Tanner jammed the computer tablet under his shirt then searched the area near Joshua for Haley. When he couldn’t find her, Tanner lifted Joshua and headed for the pickup truck. Joshua was out cold and hung limply in his arms.
Franny had spotted him coming back. She left the truck and helped Tanner to load Joshua into the front seat, where he would be propped up between the two of them.
Franny blanched when she saw Joshua’s face. “Good Lord, who beat him like that?”
“I don’t know. His name is Joshua, and he was with a young woman named Haley. He was fine when I left him earlier. Now he looks like this, was shot by someone, and Haley is missing. We have to get him to a hospital. But not in San Padre. Any hospital here will be a zoo tonight.”
“There’s a good hospital not far from here in Alameda,” Wendy said. “They can help your friend and treat Jake’s knee.”
Tanner asked Franny to drive so that he could keep the unconscious Joshua from falling over. They reached the rental vehicle he had left in the parking lot of the post office a few minutes later, and Tanner announced that it was time for them to split up.
“I don’t want to be questioned by the police, Jake. I’d appreciate it if you and Wendy kept my name out of anything you tell the cops.”
“I plan to play dumb myself,” Jake said. “And we both owe you for saving us.” Jake handed Tanner back the gun he had given him. “You might want to get rid of that. If the cops find it, they’ll link it to the man I shot in the lobby of that building.”
“It will disappear. And I need another favor.”
“Just ask,” Wendy said.
“Take Joshua with you to the hospital. I think he was involved in the protest, but I also think there’s something else going on with him.”
“What should we say about him? Jake asked.
“As little as possible. Say you found him lying near the stream and that you don’t know his name.”
“We can do that,” Jake said.
Wendy and Jake moved into the front of the pickup truck, and Joshua was secured with seat belts across the rear seats. Before they separated, Franny and Wendy hugged. They had been through much in the last few hours; it had created a bond between them. Tanner shook Jake’s hand, received a peck on the lips from Wendy, and it was time to part ways.
Tanner and Franny watched the young couple drive off toward the hospital as they sat in the rental car.
“Should I drop you at your hotel?” Tanner asked.
“No. I’m sure the entire city is in lockdown by now. What were your plans?”
“I’ll head to Caleb’s farm. It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”
“I’ll go with you, then I’ll return to the city when I know it’s safe.”
“That sounds like the smart thing to do,” Tanner said. When he looked at Franny, he saw that she was staring at him.
“Is there something you’d like to ask me, Franny?”
“There is.”
“Yes?”
“Who are you? I mean really.”
“I’m really Cody Parker… but I am known by some under another name.”
Franny stared again, as silence grew between them. Silence was a relative term in this case, given how much noise the frantic motion of the windshield wipers created along with the din of the fierce rain beating down on the vehicle’s roof. Before the quiet between them could become awkward, Franny whispered four words.
“You’re Tanner, the assassin.” It was not a question. It was a statement.
Tanner shifted the car into drive. “Well, I guess we won’t lack for conversation during the ride to the farm.” He started the rental car to moving and off into the rain-soaked night they went.
18
Truth And Consequences
With Franny’s revelation that she knew who Cody was, he asked her how she had found out.
“It was a lot of little things really. I know your personal history, the tragedy that befell your family when you were still a boy. Something like that would make a person want to crawl into a cave and hide or make them angry enough to want to fight back. You’re too tough a person to hide from life or seek refuge from pain by becoming an addict. That means you decided to act, to fight back in some way.”
“You didn’t believe that I was in the Witness Protection Program for years?”
“I did at first. It would be understandable if you took that route to protect yourself, but again, little things about you didn’t add up.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, nothing glaringly obvious to an outsider, but we’ve been living under the same roof. I’ve seen you with your shirt off numerous times, and I know a healed bullet wound when I see one. You have at least eight of them, along with various other scars.”
“Alonso Alvarado and his men were responsible for some of the gunshot wounds, and I nearly died from the shot to the chest he gave me.”
“Is that story true?”
“About Alvarado attacking the ranch?”
“No. I’d never doubt that. I was referring to the story about you going down to Mexico and killing him inside his fortress.”
“Yes. I killed him; I had help doing it.”
Franny gave a little shake of her head. “Remarkable. And were you also the rival assassin mentioned in Jacques Durand’s book about Maurice Scallato?”
“Yes. Scallato had marked me for death, so I decided to return the favor.”
“In the book, it stated that you were the seventh in a line of trained assassins. Is that true?”
“Yes. I’m Tanner Seven.”
They grew quiet again. A few minutes later, Cody asked her a question. “How long have you known that I was Tanner?”
“I suspected you weren’t just a cattle rancher after the first time Thomas Lawson visited the ranch. It’s rumored that Lawson has great power in Washington D.C., and it seemed odd that he was a friend of yours.”
“But you didn’t think that I was Tanner. When did you come to that conclusion?”
“I guess you can blame Raymond.”
“Crash?”
Franny smiled. “I suppose I’m the only one who doesn’t call him by that nickname, but yes, it was Raymond who got me to wondering if you could be Tanner.”
Cody was disappointed by that news. Crash had given him his word he would never tell anyone that he was Tanner. Crash and Franny were close, but he still believed he could trust the older man.
“When did Crash tell you about me?”
“He didn’t. How could he?”
“It sounded like the two of you discussed me.”
“Raymond has never said a word about Tanner, although I know he likes you a great deal. I was talking about that assassins’ website he has. After I began spending time on there, reading about Tanner and the way his eyes have been described, the intensity of his gaze. Cody, it sounded like they were talking about you.”
“So, you’re saying that Crash didn’t tell you I was Tanner?”
“No. Are you saying that he knows?”
“He knows, and so does his daughter, Caroline.”
“Hmm, I guess Raymond can keep a secret. How did he find out?”
“Caroline moved here from California to help out her late mother-in-law shortly before the woman became ill, and eventually Caroline figured out who I was. She later told Crash, and then I figured out that they knew.”
“Caroline has a crush on you, if you haven’t noticed.”
“She has a crush on Tanner. She and Crash are both groupies.”
Franny laughed. “They’re not alone. Most of the people who post on Raymond’s website are fans of yours. No offense, but I find it all very odd.”
“So do I, and I’ve told Crash that.”
“Has Sara always known who you are?”
“She knew before we became involved with each other. And before that, our relationship was… very different.”
“She remarked once that you two didn’t always get
along. That’s hard to believe seeing you together now.”
“And what about us, Franny? How does knowing that I’m Tanner make you feel about me?”
“You’re an assassin. That means you kill people for money. I have trouble seeing you in that light. At least, I did until tonight.”
“I’ve killed people and have been paid to do it. But I’m a Tanner. Tanners live by a set of rules. I’ve never killed an innocent, and I never will.”
“You killed tonight. If you hadn’t done so, Wendy and I wouldn’t be alive. I also killed people tonight, and I’ll be damned if I regret it.”
“Will you be coming back to Texas with us once you’re done here?”
Franny turned in her seat to stare at Cody. She was surprised by the question.
“Yes, I’ll come back. I consider the ranch to be my home. Did you think I was so shocked by learning who you are that I wouldn’t want anything to do with you?”
“That thought occurred to me.”
Franny touched him on the arm. “I know who you are, Cody Parker. I’ve seen you with your children, and I know how much you do for the town and your friends. You are a damn good man, and I’m proud to call you my friend.”
“Thank you. I would have hated to see you leave us. You’re like family, Franny. It’s why I rushed to San Padre to help you.”
“If you hadn’t… I think I’d be dead right now.”
Cody checked his phone and saw that he was able to get a signal again. He held it up for Franny to see.
“I’m going to call Sara and tell her we’re on our way.”
Franny looked at her own phone and smiled. “Raymond must have learned about the riot. He’s sent me over a dozen texts and voice messages. I’ll send him a text telling him that I’m fine.”
“Why not call him?”
“I will tomorrow. But when we have a conversation about you, I want that to be in person.”
“I think he’ll be relieved that you know about me, and so will Sara. She’s never liked having to keep things from you or come up with excuses for some of my absences.”
“And what about the children? They’re young now, but they won’t always be. Sooner or later, they’ll begin asking questions.”
“I guess I’ll deal with that then. It was a risk coming back to Texas and reclaiming my name, but Sara made me see that I could have a real life. So far, I’ve no regrets.”
“Stark is lucky to have you call the town home.”
“It is home. I was born there, and I hope to die there someday surrounded by my family. Speaking of which…”
Tanner called Sara’s phone and heard her pick up after one ring.
“Is everything all right, Cody?”
“Yes. Franny is safe. She’s with me and we’re heading to the farm now.”
“I’m watching TV. They’re showing images from San Padre. It looks like a war took place there and the National Guard has taken control of the city.”
Tanner glanced down at a compartment between the seats, where he had stashed the damaged computer tablet he’d found on Joshua.
“This was more than a riot. How much more I don’t know.”
“Let me speak to Franny for a moment.”
“Okay, and the three of us need to talk when we get to Caleb’s farm.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Something has changed. We’ll discuss it soon. Here’s Franny.”
Tanner passed his phone to Franny and heard her assure Sara that she was all right. Franny being aware of who he was could become a problem, but he didn’t think it would be. While he was a man who could be devious and cunning when he needed to be, he didn’t like being sneaky or having to watch his every word while in his own home. Now that Franny knew he was Tanner, he and Sara could drop their guard around her.
He thought about his children. As Franny pointed out, they wouldn’t always be young, and neither of them lacked intelligence or perceptiveness. There might come a time when he would have to tell them the truth about himself. Then again, maybe not. Perhaps when that time came, he would have stepped aside, and Henry would be Tanner Eight.
He pushed the subject from his mind. Whatever happened, it would take place in the future, and like everything else that came his way, he would deal with it to the best of his ability. That was all anyone could ask of themselves.
19
Love In The Dark
ROBBINSTOWN, CALIFORNIA
After their arrival at Caleb’s farm, Franny was exhausted and only wanted to sleep. She asked Cody to postpone telling Sara that she knew he was Tanner until after she had said goodnight and gone to bed.
Cody did as she asked. And when they were alone later in bed, he told Sara what had happened in San Padre, and of Franny’s new knowledge.
Sara took in a deep breath and released it in a huff. “I guess it was just a matter of time until she figured it out. After all, we live in the same house and she’s too intelligent not to notice things.”
“I’m sure she’ll have questions for you, and I’ll answer any new questions she has for me too. But I don’t think she’s appalled that I’m an assassin.”
“It doesn’t hurt that you saved her life today. And aside from that, Franny knows you, Cody, knows what kind of man you are, and she respects you. I’m not surprised she’s handling things well.”
Cody had gone on to tell Sara about helping Joshua and Haley out of the rushing water of the stream, and of later finding Haley missing and Joshua beaten and wounded.
When he grabbed the computer tablet off the nightstand where he’d set it, he’d explained to Sara that he had found it on Joshua, and that he thought it might be significant in some way.
“Why do you say that?”
“When I first saw him, Joshua was dressed in a T-shirt and wearing a leather vest. Later, when I found him after he’d been beaten, the vest was gone, and he was wearing a hoodie. All he had were the clothes on his back, so where did the hoodie come from? And he did have cargo pants on, but he didn’t have anything as big as this tablet in the pockets when I first met him. I would have noticed when I was looking him over for weapons.”
“So, between the two times you saw him he must have gone somewhere or made contact with someone else.”
“That’s right. And he had this tablet hidden in the pouch pocket of the hoodie for some reason. If the jacket hadn’t ridden up on him and placed this tablet over his heart, he’d be dead by now. He could still be dead, or in a coma; he took a hell of a beating.”
“Let me see that,” Sara said, and Cody handed her the tablet. After studying the hole where a bullet had passed through, she had a suggestion. “I think it might be possible to retrieve data from this, but you would need someone who really knows computers to do it.”
“We know someone like that, Kate Barlow. She’s not only a hacker, but she has a degree in computer engineering. I think I’ll send this off to her tomorrow and see what she can do with it.”
“Why are you so interested in what might be on there?”
“I guess I’m curious. My gut is telling me that it means something. If I’m wrong and there’s nothing important on that tablet, then I’ll let it go.”
“Has your gut ever been wrong?”
“No. But there have been times that I’ve misunderstood what it was trying to tell me. Maybe the computer tablet is a dead end, and it’s Joshua who might have something important to say. When Franny returns to the San Padre area, I’ll be going with her.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I doubt it. Things will still be crazy there. But it should be safe for her to return the day after.”
“Good. We’re here on vacation and to spend time with Caleb. After what you went through finding Franny, you deserve to rest.”
Cody sighed. “She came close to dying more than once. I know she’s not related to us by blood, but Franny is family. I made a vow a long time ago that I would always keep my family safe.”
Sara
kissed him. “And you’ve done that; Franny is here and she’s safe.”
“And she knows that I’m Tanner, along with Crash and Caroline, Steve Mendez, the Barlows, and Laura, Henry’s grandmother. So much for keeping my identity as Tanner a secret.”
Sara laughed. “Not one of those people would ever betray you, and I think they all love you. Face it, Cody, you’re not the lone wolf you used to be. You have friends around you, and you’ll always have me and the children.”
Cody turned off his bedside lamp and took Sara in his arms. “You’ve changed my life in too many ways to count, and it’s all for the better. Thank you for that.”
“I’ve never been happier either. And to think, we once tried to kill each other.”
“I try not to think about that.”
“When you were talking to Franny earlier, did the subject come up of how we met?”
“No. I think you should tell her that story, if you want to.”
“I’ll tell her if she ever wants to know.”
“Lucas and Marian might ask about that someday too.”
“I know. And maybe we’ll tell them when they’re old enough to understand.”
“They’re both growing fast, especially Lucas. I think he’ll be taller than me someday, and stronger too. He might have inherited the great strength that runs on my side of the family.”
“Like your cousin, White?”
“Yeah, and White is the strongest man I know.”
“Wow.”
Lit Fuse (A Tanner Novel Book 44) Page 11