“I’m aware of that, but since Alvarado won’t leave the compound, I have to go to him.”
“Yes, but how will you do it? You must have a plan.”
Tanner looked at Spenser and then Alexa.
“What do you two think?”
“I think that having Conrad Burke on our side would be a big help,” Spenser said.
“I agree,” Alexa said. “And we need more information if our plan is to work.”
“If I reveal our plan, would Burke be willing to help us carry it out?”
“Yes, Mr. Burke instructed me to give you every assistance I could, and in exchange, you’ll see that his brother-in-law emerges from that compound safely.”
“All right then, our plan is to charge into Mexico and head straight for Alvarado while causing as much damage to the man’s operation as we can. Then, once we get close to that desert fortress of his, we’ll change tactics and enter the compound inside one of the trucks that deliver food.”
“That will never work, every vehicle is searched and there are also dogs.”
“We understand that, but we’ll be well hidden and our scents will be masked.”
“That sounds risky, but I suppose that it could work. How can Burke help you?”
“You’re a giant corporation, and although you don’t do business with Alvarado, I’m sure you must have connections with businesses in Mexico that do associate with the man. We need you to find out the name of the company where Alvarado gets his food shipments, along with the trucking firm that makes the deliveries. Once we have that information, we’ll handle it from there.”
“Fine, that shouldn’t take long to ferret out. I’ll send you an email when I have the information.”
“Good, and give Burke my thanks.”
“I will,” Matthews said, and then he hung up.
After putting his phone away, Tanner looked over at Spenser.
“What do you think?”
“I think our plan is a go, but I do want to make a change.”
“What change?” Alexa asked.
“The Horsemen, Johnny and his boys, I want to use them as backup for Amy. They’re not much, but I think I’d feel better if she had them around, and Martinez may expect them to be in Mexico anyway once they know we’re there.”
“You trust them enough to leave Amy alone with them?” Alexa asked.
“I do,” Spenser said. “And they should be far from the action in any event.”
Alexa smiled.
“You may be right, and I think the one called Abrasion would die for her, he has quite a crush.”
Spenser walked over to Tanner and looked him over.
“How are you feeling, boy?”
“I’m good, and I doubt we’ll see much action until we’re in Mexico, so that gives me at least another day to heal. If everything is ready, I say we leave before noon tomorrow.”
“I agree.”
“I spoke with Dante again,” Alexa said. “He told me that Sandoval will arrange to meet us in the Brownsville, Texas area, and then help us cross the border without being spotted.”
“Can this Sandoval be trusted?” Spenser said.
“Not at all,” Alexa said. “But in this instance, our goals do align, so he has no need to double-cross us.”
“Let’s get Amy down here and go over the plan once more,” Spenser said.
Alexa headed up the stairs.
“I’ll get her.”
***
After Alexa disappeared up the stairs, Tanner told Spenser that he needed to apologize to him.
“Apologize for what, Cody?”
Tanner leaned back against the pool table as Spenser did the same and settled to his left.
“A few months back, while I was in New York City, an outfit called The Conglomerate put a price on my head. It was chump change compared to how much Alvarado is willing to pay to see me dead, but at one point, I faked my death and was thinking about starting over.”
“Starting over?” Spenser said. “You mean give up the Tanner name?”
“Yeah, but I see now that if I had done that, it would have been like spitting in your face.”
“I don’t get you, Cody. How would that have been an insult to me?”
“You passed the Tanner name on to me when I was still very young. I don’t think I fully appreciated just what an honor you gave me by doing that. Since I’ve met Alexa, I’ve come to see how special it is to be a Tanner, and I won’t give up the name until I find someone to pass it on to myself.”
Spenser smiled.
“It’s not a legacy that many would appreciate, being the best killer in the world, but I was always proud to be a Tanner, and Cody, you’ve only set the bar higher, and I’m so proud of you, boy, don’t ever forget that.”
“Thank you, but I just wanted you to know that I get it now, and that the name Tanner is more than a name. It’s a statement.”
Spenser quit leaning back on the pool table and placed a hand on Tanner’s shoulder.
“This hit on Alvarado, the killing of a man who’s as protected as he is. It will take you to a whole new level and leave no doubts that you, that Tanner, is the best assassin in the world.”
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be since the night Alvarado and his men killed my family, and if I was then what I am now... I would have killed them all; I don’t know how I would have done it, but I would have killed every last one of them.”
Spenser stared into Tanner’s eyes. On the night Tanner’s family was massacred, Alvarado had arrived with over three dozen armed men who were experienced and merciless killers. Sixteen-year-old and untrained, Cody Parker managed to kill eight of those men.
The Cody Parker who stood before Spenser now was no longer a boy, he was highly trained, and had proven himself against those who were believed to be his better, such as the late German assassin, Lars Gruber.
If any man on the planet could not only survive, but triumph against such overwhelming odds, Spenser knew that he was looking at him.
Spenser took his protégé by the shoulders.
“You’re the best, Cody, and don’t ever doubt it.”
Tanner grinned.
“I had a great teacher.”
***
When Alexa reached the kitchen, she had to stifle a chuckle, as she saw Abrasion handing Amy flowers. Alexa stood in the threshold and just watched the two of them, while remaining unnoticed.
“Where did you get these flowers, Lionel?”
“They’re growing wild out back there and there’s a few along the side of the house too.”
“All right then, and thank you, I’ll put them in a vase and we can all enjoy them as a centerpiece for the dining room table.”
“Okay, but I picked them just for you.”
Amy sent Abrasion a patient smile.
“We discussed this, Lionel, remember?”
Abrasion shook his head.
“I wasn’t hitting on you. I just saw the flowers and thought you should have them.”
Amy smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“That’s fine, as long as you remember that I’m with Spenser and that you and I can only be friends.”
“I get you, Amy,” Abrasion said.
Alexa watched as he drifted out the back door, and then she walked over to Amy with a grin on her face.
“Someone has an admirer.”
“He’s a sweet boy, and I’m flattered.”
“Still, can you imagine, thinking that you would be interested in him, after having been with a man like Spenser?”
“It’s just a crush, and once he meets a girl his own age he’ll forget all about me.”
“Spenser wants to see you in the basement; we need to go over the plan.”
“All right,” Amy said, and the two women headed for the basement steps, as they did so, they passed by an open window.
Outside that window, Abrasion stood with a handful of wild flowers that he had just picked from the
area alongside the house.
He had overheard Amy and Alexa’s conversation about him, and after releasing the flowers, he stepped on them, as his face twisted in anger.
“I’m not a boy, Amy, I’m a man.”
CHAPTER 12 – Once a spy, always a spy
At the Alvarado compound in Mexico, Martinez looked at his phone with a face showing frustration, as his call to Scar went to voicemail once again.
“Call me!”
It had been two days since they last had news about Tanner, and Alvarado was becoming more agitated by the hour.
Once again, Martinez had been ordered to come to the drug lord’s office, and when he saw that Malena was also present for the meeting, he understood that he had just about run out of time.
“Is there any news?” Alvarado asked.
Before answering, Martinez looked at Malena and saw that she wore a smug smile. When he turned back to Alvarado, he noticed the gun sitting atop the desk, in easy reach of the drug lord’s right hand.
“Well, speak up,” Alvarado said, and as Martinez opened his mouth to lie, his phone rang. When he saw the number displayed, he let out a sigh of relief.
“I need to take this call; It’s about Tanner.”
“Take it then,” Alvarado said.
Martinez answered the call by saying the words, “Give me some good news,” and then he listened for several seconds, and as he listened, a smile formed on his lips.
“I’m with the client and his wife. I’m going to put you on speakerphone, and I want you to repeat what you just told me.”
Martinez pushed a button, held up the phone, and a voice filled the room.
“I can confirm that Tanner is still with the woman and that a man is helping them as well. I also know how they’re planning to enter the compound.”
“How can you know their plans?” Malena Alvarado asked.
“Conrad Burke is helping Tanner. He wants Tanner to survive his encounter with you so that he can then utilize the man’s skills. I know all this because I’m in the employ of Mr. Burke, although I do plan to retire after I’m paid handsomely for the information I have.”
Those last words caused Martinez to grow angry.
“You’ve already been paid by Hexalcorp, and paid a great deal.”
“True,” said the voice. “But that was when I was a simple corporate spy, and I’ve been around long enough to know when I’m holding a winning hand. I want two million now and a million more when Tanner and his friends are dead. Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll pay you what you ask,” Alvarado said. “But I’ll want proof that you can deliver what you say you can.”
“I figured you would say that, and so I’ll play a little recording. I made it when Tanner and the others revealed their plan.”
A bit of background noise came through the phone, and then a voice was heard, Tanner’s voice.
“You have news?”
“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.”
“I’m aware of that, but since Alvarado won’t leave the compound, I have to go to him.”
“Yes, but how will you do it. You must have a plan.”
There was a short gap, and then Alvarado heard Tanner speak to his companions.
“What do you two think?”
A man spoke, and Alvarado recognized the voice. It belonged to the man who had crippled him.
“I think that having Conrad Burke on our side would be a big help.”
“I agree,” said a woman who spoke English with a Spanish accent. “And we need more information if our plan is to work.”
“If I reveal our plan, would Burke be willing to help us carry it out?”
“Yes, Mr. Burke instructed me to give you every assistance I could—”
The recording ended abruptly.
“It was after that part of the conversation that Tanner revealed their plan to get inside the compound. Once two million dollars has been transferred into my account I’ll play the rest of the recording.”
Alvarado was sitting in his specially designed chair. He leaned forward to get closer to Martinez’s phone.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Dan Matthews, Alvarado, and I’m the man who can finally hand you Tanner.”
“You will have your money,” Alvarado said. “And then I will have my revenge.”
CHAPTER 13 – Off to slay
The following morning, at sunrise, Tanner and Spenser went for a run, and the Tin Horsemen decided to tag along.
What the boys failed to understand, was that when a Tanner went for a run, he ran, and he ran full out.
After starting at a jog to warm-up, Tanner and Spenser turned on the speed and kept up a blistering pace.
Bruise gave up somewhere along the second mile, While Scar and Wound faded halfway along the third.
Abrasion gave his all to keep up with Spenser. It was a vain attempt to prove he was as good as Amy’s one-eyed lover, but he soon fell far behind and came to a sudden halt early along the fourth mile, as a stitch in his side caused him agony.
Tanner and Spenser kept running along a route that circumnavigated the house. It was a simple two mile long dirt track, and the fleet feet of the two Tanners kicked up a cloud of dust as they hurtled along.
When they came to the end of their fifth lap and tenth mile, first Spenser slowed, followed by Tanner, and the two men jogged their final steps towards the home while breathing through their mouths, as sweat poured off them.
They had covered ten miles in a little more than an hour, and Tanner knew that he was ready for Mexico.
Behind them, and cutting across the field, the Tin Horsemen came at a walking pace.
When Tanner and Spenser reached the porch, they found Amy and Alexa sitting in a pair of Adirondack chairs.
Amy’s part in Spenser’s plan was crucial, and part of it sat on a towing trailer attached to the rear of Scar’s pick-up truck. It looked like a large plastic-wrapped skid full of boxes, but inside its hollow center was a chamber large enough to hold three people.
It could be equipped with air tanks and when in use, it could also hold containers of ice to keep the interior cool.
The boxes beneath the plastic on the exterior were covered in Spanish with the names of major brands of Mexican food.
Amy had printed the logos on the boxes and they matched perfectly those of the real companies located in Mexico, while the Tin Horsemen had helped her construct the cardboard Trojan horse, which could be entered from the top once the upper section was folded out of the way.
The entire thing was secured atop an old wooden skid and looked like a million other pallets of goods. They would be shipping it to Mexico inside a crate, where it would be retrieved by Dante and waiting for them.
Tanner and Spenser looked at Alexa, and then at Amy.
“Well, what do you think?” Amy said, as she gestured towards her work.
Tanner gave Amy’s creation a good look and followed it with a broad smile.
“It’s perfect, Amy,” Tanner said. “And once it’s delivered to his compound, Alvarado won’t know what hit him.”
Spenser went to Amy, reached down, and pulled her from the chair by her hands.
“This plan will work, and we leave for Mexico today.”
***
After breakfast, Alexa spoke with Dante, Damián Sandoval’s man, and learned that Alvarado had stepped up his efforts to discover her identity.
“He has over a hundred people showing your picture around in Mexico City and the surrounding area,” Dante said.
Alexa thought about Rodrigo and Emilio. Once Alvarado learned her identity, it wouldn’t be long until he discovered her connection to them.
“How did you learn about this?”
“One of Alvarado’s people showed the sketch of you to one of the people
loyal to me. This has been going on for two days. If you have any connection to Mexico City, Alvarado will uncover it.”
Alexa had several connections to the city, and once owned a jewelry store. She thanked Dante for the tip, confirmed their plans to meet with Sandoval, and ended the call.
When she tried to reach Rodrigo, she was only able to leave a message on an answering machine warning him to take Emilio and leave their house.
“Call me as soon as you get this message, Papa, I love you.”
***
Alexa filled Tanner and Spenser in as they were outside the house and packing her van before leaving for Mexico, and after overhearing the conversation, Amy had a suggestion.
“Why don’t I go with the boys and get your family to safety?”
Amy was talking about the Tin Horsemen when she said “the boys”, as she was flying to Mexico with them, while Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser headed for Brownsville, Texas to meet with Damián Sandoval.
Scar and the other Horsemen stood by their pickup and listened to the conversation.
Alexa looked relieved by Amy’s offer, but Spenser held up a hand in protest.
“That’s too dangerous, Amy. What if Alvarado’s men are there when you arrive? You’d be walking into a trap.”
“I won’t be stupid about it, Spenser. I’ll only approach the house if Alexa’s father answers my call, and then we’ll take them somewhere safe.”
“It’s still risky,” Spenser said.
“Risky or not, it’s what I want to do. You three will be in great danger every second you’re in Mexico, keeping Alexa’s family safe is the least I can do, and I will have the boys backing me up.”
“We’re not boys,” Abrasion said.
Amy sent him a smile.
“It’s just an expression, Lionel.”
Alexa spoke to Spenser.
“I understand your fear for Amy’s safety, but it would give me peace of mind to know that someone was looking out for my family.”
Spenser considered Alexa’s words and then stared at Amy.
“You be careful, and call me as soon as you get to the rendezvous point. My phone will probably be off, so leave a message.”
***
Amy and the Horsemen left first, as they were taking a commercial flight into Mexico.
The TANNER Series - Books 10 -12 (Tanner Box Set Book 4) Page 19