“I agree,” said a woman who spoke English with a Spanish accent. “And we need more information if our plan is to work.”
“If I reveal our plan, would Burke be willing to help us carry it out?”
“Yes, Mr. Burke instructed me to give you every assistance I could—”
The recording ended abruptly.
“It was after that part of the conversation that Tanner revealed their plan to get inside the compound. Once two million dollars has been transferred into my account I’ll play the rest of the recording.”
Alvarado was sitting in his specially designed chair. He leaned forward to get closer to Martinez’s phone.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Dan Matthews, Alvarado. I’m the man who can finally hand you Tanner.”
“You will have your money,” Alvarado said. “And then I will have my revenge.”
13
Off To Slay
The following morning, at sunrise, Tanner and Spenser went for a run, and the Tin Horsemen decided to tag along. What the boys failed to understand was that when a Tanner went for a run, he ran, and he ran full out.
After starting at a jog to warm-up, Tanner and Spenser turned on the speed and kept up a blistering pace. Bruise gave up somewhere along the second mile, While Scar and Wound faded halfway along the third. Abrasion gave his all to keep up with Spenser. It was a vain attempt to prove he was as good as Amy’s one-eyed lover, but he soon fell far behind and came to a sudden halt early along the fourth mile, as a stitch in his side caused him agony.
Tanner and Spenser kept running along a route that circumnavigated the house. It was a simple two-mile-long dirt track. The fleet feet of the two Tanners kicked up a cloud of dust as they hurtled along.
When they came to the end of their fifth lap and tenth mile, first Spenser slowed, followed by Tanner. The two men jogged their final steps toward the home while breathing through their mouths, as sweat poured off them.
They had covered ten miles in a little more than an hour, and Tanner knew he was ready for Mexico.
Behind them, and cutting across the field, the Tin Horsemen came at a walking pace.
When Tanner and Spenser reached the porch, they found Amy and Alexa sitting in a pair of Adirondack chairs.
Amy’s part in Spenser’s plan was crucial, and part of it sat on a towing trailer attached to the rear of Scar’s pick-up truck. It looked like a large plastic-wrapped skid full of boxes, but inside its hollow center was a chamber large enough to hold three people.
It could be equipped with air tanks and when in use, it could also hold containers of ice to keep the interior cool.
The boxes beneath the plastic on the exterior were covered in Spanish with the names of major brands of Mexican food.
Amy had printed the logos on the boxes. They matched perfectly those of the real companies located in Mexico. The Tin Horsemen had helped her construct the cardboard Trojan horse, which could be entered from the top once the upper section was folded out of the way.
The entire thing was secured to an old wooden skid and looked like a million other pallets of goods. They would be shipping it to Mexico inside a crate, where it would be retrieved by Dante and waiting for them.
Tanner and Spenser looked at Alexa, and then at Amy.
“Well, what do you think?” Amy said, as she gestured toward her work.
Tanner gave Amy’s creation a good look and followed it with a broad smile.
“It’s perfect, Amy,” Tanner said. “And once it’s delivered to his compound, Alvarado won’t know what hit him.”
Spenser went to Amy, reached down, and pulled her from the chair by her hands.
“This plan will work. We leave for Mexico today.”
After breakfast, Alexa spoke with Dante, Damián Sandoval’s man, and learned that Alvarado had stepped up his efforts to discover her identity.
“He has over a hundred people showing your picture around in Mexico City and the surrounding area,” Dante said.
Alexa thought about Rodrigo and Emilio. Once Alvarado learned her identity, it wouldn’t be long until he discovered her connection to them.
“How did you learn about this?”
“One of Alvarado’s people showed the sketch of you to one of the people loyal to me. This has been going on for two days. If you have any connection to Mexico City, Alvarado will uncover it.”
Alexa had several connections to the city, and once owned a jewelry store there. She thanked Dante for the tip, confirmed their plans to meet with Sandoval, and ended the call.
When she tried to reach Rodrigo, she was only able to leave a message on an answering machine warning him to take Emilio and leave their house.
“Call me as soon as you get this message, Papa. I love you.”
Alexa filled Tanner and Spenser in as they were outside the house and packing her van before leaving for Mexico. After overhearing the conversation, Amy had a suggestion.
“Why don’t I go with the boys and get your family to safety?”
Amy was talking about the Tin Horsemen when she said, “the boys”, as she was flying to Mexico with them, while Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser headed for Brownsville, Texas, to meet with Damián Sandoval.
Scar and the other Horsemen stood by their pickup and listened to the conversation.
Alexa looked relieved by Amy’s offer, but Spenser held up a hand in protest.
“That’s too dangerous, Amy. What if Alvarado’s men are there when you arrive? You’d be walking into a trap.”
“I won’t be stupid about it, Spenser. I’ll only approach the house if Alexa’s father answers my call, then we’ll take them somewhere safe.”
“It’s still risky,” Spenser said.
“Risky or not, it’s what I want to do. You three will be in great danger every second you’re in Mexico. Keeping Alexa’s family safe is the least I can do, and I will have the boys backing me up.”
“We’re not boys,” Abrasion said.
Amy sent him a smile. “It’s just an expression, Lionel.”
Alexa spoke to Spenser. “I understand your fear for Amy’s safety, but it would give me peace of mind to know that someone was looking out for my family.”
Spenser considered Alexa’s words, then stared at Amy. “You be careful and call me as soon as you get to the rendezvous point. My phone will probably be off, so leave a message.”
Amy and the Horsemen left first, as they were taking a commercial flight into Mexico. Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser had a short drive to make to a local airfield, where they would board the private plane that belonged to one of Spenser’s former clients.
The former client would fly them into Texas, then they would drive into Brownsville for their meeting with Sandoval.
Spenser and Amy shared a long kiss goodbye, as Abrasion stared at them with eyes full of envy. When the kiss ended, Amy opened the door to get in the rear seat of the pickup, but Spenser reached past her to offer Abrasion his hand.
Abrasion stared at Spenser’s hand in surprise, but then shook it.
“Take care of Amy for me, all right?”
“Yeah,” Abrasion said. “I’ll make sure she stays safe.”
“Good man,” Spenser said. He then stood beside Tanner and Alexa, and waved goodbye.
When Alexa returned inside the home to finish packing, Tanner remained outside with Spenser.
“Hey Cody,” Spenser said, as he watched the pickup carrying Amy grow smaller as it gained distance.
“What is it, Spenser?”
“I’m going to ask Amy to marry me when this is over.”
Tanner laid a comforting hand on his mentor’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine, Spenser.”
“I know she will, and she’ll keep Alexa’s father safe too.”
Less than an hour later, they were ready to leave, and after checking the house before locking it up, Spenser joined Tanner and Alexa inside the van.
“Cody.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes sir,” Tanner said, and after placing the van in gear, they went off to slay.
14
You Can Almost Feel It
The Alvarado compound was alive with activity, as Alvarado prepared to thwart Tanner’s plans to invade his fortress.
He stood by the entrance as he balanced himself on his crutches, while watching as a work crew added even more fortification to the front gates.
Dan Matthews had betrayed Tanner and the others. He was two million dollars richer for the act, with the promise of a million more to follow once Tanner was dead.
After he played the rest of the recorded conversation he’d had with Tanner—while leaving out the section concerning Martinez’ familial connection to Burke—Spenser’s plan was revealed.
Alvarado had sent money to Matthews’ offshore account, while supplying him false information to pass along to Tanner the next time he spoke with him.
When the trailer arrived with the hollow wrapped skid of goods that Amy had fashioned, Alvarado would be ready.
Specialized equipment was being gathered that would detect heat signatures, along with another device that would pick up heartbeats.
Once in place, every large vehicle would be searched using the equipment. When Tanner, Spenser, and Alexa were detected, Alvarado planned to take all three of them alive, so that they could be tortured.
Earlier, he sat at his desk imagining the things he would inflict upon Spenser. Simply imagining it brought him so much pleasure that he nearly climaxed.
Tanner was a major problem, Alexa, an impudent bitch that needed to die, but Spenser, Spenser was special. The man had come into Alvarado’s home and damn near killed him, while also giving Damián Sandoval the opportunity he needed to take over their former cartel and oust Alvarado from power.
Over the years, finding Spenser and paying him back for the agony he inflicted had nearly become a raison dêtre for Alvarado. Repaying Spenser in kind for the physical pain and mental anguish he had inflicted upon him was Alvarado’s driving force.
He had regained power years ago, yet still felt unfulfilled because he had yet to achieve the retribution he so desired.
That would change, because Spenser would place himself within arm’s reach, and once Alvarado had the man in his grasp, he would take the art of torture to new heights. Spenser’s agony would last for months, even long after his mind had been destroyed.
Alvarado had just lowered himself into a golf cart to be ferried back to the house by a guard, when he saw Martinez running toward him smiling. When Martinez reached him, he took a moment to catch his breath, then he relayed the good news.
“We got a nibble on that flyer with the sketch of the woman who is helping Tanner. A guy at a Pemex station in Mexico City says she used to buy gas there every week for a van. Unfortunately, she paid cash. But at least we now know that we’re looking for her in the right area.”
“Yes, and if she lived or worked in the city my people will find out who she is; it’s just a matter of time.”
“I’ve got a man at the gas station looking through old surveillance video, so there’s also a chance we’ll see her on film. If we can read her license plate, we can track her that way and learn her name.”
“Excellent, at last things are going my way. Once we know who that bitch is, I’ll send men to find her family.”
“All right,” Martinez said. “Although it seems anticlimactic now that we know Tanner’s plan to infiltrate the compound.”
“One can never have too much leverage, Martinez, remember that. The best way to make an enemy suffer is to kill their loved ones.”
Alvarado held a hand out in front of him and rubbed his fingers together, as a look of bliss came over him.
“Oh, I can almost feel their blood.”
15
Welcome To Mexico
BOCA CHICA STATE PARK, BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
Alexa drove their rented SUV off Highway 4 and onto Boca Chica beach, as Tanner and Spenser scanned their surroundings with a pair of binoculars. It was a weekday and post vacation season, so the beach crowd was sparse.
When they approached the north end of the beach across from South Padre Island, Spenser and Tanner lowered their binoculars and pointed out to Alexa the four men standing by a limo, which was parked near the shoreline.
“The man on the far right is Dante Cardoso,” Alexa said.
“The other three look like cops,” Tanner said. “And I’m a wanted fugitive in Mexico.”
“They might be cops,” Alexa said. “Damián Sandoval owns many Federales, and they will do as he tells them to do.”
Alexa brought the vehicle to a stop and Dante approached them with his arms held out from his side to show that he wasn’t holding a weapon, although the bulge of a holster was clearly visible beneath the blue denim jacket he wore.
When Tanner stepped out of the van, Dante and the other men stared at him for long moments, and when Tanner gazed back at them, he saw a mixture of respect and caution in their eyes.
“Hello Anna… or should I call you Alexa?”
Alexa let out a gasp, and then asked a question.
“Are you telling me that Alvarado knows my name?”
“If he doesn’t, he soon will, I just thought it was time the two of us stopped playing games. There must be trust if we’re to continue to help each other, no?”
Dante moved closer and offered Tanner his hand. “You are Tanner, and if even a fraction of what I’ve heard about you is true, Alvarado will soon be having a very bad day.”
Tanner shook the offered hand and then introduced Spenser as Tucker Coe.
Tucker Coe was the phony name that Spenser had used years ago, when he and Tanner had first met in Stark, Texas.
After the greetings were finished, Dante pointed at the men he had with him. “As you’ve probably guessed, those men are Federales; they’ll be taking us across the border to meet Sandoval.”
“He’s agreed to help us?” Alexa said.
“He has, but he’ll only offer information and materials, no troops.”
“We’re our own troops,” Tanner said. “What we need are weapons and supplies. We’re going to cut a path through Alvarado’s organization on our way to him, to give him a taste of what to expect.”
Dante laughed. “Just the three of you?”
“Just the three of us.”
Dante studied Tanner, and the smile left his face.
“As requested, we retrieved the crate you had flown to Dallas. It’s riding a drug transport plane to Mexico City. I’m going to guess that whatever is in that crate is part of your plan to breach the compound, but unless it’s the world’s smallest tank, I fear you will be unsuccessful.”
“We’ll see,” Tanner said.
Dante smiled at Alexa. “You said that you would find Tanner and you did.”
“Yes, I did, and together we will kill Alvarado.”
Dante turned to walk back to the limo, as he did so, he gave instructions. “Follow behind the limousine and I’ll take you to see Sandoval.”
They did as instructed, and within minutes, they were entering Mexico.
Part II
The Eve Of Destruction
16
Machinations
On the edge of the city of Matamoros, Mexico, Tanner, Alexa, and Spenser met with Damián Sandoval. The meeting took place in an alleyway between two storefronts, where several men with rifles overlooked the scene from the rooftops.
Damián Sandoval stepped out from the rear of a bulletproof limo and smiled at Alexa. “I see that you are someone who does what she says she’ll do. That is a rare trait, particularly among your sex.”
Alexa knew she should let Sandoval’s sexist comment pass, but she couldn’t help but respond to it.
“You believe that women are less honorable than men?”
Sandoval gave his head a small shake. “No, but they do possess far
less fortitude. You however are an exception, and you continue to surprise me.”
Sandoval then turned his gaze on Tanner. “I’ve learned the details of what you did to Alvarado’s men in New York State, and your reputation is well earned, but do you truly believe that you’ll be able to kill Alonso Alvarado?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are either a fool or the best assassin who has ever lived.”
Sandoval tossed his chin at Spenser. “This man, is he as good at killing as you are?”
“No,” Tanner said. “He’s better.”
Damián Sandoval stepped closer to Spenser. “Why do you want to kill Alonso Alvarado?”
“I need to finish what I started.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m the man who attacked him at his villa years ago and left him for dead. Up until about a week ago, I believed he was dead.”
Sandoval broke into a wide grin and offered Spenser his hand. “I owe you a debt of gratitude. If not for your attack on that villa my rise to power might have been delayed for years.”
Spenser took the offered hand and shook it. “It was my pleasure, and soon we’ll finish the job. But tell me, just how did that bastard make it out of the house? The place was an inferno and he couldn’t sit up, much less walk.”
Sandoval relayed to them the story of how Carlos Ayala saved Alvarado, and Spenser grew angrier at himself for having failed.
“Dante,” Sandoval said, and Dante walked over to stand beside his boss.
“Yes sir?”
“Give these three what they need. Sadly, they won’t succeed, but they will cause Alonso grief before they die; that is worth much to me.”
“We will kill Alvarado,” Alexa said. “And if you’re as smart as they claim you are, you’ll be ready to take over that compound of his when we do.”
The Tanner Series - Books 1-11: Tanner - The hit man with a heart Page 142