“You were going to tell me how much money the New York expansion has cost us so far, correct?”
Carlos gave a little shrug. “I may have brought it up.”
Alvarado grinned. He liked his brother-in-law, trusted him, and the man had once saved his life while risking his own.
“Don’t worry, Carlos, things are improving in New York; I have Juan’s assurance.”
“Juan is still a boy. Are you certain he can handle the responsibility?”
“He is a man, and also my son; there is nothing he can’t do.”
Carlos shook his head sadly. “The jet that was destroyed, do you know how much that thing cost?”
“No, but I know that the cartel has already earned enough to buy one to replace it three times over. There’s something else you should consider.”
“What’s that?”
“The men that died on that jet all had money in our keeping, to buy and sell product for them.”
Carlos’s demeanor brightened. “Yes, and now the cartel gets to keep those funds. Still, it likely won’t add up to enough to replace the jet. We’ve still lost money.”
“As usual, you worry too much.”
“And what about you? You can’t tell me you’re not worried about Juan. I know that Malena is. Maybe Juan should come home; Rico is more than qualified to handle things there.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re really here. Malena asked you to talk to me, didn’t she?”
“No, but she is worried and so am I. This man Tanner, he’s too unpredictable. He reminds me of the man who attacked you years ago.”
Alvarado sat up straighter, as he just remembered something. He handed a copy of Tanner’s flyer across the desk to Carlos.
“That is Tanner. Does he look familiar to you?”
Carlos took out a pair of glasses and studied the artist’s sketch. “No, not really. Why, do you know him?”
“I have seen that face before, but I’ll be damned if I can remember where or when.”
“It will come to you when you stop thinking about it, you know how that goes.”
Alvarado tossed the flyer into a drawer of the desk. “I guess you’re right. By the way, the whores are here, would you like one sent to your room?”
Carlos sighed. “No, I suppose not, and I guess that means I’m growing old. It’s been months since I’ve felt the urge.”
Alvarado smiled. “That’s not old, my friend, that’s dead.”
Alexa shed her camouflage outfit and stuffed it inside one of the dryers. Afterwards, she went back outside, on the assumption that it would be a safer way to travel to the front end of the house, rather than risk being seen inside.
If she stayed close to the walls, she should be clear of the motion detectors, which were likely reactivated, because she had seen no sign of the guard dogs that normally prowled the compound at night.
She made it toward the front of the home where she came upon a side door. The door had a small window in it, and she could see what looked like a narrow staircase. Once inside, she could use that staircase to explore upstairs.
She had just placed her hand on the doorknob, to see if perhaps it was unlocked before she knelt to pick at the lock, and that’s when a voice called to her.
“You! Stay right where you are, or I’ll shoot you dead.”
Alexa turned her head and saw a guard aiming a rifle at her. She knew that if she reached for her weapons, she’d be killed.
In New York City, Tanner left his perch inside the chimney and made it back to street level. Mike Conti had informed Krupin and Alvarado of their location inside the Hotel Rutherford. Now, it was only a matter of time until they were attacked.
That was good. It meant that all was going according to plan. Still, Alvarado and Krupin were being cautious, and that had to end.
Tanner moved toward the hotel while staying in the shadows. From an alleyway, he looked up and saw the men from earlier discussing something passionately. Although he couldn’t make out their words, he could hear their whispered voices all the way down to the street. Had he wanted to kill them earlier while on the roof, they would have gone easy.
He left the shadows and headed for the Rutherford’s front doors. After stepping inside the building, Tanner made certain to look in the men’s general direction while his face was lit by the light in the hotel’s lobby. One of the men had been carrying binoculars and should have gotten a good look at him.
Tanner locked the doors and went to get into position. They would be coming soon, and they would be an army. He idly wondered who would be digging all their graves.
Alexa tried to look vacant, as a smile spread across her pretty face. “I’m sorry, I just got lost, that’s all.”
The guard lowered his rifle as he took in her appearance. Beneath the camouflage, Alexa had dressed so that she would appear to be one of the whores that had been shipped in. She wore a skirt that was so short it was barely there, along with a blouse that gapped to reveal her breasts.
The guard shook his head at her. He was a tall man with a scraggly beard and bloodshot eyes.
“You’re not supposed to leave the barracks area. Didn’t they tell you?”
Alexa giggled. “No, and it’s my first time here. I just wanted to get a look at the house.”
The guard smiled at her as he slung his rifle across his back to free his hands. He then stepped toward her and fondled her breasts.
“I don’t get off for another few hours, but there’s no harm in me getting a preview of things to come.”
Alexa kept the grin plastered on her face even as the urge to kill the pig was rising inside her. The skirt she wore had less material than most scarves, but it was adorned with a thick white belt, and the belt held her knives.
As the man was feeling her up, she slipped her hand down to the belt. She was about to free a knife when the side door opened. It was Carlos, Alvarado’s friend and brother-in-law. Alexa recognized him from photos she had seen and thought the man looked old.
“What’s happening here?”
The guard released Alexa and came to attention. “Hello sir, I was just telling the girl that she belonged back at the barracks; I’ll take her there now.”
The guard gripped Alexa’s right wrist and began pulling her along, but they had only gone a few steps when Carlos called them back.
Carlos remembered Alvarado’s offer to take one of the girls as he looked at Alexa. He hadn’t felt the urge for sex, but seeing Alexa had… stirred things. She was the type he liked with her long legs, light brown skin, and large luminous eyes.
After calling the guard back, he spoke to Alexa. “You haven’t been used tonight yet, have you?”
“No sir, I am clean, very clean,” Alexa said.
Carlos licked his lips in anticipation as he stepped back inside the house. “Guard, bring the girl to my room.”
The three of them climbed up the staircase Alexa had seen earlier. When they reached the top, they traveled left, then made a quick right into an alcove that had double doors at the end of it. When Carlos opened the doors, Alexa saw his room.
Carlos’ living quarters were huge. It had seating up front, like a living room, and there was even a fireplace. She could see the bathroom through a doorway. It had a shower, bathtub, and a Jacuzzi, while the bedroom doubled as an office. There was an L-shaped desk in one corner with several laptops spread on it, while in another corner was a seating area with an enormous television on the wall.
Carlos told the guard to stand outside. After the man left, he escorted Alexa to his bedroom. Specifically, he led her to stand beside his king-size bed. When she simply stood looking about, he gestured at her.
“Don’t just stand there, get naked.”
Alexa smiled at Carlos as her hands freed the knives from her belt.
378
Woof!
Laurel checked the sheet that Tanner had given her. When she saw that the number displayed on the phone matched one of the numbers
on the sheet, she grinned and answered the call.
“Joe?”
“Hi baby, how’s life on the ranch?”
“It’s nice here, but I really miss you. When can I come back?”
“It’s in the works. If all goes well, you’ll be back in a day or two.”
“Really? That’s great. And is everyone okay?”
“We’re all good, Tanner included, but I’m a little worried about Sammy. The kid just isn’t the same.”
“He suffered a loss, was injured, and received quite a shock; it’s bound to have affected him.”
“I know, there’s just… I don’t know, it’s like the kid has lost his heart. I think if he hadn’t broken his leg he’d be out there looking for revenge.”
“He’ll be his old self someday; he just needs time to heal.”
“Yeah, I hope that’s it. But listen, baby, I can’t talk for long. I’m in the middle of a meeting.”
“Okay, but call back tomorrow.”
“I will. I love you, Laurel.”
“I love you too, Joe.”
In Mexico, Alexa was straddling Carlos on his bed, as she questioned him about Alonso Alvarado.
She had already cut the old accountant twice on his face. He realized she was serious and would brook no lies.
“The door from the hall is the only way into his office?”
“No, there are a set of patio doors, but they’re bulletproof and only open by Alonso’s thumbprint.”
“And how many men are guarding the office door?”
“Two at all times, with another two within hearing range, but the guards don’t have a key card to open the door.”
Alexa pressed one of her knives harder against Carlos’ neck while she thought things over. Getting past the lock on the door would be no problem for her, but the heavily armed guards were another matter. She then cocked her head and stared down at Carlos.
“Why only two guards at the door?”
“Only? Two guards are sufficient; after all, we’re inside a compound.”
“No, two guards are not nearly enough, what are you not telling me?”
Carlos’ eyes shifted left, then right, and Alexa took her other knife and held it close to his face.
“Do not hold back, old man, or I’ll blind you.”
“Body monitors! The guards at the door wear body monitors. If they become excited, lose consciousness, or are killed, an alert goes off in several areas around the compound. Over a dozen men will head toward the office. Alonso has a safe room in there as well, behind the bathroom wall. Now please, I’m begging, do not blind me.”
Alexa eased off Carlos and backed away from the bed. She saw the old man give a sigh of relief, and then he opened his mouth to call for the guard. Instead of sound issuing forth, razor-sharp steel entered, as Alexa flung a knife into Carlo’s open mouth.
It hit with such force that its tip was sticking out from the base of his neck. Alexa watched the bastard die and smiled. Alonso Alvarado had killed her entire family, by killing his brother-in-law and oldest friend, she had just given him a taste of what that was like.
After pulling her knife free, she checked herself for signs of blood and found only three small specks on her white belt. She cleaned them off in the bathroom and headed for the door. She still had to get past the guard.
When she stepped from the room, she saw the guard give her a humorous look, and after she closed the door behind her, the man whispered conspiratorially to her.
“The old bastard doesn’t have much stamina; you were only in there for a short time.”
Alexa pouted. “I’m still horny; could you help me with that?”
The guard looked around. “Here, in the hall?”
“The old guy is asleep, and there’s no one near, right?”
“Not close, no.”
Alexa stepped forward and began unbuckling the man’s belt with one hand, as the other hand freed one of her blades.
The smile left the guard’s face an instant after the knife slipped between his ribs and nicked an artery leading to his heart. He backed away while unslinging his rifle but collapsed to the floor before he could do anything else.
Alexa opened the bedroom door and dragged the man inside, then cursed as she saw the blood on the white hallway carpet. She had hoped to keep both bodies hidden and undetected for as long as possible, but if anyone so much as glanced down the corridor they would spot the blood.
She went into the bathroom and grabbed a blue bath mat. After returning to the hallway, she laid it over the bloodstain. It looked totally out of place on the white carpet, but it might buy her time. And she needed time, because she still had to get out of the house and back over the wall.
Before leaving, she reentered the bedroom and gathered up the laptops. There were five altogether, some obviously old, but she took them all into the bathroom and smashed them open upon the lip of the tub, to remove the hard drives.
Carlos Ayala had been with Alvarado for decades as his chief money man. Alexa was willing to bet the information in the laptops was pure gold.
She considered taking the dead guard’s rifle with her, then decided against it. She would need speed more than an arsenal, and the clunky rifle would only slow her down.
She made it back outside without incident and headed for the laundry room where she had left her camouflage suit. She would need it, because she was about to set off the motion detectors. If she could just go unseen by the guards in the tower long enough, she might make it to her rope and back over the wall before being shot.
She left the house by the rear door and listened carefully. When she was certain she heard nothing, she sprinted for the wall. When her movements didn’t trigger the lights, it perplexed her, but then she heard a growl come from behind and understood.
The dogs were loose again, and if the one chasing her caught her, she’d die from a ripped throat.
Alexa kept running as the wall drew closer, but she saw no sign of her rope. However, she did see something rushing toward her from the left. It was another dog, no, two more dogs, and the canine killers were moving at twice her speed.
Alexa silently asked for help from her beloved deceased abuela, her grandmother, while hoping she would not soon be joining her and the rest of the family in heaven.
379
The Right Woman
After talking to Pullo, Laurel went out onto the porch and found that Maria was already enjoying the night air.
“You’re smiling; you must have had good news,” Maria said.
“Yes, my fiancé says that I may be able to return in a day or two. That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed being here, and Mrs. Salgado may be the best cook in the world.”
Maria smiled. “She might be. If I didn’t watch my weight I could easily grow fat eating her cooking.”
“I want to thank you again, Maria. It was beyond nice of you to have me here.”
“Nonsense, it was my pleasure, and not just because it gave us a chance to meet, but it allowed me to repay Tanner just a little bit.”
“Romina told me how he saved her from that crazy ex-boyfriend, and she looks very happy with Chaz.”
“Yes, although it’s a little odd that I’m seeing the father of the boy she’s dating, we’re all happy, and we owe some of that to Tanner.”
The two women grew quiet for a time, but then Maria broke it with a question.
“Is there a chance that Tanner could come here?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Too bad, I would love to see him again.”
“When Tanner was here, did you two become… very close?”
Maria smiled. “Are you asking if I slept with him?”
“I was, and forget I asked. It’s none of my business.”
“I considered it. At the time, I hadn’t been with a man since my husband died. And if not for Romina, I might have asked Tanner to my bed, but bedding the man would not have sent a good signal to my daughter.”
“Why, because you knew that Tanner wasn’t the type to stick around?”
“Yes, and it would have been a bit too casual for me as well. I take it that you’re the same way, or else you and Tanner would have stayed close. That was the term you used, wasn’t it? That you and he were once close.”
“Yes, and part of me still loves him.”
“I can see that, but I know Tanner well enough to know that he’s scared of commitment. I think he may also fear abandonment. Perhaps someone he loved left him or died suddenly, like a mother, those scars can run very deep.”
“Yes,” Laurel said, as she thought about the boy, Cody Parker, the child who lost his mother at a young age, and later lost everyone else. If such a boy had survived a tragedy like the horror that befell the Parkers, he would likely fear commitment and avoid loss.
“Tanner will find the right woman someday,” Maria said. “But she had better be as tough as he is.”
When Alexa was ten feet from the wall, a breeze blew across the courtyard and caused her rope to sway slightly. Alexa had matched its color so perfectly to that of the gray wall that she had been unable to distinguish it until it moved.
She leapt up as high as she could and gripped the rope tightly, even as the wall behind it scraped skin from her knuckles.
Two of the dogs missed her as they leapt up, but the third dog, a massive Rottweiler, sank his teeth into the hem of her camouflage. It was the part of the disguise she wore like a cape over her head. The dog’s weight was pulling on it, so that one edge of it was yanked tight against her throat. Alexa reached down to her belt while holding the rope with one hand, and after gripping a knife, she sliced at the fabric. It caused the piece clamped in the dog’s mouth to tear free, and the hound fell backwards to the ground.
The searchlight came on. It was so bright that just the edge of its beam blinded Alexa. The guard manning the light had aimed it at the base of the wall. When the man saw that the dogs were all looking up, he adjusted the beam higher, and Alexa was lit brilliantly as she topped the wall.
The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart Page 119