To Serve And Protect (A Tanner Novel Book 39) Read online

  TO SERVE AND PROTECT

  A Tanner Novel - Book 39

  Remington Kane

  Contents

  Introduction

  Join My Inner Circle

  Acknowledgments

  1. The Storm After The Calm

  2. Tell No Tales

  3. Passing The Baton

  4. A New Player Enters The Game

  5. The Grab

  6. Talk Or Die

  7. Trapped

  8. The Power Of Choice

  9. The German

  10. No More Games

  11. Little Man, Big Brain

  12. The Magnificent Seven

  13. Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

  14. Worthy

  15. Phase Two

  16. We’re In The Money

  17. Vulture Bait

  18. Open House

  19. Queen’s Gambit

  20. Devil In Disguise

  21. Let’s Make A Deal

  22. And The Winner Is…

  TANNER RETURNS!

  TAKEN! RETURNS

  Afterword

  Join My Inner Circle

  Bibliography

  Make Contact

  Coming Soon

  Introduction

  TO SERVE AND PROTECT – TANNER 39

  Tanner agrees to be an auxiliary cop during Stark’s Fall Festival. When serious trouble arises, it’s up to Deputy Cody Parker to deal out law and order.

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  Acknowledgments

  I write for you.

  —Remington Kane

  1

  The Storm After The Calm

  The Stark Fall Festival was underway and looked to be a success. There were games, a few simple rides, contests, an area for kids to pet and feed animals, and even a pair of kissing booths.

  The booth with a beautiful young woman occupying it had been active. The other kissing booth had a handsome young man in it, as a nod toward equality. Despite being a good-looking rascal, he had seen only two customers. One had been a teenaged girl who’d been dared to approach him by her friends, the other had been a guy. The young man in the booth had kissed the teen on her cheek. As for the guy, he’d threatened to kick his “faggoty” ass if he didn’t get the hell away from him. Both booths were closed after that.

  Cody Parker had brought his family to the fair. Along with Sara, Lucas, and baby Marian, their live-in housekeeper, Franny Facini, came along.

  Henry Knight and his grandmother, Laura, were there as well, and also neighbors Caroline Lang, her young son, Jarod, and her father, Raymond “Crash” Wyman. Caroline’s little sister, Olivia, was absent. She was in California going to school at UCLA. Henry had also started college, but he was taking classes locally.

  Henry and Olivia had decided to break up rather than trying to keep a long-distance romance alive, so Henry was free to date other girls. Olivia had been gone for two months and Henry had yet to date anyone. Instead, he kept busy with his college courses, motocross racing, and his training to follow in Cody’s footsteps as a Tanner. Henry was weeks away from turning eighteen but looked at least nineteen. He’d put on a little more muscle, had grown again, and was now a hair taller than Cody.

  Cody was enjoying his time at the fair but was also working. His friend, Chief of Police Steve Mendez had talked him into becoming an auxiliary police officer. Extra cops were needed to keep an eye on the crowd at the fair.

  The auxiliary officers were given radios so that they could stay in contact, and whistles in case the radios failed, and they needed to draw attention. They were also supplied with bright yellow sweatshirts to wear. Across the front and back of each shirt in bold black lettering were the words, Auxiliary Police.

  Cody took the radio and the whistle but refused to put on the yellow sweatshirt. Instead, Mendez had given him a deputy’s badge to wear. Cody accepted the badge and pinned it to his belt.

  The auxiliary cops were teamed up with the regular deputies and given an area of the fair to patrol. Cody had been teamed up with a cop he knew, Clay Milton. Clay had helped to defend the Parker Ranch from an attack by Ordnance Inc.

  Cody liked Clay and they had only minor problems to deal with during the day. The most trouble had come from a trio of college kids who had gotten drunk and were being loud and unruly. The boys were mouthing off to Clay but when Cody walked over, they calmed down and agreed to leave the fair. All Cody had needed to do was to stare at them. The boys had taken one look at his intense gaze and knew that he wouldn’t put up with any nonsense. They weren’t so drunk that all good judgement had fled them. They phoned a friend to come pick them up and departed the fair while leaving their car behind in the parking lot.

  Clay had chuckled as he and Cody watched them ride away. “They were scared of you, Cody.”

  “It’s my eyes. They make some people nervous.”

  “Me included. If I had eyes like yours, I’d be taken more seriously.”

  “You do all right,” Cody told him.

  Milton had gotten into a gun battle seven months earlier when he’d pulled over a car for speeding. He had been unaware that the two men in the vehicle had just stolen it from an old woman in a supermarket parking lot. Both men jumped from the car and pulled guns on the deputy as he was approaching the driver to ask for his license, registration, and insurance. Clay stood his ground while being fired upon and killed one of the men and wounded the other. Both men turned out to be escaped convicts from Arkansas. They’d been on the run for eight days and had left a trail of break-ins and robberies in their wake.

  Steve Mendez had promoted Clay Milton by giving him the title of Deputy Chief of Police. When the chief formally announced that he was running for mayor against the current mayor, Jimmy Kyle, he told Clay that he would recommend to the town council that he be named interim chief.

  Mendez was running for Mayor and Chief of Police. He’d wanted to only seek the office of the mayor but because of the town’s rules he was required to run for both offices. Mendez had been unaware that he needed to resign his position as chief six months in advance in order to officially declare his intention to run for mayor.

  That was a rule change that the current mayor, Jimmy Kyle, had introduced. Jimmy knew it would deter Mendez and others already holding offices from going after his seat. Six months was a long time to be without a paycheck. Mendez had found a loophole in the rule. Instead of resigning, he announced his intention to retire after the election. That meant he could stay chief until the election. A judge allowed that the exception was valid, while questioning the legality of the rule itself.

  At the urging of his wife, Ginny, Mendez agreed to run for Chief of Police as well. If he lost the election for mayor, Ginny didn’t want her husband to be forced to look for work elsewhere. They had both grown up in Stark and she wanted to make certain that they would be able to stay in town.

  If he won both races, Mendez would become mayor and Clay Milton could step into the role of chief. Jimmy grumbled and complained about the judge’s ruling but there was nothing he could do about it.

  Mendez and the mayor were in a tight race, with the mayor in the lead one day and Mendez leading the next.

  Clay Milton had been looked upon as a hero after his gun battle with the escaped convicts. The attention and subsequent promotion to deputy chief of police had lifted his self-esteem and he decided to make some changes.

  Clay was a handsome guy but tended to eat too much. He changed his eating habits, began exercising regu
larly, and shed over forty pounds. To say that Clay was a lean, mean fighting machine would be a stretch, but he was as fit as he’d been since high school. Cody figured he’d do all right as the next chief of police.

  The Fall Festival was winding down and sunset was an hour away. Cody joined his family and friends at a picnic table for a few minutes before heading over to the parking area. He and Clay were going to help with traffic control as everyone exited the area to head home.

  Sara placed little Marian down on the grass. The nine-month-old baby was able to stand on her own, but she had yet to take her first steps. She stood on unsteady legs with her arms raised toward her father. Cody scooped her up, kissed her, and settled her on his lap as he sat beside Sara.

  Crash and Caroline were at the table, along with Laura Knight. Henry was over at a nearby field playing a game of touch football with his friends.

  Crash had a smile on his face. He knew that Cody was Tanner. It tickled him to see Cody wearing a badge, even if it was only for the day.

  There was one activity left to take place. The mayor and his opponent were going to make speeches. With the election weeks away, it was a good opportunity to plead their cases before the voters.

  Jimmy Kyle was scheduled to speak first. Since reviving the Fall Festival was his idea, he would be sure to take credit for its success. His predecessor had ended the annual tradition of holding a fair due to budget cuts. Jimmy had argued that the fair could make money if handled correctly. Once all expenses were paid, the festival had been estimated to bring in a profit for the town. Judging by the size of the crowd, the amount projected had probably been exceeded. It was still nowhere near a fortune.

  A raised podium had been erected in front of the area where the picnic tables were. Jimmy Kyle approached the steps leading up to it while smiling and waving. Walking alongside Jimmy was councilwoman Gail Avery. The mayor was seldom seen in town without Avery being somewhere near him. To describe Avery as being plain would be a kindness to her. She was bland in her appearance and her manner. No one understood why the mayor and Avery were so close and doubted that there was anything romantic going on between them.

  Jimmy Kyle was younger than Avery and a good-looking man with blond hair and blue eyes. The former high school football hero came from a family with money. Before entering politics, he had been in the family business. The Kyles owned and managed commercial real estate. Jimmy’s younger brother, Kent Kyle, was the host of a local morning radio show that allowed listeners to call-in. Of late, Kent’s show had been one long campaign commercial for his brother, and a venue where Chief Mendez’s alleged failings could be listed and discussed.

  Those that planned to vote for the mayor agreed with the radio host. Those who were on Mendez’s side, called in and accused Kent of being biased.

  Kent always gave them the same answer. “Of course I’m biased. Jimmy’s my damn brother. And I never liked Steve Mendez anyway.”

  Jimmy Kyle tapped the microphone to make sure it was working, then grinned at his audience.

  “I hope everyone had a good time here today.”

  There were scattered replies of yes, along with nodding heads. Gunfire erupted from somewhere on the festival grounds as Jimmy opened his mouth to make his speech. That was followed by screams and more gunfire.

  “Down! Everyone get down!” Cody shouted. At the same moment, he freed the small pistol he carried concealed. Sara laid Lucas and Marian on the grass beneath the table as Caroline did the same with Jarod. Sara also took out the gun she carried in her purse. If anyone threatened her children, they would pay for it with their lives. Nearby, Franny Facini had taken out her own gun. Sara sent her a smile, as she was glad to see that the housekeeper was ready for trouble. As a former member of the military, Franny knew the value in being able to defend yourself and others.

  Up on the podium, the mayor was looking around in shock. When the sound of a shotgun blast filled the air, Jimmy ran off the platform and ducked beneath a table beside Councilwoman Avery.

  The chief took Jimmy’s spot on the podium to get a better view. He pointed toward a barn. It was where a temporary office had been placed. There were also various vendors set up inside like a flea market.

  “I see the shooters. It looks like they’re fighting each other.”

  After Sara assured him that she would be all right, Cody sprinted off in the direction that Mendez had indicated. As he ran, he recalled that Henry was playing football over there.

  Henry Knight heard the shots as he was about to catch a football in the endzone. He let the ball drop and crouched down to make himself a smaller target.

  “Everybody get low or take cover!” Henry shouted. At the same time, he had spotted where the shots had come from. Someone was robbing the fair. The entry fee had been a flat ten bucks a person. The rides charged as well, and more money had come in from the concession stands and craft booths. They all took cash. It wasn’t a fortune, but it had attracted thieves.

  Henry saw one man wearing a black ski mask and carrying a blue gym bag. He was also holding a gun. The man was hit by a shotgun blast as he was running toward the parking lot. The pellets ripped apart his torso and he hit the ground and lay still.

  The man who had shot him wore a red ski mask. He grabbed the bag as another man in a black mask shot at him. Henry wondered if it was a falling out among thieves or something else. It appeared that two groups were fighting each other over the stolen money. The man in the red mask went down from a bullet to the back of his head. The bag was once again in the hands of a man wearing a black mask.

  Henry had left the field and moved closer to the action without giving it much thought. His eyes had fallen on the gun the victim of the shotgun blast had dropped. Henry wanted that weapon. He’d left his own gun locked up in his car when he decided to play football.

  More gunfire was exchanged before a group of three men went rushing toward the parking lot. One of them was holding the blue gym bag. Henry was thinking how stupid they were to rob a building so far away from a getaway vehicle when a van came rocketing across the field.

  The boys Henry had been playing football with scattered before the speeding van. One of the girls who’d been standing on the sidelines watching the game had frozen in place when the shooting started. She had red hair and looked to be about fourteen. When Henry realized that she was in the path of the van, he rushed toward her while shouting. “Run!”

  Henry kept waiting for the van to swerve away from the girl, but it just kept on coming. He saw that the driver was wearing a black ski mask. A smile filled the hole in the mask where his mouth was. The son of a bitch wanted to hit the girl. His hairy knuckles were tight on the steering wheel as he neared his target.

  The girl didn’t respond to Henry’s shout. Her eyes were locked on the van bearing down on her. Henry smashed into her with a flying leap that carried them both out of the van’s way. As they hit the ground, he heard the girl yelp in pain. Whatever injury she had, it was better than getting run over by the van.

  Cody had made it close enough to the field to see Henry at the other end when he made his dive in front of the speeding van. His protégé had saved the girl who’d been standing in the vehicle’s path at the risk of his own safety. It only solidified the certainty he held that Henry had what it took to be a Tanner.

  The van stopped by the barn to pick up passengers. A man in a black mask holding the gym bag was one of them. There were people in view beyond the van. Cody held his fire. He was still quite a distance away. If he missed, a round might strike one of his fellow townspeople.

  Injuring or killing civilians wasn’t a concern of those wearing the masks. Two men wearing red masks were firing on the van as it sped off. Several of their shots went wild. Having grown closer, Cody dropped to one knee and took careful aim at one of the shooters. Before he could take a shot, his ears detected the sound of a motor nearby. He lowered his gun and turned to see a car come roaring around a concession stand. The driver wa
s wearing a red mask.

  Turning back to look at the other men, Cody saw Steve Mendez and Clay Milton arrive on the scene by coming up behind the shooters. Clay was driving one of the golf carts the people running the festival used to get around. The cops jumped from the cart with their weapons out and shouted at the masked men to drop their guns. The shooters did so as the van they’d been shooting at mowed down a section of wooden fencing to jump off a curb and head down a side street.

  Cody returned his attention to the approaching car on his side of the field. He stood in the path of the vehicle and took aim at the driver. Apparently, the driver was a lefty. He stuck a hand holding a gun out the window to shoot at Cody. Cody beat him to the punch. He sent three rounds at the arm protruding from the window. All three struck home and the gun was dropped as a spray of blood was seen.

  Cody had considered shooting through the windshield at his target, but he’d seen bullets skip off windshields before and didn’t want to risk a ricochet.

  The car weaved then slowed as its wounded driver came closer to Cody. Cody’s shots had done damage to the arm and nicked the outer edge of the driver’s shoulder. The arm looked to be broken as well as bleeding profusely. Cody was about to place a bullet in the center of the red mask the man was wearing when he recalled where he was.