Boomer was alive and bleeding from a leg wound. Boss called to him. “This thing is on fire; we’ve got to get out of here.”
Boomer opened his mouth to answer but never got the chance. A bullet had passed between his parted lips and blew out the back of his head. Boss had no idea what had happened to the gun Monkey had given him. When he reached for it, he found an empty holster. He was about to make a grab for Monkey’s rifle when Tanner spoke to him.
“If you want to live, tell me who hired you?”
“Go fuck yourself, Tanner.”
Tanner reached into the wreckage and grabbed Monkey’s rifle. He then claimed the SIG Sauer in Boomer’s holster.
“Who hired you?” he asked Boss.
“I told you to go fuck yourself. Now, if you’re going to kill me, then kill me.”
“I don’t have to kill you. You’ll soon burn to death.”
Boss jolted at those words. And yes, the smoke had increased. It was coming from somewhere behind or beneath him.
Tanner pointed at Boss’s left hand. “You don’t feel the pain yet, do you?”
Boss looked down and saw that three of his fingers were missing.
“You’ll feel the flames when they get you.”
“I’m still not talking. You’re wasting your time.”
“We’ll see,” Tanner said. He took several steps back as the smoke increased. Boss might die of smoke inhalation before the fire reached him. It soon became apparent that the flames could affect him without touching him, as the surface he was resting on became hot. Whatever the material was, some sort of plastic, it began to change shape as it softened. Boss tried to free himself from his harness and found that it was damaged. He kept a knife on his belt and reached for it to cut himself free. But the knife was on his left side, and with his missing fingers, he couldn’t grip the hilt.
Tanner shouted to him. “Give me the name of the man who hired you and I’ll get you out of there.”
“Fuck… you. Arrgh!”
Boss was in agony, but he still refused to talk.
“A name!”
Boss spoke through teeth that were clenched together in pain. “No.”
Tanner raised his rifle and shot the man, ending his misery. Whatever else Boss had been, he had the grit to not give in under extreme pressure. Tanner had to admire that. Unfortunately, he still had no idea who was sending people to kill him. Maybe Weber or his daughter could shed some light on that. They were with Henry again and waiting near the cottage for him. Tanner had told Crash to take the rental and head back to the city. He didn’t want Weber or Amelie to know of his involvement if they didn’t have to. He also told Crash that he and Henry might be staying in Dallas overnight. He asked Crash if he wanted to take a flight home or stay at a hotel and meet up with them the next day. Crash said that he would stay at a hotel so that they could all fly back together.
“And call me if you need me,” Crash said.
Tanner said he would and thanked him for his help. The older man was really growing on him and his drones were a handy tool to have.
Tanner turned away from the burning helicopter when he heard a moan come from a clump of weeds on his left. It was the helicopter pilot. The man was still alive.
Both of his legs were broken, and blood seeped from the chest wound Tanner had given him. When Tanner walked over to look down at him, he spoke with a raspy voice.
“I’ll take the deal.”
“Deal?”
The man moaned in pain while balling up his fists, then spoke in a weaker voice. “Logan Fortunato. That’s the name you want. He hired this crew. Now, call an ambulance for me.”
“The smoke from the crashed helicopter will bring the authorities out here.”
“Oh yeah. I didn’t have to tell you shit, did I?”
Tanner pointed his gun at him. “And I don’t have to keep you alive.”
“Wait! I can tell you how to find Fortunato.”
“Why would you know that?”
Another jolt of agony gripped the man. When it passed, he attempted a smile that made him look insane. “I knew Fortunato before he started using that name. His real name is Hutchinson, Guy Hutchinson.”
“Who does he work for?”
The man winced, then said, “Don’t know.”
“If you’re lying about this, I’ll find you.”
“I ain’t lying. And I never liked Hutchinson, the smug bastard, so do to him what you will.”
Tanner took off running for the cottage. Someone would be coming to investigate the smoke and they had to be out of the area before that happened.
Logan Fortunato. That’s who wanted him dead. Now all Tanner had to do was find out why.
15
Phase Two
“I’ve never heard of Logan Fortunato or Guy Hutchinson,” Karl Weber said. “The organization I’ve been working for calls themselves Cipher.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Tanner said.
Tanner had driven Weber’s Volvo away from the cottage and into Dallas. After abandoning the car, Tanner, Henry, Weber, and Amelie climbed into a taxi and took it to a hotel. Tanner spoke with Weber and Amelie while Henry kept an eye out for trouble in the lobby. The car was left in a tow-away zone to get rid of it. Weber wouldn’t be using it again, not after Tanner told him that tracing the car was how he had tracked him down.
Tanner had already heard part of Amelie’s story as they drove to the city. She had fallen in love with the ex-con, Marco Deering, and made the mistake of telling him that her father often bought and sold valuable items for wealthy clients. Amelie was so enraptured with Deering that she allowed him to talk her into robbing her father. Now that they were safe inside the hotel room, Tanner got the details from Amelie.
“Marco said that whatever he and his friends took from Papa wouldn’t be his personal property and that an insurance company would reimburse his client. I finally gave in and started spying on Papa for him.”
“Do you live with your father?”
“No, but I still have a key to his apartment from when I did live there. I used it to sneak in and go through his things.”
Amelie found out that her father was going to Stark to meet with Alex Tinsley and purchase the rare 1880 bill. When Marco learned the value of the old currency, he put together a crew and went after it. They had no idea that Amelie’s father was connected to Cipher or that they would face competition from other thieves. Weapons that had been brought along to intimidate were used in a firefight that left Marco Deering dead.
Instead of being wanted on robbery allegations the remaining members of the heist crew faced charges of murder and were being hunted by people working for Cipher. Amelie said that they became aware of how serious things were when they had trouble fencing the rare bill. They were told that it was too hot to handle and that there were people other than the police looking for them, dangerous people.
Tanner had received a text from Steve Mendez on the drive into Dallas. The chief told him that none of Marco Deering’s known prison associates had an unusual first name that began with B. There was a Bob, two Bills, and a Brian.
When Tanner asked Amelie about it, she explained. “Marco’s friend is named Bohdan, Bohdan Kushnir.”
“They were in prison together?”
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“Bohdan worked in the prison as a guard. He was fired and spent time in jail when the warden found out he was selling drugs and access to cell phones.”
“This Bohdan, does he have a beard?”
“Yes.”
“And who was the man who drove the van?”
“His name is Gage Kline.” Amelie made a face. “I don’t like him. I once saw him kick a dog for no reason.”
“And the last man’s name?”
“Cory Sparks. He’s Bohdan’s nephew and is about my age.”
“Where can I find them?”
“I don’t know. When Bohdan realized that th
ere were people after us, he said it would be best if we all split up. I was living with Marco in his apartment, and since he was… after the robbery, I thought it was best not to go back there or the police might find me and question me.”
“You were right. And then what did you do?”
“I called Daddy and asked if I could stay with him. I also told him the whole story. I screwed up so bad, Mr. Tanner. I betrayed my father and now we have people who want to kill us.”
Tanner stood to walk over to the room’s small desk, but paused to massage his neck, which was still sore. He also had a wide bruise forming on his chest from where Turtle’s slugs slammed into the bulletproof vest he was wearing. Once he was at the desk, he grabbed the hotel stationary and a pen, then handed them to Amelie.
“Take this into the bedroom and think about everything you know about Bohdan Kushnir, Gage Kline, and Cory Sparks. As you do that, I want you to write down what you know. No detail is too small. Write down things they said about their lives, childhood, what their favorite foods are, what they drink, the names of women they might have mentioned, anything. Write it all down.”
“Okay. But why do I have to go into the bedroom to do that?”
“It’s quieter in there and it will be easier for you to concentrate.”
“Oh, okay.” Amelie stood, but before walking down a short hallway to her bedroom, she looked back at Tanner. “Your friend saved our lives. I thought for sure that those men were going to catch us. Please thank him again for me.”
“I will.”
“And thank you too.”
When Amelie was in the bedroom, Weber shook his head as he stared at the closed door.
“She’s so different.”
“Your daughter is different, how?”
“Amelie went through a rebellious streak in her teens and got into trouble. She had also been abducted by a kidnapper, but the FBI killed the man and rescued her. And now this new trouble with these thieves… it’s changed her. She’s much nicer, more respectful, and more caring than she used to be.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty.”
“Maybe she’s growing up.”
Weber nodded, then he asked Tanner a question.
“You gave her that task to do because you want to speak to me alone, yes?”
“Yeah, but she might also think of something that will help me find those men. I also want to find the people behind Cipher.”
“I can’t help you. I’ve never met with them, and I’ve only interacted with people like myself, men and women who are cogs in the machine they’ve built. One definition for the word cipher means nobody, a nonentity. That is what Cipher is. They exist only as an idea and never get involved other than to issue orders anonymously.”
“How did you get tangled up with them?”
Weber sighed. “Getting involved with Cipher was not my first foray into criminal activity. When I was a banker, I laundered money for certain, extreme organizations.”
“Neo-Nazi organizations?”
Weber blinked in surprise. “Yes, that’s true. Why did you assume that, because I’m German?”
Tanner had guessed correctly because of what Elijah and Heidi had told him about Weber’s reaction to seeing them together at the festival. There was no reason for Weber to know about that.
“It was a lucky guess. Continue your story.”
“I was questioned as part of an investigation and was facing the possibility of serving many years behind bars if convicted. That was when I received a phone call from a man who said that he could help me. The government had an informant who could testify against myself and three others. Once I agreed that I would accept the caller’s help in return for doing certain favors, the informant was killed in police custody.”
“How long ago was this?”
“That was twenty-eight years ago and happened in Berlin.”
Tanner’s jaw clenched. He’d assumed that Cipher was a fairly new organization. They weren’t. They were international, had been around for decades, and were only now becoming a rumor. That was quite an accomplishment. It made him realize how formidable the people behind everything that had happened were.
“What are your plans, Weber? You must have known that you couldn’t hide out on that farm forever.”
“Documents are being made that will give Amelie and myself new identities. They should be ready sometime tomorrow and I will receive a call to come get them. I’m not a complete fool, Tanner. I saw this day coming for one reason or another. I have funds that I can access and a place to go to.” Weber released a small moan. “I never thought that I would be leaving with Amelie at my side. What will her life be like now?”
“At least she’s alive. Alex Tinsley’s daughter was murdered and the men that did it made him watch her die.”
Weber looked as if he might be sick, but he composed himself after swallowing hard several times. “You and that boy saved us. I am in your debt, Tanner.”
Tanner nodded. “I know of a way you can pay us back.”
After being unable to make contact with them, Logan Fortunato realized that Boss and his men had failed. It was unfortunate but not unexpected given Tanner’s reputation. It also meant that Tanner had Karl Weber. And Tanner was actively working on finding the crew that stole the rare bill. In time, Tanner would be closing in on them as well.
Fortunato smiled. A lesser man would consider the current circumstances and think that all was lost. On the contrary, things were moving along nicely. Let Tanner win the battles; Fortunato would win the war.
He knew from perusing the file on Tanner that the hit man wouldn’t be satisfied with having survived an attack. No. He would want to know who was behind it and seek revenge. That meant that there would be another opportunity to kill him.
Fortunato was inside his office at his estate. It was actually a working farm. He liked being surrounded by nature but did none of the actual work himself. His food was cooked for him by a chef, his house cleaned by a maid, and on those rare occasions when he ventured away from his home, he hired a limousine.
The outside of the home looked like a typical farmhouse as did most of the interior. Fortunato’s office was different. It was a room where he spent most of his time and he had it decorated in fine style with art on the walls and a collection of books on science, history, and biographies.
No one else was allowed in the room and he had both a thumbprint and a retina scanner integrated into the security system. If by some miracle someone who wished him harm discovered where he lived, his office would double as a safe room. In the center of the room was a table that held an antique chess set. That table could be slid aside to reveal an escape tunnel. The tunnel led to an outbuilding where there was a car. He hadn’t driven since he was a teenager but was sure that he still possessed enough skill to do so, especially if his life were on the line.
While leaning back in his favorite chair, Fortunato pondered his next move. He needed to destroy Tanner, but he couldn’t risk the loss of more valuable assets like Boss and his team.
Tanner had triumphed over a pair of interrogators, then killed a team of three men who by all accounts were deadly. Fortunato knew that Boss and crew had been lethal, but the seven men met their superior in the assassin.
Fortunato smiled again. Tanner would be expecting to face a greater threat. So why not give him one? He would send a small army at the man, but they would not be people whose loss would be missed. Yes, give the hit man what he expects and see if he can handle it. Judging by the past, Tanner would triumph. That’s fine, because it will set him up for what will come after that.
Boss and his team had simply been Phase One. There would be a Phase Two and a Phase Three. Fortunato was a chess player. He knew it was worth the sacrifice of any number of pawns in order to allow your queen to be placed in a position where she could checkmate the opponent’s king. He would send those pawns against Tanner. But, who to send?
The truth was that
he had no pawns. Knights, bishops, rooks, yes, but no pawns. However, he did once have dealings with a group that he’d classified as such. They were a motorcycle gang that lived outside the small town of Pachaw, Texas. They called themselves the Diablo’s Doubles and their leader was a man named Hombre.
Fortunato had hired them to do a bit of dirty work for a client about a year earlier. They had been successful but in a crude manner. They had eliminated the target and his security. That was fine, but afterwards they had proceeded to gang rape the target’s wife and daughter before killing them too. That sort of unpleasantness tended to make the police take a personal interest in a case. It also risked leaving behind DNA evidence that could have led to arrests and convictions. If that had happened, Hombre would have brought up his name in a bid to get a lighter sentence. The police knew nothing about him, and Fortunato wanted to keep it that way. The whole affair with the biker gang had left a sour taste in Fortunato’s mouth. He had decided to never use the lowlifes ever again—until now.
Tanner would be expecting an increase in numbers or skill level. Diablo’s Doubles weren’t a step up in class over Boss and his men, but there were certainly a lot of them. If the club’s membership number had stayed the same, Tanner would be going up against at least eighteen men. That would keep the hit man busy. And who knows, maybe Hombre or one of his men would get lucky.
If luck was on their side and they killed Tanner, Fortunato would give them another assignment. They could track down and kill Guy Hutchinson for abandoning Fortunato at such a crucial moment. He would tell the bikers to be especially cruel and to make sure the man suffered horribly.
With his decision made, Fortunato went online to play chess. There was a woman in Argentina who had proven to be a worthy opponent and he enjoyed playing her.
It was just a matter of time until Tanner surfaced again. When he did so, Diablo’s Doubles would get a call.
16
To Serve And Protect (A Tanner Novel Book 39) Page 12