Young Guns Box Set

by Kane, Remington

  “I understand, but I want to see you again,” Cody said. He had nearly said that he needed to see her again. In fact, he hungered for more of her in a way he had never desired anyone.

  “Take me out to dinner tonight.”

  “I’ll be back here at seven. Where would you like to go?”

  “I’ve no preference, but I love Italian food.”

  “So do I,” Cody said, as he leaned in to kiss her once more.

  * * *

  When he returned to the condo, he found Romeo alone. He was seated out on the balcony reading Kay’s book about Green Wrath. When Romeo looked up at him, Cody saw that his eyes were bloodshot.

  “I guess you had a good time at the party.”

  “Hell yeah, and it continued in my bedroom, but when I woke up Sherry was gone. And no note either. I guess she was the love them and leave them type. What about you, did you spend the night with that hot girl?”

  “I did, but we only talked.”

  “All night?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What was her name again, May Ling?”

  “May Ling, Yamamoto May Ling.”

  Romeo grinned at him.

  “What?” Cody asked.

  “Dude, you said her name like it was a prayer.”

  “I like her, and I’m going out with her tonight.”

  “Cool, maybe one of us will have a girl while we’re here, but it looks like I’ll be flying solo.”

  They became quiet. Cody sat and thought about May Ling while sipping on coffee, as Romeo had returned to reading his book. After finishing a chapter, Romeo spoke.

  “Kay left a text on my phone. She wants us to come to her apartment and discuss what to do next.”

  “She has an idea where we might look for Livingston?”

  “No, but she says we should talk things out, and that maybe we’ll come up with a plan. If you ask me, I think she just wants to see you again.”

  “If so, she’s out of luck. I’m taken.”

  “What? May Ling? The girl you just met?”

  “I like her.”

  Romeo grinned. “Yeah, dude, you said that already.”

  “And it’s true.”

  “I bet it is,” Romeo said.

  * * *

  They met with Kay in the afternoon, after Cody caught some sleep and the boys went out for a run.

  “I believe the man named Morrison that ran the cell group is a man named Clive Morrison. If so, he’s Livingston’s closest associate in the organization. It would make sense that he would be trusted with handling the bomb building they were doing.”

  “What’s Morrison’s background,” Romeo asked.

  “He’s from the upper-middle class and well-educated but has always shown a radical streak. After doing three years for embezzlement, he was unfit for the corporate world. The money he embezzled went to an environmental organization dedicated to saving a species of whale. Unlike Livingston, Morrison is a true believer.”

  Kay asked the boys if they would like anything to drink. Romeo answered no, but Cody continued to stare off into space. He’d been zoning out since sitting down.

  “Xavier? Are you all right?” Kay asked.

  Cody broke from his trance and looked at Kay with a blank expression. He’d been lost in thought about May Ling.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “I was wondering if you’d care for something to drink.”

  “No thank you, but there is something I want.”

  “Yes?”

  “We know why Mrs. Cromwell hates Garth Livingston, but why do you?”

  Kay’s bottom lip trembled as she answered.

  “He’s responsible for the death of my fiancé, Grant Peters. Grant was an engineer who was working on a pipeline in the north. One of Livingston’s earlier bombs killed Grant and another man. That occurred three weeks before our wedding was to take place.”

  “No wonder you hate him,” Romeo said in a hushed tone.

  “Oh, yes I do, and I’ve never hated anyone before.”

  Cody reached over and touched her on the arm.

  “We’ll find him, and we’ll kill him, no matter how long it takes.”

  Kay sent him a shy smile, then looked over at Romeo.

  “You two are quite different from what I expected. I thought men in your profession would be cold and unfeeling. You’re both very nice.”

  “We’re only mean to people who deserve it,” Romeo said, “like Garth Livingston and his terrorists.”

  “When you do find him…” Kay said.

  “Yes?” Cody said.

  Kay’s blue eyes turned cold. “Make that bastard suffer.”

  “It will be our pleasure,” Cody said.

  85

  Different Name, Same Guy

  NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 2019

  Ryan Vox was the former leader of the Dixie Devils and a man who went by the nickname of Flash. He was called Flash because of his speed with a gun.

  Flash had stepped down as the club’s leader after meeting and falling in love with Letty Grey, a leggy redhead in her twenties. Flash, who was headed toward forty, was persuaded by Letty to give up the road.

  With little education, job prospects would have been bleak for Flash, who had never held a real job in his life. Although he went to work for Letty’s father, Randolph Grey, Flash was still involved with his old gang. Grey hired him at his daughter’s insistence but then used Flash to act as a go-between with the motorcycle club.

  Grey’s business tactics weren’t the sort one learned at Harvard. He often used intimidation and threats to get what he wanted. Those tactics worked well until he ran up against Kendra Boudreaux.

  * * *

  Gator rode onto the construction site where Flash was working as a supervisor. It was a title in name only. Flash came late, left early, and sat around and played games on his phone when he was there. Having heard the motorcycle’s engine, Flash left the job trailer to greet Gator by the half-completed office building. When he spoke, his Cajun roots were evident.

  “What’s up, brother?”

  Gator smiled at him. “I still can’t get used to seeing you without a beard. And what are you wearing? Are those pants part of a suit?”

  “Yeah, the jacket is over there in the trailer, but I’ll be damned if I’ll ever wear a tie.”

  “If you do, I’ll stop talking to you.”

  “Why are you here, is there trouble?”

  “Oh yeah. That Boudreaux bitch has hired herself some first-class help. It’s a dude we met years ago, who now goes by the name of Tanner.”

  “Tanner.”

  “That’s right,” Gator said, then he went on to explain.

  “He was calling himself Xavier back in the day.”

  “Different name, same guy. You can’t forget them eyes of his.”

  “If Tanner is anything like his rep you can’t mess around with him.”

  “That’s what I figured but I wanted to see what you think. It also means that some blood will be spilled. How’s Mr. Grey gonna take that?”

  “Grey doesn’t care if anyone gets hurt, but he needs that land to keep his investors happy. He told me some of them are getting nervous that it’s taking so long to lock up that parcel. If the Boudreaux woman won’t sell, he’ll lose millions.”

  “Once Tanner is dead, she’ll sell. I might make her kiss my ass, or some other body part, for all the trouble she’s been. And you know, she ain’t a bad-looking woman.”

  “Just make sure you don’t kill her. She can’t sell that land if she’s dead.”

  A green sports car drove up near the office trailers and a woman with red hair stepped out of the vehicle. When she spotted Flash over by the building, she sent him a wave and a smile, before walking inside the trailer to see her father.

  “That Letty looks hotter every time I see her Flash, damn you’re a lucky man.”

  “I never thought I’d fall in love until I met her.”

&n
bsp; “Better you than me, brother. I’ll never give up the road or the club.”

  “I’m not dead, Gator, I’m just getting married.”

  “Yeah, then you’ll have some kids, get a station wagon, and start going to PTA meetings.”

  “I’m still me.”

  “When’s the last time you rode your hog?”

  Flash thought about it and frowned. “It’s been a while.”

  “Take off that damn suit, put on a vest, and help us kill Tanner.”

  Flash smiled. “Remember how fast he was on the draw? He was damn near as quick as I am.”

  “I remember, and you wanted to duel him.”

  “I was kidding, but it would be something. He’s the only one I’ve ever seen who can draw that fast.”

  “When word gets around that the Dixie Devils whacked Tanner, our reputation will grow. I bet we triple the club’s membership once he’s dead.”

  “You just might. People talk about him like he’s unbeatable, but we know different, because we knew him back in the day. Tanner’s nothing special; he’s just been lucky.”

  “That luck is running out tonight. Come out to that farm with us, Flash.”

  “I can’t. Grey has this dinner meeting he wants me to go to with him. He says the Mayor will be there.”

  Gator sent him a sad look.

  “You think I’m a whipped dog, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Think what you want. All I care about is making Letty happy.”

  “If I ever fall in love, kill me,” Gator said.

  Flash looked him over. “Who would love your ugly ass?”

  Gator laughed, but there was a nervousness about it that Flash noticed. Despite their earlier brave words concerning Tanner, the man’s reputation said that he was lethal, and he had survived superior odds in the past. Taking on Tanner was no joke.

  Flash reached out and gripped his friend by the shoulders.

  “Tanner is a bad ass, no doubt about that, but he won’t stand a prayer against the Dixie Devils. You watch yourself out at that farm, you hear me?”

  Gator smiled at his one-time mentor before putting his helmet back on.

  “I’ll call you with some good news tomorrow.”

  “Do that,” Flash said. He watched Gator ride off toward a meeting with the toughest opponent the club had ever faced. He felt worthless because he wasn’t going to be a part of it. That night, his brother Dixie Devils were going off to face Tanner, and some would surely die. Meanwhile, he was going out to dinner at a 5-star restaurant. Flash looked down at his right hand where he wore a ring that signified he was a member of the Dixie Devils. The ring was made of silver and bore two capital D’s.

  That life is behind me now, Flash told himself, then he trudged over to the trailer to see his fiancée and her father.

  86

  Taken!

  LONDON, ENGLAND, OCTOBER 2003

  Cody and May Ling had their dinner date and became inseparable.

  The search for Garth Livingston had stalled as they lacked any information on where to look for him. Cody was grateful for the down time, as it gave him the opportunity to get to know May Ling. His physical training didn’t suffer because May Ling was a runner, as well as a talented acrobat.

  Cody had believed that he was flexible, and yet, May Ling taught him some stretching exercises that enhanced his range of movement. She was certainly flexible, and strong as well. She was capable of bench-pressing more than twice her bodyweight. She had another talent as well. She revealed it to Cody as they were eating breakfast in her hotel room one morning.

  “You can shoot?”

  “I love to shoot. I’ve won awards at skeet shooting.”

  “With what sort of shotgun?”

  “I have a Benelli M4, but of course I didn’t bring it with me.”

  “That’s a nice weapon. I’ve fired one before.”

  “While shooting skeet?”

  “Yes,” Cody said, while grinning, and it was true. The last time he had fired a Benelli shotgun had been to fulfill a contract on a drug dealer named Richard “Skeet” Roper.

  “What would you like to do today?” May Ling asked.

  Cody stood, lifted her in his arms, and carried her toward the bedroom.

  “I should have known,” May Ling said while giggling.

  * * *

  When they weren’t in bed, they were exploring the city like tourists. Cody felt happier than he had at any time since his family was murdered. May Ling made him feel different, more whole, more… normal, than he ever thought he could feel again.

  When he was with her, he wasn’t an assassin, or Cody Parker the survivor of a massacre. He was just himself, under an assumed name, but still, just himself, and it felt damn good.

  On the day the words came, they sprung from his lips without conscious thought. They were in Hyde Park and sitting on a bench near the lake. It was a cool day and Cody had his arm around May Ling’s shoulders. May Ling craned her neck and kissed him on the lips, and after the kiss ended, he gazed into her eyes.

  “I love you, May Ling.”

  May Ling smiled. “And I love you.”

  “I never thought I’d fall in love.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “You’ve never been in love?”

  “No, and I rarely dated. I was always busy with my studies.”

  “As beautiful as you are, you must have been asked out often.”

  “I usually said no, but I was no nun either. What about you? You were never serious about anyone before?”

  “I moved around too much for that, and they weren’t you.”

  May Ling kissed him. “Say it again.”

  “I love you,” Cody said, and there was a tone of wonder in his voice.

  * * *

  At that moment across town, Bruce Hart, his wife Marjorie, and his stepdaughter Emma were leaving their hotel suites. Hart had rented a car for the visit, and so they took the elevator to the parking level. When the doors opened, and they stepped off, Hart and his family found themselves staring at a trio of armed men wearing ski masks.

  Marjorie opened her mouth to scream but the sound escaped in a sharp exhale of breath as a rifle butt was jammed into her midsection. That was followed by a strike to the head and she tumbled to the floor. Marjorie lay half in and half out of the elevator, with her legs keeping the doors from closing.

  Emma had been grabbed by another of the men, who clamped a gloved hand over her mouth, while Hart had a gun shoved in his face.

  “If you don’t do what we say I’ll place a bullet in your wife’s head.”

  Hart fumbled out his wallet and phone, then offered them to the man. They were slapped away with a grunt of disdain.

  “We don’t want your money, Hart. We’re taking you and the girl.”

  Bruce Hart blinked rapidly as color drained from his face.

  “A kidnapping?”

  Hart was grabbed by his collar as the gun was shoved beneath his chin. A van raced up to the group and a side door slid open. Hart and Emma were shoved inside where another two men handcuffed, blindfolded, and gagged them. The thug who hit Marjorie spoke to the driver. Despite the mask he wore, it was easy to discern that the driver was younger than the others.

  “What took you so bloody long to get over to the lift?”

  “I… I couldn’t get the van to move at first,” the driver said.

  The man who had gagged and cuffed Emma laughed. “The kid still had the bleedin’ handbrake on. Once I pointed it out to him, he got it moving.” After speaking, the man looked down at his female captive. Emma’s blue dress had ridden up to the level of her panties. The man ran a hand over her shapely thighs. “This is one fine piece of ass we’ve got here.”

  Emma let out a whimper behind her gag and tried her best to wiggle away from the man.

  “Leave her alone,” the driver said.

  The man with Emma laughed. “Or what, kid? You’re going to come
back here and kick my ass?”

  “She’s scared. Wouldn’t you be?”

  The man gave one of Emma’s breasts a squeeze. “I don’t give a fuck what she’s feeling.”

  The van exited the garage and made it onto the street. Inside the booth that controlled the gate, the attendant lay crumpled on the floor with a lump rising on the back of his head.

  Within minutes, the vehicle was driven underground once more, where Emma and Hart were separated and placed in two different vehicles. The men, sans ski masks, moved back onto the street again. One car went left, while the other turned right, but their destination was the same.

  By separating, they increased the odds that they would keep at least one hostage if somehow tracked by the police. The precaution proved to be unneeded. Both vehicles arrived safely at an old house far from prying eyes.

  Green Wrath had taken two more victims. Their ransom demand would be for three million dollars.

  * * *

  On one of his rare appearances at the condo that evening, Cody returned home to find Romeo watching television.

  Romeo looked past him. “Where’s May Ling?”

  “She’s at her hotel.”

  “Are you going back there later?”

  “Yeah, I just stopped by to see if there has been any news on Livingston.”

  “Nothing, and I’m sick of it. I don’t want this contract to drag on forever.”

  “Neither do I, but I am glad that it’s been slow. It’s giving me plenty of time to be with May Ling.”

  “Dude, you’re like really into that girl. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall in love.”

  Cody smiled. “It’s too late for that warning.”

  Romeo muted the TV as he walked over to Cody.

  “You’re in love with May Ling?”

  “Yeah, Romeo, and no lie, it was love at first sight.”