A Man Of Respect

by Remington Kane

  An unfamiliar feeling of sadness came over Tanner, as he wondered if his friend had been cheated out of an honor he deserved.

  “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Caleb.”

  “You agree with me?”

  “I’m not sure, but I see your point. I’m also becoming aware that I have limited time left to find someone to succeed me. It takes years to train a Tanner; it also takes finding the right sort of man. Tanner Five was a man named Farnsworth. His first apprentice, Vince Ryker… he didn’t work out. Farnsworth was in his sixties when Spenser came along. If that hadn’t happened, the Tanner legacy would have died with Farnsworth.”

  “It’s bound to happen someday if only one man is responsible for passing it along. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want a dozen men running around with the name either. If that happened, it would no longer be special. Maybe there’s a middle ground.”

  Tanner smiled at Caleb.

  “Why are you grinning at me like that?”

  “I’m supposed to be the older and wiser brother, not you, but what you say makes a lot of sense.”

  “I would guess that the Tanners never got much perspective from outsiders, seeing as how what you do needs to remain a secret. Sometimes a different point of view is a good thing.”

  “You’re right, and I’ve come to see lately that a Tanner can’t go it alone, not with the way technology is progressing. The days of the lone assassin aren’t over, but that assassin will need a team behind him. I keep up with the latest security measures and the ways to counteract them. It used to be easy but has grown progressively more difficult and time consuming. Having an expert handy would free me to work on more important things, such as weaponry, learning new languages, and other new skills.”

  “How many languages do you speak?”

  “Over a dozen, and I’m more fluent in some than in others. I finally became a pilot last year, now I want to learn to fly a helicopter.”

  “You never stop learning, do you?”

  “No, that’s part of being a Tanner too. The more we know, the more we can pass down to our successor.”

  “Or maybe successors?” Caleb asked.

  “Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to think about that, and I’ll talk it over with Spenser, who is also a Tanner.”

  “I’d like to meet him and Romeo someday.”

  “They’ll be at the wedding.”

  “It’s right around the corner, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you’re going to get married as Cody Parker, you’d better come back from the dead soon.”

  “I know, and now I have a plan, which involves you.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “When I announce who I am, you’ll do the same. I want the town of Stark to know that the Parkers are back.”

  “I’ll do it, gladly. Some people in town know me already, since I had to show my face to buy the ranch from Maria Reyes, but they think my name is Knox, not Parker.”

  “You don’t need to change your name, but I want people to know that we both have Parker blood.”

  “Where are you going to say you’ve been all these years?”

  “I have a story ready, which will be backed up by the government.”

  “You’re talking about Thomas Lawson, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, without him, I don’t think I could make this work.”

  “You and White saved his life, Cody; he owes you.”

  “He’ll be paid up once he comes through for me.”

  “What about Sara, do you want her with you when you come forward?”

  “Yeah, she’ll soon be a Parker too. This will be big news in the town, Caleb. The trick will be in keeping it from becoming a national human-interest story. Lawson will be helpful there too.”

  “And then you’ll be moving to the ranch?”

  “That’s right, and Cody Parker will live once more.”

  “Just say when, and I’ll be ready.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Why did Sara fly back to New York, does she have a client?”

  “Not a client, but she is looking after someone, a man named Duke.”

  16

  A Woman With A Gun

  In Manhattan, Duke stepped out of his van and looked around with wariness in his gaze. He had been on edge after being attacked and wondered if it would happen again. Although he normally didn’t carry a gun, he had one holstered under his arm. When a man walked out of the shadows of Duke’s apartment building, Duke moved aside his jacket and placed his hand on his weapon, after moving his keys to his left hand.

  “You’re Duke, right buddy?” the man said.

  “I am, and I have a gun.”

  The man spread his arms wide, to show that his hands were empty. “I just want to talk.”

  “Are you Harkness?”

  The man lifted his head in surprise at Duke’s knowledge. “You know about Harkness? He thought he was still anonymous.”

  “Who is he, and why is he trying to run me off? There’s enough business for both of us.”

  “Mr. Harkness disagrees.”

  Two cars turned the corner and drove past them. Duke was steps away from his apartment house door and safety, but the last thing he wanted was to chance that the man would try to break into his home.

  “What does Harkness want?”

  “Your customer list for one thing, and your contacts for another. Those are valuable assets… more valuable than your life.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  The man smiled wide. “Actually, the threat is behind you.”

  Duke sensed movement at his rear even as the man was saying the words. He spun around in time to see a thug holding a galvanized pipe. The attacker was about to bring the weapon down on his head.

  As Duke freed his gun, The brute with the pipe was struck from behind, causing him to grunt and fall to the ground. He had been struck at the back of his head by Sara, who was wielding a shotgun with a short barrel.

  As the first man reached under his jacket, Sara called to him.

  “Try it and you’re dead.”

  “Who the hell are you, lady?”

  “I’m a woman with a shotgun pointed at your face. Walk over here, slowly.”

  When the man reached them, Sara told Duke to take his gun. After Duke claimed it, Sara leaned over and removed a weapon from the shoulder holster of the man she’d hit.

  “Where can we find Harkness?” Sara asked, as Duke stood nearby staring at her.

  “I don’t know where he is. My partner and I were hired over the internet.”

  “Take your friend and get out of here.”

  The man let out a curse before he bent over and grabbed his friend beneath the arms. A car driving past the apartment house slowed to take in the sight of the man dragging his associate over to an emerald sedan. The driver was an older woman who had her granddaughter in the passenger seat. There was a scowl of disapproval on the woman’s face, but the teen was smiling. Sara figured the two assumed that they were watching a drunk being loaded into a car. She kept her shotgun out of sight by holding it pointed down and obscured by her legs.

  The woman lost interest and drove on after the thug had tumbled his partner atop the car’s rear seats. The guy then climbed behind the wheel, while eyeing Sara. As he drove away, he showed Sara and Duke his middle finger.

  “You have good timing, honey, but why are you here?” Duke asked.

  “I was following you; I was worried that you were still in danger.”

  Duke grinned. “That’s nice, thanks, Sara.”

  “You’re welcome. You’ve had my back in the past, Duke, and don’t say it was because I paid you. During the days when I was going after Tanner you stayed by my side, despite the risk. I haven’t forgotten that.”

  “It’s nice to have friends,” Duke said, then he gazed up at the windows of his apartment. “We’ll have to leave here. I can’t risk Harkness sending more guys to my home.”

>   “You said, ‘We’ll have to leave.’ Do you live with someone, Duke?”

  Duke held up his apartment keys. “Come on in. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  “A daughter?”

  “That’s right, Lisa is my daughter, and Lisa, this is Sara.”

  Lisa was in her early twenties and had dark hair and blue eyes. The shy young woman peeked out from under her bangs and smiled at Sara. She was wearing a white smock that had stains on it. Sara wondered if Lisa was a sculptor. When Duke explained to his daughter that they had to leave the apartment for a few days, Lisa gestured at a room with a closed door.

  “What about all my stuff?”

  Duke nibbled on his bottom lip. “I guess we’ll have to take it with us, and I’m not even sure where to go.”

  “What is this stuff that Lisa is talking about, Duke?” Sara asked.

  Lisa grinned at her father. “Can I show her, Dad? I want to show her.”

  “Yeah, honey, show Sara what you can do.”

  Sara followed Lisa and entered the room. What she saw startled her at first, because it looked like a roomful of severed human heads. They weren’t heads, they were masks, like the one Duke had demonstrated days earlier. They were eerily realistic, and Lisa had made an assortment of them. Some

  had the faces of innocent children, while others were wrinkled and wizened-looking.

  One corner of the room held a workbench. Stacked beside it were cartons containing the silicone mixture needed for the mask making process, along with a vacuum pump and several plastic buckets.

  “Lisa is the artist you told us about?”

  “That’s right,” Duke said with a smile full of pride. “My kid’s got talent, hmm?”

  “She certainly does, and we can’t leave this here. If someone broke in, they might take them.”

  “I have to make a few calls to find a place where we can hide,” Duke said.

  “Why do we have to hide, Dad?”

  Duke caressed Lisa’s cheek. “I’ll explain later, honey, it has to do with my business.”

  “I know a place where you can stay,” Sara said. “It’s our penthouse. There’s plenty of room.”

  “Are you sure, Sara? And will Tanner mind?”

  “Tanner likes you, Duke. He agreed with me when I told him I was going to watch your back.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll have to move all of Lisa’s things. She’ll need her equipment to work on the masks Tanner wanted.”

  “All right, but let’s be quick about it. We don’t want to be here if someone else is sent after you.”

  Duke shook his head in disgust. “I don’t know who this guy Harkness is, but if he wants a fight, he’s got one.”

  17

  Payback

  Caleb left his meal with Tanner and walked around the corner from the restaurant, where he’d parked his truck. As he went to open the door, he saw movement reflected in the window glass. It was the long-haired man with the bat.

  Caleb was as quick as they came. He ducked in time to avoid the blow that had been aimed at his head, then transitioned into a sweep kick. His attacker with the bat lost his balance and went down, but before Caleb could make a move to take the weapon from him, he was slammed into from behind by Jude. The impact dislodged the keys from Caleb’s hand while also causing him to moan in pain.

  After knocking his hat off, Jude grabbed Caleb by the hair and jerked his head back.

  “Remember me, asshole?”

  Caleb’s eyes revealed his recognition of Jude as the man with the goatee pointed a gun at him.

  “Check him for weapons and take the prick’s phone too.”

  “I found a blade,” Jude said, as he pocketed Caleb’s knife, after taking the cash from his wallet. When he found the cell phone, he dropped it on the ground beside Caleb’s keys.

  “Walk over and get in the van, Stark.”

  Caleb remained silent as he studied the men. Of the three of them, the one with the goatee moved the slowest, while long hair looked twitchy, and eager to use the bat.

  “Wait a minute,” said the guy with the goatee. “I brought something for him.” The man reached into a back pocket and took out a pair of handcuffs. Jude slammed Caleb against his own truck then wrenched his arms behind his back. Once the handcuffs were on, Jude bent over to claim Caleb’s hat.

  “I’m keeping this as a souvenir.”

  As they were marching Caleb toward their van, Jude whispered in his ear. “I’m going to carve you up good, Stark.”

  Long hair drove the van. As he peeled away from the curb, he made the tires squeal.

  “Slow down,” Jude said. “We don’t need the cops pulling us over, and we’ve got all night to deal with Stark.”

  The other two men laughed, as Jude smashed a fist against Caleb’s nose. Caleb grunted from the pain as blood flowed down the front of his suit.

  “That’s just the beginning of payback, Stark. This is the last night of your life.”

  Tanner had been parked three doors down from the restaurant in his rental. He had just gotten off the phone with Sara when he heard the van accelerate. After it squealed away from the curb, Tanner watched as it crossed the intersection and sped off.

  Having seen Caleb walk around the corner to retrieve his truck from where the van had come from, Tanner decided to check on his brother.

  He hung a U-turn, made a left, and saw Caleb’s keys and phone lying beside the truck. Tanner hopped out of his car, checked to see if Caleb was anywhere nearby, then scooped up the keys and cell phone.

  He went in pursuit of the blue van. They had a healthy lead on him, and so he weaved through the traffic at high speed to make up the difference. If he caught a cop’s attention, he’d deal with it, but he was going to get his brother back. As for the people who took Caleb, they were spending their last few minutes on earth.

  Back in 1961, Officer John Knox was grabbed from his home in the middle of the night by a gang of bank robbers. Knox had killed a brother of one of the men in a shootout. The gang was looking to exact vengeance.

  Knox was taken from his home after the men had bound his wrists with his own handcuffs. Thanks to the men becoming overconfident, Knox was able to beat one of them senseless using only his feet. Fortunately, that man had the handcuff key, and Knox freed himself and went on to capture the gang.

  From that day forward, Officer John Knox carried a spare handcuff key on his person, even having one sewn into the waistband of his pajamas.

  Decades later, his adopted son removed a concealed key he kept secured in his belt to free his own wrists from cuffs. Caleb remembered John telling him that story, and he had learned from it.

  The long-haired man drove the van into a maze of streets that were bordered by huge warehouses. Given how late it was, everything was closed, and the area deserted. He drove on until they reached the far section of the complex where a new building was being erected. The steel girders looked like giant gleaming bones in the moonlight.

  “This is a good place to drop off our trash,” goatee said with a smirk. He was still holding his gun but was no longer pointing it at Caleb.

  Jude slid open the van’s side door, hopped out, then gestured at Caleb.

  “Out of the van, Stark.”

  Caleb shimmied forward on his butt awkwardly as though his wrists were still bound behind his back, although he had freed himself during the ride. He was holding the cuffs in his right hand with one end hanging free.

  As he exited the van, with blood still dripping from his nose, the three men stood before him with evil grins. Caleb removed one of those grins. He swung the handcuffs around and struck the man holding the gun in the teeth with them.

  Goatee yelped in pain as his free hand flew to his mouth while Caleb used both hands to wrest the gun away from him. Even in pain, the man’s grip on the gun remained strong. The seconds it took Caleb to free the weapon were moments he couldn’t waste.

  L
ong hair swung the bat at Caleb. Expecting the action, Caleb had ducked his head and taken the blow on his left shoulder. Both the shoulder and the arm attached to it went limp from the impact, as pain weakened Caleb’s knees. He let his legs give out and fell to the ground, where he rolled twice before coming up with the gun aimed out in front of him.

  Jude was near, nearer than Caleb would have liked, and he was bringing the knife down to stab him. Caleb fired the gun. The round caught Jude in the side, causing him to jerk backwards. The forward momentum of the blade was slowed but not halted; its tip cut a crimson line across Caleb’s upper back, as it sliced through the fabric of his suit.

  With Jude on the ground moaning from a gunshot wound and goatee spitting out bits of teeth, the man with the long hair dropped the bat.

  “Don’t shoot me, Stark! Damn it, don’t shoot me.”

  “Pick up those handcuffs and cuff your right wrist to the right wrist of your friend with the winning smile,” Caleb said. His voice was nasal from the damage to his nose.

  As long hair cuffed himself to goatee, Caleb stood and walked over to check on Jude. The round had struck Jude on his left side and broken a rib. Caleb didn’t know if the slug was inside or had ricocheted off into the night. Jude was lying on his back, his teeth clenched from the pain he was experiencing.

  Caleb picked up the knife Jude used on him. It was the same one he had taken off Caleb when they first attacked him. When he heard a voice speak from behind him, Caleb was startled.

  “It’s me, Stark, don’t shoot.”

  Caleb was smiling as he turned his head to look, for he had recognized Tanner’s voice.

  “Where did you come from?”

  “I saw that van speeding away from where you said you parked your truck. I thought I had lost you until I heard the shot. What’s going on?”

  “I robbed the guy on the ground back when you and White were going after Brick. Tonight, he and his partners were looking for revenge.”