Flesh and Blood (A Tanner Novel Book 35)

by Remington Kane

  “What choice did I have? Your grandmother kept us apart while you were growing up and made us strangers.”

  “That’s what you say, but it’s not like we changed our names and moved to another country. With the money you’ve got, you could have easily hired a private detective to find us before now. I’m thinking you didn’t want to be around me until I was older; you didn’t want a little kid to deal with.”

  Kagan clenched his teeth. “I risked my freedom by going back to the states to get you. You should be grateful.”

  “Grateful? For what, Kagan? I have a life in Texas, friends, my grandmother. Here, I’m like a prisoner.”

  “You’re my son; you belong at my side. I know you’re angry now, but you’ll come to see that I’ve given you an opportunity that most men would kill for.”

  “Tell me about my grandmother. Is she alive?”

  “Yes, she’s alive. Why wouldn’t she be?”

  “Because of Chris Monte. You ordered him to kill her, didn’t you?”

  Kagan opened his mouth to deny it then wondered how much Henry had overheard. He remembered discussing Laura in front of him in Spanish and decided to reveal the partial truth.

  “I went to your house to confront Laura with Monte. That’s true. But I had no intention to kill her. We argued, Laura slapped me, and Monte overreacted by shooting her. I shot him to save her and then I called for an ambulance before leaving.”

  Henry jumped to his feet and pounded the table with the side of his fist. “Bullshit! You went there to kill her, and Cody stopped Monte only after he’d shot Grandma. I heard you say as much. What I want to know is, is she still alive? Is she? Tell me, you son of a bitch.”

  Kagan was on his feet and pointing at Henry. “You don’t talk to me like that. No one talks to me like that.”

  “People fear you. I don’t. And I don’t give a damn that you’re my father. You’re a stranger to me, and you tried to kill the one person in this world who loves me and cares for me. You can go fuck yourself, Father.”

  Kagan’s hands clenched and unclenched before he released an enraged yell and swiped dishes off the table and onto the stone floor of the patio, where they shattered. Silence followed the clamor as the others present were staring at the scene before them with wide eyes, including Vasquez, who had gotten to his feet. The men in the white jackets retreated to the farthest reaches of the balcony, one of them trembled with fear at seeing Kagan enraged.

  Kagan was breathing hard but struggling to control his temper. He spoke to Henry in a voice that barely concealed the fury he was feeling.

  “Go to your room—now!”

  “Not until you tell me how Grandma is.”

  Kagan stared at his son while taking his gun out of its holster. It was a Glock.

  Vasquez gawked at the weapon. “Kagan?”

  “What?”

  “He’s your son.”

  “Yes, and he needs to be taught respect. Come over here, Jax,” Kagan said.

  “Me?” Jax said.

  “Yeah, you. Get your ass over here.”

  Jax raised an eyebrow at Vasquez. Vasquez sent him a nod as he began easing closer to Henry. Jax trudged around the table until he was standing beside Kagan. He was looking down at the gun nervously.

  Kagan spoke to him. “Henry needs to learn a lesson.”

  Jax flinched as the hand holding the gun came up, then he gasped in shock as it was presented to him.

  “Kill Faye,” Kagan said.

  Jax made a sigh of relief and took the gun from him.

  Henry cried, “No!” as Jax pointed the weapon at Faye. He was reaching out to stop Jax when Vasquez grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms to his sides. The squat man was much stronger and held Henry easily.

  Faye opened her mouth to beg for her life when Jax shot her in the head. The resulting exit wound sent gray matter, bits of bone, and blood spewing onto the patio as Faye’s body toppled from the chair she’d been sitting in. Much of the blood spattered the blonde woman who would be her replacement. The woman opened her mouth as if to scream but nothing came out.

  Henry struggled to break free from Vasquez’s grip while sending a stream of curses and threats at Jax. There was murder in his eyes. Jax didn’t notice. He was staring down at Faye’s corpse while smiling. A shudder of pleasure had gone through him after he pulled the trigger. It was obvious that he loved to kill.

  Kagan reached over and took the gun from Jax. “Good work. You’re on the payroll.”

  Henry stopped his yelling and sagged in Vasquez’s arms. Spent anger and bourgeoning despair left him feeling weak. He looked over at Kagan, who was gazing back at him with cold eyes.

  “I am in control, Henry. I am your father, and you will obey me.” Kagan recited an address and Henry recognized it. It was the home where his girlfriend Olivia lived with her sister, Caroline. “Disrespect me again and I will send someone to your girlfriend’s house to kill her and anyone else they find there. Do you understand?”

  Henry continued to glare. Kagan told Vasquez to release him and stepped closer to Henry.

  “This is my world you’re in now, boy. It can be heaven, or it can be hell. Tell me that you’ll do as I say, or I swear your girlfriend will be dead before the sun goes down.”

  Henry’s eyes flicked to a knife that was on the table, then over at the gun in Kagan’s hand.

  “I’ll do as you say.”

  “Father, I want you to call me Father, and this time don’t make it sound like a curse.”

  Henry’s fingers twitched as he imagined wrapping his hands around Kagan’s throat and squeezing the life out of him. He contained his fury, knowing that the time for revenge wasn’t at hand.

  “I’ll do as you say, Father.”

  Kagan smirked. “You’re damn right you will.” He placed his gun back in its holster and looked over at the blonde woman. She was pale from shock and tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Clean yourself up, Caroline, then join us in the conference room. You’ll be handling Faye’s duties now. Well, most of them,” Kagan said, as he glanced at Henry.

  He began walking away and Vasquez followed him as the blonde woman, Caroline, headed through a different door to go to her bedroom to change.

  “Jax, you’re with us,” Kagan called, and Jax hurried to catch up, with his bodyguard behind him. Before heading through a door, Kagan issued one last order. “Someone clean that mess up.”

  The “mess” was Faye, Henry knew, and yes, his father treated her with no more respect than a normal person would give to a discarded gum wrapper. He knelt beside Faye’s corpse, took her hand, and wept, while feeling that he had failed to protect her.

  It was not an unfamiliar feeling. He’d suffered through similar angst after Brock Kessler had killed his mother. He’d been a young boy then, but still carried guilt over having been unable to do anything. He’d also failed to stop Makayla’s abduction, and just days earlier his grandmother became a victim of violence. And now… now there was Faye’s death on his conscience. Faye whom he had failed to protect.

  Henry wiped away tears as rage coursed through him and he renewed a vow he had already made to himself. Someday he would be a Tanner. He would learn everything Cody had to teach him and then, then, no one would die on his watch. He was so damn tired of feeling useless.

  “I’m sorry I failed you,” he whispered to Faye, then rose and staggered back to his room.

  23

  Who Guards The Guards?

  Deputy Clay Milton allowed Sara into Laura’s hospital room. Sara was carrying a vase of fragrant flowers she’d bought for Laura.

  Laura was sitting up in bed against two pillows and was stronger than she had been when she’d spoken to Cody. After kissing her on the cheek in greeting, Sara lowered herself into a seat covered in green vinyl and asked Laura how she was.

  “I’ll live thanks to your husband. Have you heard from him?”

  “I have, and he hopes to bring Henry home soon.”

>   “He went to Mexico to help my grandson without hesitating. He’s a remarkable man.”

  “More than you know. That’s one reason I’m here. Without going into detail, I want to tell you a few things about my husband.”

  “I’m listening,” Laura said.

  Sara gazed around the room as she thought about how to begin. When the words came to her, she had a faraway look in her eyes.

  “There was a time when I thought Cody was the lowest of the low. I hated him with a passion.”

  “When was this?” Laura said. Out of habit she had leaned forward as her interest was piqued, but the wound to her side caused her pain and she reclined back against her pillows.

  “It wasn’t that long ago really. I was obsessed with him and pursued him to gain revenge against him for something he’d done. That obsession cost me, but it also brought me into contact with Cody on several occasions and under some extreme circumstances. By being around him, I couldn’t help but come to see what sort of man he truly was.”

  “He’s a good man,” Laura said.

  “I think he’s damn near perfect,” Sara said. “He’s exceptional in so many ways and he has a huge heart. He helps people when he can and will risk himself to do so without giving it a thought.”

  “That must worry you.”

  “It does, and it doesn’t. Cody is indestructible, and he’s proven it so many times.”

  “Like when your old home was attacked?”

  “Yes. They came at my husband with vastly superior odds and met their deaths because along with being a fighter Cody is also a thinker with an extraordinary mind. He was prepared for them and outmaneuvered them at every turn.”

  “Henry talks about Cody often. Your husband might even be a sort of father figure for him.”

  “Cody is a role model. I know he doesn’t see himself like that and would think I was crazy for thinking of him that way, but it’s true. Henry looks up to him, and he couldn’t have found a better man to admire.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “When Cody brings Henry home, and he will, the three of you will have a talk. I want you to keep in mind what I’ve told you today. Will you do that?”

  “I will. I owe your husband more than the benefit of the doubt, no matter what he tells me. He’s earned that. I’d be dead if not for him.”

  Sara struggled a bit but managed to rise out of the cheap hospital visitor’s chair. She kneaded her back.

  “I’m leaving now. Before I go, is there anything I can get for you?”

  Laura smiled. “Steve and the deputies have been treating me like a queen. I don’t need anything.”

  “All right, then. I’ll see you when you get released.”

  “Sara?”

  “Yes?”

  “Cody is lucky to have you.”

  “We have each other,” Sara said, sent Laura a wave, and left the room.

  The shift change at the house took place at nine p.m.

  The guards that had been on watch all day clambered into their vehicle and headed west, as their replacements began a twelve-hour shift.

  Tanner and Joaquin followed and were led to a warehouse that contained mattresses. It was a storage facility for a chain of retail stores that sold bedroom furniture and related items. Kagan owned the business and used it to launder money.

  The guards left their vehicle and climbed a set of metal steps to enter through a steel door that one of them had a key to.

  Tanner left the car carrying an AR-15 and explored the exterior of the building. He saw no cameras and no sign of an alarm system. Why would they need them? If anyone was foolish enough to break in and steal from the warehouse, when they attempted to fence or sell the stolen goods word would get back to Kagan and the thieves would find themselves wishing they were dead. It was a wish that would be certain to come true.

  Tanner picked a lock on a side door and heard several voices, with one being female. As he listened closely, he could tell the sounds were coming from a TV. He followed the chatter and found the warehouse manager’s office.

  There was a wide window that allowed a view of the warehouse floor. Tanner peeked around a corner of the window’s frame to see inside. Three of the guards were seated and looking at a television that was hanging on the right wall. Two mattresses were in the center of the floor, ready for use. A stack of gray blankets and white pillows were on the sofa that was beneath the TV. Some sort of talk show was on and a woman in a black mini skirt with a red halter top was being interviewed about a movie she was making. The blouse had a plunging neckline. Her large breasts were straining at the material holding them and looked ready to burst forth at any second.

  The warehouse was stuffy, so the men had removed their uniform shirts, pants, and their shoes. They had taken off their sidearms as well. The weapons were sitting atop the desk. There was a fan in the office; it gave a measure of relief from the humid air in the rest of the building.

  The sound of a door swinging open came from Tanner’s left. It was the other three guards. Tanner ducked down and moved behind a forklift. The guards had emerged from the men’s room where they had been washing up. One of them was using a comb to slick back his wet hair as they strode along the corridor. They still wore shoes but had removed their shirts and pants like the others. Their holstered weapons were laying on top of their folded clothes.

  They entered the office and an argument broke out over which group of three would get to sleep in the office instead of out in the warehouse. No one wanted to be away from that fan. One of the new arrivals tried to use his status as squad leader to lay claim to the office. He was shouted down by the three men who had been in the office first. Their shouts were so loud that no one heard Tanner approach. They weren’t aware of him until he spoke from the doorway.

  “You’ll all get to stay in the office,” Tanner said, and opened fire on them. The men went down one-by-one. A man wearing red briefs had reached the desk where his gun was and had grabbed it. He never got a chance to remove the weapon from its holster.

  On the television, the woman was telling the man interviewing her that her new film had everything—action, adventure, and romance. The interviewer nodded with interest while staring at her straining breasts. They also promised action, adventure, and romance.

  Tanner had reloaded and was headed for the door he had used to enter when he spotted a can of black spray paint on a table with a set of stencils. The stencils and the paint were used to mark the boxes with the company’s name when they were shipped. He used the paint to leave a message for Kagan. Tanner wrote: ERES EL SIGUIENTE, KAGAN! He was telling Kagan in Spanish that he would be next.

  He was headed out of the warehouse when his phone vibrated. Joaquin sent a text saying that another vehicle was approaching with more returning guards. Tanner texted him back, telling him that he would be out soon, he then took a position four feet in front of the warehouse’s main door, which the other guards had entered through. The new group did the same.

  As the door swung open, Tanner began firing. The man who had used a key to unlock the door was the first to die. The rest of the men were lined up behind him or still standing on the metal stairs. All were looking forward to resting and were unprepared to be fired upon.

  One of the men toppled backwards and knocked over the two men who were behind him. They tumbled down the metal steps while releasing grunts of pain. Tanner kept coming, firing shots off all the while and killed the new group of six. The last man to die did so with a broken arm he received in his fall down the stairs.

  Joaquin drove over to meet Tanner as he headed back to the car.

  “You killed all twelve?”

  “That’s all there were.”

  “I’m glad you’re on our side, Tanner. What now?”

  “Now we head back so I can see if Dante is doing his part.”

  “I spoke to him while you were in the warehouse. He said he’s gathered nearly two-thousand men.”

  “Th
at should do it. What about transportation… and the other things?”

  “We’re still gathering the vehicles, but the other items are ready to go. I hope this works.”

  “It should, and if it doesn’t, we’ll improvise.”

  Joaquin yawned. “Are we going to have time to sleep tonight?”

  “Not much, but you should be able to grab a few hours.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I’ll stay up to make sure our new recruits don’t get out of hand or take off. We’ll need as many of them as we can get.”

  Joaquin laughed. “It’s a crazy plan. How did you think of it?”

  “I didn’t. A man named Benjamin Boudreaux did.”

  “Who is he?”

  “He was me… over sixty years ago.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s a long story. Boudreaux’s plan worked then, and it will work now.”

  “It’s still crazy.”

  “Most of the best plans are,” Tanner said.

  24

  What Lies Below

  Henry’s sleep had been fitful as Faye’s murder replayed in his mind whenever he closed his eyes. He’d make Jax regret killing her if given an opportunity to do so, but it was Kagan he blamed for her death.

  He thought Kagan would insist that he join him for dinner, but the request never came. Henry had no appetite anyway at that time. He did want breakfast and left his room to find that a new man had replaced the one that had been trailing him around the day before. He’d been hoping to have Gerardo guard him again but had no such luck.

  Jax left his room and Henry had to resist the urge to attack him. It was then that he noticed that Jax wasn’t being followed by a guard. Kagan must have deemed it no longer necessary. There was one of the girls with Jax. She walked behind him with her head down and eased past him as Jax stopped to talk. Henry hadn’t noticed her when he’d been in the harem room. The girl was Asian and looked not much older than he was. She scurried along the corridor eager to get away from Jax.