Amber gave him a look from the corner of her eye. “I’ll bet that’s right.”
Morelos and Amber made it into New York City around one a.m.
The Ford Taurus was where it was supposed to be. Morelos checked it out first, starting with the trunk. He had asked for very specific alterations to be made to the car trunk. It also held the equipment he would need to move his strategy along. There was also the special item he’d ordered.
Everything was as he had requested. That being the case, he wondered if he could accelerate his plans and make contact with Tanner within hours. That would depend on what had gone on between Tanner and the kill squads.
Among the items found in the Taurus’s trunk, there was a police scanner. Morelos returned to the car he had used to drive to New York and listened to the scanner. There was no chatter about a shooting incident involving more than one shooter. And the news at the top of the hour didn’t mention any either. That meant the Primeros had yet to make their move on Tanner or the killing had occurred away from prying eyes and ears. A warehouse situated some distance from a residential area could be a place where violence could occur without going noticed.
“We’re leaving this car behind and taking that Ford I was checking out.”
Amber scrunched up her face. “Can we stop somewhere? I need to pee and I’m hungry too.”
“I arranged an apartment. We’ll drive there and unload our things. Help me move them into the other car.”
Amber grabbed her bags and walked over to the Ford’s trunk. Morelos told her to place them on the rear seat instead.
“I have things in the trunk that are taking up room,” he explained.
They loaded up the Ford. Before leaving, Morelos took the time to wipe down the car they had been using. He did so out of habit. It was unlikely that the vehicle would be traced to him, but he operated on what was possible and not on what was likely.
He would return to the car soon and begin using it again. The Ford Taurus had been acquired for a specific purpose. Once it served that purpose, Morelos would have no use for it.
The Ford started right up, and Morelos headed to the apartment he had waiting for him. They would only be there for a short time before heading back out. He had contracts to fulfill on Tanner and Joe Pullo. If things went as he hoped, phase one of his plan would be accomplished before the sun rose.
Stone Hayes was in the apartment of the nurse he was sleeping with. The woman was working the night shift then filling in on the day shift. She wouldn’t return until the afternoon, then have the next two days off. The apartment was small, but Stone still found room in which to pace in.
He’d been waiting for hours to hear back from Lombard, to confirm that Henry was dead. He finally came to the conclusion that something must have gone wrong, or perhaps Henry had never shown up at the bookstore. Either way, he had to assume that Henry was still alive. That would have to be a temporary situation if he were to ever become Tanner’s apprentice.
Waiting for Lombard to get in contact with him had given Stone a reason to postpone the calls he needed to make. There was also the consideration that the people he wanted to phone were in a time zone that was six hours ahead of New York. Had he called any earlier, he would have woken them up in the middle of the night. They were his partners, Boyd Dunn and Kirby Mills.
He called Dunn. Boyd was an early riser and was probably on the computer already checking stock prices and futures forecasts. Dunn could rouse Mills and then Stone could give them the news all at once. The three of them owned a refurbished seventeenth century farmhouse in Florence that had five bedrooms and six baths. They had always done everything together, and now he was calling to tell them that he wanted to break away and go on his own, in order to be trained by, and someday take Tanner’s place.
There was obvious delight in Boyd Dunn’s voice when he said hello to Stone. That changed to a tone of concern after he realized that Stone had news he wanted to share.
“What news? Is Tanner onto you? Are you in trouble?”
“I’ll explain, but first, get Kirby and put the call on speakerphone so I can tell you both at once.”
“It’ll take a minute. I’ll have to wake him.”
“I’ll wait.”
Kirby Mills was stirred from sleep. When he started to speak to Stone, his voice was husky, but then he cleared his throat and tried again.
“Hey, little brother. What’s going on in New York City?”
“More than I expected. Wait until you hear this.”
“He’s Tanner number seven?” Dunn asked.
“That’s right. And I have a chance to become Tanner number eight someday.”
“Someday, yeah,” Mills said. “But even if he agreed to train you, who knows when the man will step down. He’s not very old, is he?”
“He’s over forty. But that doesn’t matter. Once he teaches me everything he knows, I’ll kill him and take the name of Tanner.”
“You’re not thinking this through, Stone,” Dunn said. “Tanner has a lot of enemies. If you become Tanner, they’ll be your enemies.”
“And I’ll handle them the same way he does, by killing them.”
“And what about Kirby and me? You want to break up our partnership?”
“I don’t want to, Boyd. No, of course I don’t. But I can’t stay here and be in Europe with you guys. I thought you’d be happy for me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Think of all the things a guy like Tanner could teach me. Then, later on, I could teach them to you and Kirby too.”
“What if Tanner catches on that you’re the one who had that boy Henry murdered?” Mills asked. “He’ll kill you, Stone. That son of a bitch will put you down.”
Dunn spoke next. His voice was raised and carried a tone similar to that of a parent talking to its misbehaving teen. “Enough of this nonsense, Stone. Get on the first flight to Italy and come back here before you get yourself killed. This whole thing was a bad idea in the first place.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Boyd. I’m not the little kid who used to tag around behind you in the orphanage anymore. I’m staying in America and I’m going to become the next Tanner. I’m sorry you don’t agree with that, but it’s my decision to make.”
A deep sigh could be heard over the line as Dunn calmed himself and resisted the urge to issue orders again.
“Stone, I care about you, buddy. You’re like our little brother. Man, if anything ever happened to you I… please be careful and consider coming home. Okay?”
“I care about you guys too. But I have to do this. Listen, I’ll call you back once Tanner decides to train me.”
“And what about the contract on Tanner?” Dunn asked. “You think our Sicilian friend is just going to let you walk away from that?”
“I’ll send him back the money he paid me. Once I can start taking contracts as a Tanner, I’ll be able to name my own price.”
“He might not agree to that, Stone. You’re playing with fire there.”
“I’m not worried about him. If he was as tough as he pretends to be, he would have gone after Tanner himself. I gotta go. I’ll call you guys soon.”
Stone ended the call before Dunn or Mills could make further objections to his plans. He procrastinated for another hour before making the call to his employer. He should have called him earlier after meeting with Tanner and had avoided returning the messages his employer had left on voice mail. The professional in Stone felt bad about breaking his promise and not fulfilling a contract, but it couldn’t be helped.
The call went unanswered. He left a vague message and would try again in the morning. Ten minutes after he went to sleep the phone woke him. It was his employer calling him back.
“What’s this change of plans you mentioned?”
“I’m not going to kill Tanner, and I’ll be sending your money back.”
“That’s unacceptable. Do you have any idea how much time and effort it took to set this up? Get over your case of ner
ves and kill the man.”
“I said no. I have other plans, and I need Tanner alive to make them happen.”
“Your plans will mean nothing if you’re dead, Hayes. If you renege on our agreement, I will find you and kill you. Either Tanner dies or you do. Do you understand me?”
“I hear you, and your words don’t mean shit to me. We’re done. I’ll wire your money back to you and then we’re finished. And oh yeah, if I ever see you again, I’ll assume you’re coming after me, and I’ll kill you.”
“You won’t see me coming.”
“Is that a threat? Hello?” His employer had hung up.
Stone cursed and laid his phone back on top of the nightstand. He then lay awake half the night with a restless mind.
15
Now You Don’t See Me, Now You Do
Morelos parked the Ford around the corner and a block away from the small warehouse in lower Manhattan where Tanner was supposed to be. It was after two a.m. but there was still business going on three blocks away at a place that sold ribs. The narrow side street where the warehouse was located saw no cars, but out on the avenue it was connected to, traffic rolled along steadily, unless paused by the traffic lights. The city that never slept continued to earn its name.
Morelos was wearing all black and had a cap on his head that could be pulled down to form a ski mask. He wanted to prowl the area and see what he could find out. Given Tanner’s reputation, it was doubtful that the assassin would be taken unawares by the Primeros kill squads hunting him. Even if they came upon the man while he slept, Tanner would put up a fight.
Morelos came close to stepping into view beneath the glow of a streetlight before spotting the outline of a man holding a rifle on a rooftop. It was a fleeting glimpse but confirmed what he suspected. The Primeros were going to walk into a trap. It also meant that Tanner was nearby, and perhaps Pullo was there as well.
Having seen enough and not wanting to risk being detected, Morelos returned to the Ford and saw Amber’s shoulders relax as tension left her.
“I was getting worried. You were gone for a while.”
“I had to be careful and move slowly. There might have been motion detectors or cameras set up to give my target a warning.”
“Is he a dangerous man?”
“Oh yes, but he’ll die like any other.”
“What’s your plan?”
“There’s a rifle in the trunk. The trunk itself has been changed so that I can use it as a shooting blind.”
“What’s a shooting blind?”
“It’s a way to conceal myself from sight. I’ll be able to shoot from inside the trunk. That way, we’ll get close to the target without arousing suspicion.”
“And you want me to drive?”
“I can’t do it from the trunk. But don’t worry. As soon as you hear me shooting, you can speed away.”
“What if they shoot at me?”
“They’ll have handguns that won’t have the range for their bullets to reach you. Besides, I’ll still be using the rifle to fire from the trunk.”
Amber rubbed her hands together as if they were cold. “It sounds scary.”
“It might be a little frightening, but you know that I would never put you in danger.”
Amber leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I know that.”
Morelos smiled back at her. It really was a shame that she had to die. He’d always liked Amber, and she was eager to please him in bed. It was too bad that O’Leary had made her death necessary.
“When are we going to attack?” Amber asked.
“I’m waiting for something to happen. It should be soon. The men involved aren’t known for being patient. For now, we wait and watch.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Many men will die while trying to kill one.”
“Who’s the one man? Is he your target?”
“He is, and many others have tried to kill him.”
“But they weren’t you. You’ll kill him. He won’t be expecting you to be shooting from the trunk of a car.”
“No, he won’t.”
They grew quiet as they waited for something to happen. Amber broke the silence with a question.
“I tried to kill a guy once who I hated, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger. Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I do know that most people avoid killing, even if they have a good reason to do so.”
“Was it hard for you to do the first time?”
“No.”
“Did you use a gun?”
“I used a broken bottle and stabbed him in the neck.”
Amber made a face of disgust. “That I could never do. God, there must have been so much blood.”
“There was.”
“Does it ever give you nightmares?”
“When I was younger, not anymore.”
Amber reached over and took Morelos’s hand. “You’re such a strong man. I feel safe around you, and… I… I love you. I guess you’ve figured that out already. And don’t worry, you don’t have to say it back to me. I know that you don’t think of me that way. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
Had Morelos been capable of experiencing such emotion, he would have felt like a heel at that moment, knowing he was planning Amber’s death. Instead, he felt nothing, and leaned over to share a kiss with her. The truth was he would miss her, but as she was able to testify against him if pressured by the law, she couldn’t be allowed to live. Amber rested her head on Morelos’s shoulder, and drifted off to sleep as they waited.
Manuel had been asleep but woke as the two vans ferrying his fellow Primeros rushed past him on their way to Tanner’s location.
Manuel was in a car he had stolen from in front of a bar. He had come across the car’s owner passed out in the front seat. The drunk mumbled incoherently as Manuel helped him from the car. Manuel dragged him behind a dormant air-conditioning unit and took the car. It smelled horrible, as there was fresh vomit on the passenger-side floor.
If he hadn’t left the windows cracked in order to let in fresh air, the sound of the rushing vehicles might not have woken him.
They’re going off to kill Tanner, Manuel thought. He started the engine, then shivered. The open window let in air, but it was cold air, and he was freezing. He turned on the heat, but that only enhanced the stench of the vomit. He preferred to be cold.
Thankfully, it was a short drive. Up ahead, the vans slowed, then pulled to the curb to park. When the Primeros left the vehicles and headed on foot along a narrow side street, they kept the engines running. Killing was usually a brief bit of business, especially when those doing the killing were as experienced as the men of the kill squads.
Manuel drove past the vans and drifted to the curb farther up the avenue. He would walk back and hide in the shadows to wait and see what happened. If Tanner survived the attack, he would not be expecting another one so soon. Manuel was counting on the element of surprise to help his cause, and he was unaware of the men on the rooftop above him.
Pullo whispered into his phone. “You’ve got twelve guys headed your way through the front door, and four coming from the door at the rear, Tanner, with rifles and shotguns. And each group has a man carrying a sledgehammer.”
“I guess they’re planning to knock the doors in. Romeo and I are ready for them.”
“Be careful, buddy. That’s a lot of guys, and I’ll bet they’re wearing vests too.”
“They won’t know what hit them until it’s too late to do anything about it.”
“And we’ll clean up any that try to get away.”
Morelos knew who was in the vans the moment he spotted them. He could make out one face that was covered in tattoos, as was common with the Primeros. They drove past him, turned into the street where the warehouse was located, then piled out of the vans to move in for the kill. It was just after four o’clock in the morning. If Tanner was asleep, he was about to be awakened in a most disturbing manner.
Morelos woke Amber by nudging her with an elbow. She’d been snoring slightly and appeared disoriented at first.
“I’m going to get things ready. Move behind the wheel but don’t start the engine yet. In a few minutes, I’ll climb into the trunk and ready the rifle. When it’s time to move, you’re to back down that side street ahead on the left. Don’t go too fast or too slow, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Amber stifled a yawn. “I’m scared.”
“I understand, but it will be all right.”
Morelos left the car and walked around to the trunk before Amber could voice an objection. The sound of a metal door being smashed inward could be heard faintly. Death was soon to follow.
Tanner stayed crouched behind one of the invisible shields and gazed upward. Thanks to well-placed mirrors along the edge of the ceiling, he and Romeo could watch the Primeros rush into the warehouse through the front entrance. The gang members wore bulletproof vests and there were lights attached to their weapons that illuminated the warehouse’s interior. Tanner doubted any of them had military training, and it showed in the way they came through the busted warehouse door clumped together.
From their perspective, a look at what was in front of them would seem to reveal several old cracked or dirty windshields leaning against a brick wall. Had any of the men also been equipped with thermal imaging goggles, the shields Tanner and Romeo were hidden behind would have prevented the goggles from registering their heat signatures.
The rest of the warehouse was empty, so there was no need to search behind anything. Glass was glass, yes? Everyone knew that you could see right through it. What would be the point in getting closer for a look behind it?
The men at the rear made their entrance after knocking that door in. As hoped, one of them noticed the partially open door of the small room that had been used as a cell in the past. There was a bed in there. The sheets on the bed were arranged to make it look as if someone had risen from slumber in a rush. From a tape player, there came the sound of a shotgun being racked.
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