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

by Remington Kane

  The move was just a feint, and as two of the men left Sara and ran toward him, he fell on his back, made a wide swooping motion with the machete, and placed vicious cuts on the ankles of the men running toward him.

  Both men stumbled, and as they moved past him, Tanner caught them from behind with a slash to their thighs. He severed the hamstrings of one man, while slicing open the femoral artery of the other man, who had just turned back around.

  As he cut through the rope on his ankles, Tanner watched them moan in agony and whimper in fear for their lives. He then left them to finish off the last man.

  He found that he was hardly needed. After she had bitten off her attacker’s ear, Sara had kneed the man in the groin, gained control of his machete, and was holding it by its handle, after having embedded the first six inches of it into the man’s abdomen.

  The would-be rapist was staring down at the protruding blade with wide unbelieving eyes, as Tanner walked over and sliced through Sara’s bonds.

  He kept his eyes to the task, as her body was exposed beneath her torn garments. As he freed her, he asked if she was all right.

  “I’ll be fine… thanks to you.”

  He whispered in her ear. “Keep him alive for now; we may need him to gain information.”

  Sara answered him with a slight nod and Tanner went to finish off the other men, but before he left, he removed his shirt and draped it around Sara’s shoulders.

  The man he had hit in the throat with his elbow was already dead. The thug’s tanned face was still bright red from the lack of oxygen that was the cause of his demise.

  The man with the cut hamstrings was writhing in the dirt. Tanner left him to follow the trail of red the man with the severed artery had left behind. He didn’t have to go far, and found the dead man lying beside a tree.

  He gathered up the machetes, checked the men for anything of use and retrieved his stolen boots. Afterwards, he dragged the man with the injured hamstrings closer to Sara and left him beside the man with the severe stomach wound.

  Both men forgot their pain for a moment, as shock filled their eyes when they realized that Tanner spoke their language, even though he did so badly and with a horrible accent.

  Sara stood beside Tanner and went to work wrapping cloth around the wound on his right palm, which was dripping blood. She had covered herself as best she could; however, Tanner’s shirt fell to just above her knees. She was naked beneath it, as her undergarments had all been ripped or cut away.

  “What did you say to them?” she asked.

  “I told them that the first one to give me directions to the rebel camp wouldn’t be harmed again.”

  The man with the damaged legs pushed back his pain and let loose a string of vitriol at Tanner, with an added insult thrown in toward Sara.

  Tanner made a casual movement with the machete and sliced open the man’s chest, bisecting the nipples and causing blood to flow freely.

  Sara turned away from the disturbing wound but heard the man with one ear begin to jabber away, as he gave Tanner directions to the rebel camp.

  Tanner went back and forth with the man as he attempted to understand him. When he was certain that he understood where the camp was located, he told Sara it was time to move on.

  Sara pointed down at the two men, both of whom were moaning from their injuries. “What about them?”

  “They’ll both be dead of blood loss by nightfall, or possibly get attacked and devoured by animals.”

  “It’s better than they deserve.”

  Tanner stopped at the body of the man who had died by asphyxiation and began stripping him of his clothes, while he spoke to Sara.

  “If I cut the bottoms off his pants we can use some of the rope to make a belt for you, otherwise, your legs will be eaten by mosquitoes.”

  A minute later, and Sara had a pair of baggy pants to go with Tanner’s shirt, while he claimed the man’s tunic for himself.

  Sara looked around at the dead and dying men, then she gripped Tanner’s good hand in a show of gratitude.

  “I don’t want to think about what would have happened to me if you were anyone else.”

  Tanner gestured back toward the man she had wounded. “I had help. And did you spit the ear out or swallow it?”

  Sara’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Spit or swallow? Don’t you think that’s a little personal?”

  And as she walked away laughing, Tanner cleared his throat, then jogged to catch up to her.

  297

  The Rookie

  Jake Garner came to the edge of the cliff and realized that he was trapped.

  The drop below looked to be about sixty feet and the stream at the bottom was too shallow to jump into without breaking a leg, or worse, his neck.

  The distinct sounds of at least two men were drawing closer, one from each side. After turning and running back the way he had come, Jake was felled by a rifle butt to the side of his head. As he lay on his back and the world around him began to fade away, Jake silently cursed himself for failing Jennifer, and wondered if he would ever wake again.

  In New York City, Sophia laughed aloud once more as Sammy told her one of his many stories.

  Sammy had talked her into going for a ride in a horse-drawn Hansom cab, after Sophia scoffed and said they were strictly for tourists. Afterwards, she admitted that she loved the experience and would do it again.

  After the cab ride, they took a booth inside a bar and Sammy listened as Sophia talked about her father and brother. He later mentioned that he had met Jackie Verona once when he was a child, and his grandfather, Sam, was still running the Family.

  Before Sammy could launch into another tale, Sophia reached across and took his hand.

  “I’m having a good time, thanks. I needed to laugh; it’s been a rough week.”

  “Are you worried about Tanner?”

  “A little, but there’s no one tougher.”

  “That’s what Uncle Joe says too.”

  “He’s not really your uncle, is he?”

  “No, but he’s looked out for me ever since my father died in the last war we had with the Russians, and my grandfather thought of him as a son.”

  Sammy insisted on seeing Sophia all the way home to Staten Island, and as they stood outside her door, she gave him a peck on the cheek.

  “I don’t know if you expected more, but I am kind of seeing someone.”

  “You mean Tanner?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sammy stared into her eyes. “If that doesn’t work out for you; I want you to know that I’m interested.”

  “You don’t think I’m too old for you?”

  “Hell no, and I’m not too young for you. So what do you say, can I at least live on hope?”

  Sophia giggled. “Do you know baseball?”

  “Of course, and I’m a die-hard Yankees fan.”

  “Then you’ll know what I mean when I say you can stand in the on-deck circle.”

  “Awesome, and if you ever let me up to bat, I plan to make rookie of the year.”

  Sophia laughed again. “Goodnight, Sammy, I had fun.”

  “Goodnight, Sophia.”

  Sophia gave Sammy a smile, then she unlocked her door and went inside.

  Sammy held it in until he believed he was far enough away that Sophia wouldn’t hear it, and then he let out a shout of glee.

  Inside the house, Sophia had been leaning back against her door. When she heard Sammy’s boyish howl of joy, she shook her head and laughed once again.

  298

  You’re With Him?

  Sara surprised Tanner by keeping pace with him, as he alternately ran and then stopped to listen for any sound that would tell them they were not alone.

  Listening to discern the movement of humans was not an easy task. The jungle was alive with sounds. While most of it came from the numerous birds that chittered about, there was often the murmur of running water, the rustle of movement made by small mammals, and the occasional squeal from
above, as long-tailed monkeys climbed and played among the tree branches.

  Swarms of gnats were encountered often, as mosquitoes buzzed and bit, and when Sara leaned against the wrong tree, Tanner informed her that dozens of small red spiders had crawled onto her. She cringed while he swatted the insects off her back.

  The only weapons they carried were the machetes taken from the men who abducted them. If they ran into anyone with a gun they would be in trouble.

  When the faint cry of pain came from their left, it was Sara who heard it, but after they moved toward the source, Tanner heard it as well.

  Afterwards, they agreed the wailing sounded as if it were coming from a man and they moved stealthily through the trees to find the origin of the sound. The task became difficult when the cries of pain ceased for a time, but when another one came again and was intoned with pure agony, they headed directly toward the sound and found the source of it nearly a mile away.

  When Jake Garner regained consciousness, it came slowly, but when the first of his fingernails was pried up with the tip of a knife and then yanked off, he came fully awake in an agonizing instant.

  He was strung up between two trees with the toes of his bare feet just able to touch the ground beneath him, and while one man gripped his fingers, another tore off his nails, and a third man looked on with a happy expression, while laughing like a child.

  The torture ceased for a time, as one of the men questioned him by using bad English. Jake stalled and lied as well as he was able, but eventually the torture resumed.

  The agony was cumulative, and as the fourth nail was ripped from his left hand, he felt as if he were about to pass out again. However, Jake staved off the darkness as hope dawned. The man who’d been about to pry up his thumbnail suddenly went rigid with shock, as the bloody tip of a machete poked out of his throat.

  Jake filled with hope, only to have it dashed when he saw that the man who killed his tormentor was Tanner.

  I must be hallucinating, Garner thought, and then assumed it confirmed, because next, he spotted Sara Blake fighting beside Tanner. If they were within reach of each other while brandishing machetes they would be using them on one another.

  Sara dispatched the man who had found Garner’s pain humorous by slicing him open at the middle. As the rebel lay in the dirt dying, his own cries of agony left him joyless.

  After plunging his blade through the torturer’s neck, Tanner withdrew it and shoved it past the ribs of the man who had been holding Jake’s hand in place. That punctured the man’s heart and left him to drop like a stone.

  Tanner slapped Jake lightly on the cheek to revive him, then issued a command. “Hold still!”

  Two quick chops with a machete and Garner was freed from his bonds. He collapsed to his knees, with Sara kneeling beside him.

  “Is this real?”

  Sara smiled. “Yes, and you’re safe now.”

  As Sara gathered up the rifle and lone revolver that belonged to the men they’d slain, Tanner helped Garner walk to a stream that was fifty yards away. After they’d all drank their fill of water, Garner gingerly washed his damaged hand in the stream.

  When they were all seated on the ground, Sara looked over Garner’s wounds and Tanner inspected the rifle and gun. Both were fully loaded and appeared to be in firing condition. Tanner kept the rifle, but he passed the gun to Sara.

  Jake looked first at Tanner, and then at Sara. “You two working together has got to be one hell of a story, but right now I’m more concerned about Jennifer. Please tell me there’s more help on the way?”

  “There is,” Tanner said. “Conrad Burke is waiting for us to signal him, and then he’ll send in a group of men.”

  Jake made a grim face at that news. “I came across the bodies of the last men he sent. I hope he has better luck this time. And Tanner, Sara, thank you. If you hadn’t come along I’d be dead.”

  Tanner stood. “Are you good to travel?”

  “I am, but my left hand may be almost useless for a while.”

  “Were they torturing you for fun, or did they want information?”

  “It was both, but the man who had been holding my wrist spoke a little English. He asked me if I was ‘Here on my lonesome,’ I lied and said that I wasn’t, but they saw through it.”

  “It’s a good thing they did,” Sara said. “Otherwise, they might have searched and come across us.”

  Jake smiled. “I’ve seen her, Sara. I saw Jennifer and she seemed to be all right. There are also five other hostages, two women and three men.”

  “Did she see you?”

  Jake’s smile turned to a frown. “I think she saw me, but by now she probably believes I’m dead.”

  The only thing that slowed Jennifer’s tears was the frantic pace Firman insisted the party keep to, as they finally neared the rebel camp.

  George and Reba were having a difficult time keeping up, and when Jennifer looked back at George, she feared that the red-faced man was on the verge of having a heart attack.

  Another hour passed, an hour in which even the young rebels began to appear fatigued, and at last, Firman directed them toward a riverbank where they would rest and eat.

  Juan wiped at his brow and pulled at the sweat-drenched shirt that clung to his skin.

  “My wife has been after me to lose ten pounds. No need to now, I must have lost at least that the last few days.”

  “This is torture,” George rasped out, as his wife lay beside him on her back, while still gulping in air. Then everyone looked over at Jennifer and saw the tears in her eyes.

  Melissa gave her hand a squeeze. “Those screams we heard might have come from someone else.”

  Jennifer wiped at her eyes. “It was Jake. They tortured him and now he’s probably dead because he tried to help me.”

  They were given food as the sun was fading from sight. It consisted of raw fish and gummy rice. Dr. Washburn insisted that Jennifer eat, but she declined, knowing that it would never stay down.

  She was deep in despair, unaware that not only was Jake alive, but that he had gained two very capable allies.

  299

  Nobody’s Perfect

  Tanner fashioned a lean-to between two trees, after gathering branches and hacking at smaller trees with one of the machetes.

  Sara had helped him, while an exhausted Jake rested. By nightfall, they were beneath the flimsy shelter and eating cured meat, which Tanner had taken from the pack of one of the men he killed earlier.

  When Sara asked Tanner what sort of meat the jerky was made from, he told her to keep eating and to try not to think about it.

  When Jake awoke, he and Sara took the first watch. While Tanner slept, Sara filled Jake in on what had happened to her over the last few days, while speaking in whispers.

  When she told him about Johnny Rossetti, he placed an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, Sara. I know that he meant something to you.”

  “I loved him, Jake, and it’s my fault that he’s dead.”

  Jake glanced over at the lean-to, where Tanner slept. “His presence here tells me how much you’ve changed, but why is he here?”

  “I could have killed him, and I didn’t, on the condition that he help me find and rescue Jenny.”

  “So, he’s here against his will?”

  Sara’s face scrunched up as she considered the question. “No, despite our agreement, he’s here of his own free will, and I might be dead if he weren’t helping me.”

  “Does that have anything to do with those rags you’re wearing?”

  “These pants, yes, four men tried to rape me, but Tanner stopped them. He really is remarkable, and so are you. I’m so sorry that I doubted your feelings for Jenny.”

  “I love her, I mean I must. My only thought is to find her and hold on to her forever.”

  As the first rays of sunlight lit the jungle, Tanner reached into the lean-to and shook Sara’s shoulder.

  “We should get an early start.”


  Sara yawned. “Oh, I ache all over and it feels like I barely slept.”

  “If our information is correct, the camp is only a few hours away. Once we reach it, we’ll send a message to Burke.”

  Jake sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. “How are you going to make contact?”

  Tanner rolled up a sleeve on the tunic he was wearing and showed Jake the tiny bump on his forearm.

  “This is a GPS tracker. When we find Blake’s sister, I’ll cut it out and destroy it. Then Burke will send a team of men to our last known coordinates.”

  “I hope his men do a better job this time around.”

  “I spoke to him about that as his people were putting the GPS chip in my arm,” Tanner said. “Burke promised me he would rain down hell upon them this time. From what I overheard when they were putting in the tracker, he’s bought an old helicopter for the mission. Once we find the camp, it shouldn’t take very long for help to arrive.”

  Sara walked off toward the stream to wash and prepare for the day. When she was out of sight, Jake grabbed Tanner’s arm.

  “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, but Blake and I have a deal. Once her sister is safe, the two of us will be done with each other.”

  “She explained to me how she got the better of you, by threatening the woman you love. I have to say, I’m surprised to learn that you have a heart.”

  Tanner sighed. “Nobody’s perfect.”

  300

  Trust Me

  In New York City, Laurel returned from a day at the clinic to find a candlelight dinner waiting for her. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she joined Joe at her dining room table.

  “This is unexpected. What’s the occasion?” Laurel said.