“It was Tonya, Xavier. The crazy bitch tried to kill us.”
“Where’s Harvey,” Zoe asked. “Did he run away again?”
“Harvey’s dead.”
“Damn,” Zoe said.
“We were pinned down by a sniper. I don’t think it was Russell; I doubt he has the skill.”
A siren could be heard approaching and Tanner released a frustrated sigh.
“I need to get out of here.”
“Go, and don’t worry, we’ll make up a story that fits the facts but leaves you out of it.”
“Thank you, and Zoe, hang in there.”
Tanner managed to leave the scene moments before a fire truck pulled down the driveway leading to the model home. He had cut across the road and gone the other way and was pleased when he saw an ambulance racing toward the scene.
Harvey had claimed that Tonya was the more violent of the home invaders, and the ponytailed man had been right. After what the bitch did to Zoe, Tanner thought it would be a pleasure to put her in the ground.
17
The Ace
PADANG, INDONESIA, NOVEMBER 2001
Cody spotted the woman first but then all eyes tracked the beautiful blonde as she stormed toward the sand ring at Maz’s compound. The woman was in her early thirties and dressed in denim shorts and a white blouse.
“Felix!” the woman shouted. She kicked off her shoes, entered the sand ring, and strode toward Throne. “You owe me money, Felix.”
Throne’s face reddened as he looked at the blonde. Cody thought it was caused by shame and not anger. Throne was looking around as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.
“Why are you here, Caroline?”
“You know why. You’re behind on paying me my spousal maintenance. Do you want me to call my barrister?”
“I’ll have the money for you soon.”
“Why are you wasting time here, Felix? I thought you had a job at the oil refinery.”
“That didn’t work out. Besides, I need to train so I can keep my title.”
The woman laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“Why did I marry such a little boy? Will you ever grow up? This so-called title means nothing.”
“That’s not true. It means I’m the best at something. Ah, but you’re a woman. You’ll never understand.”
Caroline moved closer to Throne and poked a finger in his face. Cody heard Romeo laugh when the massive Throne flinched away from her.
“You have a week to pay me and then I’ll have you back in court.”
As Throne pleaded for more time, Cody whispered to Romeo.
“I’ll be back in a little while. But if I don’t return right away, I’ll see you back at the hotel.”
“What? Where are you going?”
“I think I found an ace we can slip up our sleeves.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I’ll explain when I see you again; tell Maz I’ll stay later tomorrow.”
* * *
When Caroline returned to her car, a red Toyota Supra, she found Cody admiring the vehicle.
“Nice ride,” he said. “How fast does it go?”
Caroline looked him over as a smile appeared on her lips.
“You’re a Yank, aren’t you?”
“Born and bred in Texas, ma’am.”
“Hmm, I’ve always fancied Yanks, and you’re a fine young specimen.”
“Have you had lunch yet?”
“No, but what’s that to you?”
Cody moved closer to her. “I’m hungry, are you hungry, Caroline?”
Her smile widened. “I could nosh. What’s your name?”
“I’m Xavier, Xavier Zane.”
Caroline’s eyes grew narrow. “You’re not a friend of Felix’s, are you?”
“No, and if I get the chance, I’ll knock Throne clear out of that ring.”
“Get in the car, Xavier. I’ll let you buy me lunch.”
Cody did as the lady said. It was always nice to make new friends.
* * *
Romeo had a lunch date of his own with Emma. When he was done training, he thought he might need a ride back into the city, since he assumed Cody had taken their car. But no, the car was still there, and he wondered again what Cody was up to.
Emma was to meet Romeo at the restaurant where they planned to eat. He had just enough time to shower and shave before heading there. Since the restaurant was so near the hotel, Romeo decided to walk. Traffic conditions were bad. Romeo figured he’d make better time on foot than he would creeping along while avoiding the endless scooters that weaved in and out of the lanes.
As he walked along, Romeo wondered what would happen once Spenser rejoined them. The plan was for the three of them to move on and travel the world for a while. That had sounded like heaven until he’d met Emma. Now, Romeo couldn’t imagine leaving her. He was in love, no doubt about that, and he knew that Emma loved him too.
He was on the verge of becoming everything he’d wanted to be when he’d begun training with Spenser. Along the way, he had met a friend who was more like a brother. Could he really let that all go to stay with Emma and make a life? Maybe, yeah, because he loved her that much.
When Emma was late for their lunch, Romeo assumed that she had been held up, but as more time passed, he became worried. He took out his cell phone and found there was no service. He called Emma’s house by using a pay phone, then had to leave a message.
“Hey, Emma, I’m at the restaurant, baby. Did you forget we were meeting here? Call me back.”
Romeo gave it another five minutes and headed off to see Emma. Her parents were renting a large home outside the city and he had to stop at the hotel and get the car.
* * *
Two more calls went unanswered by the time he’d arrived at the house. Romeo found Emma sitting out on the front steps, and he could tell that she’d been crying. Emma was dressed in a green kebaya, which was a fashion native to Indonesia. The blouse-dress combination was flattering on her.
“Yo, baby, what’s wrong?”
Emma looked up at Romeo with wet red eyes.
“I know about you. I know that you’re a paid killer.”
“What?”
“Do you deny it?”
Romeo took a seat beside Emma on the stone steps. The home behind them was built in a more western style than most of the homes in the Sumatra region. It had a pitched roof, with decorative gables, and a wide front porch. It was also a large home with five bedrooms and four baths.
Romeo struggled for something to say, for a way to deny Emma’s allegation, but as he opened his mouth, the truth came out.
“I’m an apprentice of a man named Tanner, and yeah, he’s an assassin. In fact, he’s the best assassin there is.”
Emma stared at him. “You sound proud.”
“I am proud, and I’ve worked damn hard to get to the point that I’m at. Yes, I’m a killer, but I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. I’m training to be a Tanner, Emma, and a Tanner is something special.”
“Special? You kill people for money. How is that special?”
“I’ve also saved lives by killing. Emma, there are people out there who will take what they want if they’re not stopped, and the law is not enough, baby, it just isn’t.”
Emma shook her head as a sob escaped her. After sucking in a deep breath, she spoke again.
“I can’t be with you anymore, Romeo, not, not knowing what I know about you.”
“I thought you loved me.”
“And I thought I knew you, but I don’t, do I?”
“You think because I kill people that I’m no good, but I’m not a bad guy, Emma, and baby, I love you.”
Emma removed the emerald ring Romeo had bought for her. She handed it to him.
“Take it. If I kept it, it would just be a reminder of you.”
“Emma, I don’t want to lose you.”
Emma pressed the ring into Romeo’s p
alm, then stood and walked toward her front door.
“We’re through, Romeo. Don’t call and don’t come here anymore.”
“Emma, how did you find out about me?”
“She told me.”
“She?”
“It was that little girl, Romeo, Nadya.”
Emma disappeared into the house as fresh sobs wracked her body. Romeo left the steps minutes later, while wiping at his own eyes.
18
Quiet Is Good
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, AUGUST 2018
Zoe’s wound wasn’t fatal. Still, she did need to be hospitalized to regain her strength, as she had lost a significant amount of blood.
Kayla and Zoe told the police that they had tracked Harvey to Phoenix and were looking to cash him in for the bounty on his head. While they were searching for him, they were attacked by a woman who matched the description of Tonya.
They said nothing about the fire or Harvey’s death, since they should have had no way of knowing about either incident. Although they had smelled the smoke, they couldn’t have known it was the hay that had been burning.
It was the homicide detectives responding to the scene that theorized that Harvey had started the blaze. They were also working under the assumption that Russell killed Harvey, and that Tonya stumbled across Kayla and Zoe.
Only one mystery remained. An unknown had fired on the sniper who killed Harvey. Slugs had been recovered, but no shell casings had been found. When asked about it, the female bounty hunters pleaded ignorance, and the cops had no reason to doubt them.
Kayla and Zoe were well-known in Arizona and had been apprehending fugitives for many years. They had never crossed the line into vigilantism—as far as the authorities knew—and so they were trusted.
* * *
Kayla rejoined Tanner that evening at a bar on Indian School Road. The place served food, so they ate while they talked.
“Zoe should be out of the hospital in a day or two, but she’ll have to rest after that. Xavier, that bitch Tonya nearly killed my sister. If we hadn’t been warned by using the cans, she would have shot us both in the back.”
“I spotted the beer cans when I came over to check on you two. You learned that trick from your grandfather?”
“We sure did,” Kayla said, and went on to explain how she and Zoe had placed a length of fishing wire and tin cans around their van to warn them if anyone approached.
Tanner smiled. He had used that trick himself over the years and he too had Tanner Five to thank for it.
“Your grandfather taught you well, Kayla. Maybe you should have trained to be a Tanner.”
“I’m no assassin, but I’ll tell you something, I want that bitch, Tonya. I won’t kill her, but oh, how I’ll make her pay for hurting Zoe.”
“But first we have to find her.”
“We don’t even know where to look, do we?”
“Not yet, but I’ll spend the night searching for her. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“She attacked us twice. The second time she was in a car. Zoe put at least two bullet holes in it.”
“Describe the car to me.”
Kayla smiled. “I can do better than that.”
* * *
They were in the bar’s parking lot after finishing their meal and sitting in the van.
Tanner was looking at Kayla’s dash cam, which captured Tonya’s attack when she was driving the car. Tonya was wearing a red scarf and her hair was dark and shorter than her victims had described, like it had been in the video taken by Buttons’ collar camera.
Harvey had said that Tonya liked to wear long blonde wigs as a disguise while working. Since she wasn’t wearing one while she was out to kill them, Tanner wondered if she considered stalking them play, or a game. If so, it was a game she would lose.
The video had captured the car’s license plate too, which would aid in finding Tonya.
“Why didn’t you tell the police you had this?” Tanner asked.
“If they arrested her, she’d get a nice comfy prison cell. If you find her, the bitch gets what she deserves. And I want her, Xavier, for Zoe.”
Tanner sat the dash cam down and turned his head to look at Kayla.
“How is Zoe doing? I mean financially. She mentioned that she really needed the money capturing Harvey could have earned you.”
“Things are tight. The girls’ fathers pay her child support but it’s not much because they earn so little. Zoe gives her daughters everything and has them in private school. That takes money, and soon the oldest one, Juliet, will be off to college. We’ve been hustling, but in this business, it’s feast or famine. Lately, it’s been famine.”
“I’ll pay you the twenty grand I mentioned. That should help.”
“It will, and thank you. Zoe and I both know you don’t need us to track down Russell.”
“You could have cashed-in Harvey when I needed him, and you didn’t do that as a favor to me.”
Kayla released a sad sigh.
“I don’t know why, but I feel sorry for that firebug. He wasn’t a bad guy overall.”
“Harvey made his choices and they led to his death, but yeah, as far as scumbags go, he barely rated.”
“So, that’s something else we owe Russell and Tonya.”
“We’ll find them, Kayla, and yeah, they’ll pay.”
“I know they will. We’re playing by your rules now, deadly rules, and no one is better at the game than a Tanner.”
* * *
Tonya decided to rent a car since hers had bullet holes in it. She had a credit card she had bought from an identity theft ring in the name of Maxine Gleasoni. Tonya didn’t think she looked like a Maxine, but what the hell, as long as the card worked.
She arrived on foot at the rental office late, and they had few choices left. Most of the vehicles were either ugly or bigger than Tonya needed. When she spotted a gray vehicle that looked fast, she pointed to it, then received a surprise.
“It’s an electric car?”
“A hybrid, it runs on gas and electric,” the young clerk told her. He was in his twenties and looked like he just wanted to go home after a long day. The sales clerk started the engine and the dash lights came to life.
“Why is it so quiet?”
“It’s the electric motor. The newer models make more noise, as a safety precaution.”
Tonya grinned. Quiet was good. Quiet was sneaky.
“I’ll take it,” Tonya said.
* * *
After leaving the rental office, she phoned Russell. She thought he’d be thrilled to hear from her, but instead, he seemed annoyed.
“You need to come back before you get your ass killed, Tonya. I told you that Kuper would handle things.”
“Did he kill Tanner and Harvey?”
“Harvey’s dead and it serves him right, but Kuper said that Tanner got away.”
“Did you tell him it was Tanner he’s after?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to scare him off. Besides, he’ll be more relaxed if he thinks Tanner is just some random guy.”
“If Tanner is hot shit like everyone says he is, Kuper will be dead soon.”
“Maybe, or maybe Kuper will come out on top.”
“I might have killed one of the women, or at least she’s wounded. But don’t worry, I’ll kill them all before I’m through, even Tanner.”
“Let Kuper handle it.”
“I’m as tough as any man, Russell, and I don’t take orders from you.”
“Think about it, Tonya. With Harvey dead, Tanner and those women have no way to find us. Why take a chance on getting killed?”
“Because they think they can mess with me. People that mess with me die.”
Russell released a long weary exhalation that spoke of the frustration he was feeling. “Call me tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Yeah,” Tonya said.
After the call ended, she sat and thought about her next move. He
r damn head was pounding. She wondered if it had something to do with the infection she had. Tonya decided to go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep. Things always looked better in the morning. At least, that is the lie we tell ourselves at night.
Tonya glided along in her electric car as the bite on her neck began itching again. If she spotted a cat, she’d go out of her way to run it over.
19
The Razor’s Edge
AUSTRALIA, NOVEMBER 2001
Spenser and Willow had their wrists bound at their backs before being shoved through the hidden doorway behind the bookcase. The ever-smiling Charlie searched Spenser a second time and found the knife in his boot that Brett had missed.
“That would have come in handy, eh mate?”
Spenser appeared distressed by the loss of his knife and asked a question.
“How soon until Jock Martin gets here?”
“I bet it will be sooner than you’d like,” Charlie said.
The room they were in was narrow but long enough to fit two cars inside, one of which was being disassembled. Stacked in a corner were dozens of stolen camcorders and blank tapes, as well as bundles of designer jeans and bootleg movies. The space had no windows. It was lit by overhead lights and a lamp that sat on a small folding table.
Spenser and Willow were placed in the back seat of a car, then had their ankles bound with more rope. Before leaving, Charlie shoved a hand under Willow’s blouse to fondle her breasts.
“Ha! I knew those were real. Greg is a lucky man, or he was.”
“You’re a pig,” Willow said.
Charlie waved a finger at her while grinning.
“Now, now, I could do much more than feel you up. You should be grateful I’m not that type of man.”
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