The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart

by Remington Kane

  “How about that guy Romeo from last night?”

  “I got him working on something else.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “He looks like a flake, but he kept his nerve last night and saved the club.”

  “I look forward to meeting him,” Pullo said.

  There was a knock on the door, and when Johnny yelled, “Come in,” Merle and Earl entered.

  “You wanted to see us, boss?” Merle said, but then he looked at Joe. “I mean, bosses.”

  Johnny smiled. “Joe’s the boss now, just call me Johnny, and yeah, I wanted to see you.”

  Pullo stood. “I’ve got someplace to be for a while,” Pullo said and Johnny knew that he meant he was going to visit Sam Giacconi.

  “When you get back, start using the limo, it’s yours now.”

  Pullo shook his head. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

  Once Pullo left, Johnny looked over at Merle and Earl.

  “It’s time to get back to work, boys.”

  “You want us to steal some cars?” Earl said.

  “Hell no, you boys are more valuable than that. We need you to take care of a little problem.”

  Johnny passed them a file that contained a photo of a man with a wide, florid face. Atop the picture was written a name and address.

  “That’s Matthew Burns; make sure he leaves the planet.”

  “You mean kill him?” Merle said.

  “You whacked Tanner, so Burns should be a piece of cake, but you have to make it look like an accident.”

  The brothers gave each other a stricken look. They hadn’t killed Tanner, they hadn’t killed anyone, but they couldn’t tell Johnny that.

  “What did this guy do?”

  “He’s a thief. He embezzled money from the wrong people years ago, and was spotted just the other day in Jersey. You two are going to make sure he finally pays for it.”

  Merle looked down at the photo and thought that Burns looked like a nice guy.

  “How much time do we have?”

  “The sooner the better, and remember, it has to look like an accident. Don’t go blasting him to pieces like you did with Tanner. We don’t want the cops involved.”

  The boys left the club and sat in their car.

  “What are we gonna do, Merle? I don’t want to kill anybody.”

  “Me either, but if we don’t kill this guy, Johnny might kill us.”

  “Let’s go home. Let’s just go back home to Arkansas and become farmers like Daddy.”

  “They would find us there, Merle. They would send somebody like Tanner after us and we’d be dead, instead of this guy Burns they want us to kill.”

  “You’re right, so what do we do?”

  “Let’s go find this guy and see what’s what.”

  “And then?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Earl started the engine. “If we could find Tanner, we could ask him to do it, he kinda owes us.”

  “Maybe, but who the hell knows where he is?”

  “If we get out of this, I think we should get real jobs.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, but we could start a business with the hundred grand we got.”

  “And what happens if they find out Tanner is alive?”

  “Right, I forgot. Damn Tanner, he screwed us good.”

  “Why don’t we just do it?”

  “You mean kill the guy?”

  Merle nodded. “Yeah, there’s two of us and only one guy. We can do it.”

  “You really think so?”

  “I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out.”

  116

  Fight Or Flight?

  Sophia Verona watched in amazement as the man pointing the gun at her suddenly sprouted a hole between his eyes, and she realized he’d been struck with a bullet, as the sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the house.

  Sophia was on her knees with her hands bound behind her back. She wisely fell forward, to lay flat on her stomach, as the other two men spun around to face their attacker.

  When she looked over her shoulder, Sophia saw a man with mirrored sunglasses and spiked blond hair firing at the men who had abducted her. The look of calm control lighting his face shocked her.

  The man displayed no fear, and Sophia knew his shots had been on target, because the remaining two men fell beside her on the floor, and both had fatal head wounds like the first man; also, like the first man, they never got off a shot.

  “There’s a driver in the van outside,” Sophia said.

  “He’s toast,” Tanner said and after taking out a knife, he cut Sophia’s hands free and helped her to her feet. She was wearing a white blouse beneath a blue sweater, with a matching blue skirt that was short and showcased her long, shapely legs, while her red hair hung loose about her shoulders.

  They were in an abandoned house on Staten Island. The Calvino Family ran the island, and they were the smallest of the five Families, however, thanks mainly to Sophia’s skill at internet crime, they were third in earning power.

  “Who are you?” Sophia took off the blood-spattered sweater and spoke in a breathless voice, as her heart raced. It was just seconds earlier that she thought herself about to die.

  “My name is Romeo. Johnny R sent me to look out for you.”

  “Johnny? Oh, God bless him, and you too, Romeo. You saved my life.”

  Tanner pointed at the first man he’d shot. “He’s one of yours, isn’t he?”

  “His name is Anthony Cello. I grew up with the son of a bitch. He said he’d make it quick, as if he was doing me a favor. He also told me that he was killing me on orders from Saul Adamo.”

  Tanner headed toward the hallway that led to the rear of the house.

  “We have to leave in case somebody heard those shots.”

  Sophia reached down and took the weapon that seconds earlier had been aimed at her face. She and Tanner left the home, traveled through sparse woods, and climbed inside the car Tanner had left there.

  “Were you following me?” Sophia asked.

  “Keeping watch, and I saw them grab you off the street.”

  “The bastards were good, they clamped a hand over my mouth and I couldn’t even scream. One second I was walking back to my car and the next thing I knew, I was in their van getting my hands tied behind my back.”

  “Rossetti said to protect you, but as long as Adamo is alive it sounds like you’re screwed.”

  “If you’re thinking of killing Saul, you’re crazy. He’ll have a dozen men around him.”

  “Where at? Do you know the layout, where the men will be?”

  Sophia thought about it and realized that she did know where Adamo was, or rather, where he would soon be.

  “Saul owns a restaurant. He gets there mid-morning and stays until closing. He won’t have a dozen men with him, but he will have at least three or four.”

  “There will be staff there too?”

  “Yeah, a few, but only in the kitchen. The restaurant is more like a private club for members of the Family and usually only serves dinner.”

  Tanner had been contemplating taking the fight to Adamo, but realized, that as Romeo, he’d be more likely to just follow orders, take Sophia to a safe place and let Johnny Rossetti worry about the rest.

  “It’s up to you, baby. I’m just a hired gun. Say the word and I’ll take you someplace to hide until Rossetti can come get you.”

  Sophia stared at him as he drove along. “Hide?”

  “Yeah, or I can take you straight to Rossetti.”

  Sophia’s fear had passed, to be replaced by anger. “Saul Adamo had a hand in killing my father, I know he did, and now he tries to kill me too. I’m not going to hide and I’m not going to run to Johnny, I’m going to take the bastard out.”

  “Do you have men you can trust?”

  Sophia looked down at her hands, which were massaging her wrists, as she tried to get circulation back into her fingers.

/>   “I would have said the man back there, the one who was about to kill me, was someone I could trust, but now, I’m not really sure about anybody.”

  “It sounds like you’re on your own.”

  Sophia laid a hand on Tanner’s bare shoulder, near the seam of his leather vest.

  “What about you? Will you help me, or do you have to get permission from Johnny?”

  “I’m an independent; the only permission I need is my own.”

  “Romeo, killing someone like Adamo without the Conglomerate’s blessing could be a death sentence. You should know that before you help me.”

  “I just killed three of his men. Adamo will be looking to whack me anyway.”

  Sophia agreed and became thoughtful. When she did speak, it seemed to Tanner as if she were thinking aloud.

  “Saul thinks I’m dead and won’t be worried about retaliation. I would have just disappeared like my father. If I give him time, he’ll know something is wrong. He’d expect me to go to Vic Conti, or even Johnny, then he’ll gather more men around himself.”

  “If you want to kill him, the sooner the better,” Tanner said.

  Sophia reached down to the floorboards and grabbed the gun she’d taken.

  “Help me kill Adamo, Romeo, and I’ll give you anything you want.”

  Tanner’s gaze left the road and flowed over Sophia, paying special attention to her shapely legs.

  “I’ll remember you said that.”

  She laughed. “Fucking men, always thinking about sex.”

  Then, the two of them went off to find Adamo.

  117

  Blood Red

  Frank Richards’ bodyguard, Gary, escorted Al Trent into Richards’ office with an arm on his elbow, and then guided him to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

  “I finally tracked him down,” Gary said.

  Richards studied Trent from his seat behind the desk. “You look like shit, Al.”

  “I feel like shit as well, sir, and let me assure you once again that I’m being framed.”

  Richards looked up at Gary. “Wait outside the door.”

  Once Gary left, Trent slid the envelope containing the pictures of Madison and Tim across the desk.

  When Richards opened it, he furrowed his brow. “Madison, and who is this man? He looks familiar.”

  “That’s Tim Jackson, the man that hacked into one of our subsidiaries and stole nearly a million dollars.”

  “Where did you get these pictures?”

  “From a source at Tri-State Janitorial Services. Tim Jackson hacked into their system and created fake IDs for himself and Madison that allowed them to work here as part of the night cleaning crew.”

  “To what end?”

  “To access MegaZenith’s files, and if it were anyone but Jackson I would say they had no chance at decrypting them, but with a man like Jackson, who knows.”

  Richards rose from his seat and paced in front of the windows behind his desk.

  “This could be disastrous, and Madison, to betray me this way.”

  “You disowned her, and she suspects you had her mother killed, which you did. Is it any wonder she’d seek revenge?”

  Richards stopped pacing and stared at Trent. “You mentioned Tri-State. Does this tie-in with the murder of Carl Reese?”

  “Yes, sir. I believed they framed me, or rather, Madison did, and yet, I still have no idea what happened to Jackie Verona’s body and why Reese was found in its place. Perhaps Madison and Jackson were following me when Gruber committed the murder.”

  “Hmm, it seems my daughter has more starch than I thought. It’s a pity she only utilizes it to cause me harm.”

  “I have a proposition, sir.”

  “Yes?”

  “Let me track down Jackson and your daughter. It’s the only way I’ll clear my name, and I’m one of the few people you can trust with the files he’s stolen.”

  Richards knew that Trent was right about the files. He had told Gary to find Trent because he had such knowledge. Richards feared that he would use that information or the fact that he had ordered his wife’s murder, to make a deal with the DA to avoid prison. However, if he killed Trent now, he would still need to send someone to track down Jackson, and if Jackson disclosed how valuable the files were, he would just be trading one problem for another.

  There was also the matter of motivation, something that Trent possessed in abundance if he believed that finding Jackson would clear his name.

  “All right, I’ll give you all the help you need in tracking down Madison, and Tim Jackson, but I want you to do so with Gary by your side.”

  “Why, sir?”

  “You suspect Jackson killed Reese, which means he’s dangerous, but I’m sure that Gary will handle him.”

  “As long as he knows he’s not to kill him. I’ll need Jackson’s testimony to prove my innocence.”

  “I’ll make sure he knows that, but tell me, do you have any idea how to find Jackson?”

  “Not a clue, but I think I know how to track down Madison.”

  “Ah, and then she’ll lead you to Jackson. Good thinking.”

  “My plan to find Madison involves surveillance, but if I’m correct in my assumptions, I’ll have her back here in a matter of days.”

  “Tell Gary what’s going on and he’ll help you with anything you need.”

  Trent grinned and appeared visibly relieved as tension left his neck and shoulders.

  “Thank you, Mr. Richards. I’ll get those computer files back, prove my innocence, and once more take my place beside you.”

  Richards smiled in return and reached across the desk to shake Trent’s hand.

  “Good luck, son, and please, send Gary in when you’re through telling him what’s happening.”

  Trent left the office with a spring in his step, and a few minutes later, Gary returned.

  “Mr. Trent said you wanted to see me?”

  “Did he tell you his plans?”

  “Yes, sir, we’re to track down your daughter and a man named Tim Jackson.”

  “That traitorous bitch is no longer my daughter, but yes, you’re to assist Al with tracking her and Jackson down. Once you find them… see that they disappear.”

  “Sir?” Gary said, not sure if he understood what was being asked of him. Disowned or not, Madison was still Richards’ flesh and blood.

  “You heard me correctly; I want them both eliminated. When you find where they’ve been hiding, burn the place to the ground.”

  Gary swallowed once before speaking. “Yes, sir, and is there anything else?”

  “Yes, there is, once he’s no longer useful, dispose of Al Trent as well. Accomplish these tasks and I will double your salary.”

  Gary smiled. “Consider it done.”

  “You’re excused,” Richards said, but as Gary reached the door, he called out to him.

  “Yes sir?”

  “About the girl… make certain she doesn’t suffer.”

  “Yes sir, I understand.”

  Richards watched Gary depart on a mission to kill Madison, his only child, and the last speck of white within Richards’ black heart darkened to blood red.

  118

  A Very Short Life

  Merle and Earl were in Paterson, New Jersey, gazing out through their windshield at the home of Matthew Burns, a man they had been ordered to kill.

  “Maybe we could sneak up, knock him out, and put him in the bathtub, make it look like he drowned,” Earl said.

  “That won’t work. The cops will figure out he was hit from behind.”

  Earl turned in his seat and stared out the rear window. “Let’s walk back to that bar on the corner there. I need a few beers if we’re goin’ to do this.”

  “Damn right, and maybe we’ll think of somethin’ while we’re drinkin’.”

  They left their car parked in front of Burns’ modest home and strolled to the neighborhood pub that sat on the corner.

  The lunch crowd was gath
ering from local businesses and the boys decided to eat as well as drink.

  They sat at the bar rather than at a table. After ordering their lunch, fish and chips, they drank their first beers, trying to muster the will to do what they knew they had to do, if they wanted to keep breathing themselves.

  When they were halfway through their food and on their second beers, a man slid on the stool beside them. When Earl realized who it was, he gave his older brother a nudge.

  “It’s him.”

  Merle turned his head and found the man he was sent to kill staring at him. Matthew Burns was a large man in his mid-fifties with a red face and bright blue eyes. He had a sizable beer belly, and he towered over Merle and Earl even though they were all seated.

  Burns glared at them. “I know why you two are here, and let me tell you, it’s not gonna happen.”

  On Staten Island, Tanner and Sophia watched the rear of Saul Adamo’s restaurant as a produce truck backed up to unload fresh vegetables.

  They were behind a wooden fence that had seen better days, and although there was music playing from the house behind them, they were hidden from sight by the trees.

  They had stopped to buy baseball caps, which they wore low, in case there were cameras, and Sophia had traded her skirt and heels for jeans and sneakers.

  Tanner pointed at Sophia’s gun. “Have you ever killed anyone?”

  “Two guys, they were sent to kill my brother when the Conglomerate found out he was talking to the Feds. It didn’t do any good, a week later, they sent Gruber and he killed him right under the Feds’ noses.”

  “Gruber must have had a hard-on for your family.”

  “What do you mean?” Sophia asked, but Tanner ignored her and pointed toward the restaurant.

  “There’s our chance.”

  A member of the kitchen staff wedged open the back door to make it easier for the produce to be carted inside.

  “We still don’t know how many men there are?” Sophia said.

  “No, but with all those empty parking spaces out front, there can’t be many, and you say you know where Adamo usually sits, right?”