Tanner was glad she wasn’t there, as he had little patience for her, and with the truce in place, he hoped to never see her again.
Johnny had left half a dozen men to guard the club, but Merle and Earl still stood on either side of Laurel like personal sentries. When Tanner walked into the club, Laurel went to him after spotting the wound to his hand.
Sophia greeted him with a kiss, but when she went to hug him, she felt him tense up, as a hissing sound escaped his lips.
When she rolled up his shirt, she spotted a slew of purple bruises.
“Damn Tanner, how many times were you shot?”
“It’s why I wore the body armor.”
Laurel opened her medical bag as she winced at the bruises.
“Oh my God, it looks like you’re lucky to be alive; you’ve also torn your stitches open, and let me see that hand.”
“Are you all right, Laurel?”
“I’m a little shaken, but I’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
Laurel repaired his old stitches and placed new ones in his hand, while also making a face of concern at the bump on the back of his head, which was acquired from his tumble down the stairs with the Frenchman. When she offered him an ointment to put on the bruises, Tanner declined.
Sophia stood off to the side watching them. Tanner could tell that she was unhappy about Laurel touching him, even if it was in a utilitarian manner.
When he replaced his bloody shirt with a sweatshirt given to him by Johnny, which advertised the club, Sophia stood beside him and thanked Laurel for treating him. Laurel took the hint and moved away.
Tanner was seated on a stool at the bar, and Sophia moved between his legs and spoke in a quiet voice.
“That bitch wants you.”
“Laurel had her fill of me years ago.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to be loved and I couldn’t give that to her.”
“Commitment scares you, don’t I know it, but no one can help falling in love.”
Tanner said nothing, but he sincerely hoped that Sophia was wrong.
***
One of Heinz’s men had managed to call him before falling to Tanner’s onslaught, and the German arrived at the hotel with Vance just minutes after Tanner had left the building with Johnny and Pullo.
Heinz reacted to the scenes of death with amazed and horrified expressions, but Vance’s eyes were filled with pure wonder.
“This was Tanner, all of it. I can feel it.”
They had been upstairs and were now back down in the lobby, where Heinz turned in a circle while gesturing at the carnage.
“One man, all this?”
“Most of it, I’d bet on it. You can read his trail by the cartridges left behind.”
Heinz walked over to a chair and sat in it heavily.
“This is disastrous. My men are all dead.”
“You still have the offer from the Russians.”
Heinz sighed, the last thing he wanted was a partner, but controlling half of something was better than not having control over any of it.
“I’ll meet with the Russian, this Michael Krupin, but I want to maintain control as well.”
“I’ll tell him you’re ready to talk, but he’ll want to know what you can add to the deal. Are you certain you know the inner workings of the Giacconi Family’s enterprises?”
“I do, and with that information and the Russian’s men, we’ll make an unbeatable pair.”
Vance nodded. Knowledge was power, and he began to wonder just how much it would take to extract that knowledge from Heinz’s bald head.
He had been Richards’ lackey and had now become Heinz’s; perhaps it was time that he started working for himself.
His musing about upper mobility was interrupted by Heinz speaking again.
“I have to stay alive long enough to meet with the Russian and that means that I have to avoid Tanner.”
“I’ll buy time. I’ll meet with Rossetti and pretend you want to compromise.”
“The man will kill you. They must know that I’m without men now, and to that point, how do I dispose of these bodies before they’re discovered by the authorities?”
“Such services can be bought, although, they’re not cheap, particularly when dealing in a quantity such as this.”
Heinz held his head in his hands.
“This war will bankrupt me if this keeps up.”
“No, as soon as you make the deal with Krupin, we’ll attack Rossetti’s businesses. By tomorrow night, you’ll own every brothel, drug den, and bookmaking operation now run by the Giacconi’s. Once Rossetti has fallen, the others will get back in line and The Conglomerate will be in control once again.
Heinz seemed invigorated by Vance’s words, but doubt still clouded his expression.
“What if Rossetti kills you at the meeting?”
“He won’t. He thinks he has nothing to lose by talking to me.”
“Set up the meeting with Rossetti, and if you never return from it... I’ll assume that things went badly.”
Vance laughed.
“Yes, that would be a safe assumption.”
***
The intercom buzzed in the office at the club and Johnny was informed that he had a call. When he answered it, he heard a voice he remembered well.
It was Vance, whose real name was Rurik Varanov.
“Why the call, comrade? I hope you’re not looking for work; I don’t hire assholes.”
“It’s good to hear your voice again as well, Rossetti, but I’m calling to set up a meeting. Bruno Heinz has empowered me to seek peace with you.”
“Peace talks? I’m not surprised; Tanner put more than a little dent in Heinz’s forces.”
“On the contrary, it’s I who have put a dent in Tanner, or don’t you know that he was wounded when we met.”
“It’s a scratch, and Tanner will pay you back for it someday soon.”
“Not if we make peace, so why not meet and talk things over?”
“When and where?”
“I’ll show good faith and come to your club at two. Make sure that Tanner is there. It’s time that we were properly introduced.”
“You’re really willing to come here, unarmed?”
“I am, if I have your word that I’ll be allowed to leave in one piece.”
“You got it, but Vance, if this is a trick you’ll be the first to die.”
“No tricks,” Vance assured him and then the line went dead.
Johnny looked over at Tanner, who was sitting on the green sofa with Sophia. The call had been on speakerphone and he had heard every word of it, along with Pullo, who was seated in front of the desk.
“Will you be at the meeting?”
Tanner stood and Sophia did likewise.
“I’ll be here and if we’re meeting here tomorrow afternoon, I guess that means that you’re closing the club. That’s a good idea with what has been happening.”
Johnny nodded.
“Heinz already sent hitters here once, and I won’t put the people that work here or the customers in danger.”
Pullo spoke up from where he sat in front of the desk.
“This meeting is a trick. Heinz is just trying to buy time until he can hire more men.”
“I know that,” Tanner said. “But he’s run out of time.”
“You have a plan, don’t you?” Johnny said.
“I do, and if it works, Heinz will be too busy fighting the law to worry about anything else.”
“Explain that,” Johnny said.
Tanner hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t used to working as part of a team and sharing his plans, but Rossetti was the man who hired him to put an end to the war with Heinz, and so he didn’t see the harm in letting him in on his plans.
“The financial records that Tim Jackson took from Richards’ computer also included info on Heinz’s money laundering. I’m going to contact that IRS agent that’s been sniffing around and hand Heinz over to her.”
Johnny looked worried.
“Her name is Jade Taylor, but won’t those records implicate us as well?”
“No, Tim Jackson is going to supply me with redacted copies; anything concerning the Giacconi Family will be erased. Also, the IRS will have to pass this on to the German authorities, so he’ll have two governments giving him grief.”
Johnny grinned.
“That’s clever, Tanner, but I want to see this info before you pass it on.”
“I’ll send it to you as soon as I get it, and after you’ve seen it, I’ll make contact with Agent Taylor.”
“If this works, the war will be over by the time we meet Vance for the meeting. Good, I want to see his face when he finds out his new employer no longer needs his services.”
Laurel appeared in the doorway and spoke to Pullo.
“Is it safe to go home yet?”
Johnny nodded.
“It is, thanks to Tanner, but there will be someone on guard every minute anyway.”
Pullo took Laurel by the hand as they left to go to her townhouse, and possibly her bed.
And although Tanner tried to hide it, there was a look of envy in his eyes.
CHAPTER 32 - Achilles’ heel
Sara slept fitfully that night, and after waking from yet another bad dream, she grabbed her phone and checked the tracker again.
She knew that Tanner was staying at a Midtown hotel with Sophia Verona, but her eyes grew large with alarm when she saw that Tanner had been back to the Rutherford Hotel, and in the early morning hours at that.
The alarm escalated to fear, when the tracking data told her that after leaving Heinz, Tanner had traveled to the Cabaret Strip Club, but only stayed there a short time before leaving.
She knew that the club should be closed at the hour of his visit, and in her imagination, she saw Tanner planting a bomb in Johnny’s office.
She cleared her phone’s screen and dialed Johnny’s phone.
“Sara, why are you awake so early?”
“Are you all right? Has something happened?”
There was a pause, and after sighing, Johnny answered.
“There was some trouble, but we handled it. How did you find out?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m still at the club, but getting ready to leave.”
“What sort of trouble? Did someone try to kill you again?”
“Yes, and Joe too, but don’t worry, we’re all safe.”
“It was Tanner.”
Johnny laughed.
“It wasn’t Tanner, trust me on that, and I thought you weren’t going to think about him anymore.”
“Tanner and Heinz are working together behind your back. That’s why you and Joe were attacked when he was nowhere around. He wanted to claim his innocence, and once you were dead, he would kill me.”
“Sara, calm down. You’re so wrong it’s almost funny, Tanner is on our side.”
Sara wanted to tell him about tracking Tanner’s movements, but knew that it would just make him angry, and that he’d accuse her of breaking her word to leave Tanner alone. He would be right of course, but it was obvious to her that Tanner had no intention of keeping his word, and so she felt justified. Still, it was best if she didn’t share that knowledge yet, or else Johnny might tell Tanner about the tracker.
“Don’t trust him, Johnny, and if it’s proof you need, I’ll get it.”
“Listen, I’m dead tired and have to sleep, but I’ll come by your place later tonight and we’ll talk.”
“Don’t go to your apartment. Stay at a hotel instead.”
“I think I’m just going to catch a few hours of sleep on the sofa in my office, and calm down, you don’t have to fear Tanner anymore.”
“Don’t trust him. Promise me that you won’t be alone with him.”
“I promise, now go back to sleep, it’s early, and hey?”
“Yes?”
“I love you, baby.”
Sara grinned at hearing those words, and for a moment, Tanner was forgotten.
“I love you too, Johnny.”
After they said goodbye, Sara knew that she’d never go back to sleep. She activated the tracker software again and saw that Tanner had returned to his hotel.
Sara headed for the shower. She would keep a watchful eye on Tanner, and the next time he met with Heinz, she would get close and take pictures. That way, Johnny would have to believe her and it would justify her spying on the man as well.
An hour later, she had eaten a light breakfast and was parked three blocks from Tanner’s hotel. She didn’t need to tail him closely, because the tracker would do the work for her.
She knew that if she called the police or FBI that Tanner would be arrested, but had little faith that the man could be held captive for long.
He had escaped a Mexican prison and a locked jail cell in the time she’d been after him, and if the legal system was ever foolish enough to grant bail to the man, he would surely flee, only to return when least expected and kill her.
No, Tanner was too dangerous to be left alive, and taking his word for anything was insane as far as Sara was concerned.
Nothing had changed.
Tanner had to die.
And once she had proof that the man’s word was worthless, she would be free to use any means at her disposal to bring about his death.
And, in fact, she had already put such a plan in motion.
CHAPTER 33 - Plan to be lucky
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Vance met with Michael Krupin inside Krupin’s limo.
Michael Krupin was twenty-three, with dark good looks, but rarely smiled. He wore a suit worth more than most wardrobes and there was an air of entitlement about him.
Vance had been friends with his father and had known Michael since he was a boy. The boy was a man now, and the man craved power.
“Heinz, the German, can he be trusted?” Krupin asked.
“He can be trusted,” Vance said. “But I’ll be your partner, not Heinz.”
Krupin stared at Vance as he pondered the meaning behind those words. Michael Krupin was a young man, but he had an older man’s patience, and rarely spoke without thinking things through beforehand.
“You have plans for Heinz?”
“I do.”
“And if those plans work out, I suppose the German will never see his homeland again.”
“Thanks to Tanner, Heinz has no more people around to protect him, but the man does have something of value.”
“And what would that be?” Krupin asked.
“He has knowledge, and once I get it out of him, I’ll have knowledge.”
“And so you want a partnership, is that it?”
“Yes, I want a percentage of everything now controlled by the Giacconi Family.”
“That’s quite a lot, their marijuana importing is worth over a hundred million a year, but that’s because they have a strong distribution network. If possible, I would like to keep Rossetti’s people in place, at least in the beginning, and later on, we’ll move our people in.”
“Our people? So you’re saying we have a deal?”
“By ‘our people’, I meant the Russian people, but yes, if you give me a blueprint of the Giacconi Family’s inner workings, their systems and what properties they own, if you deliver all that, we have a deal.”
“I’ll get it and I’ll also kill Tanner.”
Michael Krupin almost smiled at Vance.
“Please deliver the information to me before you go against Tanner, otherwise, you just might take it to your grave.”
“You should have more confidence in me, Michael. Tanner is great, but I’m better, and once I kill him everyone will know it.”
“You could try to recruit him. I’d be willing to pay serious money to have a man with his skills, if even half of what I’ve heard is true.”
“It’s true. You should see what he did to Heinz’s men last night.”
“Could you have done t
he same?”
Vance laughed.
“Face twenty men on my own? I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try.”
“So you think he’s a lucky fool?”
“I certainly hope so, and I also hope that luck comes to an end if I ever have to face him.”
“I prefer planning over luck,” Krupin said.
“So do I, but if I had to choose, I’d choose luck.”
“But we don’t get to choose, do we?”
Vance thought about Frank Richards and how close the man had come to gaining undreamed of power and influence, only to have his ambitions and his life snuffed out by Tanner.
“No, sometimes fate just isn’t on our side.”
CHAPTER 34 - Wheels within wheels
Tanner persuaded Jade Taylor to meet with him by telling her he had information about money laundering. They arranged to rendezvous at an outdoor cafe near Central Park, which also offered a view of the famous Dakota Building.
He had told her on the phone that his name was Smith and Jade Taylor said that many men named Smith had passed on information to her over the years.
Pullo had described Jade Taylor to Tanner, and so he spotted her right away and joined her at a table. After saying hello, they both ordered coffee from a waitress already wielding a carafe and once it was poured, they ignored it and got down to business.
Tanner was actually pressed for time, as it took longer than planned for the information to be formatted without referencing anyone but Heinz, and then Johnny had to peruse it before giving approval.
The time for meeting with Vance at the club was coming up fast and Tanner planned to be there.
Jade Taylor offered Tanner a guarded smile.
“Mr. Smith, exactly what is it that you wish to pass on to me?”
Tanner slid a flash drive across the table with a gloved hand.
“Have you heard of The Conglomerate?” Tanner said.
“I’ve heard rumors,” Jade said.
“The rumors are true. There’s information on that drive detailing the laundering of money by one of its members, although, The Conglomerate is actually in shambles now.”
Jade studied the drive in her hand.
“What do you want in return?”
“Other than swift action, not a thing, but perhaps I’ll get a warm feeling from being a good citizen.” Tanner stood and pointed at the untouched beverages. “I’ll let Uncle Sam pay for the coffee.”
The TANNER Series - Books 4-6 (Tanner Box Set Book 2) Page 37