The Spy Game (A Tanner Novel Book 21) Read online

  “That’s on a need to know basis,” Benedetti said. “If you don’t take the assignment, you don’t need to know.”

  “If I say yes, Sara goes free and the threat of prosecution goes away forever.”

  “No,” Benedetti said. “The bitch stays behind bars until you fulfill your assignment, and if you fail she does hard time.”

  “I’ll only agree to this if Sara is set free,” Tanner said.

  Benedetti was opening her mouth to deny the request when Hanover said, “Done, however, if you fail to kill Owen Bishop, Miss Blake will be back where she is now.”

  “I don’t fail,” Tanner said, then he turned his head to stare at Garrett. “Why are you here?”

  “I didn’t want you to forget me, Tanner.”

  “You plan to kill me someday, is that it?”

  Garrett’s answer was a smile.

  Lyle Hanover spoke while raising a hand up in caution.

  “Garrett is not to be harmed, Tanner, nor is Miss Benedetti or myself. I can understand your desire to do so, in consideration of that, I would like your word that you won’t harm any of us, and that includes Nicholas Carson.”

  “My word is good, but how do you know that?”

  “Every source I’ve been able to find concerning you says that you’re a man who does what he says he’ll do.”

  Tanner looked across at Hanover, then at Benedetti.

  “I’ll go to Europe and kill Bishop, on the condition that Sara goes free today.”

  “Agreed,” Hanover said, “and what about retribution?”

  “I won’t harm any of you,” Tanner said, then he looked at Garrett. “Unless I’m first provoked.”

  “Excellent,” Hanover said.

  Benedetti passed Tanner a card. “Be at that address at six p.m. and we’ll give you a full briefing. After that, we’re off to Europe.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, we. I’ll be your handler on this operation.”

  “I don’t need a handler.”

  “Too bad, you have one, and I don’t take shit from my operatives.”

  “That’s for sure,” Garrett said.

  Tanner memorized the address on the card, then tossed it on the floor of the limo.

  “I’ll meet with you at six, just make sure Sara is released by the time I get to Connecticut.”

  “She will be,” Hanover said, “and welcome aboard, Tanner.”

  Tanner gave the three of them one last look before stepping out of the limo and walking away into a crowd of tourists.

  Inside the limousine, Benedetti was making a face of displeasure.

  “You realize that he’ll try to kill all of us when this is over, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Hanover said.

  “Then what was all that nonsense about taking his word?”

  “I was hoping to put him at ease.”

  “Oh, but we’ll still kill him once he delivers the data drive, right?”

  Hanover smiled at her.

  “Next time, use five snipers. That should get the job done.”

  Benedetti let out a wicked laugh and was joined by Garrett.

  5

  A Reckoning

  Tanner arrived at the police station in Connecticut to find Warren Blake pacing before the station’s front desk. Sara’s father hadn’t shaved, and Tanner saw the worry in the man’s eyes. Tanner had changed out of his Park’s Department disguise while in the car and was wearing jeans along with a black polo shirt.

  Tanner settled on a wooden bench with Warren Blake. Around them, cops came and went while paying the two men little attention. Tanner was a man who had committed countless murders over the years, yet he felt not a flicker of fear while being so close to the law.

  Part of his training had prepared him to live in plain sight of the police, and anyway, most cops thought he was a myth.

  “I’ve been trying to get Sara released and have had no luck, Tanner. A judge friend of mine said that the word came down that she’s to be moved to Rikers Island tomorrow.”

  “That won’t happen, Mr. Blake. I’ve arranged for Sara to be set free.”

  “You’ve made a deal with someone in the government?”

  “I have.”

  The sound of a metal gate being buzzed open came from down a hallway. That was followed by the sound of footsteps and the appearance of Sara, along with a female officer. Sara wore a relieved smile and hurried through the procedure that allowed her to get her possessions back. After signing one final form she was told that she was free to leave.

  Tanner took her in his arms and embraced her in a tight hug, then planted a kiss on her lips.

  “You must have agreed to something or I wouldn’t be free. What is it?” Sara asked.

  “Not here,” Tanner said.

  The three of them left the station and climbed into a blue Mercedes that was owned by Sara’s father. Before saying anything, Tanner asked Sara to hand him her purse. After feeling along the seams, Tanner removed his knife and cut into the expensive leather bag. A moment later he removed the miniscule listening device that had been planted.

  “Those bastards,” Sara whispered, as her father stared at the device with wide eyes.

  Tanner stepped from the vehicle and walked over to a sewer grate, to drop the bug down the hole. It landed in moving water and was swept away. After returning to the car, he told them what he knew.

  “I have to go to Europe and kill an American involved in terrorism. There’s more to the story than that, but I won’t be given details until tomorrow.”

  “Who ordered my daughter’s arrest?” Warren Blake asked.

  “A CIA bigshot named Lyle Hanover is behind this.”

  “What’s he like?” Sara asked, and Tanner described Hanover.

  “Once I’ve handled this you’ll never again have to be concerned about being charged in Garner’s shooting. Unfortunately, it may take me some time to get to Bishop, and I can’t simply kill him outright.”

  “Why not?” Sara asked.

  “The man has some sort of data drive the CIA wants. I have to get that from Bishop before I kill him.”

  Warren Blake ran a hand through his hair. “This all sounds very dangerous.”

  “I’m sure it is, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Even so, you must realize the CIA will never let you go. When you’ve proven your worth to them they’ll keep hounding you.”

  “I’ll handle that too when the time comes,” Tanner said.

  “And just how will you accomplish that, by killing agents of the United States?”

  “No, Mr. Blake. I won’t have to kill anyone. I’ll have to outsmart them.”

  “When do you need to leave?” Sara asked.

  “Tonight.”

  “So soon?”

  “Yes.”

  Sara and Tanner said goodbye to her father and headed back to the city. As he drove, Tanner recounted his meeting in the park in detail.

  “A sniper? Were they trying to kill you?”

  “No, or there would have been more than one man. Besides, I think they need me to handle their problem for them.”

  “That doesn’t mean they won’t try to kill you once you’ve succeeded.”

  “I expect them to, and I’ll be ready for them.”

  Sara reached out and took Tanner’s hand.

  “Couldn’t you try contacting Thomas Lawson?”

  “I did that last night. Jessica White spoke with Lawson’s mother. She told Jessica that Lawson is recovering from his ordeal, just the same, he’s still healing.”

  “This data drive they want you to get for them might be a bid to gain enough power so that Lawson won’t be able to touch them.”

  “That’s a possibility,” Tanner agreed.

  After returning home they ate a late lunch, showered, then made love. Afterward, while lying together in each other’s arms, they discussed their upcoming separation.

  “Will it really take you weeks to do what
they want?”

  “I won’t know that until I learn more tonight, but you know I’ll return as soon as I can.”

  “It’s funny, I always feel concern for your safety, and yet I never truly worry about you. I know there’s nothing you can’t handle. I’m just angry beyond words that Lyle Hanover thinks he can use me like a pawn to force you to work for him.”

  Tanner heard a tone in Sara’s words that made him look at her carefully.

  “You want to hurt him, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t go at him directly. I got the impression he’s a wily bastard, and he has massive resources he can call upon.”

  Sara smiled. “I thought you were going to try to convince me to let it go.”

  “I know you better than that. Besides, Hanover will be worried about me coming at him. He won’t even see you until it’s too late.”

  Sara snuggled against him.

  “I can’t believe we’ll be separated from each other so soon after our engagement.”

  “I don’t like it either, but I’ll do as they ask.”

  “And afterward?”

  Tanner’s intense eyes narrowed. “There will be a reckoning. Count on it.”

  6

  Unarmed, But Dangerous

  Tanner arrived at the address he was given on East 87th Street in Manhattan. The three-story townhouse had a stucco surface made to look like flagstones. Because of the different window treatments on each floor, Tanner assumed it housed three separate apartments. In the area of Manhattan he was in, the three residences would be worth upwards of a million dollars each.

  However, after entering and being escorted inside by a large man wearing a suit, Tanner saw that the exterior of the building was little more than a shell of normalcy. The space had only a single floor, few walls, and soared up to a ceiling thirty feet high. In the center of the spacious room was a conference table, while a massive flat screen television filled part of a wall.

  Seated at the conference table were Lyle Hanover and Vanessa Benedetti.

  The entryway walls were thick. Tanner guessed that they contained hidden metal detectors and that he was being scanned for weapons. He was then searched by a huge young man who was wearing a suit that was too small for him. After finding nothing in Tanner’s pockets, the hulking federal agent grunted and led Tanner over to the conference table.

  When Tanner took a seat and remained quiet, Benedetti gestured at the room.

  “Aren’t you going to comment on the building? Everyone does their first time here.”

  “I didn’t find it that surprising.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s owned by the government. The fact that you would use a building worth millions for a simple conference room is par for the course. No one wastes money better than you Feds.”

  Benedetti frowned, then she spoke to the man who escorted Tanner to the table.

  “How many weapons did he have on him?”

  “None,” the man said.

  “You came here unarmed, Tanner?” Hanover asked.

  “I assumed you would take my weapon, and I can always get another if needed.”

  “How?” Benedetti asked.

  Tanner tossed his chin in the direction of the man who had searched him.

  “I could take his. Judging by the bulge beneath his jacket he’s wearing a shoulder holster on his left.”

  “I’d like to see you try it,” said the man in the too-tight suit.

  “I’d like to see that as well,” Hanover said.

  “Too bad. I’m not a trained monkey.”

  The huge federal agent let out a derisive laugh and waved a hand at Tanner.

  “This guy is all talk.”

  “I agree,” Benedetti said. “Now get back to the door and don’t let anyone in.”

  There was a stainless-steel pitcher sitting on the conference table. Tanner used its reflective surface like a mirror to view the agent as he moved to return to the door. When the man’s back was turned, Tanner pushed away from the table while swiveling around in the office chair he was seated in.

  The man heard the noise, yet he was too late to react. Tanner planted his feet behind the agent’s knees and caused him to fall backwards. The man fell atop Tanner with a grunt, and Tanner’s hand snaked beneath his jacket and grabbed the agent’s weapon from its holster.

  The agent attempted to grab his gun, but he was still off-balance, and when he tried to stand he caused the chair to slide across the floor. Tanner grabbed a fistful of the man’s hair and forced him to roll off of him, then used him as a shield as he crouched behind him.

  When he looked back at the conference table, he saw Lyle Hanover bringing a gun up from beneath the table. Judging by the weapon’s compact size, it had been in an ankle holster. As for Benedetti, she appeared to have frozen and was sitting with her mouth open in shock.

  “Now you know how easy it is for me to get a gun,” Tanner said.

  Hanover began laughing as he laid his weapon on the table.

  “So far, you’ve lived up to your reputation, Tanner. Now let’s get down to business, shall we?”

  Tanner pushed the chair back to the table while holding the gun loosely at his side. The man he’d taken it from walked behind him with a face reddened from embarrassment.

  “If you don’t mind, give Kersey back his gun,” Hanover said.

  Tanner ejected the magazine from the pistol and checked for a chambered round before handing the gun over.

  “If you try to get even I’ll kill you,” Tanner told the man.

  Agent Kersey grabbed the gun and the magazine from Tanner without saying a word, then headed toward his post at the door.

  Benedetti recovered from her shock and used a remote to turn on the television. When she pushed a second button, a man’s face appeared on the screen. At first, Tanner thought he was looking at another photo of his target, Owen Bishop. He changed his mind a moment later when he realized the man in the photo was older than Bishop and that his nose was broader.

  “The man you’re looking at is Kent Bishop,” Benedetti said. “He was Owen Bishop’s father and the man who founded the organization his son now heads.”

  “A terrorist organization?” Tanner asked.

  Benedetti smirked. “Officially, Bishop’s organization, which is named Citizens Freedom Group or C.F.G. for short, is a human rights organization dedicated to eradicating statism.”

  “Statism? So, what you’re saying is that Bishop and his people are against having a massive central government. They’re in good company, such as many of the Founding Fathers.”

  “People can’t govern themselves, Tanner. Most of them are idiots,” Benedetti said.

  “I’m not in favor of Bishop’s views, or of yours. I operate outside of normal society. But I take it Bishop’s group does more than protest overreaching legislation.”

  “The human rights front the group displays was always just that, a front,” Hanover said. “Its real goal is to bring down the world’s governments.”

  “The man doesn’t lack ambition.”

  “He comes by his beliefs naturally, since his father and his grandfather were both anarchists,” Hanover said. “Walden Bishop, the grandfather began making anti-government speeches in 1933 after FDR signed Executive Order 6102.”

  “The confiscation of gold from private citizens,” Tanner said, then saw both Hanover and Benedetti looking at him with surprise.

  “Yes, that is what the executive order accomplished. I’m impressed by your knowledge of that,” Hanover said.

  “I know many things, but go on with your briefing.”

  “Walden Bishop, the grandfather, was a man who had a deep hatred for the police and any other government employees he deemed to be, ‘enemies of the people.’ He spent time and money accumulating photos of every police officer in Vermont, along with many of the federal agents assigned there. By 1948 he had an impressive collection and passed around copies of the book, whi
ch I’m told resembled a thick photo album. Two undercover police officers were identified and killed because of Walden Bishop, however, at trial he was found innocent.”

  “It sounds like the man was obsessed,” Tanner said.

  “He was,” Hanover agreed. “Walden passed on his views to his son. The son, Kent Bishop, was wiser than his father. He hid his passion behind the organization he founded, C.F.G. He was also a brilliant inventor and an early pioneer in the science of facial recognition. Like his father, he spent time accumulating information on law-enforcement and government personnel. When the man died in 2002, Owen Bishop took over.”

  “Is that the data you want me to get out of Bishop? Does it have something to do with one of his late father’s inventions?”

  “In a way,” Benedetti said. “Bishop’s father was a patient man with a devious mind. In the late-eighties he began accumulating photos and videos of every police and military academy graduation ceremony he could find, while also destroying any duplicates he came across. That went on until his death, then it was continued by his son, Owen Bishop.”

  Understanding dawned on Tanner’s face.

  “Kent Bishop saw the future of facial recognition technology and planned to put it to his own use, didn’t he?” Tanner said.

  “Exactly,” Hanover said. “As near as we can tell, Bishop has an extensive database that contains the faces of our military and police personnel, both former and current.”

  “All right, I can see why you’d want to get that data out of his hands, but I find it hard to believe he could have amassed information on every police officer and federal agent in America.”

  “You’re correct, and like yourself, Owen Bishop saw the futility of continuing the work his grandfather and father had begun, or rather, he sought to accomplish their goal another way.”

  “What way is that?”

  “By using computer hackers,” Benedetti said. “Owen Bishop has employed a group of hackers for over a decade and gave them one job. They were to break into the government’s database and extract the names of every federal agent in over one hundred separate agencies.”