The argument was loud enough to hear, and people nearby had stopped to watch the spectacle.
The boyfriend had used the woman’s credit card without her permission. It was not the first time, and the woman was furious. She had a professional appearance about her, and the jewelry she wore, a watch and a necklace, glittered golden in the sunlight.
As for the boyfriend, he looked like what he was, an unemployed bum living off his girlfriend. He had gone too far apparently. The woman’s last words to him were orders to stay away from her. He didn’t take it well and pulled her to him by gripping both of her upper arms, while shaking her in rage.
“We don’t break up until I say so, Jen. Do you hear me?”
The woman kneed him in the groin, then wrenched her arms free.
“Stay away from me, Mike, or I’ll call the police and have you arrested.”
She fled to her car, a silver Mercedes, and locked her doors. Taylor was smiling as he pointed toward the car.
“Hey, guys, look at her plates.”
The Mercedes’ license plate had the initials MD stamped on it. She was a doctor.
“Follow her,” Wicks said, then he downed another long pull off the open bottle.
20
Deaf Ears
In Manhattan, Sara smiled at Lisa as she found her in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Lisa had made bacon and biscuits. The biscuits were homemade and large. Sara had been planning on only having toast; however, smelling the bacon increased her appetite.
“I hope you don’t mind that I cooked, Sara?”
“No, as I said last night, make yourself at home.”
Duke entered the kitchen while staring at his phone. When he saw Sara, he smiled in greeting.
“Thanks again for letting us stay here, and for your help last night. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I was glad to help.”
Duke held up his phone. “I’ve found a place where Lisa and I can settle until this turf war is over.”
“Is that what it is, a war?”
“This guy Harkness wants to take my place in New York, and he sent goons around to make me give up my contacts. I’ll fight back, so yeah, it’s a war.”
“Do you know the man, Dad?” Lisa asked.
“No, honey, but I’ve got people looking into him. They’ll find out something.”
“I’ll look into it too,” Sara said.
“You’ve done enough by letting us stay here last night, Sara.”
“I’m in this until it’s settled. I don’t like it when people harass my friends.”
Duke smiled at her. “Thanks.”
They settled down to breakfast after Lisa made scrambled eggs. The biscuits were delicious and light. Sara found herself reaching for a second one after she’d poured more coffee.
Duke had laid his phone atop the breakfast table while he was eating. It emitted a tone that made Duke snatch it up. “That’s the alert for the alarm system at our apartment. Someone must be breaking in.”
“Do you have a monitoring system?”
“Yes, but the alert only informs me of the break-in. The cops won’t be called.”
Duke stared at his screen. “Whoa, Harkness sent four guys this time and… that’s weird.”
“What’s weird?” Sara asked, as she moved over to look at Duke’s phone screen. Cameras inside his apartment were filming the intruders.
“These guys are all dressed alike, and they’re wearing suits.”
Sara looked down at the screen and saw several men in black suits, red ties, and wearing beards and sunglasses. In other words, Ordnance Inc.
“Duke.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve got a bigger problem than you thought.”
“Ordnance Inc. is going after Duke?” Tanner asked.
“This man Harkness must have hired them.”
“That’s not good for Duke. Ordnance Inc. won’t just give up like the first two men Harkness sent. They don’t stop unless you hurt them badly.”
“As you did.”
“Yes, and I regret not dealing with them fully now.”
“You’ve spent the last four years of your life fighting one group or another. You were right to let them off with a warning.”
“No, Sara, I was wrong. I had just found Caleb and wanted to spend time with him and get to know him, but I should have handled matters then. Now, Ordnance Inc. is stronger than ever and likely a serious threat.”
“You’re human, Tanner. And despite your skill at it, you’re not a violent man who lives for battle. Like you said, you just wanted to spend time with your brother. By the way, how is Caleb doing?”
“He’s good. I think he needed this hunt we’re on to take his mind off losing his father.”
“Any progress there?”
“The gang is operating in Texas now. Caleb and I are on our way there.”
“Texas? Will you be near Stark?”
“We’ll be about two hours away, and I’ll be heading there once we’re done. I have some planning to do. I want to do it at the ranch.”
“You’re beginning to think of the ranch as home again, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and it will be our home soon.”
“Bring Caleb along. It will do him good.”
“I’ll ask him… and I might need him there anyway.”
“Why?”
“I’m considering doing something… but I have to make some calls first.”
“Does it concern Ordnance Inc.?”
“No, but I’ll be handling that too.”
“How?”
“I’ll call Trevor Healy and ask him to back off Duke.”
“You want to know how he’ll react?”
“Healy was terrified of me the last time we spoke, but that was in person and with his life on the line. Over the telephone, he may show more courage.”
“And if he refuses to back off?”
“That will tell me that he intends to attack, otherwise, he wouldn’t risk antagonizing me.”
Sara sighed. “Will there ever come a time when you’ll be left alone?”
“Yes, because I’ll make it happen.”
“But first, you might have to deal with Ordnance Inc.?”
“I think so.”
“I know you can handle anything, but I don’t like the odds of you going up against hundreds of mercenaries.”
“Neither do I.”
“But you’ll fight if attacked and not run.”
“A Tanner doesn’t run… and neither does a Parker.”
“Maybe it won’t come to that.”
“Maybe.”
They grew silent as the threat of conflict loomed. Then, Tanner asked a question.
“How goes the wedding plans?”
“Great, in fact. I have to travel to Stark to meet with the caterer, so I’ll see you at the ranch.”
“What about Duke and his daughter?”
“He said he has a place he can go to.”
“Tell him my offer to help still stands.”
“You offered to help him with Harkness?”
“Yeah, I like Duke, and he’s useful. By the way, how are those masks coming along?”
“That’s been delayed until Lisa sets up her equipment somewhere.”
“All right, but tell Duke I need them as soon as possible.”
“You and Caleb be careful.”
“We will be, and Sara, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Tanner put away his phone, then brought out a second one after recalling a number from memory. His call was answered on the third ring. He was phoning Robert Barlow.
“Hello?”
“Barlow, do you know who this is?”
A pause, then, “Yes.”
“I need you to give me Trevor Healy’s phone number.”
“His number? Why?”
“You don’t need to know why.”
“You’re right, um, d
o you have a pen?”
“Just recite it. I’ll remember it.”
Once Tanner had the phone number, he told Barlow goodbye, but Barlow had news for him.
“Just so you know that we took the conversation we had with you seriously, Kate and I have joined Ordnance Inc. It will help us to infiltrate the organization better.”
“Good.”
“Tanner.”
“Yes?”
“If… if things don’t, I mean, if we’re not able to—Damn it, man, don’t kill my wife. Do whatever you want to me, but please, don’t harm Kate.”
“Barlow.”
“Yes?”
“That’s in your hands. You two involved yourselves in my life, and thanks to Joe Pullo you were given a second chance, don’t blow it.”
“I understand.”
“Good,” Tanner said, and ended the call.
Tanner admired Barlow for asking that his wife be spared; however, the plea fell on deaf ears. Tanner would kill Kate Barlow if she betrayed him or failed to help. The bitch had assisted in the desecration of the graves of his family, of his little sisters. It was miracle enough the woman was still alive.
21
Doc In A Box
Agent Ericksen was seated inside a vehicle while Agent Greene drove them to the FBI’s office in Laredo, Texas. Ericksen smiled when she was told over the phone that the fingerprints on the footlocker belonged to Roy Wicks and Darren Stepp.
Sherry Wicks had been right about her ex-husband’s involvement. Knowing that, Ericksen was certain that the other two members of the gang were Stephen Hendricks and Carl Taylor.
An APB was issued for the four men and all known vehicles belonging to them, while officers and other agents were interviewing their families and friends.
Other than Hendricks, who came from a large family, there weren’t many siblings. Stepp had a sister, but the woman hadn’t seen her brother in years and lived in Colorado. She did mention that he’d recently left a message on her phone saying that he would call back soon.
So far, no hospitals had reported receiving a gunshot victim that matched any of the four men, nor had any clinics. Ericksen was considering extending the request to animal doctors, in case the gang decided to use the skills of a veterinary physician. In truth though, she believed that one of the team members was dead, killed by the weapon Marlene Dwyer had fired inside a cereal box.
Ericksen smiled to herself. A gun inside a cereal box? Talk about your snap, crackle, and pop.
Dr. Jennifer Mao lived in a two-story colonial with an attached garage. She was still seething over the argument she’d had with her boyfriend in the Walmart parking lot. She only hoped that no one from the hospital had witnessed the embarrassing scene.
When she’d first met Mike Roumell, he had owned a successful, if fledgling, real estate empire. Roumell had possessed six single-family homes along with a twelve-unit apartment house and was making a decent living off the rents he collected. Things fell apart after a tenant was injured in a fall down a staircase that was caused by frayed carpeting.
Roumell had not only been neglectful of performing needed repairs and maintenance, but he foolishly let his insurance lapse on several properties. He had been running everything himself instead of hiring a property manager and had lost track of his insurance premiums.
The tenant sued and was awarded a huge settlement. When the dust settled, Roumell was in debt and had sold his properties at a loss.
Jen had let him move in with her until he was back on his feet. Instead of looking for work or doing something constructive, Roumell sat around her house and watched television all day, while feeling sorry for himself. In time, he began using Jen’s credit cards to purchase items he could no longer afford on his own.
When she discovered that one of those items was a subscription to a premium porn site, Jen had had enough. To top it off, Roumell had been aggressive during their argument. Jen expected bruises to form on her arms where Roumell had grabbed her. In any event, she was through with him.
Actually, she was dissatisfied with her whole life. A California native, Jen had moved to Texas to be nearer to her younger sister, who was attending university in Laredo. Nine months earlier, Jen’s sister had graduated and moved back to California to take a job. Now that her relationship with Mike Roumell had ended, Jen thought that maybe she should head home to California as well.
Jen drove her Mercedes up her steep driveway while activating the garage door. Having seen the empty garbage can at the curb, she decided to bring it inside the garage.
She had to be careful walking down the driveway in her heels, as the angle was steep. Before grabbing the can, she looked around her neighborhood. As usual, it was dead quiet on a weekday morning. Like herself, most of her neighbors were professionals who worked away from home while putting in long hours. A few of the couples had children, but they wouldn’t be home either on a school day.
Jen had been on nights in the ER for the last few weeks and didn’t like how quiet her street was during the day. Movement to her left caused her to notice the guy sitting behind the wheel of a small delivery truck. Both the vehicle and its driver were unfamiliar to Jen; she wasn’t happy about the way the guy and his passengers were eyeing her either.
If they had something to deliver next door, then why not get to it, instead of sitting in their truck and staring.
Jen walked back up the driveway while dragging the garbage can behind her, then noticed the truck had begun moving. She increased her pace and made it inside the garage as the delivery truck turned into her driveway.
Frightened, Jen pressed hard on the button that would lower the garage door. It closed as the truck outside came to a stop. A second later, she was at her car and reaching into her pocketbook to get her phone.
When Taylor came up behind her and covered her mouth with his gloved hand, the pocketbook was flipped over, and its contents spilled onto the garage floor.
Jen’s scream of panic was stifled. That didn’t stop her from attempting to break free as Taylor yanked her backwards.
Jen elbowed Taylor in the ribs while reaching back with her other hand, as she sought to claw his eyes. Taylor’s grunt of pain from the blow to his ribs fueled her resistance, but Jen ceased her struggling when Taylor placed a gun against her cheek.
“This isn’t a rape or a robbery,” Taylor told her. “We need your help, Doc.”
Tanner watched Caleb redden with rage when he learned that Wicks and his crew had killed an elderly couple in their home. It was what Caleb had feared might happen if the gang wasn’t stopped, and now it had occurred.
“I know you’ve got a lot on your mind these days, Cody, and other things to do, but I won’t stop until I catch up to these guys.”
“I won’t leave the hunt unless I have to,” Tanner said. “These men need to be stopped.”
“They’re four former cops. If John were here, he’d be sickened by their actions. They took an oath to serve and protect the public, and now they’re murdering people in their homes.”
“The latest report says that the old man kept over half a million dollars in gold inside a safe. That must be what they were after.”
“I’m tempted to have you put them down like the mad dogs they are, and I’m glad one of them was shot.”
“If he’s not dead, they’ll need someone to care for him. Being a home invasion team, maybe they’ll pick the home of a doctor for their next target.”
“May God help whoever they target next,” Caleb said.
Dr. Jen Mao was hunched over Stepp’s bloody form inside the truck, as she evaluated his wound. Wicks, Taylor, and Hendricks abducted the doctor from her house and were forcing her to treat their partner. Jen could see, and smell, that Wicks was drunk, while Hendricks and Taylor wore looks of desperation. As for Stepp, there was only one thing that would help him.
“This man needs a hospital or else he’ll die,” Jen said.
Wicks had begun shaking his head be
fore she had finished speaking.
“No hospitals. You’re a doctor, right? That means you can help him, so help him.”
“I’m a specialist in emergency medicine, and I’m telling you that your friend will die if he’s not properly assessed, x-rayed, and operated on. Even if I were to risk removing the slug, he might still die from internal bleeding. Without the proper instruments and equipment I have no way of knowing how much damage he’s suffered internally.”
“Listen to her, guys,” Hendricks said, but Wicks and Taylor weren’t buying it.
“No damn hospitals,” Taylor said. “The doc here will save Darren.”
“I’m not a miracle worker,” Jen said.
“We just need to get you the right supplies.”
Jen wrinkled her brow as she looked over at Taylor.
“Where would you get such supplies? They don’t sell what I need in stores.”
Taylor smiled at her. “You leave that to us, Doc.”
The waiting area inside the Make-Me-Well Clinic erupted in shouts of fear and panic as Wicks and Taylor entered holding guns and wearing ski masks.
Taylor grabbed a doctor by the arm while Wicks kept an eye on an unarmed security guard and the two older ladies at the reception desk. As for the patrons, who were mostly women and their children, they cringed in fear, with a few of them shedding tears.
As he stood near the front door, Wicks was weaving in place; had he been any drunker, he wouldn’t have been able to stand at all.
Taylor could be heard shouting and issuing orders as he forced the doctor to accumulate the list of items Jen had written down. It took longer than Taylor had planned on because the drugs they needed were locked away. He knew there were other doctors and patients down the row of treatment rooms and that they were calling the police, but it couldn’t be helped.
A Man Of Respect Page 10