There was a second guard standing in front of Jax’s bedroom. He turned to look at the door as it opened. The three women Jax had chosen from Kagan’s harem stepped into the hallway wearing their lingerie. Their vacant expressions turned to phony smiles when they saw Henry. They hurried past him on their way back to their quarters. Jax walked out of the room while stretching and yawning. He was wearing a pair of denim shorts with a black tank top and his blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. His guard followed him.
“Henry, I just had the best night of my life. Olivia is hot and all, but I don’t know how you can stay faithful to her when there’s all this free tail being thrown at you.”
Henry thought of Faye. He had to make it seem that he had slept with her. “I held out for something better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Faye was in my room last night.”
“Faye? The secretary chick? Damn, yeah, she’s smokin’ all right. Maybe I’ll ask if I can have her tonight.”
“You can’t. She’s mine.”
Jax scowled. “First Olivia, and now Faye. You’ve got a problem with sharing.”
The first guard told Jax to come with them.
“Where are we going?”
“He’s taking us to see Kagan.”
“You’re so damn lucky to have an old man like him.”
“He’s part of a cartel, Jax. People die taking the drugs he sells.”
Flesh and Blood (A Tanner Novel Book 35) Page 10
