Tanner had seen them before but didn’t know their names. If Pullo had them guarding him, that meant that they were all right. He sent them a nod and the men relaxed.
There was food available in the conference room in the form of Chinese take-out. Tanner and Romeo declined it and settled for coffee. They had both eaten back at the penthouse with their families.
Pullo pointed at Rico. “He knows this cartel hitter that’s on his way here. Get this, the guy used to work for Alvarado.”
“He was one of Alonso’s favorites,” Rico said. “And he had known Morelos for many years.”
“Why didn’t Alvarado send him after me when I was in Mexico to kill him?”
“Morelos had been shot just before you and Alonso faced off. He must have been still recovering from his wound back then.”
“That makes this more than a contract for Morelos. He’s also out for a taste of revenge. Maybe that will make him careless.”
“Don’t count on that,” Rico said. “Morelos is no hothead. He’s smart and he’s been a sicario since he was about fifteen, or so Alonso said once. I’m not surprised he was chosen to go up against you, Tanner. He may not be in your league, but he won’t be easy to kill either.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“One more thing, back when I knew him, Morelos often worked with a crew. They were all killed when he was injured, but it’s possible he won’t be alone.”
“Thanks for the info, Rico. For now, we need to deal with the hit teams. Joe, is your informant certain they weren’t gunning for Tyrese too? He was with you last night.”
“I’m sure they’ll go after him eventually, but he’s not their main target. They want us dead, Tanner.”
“And they’ll get us, just not the way that they think they will.”
Finn Kelly spoke up. He’d been in America for years, but his Irish brogue was distinctive and lyrical.
“It’s all well and good that we end this threat and kill that Mexican hit man, but there will be others following in their wake. We’re dealing with a group that outnumbers us at least ten-to-one. If all we do is stay on defense, they’ll whittle us down to nothing given enough time.”
Pullo made a fist and slammed the side of it against the top of the conference table. “Defense is all we’ve got, damn it. I was up half the night trying to think of a way to turn things around and came up with nothing. Tyrese has a plan that might buy us some time. I won’t discuss it in detail because he asked me not to, but it’s a great scheme if it works.” He looked over at Tanner.
“You’re a good one for coming up with plans. What would you do?”
Romeo laughed. “Tanner would just shoot them all until there weren’t any more or they surrendered to him.”
There were smiles around the table as the tension broke. Romeo was joking, but it was also true that Tanner had wiped out multitudes on his own in the past. Everyone waited to hear what he would say.
“The best way to weaken an enemy with superior numbers is to divide and conquer. If you could start a rift between the Primeros’ leadership, they might tear themselves apart.”
“We already have someone on their side helping us,” Sammy said. “Maybe he could be useful in destroying the Primeros from within.”
“Joe,” Tanner said. “Has your informant asked for any payment?”
“No. And he said he has his own reasons for doing what he’s doing.”
“I’ll bet he does, and it’s not to help you, but to harm someone else. Don’t believe everything he tells you, or someday he might set you up for a fall.”
“I’ve thought of that, but for now he’s damn useful.”
“Are you sure it’s not a chick?” Romeo asked.
“No, but the odds are it’s a guy,” Pullo said. “The Primeros have women in their gang, but there aren’t that many of them.”
“When Romeo and I leave here we’re going to set up the trap for the kill squads. We could use a hand, Sammy, unless you’ve got something else to do.”
“I’ll help,” Sammy said.
“Good, then once that’s ready, we wait and see if Joe’s informant has done his part.”
“And after the kill squads are done, there will be Morelos to deal with,” Rico said. “I think I’d rather face the kill squads. Morelos is like you, Tanner. He’s deadly and unpredictable.”
“I can predict one thing about him,” Tanner said. “He’ll never make it back to Mexico alive.”
Henry was looking forward to his date. He hadn’t been on one in months and hadn’t been serious with anyone since he had broken up with his girlfriend, Olivia, back in Stark.
Gwen, the bookstore clerk, was the blonde Olivia’s opposite. She was tall, with dark hair, and had small breasts. They had started talking after she’d helped Henry find a book that he wanted. It was a novel that he bought for his grandmother back home.
Part of his training as a Tanner involved him being more aware of his surroundings at all times. Tanner had taught him to observe and not merely see what was in front of him. Henry had also been told that it was important to be careful whenever you went to a place where you were expected.
Even back in Stark, Henry had seen Tanner drive past a building like the diner to observe the area before driving back to pick up a take-out meal. Tanner took nothing for granted. If he was going somewhere where it was known that he would be arriving soon, he checked for signs of an ambush. All Tanners had enemies. It was just good sense to always be on guard against possible threats.
Despite being sure that it was a waste of time, Henry drove around the area where the bookstore was located before looking for a place to park. As he drove, he took in the people on the street. That was when he noticed the guy in the black hoodie who was standing outside the bookstore. The hood was pulled forward so far that he couldn’t see his features, but he could tell that the man was checking out anyone who entered the store.
It’s no big deal, Henry thought. He’s probably just meeting a friend or something.
Henry had arrived early to pick up Gwen. There was no harm in parking the car and taking a position nearby where he could watch the guy in the hoodie. He did that by settling in a doorway across the street. He saw that the man continued to scrutinize anyone who entered the bookstore. No, not just anyone. The hooded figure was paying particular attention to young white men, while ignoring those who were older, of a different race, or female.
When a young guy with dark hair and dark eyes reached out to open the door on the bookstore, the man in the hoodie said something to him. The other man shook his head, then looked angry, before entering the store. Henry realized that the young guy resembled him. He had also taken note that the man in the hoodie had slipped a hand beneath his jacket when he stopped the man to talk to him. It was like he was reaching for a gun.
Why would he be waiting to kill me? Henry thought, then wondered if it had something to do with the Primeros.
He kept watching the man. Like he’d done before, he paid attention to anyone male and young who had dark hair. Henry let out a curse beneath his breath. There was no way he could keep his date with Gwen. Even if he was to enter and leave through a rear entrance, there was a chance that he might endanger Gwen’s life. He called her and apologized for having to cancel on her at the last minute. She was good-natured about it and they agreed to talk again soon.
A few minutes later, the young man who had spoken to the guy in the hoodie walked out of the store holding a magazine and headed across the street. As he passed the spot where Henry was, Henry spoke to him.
“Hi. I saw you talking to that guy standing out in front of the bookstore. What did he say to you?”
“You know the guy? He’s an asshole.”
“I don’t know him. What did he say?”
“He called me Henry. When I said that wasn’t my name and he had the wrong person, he told me to fuck off.”
“That’s weird.”
The guy shrugged. “Th
ere’s no shortage of weirdos in New York.”
The man walked away. After what he had learned, Henry was positive that the guy across the street was out to get him. He pondered what his next course of action should be. Should he confront the man? Or maybe he should call Tanner.
Confrontation on a busy city street seemed like a bad idea, while calling for Tanner to come help made him feel like a kid. He decided to follow the mystery man and see where it led him. Nearby was a drugstore. Henry went in and came out minutes later with items that would change his appearance. He had a pair of weak reading glasses and a sweatshirt and cap with the New York Yankees logo on them. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but the man wasn’t looking for someone wearing glasses, and the sweatshirt and cap made him seem like a native of the city. It was better than nothing.
Over an hour passed before the guy gave up and moved on. During that time, Henry had seen Gwen leave the store with her friend and head for the subway. Gwen was a beauty and Henry became pissed that he had to cancel the date with her. Whoever the guy across the street was, he had cost Henry a chance at spending time alone with Gwen. Henry owed him for that if nothing else.
Henry kept the man in sight as he headed uptown on foot. When he realized that the guy could have a car nearby, he risked getting closer so that he could act if that happened. There was no car. The guy was a walker. He traveled over twenty city blocks before heading up the steps of a tan brick apartment building. As he paused outside the door, he lowered the hood and Henry got his first good look at him. The man was about thirty. His blond hair was tied back in a ponytail and there were noticeable acne scars on his cheeks. He punched numbers into a keypad beside the glass entrance door and it unlocked.
The building was wide and several stories high. There had to be over fifty apartments. Henry ran up the stairs. He was hoping that there was an elevator that he could see through the glass door. If so, he might at least be able to know which floor the blond man got off on.
Instead of that, he saw the blond man himself. The guy was standing in front of a wall of mailboxes and using a key to open one. It was the eighth box from the bottom in the third row. That was better than knowing what floor the elevator stopped on. The mailbox gave the apartment numbers and names of the tenants.
Henry moved away from the door before he could be spotted. After figuring he had given the guy enough time to move on, he gazed through the door again. He was unable to make out what was on the mailbox. He needed to get inside the lobby.
There was no doorman, but he did spot a security camera up near the ceiling. He’d be sure to keep his head down and the cap he wore should help to obscure his face. Twenty-three minutes passed before the doors on the elevator opened. A woman wearing a long coat with a fake fur collar emerged from the elevator while on the phone.
Henry took out his own phone and pretended to be having a conversation. When the woman opened the door to leave, Henry had been faking inputting numbers into the keypad. He lowered his hand and reached out to grab the handle of the door before it could swing shut. The woman was so involved in the conversation she was having with someone named Kerry, that she didn’t even acknowledge Henry with a nod.
The name on the mailbox the blond man had opened was Mitch Lombard. He lived in apartment 6H.
Once again, Henry had a decision to make. Should he ask for help from Tanner, or continue to deal with the situation himself?
He knew that Tanner and Romeo were busy setting up a trap for the Primeros’ kill squads. He didn’t want to take them away from that, and he also didn’t think that Mitch Lombard had anything to do with the Primeros. There was some other reason why Lombard had been looking to kill or abduct Henry at gunpoint.
It occurred to Henry that it could have something to do with his late father, Kagan Andreas. Long-lost father or not, Henry had killed Andres for kidnapping him and attempting to murder his grandmother. While the man had been an asshole, he did have friends. It was possible that one of them was looking for revenge.
Possible. But if true, how did they know that he would be at the bookstore? The only people who knew were those he trusted like Tanner, Romeo, Sara, Nadya, and Franny, along with… Stone.
Henry had liked Stone well enough but didn’t know much about him other than the fact that he was Romeo’s apprentice. He wondered how much Romeo really knew about the guy.
Figuring out Stone’s involvement with Lombard, if any, could wait. For now, Henry needed answers, and Lombard could give them to him.
If he didn’t involve Tanner, he had to figure out what to do next on his own. He could wait and hope that Lombard left the apartment so he could follow him again, or he could find a way into the apartment to confront him.
Henry was armed with a small pocket pistol and a knife. If he was going to confront Lombard, he’d need to have surprise on his side. He thought about buying a pizza and pretending to be delivering it to someone in the building. He abandoned the idea because it was doubtful Lombard would open the door. It was more likely that he would shout through the door that he had never ordered a pizza and to get lost. Lombard had a temper and was rude.
When he’d mistaken the stranger at the bookstore for Henry, he had told the man to fuck off simply because he had informed him that he had the wrong guy.
Maybe I can use that temper to my advantage, Henry thought.
He rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and located apartment 6H. It was at the end of the hallway. After hesitating for a moment while wondering if he were making the right move, Henry banged on Lombard’s door while talking loudly.
“Bobby! Yo man, open up the door, it’s me, Tony. I’m not leaving until you give me the money you owe me.”
The peephole darkened. Henry was still wearing the glasses and the Yankee cap. He hoped they would be enough to keep Lombard from figuring out who he was. They should since the man had never seen him in person before.
Lombard called through the door. His voice was gruff but not deep. “Hey, asshole. You’ve got the wrong apartment. There’s no one named Bobby here.”
Henry banged on the door again. “Nice try, Bobby, but I recognize your voice. Now stop messing around and give me the hundred you owe me.”
The peephole revealed light again as Lombard moved away from it. A moment passed, then came the snapping of deadbolts being unfastened, followed by the door opening. Mitch Lombard stood in the threshold wearing black cotton shorts and a white T-shirt. His feet were bare. The long blond hair had been freed from the ponytail and covered his shoulders. In his right hand he held a baseball bat.
He sneered at Henry. “You have the wrong apartment, asshole.”
Henry smiled at him while bringing up the gun he held. “No. This is the right place.”
It wasn’t until Henry had made Lombard back up into the apartment that he considered the man might not be alone. He silently berated himself for making that assumption. If someone else had been with Lombard they might have shot Henry as he walked in. At the very least, they would be a witness to something Henry wanted no one else to see. Making such an error was a sign of how unprepared he was to be a Tanner and a reason he needed much more training. Tanner never would have made such a mistake.
There was no way to undo it, so Henry kept on his course of action. After following Lombard inside, he used his foot to slam the apartment door shut behind him.
Lombard’s face was red with anger as he dropped the bat he was holding. He held up a hand in a calming motion and reached out slowly to pluck his wallet from a table near the door. There was a set of keys there, along with a pocketknife. Lombard held up the wallet.
“I’ve got about three hundred bucks on me. Take it and get the fuck out of here.”
“I don’t want your money. I want answers.”
“Answers?”
Henry removed the cap and the eyeglasses. “I’m Henry.”
Shock registered on Lombard’s face before he calmed himself and shrugged.
“
Your name is Henry. So what? Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Somebody hired you to hurt me, maybe kill me? I want to know who it was.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, kid.”
“Yeah, you do. And I’m going to find out who you’re working for.”
“I work in construction. I’m not a hired killer. If you think that’s true, then call the cops. Better yet, let me call them. My phone is over here in the bedroom.”
Lombard was on the move while finishing the last sentence. Henry rushed toward him but was too slow to keep Lombard from dashing through a doorway and into the bedroom. On an impulse, Henry plucked the bat from the floor with his free hand. He didn’t want to fire his gun unless he had to, since the sound of gunfire would cause someone in the building to summon the police.
Lombard hadn’t been headed toward a cell phone. He’d been going for his gun, which was resting on top of a bedside table along with a spare magazine. His hand closed on the weapon and Henry swung the bat hard, intending to make contact with Lombard’s arm. Instead, the bat struck Lombard in the forehead as he pivoted to bring the gun around and point it at Henry. There was a loud crack as wood met flesh. Lombard released the gun as his eyes rolled back in his head. Instead of hitting the floor, Lombard’s limp form fell onto the bed, with his legs hanging off of it.
Henry checked Lombard and discovered that he wasn’t breathing. He lowered the man to the floor and applied chest compressions. It would be damn hard to question him if the man died.
After five minutes of effort with no response, Henry admitted to himself that Lombard was gone.
“Great, just great,” Henry said. Now he had no way of knowing who wanted him dead.
13
Trap Set
Sammy was surprised by how little effort Tanner was putting into preparing for the Primeros’ hit squads. He thought he might have come up with an elaborate trap for them. Instead, all he wanted to do was adjust the lighting and set up a few odds and ends that could be used to take cover behind. Several of the items made no sense to Sammy at all. They were windshields taken from a junkyard. Tanner had arranged them so that most of them faced the door leading inside the building they were using. Along with the windshields were curved sheets of glass that looked like some sort of odd mirror. They reflected images but you could also see through them.
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