The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Read online

  He sighted in on Kessler and the big sniper rifle boomed.

  ***

  The rushed shot traveled over a mile and missed Kessler by inches, but ripped into the boulder he was standing near, sending shards of rock at him.

  Kessler’s left hand went to his bloody face, as Henry jumped to his feet and ran into the trees.

  As he mumbled curses, Kessler ducked down and rushed off back along the trail, and out of the line of fire.

  ***

  With the immediate threat to Henry finished, Tanner placed the scope back on the house and saw that everyone was rushing for the front door.

  The shorter Yatsenko was surrounded by his tall men, and the Ukrainian made it through the front door and into the safety of the house before Tanner could take a shot at him.

  Tanner let the rifle drop to his side and looked at Sara.

  “Well Blake, I guess I’ll have to kill the bastard the hard way.”

  CHAPTER 17 – Only grapes should bunch together

  Louie gripped his Glock tighter as he looked down at the body of his cousin, Victor.

  There was so little blood that Louie wondered what killed him, but after rolling Victor over, Louie saw the knife wound at the base of Victor’s neck.

  “Hey! Everybody, get your asses over here, we’ve got trouble.”

  Other than Louie, four other men were still wandering the field as they searched for Deke, and when they had all gathered together, they looked down at Victor’s corpse and then stared at each other uneasily.

  “What the fuck happened to Victor?” Dark Beard asked, he was standing beside Louie’s other cousin, a rough looking man in his twenties with a scar on his cheek.

  Louie spit on the ground before answering.

  “The dude we’re after is a harder man than we thought, a damn hard man. Look around boys, we seem to be missing a few guys.”

  Dark Beard realized his friend with the blond beard wasn’t anywhere to be seen, along with two others. He pointed back towards the dirt road where Alexa’s car sat. Alexa was visible from the neck up, and still appeared to be unconscious, but there was no one else there.

  “Where’s Max?”

  Louie called out. “Max!”

  There was no answer, and so Louie called again, and again, there was no answer.

  The man with the scar looked at Louie, and Louie saw that the color had drained from his face.

  “Max had the shotgun.”

  “And now I have it,” said a voice from the dead stalks behind them. It was Deke, lying 20 yards away and aiming the shotgun at the five men, who had stupidly bunched together.

  The shotgun boomed in Deke’s hands and the men screamed as 00 buckshot tore into their calves and ankles. Deke fired several times. When he was finished, all five men had suffered a wound of some severity. Most of them had fallen to the ground, but Dark Beard was limping off and back towards the vehicles. He was holding Louie’s Glock, after taking the gun from Louie’s dead hand.

  Deke calmly reloaded the shotgun and went in pursuit. Dark Beard turned and fired the Glock without aiming, even as he tried to keep moving. He was soon out of ammo, and when Deke closed within several feet of him, he begged to be allowed to live.

  Deke stopped running, took aim, and shot him in the back of the head, blowing his skull to pieces.

  Afterwards, he returned to the car to check on Alexa, and found her moaning, but still out. Once again, he checked her pulse and found it to be strong.

  The Mossberg had a strap, and Deke slung the shotgun over his shoulder to let it hang across his back. He then returned to the field while brandishing the knife.

  One of the men who’d been hit by buckshot had died, while moans emanated from the three remaining wounded men, who lay in the field bleeding from ghastly leg wounds and looking like a bizarre bloody crop. Deke went to work with the knife, and one by one, he harvested them.

  Their plaintive cries for mercy went unanswered, their pleas for forgiveness fell on deaf ears, and their lives ended with a cold efficiency wrought by a sharp blade and wielded by a man with an edge.

  “A damn hard man.” That’s what Louie had called Deke. Had he known how hard, he would have wept and ran for his life.

  ***

  Deke left the field as the only living soul. After moving the tractor out of the way, along with the van and the pickup truck, Deke managed to get the car started again and drove back to the highway, while programming the GPS to guide him to the nearest hospital.

  He had driven less than a mile when Alexa let out a loud moan and opened her eyes. After wincing in pain, she touched the lump on her head, and while speaking Spanish, she mumbled out the words, “What happened?”

  “We were attacked,” Deke said in English.

  With her recent memories flooding back to her, Alexa sat up straighter in her seat and looked over at Deke.

  “The men in the van and the ones from the gas station... and a tractor? There was a tractor too, wasn’t there?”

  “Yes, but Alexa, how do you feel?”

  “Oh, my head hurts, but I’ll be okay.”

  “I was taking you to a hospital. Do you feel like you need one?”

  “A hospital? No, although I may have a concussion... things are a little fuzzy, but no, no hospital. Let’s just head back to our motel.”

  “Okay, we’ll do that, and the quicker we’re out of the area the better.”

  Alexa looked around, and then took a good look at Deke. Concern clouded her features as she noticed that his shirt was speckled with blood stains.

  “How did we get away? Did you outrun them?”

  “No. I had to kill them. They had plans to gang rape you and then they would have murdered us, and likely would have buried our bodies with the help of that tractor.”

  “You killed them? All of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “How many men were there?”

  “There were several, and two of them had guns.”

  Alexa stared at Deke, as she took in what he had just told her. She raised her hand and pointed to a strip of dirt on the side of the road, as she told Deke to pull over and park. Deke did as she asked, and then she turned in her seat to face him.

  “You killed several men by yourself? Deke, that would be a feat for Tanner, and no one is better at killing than he is. I think it’s time you told me about yourself. I know you come from a family of gunsmiths, but there has to be more to you than that.”

  “I’ll tell you my story, but I’ll do it while we’re moving, okay? We really need to get out of the area.”

  Alexa agreed and Deke pulled back into traffic.

  “Deke?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  Deke smiled.

  “I would never let anyone hurt you, Alexa; I hope that you know that.”

  “I know it now,” Alexa said, as she noticed a large red streak on the side of Deke’s pant leg. The mark looked as if it had been made by a bloody hand.

  After a sigh, Deke began telling her his story.

  “I was adopted while very young, and like yourself, I had no family, but I was cared for and nurtured by others. We have something else in common too.”

  “What is it?” Alexa asked.

  “I also want a family someday.”

  “You’d make a great father; you just have to find the right woman.”

  Deke took his gaze from the road and stared into her eyes.

  “I’ve already found her, the problem is, she’s taken.”

  Deke looked back at the road when he saw that Alexa had understood his meaning. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again, and continued telling Alexa about his life.

  CHAPTER 18 – Our little secret

  Tanner fired a slew of .50 armor piercing rounds into the engine block of Yatsenko’s bullet-proof limo, destroying it, and then he went to work on disabling the three SUV’s, while using standard ammo.

  Sara watched the destruction through
the binoculars and saw that Tanner hadn’t missed a shot. He had methodically flattened two tires on each SUV and then fired shots that entered each of the dashboards and engine compartments. The SUV’s were parked behind the limo, which had black smoke rising up from beneath its ravaged hood.

  As Tanner was nearing the end of the barrage, one of Yatsenko’s men came out and fired up at him with a scoped rifle of his own. Tanner identified the weapon as a Remington, possibly something from the 700 series.

  Sara had ducked down instinctively, but Tanner stood his ground, knowing that the man’s weapon lacked the range to reach them.

  After finishing his destruction of Yatsenko’s vehicles, Tanner dealt with the shooter. He fired a round that traveled nearly a mile and a half before striking the man in the face and obliterating his head.

  After gazing at results of the shot through her binoculars, Sara whispered, “Oh my God,” and then she let out a little laugh. “That answered the question of whether you could make that shot, but it’s a shame that wasn’t Yatsenko.”

  “His time is coming, but while I’m doing that, I want you to find Henry and protect him from that man that was shooting at him. I can’t be certain, but I think that was Boyd Kessler.”

  Sara reached out and grabbed Tanner’s arm.

  “Come with me. We’ll place Henry in the car and then deal with Yatsenko together.”

  “No, Yatsenko is my problem, and I don’t think Henry should be left to fend for himself.”

  Sara removed her hand from Tanner, but still looked torn as to what to do.

  “There are a lot of men down there, and they’re all armed. Also, time is a factor; the police may be on their way here.”

  “I’ll handle it. This is what I do, Blake, remember? Now let me go take care of business while you help Henry.”

  “All right, but once I get Henry, I’ll head to the car and then drive it back here to block the driveway.”

  “No. You stay with the car out on that trail. That will keep Henry safe and also keep anyone from spotting you. I’ll get in that house and kill Yatsenko”

  “But what if the police arrive before you make it down there?”

  “If I can’t kill him today, I’ll kill him some other time, now go and get Henry, the two of us will take him home later.”

  Sara nodded in agreement and then moved off to find Henry. Tanner called to her.

  “Yes?”

  “Keep that kid safe... and you too.”

  “I will,” Sara said, and then she moved into the trees.

  ***

  After watching Sara run off to locate Henry, Tanner trained his rifle scope on the open door of the lake house and waited. Someone would make a dash for freedom, or head for the trees in a bid to reach him.

  His patience was rewarded when one of Yatsenko’s men sprinted from the home and ran past the vehicles and towards the shed at the side of the home. The man had traveled half the distance when Tanner’s second round caught the thug on the left thigh, just above the knee and severed his lower leg.

  The man’s screams were loud, Tanner knew they had to be, although he was too far away to hear them. Yatsenko and his men were also too far away to hear the sound of his rifle. All they saw and heard were the results of the shots, and possibly the flash from its barrel.

  Tanner sent three rounds through the open front door and splintered the wood flooring. He hoped that would ensure that it would be quite some time before anyone made another dash for freedom.

  After scattering the branches he had used for a hide, Tanner gathered up his spent brass, then took off at a jog for the car. He needed to arm himself more appropriately for an attack on the house.

  He had agreed to take a contract on Yatsenko’s life. One way or another he would see the man dead.

  Failure was never an option.

  ***

  Deke continued to tell Alexa about his life as he drove along.

  “Being adopted and living in a family with a strong tradition and legacy meant that I had to work hard to be worthy. I was loved, but love wasn’t enough for the people that raised me, and even as a child I understood that I had to be as good as the men who had come before me. If I was going to wear the Mercer name, then I had to earn it.”

  “None of the women in the family wanted to be gunsmiths?”

  Deke smiled at the question.

  “No, my family is very old world in their ways, and I don’t think that it even occurred to them to consider working with the men. In any event, my father never would have allowed it. He thought that a woman’s place was in the home, period.”

  “And do you feel that way as well?” Alexa asked.

  “Of course not. Take yourself as an example. As much as you want a family, I doubt that you would be content with staying in the home the rest of your life. You might be ready to settle down and start a family, but I know that you’ll never become sedate and boring. It’s not your way.”

  “Boring would be good for a while. The last year of my life has been stressful as well as dangerous, and I’m ready for a break.”

  “If that’s true, you’ve picked the wrong man to be with. I like Tanner, but he attracts trouble, and in many ways, it’s what his life is all about.”

  “Perhaps, but Tanner can change. Just because he kills for a living doesn’t mean that he can’t lead a normal life at home.”

  “I suppose you’ll find out if that’s true or not someday.”

  “That day will be very soon. Once Tanner kills Yatsenko, we’re going to take some time off and settle into a new home.”

  “I’d like to wish you luck, but I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “If things don’t work out between you and Tanner... then, maybe I’d have a chance with you, but don’t worry, I won’t make a move on you. I can tell that you’re not the type to cheat.”

  “No, I’m not, but I’m flattered that you feel that way about me.”

  “I do have a favor to ask of you.”

  Alexa looked sideways at Deke.

  “What favor?”

  “This attack, and my killing of those men, I would like it to stay just between us.”

  “Why? Tanner would understand what you did. He would have done the same thing.”

  “Yes, but still, the less who know the better. I did technically commit several murders, although in my mind it was self-defense.”

  “What about my injury and the damage to the car?”

  “We could blame that on a hit and run drunk driver, and I’ll pay for the damage to your car.”

  “I’m sorry, Deke, but no, I wouldn’t want to lie to Tanner, but there’s no reason that Sara needs to know what really happened.”

  “The thing is Alexa, I don’t want Tanner to view me as a killer. I’d rather he kept thinking of me as merely support. I don’t want to be dragged back into a life of violence. It’s why I left the Marine Corps. I really just want to settle down and live the quiet life.”

  “I understand that... it’s just that Tanner and I don’t keep secrets from each other, but I won’t tell Sara a thing.”

  “Fair enough, and I take it that you don’t really like Sara?”

  “I... I don’t know what to feel about her, and there are times I think she’s attracted to Tanner.”

  “And how does he feel about her?”

  “Indifferent, although, as a man, he does find her attractive, and yet, I doubt he’ll ever fully trust her, given their history.”

  “What is their history?”

  “They spent a good part of last year trying to kill each other.”

  “What? Now this I have to hear.”

  Alexa began telling Deke about Tanner and Sara, not realizing that Deke had successfully changed the subject of their conversation, which was himself.

  The less Alexa knew about him the better, Deke reasoned, and if he could just keep her in the dark, he might someday have a chance with her.

  Deke drove along, while listening
attentively to Alexa, and basking in the simple joy of being near her.

  CHAPTER 19 – Armed and armored

  Sara spotted Henry as the boy peeked out at her from behind a tree, and when Henry saw her, he ran to her and took her hand.

  “We have to hide; Kessler has my rifle.”

  Sara held up her gun.

  “Don’t worry; I’m armed. I’ve come to take you someplace safe.”

  Henry’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the gun.

  “Did you shoot at Kessler? You saved my life.”

  “That wasn’t me, it was Tanner.”

  “Who?”

  Sara smiled.

  “Agent X, Agent X saved you.”

  Henry beamed up at her with a bright smile, and Sara began leading him towards her car, which was parked out on the dry riverbed.

  ***

  A short distance away, Boyd Kessler was on his knees and leaning over a shallow stream. After cupping water in his hands, he used it to wash the blood drying on his face.

  The wounds he received from the chips of stone blasted at him by Tanner’s shot were minor, just slashes and cuts, and they were already sending forth less blood.

  What wasn’t minor was Kessler’s anger at having been nearly shot to death. He had no idea who had fired upon him, but doubted that it was Henry’s grandfather, Glenn Olsen.

  Kessler had spoken to Olsen twice, and both times he could see the fear in the man’s eyes. No, whoever was helping Henry, it wasn’t his wimp grandfather, but whoever they were, they’d be sorry.

  Kessler stood up, gripped Henry’s rifle, and went looking for revenge.

  ***

  Inside the lake house, Kyril Yatsenko let out a sigh of relief, as the man he had sent out to the shed finally died from the wound Tanner had given him. The man’s screams had been unnerving to say the least, and seemed to go on forever.

  Yates spoke to him, from where he stood at the side of a window.

  “Those shots came from across the lake and up the hill. That’s so far away that I didn’t even think a shot like that was possible.”

  “The cars are all fucked,” one of the other men said. “Whoever is up there, shot them to shit.”