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

by Remington Kane

  Tanner was headed for the driver’s side door before the punk’s body had even settled. After checking to see that the other man had died, he pointed the car in the direction of the whorehouse.

  The big man who had previously greeted Tanner and Pullo at the door came outside onto the home’s porch, after having heard the car pull into the driveway.

  Tanner was still in the car with the window rolled down, while his hood was up over his head. The face of the dead man propped up beside him was lost in shadow, but the coppery scent of his blood was cloying in the confines of the car.

  When the huge thug walked over to the car, Tanner was leaning over as if he were trying to get something out of the glove compartment. With no white skin showing, the man mistook him for one of the other guards.

  The big man leaned on the windowsill and Tanner felt the car sink toward the ground from his weight.

  “Yo, brothers, did you find them two assholes?”

  “They found one of them,” Tanner said, even as he used his left hand to jam a long knife up under the man’s chin, through the soft palate of his mouth, and into his brain.

  The man made a high-pitched sound that was incongruous with his huge frame, toppled backwards onto the lawn, rolled, and finally settled at the base of a rose bush. Tanner never bothered to check if he was dead but left the car to walk up the stairs and lean beside the door.

  It took nearly five minutes, but then the door opened, and the madam stuck her head out. She was dressed all in red again. Tanner idly wondered if it was the only color she ever wore.

  When she spotted Tanner, a look of recognition lit her face, right before Tanner smashed his gun against her forehead. She staggered out onto the porch, spun around once, and fell on her ass. There came the sound of heavy footfalls, followed by a hoarse voice filled with surprise.

  “Emily, what happened?”

  It was the fourth guard, the one he had kicked in the throat. The man rushed outside, bent over to help the madam up, but then spotted Tanner.

  “Oh shit.”

  “Oh yeah,” Tanner said, and shot the man in the head.

  The madam looked up at him, her eyes still glassy.

  “You wouldn’t hurt a lady, would you?”

  “No, not a lady,” Tanner said, and shot her between the eyes.

  After pulling the body from the passenger seat, Tanner got back behind the wheel and drove off.

  335

  Angels And Bad Boys

  Hanna apologized for how rundown the motor home was, but Merle and Earl told her that it was better than most of the places they had stayed at over the years.

  That started a conversation about traveling, and the boys discovered that the girls were as well traveled as they were.

  “Oh yeah, we’ve been all over the country. See, Savannah and me are singers and musicians; well, we were, but we got tired of the road and came home to settle down. We grew up right down the road in Kellyville.”

  “Let’s hear you sing,” Earl said.

  The girls looked bashful for a moment, but then began singing a familiar country song. They had good voices, and Merle and Earl were enraptured.

  “You two should be on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.”

  Hanna giggled. “Oh Merle, you’re so easy to please.”

  The four of them looked at each other silently, and then Hanna pointed back toward the house.

  “It’s gettin’ late; we’ll see you boys in the mornin’.”

  Savannah leaned over and kissed Earl on the cheek. “Sweet dreams.”

  “You too, Miss Cole.”

  When the girls were gone, Earl turned to look at his brother. “I think I’m fallin’ in love.”

  “I don’t blame you, and let me tell ya, I like that Hanna too.”

  “Merle, we have to think of some way to help them. I don’t mean give them the house, but we can’t send ‘em packin’ either.”

  “Yeah, let me sleep on it.”

  The boys lay down for the night but were too excited to fall asleep right away.

  “Merle, you awake?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They sang like angels, didn’t they?”

  “Better,” Merle said.

  In Tennessee, Susan’s other guest turned out to be Amy, the cop who had pulled Sammy over.

  She was surprised to see Sammy, but also looked pleased. Over dinner, they told the story of how they met, as Tanner and Sammy pretended to be strangers.

  Tanner showed interest in her story about the drug-dealing bikers. When he asked her what Calabrese looked like, the description fit Bobby Volks.

  “Calabrese sounds Italian,” Tanner remarked, and Susan shook her head.

  “He has a slight accent, but it’s not Italian; I’d say it’s more Slavic.”

  “I thought that meth would be a big city problem,” Sammy said. “How long has this been going on?”

  “The meth dealing is new,” Amy said. “But the chief says that Calabrese has been a problem for years. He owns the Iron Horse; it’s a bar on the west end of town that used to be a small warehouse. Those bikers have taken the place over.”

  “Calabrese wants my pub too,” Susan said. “He made me an offer just last week. It wasn’t even half what the business is worth.”

  After dinner, Sammy went out on the front porch to call Sophia while Amy went to see her boyfriend, and Tanner joined Susan in the kitchen for coffee.

  “What sort of work do you do, Tom?”

  “I’m a freelance researcher.”

  Susan laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I had you pegged as a Federal Agent working undercover.”

  “If I was, a researcher would be a good cover.”

  “No fair, now I don’t know what to think.”

  After another few sips of coffee, Susan asked a question. “Were you recently divorced?”

  “No, why?”

  “I don’t know; you just have that look, like you’re a bit adrift.”

  “I guess I am, but being around new scenery helps, and I’m enjoying your company.”

  Susan was a widow whose husband had been a Marine. The active-duty officer had died in a training accident three years earlier.

  Tanner talked with her about books for a while and found that Susan was well-read. She also spoke Spanish and French and had taught both languages while a high school teacher.

  “You must have been a young teacher.”

  Susan smiled. “I was twenty-eight, and that was eighteen years ago.”

  “You do not look your age.”

  “I stay busy and it keeps me young.”

  They moved into the living room and Susan put on an old western, Winchester ’73 with Jimmy Stewart.

  Five minutes into the movie, Tanner leaned over and kissed Susan. She kissed him back, and by the time Stewart got his man, Tanner had gotten his woman, and spent the rest of the night in Susan’s arms.

  336

  Oops!

  Susan ran a hand over Tanner’s chest. They were both naked and had just made love again after waking.

  “My late husband had been wounded in combat twice, and he had less scars than you. Exactly what sort of research do you do?”

  “The dangerous kind.”

  Susan stared into his eyes. “Your name is not really Tom Myers, is it?”

  “Susan, if I was what you think I am, then I wouldn’t be able to answer that question, would I?”

  She kissed him. “You just did.”

  She rose from the bed and Tanner enjoyed the sight of her nakedness. He had been with older women before and always found them less inhibited than their younger counterparts. Susan wasn’t without flaws, but she knew they didn’t define or detract from her overall beauty. That self-confidence was arousing in its own right.

  “I’m going to shower. Would you like to save water?”

  Tanner answered her by standing, and when Susan looked down, she smiled.

  “Whoever yo
u are, you have great recuperative powers.”

  Tanner placed his hands on her hips. “You inspire me.”

  Susan pushed him back onto the bed, then climbed aboard.

  “We’ll shower later.”

  By the time they made it downstairs, Amy had already cooked breakfast. She greeted the two of them with a knowing smile.

  Sammy was seated at the table eating. He sent Susan and Tanner a wave while his mouth was full of buttermilk biscuit.

  “Amy, you’re a guest here, remember?”

  “I don’t mind cooking sometimes, Susan. And you and I both know that you could charge me more than you do.”

  Susan kissed Amy on the cheek. “I like your company, and thank you for cooking.”

  Susan’s phone rang while she was doing the dishes. As she listened to her caller, her expression grew worried.

  “That was Millie; she opened up The Roundup today for the breakfast crowd. She told me that there are two bikers scaring away the customers.”

  “What are they doing?” Amy asked.

  “Nothing, they’re just parked out front on those bikes of theirs, but you know how most of them look, they’re scary looking.”

  Amy grabbed her gun belt and strapped it on. “I’ll come with you, Susan.”

  “I’ll come along too,” Tanner said.

  Susan spoke to Sammy. “Oh Jack, there’s an older woman named Carrie who watches the place for me during the day. She should be here any minute if you need something while I’m at the bar.”

  Sammy thanked her but said that he’d tag along to get a look at the bikers. As they were leaving, he whispered to Tanner.

  “Are we going to need the guns?”

  “I doubt it,” Tanner whispered back. “There are only two of them.”

  “Amy’s the law; maybe she’ll scare them off.”

  Tanner nodded, but law or not, Amy was a small woman. She also had rules of conduct she had to adhere to; Tanner had no such restrictions.

  Amy had left first, with Sammy following behind on his bike. So when Tanner and Susan arrived, Amy was already talking to the bikers, as Sammy stood by and watched.

  The bikers were a scruffy pair, with long dirty beards and wild hair. They both wore leather jackets even though the day was warm.

  They ignored Amy after they pointed out to her that they were legally parked in front of meters and had paid for their time. If they wanted to, they could sit there all day.

  Tanner decided to make that option seem less appealing.

  After telling Sammy to distract Amy, he walked past the men to the rear of the second bike and kicked it hard. The bike toppled over onto the sidewalk and cracked the mirror on that side. As Amy spun around to see what had happened, Tanner smiled at the bikers.

  “Oops, sorry guys; I must have bumped into it.”

  Tanner was dressed in chinos and a blue polo shirt. He was clean-shaven, had the look of a tourist, and the bikers didn’t consider him a threat. The man whose bike was damaged moved toward him, and as he drew near, he reached out for Tanner.

  Tanner grabbed the man’s wrist with both hands, turned, and flipped the biker onto his back. The man thudded atop the sidewalk with his skull taking much of the impact.

  When Tanner turned to face the second man, he saw him bringing out a knife. A quick kick disarmed him. It was followed by a sweep kick that took the man’s feet out from under him.

  Amy stood above the man with her gun drawn and told him to stay down, while Sammy pointed at the bikers and used Tanner’s phony name.

  “They tried to assault Mr. Myers.”

  “That’s how I see it too,” Amy said.

  “I won’t press charges if they leave,” Tanner told her. When he looked over at Susan, he saw that she had her arms folded across her chest and was smiling at him.

  The second biker helped his companion up. Although the man appeared a bit dazed, he was able to mount his bike and ride away.

  After Amy drove off to the police station, and Sammy rode away on his bike, Susan gave Tanner a kiss on the lips.

  “You’re here for Calabrese, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll just say this; by the time I leave here, he’ll no longer be a problem.”

  Susan took Tanner by the hand, and they went inside the pub.

  337

  Bees Do It, Birds Do It

  Merle and Earl were working harder than they had in a good long time, as they helped Hanna and Savannah around the farm.

  The chores were familiar ones, milking a cow, feeding chickens, weeding the garden, and mending a fence. However, they were both worn out by the end of the afternoon. Earl asked if it’d be all right if he took a soak in the tub.

  “It’s really your house, Earl, and you boys were a lot of help today,” Hanna said.

  While Earl went up to soak, Merle showered in the RV. After changing into fresh clothes, he walked back to the house to sit on a porch swing.

  Hanna came out onto the porch. After taking a seat beside him, she handed Merle a can of beer.

  “Dinner is ready, and we can eat anytime you want.”

  “What are we havin’? It smells great.”

  “Fried chicken, yams, cornbread stuffing, spinach, and Savannah baked a peach cobbler.”

  “Lordy, my mouth’s waterin’ just hearin’ about it.”

  “Have you figured out what you wanna do with us yet?”

  “Whaddya mean?”

  “I mean are you kickin’ us off the property?”

  “No! Hell no, you got taken, and yeah, the place isn’t really yours, but me and Earl can see all the work and money you ladies put into it. It would be just plain mean to kick you out.”

  “Were you two thinkin’ of moving back here?”

  Merle smiled. “We weren’t, but when I look at this view, enjoyin’ the quiet, I wonder why we ever left.”

  “I um, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed. It’s nice havin’ men around, and Savannah has a thing for your brother.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “It is.”

  “Now that’s funny.”

  “Why?”

  “I got a thing for her sister.”

  Hanna grinned, and Merle leaned over and kissed her.

  Earl had been lying back in the tub enjoying his warm soapy bath when the door opened, and Savannah stepped in.

  “Miss Cole?”

  “Call me Savannah, Earl.”

  After swallowing, Earl said, “All right, Savannah.”

  He had brought clean clothes into the bath with him and placed them on the closed lid of the toilet seat. Savannah scooped them up and turned to leave.

  “Where are you goin’ with my clothes?”

  “You got a button loose on your shirt. I’ll take it to my bedroom and mend it.”

  “Oh, okay, but why take the pants?”

  Savannah tugged hard on a belt loop and tore it loose.

  “I gotta fix this here too.”

  Earl swallowed again, and it was followed by a smile.

  “If you want your clothes back, my bedroom is the door on the right.”

  “Um, okay.”

  “Don’t be long now.”

  He wasn’t, he dried himself faster than he ever had before and left the bathroom wearing only a towel, and a smile.

  338

  Easy Rider

  Tanner knew Sammy was growing restless, but if Bobby Volks was Calabrese, he had a group of bikers around him.

  That meant they had to separate him from his men and get him alone, as it would be their best chance to kill him.

  Tanner had stayed at Susan’s pub all day in case more trouble came. She worked there until five o’clock, and was headed home to cook dinner, when she spotted a friend. The man’s name was Garrett Bates. He was bald, black, about fifty, and ran the town newspaper.

  Tanner had read several back issues of the paper, The Rainberry Gazette, while he waited for Susan, and knew that Bates was no fan of Calabrese. The front-page
story the week before had been about Calabrese’s bar and all the trouble the place bred for the town. He also insinuated that Calabrese was behind the area’s growing meth problem.

  Bates had a firm grip, and he used it when he shook Tanner’s hand. “Mr. Myers, it’s good to meet you, and you’re a lucky man to be enjoying Susan’s… cooking.”

  Tanner studied Bates and saw a hint of jealousy. If he had detected that Tanner was Susan’s lover, he was perceptive.

  “She’s a great cook.”

  “Yes, indeed, and I also heard that you got into a scuffle with a pair of bikers, is that true?”

  “They overacted when I bumped into one of their bikes.”

  “You must be clumsy,” Bates said, and after saying goodbye, he went inside the pub.

  “I sense that there’s history between you two,” Tanner told Susan.

  “As friends only, although, he often asks for more.”

  “I don’t blame him.”

  There was a green panel van parked at the curb with the name of the town’s newspaper painted on the side in yellow. The van had no windows in the rear and the rest were heavily tinted.

  “He delivers his own newspapers, I see,” Tanner said.

  “The paper only comes out once a week. The latest copy I have is last week’s news.”

  Tanner sighed. “I guess that means I missed the bake sale at the church.”

  They returned to the house, where they found Sammy coming back from a run. Sammy wore gray shorts and a red sleeveless T-shirt, with blue & white sneakers.

  As Susan went inside to cook dinner, Tanner talked to Sammy.

  “If I know my thugs, Calabrese won’t let what happened this morning go by without trying to retaliate, so stay sharp.”

  “I will, but we need to find out if Calabrese is really Bobby Volks.”

  “I was going to do that tonight.”