Young Guns Box Set - Books 1-4: A Tanner Series (Young Gun Box Sets)

by Remington Kane

  If the man he was impersonating had the day off, that meant that his replacement was due at any moment.

  Spenser had a decision to make. To go in search of the target, or to wait for the arriving guard first? If the man was like the other supervising guards, he would show up earlier than the other men. If not, and Spenser waited too long for him, then that man and the other two night-shift guards could come in the house while he was off looking for the target.

  He studied the monitors. No one else had entered the parking lot. At the gate, the boys were still distracting the guard while keeping an eye on him. Cody and Romeo were wearing long-billed baseball caps and sunglasses, as a precaution against later being identified. They also wore gloves, but they were made of clear latex and went unnoticed from a distance.

  Spenser popped open the VCR’s and removed the tapes that were recording monitors number three and number eight. Monitor eight had recorded his attack on the guard at the door, while number three was focused on the guard shack at the gate, where Cody and Romeo were.

  After pulling the plugs on the VCR’s, Spenser unbuttoned his shirt and stuffed the two tapes inside. Once the contract was fulfilled, they would be destroyed.

  His decision made, Spenser returned to the hallway. The guard was unconscious and would remain so for a while. Still, since he had the time, Spenser duct-taped his wrists together, followed by his ankles, then he slapped a piece of duct tape over the guard’s mouth.

  The sound of the gate sliding open was music to Spenser’s ears. It meant the real supervising guard had arrived. Once he was taken care of, Spenser should still have ten minutes or so to find the target. Not ideal, but more than enough time for a Tanner.

  A realization struck him then concerning the guard at the gate. The man must have noticed both cars entering the lot. Would he realize their significance? If he began to wonder why two night-shift supervisors arrived within minutes of each other he might call the house. If so, he would receive no answer.

  At that point, the man would become Cody and Romeo’s problem. They could handle it. Although they only had a few months of training under their belts, the boys had what it took to make it as an assassin.

  Spenser knew they wouldn’t panic or overreact and start blasting away. They were damn good boys, both smart as could be and cool under pressure. Spenser put the problem of the gate guard out of his mind and onto the task at hand.

  Outside came the sound of a car door closing. It was followed by the crunch of footfalls along a graveled path. It was too late to drag the fallen guard out of the line of sight, so Spenser came up with another plan.

  A card was slid through the device on the outside of the door, causing the lock to disengage with a beep. Spenser got into position and waited for his newest prey to appear.

  40

  James

  THE BRONX, SATURDAY, 11:14 a.m., JANUARY 2018

  James entered the coffee shop near Yankee Stadium and smiled when he saw Tanner. As he drew nearer, his eyes fell upon Sara, and James’ smile widened.

  Tanner and Sara sat on one side of a booth facing the door. James slid in across from them and looked over at Sara.

  “I’m James, what’s your name?”

  “I’m Sara.”

  “You’re beautiful, Sara.”

  Sara smiled. “Thank you, and you’re a handsome young man.”

  “Did you come here to discuss business or to hit on my woman?” Tanner asked.

  “I can do both,” James said.

  A waiter appeared with coffee and inquired if anyone was ready to order. James asked Tanner if he was buying. When Tanner said yes, James ordered pancakes, bacon, home fries, wheat toast, and a glass of milk. Tanner and Sara, still full of their late-night pizza, only had coffee.

  The milk was delivered to the table right away with a promise that the food would follow. After taking several gulps, James spoke.

  “I guess you want me to follow that guy again?”

  “His name is Cliff Dawson. Can you keep an eye on him tonight?”

  “One of my boys is watching his place now. When you called and asked to meet, I figured that was what you wanted.”

  “Good. I need you to let me know when he leaves his apartment and follow him.”

  “Do you think he’ll leave before six o’clock?”

  “Not really. I’m guessing he’s a night owl. He even works at night.”

  “Cool,” James said. “I have to work at the supermarket today from noon until six. I didn’t want to blow it off. The guy that owns the market treats me well.”

  “What about your friends, will they be keeping an eye out for Dawson while you’re working?”

  “I left Juan to watch him just in case. He borrowed his sister’s car. If the guy leaves his house, Juan will call me and follow him.”

  “Are you in high school or college?” Sara asked.

  “I’m a senior in high school, and I’ve got an excellent chance at getting a full ride to college. I found out the other day that I aced my SAT’s.”

  “What do you want to learn in school?” Sara asked.

  “I want to be a lawyer, a defense attorney. Not that public defender crap. I want clients who can pay.”

  Tanner passed an envelope across the table.

  “You already have a client who can pay. That’s five-hundred more for this weekend. If I need you any part of next week, you’ll get the same.”

  James opened the envelope. “I see I won’t need any tape this time, that’s good.”

  Sara asked James what he meant about the tape just as the food arrived. Tanner explained about tearing the bills in half, then told the waiter to bring James another milk. The kid had inhaled the first glass.

  Once James learned that Sara had a law degree, he peppered her with questions. This in no way slowed down his intake of food. Like most teen boys, James’ appetite was set to high. When he was done eating his meal, Tanner asked him if he wanted anything else.

  “A piece of cherry pie for my break time later would really hit the spot.”

  Tanner smiled. He was beginning to like the kid a lot. He told the waiter to wrap up a piece of pie for James, then paid the bill.

  As they stood outside to go their separate ways, James moved close to Sara.

  “If you ever break up with Tanner here, give me a call.”

  “I’ll do that,” Sara said.

  James sent Tanner a wink, then headed toward his Mustang to drive to his job at the supermarket.

  “He certainly is a bright kid, Tanner,” Sara said.

  “Yeah, I could have done a lot worse at picking someone to spy on Cliff Dawson.”

  “If James reports that Dawson has entered the city later on, what then?”

  “I’ll take over the surveillance.”

  “Would you like some company with that?”

  Tanner took her hand.

  “I’d never pass up a chance to spend time with you.”

  Sara leaned against Tanner. “Let’s get back home. I need more bed time.”

  “Sleepy?” Tanner asked.

  Sara smiled. “Not in the least.”

  “You will be when I’m done with you.”

  Sara let out a laugh as the two of them headed for their car.

  41

  Squirrely

  NEAR RENO, NEVADA, MARCH 1998

  Cody and Romeo noticed the vehicle coming up the street and brought their skateboards to a halt as the car pulled up to the gate. It was too soon for another guard to arrive, Spenser had only been inside the house for a few minutes.

  “Shit,” Romeo said. “That dude is like, way early.”

  “Yeah, and the gate guard seems to be staring that way.”

  “Okay, we just keep our cool and do like Spenser said. If the gate guard makes a move to call or go inside, we stop him.”

  “What about Spenser?”

  Romeo shrugged. “He’s a Tanner, right?”

  “Right,” Cody said. “He’s a Tann
er.”

  The guard who had just arrived was named Jerold Gaines. He normally only worked the weekend shift at the house, but he was happy to grab more hours whenever possible. Gregor Rossi, whom the guards knew as John Brown, was an easy man to work for and there hadn’t ever been any trouble at the house.

  Jerold was soon to take a real estate exam, and the night-shift at the house gave him tons of time to study.

  Jerold used his swipe card to open the side door, stepped inside, and saw a guard named Burt trussed up and lying on the floor. He was out cold. Nearby was another guard. This one was on his hands and knees and appeared to be fighting to stay conscious. Jerold dropped his books along with his bag lunch and unholstered his weapon.

  Leaning down next to the guard who was on his hands and knees, he whispered.

  “How many are there?”

  “Only one,” said the man, whose head was rushing upwards. Jerold heard his teeth clatter together from the impact to his chin, then stumbled backwards against the door. The man he mistook for a guard was on him in an instant. Jerold felt something hard hit him on the side of the head, then slid down the door. As Jerold’s body fell to the floor, his mind tumbled into blackness.

  Spenser freed the gun from Jerold’s hand and left him where he lay. There was no time to bind and gag him. He had only minutes to complete the hit. He left the corridor and began roaming the house while looking for a man to kill.

  The gate guard was named Phil. Phil wore a thoughtful expression while staring down the street where the second car had entered the guard’s parking lot. He had been considering using the phone to enquire as to why two supervisors had shown up, but the idea left his mind as the punks on the skateboards began pushing each other.

  Phil let out a sigh. The neighborhood kids were enough of a pain in the ass when they played near the gate. Did he have to referee their battles now?

  “Hey! Go fight each other somewhere else.”

  The boys turned his way and both of them gave him the finger. Apparently, they’d rather give him grief than fight each other.

  “Where do you assholes live? Maybe I’ll have a talk with your parents.”

  The dark-haired kid told him to shut up, but the blonde kid with the long hair bent over, dropped his drawers, and mooned him.

  “All right, that’s it!” Phil said. He unlocked the side door on the tiny guard shack and stepped outside, expecting the boys to run off.

  The boys didn’t run. The blond kid had yanked his pants back up, spun around, and delivered a vicious kick to Phil’s midsection.

  Phil doubled over from the pain as the dark-haired kid slammed a skateboard against the side of his head. The first two blows stunned him, but the third rendered him senseless. The boys locked him in the shack after removing the magazine from his gun and cutting the phone lines. They also taped his wrists behind his back. Phil lay in a heap beneath the level of the booth’s glass. No one walking by would even notice him.

  With the guard handled, the boys rushed to the parking area. They each took their positions and tossed the end of a length of rope over the wall. Earlier, they had secured the other ends of the ropes to trees. Spenser might not need to scale the wall, but if he did, he could.

  Now, it was time to head to the rendezvous point and wait.

  Spenser had searched the bottom floor of the house and found no one other than an old lady. The woman was cooking in the kitchen with the TV blasting a soap opera at her. She never once noticed Spenser, but he could see that she was alone.

  A short time later, as he neared the staircase to search the home’s third level, a man called to him from the first floor.

  “You, guard, what are you doing up there?”

  Spenser stared down between the railings and saw that he was looking at Gregor Rossi. Spenser sent him a smile, then spoke to him as he walked downstairs.

  “I apologize, Mr. Brown, but sir, a squirrel is running loose in the house.”

  “A squirrel?”

  Spenser pointed behind Rossi. “There he is!”

  Gregor Rossi turned his back on Spenser. He didn’t see a squirrel, and after Spenser fired a silenced shot into the back of Rossi’s head, Rossi didn’t see anything else. A second shot made certain that survival was impossible, and Spenser headed for the nearest window, which was located in a room that was an office.

  The room had been empty on Spenser’s trip through the first floor, but Rossi must have entered it soon after Spenser had left it. On his way to the window, something caught Spenser’s eye. It was an open wall safe.

  There were papers inside, along with stacks of banded cash. Spenser took the time to grab the cash, then jammed it down his shirt where it rested along with the tapes from the security office.

  After stepping from the window, he found himself at the rear of the home. While headed to the street, Spenser used his swipe card to enter the guard shack on the gate side of the small structure. He saw that the guard had been well-handled by the boys. Another swipe of the card and he left the shack through the side door.

  As he was hustling up the hill down the road from the house Spenser heard a car coming. When the car slowed at the parking lot fence he knew that another guard had arrived. Within minutes the police would be all over the area.

  Spenser increased his speed and soon reached his rented SUV. He was pleased to see that the boys had the vehicle already running. He placed it in gear and sped off.

  “The contract is complete,” he told the boys, “but we’re switching to Plan B for our exit.”

  The back road they were on ended at a dirt road, Spenser took it as the air filled with the sound of sirens. The dirt road emptied onto an access road for the rear of a shopping mall. Spenser drove the SUV into the lot and stopped beside a green dumpster that wasn’t in view of any security cameras.

  After passing each of them a video tape, Spenser instructed the boys to use knives to cut them up. While they were doing that, Spenser stripped off the guard uniform, then changed into jeans and a polo shirt. The damaged security tapes went into the dumpster with the uniform and three pairs of latex gloves. Then, Spenser handed Cody and Romeo the stacks of banded money he’d taken from Gregor Rossi’s safe.

  “Hide that beneath the seat, along with your weapons. We’ll split the money up later.”

  “Where did it come from?” Cody asked.

  “An open safe. Consider it a tip for a job well done.”

  “And you’re letting us have some of it?” Romeo said.

  “You guys earned it. Now hand me that bag.”

  Romeo grabbed a twenty-pound bag of manure they had bought on their way to the house. Spenser sliced it open and poured it over the tapes and the uniform. Anyone dumpster diving would move along to another dumpster.

  “Gross!” Romeo said, as Cody made a face of displeasure at the stench.

  Spenser drove around to the front and parked, then the three of them headed for the mall. They would never have gotten clear of the area before the cops could have thrown up a roadblock or possibly pulled them over, but proper preparation gave them a Plan B.

  Spenser headed inside the mall as the boys stayed outside to skate on their boards. It was better if they weren’t seen together.

  Once the police activity died down, they could leave at their leisure. If they were stopped for any reason, they had ticket stubs from an afternoon show at the mall. The boys had bought the tickets earlier before coming to the house.

  An hour and a half after arriving at the mall, Spenser exited the building and motioned for the boys to follow him. They grabbed up their skateboards, and soon they were in the SUV and headed for Reno. But as they approached the exit, bright lights came on and a siren blared behind them. Spenser pulled over and parked.

  “Let me do the talking,” Spenser said. As he looked in his rear-view mirror, a cop sauntered his way.

  42

  Up To No Good

  NEW YORK CITY, SATURDAY, 6:07 p.m., JANUARY 2018

/>   James called Tanner around seven and told him that Cliff Dawson took a bus to his place of business on Clay Avenue, Sanchez Office Maintenance.

  The office was closed, but there was a young guy in a white van there waiting for Dawson. The two of them drove into Manhattan, spent time searching for a parking space, then went on foot out to the bars in the East Village.

  After getting the location of the van, Tanner and Sara met James near there.

  “I followed on foot and saw them go into two bars, but they didn’t drink. It was like they were searching for someone.”

  “Good work,” Tanner said. “You can go home now, but keep watch again tomorrow.”

  “Um, about that.”

  “Yeah?”

  “What’s your game, Tanner? I don’t want to be doing anything illegal.”

  Sara took out her private investigator’s license and showed it to James.

  “We can’t tell you what we’re doing, but it’s for a good cause.”

  After studying the license, James grinned.

  “Do you guys know Jake Caliber? I mean the old man.”

  “We haven’t met the old man,” Tanner said. “But we’ve met the grandson.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “A jerk,” Tanner said.

  “We don’t work with the Calibers, James. I have my own agency,” Sara said.

  “Cool, and no offense. I just can’t take a chance of getting into trouble with the law.”

  “I hear you,” Tanner said.

  After saying goodnight, James took off in his car, as Tanner headed toward the van.

  “I want a look inside that vehicle.”

  “What if Dawson and his friend return?”

  “That’s okay, I have a lookout, you.”

  Sara kept watch while Tanner opened the van. The white van had seen better days and had obviously traveled many miles. It took Tanner only seconds to get the back doors open. He called Sara over to join him.