“Tanner, and don’t bother with the code name business. I know that it’s actually the name he goes by.”
Garner studied Matthews more closely. “You’re CIA, correct?”
Matthews smiled. “I was, but now I’m in the private sector. My employer is very interested in Tanner.”
“And who would that employer be?”
“I’m not at liberty to say, and I’m hoping that you have a way to get in contact with Tanner.”
“I don’t. He contacted me at the office in New York City. We’ve had prior dealings, and I guess he trusts me enough to hand this information to me.”
“Oh, I know all about those prior dealings, they occurred in the nation of Guambi.”
“You and your employer are well informed. And if you want Tanner, that means one thing, you’re looking for an assassin.”
“No sir, we are looking for the assassin, and if he comes aboard, he will be paid well for his unique set of skills.”
“As I said, I can’t help you.”
Matthews handed Jake a business card that had a handwritten phone number on it.
“If you somehow contact Tanner, please pass along our offer of employment and give him that number.”
“As I said, I have no way to contact him.”
Matthews grinned. “Yes, that is what you said. Goodbye Agent Garner, and again, congratulations on a job well done.”
Matthews left the office, and Jake took one of two seats positioned in front of the desk. As Matthews suggested, he had lied. When Tanner contacted him, he also left Jake a way to contact him back via email.
Thornton returned to her office and smiled at Jake. “Dan Matthews is mysterious, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, and how long have you known him?”
“We met at Dartmouth. He went into the Company, while I joined the Bureau.”
“And who does he work for now?”
“I don’t know, but I do know that when he went private three years ago, it was to take an offer from Burke.”
“Conrad Burke, the defense contractor?”
“For his company, yes.”
“I see, and thank you.”
After Jake left Thornton’s office, he went out and bought a cheap phone. Once he had it activated, he sent a message off to Tanner.
413
Goodbye Kiss
At the house in Oklahoma City, Alexa showered quickly then went downstairs to find Tanner awake, and a pot of coffee made. The preparations they put in place took longer than they thought they would, and they had worked until the early morning hours.
“Did you sleep well?” Tanner asked.
“I did, and you?”
“I got a few hours in, but I stayed awake after you went up and performed a second check on the work we did. It all seems good.”
Alexa looked at the time on her phone. “I should be going soon if we’re sticking to the plan, but I don’t like that we’re separating. And this trip you’re sending me on, it feels like busy work.”
“It’s necessary; we’ll need a place to go once it’s known that we’ve been living here. While you’re taking care of that, I’ll be out making sure that the house gets discovered.”
“But what if you don’t show at the rendezvous point when I return?”
“I’ll be there. But if I’m late, wait for me, and if you don’t see me for hours… you’ll know that someone is a million dollars richer and that I’m dead.”
Alexa frowned at those words. “Don’t die, Tanner, I have plans for you.”
Tanner smiled. “That’s good to know.”
“I meant that I need you to help me kill Alvarado, well, it’s the main reason.”
“This plan will work, and by the end of the day we’ll be somewhere safe, and we won’t have a hit team on our trail.”
“Are you certain that there is a hit team looking for you?”
“It’s a logical assumption, and today we’ll flush them out.”
“All right, but when will we head to Mexico?”
“I’m not sure, but Tanner Six managed to talk sense into me in his emails. I need to come up with a plan for killing Alvarado and not just charge at the man like an enraged bull. Once I have that plan, we’ll go to Mexico.”
“Does that mean you trust me?”
“I do. It’s why I’m sending you off alone to establish our new place. Do you remember where I told you to go?”
“Yes, and I’ll be back as soon as I can, but what then?”
“We’ll go see Tanner Six.”
“He’s close then?”
“Yes, he’s very close to where you’ll be going.”
“I can’t wait to meet him, and to tell my Papa about him. He’ll be very interested in what both of you are like.”
“Your Papa? That’s the man that raised you, Rodrigo?”
“Yes, he saved my life, kept me safe, and I owe everything I am to him.”
“I know what that’s like. Tanner Six and I have a similar relationship.”
“I see, and maybe someday you’ll tell me about your history. After all, you know everything about me.”
“Yes, maybe someday,” Tanner said.
After a light breakfast and a final act of preparation, Tanner walked Alexa out to her van, where they stood by it, talking.
“If you get spotted or pursued while you’re still close, give me a call,” Tanner said.
“I can take care of myself,” Alexa said.
“Yeah, I saw what you did to those bikers.”
Alexa stared at Tanner. “I should get going.”
“Um-hmm,” Tanner said, as he stared back at her.
Their lips moved toward each other at the same time, and when they met, the kiss lasted for several seconds.
As they separated, each saw that the other one was smiling.
Alexa touched him on the cheek. “I’d better leave now, or we’ll be off schedule.”
“Right, and be safe, Alexa.”
Alexa waved and smiled as she drove off, and Tanner smiled back at her. He hadn’t lied when he said he trusted her, and yet, this was a final test, a verification of that trust.
Alexa knew his plans, knew where he’d be, and the extent of his weapons and ammo. If Tanner were attacked while she was absent, it would likely be by people she’d sent.
He shook his head ever so slightly, because he knew she was what she said she was, another victim of Alonso Alvarado, the man who was otherwise known as Martillo.
Tanner spent another hour at the house making sure that everything was in place, then he set off across the field behind the house and headed for the buildings in the distance.
He needed a car and would steal one, then, he would hunt for those who were hunting him, and once he found them, he would lead them back to the house. The trap was set, and now it was time to spring it shut.
414
That’s Easy
MEXICO
Tanner wasn’t the only one preparing for battle. At the Alvarado compound, Alonso was watching as work was being done to fortify their defenses. He was on his crutches and standing near the fountain in the courtyard.
Shards of glass were being secured on top of the entire twenty-foot-high wall to make it even tougher to scale.
While that was being done, a second gate was in the process of being installed thirty yards out from the first one. It would allow a vehicle, even a large truck, to enter a walled-in area, where it would then be checked for explosives or stowaways. When the new gate was completed, any vehicle entering the compound would have to make its way through two separate checkpoints. The old gate was also being reinforced, so that nothing short of a tank could bust through it.
There were tents being erected beside the barracks, and as soon as the extra cots arrived, more men would be placed outside the compound to defend its walls in case of an attack.
Robert Martinez of Hexalcorp had suggested the changes, and Alvarado had agreed with every one of them. The ease
with which Alexa penetrated their defenses made him realize he’d been taking his safety for granted.
Where before Alexa’s visit, one man used to drive around the compound’s wall three times a day, there would soon be a hundred men outside at all times, along with dogs and long-range snipers. There would also be new solar-powered lights installed out in the surrounding desert, and jeeps would regularly patrol the terrain. If Tanner couldn’t make it to the walls, he certainly couldn’t make it over them.
Martinez had been checking that the glass was being applied to every area of the wall. After climbing down a ladder, he walked over to speak with Alvarado.
“It’s coming along fine, although I still say it’s a mere precaution. My strike team is on the ground in Oklahoma. As soon as they get a bead on Tanner, well, he’ll die.”
Alvarado sighed wearily. “I don’t even remember how many times I’ve heard those same words; all I know is that they’ve never come true.”
“They will this time, Mr. Alvarado. You have my word. Do you think I would have pledged my life on that promise if I had even the slightest doubt?”
“I hear your words, the sincerity in them, but until Tanner is dead, they are just that, only words.”
Martinez’ phone rang, after answering it and speaking for a short time, he ended the call, and then fiddled with his phone until he brought up the sketch of Alexa. It was made from the description the young guard, Joaquin, had given to an artist. The likeness matched her well.
“This woman, you want her as well, yes?”
Alvarado gazed at the phone and a fire lit his eyes. “Yes. That bitch killed my brother-in-law.”
“I just heard from my strike team leader, Steve Bennett. It looks like she’s with Tanner. I guess the two of them are working together in Oklahoma.”
The news perplexed Alvarado, and he looked at Martinez with a skeptical gaze. “Are you certain? That sounds unlikely.”
“It hasn’t been established as a fact yet, no, but my men have four witnesses who saw them together.”
“Who are these witnesses?”
In Oklahoma, Scar, Bruise, Wound, and Abrasion were all on their knees inside their motel room. Steve Bennett stood before them, looking down, with his men standing beside him.
With nothing else to do until Tanner resurfaced, Bennett and his men went to check out the motel where Tanner had killed the five men with a grenade.
While there, Hakeem had witnessed an argument between the motel’s night clerk and a member of the local media.
The young reporter was sticking her finger in the clerk’s face and telling him that he should go talk to the police, and that it was his civic duty. The clerk called the woman a second-rater and stuck out his own finger, his middle finger.
After Hakeem went over and talked to the clerk, he learned that he was looking to sell information. Minutes later, the man was a thousand dollars richer, and Bennett and his team knew about the Tin Horsemen Motorcycle Club. The clerk knew the Horsemen because he used to live in Enid.
“Yeah, I work down here now but I come from Enid. That’s up north a bit. Anyway, I know the four fools that were here when the grenade killed those gangsters. I see them all the time when I visit my sister. She lives right across the street from them, and Lordy if those crappy bikes of theirs don’t make a racket.”
Once they had the motorcycle club’s address. Bennett called it all in to Martinez, who passed it along to Hexalcorp. Someone in the main office tracked Scar to a motel by way of his mother’s credit card.
Bennett saw that the Tin Horsemen were scared, and an idea occurred to him, an idea similar to the one the deceased Georgie had. He would use the Horsemen as cannon fodder to help wear Tanner down.
“Get up, boys.”
Scar had trouble standing, because every time he put pressure on either of his cut hands it hurt like hell, but he rose after Bruise gripped him by an elbow and tugged.
Bennett reached into his pocket and brought out a roll of money. Hexalcorp supplied the cash to him on every job. It usually went unused, but not today. The motel clerk had received a grand of it, and now Bennett handed each of the Tin Horsemen a hundred dollars.
“You four are on the payroll. I want you to ride around the city separately. The first one of you who spots Tanner or the woman will get five-hundred bucks, all right?”
The four fools smiled at each other, but Scar had a question. “We saw a third poster for some other dude. Will you pay if we find him too?”
“Hell yeah. Our employer wants that man as much as he wants Tanner, maybe even more so.”
“Good,” Scar said. “The guy looks familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen him.”
“That’s enough talk, get on your bikes and start looking.”
Simms handed out cards to the boys. “If you find anything, call that number.”
“But don’t try to take Tanner or the others until after we arrive on the scene,” Bennett said. “We, uh, we want to see you take them down.”
“Us?” Bruise said, and a whistling sound accompanied the word due to his missing front tooth.
Roger Wilson smiled at the boys. “You’re the Tin Horsemen, right? Hell, Tanner doesn’t stand a chance against you guys.”
Scar and his crew left, and Hakeem frowned at Bennett. “Steve, Tanner will tear through them like a chainsaw through tissue paper.”
“Yeah, but while he’s busy doing that, maybe one of us will get him lined up in our sights.”
“Was there any news on Martinez’ end?” Simms asked.
Bennett smiled. “Yeah, get this, they think Tanner was behind the raids on those drug companies. He’s really got it in for Alvarado.”
“I don’t blame him,” Hakeem said. “Alvarado is a dirtbag.”
Bennett pointed at him. “Wrong. He’s a client. We don’t judge, remember? And you know as well as I do that the good guy/bad guy thing is bullshit. Look at us and the shit we’ve done for our country. To our fellow countrymen we’re patriots and to our enemies we’re the scum of the earth. All I know about Alvarado is that he can pay the bills. And oh yeah, he doesn’t force people to buy drugs, he just supplies them.”
Hakeem held up his hands in surrender. “I got it, but I still don’t have to like the man.”
“I don’t either, but just like us, he is what he is.”
“And Tanner, what’s he?” Hakeem said.
Simms freed his gun from the shoulder holster beneath his jacket and pretended to take aim at a target.
“That’s easy, Tanner is a dead man.”
415
Help Wanted – Must Be Willing To Kill
After Tanner received Jake Garner’s message about Dan Matthews, he called Matthews on the number given to him by Garner. After eight rings, Tanner was about to end the call when he heard a man answer the phone.
“Please hold while I activate security precautions.”
The voice sounded bored, as if it spoke those same words often. Tanner guessed its owner was used to taking measures to ensure privacy. Tanner held on the line, and after a hiss of static, Matthews came back on.
“Only one man has this number, that is, unless he passed it along to another man.”
“It’s Tanner, and you’re Matthews?”
“Dan Matthews. I want to talk to you about an employment opportunity.”
“I work for myself. I don’t hire on.”
“That’s understood, and if we reached an agreement, you would still be your own man. Still, my employer would like to be able to call on you when needed, at pay commensurate with your skill set, of course.”
Tanner had two million dollars in an account after being paid by Joe Pullo. To earn that money, he had killed scores of the Giacconi Family’s enemies. It felt good knowing the money was there. He was through working for peanuts.
“If I took an assignment, the price would be one million dollars.”
“Excuse me?” Matthews said.
“You
heard me right.”
“Yes, and I was told that you had a high opinion of yourself, I see that wasn’t exaggerated.”
“Conrad Burke can afford it.”
“Ah, I see that Garner sniffed out my employer. Yes, Mr. Burke can afford it, but he could also hire six men for less.”
“There aren’t six men in the world that can do what I do.”
“I don’t know, Tanner; you’d be surprised at the talent pool out there. Unlike yourself, those men understand discipline and the chain of command because they’ve spent time in the armed forces.”
“Fine, hire them, and when they fail, I’ll want even more money.”
Tanner heard an exasperated sigh come over the line. “It’s my understanding that you’re a marked man now. There’s a two-million-dollar reward for you, dead or alive.”
“Two million? Hmm, Alonso Alvarado is getting nervous.”
“The point is, Tanner, you may not live long enough to take a contract.”
“Tell Burke my terms, one million a contract, but I get to refuse any offers made.”
“We also have terms.”
“Such as?”
“This offer is only valid if you’re successful in killing Alvarado, which, of course, is impossible. The man is locked away inside that desert fortress and our satellite surveillance reveals that he’s fortifying his defenses. By the way, if you’re going after Alvarado, you’re headed the wrong way.”
“I have business north before I head south.”
“I believe you. You’re not the type to hide or run, I’ll give you that much.”
“I get the impression that recruiting me wasn’t your idea?”
“You’re correct. However, you have an advocate within our organization and Mr. Burke agrees with them, at least for now.”
“What’s the name of this advocate?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Can I assume that I’m not the first man you’ve approached to take this job?”
The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart Page 132