Although eyewitness accounts varied widely, Myers and the Blake woman were said to be the ones who shot down the six men. It was reported that they did so to save the wives of the neighborhood watch group.
When Chief Ellison saw the dead men, he had recognized Choa and was planning to speak to Burt Hodges. One of the other men, Adán Mora, had possession of a cheap cell phone that had sent the text to Tim Ralston. The message that asked Ralston if he had killed the chief.
This kind of muscle and ballsy nerve was above and beyond Burt Hodges, the chief was sure of it, but Hodges was his only link to the dead men.
However, when Ellison sent a deputy to pick Hodges up for questioning, he learned that Hodges was gone and that a corporation he had never heard of now owned all of Hodges’ properties. The deputy also informed the chief that there were numerous men with firearms in the area.
When the deputy asked one of the men if he had a carry permit, the man was able to produce one, although he looked like a stone-cold thug and was covered in gang tattoos.
Ellison stirred from his thoughts as his daughter walked over to stand beside him. Olivia should have been placed on desk duty since she had been involved in a shooting, but the chief needed her. Not only was she a good officer, but after the day’s events, she was the only one of his people he trusted. Rules and propriety could wait.
Olivia gestured at the scene before them.
“Dad, what the hell is going on today?”
Ellison placed an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and pulled her close. It was an act of affection he normally wouldn’t display while they were both in uniform, but the day was not an average day.
“I don’t know what’s going on, baby, but I do know that we need help. Get in the car. We’re going to see the man.”
“The man? You mean the mayor?”
“No, I mean the CEO of Silicon City. This is his town, if he wants to keep it, he’ll have to fight for it.”
Ellison drove out of Gentry Court and went off to see the man.
***
At the lake property, Sara had settled Mike, Pete, and Rocco inside her RV, while she waited with Tanner inside his own RV.
Alexa had finished at the police station, but had been called back to the hospital. She also told Tanner that she would stop to grab a meal. Tanner hadn’t informed Alexa about the house being destroyed. It was not news that she should hear over the phone.
Tanner sat behind the wheel of the massive RV and looked out the windshield for signs of Alexa’s headlights. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but soon would be. Sara sat beside Tanner in the passenger seat and decided to talk about the elephant in the room.
“What was that back at the house, that delayed reaction you had?”
Tanner remained silent for a moment, but then sighed. What had happened during the assault on his home couldn’t be ignored, and, to his surprise, he realized that he trusted Sara enough to talk to her about it.
“I froze. No excuses, but there was a reason for it.”
“Yes?”
“When I was sixteen, Alonso Alvarado came to my family’s home with dozens of men and opened fire on it. I... I was the only one to survive.”
“Oh good Lord,” Sara whispered as she moved to the edge of her seat. “It’s no wonder you despised the man. I knew you had no family, but I figured it was due to natural causes or accident, not... wholesale slaughter.”
“Alexa went through something similar, but even more horrific, at Alvarado’s hands. It’s one reason we’re so close. When the gunfire began and I heard the rounds splintering the walls, it was like I was back there.” Tanner gave his head a slight shake as he recalled his instant of inaction. “To freeze like that, that cannot happen, not to me, not to a Tanner.”
A gentle kiss touched his cheek, startling him, and he turned his head to find Sara smiling at him.
“You are the toughest, bravest and deadliest man that ever lived, but you’re still a man, still human, don’t beat yourself up over this.”
“My delay in reacting could have cost us both our lives.”
Sara stood.
“Yes, but it didn’t, and now we have to find a way to make The Brotherhood pay. Come to my RV after you’ve talked to Alexa. We need to make a plan.”
“We?” Tanner said.
“Yes, we; I may not be a Tanner but I can be of assistance to you, and Mike Hodges says that he has an idea that might help.”
“Fine, I’ll be there later, and Alexa should be back soon.”
“Good luck with that. Facing The Brotherhood might be easier.”
“Yes, Alexa will not be pleased. She really loved that house.”
“Tanner?”
“Yeah?”
“The tunnel, you built that didn’t you?”
“Yes, Sara.”
“Thank God you did, and about the house, you can always rebuild.”
“That will be up to Alexa.”
Sara said goodbye and stepped outside, where she headed for her own RV upon the path that connected them.
Three minutes later, Alexa arrived and came down along the new section of road to park near the RV.
Tanner rose from his seat and steeled himself to break the terrible news.
CHAPTER 19 – Divergent desires
Chang scowled as he stared down at the bodies of the gangbangers Reo and Dominic.
Earlier, he had learned that his best recruiter and his team of enforcers had been slaughtered, and that the assassination of the Chief of Police had been foiled.
Chang had no idea how the chief had survived, and assumed that he was a tough man to kill. He knew for certain that Adán and his men would not be easy to best, but it appeared as if one man was responsible for their deaths. A man named Tom Myers.
Chang wondered if Myers had also killed Reo and Dominic, if so, he had fled afterwards. Myers must have seen the growing number of armed men entering the area and decided to run away.
Still, would a man who was capable of killing Adán and his men be intimidated?
Chang turned and spoke to one of his lieutenants. He instructed the man to increase the number of men who would be guarding the house where The Brotherhood Council would be holding their meeting the following day. It was the house behind them, the one that was once Burt Hodges’ home.
The meeting had to go smoothly, and no one, not Tom Myers or anyone else would ruin it. Once the meeting was over, and the men had settled into their new homes, then, Myers could be hunted down and killed.
Chang had to assume that Myers would warn Joe Pullo, and so the battle for control of New York would have to begin within days. Forewarned or not, Chang was confident that The Brotherhood would have victory over The Giacconi Family.
Chang pointed at the bodies of Reo and Dominic and told his men to drag them farther away and dump them in the stream. There was a section nearby where the stream widened on its way to join up with the river. With luck, the corpses might never surface. Chang also told the men to dispose of any other trash they might find.
Tomorrow’s meeting had to go well, as Chang planned to solidify his position as leader of The Brotherhood Council. By acquiring Hodges’ homes as a base, he had done just that.
Chang went back inside the house. There was still much work to do.
***
Alexa rose from the bed inside the RV and wiped at the last of her tears.
Hearing about the destruction of her home had devastated her, but she was more upset by Tanner having suffered such a close brush with death.
She walked over to him and fell into his arms, while laying her head on his chest.
“Why does violence seem to follow you?”
“You had your own violent event today, remember? I had nothing to do with that.”
“Didn’t you? That was all part of the attack on the Burke campus, and we’re only involved with Burke because you take contracts. Violence will be a part of our lives for as long as you remain a Tanner.”
/> Tanner released her and sat on the RV’s semi circular sofa.
“We’re back to that, hmm?”
“We’re not back to that discussion, we’ve never really had it. If you remain a Tanner our lives will never be normal, and I want normal, Cody. I want to be Mrs. Cody Parker, I want to own a ranch, and I want to raise your children.”
“And I want to remain a Tanner. I want to take contracts and I want to be the best at what I do. Where does that leave us, Alexa?”
Alexa sat beside Tanner and took his face in her hands.
“This Brotherhood organization, they destroyed our home but not us. Leave here, Cody, leave Killburry, leave the USA, and come to Mexico. We could be so happy there, I know that we could.”
“You’re not listening to me, Alexa. I’m a Tanner and I want to stay a Tanner. And as far as The Brotherhood, there’s not even a question that they’ll pay for destroying our house. They’ll pay, and they’ll pay in blood.”
Alexa stood in a rush.
“I don’t care if they pay! Insurance will cover the cost and we can find another house, but Cody, I’m so sick to death of violence, of revenge, of hatred. I just want to live a peaceful life and raise good children. Is that too much to ask?”
Tanner took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s not too much to ask... I just think that you’re asking it of the wrong man. And Alexa, I do love you. Don’t doubt that.”
Alexa wiped at fresh tears.
“I’m going to take a shower and go to bed early.”
“I’ll be along later. I’m going to Sara’s RV to make plans concerning The Brotherhood.”
Alexa threw her hands up in the air.
“Go! Do what you want, but Goddamn you, Cody, do not get killed. I love you too. I couldn’t stand to see you come to harm.”
Tanner walked over and gently touched the bandage on Alexa’s arm.
“Speaking of that, are you sure the cut’s not bad? I saw that you had several bottles of pills. Why so many?”
“Oh, one is a pain killer, but the rest are just vitamins. The doctor thought that I needed to take supplements. I also received a tetanus shot.”
“I see, and does your arm hurt?”
“It did earlier, but the pills helped,” Alexa said.
Tanner leaned in and kissed her.
“I’ll try to be back soon. Sara realized that we wouldn’t have any clothes, and she left you a new jogging outfit that she bought yesterday. There’s a washer and dryer, but they’re tiny. We also have no food here, so we’ll have to shop.”
Alexa looked around.
“It’s not a home, but it beats a hotel room.”
“We can find a new home, or rebuild if you’d like?”
“I just told you what I wanted. I want to start over in Mexico.”
“Yes Alexa, I heard you.”
Tanner went to the door and walked out. There was nothing left to say.
CHAPTER 20 – He don’t play
“A drone?” Sara asked Mike Hodges. “You mean like a toy?”
“It’s a toy, yeah, but it’s also got a camera and can give us a bird’s eye view of the area around my nephew’s house,” Mike said.
Tanner looked at the video of a drone that was playing on Sara’s phone. They were all seated around the fold-down table in her RV. Tanner had driven Pete and Rocco up to the shack in Alexa’s car and settled them in there for the night.
He would have to find someplace for the teens to go that was safe, but the shack would do for now.
After leaving the shack, he returned to Sara’s RV and began making plans to strike back against The Brotherhood.
“A drone might work,” Tanner said. “But I’d want to use it for more than surveillance. If I know where the men are, I can either kill or avoid them. An eye in the sky would aid in that, but I can’t spend my time looking down at a screen.”
Sara gestured at Mike.
“If he flies the drone, I can communicate to you where the men are and tell you what’s around the next corner. We’ll just have to rig up an earpiece for you.”
Mike had learned that Tom Myers was actually Tanner, but he had never heard of Tanner. He looked confused while swiveling his attention between Sara and Tanner.
“Wait a minute, are you really thinking about going up against all these guys alone?”
“He can handle it, Mike,” Sara said. “Although Tanner, shouldn’t you give Pullo a call?”
“I’ll let Joe know about The Brotherhood threat once I’ve crippled them, otherwise, it’ll just start a war in Killburry.”
“Killing a few of their men won’t cripple The Brotherhood,” Mike said. “Burt made it sound like these guys had an army, and there are hundreds of them there already.”
“Yes, and their generals are having a meeting tomorrow in Killburry. I overheard some men discussing it when I went to get Pete and Rocco.”
Sara smiled.
“I see, you figure that if you cut off the head, the snake might die?”
“Exactly, this council of theirs, if I kill them all, The Brotherhood may break up and dissolve back into its different gangs. It’s actually surprising that they’ve come together at all.”
“What do we need beside a drone and a way to communicate?” Sara asked.
“You and I will go shopping early in the morning and then join up with Mike in Killburry. He’ll need time to become used to the new drone we’ll buy.”
“We could use my grandson’s,” Mike said.
“How good is the camera?” Tanner asked.
“It’s okay, but I see your point. An upgrade would be better.”
“We need something with a good camera that can hover quietly,” Sara said. “And you still have those two near-silent guns that Deke made for you, Tanner. But can you think of anything else?”
“A water gun, one of the big ones,”
Sara wrinkled her brow in confusion.
“Why would you need that?”
“I’m going to fight fire with fire. The drone will help me move about safely, and the quiet guns will make it possible to kill the guards without alerting anyone inside the house.”
“And the water gun?” Sara said.
“Will contain gasoline, enough to burn that house to the ground with everyone in it. The Brotherhood destroyed my home. I plan to return the favor, in spades.”
Mike sat back and stared at Tanner.
“You play rough.”
Tanner shook his head.
“No Mike, I don’t play.”
***
The CEO of Silicon City lived in a penthouse apartment that sat atop the corporation’s main complex in Killburry.
The man traveled a great deal for business, but Chief Ellison had gotten lucky and found that he was in residence. After a short wait, the chief and his daughter were escorted into the penthouse by one of the CEO’s security people.
The CEO was named Martin Anders, and every time the chief met with him, he was struck by how young the man was. Anders was thirty-three, but looked even younger. The sandy-haired genius had given birth to Silicon City as a website while still in high school. Fifteen years later, he was on his way to becoming a billionaire.
In some ways, Anders was like Chang. Both men had gathered together disparate groups within their fields of interest and brought them together to form a greater whole. Silicon City was the techie version of The Brotherhood.
Anders met the chief with a warm smile and an offered hand, but was actually eyeing Olivia.
“Chief, it’s good to see you again.”
Ellison introduced his daughter and Anders extended his hand.
“Deputy Ellison, it’s nice to meet you.”
Olivia smiled at Anders, and was surprised when he blushed slightly while shaking her hand in greeting. The man might be highly successful, but he was still a shy, nerdy college kid at heart. Olivia found it endearing.
They sat, and Anders asked his live-in
housekeeper, a middle-aged woman, to bring them coffee. When the chief told Anders that coffee wasn’t necessary, Anders told the housekeeper goodnight and moved the meeting out onto his balcony.
“You only ask to see me when there’s trouble, Chief. Does it have anything to do with that fire that was over by the park?”
“Yes sir, and it is bad news.”
The chief went on to tell Anders about the attack on Gentry Court, the attempt on his life, and the horde of men now living in the homes formerly owned by Burt Hodges. When he went into detail about the circumstances surrounding each event, Anders smiled at Olivia.
“You saved your father’s life, and from such a distance; I’m impressed.”
Olivia shrugged.
“I’ve always been good with a rifle.”
Anders gestured about the balcony.
“I sit out here often. I guess I better not make you angry; I’d be a sitting duck.”
Olivia smiled.
“You have nothing to worry about; I only shoot bad guys.”
Anders smiled back at her. The chief took in the exchange and wasn’t sure if Anders was hitting on his daughter or not. If so, why not? They were both single, and hell, the man was filthy rich. Still, Ellison cleared his throat to get things back on track.
“Anyway, with eleven deaths in one day, the news will pick up on this, and we’ll definitely see a huge spike in our crime statistics,” the chief said.
Anders shook his head sadly.
“How can I help? Does your department need more equipment?”
“No sir, you could give us a tank and we couldn’t handle this. What we need is federal muscle. There are a pair of FBI agents on their way here, but I need more than that, and you have the influence to make that happen.”
Anders stared down at the floor for a moment, but then stood and took a phone from his pocket.
“Please excuse me for a few moments,” Anders said, and disappeared back into the penthouse.
While they waited, the chief made a call of his own, to check on Seth, the dog. His neighbor, Dr. Hearns, assured the chief that Seth was fine. Hearns said that he had already fed Seth and taken him for a walk along with his own dog, which was a boxer.
“He limps a little, but that leg will heal quickly and I’ve treated the wound,” Dr. Hearns said.
The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 36