Merle had finished his deep thinking just seconds ago and had concluded that they should run and hide.
“Hey! Where are you two going?”
When the boys spun around, Pullo saw the fear in their eyes, but then something bizarre occurred, as first Earl, and then Merle, gawked at him and began pointing his way.
The two brothers then turned and stared at each other, as if to verify that they were seeing the same thing. And yes, both had the same wondrous look in their eyes. When they turned back around, there were tears forming, even as their faces wore wide grins.
What the hell? Pullo thought, as he took in the spectacle, but no sooner had he pondered the boys’ strange reaction, when Laurel rushed past him and ran toward the brothers with open arms, and she was shouting their names.
“Merle! Earl!”
The brothers also opened their arms to receive her, and Laurel hugged first one and then the other. The three of them came together in a tangle of arms, while tears of joy rolled down their faces, as Merle and Earl kept asking the same question over and over.
“Laurel Lee, oh Laurel Lee, is it really you?”
Pullo broke from his trance and walked over to join them. “What the hell is going on here?”
Laurel wrapped an arm around each of the boys’ waists and smiled at Pullo, as pure happiness radiated in her eyes.
“Joe, this is Merle and Earl. They’re my big brothers.”
Pullo stared at the three of them, as a horrified look animated his features.
“What? No, that’s not possible.”
Laurel kissed the boys on the cheek. “We had the same daddy, and now that we’ve found each other after so many years, we’ll never be separated again. Isn’t it just the best?”
Pullo stared at the boys’ grinning faces.
“Yeah, the best.”
255
Thumpity, Thumpity, Thump,
As he drove toward Midtown, Tanner took out his phone and called Sophia.
“Where you at, baby?” she said.
“I’ve been shot. The wound is bleeding badly, but I don’t think it’s serious because the bullet just nicked me. Does the Calvino Family have any clinics in the city?”
“No, ours are only on Staten Island, but there’s one we use on West 26th, or somewhere around there. I heard that the doctor is good. Go there, and are you sure it’s not bad?”
“I’m sure, and yeah, I’ll go there.”
“I’ll meet you after I change and shower.”
“Sophia,” Tanner said, but she had already hung up. He had wanted to avoid seeing Laurel again, but it looked like it couldn’t be helped, as the wound on his side needed attention. He saw her face in his mind’s eye and the hint of a smile curled his lips.
Inside Laurel Ivy’s clinic, Pullo learned about the branches of the Carter Family tree.
“My mama married Merle and Earl’s daddy, my daddy, a few years after the boys’ mama died,” Laurel said, and Pullo noticed that her slight southern accent had deepened.
Merle took over the story. “Daddy died when Laurel Lee was just a little thing and then she and her mama moved north.”
“I wasn’t that young,” Laurel said. “I was twelve, but small for my age, and after we moved here, to Brooklyn actually, Mama married a man named Bruce Ivy and he became my new daddy, and later I took his name.”
Pullo looked at the homely Merle and Earl and then at the walking dream that was Laurel.
“You must look just like your mother, honey, because there’s not a scrap of them in you.”
Laurel kissed her brothers on their cheeks again. “These two spoiled me rotten as I was growing up and I’ve been searching for them for years. I even went back to Arkansas once to look for them.”
“We used to move around a lot,” Earl said. “But we’re firmly planted now that Mr. Rossetti has made us his chauffeurs.”
Not as firmly planted as you would have been had we not stopped here, Pullo thought, but every time he saw the joy in Laurel’s eyes, he couldn’t help but be glad that the three of them had reunited.
“I’ll take a taxi back to the club while you boys stay here with Laurel and catch up. Take the rest of the day off, but you still need to pick Johnny up at the club tonight.”
Merle grinned. “Thanks, Mr. Pullo.”
“Mr. Pullo? No, call him Joe,” Laurel said. “I want you three to become good friends.”
“Can we really call you Joe?” Earl asked.
Pullo forced a smile. “Whatever Laurel wants is fine by me.”
Tanner pulled up outside the gate while Pullo was waiting for his taxi. Pullo winced after Tanner stepped out of the car, opened the jacket, and showed him his wound.
“That’s nasty, but you’re lucky the round didn’t hit a rib. And why are your clothes damp?”
“That’s a long story, but you can let Rossetti know that Heinz has fewer men today than he did yesterday.”
“Where are they?”
“Uptown at the Rutherford Hotel on Randall Street.”
“How many men does he have?”
“At last count, twenty-two, mostly mercs from Europe. And one more thing, Vance is with them.”
“The Russian? Johnny will be interested in hearing that.”
As Pullo’s taxi arrived, Tanner pointed toward the clinic door. “I think I’ll get sewn up now.”
Pullo grabbed his arm and halted him before he could take a step.
“Laurel told me about your late-night visit.”
“Then you also know why I was there, to give her that number.”
“You could have done that on the phone. I’m not a fool, Tanner. If you want Laurel, just come out and say it. If she chooses you, well, all right then, but I just want her to be happy.”
“She’s happy with you, Joe, and I wasn’t there to make a move. If I had, she would have shown me the door. I had my chance with Laurel and I walked away.”
Pullo let go of his arm. “That makes you a fool.”
“No, it leaves me free.”
After Laurel buzzed him inside the clinic, Tanner was greeted by the sight of Merle, Earl, and Laurel holding hands. Like Pullo, he was amazed.
“I remember you telling me about your big brothers, but I never would have imagined it was these two.”
Laurel saw the way the three men were looking at each other and realized they weren’t strangers.
“You all know each other, for how long?”
“Oh, the boys and I have had a few adventures together. Isn’t that right, boys?”
Merle looked back and forth between his sister and Tanner. “You two are friends?”
Tanner smiled at Laurel. “I’d like to think so.”
Laurel turned and walked toward a treatment room. “You boys wait out here while I treat Tanner, and then we’ll go have an early lunch and catch-up.”
Tanner followed her into a small room and sat on an examining table. Laurel grimaced with concern when she saw the wound on his left side.
“You’ll need stitches.”
“I figured that.”
Her eyes took in the rest of his bare torso and a frown of concern clouded her face. “So many new scars. Why do you live so dangerously?”
Tanner gazed into her eyes, and once again, his heartrate escalated. Thumpity, Thumpity, Thump, his heart went. He had been intimate with women who affected him less than Laurel did with just a glance.
“There are greater dangers than the ones I face,” Tanner said.
Laurel stitched him up, and as she was applying the bandage to his side, she paused and gazed at him. Tanner stared back at her and became lost in her eyes, as the moment stretched on, and their lips grew closer.
“I see you’re in good hands,” said a voice from the doorway. When Tanner looked over, he saw Sophia staring at them.
Laurel cleared her throat. “Who are you?”
“She’s Sophia Verona, she’s with me,” Tanner said.
Sophia toss
ed a thumb over her shoulder. “Johnny’s chauffeurs let me in, they know me.”
When Laurel finished treating Tanner’s wound, Sophia walked over and kissed him. Sophia looked at Laurel for a reaction and saw that the doctor’s demeanor had grown colder, as she returned her stare.
Laurel then looked away from Sophia and back at Tanner. “Um, I’ll give you something for the pain. You’ll need to take it easy, or those stitches might tear. I also want you to change that bandage daily.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Sophia said.
Laurel looked at Tanner. “You two are living together?”
“It’s temporary,” Tanner said, and Sophia gave him a look that said that was news to her.
Once outside the clinic and in the car, Sophia gazed at Tanner expectantly. She was behind the wheel, so that Tanner could rest. When he realized she was staring at him instead of starting the car, he looked back at her.
“What?”
“Don’t give me that, ‘What?’ You and the doc, you had a thing going once, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it was years ago.”
“Gone but not forgotten, judging by the scene I saw when I walked in on you. If I had arrived a minute later, you two would have been going at it on top of that treatment table.”
“Laurel is Joe Pullo’s girl.”
“Damn, Tanner. Pullo will shoot you if you touch her… and so would I.”
Tanner sighed. “I think it’s time we separated.”
“Why? You think I’m clingy? Well, I’m not. I just like you, in and out of bed. So shut up, you’re stuck with me for now, and you’re coming back to the hotel and rest up. I’ll also order some food from room service.”
Tanner smiled. “Yes ma’am, whatever you say.”
“Damn straight,” Sophia said, then she started the car and drove away from the clinic.
256
Too Clever By Half
Sara was tracking Tanner’s movements and growing suspicious.
She had gone to Laurel’s townhouse earlier, having been led there by following Tanner’s trail, and after doing a search on the property’s title, she discovered that Laurel owned it. She assumed it meant that Tanner was sleeping with Laurel behind Pullo’s back, and that it was further proof that the man couldn’t be trusted.
The tracker data also told her that Tanner had spent the night at the Rutherford Hotel on Randall Street, but when she drove by the building, she saw that it was closed for renovation and not accepting guests.
After turning around, she found a place to park in front of a fire hydrant. After twenty minutes of observation, she could tell that something was going on at the Rutherford, and that rather than being empty of guests, it was a hive of activity. She phoned Johnny Rossetti at the club and played a hunch.
“This man Heinz who wants to take Frank Richards’ place as leader of the Conglomerate, do you know where he is?”
“Yeah, Joe just called. Heinz is using a hotel as his base and Tanner already had another battle with his men there.”
“Tanner told you that he killed some of Heinz’s men?”
“Yeah, and he was wounded too, but not seriously.”
“Too bad they didn’t kill him, but are you certain he was really injured?”
“Joe saw the wound himself. Sara, what’s going on? You gave the man your word that you wouldn’t try to kill him.”
“Nothing’s going on, and I’ll call again later, stay safe. Bye-bye.”
After hanging up, Sara nibbled her bottom lip. According to the tracker, Tanner stayed at the hotel all night.
That sounds like something a guest would do, not an attacker. Tanner was planning a double-cross. Sara was certain of it, but she would need proof before she could act on the information or convince Johnny, and she was determined to beat Tanner.
She smiled. Tanner had made sure that Pullo could attest that he was wounded, which gave credence to his statement that he’d been in battle against Heinz.
You smart, tricky bastard.
Sara hated Tanner with a passion, but a part of her admired the man. He was devilishly cunning and had survived many times because of it. That, along with his ruthlessness and skill at killing.
You won’t win this time, Tanner. This time, you’ll be outsmarted.
Sara refreshed the tracker info and recognized the address that Tanner had recently visited. It was Laurel’s clinic. Tanner’s wound—a wound that Sara had no doubts was self-inflicted—had not only been useful in convincing Johnny that Tanner was on his side, but also gave the assassin an excuse to visit his lover.
“Tricky, tricky, Tanner.”
Sara started her car and headed off to see Laurel Ivy.
257
Obsession
Inside the Rutherford Hotel, Bruno Heinz looked on in disgust as the bodies of his vaunted hit team were loaded onto the elevator. They were being taken away to be buried in unmarked graves.
There were more bodies in the stairwell, but those three were killed by Vance after Tanner had tricked them into thinking Vance was the enemy, while he made his escape.
Heinz was scarlet with rage, but he forced himself to remain silent as he tried to think of his next move. After downing a drink, he settled at the conference room table and looked across at Vance.
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“I do, but first, a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“As part of the Conglomerate, you have inside knowledge about Rossetti’s operations, yes?”
“That’s true, your point.”
“I think you should acquire more men, and then attack Rossetti’s key operations all at the same time. You’ll simply overwhelm them with a superior force. Rossetti’s own war with Tanner has left his troop levels low, and the men that remain aren’t the best. With enough men, you could take over his territory in one night.”
Heinz shook his head sadly. “I don’t have nearly enough men for that and bringing in more is always problematic.”
“That’s true, but you’re thinking about imported men from Europe; what I’m talking about is a show of force. If I wanted to, I could have hundreds of local street soldiers here in a day. Of course, it would mean sharing power, but in one night, New York would be yours.”
“How could you possibly acquire hundreds of men in one day?”
“Michael Krupin, Mikhail Krupin’s son, with his father disabled by a stroke, he now leads the Russian gangs in New York. He is willing to join forces with you to take over Rossetti’s territory.”
Heinz stood, walked over to the window, but then thought about Tanner and closed the drapes.
“Your plan sounds feasible, but there is no way I will give up my power. Even if I was willing to join forces with this Russian, it would all be for nothing if Rossetti attacks before we’re ready.”
Vance smiled. “I can make sure that Rossetti holds off on taking further action by pretending to want to make a deal.”
“A face-to-face meeting? You would risk that?”
“I would. It would also give me a chance to see Tanner up close.”
“You want the pleasure of killing him, don’t you?”
“The man is the best. Once I kill him, that title will be mine. As disastrous as it was for you, his killing of the hit team was masterful. He killed the men one by one as they were discussing how to track him down. He’s completely unconventional and I’ll have to be just as unorthodox to beat him.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know yet, but I won’t come at him head-on. He’s too good for that.”
“A meeting to delay things might work. However, I’ve already set in motion a new plan. If it’s unsuccessful, then we’ll try your approach.”
“What plan?”
Heinz smiled. “The old-fashioned kind, and Rossetti won’t see it coming.”
Inside his office at the club, Johnny smiled at Jade Taylor and studied the woman as they shook hands. Pullo had told him she
was not only beautiful, but also exotic, and Johnny had to agree.
“Before you tell me why you’re here, Agent Taylor, let me first offer condolences on the death of your friend, Agent Geary.”
Jade Taylor blinked in surprise. “Thank you, Mr. Rossetti. That was unexpectedly civilized of you.”
“I have my moments,” Johnny said, then the two of them settled in their seats on opposite sides of his desk.
The new doors had been installed, and while the rear door only offered a tinted view of the alley behind the building, the door leading to the hallway gave a partial view of the bar area.
“I’m certain that Mr. Pullo told you my intent.”
“He did, and I’ll tell you right now that you’re wasting your time. I’ve had six audits in the past seven years. Three of those times, it was discovered that I had overpaid my taxes. I run a legitimate business here and that’s the truth.”
Jade laughed, the sound was musical and reverberated within the small office.
“You make millions in illegal income and we both know it, so don’t play innocent, and know this, I’m a very patient woman. No matter how long it takes, I’ll nail you.”
Johnny stood. “I guess there’s nothing else to say.”
Jade headed for the door. “I’ll show myself out, but I’ll be back.”
Johnny watched her as she headed down the hallway, then saw her acknowledge Pullo with a nod, as she passed him near the bar.
When Pullo entered the office, Johnny checked his watch. “That was quick. What did you do, dump the Carter brothers in the East River?”
Pullo sat in the chair recently occupied by Jade Taylor and let out a long breath.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
By the time Pullo was finished telling him the story of Merle and Earl’s reunion with Laurel, Johnny was laughing.
The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart Page 82