The TANNER Series - Books 10 -12 (Tanner Box Set Book 4)

by Remington Kane

  “I’d better watch my back around him.”

  “I called my mother and she’s going to send the things I need to the store, so tomorrow I’ll go and pick them up after lunch.”

  “Why don’t you ask that girl Deedee to bring them out here? It would save you a drive.”

  “I want to stop in and see my brother before we leave for Mexico, and besides, with me not there, he can really use Deedee’s help at the store.”

  “It’s not too late for you to back out of this, Amy. I don’t think you’ll be at risk in Mexico, but I also don’t like the idea of you being anywhere near a man like Alvarado.”

  “No Spenser, I’ll do my part, and anyway, you need me if your plan is to work.”

  “That’s true, and I’ve tried to come up with another plan, but nothing seems as likely to work as the one I’ve already come up with.”

  Amy hugged him.

  “I’m so afraid for you. I know that you and Tanner are as deadly as they come, but you’ll be going up against so many men.”

  “We’ll survive. The plan will work and we’ll survive.”

  Amy kissed him.

  “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

  Spenser’s hands slipped beneath her nightgown, and soon all thoughts of pain and loss were replaced by those of pleasure.

  ***

  Downstairs, Alexa stood in the doorway leading to the living room and frowned as she looked at the Tin Horsemen, who were all asleep.

  She left them and walked into the kitchen, where she sat beside Tanner at the table.

  “Those boys snore,” she said.

  “Which ones?”

  “All of them, and I still don’t know whether we can trust them or not.”

  “I don’t either, but I also think they seem sincere, and like Scar said, he owes Spenser his life.”

  Alexa gazed around at the kitchen.

  “I like this house.”

  “Yeah, but I was surprised when Spenser said he wanted to settle in one spot. Up until we built this place he was always a wanderer.”

  “And you traveled with him for years?”

  “Yes, both Romeo and I were young, and Spenser became a sort of surrogate father to us. Romeo’s father was still alive then, but he never really got along with the man.”

  Alexa reached over and took Tanner’s hand.

  “This plan of Spenser’s is brilliant, but it’s also risky, and there’s a chance that one of us won’t make it. If I die... I just want you to know that I’ve come to care for you a great deal, even if we’ve only known each other a short time.”

  Tanner linked his fingers with hers.

  “I care for you too, Alexa.”

  Tanner leaned in and they kissed, when it ended, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

  “We’ll survive. Never think about dying, only about killing. Dying takes care of itself, while killing takes thought and planning.”

  Alexa grinned.

  “You really are fearless.”

  “No, I’m not, but I do feel less fear than most, and I never let it control me. I’ll die someday, like everyone else, and fearing it will make no difference at all. When Alvarado shot me and left me for dead, I should have died... the way my family died, but I lived, and every day since has been a gift.”

  “I feel the same way, but I’ll never have peace until that man is dead.”

  Tanner placed a hand on her cheek.

  “You’ll soon have peace, believe it.”

  Alexa stood and stretched.

  “I’m going to take a long bath and then go to bed, but I want you to wake me when you come up.”

  “You have plans for me?”

  Alexa grinned.

  “I most certainly do.”

  She walked to the doorway, and then turned and looked back at Tanner.

  Tanner searched her eyes, saw the worry still lurking there, and then he smiled.

  “We’ll get through this in one piece. Remember something, Spenser and I are both Tanners, and a Tanner never fails to carry out a hit. Alonso Alvarado is a dead man.”

  Alexa looked thoughtful, and Tanner could see her relax.

  “Yes, that’s true, isn’t it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Don’t forget to wake me when you come up.”

  “Count on it.”

  Alexa sent him a little wave and then disappeared. Tanner sat at the kitchen table, while going over Spenser’s plan in his mind, and once again, he found it to be a sound strategy, and likely their only chance.

  “A Tanner never fails,” he said to himself, and knew it to be true.

  CHAPTER 9 – The book of Tanner

  The following morning, in Oklahoma City, Ariana O’Grady left the hospital while wearing a diagonal bandage on her face.

  It ran from right to left, and covered a cut that started at her upper lip and ended above her brow. The doctor told her that she just missed losing an eye, as Alexa’s blade had actually scratched her left cornea.

  Brick walked along beside Ariana as she was wheeled outside. Brick’s neck was heavily bandaged on the left side, where Tanner had impaled him. After the nurse left them, Brick pointed towards the parking lot.

  “I went and got the Lexus. Where do you want me to take you?”

  Ariana just stood there looking lost, and instead of answering Brick, she asked a question of her own.

  “What are the odds of us finding Tanner and the woman again?”

  “Not good, but the word is that they’re in Texas.”

  “He’s headed for Mexico. He’ll try to kill the man that wants him dead.”

  “Yeah, and he and the woman will die there.”

  Ariana looked around again.

  “I want to go home to Colorado. Will you take me, Brick?”

  “Whatever you want, Ariana, and if Tanner makes it out of Mexico, I’ll help you kill him.”

  “Thank you, and bring the car around, I just want to go home.”

  Brick went off to get the car and Ariana stood alone. As a young couple walked past her, she saw them both flinch as they got a look at her face.

  If Tanner made it out of Mexico, she wouldn’t go looking for him again, but if he ever set foot in Colorado, she vowed that she would kill him. Still, the person she really wanted was Alexa, and if she got her hands on her, she would slice her face to bloody ribbons.

  ***

  After his stint at guard duty the night before, Tanner didn’t fall asleep until nearly six a.m.

  When he woke, he was surprised to find that he had slept past noon, and then was pleased when he realized his ribs no longer hurt. After sitting up on the edge of the bed, he examined the wound to his calf, and saw that it was healing nicely.

  He took a long shower, dressed, and made his way downstairs, where he found that he was just in time to join everyone for lunch.

  Alexa kissed him in greeting and then asked him how he felt.

  “I’m better. My ribs don’t hurt, but I think I’ll give myself another day before we travel.”

  “We’ll need the time anyway,” Spenser said. “And I’d like to get some target practice in after we eat lunch.”

  “Count me in on that,” Tanner said.

  Amy and Alexa had combined their culinary skills and made both lunch and dinner, and the aroma of a baked ziti was in the air as everyone had a lunch of homemade chicken noodle soup and bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

  When Alexa teased the Horsemen about their nicknames, Amy asked them what their real names were.

  “I know that Abrasion is Lionel and that Scar is Johnny, but what are your real names Bruise and Wound?”

  “Eddie,” Bruise said, and then he smiled, which displayed the gap in his teeth. The gap was the result of a kick from Alexa when they were on opposite sides in Oklahoma.

  “And I’m Sean,” said Wound, whose hair was the lightest of the four of them, and would likely turn blond if he spent a lot of time in the sun. />
  After answering, Wound looked over at Tanner. “What’s your first name?”

  “Tanner.”

  “Huh? Then what’s your last name?”

  “Tanner. I’m just Tanner.”

  ***

  Once lunch was over, the Tin Horsemen went out in front of the house and played with a Frisbee.

  As they were doing that, Amy started on the lunch dishes, while Tanner, Spenser, and Alexa were in the basement gunroom, readying rifles for target practice.

  “I took the book out of the safe last night, Cody,” Spenser said.

  Tanner smiled.

  “How did you know that I would have something to add to it?”

  “You always do, and except for Tanner Five, I think you have more entries than any of us.”

  “What is this book you’re talking about?” Alexa asked, and Tanner explained.

  “It’s an old leather bound book with blank pages towards the back, but at the front there are a handwritten list of tactics and strategies. The first Tanner started it, and we’ve all followed suit.”

  “Are you serious? How old is this book?”

  Spenser was looking through a scope with his good eye, after determining that it was smudged, he cleaned it with a cloth.

  “The first entry is from 1921, it’s a long one, and it’s autobiographical. After that, Tanner One wrote down different tactics and things, the clever ways he had fulfilled a contract. It was handed down to Tanner Two when he came along, and he followed suit, and after his autobiography, he lists his tactics. The book is a real goldmine of ingenious ways to kill and survive, and Cody here has come up with a few of the best ones.”

  Alexa grinned.

  “Oh my God, I would love to read it.”

  “It’s only for Tanners, Alexa,” Spenser said, and then he added, “Of course, it would be Cody’s call, since he’s Tanner now.”

  Alexa held up a hand.

  “No, I don’t want to see it; I like the idea that only a Tanner can read it, it’s part of the myth and mystique.”

  Tanner and Spenser looked at each other and smiled. Alexa caught the exchange and stared at both of them.

  “Did I say something funny?”

  “No,” Tanner said, “It’s just that you sometimes act like a groupie around us.”

  She laughed.

  “I can’t help it. I grew up listening to stories about the exploits of Tanner Five, and for me, meeting you two is like meeting royalty.”

  ***

  They moved outside with the rifles

  After setting up paper targets on several trees at the edge of the property, Tanner, Spenser, and Alexa began target practice.

  Alexa was very good with a rifle, but she shook her head more than once in admiration of Tanner’s skill at long distance shooting, and thought it remarkable when at one point he hit a target that was more than a mile away.

  The Tin Horsemen had gathered to watch the exhibition and when Abrasion joined in with the sniper rifle that had belonged to the late Strike Team member, Hakeem, he found that he couldn’t hit even the edge of a target, and the other Horsemen laughed at him.

  Abrasion gave up after emptying a magazine, and headed for the house.

  Alexa felt bad for him and offered to give him a lesson.

  “No thanks,” he called back over his shoulder.

  “Dude, bring back some sodas,” Scar called to him.

  ***

  Amy had been looking into the refrigerator. When she closed the door, she jumped, as she found Abrasion standing behind it.

  “Oh Lionel, you scared me.”

  Abrasion sent her a stupid grin.

  “I just came inside to use the bathroom, and Scar asked me to get some soda.”

  Amy opened the fridge and grabbed a six-pack of cola. When she handed it to Abrasion, their fingers touched, and she saw him shiver.

  “You’re very pretty, Amy.”

  “Um, thank you, Lionel, but you know, I’m with Spenser. I’m also old enough to be your... older sister.”

  “I know,” Abrasion said, as he continued to stare at her.

  “Is there anything else you need, Lionel?”

  “Huh?”

  “Nevermind, and why don’t you take the soda outside.”

  “Okay, but hey Amy.”

  “Yes?”

  “If you and Spenser ever break up, you let me know.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Abrasion smiled as he left the kitchen whistling, and Amy let out a sigh.

  CHAPTER 10 – Bang bang

  Alexa called her Papa Rodrigo in Mexico and heard both worry and wonder in his voice when she told him she was with Tanner.

  When she revealed that she was also with Spenser, Tanner Six, he asked to speak to him, and Spenser and Rodrigo spent several minutes discussing Tanner Five, a man who had meant much to both of them.

  The last thing Rodrigo said to Spenser, was to ask him to keep his daughter safe, and Spenser told him that he would do just that, before handing the phone back to Alexa.

  ***

  Alexa had grown less wary of the Tin Horsemen and it was decided that a night watch wasn’t necessary. Instead, Spenser would set up motion detectors in strategic areas, and if any of the Horsemen decided to roam about overnight, an alarm would alert Spenser.

  ***

  As they soaked in a tub together, Alexa extended a long shapely leg and touched Tanner gently on the side with her toes.

  “How are the ribs feeling?”

  “They’re good, but now my shoulder aches from all the shooting we did today.”

  “So does mine, and I was awed by your skill with a rifle. You never missed once.”

  “I’ve always been good with a rifle.”

  Alexa moved closer and kissed him, before laying back in his arms.

  “You’re good at many things.”

  They grew quiet as they both enjoyed the warmth of the tub, as well as each other’s company. Alexa had lit several candles and placed them near the tub, while music played softly from an old boom box she had discovered in a closet.

  “I can’t wait until you and Spenser meet my Papa, and also his companion, Emilio. The two of them raised me after my family died.”

  “I saw their pictures on your phone. The three of you looked very happy together.”

  “We were. Despite what I suffered when my family died, I had a great childhood thanks to Rodrigo, and although it wasn’t a typical upbringing, I was glad that he never sheltered me from life. He was a thief and proud of it, and he never apologized for it.”

  “He sounds wise, most people spend their lives pretending to be something they’re not, instead of trying to be the best of what they really are.”

  Alexa turned in Tanner’s arms and stared into his eyes.

  “You’re a killer.”

  “Yes.”

  “So am I, but I don’t think it’s what I was meant to do.”

  “What were you meant to do?”

  “I want to be a mother and raise a child, maybe more than one, and I want to forget that evil such as Alvarado exist in this world.”

  “It sounds like the quiet life.”

  “It will be,” Alexa said.

  Tanner kissed her, and then she lay back in his arms again.

  “Alexa, who taught you how to fight, was it Rodrigo?”

  “My Papa taught me the basics, but no, I had a judo instructor, and there was another man... from him I learned about guns.”

  “This man with the guns, he was a lover, wasn’t he?”

  Alexa turned her head until she could see Tanner’s face.

  “How did you know that?”

  “I heard something in your voice, and I can also tell that it was a serious relationship.”

  “It was, for me at least.”

  “He cheated on you?”

  “Yes, and she was a friend.”

  “He was a fool to choose her over you.”

  “How can you say th
at? You don’t even know her.”

  Tanner caressed Alexa’s cheek.

  “I don’t have to know her; I know you.”

  “What about you, Tanner? Do you have a woman somewhere that I should know about?”

  “I was seeing a woman named Sophia, but she dumped me so that she could be with someone else. Alvarado killed her when he thought he was killing me, and so that’s one more thing I owe the man.”

  “This Sophia, did you love her?”

  “No, but we were friends.”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  Tanner released a deep sigh, before whispering, “Yes.”

  “And what happened to her?”

  “She’s married now.”

  “We’re quite a pair you and I,” Alexa said.

  “That we are,”

  Alexa stood, stepped from the water, and grabbed a towel to dry herself.

  When Tanner got out of the tub, Alexa looked him up and down, admiring his nakedness.

  “You appear to be unarmed, sir.”

  Tanner removed the towel she had wrapped herself in and gazed at her body. The sight of her loveliness caused a reaction, one that did not go unnoticed by Alexa.

  She slowly licked her lips as she took in his changed condition, and spoke in a voice made husky with lust.

  “You might be unarmed, but you’re fully loaded.”

  “Bang bang,” Tanner said, and they moved towards the bed.

  CHAPTER 11 – Wounded heart

  Tanner awoke the following morning to find that he had received the latest satellite images of Alvarado’s compound. They were sent by Dan Matthews, who also requested that Tanner call him.

  The Tin Horsemen had all behaved during the night and seemed boisterous over breakfast, as they debated the merits of a popular TV show that featured zombies. Their banter was often humorous, and even Tanner laughed at some of the things they said.

  When Tanner called Dan Matthews, he did so in the presence of Alexa and Spenser, and placed the call on speakerphone.

  They were down in the home’s basement and standing around a pool table that was littered with satellite images of Alvarado’s compound.

  “You have news?” Tanner asked.

  “Those satellite images are all the news you need, Tanner. There are hundreds of men surrounding that compound and the desert beyond it; as soon as you come within a mile of that place Alvarado will eat you alive.”