Her call was answered after the second ring by a masculine voice with an American accent. It was the voice of Vince Ryker.
“Tell me you’ve made contact.”
“I have, and I’m now one of their inner circle.”
“Do they appear to be suspicious at all?”
“No, as you said, no one would expect your apprentice to be female.”
“The element of surprise is an assassin’s greatest weapon. A female assassin doubles that asset. No one expects a beautiful woman to be a killer.”
“About that, do you wish them dead?”
“Has there been any sign of Spenser Hawke?”
“No.”
“Damn it. I need the three of them to be together.”
“That may not happen until they return to America.”
“I suppose I’ll have to remain patient.”
“In the meantime, I’ll stick close to them.”
“Do that, and Vivian, be careful. Those boys may be as deadly as I am.”
“Xavier gives off that vibe, but you’ll still have the advantage, since they believe you to be dead.”
“When I return from the grave, I’ll put them in theirs.”
Vivian grinned into the phone.
“They’ll wish they had never been born.”
YOUNG GUNS 8 - THE END OF THE BEGINNING
Prologue
NEW YORK CITY, FEBRUARY 2019
Tanner stood near the fireplace after having added another log to the crackling blaze that was helping to warm the penthouse. Outside, snow was falling, and the temperature was dropping along with it, while headed toward the single digits overnight.
Returning to the large sofa in the living room, Tanner sat beside Sara. She snuggled next to him again while watching the snow through a large picture window. Mixed in with the snowflakes were the lights of the city. On the street below, the traffic had taken a drastic dip from its usual volume, and the city sounds were less strident.
Tanner was wearing a pair of old jeans along with a white cashmere sweater that Sara had given him for Christmas. His feet were shoeless, but were covered in a pair of thick, black wool socks. Sara wore a pink jogging outfit with fuzzy yellow slippers, while her long dark hair hung loosely.
Sara and Tanner, like many others were staying indoors until the storm passed. The TV weatherman was calling for twelve inches or more, however, his track record had been worse than usual this season.
Sara began talking about their upcoming wedding, then, the conversation drifted to the topic of first loves.
Noticing Tanner’s reluctance to discuss his, Sara wondered why. After taking a sip of her cocoa, she asked him what the woman’s name had been.
“May Ling, her name was May Ling.”
“Was it a high school crush?”
“No, we were both in our early twenties when we met.”
“I can tell by your voice that it was a serious relationship.”
“Yes.”
“When was the last time you saw her.”
“Years ago, and May Ling… she’s dead.”
“Dead? How did she die?”
Tanner stood and began pacing. His agitation and nervousness were so unlike his normal demeanor that Sara grew worried over what he was about to tell her.
“Tanner? What happened to May Ling?”
He retook his seat beside Sara, released a long sigh, and began his story.
“This concerns a man named Vincent Ryker.”
“Who was he?”
“At one time in his life, he was on the verge of becoming a Tanner, and because of him, May Ling…”
“This Vincent Ryker, he murdered May Ling?”
“Ryker, he… let me start at the beginning.”
Sara took his hand. “I’m listening.”
“Ryker first met Farnsworth, Tanner Five, when he was still in his teens. Ryker was smart, strong, and good with firearms. But the man was rotten inside, evil and rotten, and he nearly ended the Tanner legacy.”
Tanner continued to tell Sara about Vince Ryker, and as he did so, the pain of the past returned.
111
The Best Day Of My Life
ROBBIN’S COVE, CALIFORNIA, NOVEMBER 2003
Cody and Romeo each drove their new pickup trucks down an old farm road while headed to what might be their next home. Sitting beside Cody was May Ling, while Emma was with Romeo in his truck.
Driving ahead of the boys was a real estate agent named Heather Lawry. She had been hired by Cody to find them a suitable place to settle down, at least for a year or so.
Heather had already sold the boys a parcel of prime real estate that was undeveloped land zoned for residential use. Cody and Romeo had plans to develop it and build a grand home on the property. Before that could happen, they would need a place of their own.
They had arrived back in the states with the women they loved after having been in Ireland. May Ling had loved the Emerald Isle, while Emma, who had been there twice before acted as their unofficial tour guide.
Now it was time to get back to work, and with their women to consider, the boys decided to put down roots.
Robbin’s Cove was a picturesque town along the California coastline. Its eastern end rose up into hills that granted a view of the Pacific. A retired movie executive had owned that land since the late 1950’s, yet he had done little with it. The man never married and had passed away at the impressive age of 104.
The land cost Cody and Romeo dearly but was well worth the expense. They planned to build a large luxury home on it before selling at a good profit. Since that project would take some time to complete, they would also be engaged in their real trade, that of assassins.
But contracts could wait until they were settled in. In short, it was time to build a life.
* * *
The real estate agent, Heather Lawry, was a beautiful blonde in her forties who was one of the most enthusiastic people Cody had ever met.
As she showed them around the properties they were considering, Heather extolled the virtues of every feature. Twin homes sat on a small hill and were surrounded by over forty acres. Although farmland, no one had cultivated the soil for nearly a decade.
The two homes had been built four years earlier by a pair of brothers who had made fortunes with a tech company. Those fortunes were on the wane and they were now looking to sell. The homes were built in a classic farmhouse style and reminded Cody of his childhood home, which had been on a ranch.
May Ling and Emma liked the homes and their natural surroundings. Both women had grown up in cities but had always thought it would be nice to live in the countryside.
As for Cody and Romeo, they needed the seclusion the land offered. It would give them a place to practice their shooting away from the eyes and ears of nosey neighbors.
With the girls’ approval, the boys decided to buy the properties, causing Heather Lawry’s enthusiasm level to rise even higher.
“You’re going to love it here, gentlemen, and I can’t wait to see the home you’ll be building on the other parcel.”
“You’ll get first crack at it,” Cody assured her.
* * *
Two weeks after moving in, Cody returned from being at the site where they were building the home. He and Romeo had been meeting with the man hired to put in the septic system. There was also an ancient well on the property that needed updating and a new and modern pump added.
Their recent home and land purchases had left Cody’s cash reserves low, but Romeo still had money left, although he had plans to spend it as well. The boys knew they could refill their coffers by taking their next contract; however, it could wait until the home they were building was well under way.
May Ling and Emma had financial resources of their own and were using them to furnish the houses. Emma couldn’t cook any better than Cody and Romeo could, but May Ling was a wonder in the kitchen. She made their meals and was teaching Emma culinary skills while doing so.
Cody had sat in on a few of the lessons. He loved learning anything new and doing so was a part of training as a Tanner.
“You can never know too much about too many things,” Spenser once said.
Cody thought that was true. He also found that he enjoyed cooking but disliked the cleaning up part.
* * *
Upon entering the house, Cody noticed that the new living room furniture had arrived. It was in a flowered pattern, large, and comfortable. The nine-piece dining room set had come as well. That pleased Cody. He was tired of eating off TV trays. Other changes had taken place, as decorative pictures hung on the walls and accent rugs were scattered about. What had been a sparsely furnished space now had a homey feeling about it.
May Ling greeted him with a kiss and a hug.
“I see you were busy today,” Cody told her. May Ling was dressed in a pair of green Capri pants with a sleeveless white blouse. Her long hair was up and pinned into a bun.
“Do you like the pictures? I thought nature scenes would be good here.”
“It’s very nice.”
“We can eat whenever you’d like.”
“What are we having?”
“Steak, which you get to grill outside.”
Cody bent down and swept May Ling into his arms.
“I have an appetite, but it’s not for food.”
May Ling smiled as she freed her hair from the bun.
“I have a craving of my own.”
Cody carried her into the bedroom and they made love.
* * *
Dinner took place later than usual and was scrumptious, as was the dessert that followed.
“Did you make this pie,” Cody asked May Ling.
“I did, from a recipe on the internet.”
Cody smiled at her. “Is there nothing you can’t do?”
“Not much,” May Ling said while giggling.
They watched a movie which they both enjoyed, then, they sat out on the home’s deck and stared up at the stars. They were lying back together in a chaise lounge and sipping wine. As Cody held the woman he loved in his arms, he realized that he was happier than he had ever been.
“I think this is the best day of my life.”
May Ling turned in his arms and kissed him. “There will be many more to come.”
However, she was wrong, so very wrong. Heartache and death were just over the horizon.
112
Enemies, Old & New
OREGON, JANUARY 2004
Vince Ryker stood in the center of a field atop land that was part of a fortress known as the Citadel. Standing beside him was Vivian, who was using the phony surname of Richards.
Ryker’s honey-blond hair had recently developed streaks of white. His beard was also speckled with signs of age, although he was only in his forties. Ryker had suffered trauma which had resulted in the loss of the lower half of his left leg. He had come close to dying from an infection and nearly bled to death from a serious wound to his throat.
Spenser Hawke was to blame for all of it. He had also killed Ryker’s only son, thinking that Damon Ryker was his father’s apprentice.
Ryker had made one of his offspring his apprentice, however it had been his daughter, not his son.
“They’re here,” Vivian said. She was staring in the direction of an approaching jeep.
“I’ll do the talking,” Ryker said. He had an artificial leg to replace the lower limb he’d lost, while his throat bore a scar leftover from his wound. They were constant reminders that he owed Spenser Hawke and his protégés a debt of blood. Ryker hoped the man approaching him in the jeep would become an ally in that effort.
* * *
Jack Begley, director of the Citadel, rode in the rear passenger seat beside his friend, Serge. Serge was also the Captain of the Guard for the Citadel, a position Begley formally held.
Their driver was new to the Citadel and was hired on as a guard. He was a cocky young man with a crewcut, named Rubin Knox.
The Citadel once had the reputation of being an impregnable fortress. That ended the previous year when two men entered under the guise of being clients. They had killed an actual client of the Citadel, then posted the results on the web for anyone to see.
Needless to say, business had been wanting of late. Luckily for Begley he had the resources to keep the Citadel running while restoring its reputation. Time, it would take time, but the Citadel would eventually become the preferred haven for those needing shelter.
Since that fateful day when the Citadel had been breached, only one guest had stayed with them. That man, a Wall Street embezzler, had demanded and received a discount. Meanwhile, Begley had spent over a million dollars updating the Citadel’s security systems and equipment.
He had also hired a doctor who was a skilled plastic surgeon. The new doctor was there to replace the fraud named Dr. Calavechi. The money was only available because the Citadel’s former head had stockpiled his funds instead of paying off his employees, whom he’d had murdered.
Begley did things right. He knew that someday the Citadel would rise again in stature. He felt that one way to accomplish that feat would be to gain retribution against the men responsible for its fall. He had placed a bounty on each of the two. The blond man who had pretended to be a drug kingpin named Denny Haydon, and his dark-haired bodyguard named Max, Max, who had eyes like the Devil’s.
When a man named Vincent Ryker made contact and said that he could help Begley identify and locate the men, Begley was ready to listen.
No one had tried attacking the Citadel since it had been breached and Begley doubted that Ryker was intending to do so. For one thing, there was no one in residence, and thus, no target to kill. Secondly, the Citadel’s former impregnable status was like the loss of virginity. Once it had been taken away, you could never get it back.
Despite that, Begley would revive the Citadel, he also ached to see the men who destroyed her dead.
* * *
Knox stopped the jeep near Ryker and leered at Vivian. She was a beautiful young woman in her twenties, tall, and with hair and eyes the same general color of Ryker’s. Although, Vivian’s light-blue eyes lacked the coldness that Ryker’s possessed.
Begley and Serge left the jeep and approached Ryker. Begley was wearing a gun on his belt while Serge carried an AR-15, which was pointed toward the ground. Ryker and Vivian were also armed, and their weapons were holstered. After looking the two of them over, Begley asked Ryker a question.
“How much money do you want for the information you have?”
“I don’t need money; I’m looking for an ally.”
“Meaning what?”
“The two men you’re searching for are assassins who were trained by a third man. I want that third man more than I want the other two. Right now, they all believe I’m dead. I need it to stay that way until that third man steps out into the open. That’s where you come in. If their mentor learns that they’re under attack or have been killed, he’ll come to where they are.”
“And where are they?”
“In California.”
“What are their real names?”
Ryker smiled. “Not so fast. I need to know if you’ll be able to handle them. These men are exceptional at surviving and defending themselves.”
“I have more men inside the Citadel.”
“How many men? These two we’re talking about would defeat anything less than ten men with ease.”
“Bullshit!”
That opinion came from Knox, who was still sitting in the jeep and puffing on a cigarette.
Ryker looked his way. “You think you could kill them by yourself?”
“Two guys? Shit yeah. I killed ten times that while I was in the Marines.”
Begley sighed and looked back at Knox. “Just drive the jeep, okay?”
“Yes sir,” Knox said. “But if one of us guards kill these men, do we get the reward you’re offering for them?”
“I’ll gladly pay it, Knox,”
Begley said, then, turning back to his guests, Begley spoke to Vivian.
“What is your part in this?”
“I met the men you’re looking for in England and have been keeping track of them ever since.”
“They trust you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re Australian?”
“I was raised there, but I was born here in America.”
Begley took one more admiring glance at Vivian before speaking to Ryker.
“I can send a force of twelve men against these assholes of yours, and I’ll be leading them myself. I want them dead.”
“As long as you understand the risks.”
“I’ll take some risks,” Knox said. “Mr. Begley is willing to pay fifty thousand apiece for them.”
Ryker raised an eyebrow. “I was told that you were offering twenty-five grand each.”
“I raised it,” Begley said, “since I wasn’t getting any nibbles.”
“That will bring in the sharks, but you’ll be the only one who will know where to find them. The dark-haired man goes by the name of Xavier Zane, while his friend is named Romeo Slade.”
“Romeo?” Knox said, with a laugh. “What, is the guy gay?”
“Knox!” Begley shouted.
“Sorry, sir.”
“Give me their location, Ryker; then you can consider them dead.”
“Supply me with an email address and I’ll have my apprentice contact you soon with a time, date, and location that would be optimal for an attack.”
Begley looked over at Vivian. “And is your apprentice here also your daughter? I only ask because I see a slight resemblance.”
Ryker smiled. “My daughter is the spitting image of her mother, but she is like me in every other way.”
After a few details were worked out, Begley and Serge climbed back into the jeep. Before driving away, Knox sent Vivian a wink.
Young Guns Box Set Page 50