Tank's Revenge Ch. 02

Scott knew he didn't mean it and put his hand on the big man's shoulder. "I'm sorry if I upset you friend. I hope you know that me and Lorrie are always there for you." Mark nodded but said nothing in response. Both men stood when the women walked into the study. Both had concerned faces and were looking back and forth between the two men.

Kelsey asked, "What was all the yelling about?"

Scott looked over at Mark who had shut down verbally, "Everything is fine ladies. We were just having a chat about sports, and I said something about his favorite football team. You know how passionate he is about football."

Lorrie nodded, understanding Scott's explanation without questioning anything, "C'mon Kels, let's go back in the kitchen and let these two get back to their football stories."

After both women left the room, Scott closed the door to the study. "Mark, did you see the concern in her eyes when she looked at you?"

Mark just nodded without saying anything. Both men sat back down in their seats, with Scott pouring more bourbon in their glasses. Deep down Mark knew he couldn't leave Kelsey there with them. For one, she would be defiant and try to find him. The other reason is, deep inside, he wanted her beside him. He had grown fond of her, and thought of her as a friend, Best friend.

**************

Chavez Tejada was shown a picture of the man causing all his headaches the past few months. He didn't recognize him until he witnessed the file in front of him. The agent in front of him was afraid to bring the information to Tejada but was assured nothing would happen to him.

"Este es el bastardo que mató a mi hijo." Exclaimed Tejada.

"Sir, it can't be, he is dead. We witnessed them carrying his body out of his home." said one of his men.

Without looking, Tejada shot the man in the head, dropping him in front of the agent. As blood smeared across the agent's face, Tejada asked him. "What's the gringos name?"

"M-Mark L-Lawson"

Tejada put the gun down on the table before him. "Bueno agent. Tell your boss I said well done."

The agent nervously shifted from one foot to the other. "Sir, he asked if this meant he would get his daughter back?"

Tejada's eyes became like fire, "You tell your sniveling swine of a boss, he hasn't cleaned up his mess yet. Besides, my boys aren't done with her. He will learn not to mess with me or my business again. Tell him I'll be in touch." He started laughing as the agent was escorted out of his sight.

Chavez looked over at his new lieutenant, "Find out who this Lawson is friends with, if he has any family out there, any way we can hurt him more. We need to bring him out of the shadows."

"Si Senior Tejada," the young man replied quickly, turning and heading out the room.

Chavez grinned from ear to ear. "I'll get you Gringo and make you pay."

*********

January 10th, 2019

Mark and Kelsey had stayed a week with Lorrie and Scott, taking it easy and relaxing. Mainly Kelsey relaxed and Mark stayed quiet. It seemed he put the walls up around himself that she had torn down not long ago. She knew he was trying to shut her out but had no idea why. The reality of life was setting back in for her as well as they drove back to the warehouse. She was invited to stay with them, but her place was beside Mark until she avenged her sister's death.

She opened the warehouse sliding doors and Mark walked in, stepped into the RV, starting it up. It sounded like thunder when the engine roared to life. As she closed the doors behind them, she locked the warehouse, waved at Scott and Lorrie, and jumped in beside Mark. As they started driving, she looked over at the GPS, noticing that they were headed for California. She smiled as she always wanted to see the west coast.

They stopped just outside of Gallup New Mexico parking in a casino parking lot. Mark was glad that Scotty had put the same locking mechanisms that he installed on the Suburban, as he activated the code. When he climbed into the living quarters, he heard the shower starting. He grabbed an ice water out of the fridge and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV, watching the local news, feeling his eyes getting heavy.

Kelsey was amazed by how the water felt against her body. The water was amazingly warm, and the flow was just right. She made a note to herself to thank Scott when she talked to him for the luxury, he had given them. When she turned the water off, she could barely make out the TV in the next room. She felt daring for some reason. It was as if she wanted to blow off some steam, and since they hadn't had any action since her sister's death, she had been holding all her frustrations in. She decided she was going to go for it, toweling off, then opening the door not bothering to put her clothes on.

As she walked toward the front of the quarters, she found him sitting on the sofa, his head back with eyes closed. The late show was on, and some A-lister was being interviewed, but she didn't care about any of that. She walked over, standing closely to him, then very gently straddled him. He didn't move, but that didn't deter her, as she leaned forward placing light kisses on his lips.

He had been dreaming of Maria, with the sensations of her lips upon him. He found the soft wetness intoxicating, as her hands moved across his chest and torso, her hips moving along his thighs, grinding hard against his erection. The dream was more than anything he had felt before, it felt real.

Kelsey was lost in how she was feeling physically. Her body was moving on its own as her juices saturated the front of his pants. She was now kissing his neck and earlobes, hoping he wouldn't wake up and throw her off him. She was so close to an orgasm, she grinded harder against him, her nails raking his torso, lifting his shirt.

His senses came to him as he woke, as he realized it wasn't a dream. He opened his eyes and found a red-haired beauty on top of him. Her handful breasts covered with light freckles; the nipples were erect with excitement. Her nakedness was something to be desired, and he couldn't look away. He felt his shirt being lifted off, when finally, their eyes met. Both seemed to stop breathing, as her gyrations stopped, but their hearts were still racing.

What felt like minutes were only seconds, the look that was passed from them was not of confusion, anger, or sadness. Mark stared into her eyes and simply lifted his arms allowing her to proceed lifting his shirt off him. She slowly raised it over his head and off his arms, tossing it behind her. She looked like a hungry beast about to devour her prey, while he was a willing participant.

Leaning forward she inched toward his lips with hers. As they touched this time, both felt a spark as it started slowly increasing to as passionate as either had before. Kelsey started to grind her herself against him, while he held her hips, his fingertips feeling like hot iron on her bare flesh.

Mark's thoughts came back to haunt him, as he was kissing her. This wasn't Maria, and she had only been gone for seven months. He felt like he was betraying her, as he stopped Kelsey's movements and pulled back from the kiss. "I can't do this Kelsey..." He noticed the hurt in her eyes. "Maria," He whispered as his head went backwards, letting out a small cry.

She immediately knew he wasn't turning her down because he didn't like her, it was because he wasn't done mourning his wife. Lorrie had filled her in while they were visiting about Mark's past, and she understood more about him, even a connection between them. "Hey, look at me." He raised his head and looked into her eyes. "It's ok, I just wanted some comfort myself. I'm sorry if I pushed something you aren't ready for."

Mark closed his eyes for a second, inhaled and opened them, "What if I'm never ready Kelsey?"

Kelsey ran her hand through his thick hair, "I guess we will cross that road when the time comes. Will you at least sleep in the big bed with me? I tend to sleep better with you there." He nodded, "Let me get changed and I'll be right there." She climbed off him, and he looked her over, then closed his eyes as she walked back to the bathroom to get into her night clothes. When she closed the door, she put her body against it and slumped down to the ground, softly crying to herself, feeling like a fool.

After she cleaned herself up, dressed, and made sure she was ok to be seen, she walked back out to the cabin. He was standing there in his boxer briefs. This was rare, as he always wore sweats, but she didn't question it. He helped her into the queen size bunk, then he climbed in beside her.

"Why are we going to California?" Kelsey asked after minutes of silence between the two.

He chuckled, "After our evening, I didn't think that was what we would be talking about." She rolled over and punched him in the arm, with him reaching out and pulling her close to him. She laid her head on his chest and started to play with the hair on his pecs. "I'm going to see an old friend, more like a mentor. He taught me so much when I was on base in Coronado. I hated him at first but learned to respect him."

She was tracing a scar on his lower abdomen, "Why did you hate him so much at first?"

"We were training along with his squad, and he didn't like it too much. Let's just say some branches of the military don't like it when someone comes onto their territory. He was no different, tried having a pissing match, and we gave them hell. We held our own, don't get me wrong, but we were shown a thing or two, and they were as well. That's when we started to respect each other." Mark was lost in thought, reminiscing the time he had with his old team.

"Mark,"" Kelsey kissed his shoulder, "I want you to know I'm with you through this. I'm not leaving your side, no matter how hard it gets. If you think I'm not strong or tough enough, then train me. I will always have your back."

Mark laid there in silence rubbing her back as she fell asleep in his arms.

*********

The Next Day in Texas

"I feel like a whale!" Exclaimed Sandra.

Patton just rolled his eyes at his pregnant bride. "Sweetheart you are beautiful, I don't know how many times I can tell you."

They had just come from the doctor, heading to the mall for some shopping. Sandra was absolutely glowing as she placed her hand on her stomach. They found out they were having twin girls not too long ago, and Patton couldn't be prouder. He wanted the guys from his former team to be Godfathers to them, and all accepted of course.

They arrived at the mall late in the afternoon, stopping at the food court. Sandra joked she was eating for three now, so they went to McDonalds. Afterwards they went straight to the baby store to pick out some clothes and things they knew they would need. Patton had found a couple of matching onesies that said, 'Love Daddy'. After a few hours of shopping, the two headed home with their treasures. They returned home, opening the garage door, pulling the car in.

Across the street waiting in a blacked-out Explorer was Tejada's new right-hand man, Juan Guijosa. He had started as a small-time drug dealer in Mexico for the cartel leader and worked his way up the ladder. Guijosa was one of the deadliest of the cartel, and never shy about taking out competition.

As the garage door closed, Guijosa called Chavez. "I found his friend and former team leader. They just went into their home. What do you want me to do sir?" He listened to the instructions on the other end, "Si' I understand." He investigated the back seat where the two men sat, nodding at them, and looked at the driver as he checked his weapon. "It's time to go amigos."

*******

About the same time Mark was talking to Master Chief Johnathan Jakes, one of the trainers at Coronado Base in San Diego, California. "Master Chief, it's been great catching up with you, but I do have a favor to ask of you."

Jakes looked around, then back at Mark, "You know I will do what I can, what is it?"

"I need some intel on a man named Bobby Robbins. I'm not sure if it is a legal name, but he is ex-military, I know that for sure. Something is weird because I can't find his service record in any servers I can access."

Jakes furrowed his brow, "Who's he to you?"

"I'm hoping he's a friend, but you can't be too careful in this world anymore, and I want to know if he is a standup guy."

"I'll see what I can do, it might take me a couple of days. It was good to catch up."

Mark reached out his hand to shake, "Yes sir Master Chief."

Mark walked back to the RV with confident steps. It seemed he always felt confident with Master Chief, and he always wondered if he would have made a good SEAL. As he reached the RV, his phone began ringing. Upon answering it, he found it was Sandra. "Hey what's wrong?" He asked as he heard the terror in her voice.

"There's someone in the house Mark. Please help us!" 'Pop, pop' Mark heard two gunshots, with her screaming and the phone disconnecting.

He tried calling back and it went straight to voicemail, then tried Patton's number with the same result. He then dialed the one person he knew was close. "I need your help. No questions but take someone with you to 777 Wildflower Lane in Denton now!" He hung up the phone and climbed into the cab of the huge RV. "Buckle up Kelsey, we're heading to Texas."

********

January 18, 2019

The weather was typical for a Texas January afternoon. It was a cool 58 degrees, a slight wind, no precipitation. Mark stood on a hillside looking down at the scene below him where Kelsey stood among his teammates, and most of his friends. It would have been dangerous for him to show up, not knowing if someone would be looking for him, and he was supposed to be dead.

While he glanced across the sparse crowd, he noticed Reynolds and Robbins standing with a woman he thought was Downey but couldn't make out. He was about to take a step out from the trees when he noticed on the opposite side of the scene, two men who stood out. They were not dressed like the rest and both had bulges in their jackets like they were carrying.

Mark stepped behind the tree and branches as he watched the two more closely. He overheard the preacher start the service down below, and he turned his attention to him for just a minute. He watched as the mourners dabbed their eyes and stood quietly over the two graves. Looking back toward the two men, he brought his binoculars and raised them. He didn't recognize either of the men, but both were Hispanic, and looked like they were there for business, not to mourn.

As the scene ended below him, the mourners passed both caskets, putting flowers on both. The men of Bravo saluted their former leaders resting place, one by one marching past honoring in their own way. When Kelsey and Justin made it to the caskets, they said their goodbyes and started to walk toward the Suburban which was parked away from the others.

That's when Mark noticed the men moving toward the Suburban quickly like they were trying to intercept Kelsey and Justin. Mark spoke into the comm, "Your two o'clock, two bandits approaching." Kelsey understood as she reached into her purse and Justin into his jacket. When they were about six feet from the vehicle, they both went to a knee and turned, pulling their weapons, surprising the men.

The men were going for their guns but took their hands off and raised them. Reynolds and Robbins were quickly making their way over to the men from the rear and put them in handcuffs. Upon searching the men, they found a picture of Justin in their pocket which meant their target was Justin, not Kelsey. They found guns with silencers and phones on the men, and they both had the Tejada cartel tattoo on the back of their hands.

Later that day Kelsey and Mark sat across from Justin in a little diner just outside of Dallas. Justin spoke, "Hey Tank, you know there wasn't anything you could do." Mark made a sound, looking down at his coffee cup. "At least the feds have two of them in custody, maybe they can get something out of them."

Kelsey knew that was probably the wrong thing to have said, so she tried to interject, "It was a beautiful service, right Mark?"

Mark raised his eyes and looked over at her, "I guess, I've been to many lately, they all blend in after a while."

Justin looks over at Kelsey, then stands up. "I have to get back home, my girlfriend is home alone, and I want to be there just in case." Mark looked up at him and nodded his head, with Kelsey standing giving him a hug.

As Justin walked out, Mark told Kelsey, "He'll be all right, he's smart. He knows they're after him, something Patton didn't."

She put her hand on top of his, "It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself." Rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand lightly, she wanted to take his pain away, but she knew how he felt. If she was there with her sister, she might have saved her.

Without saying anything, Kelsey then Mark stood, paid the tab and walked out of the diner. The sun was setting, and the drive to the RV wasn't far from where they were. Silence in the Suburban consumed them as both of their thoughts were all consuming. When they arrived at the RV, Kelsey volunteered to load the Suburban into the trailer, as Mark readied to travel. When both were in the front of the cab, Kelsey looked over at him, "Where to now?"

"We find him and kill him. No more games."

"Are we going to let Reynolds and Robbins know?"

Mark looked at her with a determination she hadn't seen from him. Kelsey knew the answer without him saying.

"Are you at least calling your teammates?"

"You can go if you want Kelsey, I'm not stopping you. Right now, I must do this alone and my way. Last time I involved anyone; they were tipped off. Then my best friend and his family get killed. I can't do that again. I'm done burying my friends and loved ones."

Kelsey turned her head out the window. "What have I been telling you ever since I met you? I am in this for the long haul. I only trust you, and only care about you in this world. I have nowhere else to be. So, let's go."

Starting the rig, they took off toward the Mexican border. The GPS was guiding them to the tracker in Chavez Tejada's neck. It was just a matter of a couple of days they would find him, scout the surroundings and take him out.

**********

January 19, 2019 San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Juan Guijosa woke up to the burning sun through his window. He returned as a hero and Tejada gave him his pick of whores. He was satisfied because he felt he had earned Chavez's respect, more importantly the respect throughout the organization. The people he took out suffered greatly from his hands personally, and he was able to get information on the gringo Chavez was obsessed to find.

Guijosa dressed and went downstairs to have breakfast with the other men when one of Chavez's women said he wanted to see him in his private dining room. This was unheard of as nobody from the organization had ever had a meal with the head of the cartel. As he walked into the grand room, he found himself facing a long table, decorated with silk tablecloth, and gold-plated silverware and plates.

On one end was Chavez with an abundance of food placed in front of him, "Juan, please come join me." He motioned him down to sit beside him. Juan made the walk alongside the table, feeling like a king now.

As he pulled the seat back to join, "Thank you Sir for inviting me to join you."

The older man chuckled, "You feeling special mi hijo?" He asked the young man as he slipped a huge piece of chorizo in his mouth. When he didn't get a response, he began to speak again with a mouth of food. "You are special. You have done more in one week then my former lieutenant could do in a lifetime."

"Thank you, sir, just trying to do what you need me to."