Young Guns Box Set

by Kane, Remington

  “Hey, Farnsworth, do you have an apprentice yet?”

  “I do, but he’s just getting started, and God is he young. I don’t think I was ever that young.”

  “What’s the kid like?”

  “He’s tall, strong as an ox, and fearless as can be. He’s also one of the best shots I’ve ever seen.”

  “He sounds like a winner. What’s his name?”

  “Ryker, his name is Vincent Ryker.”

  * * *

  STARK, TEXAS, JANUARY 2019

  “What are the Tanner Tenets?” Sara asked.

  They were in the kitchen of the ranch house. Tanner had found Sara preparing lunch and told her about the letter and the reason that he would be leaving the ranch.

  “The Tanner Tenets are the rules we live by as Tanners. The first five come from Tanner One, Keane O’Connell, Number six was created by Tanner Two, Michael Waller. The last one was added by Farnsworth; he was Tanner Five. It’s never been needed until now.”

  “Name them for me.”

  Tanner did so, in order. His mentor, Spenser, had first told him about them after agreeing to train him.

  Tenet number one—survive.

  Tenet number two—Never kill the innocent.

  Tenet number three—Kill the guilty, and make an honest dollar doing it.

  Tenet number four—Never leave an enemy alive, kill him before he has a chance to kill you.

  Tenet number five—Never give up until the target is dead.

  Tenet number six—Be the best.

  Tenet number seven—Take care of each other’s families.

  “They sound like good rules, given your profession, but why was number seven added?” Sara asked.

  “Spenser told me that it was a result of Farnsworth meeting Tanner Three at the funeral of Tanner Four. Tanner Four had died and left a grandmother behind who was dependent on him, along with another relative and her two young kids.”

  “He was killed?”

  “No, he was as much a Tanner as any of us and came out on top every time, unfortunately, he had a brain aneurysm rupture. The surviving Tanners agreed to help the family financially, then Farnsworth said that it should be a tenet of ours that we look out for each other’s families. I intend to fulfill that promise.”

  Sara shook her head in wonder. “I remember when I thought you were just another hit man with an incredible streak of luck. But this legacy that you’re a part of is truly something special. It’s nice to know that someday when we’re gone, that our great-grandchildren might have a champion they can call on.”

  “If so, I’d better get serious about finding an apprentice, then again, Spenser said that sort of thing took care of itself.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Fate, fate always seems to take a hand. In my case, it was a horrible bit of fate, but it made me want to be a Tanner more than anything. Whoever my apprentice is, he’ll have to want to be the next Tanner and fight to make it happen.”

  “Spenser had two of you because of Romeo.”

  “Yes, and Romeo would have been a great Tanner, although, he grew to want a different life as he got older.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

  “I’m not sure, but Kendra Boudreaux made it sound as if things were coming to a head.”

  Sara reached out and took his hand. “Come with me. I want to give you a proper send-off.”

  “Along with something to remember while I’m gone?”

  “That too,” Sara said, and off they went to their bedroom.

  76

  One Happy Dude

  GUILDFORD, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 2003

  Cody and Romeo searched the apartment of the man Romeo had killed while protecting Kay. They found out that his real name had been Robert Churchwell and that he worked at a moving company. They spent the next five days watching the building where the moving company was housed and became suspicious.

  Although seven employees came and went from the building every day, the lone truck they had never moved an inch. If the company was legitimate it was certainly hurting for business. None of the seven seemed to own a car. The either arrived on foot or stepped off the bus that made stops near the warehouse. However, there was a pair of company cars that sat in front of the building. They were old cars and would never rate a second glance.

  When Cody called Kay and told her about the moving company, she said it sounded as if Livingston might be using the seven people as a terrorist cell. If such were the case, they might have a leader who supervised their activities.

  If there was a leader, he or she never showed themselves. Meanwhile, the employees split up into two groups during the third day of observation. They drove the cars to a nearby shopping center where they bought numerous items. Cody had left his vehicle to follow one group while Romeo trailed behind another. Cody’s three members shopped for clothing. They bought dozens of white T-shirts and other clothing items.

  Romeo’s crew of four stockpiled packaged food, condiments, and paper products. By the time the shopping trip had ended they must have had enough to feed a small army.

  * * *

  On the morning of the fourth day, four of the employees crowded into the cab of the truck, including the lone female member of the group. The woman looked to be about thirty and had dark-blonde hair and a boyish body.

  The truck came to rest at the rear of a supermarket parking lot and the four employees piled out. Each one grabbed a shopping cart and went inside the market.

  “What do you think is going on?” Romeo asked Cody.

  “Whatever they really do, it doesn’t involve running a moving company. We’ll keep watching them until we figure it out.”

  “I placed a tracker on that moving truck of theirs while you were off getting coffee earlier. I figure since they stored all the stuff they bought the other day inside it, that they must be getting ready to use it.”

  “That was good thinking,” Cody said. “It should come in handy today.”

  The four returned to the truck with carts piled high with fresh produce. They used cardboard boxes to hold it all and slid it in among their earlier purchases. When they left the lot, Romeo activated the transponder and Cody was able to trail them at a distance.

  * * *

  An hour later they were still on the move in a sparsely populated area. Cody stayed back as far as the range of the tracker would allow, since there was so little traffic. It was later determined that the truck had driven off the highway and onto private property.

  The boys took in the signs warning away trespassers and kept going, before turning around and parking along the side of the road.

  A look through their binoculars revealed that there was an eight-foot high wooden fence farther down the winding driveway. If there was a fence, there was a gate, and if a gate, a guard.

  “They aren’t a moving company. Their real job is to keep this place supplied,” Cody said.

  “Do you want to get a look inside? We could go over that fence,” Romeo said.

  “We’d be better off making a play like that at night. For now, we’ll wait until the truck returns to that moving company. Once they’re all together again, we’ll go in and get them to talk.”

  “We’ll have to kill them afterward or they’ll warn someone about us.”

  “Yeah, and then we’ll have to come back here later and see what’s what. It looks like it’s going to be a long day.”

  “It’s why we get the big bucks,” Romeo said.

  * * *

  While waiting for the truck to emerge again, the boys decided that their time would be better spent preparing for their return visit to the compound they were looking at.

  They returned to London and went to their sub-leased condominium, which the Brits referred to as an owner-occupied flat.

  As they stepped off the elevator, they saw their neighbor leaving his apartment. His name was Eddie Quinton. He was a former child actor who had done dozens of cereal commercials be
tween the ages of three and eleven. Wise investment of the proceeds by his parents had made Eddie wealthy.

  Eddie, who was twenty-seven, used a portion of that wealth to throw parties on a regular basis. He still worked as an actor from time to time, although he didn’t need to. Eddie was the happiest person Cody had ever met. His curly dark hair framed a face still famous to some, and his looks brought him much attention from the ladies.

  Upon seeing the boys Eddie laughed for no reason. He laughed quite often.

  “My American friends, how are you, lads?”

  “We’re good, Eddie. Where are you off to?” Cody said.

  “Oh, I’ve got this charity thing I’m doing this week. It’s a telethon and I said I’d help out. I thought they’d have me answering the phones, but they interviewed me instead.”

  “You’re still famous, dude. I looked up those commercials of yours and you were a cute kid. People love cute kids.”

  “Maybe, but I’m headed toward the shores of thirty now. Anyway, before I forget, I’m throwing a party Friday night. You two have to come. This time I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “We’ll drop by if we’re not working,” Cody said.

  “I thought you were over here on holiday?”

  “We are, but something came up that was too good to let pass,” Romeo said.

  “I’ve invited some lovely birds to the party; you don’t want to miss it.”

  “We’ll try our best to make it, and thanks for the invitation,” Cody said. He had said similar words in the weeks prior, but this time he intended to join the gathering. He hadn’t been with anyone since arriving in England and was getting… antsy. The kiss he’d shared with Kay Reed had lacked passion, but it had still felt good to hold a woman. If he hadn’t wanted to keep things businesslike between them, Cody would have pursued Kay, whom he considered sexy.

  Eddie waved as he stepped on the elevator. “See you at the party, lads. It starts at nine.” Then he laughed again as the doors closed shut.

  “That’s one happy dude,” Romeo said. “And I plan to go to that party. Eddie attracts the babes.”

  “Free booze and food attract a lot of people,” Cody said.

  They went inside their condo and changed into black clothing, before gathering the equipment they would need. This included guns with more heft than the pocket pistols they had been carrying. Along with the guns came the ammo, and Cody packed enough to fend off an army.

  When they were ready, they returned to their vehicle and headed back to the moving company. It was time to get answers, and it was time to kill.

  77

  Security Guard

  NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 2019

  Tanner’s flight landed at about eight o’clock. He had taken a commercial flight and was traveling under the identity he used when working for Thomas Lawson. His credentials identified him as a member of Homeland Security. Tanner chose to use it because it would eliminate any hassles with law-enforcement, if he were to cross paths with any cops.

  When or if he had to put anyone down that threatened Kendra Boudreaux and her son, he wouldn’t need to leave afterward. Lawson, who had been advised of the situation, would have someone handle the aftermath of those deaths.

  After gathering his travel bag, Tanner rented an off-road vehicle and drove it to the return address that had been on the envelope. Kendra Boudreaux hadn’t included a phone number. If she was on edge, she would greet him with suspicion. To ease her mind and assure her that he was whom he claimed to be, Tanner had brought along a copy of the letter she had sent Farnsworth.

  The Boudreaux farm sat on forty-eight acres and was near a bayou. The fields were fallow, as they normally would be in winter. Still, in one of them, there were signs that something else had happened to leave the field barren.

  When rounding a curve, Tanner’s headlights illuminated trees out in the fields that had suffered damage from fire. In her letter, Kendra claimed that the bikers had ruined her crops. Perhaps they had been burned.

  A long winding driveway was bordered by leafless magnolia trees. When the house came into view, Tanner was impressed by its size.

  Benjamin Boudreaux had built the home himself and had described it in the memoir he’d penned inside the book of Tanner. He had also expressed his desire that his family would live in it for a hundred years. Now, another Tanner was on the property to make sure that the family could continue to inhabit the home in peace.

  The driveway curved to the right as you approached the home, leaving a wide meadow for a view from the front of the house. It was a large space to go uncultivated on a farm but gave the property a serene feeling. The driveway ended in a steep climb due to the fact that Boudreaux had built the home and its surrounding buildings on elevated land. In his memoirs, Boudreaux had said that the cost of trucking in so much soil to form the rise was expensive but necessary. Tanner thought it a wise choice when one lived so close to a bayou. He guessed that in the years since the home was built it had weathered floods that had invaded its neighbors.

  Tanner parked in front of one of three garage doors and stepped out of his vehicle. He was armed with a Sig Sauer P229 pistol, which was a standard issue weapon used by many government agencies. It was a fine gun; however, he had ordered additional weapons and supplies and was expecting them to arrive the next day. There was the chance that he would be facing off against a gang of outlaw bikers, if so, he would be ready.

  Kendra Boudreaux stepped out onto the wide wraparound porch of her home holding a shotgun. Tanner had looked into her and knew that she was forty-one, but he thought she looked younger. Her dark hair was shoulder-length and her green eyes were wide with alarm. She held the shotgun pointed at the floor as she looked Tanner over. When she spoke, her voice had a Cajun lilt to it.

  “This is private property. What do you want?”

  “My name is Tanner. You sent me a letter.”

  Kendra’s wide mouth parted in surprise, but then her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “You can’t be Farnsworth, you’re too young.”

  “Mr. Farnsworth died some time ago, but I was a friend of his, and like him, and your grandfather, I’m a Tanner.”

  “My granddaddy was a Tanner? What is a Tanner anyway? It sounds like it has something to do with leather work.”

  “I can explain that later. What you need to know is that I’ve come here to help you. I’ve brought a copy of your letter along so that you’ll know I’m legit. Farnsworth’s granddaughter forwarded it to me.”

  “Let me see the letter.”

  Tanner moved over to the porch, walked up two steps, and reached up to hand Kendra the letter. The door behind Kendra opened and a boy stepped out onto the porch. The kid was eleven and big for his age. He had his mother’s dark-hair and green eyes, and he was holding a gun.

  He moved close to his mother to get a look at Tanner.

  “Jake, I told you to stay in the house,” Kendra said, then she noticed the weapon and took it away. “I told you not to touch this gun.”

  The boy pointed at Tanner as he asked him a question.

  “Why are your eyes like that?”

  Tanner smiled. “I inherited my eyes from my mother, just like you did.”

  “They’re kinda… different.”

  “I’ve heard that before, but I don’t bite.”

  Jake smiled. Kendra had looked at the letter and it seemed to alleviate her suspicion.

  “Are you really here to help us?”

  “That’s why I came here.”

  “I sent that letter out of desperation. I didn’t expect anyone to come.”

  “I’m here and I’ll help.”

  “But you’re just one man. I don’t know what one man can do against a biker gang.”

  “I’m a Tanner. We’re trained to overcome superior odds.”

  “Trained by who, the government? Are you some sort of spy? Was my granddaddy some sort of spy?”

  “No, I’m not a spy.” Tanner
looked at Jake. “I can explain more when we’re alone.”

  Kendra stared at him for a long moment, then, a small smile crept onto her lips.

  “That letter actually worked, and mama said it would. She’s gone now, but she always told me that if I needed help, I could contact Mr. Farnsworth and that he would come.”

  “I’m here in his place,” Tanner said.

  “Well then, come on inside and we’ll get you—”

  The roar of approaching engines preceded the beams of two headlights and was followed by a pair of large motorcycles coming along the driveway.

  Tanner left the stairs and walked back to stand several feet behind his car. The men drove their bikes within ten feet of him and stopped.

  They wore leather vests that identified them as members of the Dixie Devils. When they removed their helmets, a pair of yellow-toothed grins appeared.

  Both men had the traditional biker look with long hair and full beards. Tattoos were likely, although their arms were covered by the sleeves of the shirts they had on.

  No guns were visible, but the rider on the right had a bowie knife hanging from a sheath on his hip. The man was larger than his partner, and they were both over six-feet tall.

  Tanner had on a suit without a tie and wore a white dress shirt beneath it. The two bikers must have taken him as an average citizen at first glance. That changed when they met Tanner’s gaze. The smiles that had been on their faces faded and they shared a look as they cut their engines off.

  “Who the fuck are you, mister?” asked the big biker, the one with the knife.

  “I’m the new security guard for the Boudreaux farm, and you two are trespassing.”

  “Security guard? Since when does the farm have a security guard?”

  “Ever since bikers started hassling it. If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll turn around and leave.”