Talia's Torment

Chapter 11: Meetings with old friends.

Tanner had gotten the text from his contact right in the middle of arguing with Talia over her moving into his cabin.  He couldn’t just leave her in that cabin with no front door on it, really any wild creature could just walk in without so much as a barrier to stop them.  Not to mention that there were bears, but he couldn’t tell her that he was more afraid of someone rather than something getting to her.  When he put the phone back in his pocket and raised his eyes to hers he knew he had already lost the fight.  She had that look on her face that said she wasn’t about to budge on it, and he vaguely thought he remembered her telling him that she didn’t care if all of snow white’s seven merry men came to visit she wasn’t moving cabins.  He wanted to tell her that she was mixing her fairy-tales but instead just walked out the now gaping hole in the cabin and went to his.  Knowing she was thinking he was gone for the night he came back and startled her as he swung his bathroom door in through the opening and started to attach it with the brackets from his cabin.  It didn’t have a lock but at least it was better than hoping that said wild creatures would kindly obey the person space barriers.

                She had just looked at him with her coffee mug in hand as he worked on the door.  He had told her then that he was meeting an old friend in town later that day and would get a new door then.  She had actually reminded him that she was again not paying for the door.  Her face was so serious and his hands itched to grab her and make her smile so instead he made a joke.  Vaguely making some comment about being hulk and smashing stuff so he must fix it.  He wasn’t that big with jokes but movie references were always on the tip of his tongue and he thought she would appreciate this one.  It had done the trick as Tanner was pretty sure that coffee had come out her nose in her burst of laughter.  She had then covered it all with a massive cough but when he turned to her she was grinning ear to ear.  He could see that smile all day and never tire of it.

                Tanner had planned on breakfast with Talia in the morning and then heading out to meet with his old service buddy, but plans had been changed last minute.  He was right in the middle of flipping the omelet and taking the bacon off the stove when his cell had gone off again, his contact telling him that there had been a problem and he needed to move the meet up by almost five hours.  Cursing under his breathe he had written a note to Talia, smiling as he thought about what her reaction would surely be.  He couldn’t help it, he would miss their morning banter but his note would ensure that there would definitely be a lunch later.  Tanner you sure are a sneaky one he thought to himself as he headed out to his jeep in the driveway.   Yup, it was going to make her retaliate probably with those darn dishes he had insisted she leave alone, but he would get another chance to be close to her and that was worth all the glares she was definitely going to send his way when he got back.

                This was how Tanner ended up in this out of the way diner waiting for his buddy to show up, who was now two hours late.  Tanner looked at his watch again for what seemed like the umpteenth time, it wasn’t like Duke to be this late.  Punctual was not an understatement when it came to that man.  They had been through hell together and back again and never had that man missed one meeting or get together in ever actually.  Tanner was starting to get worried when he saw Duke come in the back door.  He was looking around checking all the exits and the parking lot as he crossed the diner to sit in the booth opposite of Tanner.  It was habit for them to have a seat where they could see all exits and their backs were to a wall rather than a window.  Not protecting your butt meant not having one where they came from.  It was training, instinct and neither one of them had ever tried to shake it.  Heck, as far as Tanner was concerned why change something that worked every time you did it.  He was alive so far, that was all the proof he needed that this method was a sure fire way to keep his ticker pumping.

                “Were you followed?”  Tanner looked at Duke with that question and set his coffee back on the Formica table.  Taking another look at Duke, Tanner could see that the man kept glancing around as if expecting the bogey man to jump out and ask for a bite of his bacon.  Tanner straightened in his seat and squared his shoulders.  “You found something didn’t you?”

                “That would be an understatement.” Duke replied with a bite of sarcasm that was typical of the man.  He had almost no time for humor when the situation was calling for anything but.  “More like I went fishing and something bit me.”

                “What is it Duke, quit with the cryptic messages and just spill it already.”  Tanner could feel his irritation starting to build.  He was never one for beating around the bush and since he had asked Duke to look into Laurent in an attempt to help Talia he was finding himself even less eager to play the game now.

                “Well, long story short, I think I found this Laurent guy you asked me to look into.  He is staying at some swanky loft in the city.”  “Bugger has the penthouse all rented out for the next month.”

                Tanner was mumbling a rushed thank you to Duke and shuffling out of the booth while mentioning that the next time they get together should be an actual get together when Duke grabbed his arm stopping him mid motion.  Tanner gave him a questioning look when Duke just gestured back to the seat he had been so eager to leave.

                “I told you something bit me.”  “While I was out running down some leads someone else was ransacking my hotel Tanner.  What the heck have you gotten me into here?”  “I thought this was just some track down a nasty ex kind of thing, turns out this guy has bogey men of his own.  They never even left any real clues that they had been there.  If I wasn’t such a darn nit picky bastard I wouldn’t have even known they had messed with my stuff!”

                “To top it off they left this little beauty in the boot of my shoe.”  Tanner felt sick when Duke showed him a picture on his cell of a tracker.  Thankful that Duke had taken a picture and left the device behind rather than destroying it or bringing it with him, knowing it would give them at least a little bit of lead way.  If they were trying to track Duke, then maybe they were smart enough to also follow him just in case.  You don’t survive long in the private sector or the service if you don’t learn to think of all the options and possibilities.  You have to be prepared for anything; preparation is always the key to a good outcome.  Now Tanner hoped they hadn’t lost the element of surprise here, if Laurent knew that Talia was still alive her plan would never work.  It all hinged on being able to catch that monster off guard, Tanner hated the idea that now he would have to tell Talia he had a lead that might just also lead straight back to her.  This was not going to be the lunch he had planned on with her, but what choice did he have?