Justice Healed

by Olivia Jaymes

  "You did good, Bilson. Expect a bonus. I always appreciate loyalty in my organization. Call me if you hear anything more."

  Fenton hung up the phone and quickly made a list of everyone he needed to contact. Nothing could go wrong the second time. He wanted Kerr and he would get him.

  Fenton picked up the phone to call his second in command. He wished he could call his lead man at the airport but the fact was he might not even be alive. If he had been captured by authorities, Fenton didn't want to call the burner cell phone the operative would be carrying. At this point, the man and his team were dead to him. At least for now.

  "Carl? Where the fuck are you? Billings? Good. Get the team, get the chopper. Once you do that, call me back and I'll tell you the plan. And Carl? You have about ten minutes."

  * * * *

  The motorcade stopped for gas about three hours later. They were north of Billings and the traffic had been few and far between. They pretty much owned the road. Even the few houses they passed were dark, the residents asleep.

  Tanner got out of the car and stretched his legs, the cold wind whipping around his body and sending a chill through him. He'd much rather be in bed, curled around Madison but there was a job that needed doing. It was too bad Evan wasn't transferring Kerr in July.

  "Damn thing’s a gas guzzler. I think it gets like seven miles to the gallon, for fuck's sake. We'll be stopping for gas constantly." Reed jerked his thumb toward the armored vehicle which was still locked. Kerr and Morey wouldn't be getting out to stretch their legs. Evan would get them a snack and might even let Morey out for a bathroom break, but that was it.

  Logan laughed. "You don't buy an armored truck for the gas mileage. Damn thing probably weighs ten tons with all that steel and bullet proof glass."

  Tanner scanned the area, his rifle at the ready. It appeared to be completely deserted but looks could be deceiving. The front chase car had already checked out the area before they'd stopped, but Tanner couldn't stop the feeling of unease that had built with every passing mile. Two dangerous drug cartels wanted this guy, but so far they'd driven peacefully down the state of Montana. In a few hours they'd be in Wyoming and Evan had already told them a group of local sheriffs from that state would be joining them when they crossed over the state line.

  Evan nodded toward the attached convenience store. "It's your turn."

  They'd planned ahead and the team would go to the bathroom and grab a coffee in shifts, no shift lasting more than five minutes. With three shifts they should be back on the road in fifteen minutes. Tanner always felt better when they were moving. Standing still he felt like a sitting duck.

  Logan walked with Tanner inside the store. "You've had a sour look on your face for the last hundred miles or so. What's up?"

  "I'm worried about Maddie. This has gone too smoothly. If they're not targeting us, are they targeting people we care about? I wouldn't put it past Fenton to go after her."

  Logan shrugged and looked away. "Lucky me, there isn't anyone I care about. Didn't you leave Scout with her and have a deputy driving by every ten minutes? You can't do much more than that, man."

  Tanner had never delved into Logan's past. The man had no family to speak of, or at least Tanner had never heard about any. But Logan wasn't a man to discuss his past. His eye was always firmly on the present. He lived in the moment, enjoying life to the fullest whether it was climbing a mountain or romancing a pretty young thing. Logan only knew how to live life one way. Full speed ahead and have a ball doing it.

  "I just wish I was there, that's all." Tanner pulled his cell from his pocket, saw the time, and put it away. It was almost eleven and Maddie was an early riser. She'd definitely be asleep or as good as, even with Sherry there with her.

  Logan glanced at his watch. "You will be in about twelve hours, give or take. I know you don't want to hear this, but shit, you need to keep your mind on the job. Stay focused, Tanner."

  Logan was right. The reason he'd left Scout with Maddie and posted that guard was so he wouldn't worry. Now here he was...worrying. He needed to keep his head in the game or risk getting it blown off.

  "I will. You're right. I've protected Maddie. Now we just need to get this guy to Florence."

  Tanner hit the bathroom and grabbed a coffee and a snack on the way out. The motorcade was gassed up and ready to go. One leg of the journey down and only three more to go.

  * * * *

  Madison poured the microwave popcorn from the bag into a large bowl. She and Sherry were watching movies and talking. Sherry was telling about the latest wedding she was planning and how the bride was a complete Bridezilla.

  Taking the popcorn back into the living room, Madison had to chuckle at how Scout and Sherry were sprawled on the couch. Woman and dog had bonded instantly. Sherry adored animals and Scout was no exception. The dog was half reclined on Sherry eating pieces of cubed cheese. Tanner was going to kill Madison. By the time he got his dog back, he'd be completely spoiled. Tanner didn't allow Scout on the furniture, and she was pretty sure he didn't get cheese cubes either.

  "Watch what Scout can do." Sherry balanced a piece of cheese on Scout's nose. "Wait for it. Wait for it. Get it, Scout!"

  The dog moved its long snout and snatched the cheese right out of the air. Sherry clapped and praised the canine, ruffling its fur and scratching his ears. Scout stuck his nose right into the bag of snacks and smacked it with his paw, indicating more.

  "You've turned Tanner's police dog into a circus animal." Madison groaned. "He's going to be livid."

  "He's still ferocious. Aren't you, Scout? You'll rip some poor man's leg off, won't you? Good boy." Sherry crooned, nuzzling the dog with her cheek. The dog’s ears perked up and he nudged the bag with his nose again.

  "Have some popcorn and no, don't give it to Scout. I don't think Tanner lets him have popcorn slathered in butter."

  Sherry laughed and dug into the bowl after tossing Scout another cube. "All I hear you talk about these days is 'Tanner this' and 'Tanner that'. When am I going to get a 'You were right, Sherry' or 'Thank you, Sherry’?"

  "Thank you, Sherry."

  Sherry tossed a few kernels of popcorn at Madison. "Once more with feeling, please. I managed to get this entire town working together so you and Tanner could fall in love."

  "They'll build a statue in your honor in the park." Madison giggled, picturing it in her mind. Sherry would have her iPad and her cell phone, complete with headset.

  "It is love, isn't it? Do you think he'll propose soon? I totally cannot wait to organize your wedding. I think a mermaid silhouette would be the perfect wedding gown for you."

  Madison wasn't sure what to say. She absolutely loved Tanner, more than she had ever thought possible. But he had never mentioned the word love.

  "I don't even know if Tanner wants to get married again. I mean, we've never discussed it. We haven't been going out all that long, you know."

  "True." Sherry tapped her chin. "But you're both adults, not kids. I can tell you're both in love."

  "Do you think so?" Madison chewed her bottom lip. She wanted to believe Sherry.

  Sherry smacked her forehead. "You haven't told him?"

  Madison shook her head.

  "And he hasn't said it either?"

  Madison shook her head, again, heat suffusing her cheeks. She was a relationship idiot.

  "May I ask what you are waiting for?"

  "For him to say it first? Isn't that what you told me to do?" Madison asked indignantly. She'd been following orders, for heaven's sake.

  "Well yes, I did say that. But once you could tell, it's okay to say it."

  "Now you tell me. Honestly, I've been scared to death to do it. What if he doesn't say it back? What do I do then?"

  The mere thought he might not say it back had Madison shaking in her favorite boots.

  "He'll say it. He loves you. Everything is working out for you, Madison. I know you weren't sure about moving back home."

  Madison hadn't
been sure at all, but she'd promised her father she would someday come back and join him. When he'd called, she hadn't been able to think of a single reason to stay in Chicago. She had thought of several reasons not to come back to Springwood. It had been the home of too many unpleasant childhood memories.

  But coming home had taught her more than how to be in a relationship with a man. It had taught her that time marches on even when you're not watching. She'd been in Chicago, maturing and changing, building her career. The people in town had been doing that exact same thing.

  For Madison, Springwood had remained frozen in time. It was an unchanging memory. Coming back showed her that wasn't the case. Everyone had moved on with their lives, sparing little thought to the freckled, red-haired girl they had tormented.

  And that was how it should be. Her classmates grew up and were smacked sideways by adulthood, as most young people are. They'd been busy falling in love, marrying, having children, and working at jobs. It made those years in school seem very far away and kind of unimportant. Tanner's words that day in the coffee shop had given her a perspective she'd lacked in Chicago.

  "I wasn't sure, but I'm glad I came back. I missed you and well, Springwood is home. Chicago was great, but it would never have been the place I wanted to settle down."

  "With two kids and a dog?" Sherry grinned.

  "Honestly, you just won't let anything go will you? Even if Tanner does love me—"

  "He does," interjected Sherry.

  "Even if he does love me," Madison began again. "It doesn't mean he wants to get married or have children. He's already done that."

  Sherry wrinkled her nose. "You two should talk about this. What if he doesn't want to get married or have kids? Are you okay with that?"

  "I've never dreamed of a big, fancy wedding." Madison shrugged. "As for children, I haven't given them much thought either. I've been too busy working. I guess I always thought I would have one or two, but I think I would be okay if I didn't."

  "As long as you had Tanner?"

  Madison nodded. "I could be okay with him, married or not. I don't need a piece of paper to feel committed to him."

  Sherry laughed. "You're the original modern woman. I wanted a marriage license, Dan's last name, and now we're working on the kids. Call me old-fashioned, but I want the dream."

  Madison could only smile at her best friend. Tanner all by himself was more than anything Madison had ever dreamed of.

  She yawned and tried to hide it by turning away.

  "You're not fooling anyone. Go to bed," Sherry ordered, but she was smiling.

  "You wanted to watch this movie."

  Sherry was mad for old films and one of the movie channels was showing Casablanca.

  "I'm still planning to. Scout can keep me company. Won't you, Scout?"

  The dog wagged its tail and was given another cheese cube as a reward. Madison was exhausted and decided to give in gracefully.

  "Okay, I'll see you in the morning." Madison got up and headed for the bedroom.

  "I'll be quiet when I come to bed," Sherry called out. Sherry was sleeping on a rollaway bed in Madison's room. She'd tried to convince Sherry to stay in her dad's room but Sherry wouldn't do it. She said it would feel weird and disrespectful. Madison didn't push the subject as she didn't want to sleep in the bedroom alone with a gun. Besides, Madison's bedroom was huge, taking up almost the entire top floor of the house. Her father had renovated the second floor when she was a teenager giving her the bedroom of her dreams.

  "Don't worry about it. I can get back to sleep easily if I wake up."

  Madison had learned to sleep anywhere at anytime when she'd been a resident. She took one last look over her shoulder and smiled at the picture of Sherry eating popcorn and Scout cuddled as close as he could get. By tomorrow morning, Tanner would probably call her and she could tell him that nothing bad had happened except his dog was now addicted to cheese cubes.

  * * * *

  Fenton was sitting in an SUV just south of Billings in the middle of a deserted field. When he'd received the call from his informant on the Canadian Border Patrol he'd sent out two teams to find the motorcades. A large one for the motorcade that contained Kerr and a small one for the decoy. Fenton wasn't sure what made him do that, but he wanted all his bases covered. He'd learned you could never be too careful.

  He stared into the darkness as he waited for his cell to ring. The other team should be dealing with the motorcade at this very moment. A helicopter would take out the first chase car and an RPG would blow up the rear, leaving the middle vehicles boxed in. His team would blow the doors of the armored truck with a shape charge and extricate Kerr, flying him to this location where they would change to a nondescript vehicle. He would then be driven to the designated location for interrogation.

  The phone vibrated on his thigh.

  "Jacks."

  "He's not here. We were double-crossed or something. He's not here." The lead man, George Keene, was breathing hard and Fenton could hear gunfire in the background.

  “What the fuck do you mean he’s not there? We were told he was in that armored car.”

  “He’s just not here. We’ve looked every—”

  "Shut up. How many down?" he asked calmly while anger built in his gut. He'd kill Bilson for this.

  "We've lost about half our numbers, but they've taken the worst hit. We've downed pretty much the entire group."

  "Get out and get the bird over here. He's in the other motorcade, you fucking idiot."

  Fenton gritted his teeth to keep the string of swear words from streaming out. This was not the time to lose control. He needed to stay calm and in control.

  "Right. We should be there in twenty."

  "Keene?"

  "Yeah?" The man sounded anxious to be off the phone. He was probably ducked down in one of their ground vehicles for cover.

  "No survivors."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tanner stretched his arm over his head and rubbed his neck. Logan was driving this leg but Tanner was feeling antsy. He hated being cooped up in a car for hours on end. The scenery was the same blur of dark shadows with only the occasional car to break up the monotony.

  "Hand me a soda, will you?" Reed asked from the back seat. "I need the caffeine to stay awake."

  Tanner reached down to the small cooler situated between his legs on the floor and pulled out a can, tossing it to Reed.

  "When's next check in?" Tanner asked.

  Reed consulted his watch. "Three minutes. So far everything's been quiet. In about an hour we'll be in Wyoming and pick up the extra manpower."

  "Tell me again why they're only helping us in two states instead of all three?" Logan asked with a sideways grin. "Do they have something against Montana?"

  Tanner chuckled. "Not that I know of. It's to give some of us a break to catch an hour of sleep. These guys can drive and be on guard and the rest of us can rotate getting a quick nap. Evan's also thinking about letting Morey out of the back of the truck and putting another Marshal in for awhile."

  "Evan's too nice of a guy," Reed observed.

  The radio started to crackle. It was a Spearhead encrypted handheld that Tanner knew was fielded at first to military in Iraq. Reed frowned, glancing at his watch. It was too early for the check in from the other motorcade.

  "Yes?" His voice was short and abrupt. Tanner and Logan were on alert the minute the radio started to go off. This was the first thing that hadn't gone like clockwork. The sound of gunfire and yelling came through the speakers loud and clear. The other motorcade was under fire.

  "Echo-Two-Tango, here. We're under heavy fire." The man's voice was breathless. "They've got a chopper and they've blown the rear door of the truck. They took out the lead and rear chase cars."

  The Blue Team was boxed in and practically helpless. To make matters worse, there weren't any agents in the vicinity to help them. The Red Team wouldn't be stopped for anything, even several agents being gunned down on the job.


  "How many?" Reed asked.

  More static and gunfire. "Two in the bird and about ten on the ground. We've taken out a few but I'm suffering heavy casualties here."

  "Son of a fucking bitch. What a clusterfuck," Logan muttered under his breath. Tanner could see Logan's knuckles tighten on the wheel. When the bad guys realized Kerr wasn't there, they were going to be pissed the hell off.

  "I'll relay to Echo-Three-Delta. Get the fuck out of there."

  Reed ended the call with the Blue Team and immediately got Evan on the radio to relay what was happening less than a fifty miles away.

  "Holy fuck." Evan growled.

  Tanner could hear Evan telling Seth to get the Marshal Service on the phone and get some people there as soon as possible. Tanner remembered that DEA Agent Jason Anderson had people in this area and a helicopter to get there. He pulled the phone from his pocket and made a quick call, grateful when Jason answered on the second ring. As succinctly as he could, he outlined what was happening and luckily the agent got the drift right away. He'd head there with manpower and an ETA of thirty minutes.

  That amount of time was an eternity when someone was under fire but it was the best they could do at the moment. It would take the Marshal Service time to get reinforcements. Every available man was being used for this transfer job.

  Evan came over the radio. "We're increasing our speed. Shut off your lights. Stay in formation."

  Logan pressed on the accelerator and the engine roared with power. Tanner kept looking up into the black night sky for signs of lights. He cracked the window to listen for any sounds of helicopters but there was nothing except the cold wind. If the Warner or Jackson cartel knew about the other motorcade, the chances were good they knew about this one as well. It didn't matter which cartel had hit them at this point. Both were well-armed and deadly.

  The hum of the wheels against the road couldn't lull them into any sense of security. When the headlights of a car began to approach they all tensed, weapons ready, but it passed on by harmlessly into the night. Tanner turned and watched until the taillights disappeared in the distance.