“I guess they were homesick.”
“Yes, but I’ll still miss them, and I also want to meet these two women they keep talking about.”
As Laurel went upstairs, Joe contained his glee at the news until he was certain she was out of sight, and then he let it out.
Big Ralphy looked at Joe in amazement.
“Wow, boss, I’ve known you for years and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you dance.”
CHAPTER 39 – Hunting at night
Tanner pulled the van to a stop on the side of a dirt road, before climbing into the rear of the vehicle, where he knelt beside Garrett Bates.
When Sammy pulled up on the bike, Tanner switched the dome light off before leaning over and opening the rear doors.
Bates was looking up at Tanner with eyes white with fear, and a sheen of sweat coated the man’s bald head.
“Where and when do you meet Calabrese?”
“What?”
“He must talk to you in person sometime.”
“Oh, yeah, there’s a farm, an old deserted farm out on County Road West, but he doesn’t come alone.”
“How many guys does he have with him?”
“Two, and they’re all armed, but listen, Myers, I’m cooperating, right? There’s no reason to kill me.”
Tanner whipped out a knife and cut Bates’ hands free.
“You’re driving us to this farm.”
“How did you know I was involved? Everyone thinks I hate Calabrese.”
“Yeah, and you’re still breathing, which made me wonder why he would put up with you and your paper. The cops would also never check your van because they trust you.”
“The two guys coming with Volks, I bet they’ll be the same two from the bar last night,” Sammy said.
“Who’s Volks?” Bates said.
“Nevermind, just take us to this farm, and when we get there, you’ll call Calabrese.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Not if you do as I say.”
“How can I trust you?”
“Bates, in about three seconds I’m going to smash you in the face if you don’t stop talking; you can trust that.”
Bates shut his mouth and Tanner freed his ankles from the zip ties.
***
Calabrese showed two hours later, and as Sammy thought he would, he had the same two bruisers from the night before with him.
Bates was leaning back against the van casually. The rear doors were open a crack, and Sammy lay flat on his stomach with a gun pressed against the base of Bates’ spine.
As they rode towards Bates, Calabrese and his men passed an old rusted Ford pickup on their left, which was sitting up on cinder blocks.
As the bikes rumbled by, Tanner sat up and then jumped out of the truck bed. He was running at full speed to catch up to the motorcycles, which began to slow as they neared the van.
One of the men must have caught sight of him in his mirror, because the bike swerved and then made to turn around. Tanner stopped running, dropped to one knee, and took aim at the dark shape of the rider’s helmet, with help from the gun’s laser sight.
The man was fumbling for a weapon beneath his jacket when the faceplate on the helmet shattered, and Tanner watched as the bike toppled over onto its side.
Knowing he’d been set-up, Calabrese fired at the van and struck Bates twice in the chest, then revved up his bike to flee. Sammy exploded from the rear of the van and rolled to the ground, and while lying on his stomach, he released several shots at Calabrese.
The shots missed Calabrese, but one of them wounded his other man. The man was hit in the back and it caused him to swerve.
When his front tire hit the rear of Calabrese’s bike, both men lost control and went tumbling, as their motorcycles skidded off into the weeds bordering the surrounding forest.
Sammy was ahead of Tanner’s position, and he made it to his feet and went after Calabrese. He was so intent on catching the man that he ignored the biker he had wounded, and ran right past him.
The biker pulled himself up to one elbow and took aim at Sammy with a long barreled revolver. Before the man could pull the trigger, Tanner shot him in the back twice.
“Sammy! Slow down!”
There was no answer.
They had talked about this while waiting for Calabrese to show. Tanner had warned Sammy about the dangers of running into the woods at night, telling him that Calabrese could easily lay in wait or circle back.
The light was bad as well, for although there was moonlight, clouds filled the sky and could render the forest pitch black without notice.
Tanner cursed, grabbed the dead man’s fallen revolver, and went running into the shadows of the trees.
CHAPTER 40 – Personal business
Sammy knew that he was being stupid, but he couldn’t imagine letting Volks just slip away.
He had been fourteen when Volks killed his father, Joseph Giacconi, and he still remembered the anguished look on his grandfather’s face when he told him of his father’s death.
From that day on, his grandfather tried to protect him and keep him out of the life, but he knew where he belonged even while he was in college, and it was the main reason he had returned to New York.
Sophia’s face flashed across his consciousness and he smiled.
She had been a surprise.
He hadn’t been in love since he had a crush on a girl in high school, and figured that he would never fall that hard again, but after one look at Sophia Verona, he knew he couldn’t forget her.
“I have to make it back to her,” he whispered to himself, and a second later, he heard the crunch of leaves to his right.
Sammy dropped and rolled behind a tree, just as three rounds passed through the space where his chest had been an instant before.
***
Tanner saw the muzzle flashes coming from up ahead and to his left.
When there was no accompanying cry of pain, he knew that the shots either had been fatal or had missed. What he didn’t know was who had fired them, but suspected it was Calabrese given the gun’s sound, and he hoped that Sammy had the presence of mind to turn off the laser sight on his weapon.
Tanner moved as soundlessly as possible through the trees and heard someone approaching.
Calabrese, who was Bobby Volks, was tall and outweighed Sammy by a good fifty pounds. Tanner waited for whoever was coming to get closer. If he could see their silhouette, he’d know who it was.
When the lumbering shape came towards him, he knew it was Volks. He raised his gun to fire, but then thought of Sammy.
The kid needed to put Volks down.
Tanner hid behind a tree and waited.
Volks appeared seconds later holding a gun in his right hand while he fumbled with a phone in his left. He was about to call in reinforcements, but he’d never get the chance.
As Volks passed him, Tanner smashed the revolver he’d taken off the dead man against the back of Volks’ head.
The big man tumbled to the ground, and Tanner rushed over and snatched his weapon away, before crushing the phone with the heel of his boot.
Volks looked up at him with dazed eyes, but had stayed conscious, as Tanner hoped he would.
Sounds came from behind them, and Tanner realized that Sammy was growing nearer. He emptied the remaining rounds from Volks’ gun into his hand, just as the man stood up on unsteady legs.
Tanner sat on the ground and tossed the empty gun back to Volks.
“Catch.”
Volks, still dazed, nearly dropped the weapon, but he managed not to lose it, and was holding it in his right hand when Sammy came into view.
“Volks!”
Hearing Sammy call him by his old name shocked Calabrese to full alertness, and he tensed up.
Sammy fired twice, both shots hitting Volks, one in his right shoulder, while the other hit him in the side.
Volks dropped to his knees as the gun fell from his hand, and Sammy walked over a
nd placed his weapon against Volks’ forehead.
“Tanner, were you hit?”
“No, but you’ve got good timing. He was just about to shoot me.”
Sammy pressed the gun hard against Volks.
“Bohdan Volkov, my name is Sammy Giacconi, and I’m Joe Giacconi’s son.”
Volks seemed to shrink in on himself.
“We were at war, kid. It wasn’t personal.”
“This is,” Sammy said, and he pulled the trigger.
The rear of Volks’ head exploded in a spray of gore as the body tumbled backwards.
Sammy stood there staring down at Volks, as his face wore a look of satisfaction.
“That was for you, Dad.”
A moment passed, and then Sammy turned away from the body. Tanner gave the corpse a final look and followed Sammy back to the farm.
They found Bates a dozen yards away from the van. He was dead; he had bled out from his wounds.
Sammy tossed his chin towards the interior of the van.
“What should we do with the meth?”
“Leave it. I’ll make an anonymous call to the cops.”
After righting one of the fallen bikes, Tanner got it started, but as he straddled it, Sammy motioned for him to cut the engine.
“Thank you, Tanner. I know that being around me was the last thing you wanted to do, because of Sophia and all, but I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“You did good, Sammy, and I know that Joe will be proud of you, and as far as Sophia, just take care of her, okay?”
“I love her, Tanner.”
Sammy climbed aboard his bike, and Bobby Volks became part of the past.
CHAPTER 41 – Death and deceit
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, TEN YEARS EARLIER
At 4:19 a.m., Tanner and Joe climbed the back stairs to Carlo Conti’s apartment.
As Tanner stayed back, Joe tried the doorknob, and as Conti had said it would be, it was unlocked.
Joe flicked his head around the doorframe and saw Conti sitting on his tattered sofa. He was dressed as he had been the day before and looked as if he had been awake all night. In his lap was an open bible.
Pullo motioned for Tanner to follow, and then he approached Conti.
Conti smiled up at him grimly.
“I see you’re a good soldier.”
Pullo looked unnerved by the words, but he did what he came there to do.
***
They returned to New York City before noon and were sitting in front of Sam Giacconi’s desk.
“If you’re back, that means you’ve found him,” Giacconi said.
“Yeah, we found him, Sam,” Joe said. “We found Conti. The bastard is dead.”
“Good work, and Tanner here backed you up?”
“Yeah, Tanner is all right, and I’d use him again.”
“Great. Now Joey, go see your mom, she called here looking for you.”
Joe stood and Tanner rose with him.
Sam Giacconi reached across the desk and shook Tanner’s hand.
“Thanks for helping my boy.”
“Anytime,” Tanner said.
The two of them left the funeral home and walked down the alley in the rear, where a hearse was parked. Across the street, a bell rang at a red brick factory and workers streamed from the building for their lunch break.
As a white Hummer drove by, Pullo followed the mammoth vehicle with his eyes, and there was a look of envy towards the driver.
“I’m going to get one of those someday.”
“You okay, Joe?”
“Yeah, Tanner, in the end, we all do what we have to do... still, I hated lying to Sam.”
***
The kid who had been beaten told Tanner and Joe about the missing black prostitute named Candy, but before they left him, he told them that Candy had two daughters.
Joe didn’t want to believe in Tanner’s theory, and thinking about it made him want to vomit.
“Child welfare must have them.”
“Maybe, but I’ve got to know one way or another.”
Joe stared at him for long seconds and then nodded.
“I’m with you.”
“We’ll go in around four, that’s when the guard at the door will be at his lowest point.”
“Yeah, but what if more guys show?”
“Then we go in sooner.”
“How do you want to do this?”
Tanner smiled.
“I have a plan.”
***
At 3:58 a.m., Joe staggered out of his motel room with a bottle in his hand, while mumbling to himself.
He immediately caught the attention of the man across the courtyard who was guarding Room 16. The man was white, tall, and lanky, and there was the bulge of a shoulder holster beneath his jacket.
The man sat up straighter in his chair as he cleared his throat, and Joe wondered if he might have been asleep.
Joe walked towards him while still staggering, coming at the man from his right.
“Go back in your room and sleep it off, dude,” the guard said.
Joe ignored him and drew closer.
The man had just taken his gun out to threaten Joe, when Tanner came up behind the guard and jammed an ice pick into the back of his neck.
The man fell to the walkway while twitching in his death throes, and Joe caught the gun before it could hit the ground. Tanner found the keys for the lock in the man’s jacket pocket and opened the door.
Pullo crossed himself for the first time in years as his eyes fell on the daughters of the prostitute named Candy.
The two girls were six and seven-years-old. Hellman had been pimping them out to pedophiles for nearly a week after murdering their mother and disposing of her body.
***
Conti was waiting for Joe to take out a gun and shoot him, when he spotted Tanner walking through the doorway. Tanner was carrying the two girls, whom he and Joe had rescued after wrapping them in blankets.
Hellman had kept the children naked and chained to a bed.
Conti stood. “What is this?”
Joe explained quickly and Conti looked as sickened by the tale as Joe felt.
“You’ll take care of them?” Tanner asked.
“Of course, but I don’t have a phone. Please call an ambulance for these children. They need to see a doctor.”
The two black girls sat on Conti’s couch in a near-catatonic state, and Tanner wondered if either of them would ever lead a normal life.
Joe placed a hand on Conti’s shoulder.
“We were never here, and as far as we’re concerned, Carlo Conti is dead.”
“Thank you, and please, make that call. These children need help.”
Tanner sent Conti a nod, took one last look at the girls, and left to call the ambulance.
***
Hellman arrived at the motel just after seven a.m.
When he saw that the bodyguard wasn’t at his post, he went to investigate, and that’s when he noticed that the door to Room 16 was sitting ajar.
As he stepped into the room, Hellman spotted the money that had been flung across the bed. It drew him in, as Tanner knew it would.
However, when he saw the feet of the bodyguard sticking out of the bathroom, Hellman inhaled sharply and peddled backwards.
That’s when Tanner and Joe entered and slammed the door shut.
Hellman spun around and tried the fake smile.
“Those girls earn a fortune; I’ll cut you both in.”
Tanner and Joe raised their weapons simultaneously and emptied them into Hellman.
They were in the car and out on the highway in seconds, headed back to New York City, and bonded by death and deceit.
***
“You didn’t lie to Giacconi. You told him we found Conti, and you told him that a bastard was dead, both of those things are true.”
Joe shook his head.
“I still lied, but I can live with it.”
“I’ll see you arou
nd, Joe.”
“Yeah, Tanner, keep in touch.”
The two men separated, not as friends, but no longer strangers.
CHAPTER 42 – Man of mystery
Tanner found Susan wide-awake and dressed in a robe. She was seated on her porch awaiting his return.
After a kiss of greeting, she looked at him questioningly, and he answered her with only two words.
“It’s done.”
Susan then reached out, took Sammy’s hand, and gave it a squeeze.
“How do you feel?”
Sammy looked startled by the question, and Susan’s empathy, but after letting out a sigh, he answered her.
“Better, I feel better.”
“Amy volunteered to cook breakfast tomorrow because it’s her day off, so she’ll be up early.”
“I wouldn’t count on her having the day off,” Tanner said.
Susan understood his meaning, and the three of them went inside.
***
Tanner explained to Susan what had happened without going into detail.
When he told her about Garrett Bates, she seemed surprised.
“He’s a—he was a town hero and was going to run for mayor next year. He was also Tyrone’s Boy Scout Troop Leader, and he actually helped to bring that poison into the county? It makes you wonder about everyone.”
“It was likely greed that drove him, and I’m sure he was paid well.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No. Calabrese killed him.”
“I never liked Garrett, that way, but I did like him as a friend, and I admired him too.”
“Then, I’m sorry you lost your friend.”
“Don’t be, and enough talk, it’s late and I want to go to bed.”
Tanner held her as they lay in bed facing each other.
“I’m going to miss you,” Susan said. “But right now I’m too damn tired to show you how much.”
“You can show me in the morning.”
Susan snuggled closer.
“You remind me of my husband. He was a man of action too, and even when he was home on leave, I could tell that he wanted to get back into battle.”
“And it left you a young widow.”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t trade my years with him for anything. Is that why you’ve never married? Are you afraid to leave behind a widow?”
The TANNER Series - Books 7-9 (Tanner Box Set Book 3) Page 24