CCC #45

The night was almost over. The sky was turning gray at the horizon. I blinked and hoped there was a coffee pot at Cabrese’s office. I still needed to keep all of my mental facilities sharp. I had been to Cabrese’s HQ once before looking for one of his henchmen. It was all a ruse of course; we just wanted to make sure that this was the place where Cabrese ran everything.
We were never able to get enough evidence on this place for a warrant. Tonight, I wasn’t worried about a warrant. Add that to my crimes, that is minor at this point. The problem now was how to get in.
If I could believe that liar scum Cabrese there was no one here. Of course, I could not believe him so I had planned for more carnage. So many more people were going to die today. Hopefully I am not among them.
Miles passed under my tires as I crossed back into town and pulled into a space outside of the modern steel and glass office building that Cabrese owned. I steeled myself for war again as I collected my weapons. Six semi-automatic pistols and the machine gun from the goons by the door as well as the SOG knife on my belt that I had deprived of blood all night. I stepped out of the car, ready to deal death in the early morning light.
I walked up the 5 steps that led from the street to the sidewalk level unaware of any other breathing human. I crept to the front door of the building knowing that it would be locked but hopefully not under the watch of a security guard.
I didn’t see a guard as I put a bullet through the cheap lock on the double glass door and kicked them open. I stepped inside looking around for any movement. There was none as I crossed the lobby and headed to the elevators. I pushed the up button and waited for my ride to the 7th floor.
I sensed…something just before a horrible pain flared up my damaged left leg. I had two simultaneous thoughts. First, stay quiet. Second, some worthless son of a mother loving trouser turd let loose a Doberman on me. And he was vicious. I dropped my machine gun and drew my knife.
Moments later, the dog had joined the legion of the dead that I had created. My leg was on fire, the bullet wound had reopened and now there were several teeth holes to join it. I recovered my machine gun and waited. There was no other movement.
The elevator had arrived and closed while I was struggling with the dog. I limped over and pushed the button again. The door opened and I stepped inside wondering what would await me on the 7th floor.
The elevator was fast. It wasn’t long before I had my answer. The doors began to open and I was moving. I ducked low and dodged to the right rolling and barely avoiding the machine gun fire that waited to welcome me. I came upright and fired towards the sound, not being able to see clearly. I heard one grunt and another blast of machine gun fire.
I kept moving to the right, trying to circle the gunmen. I could tell there were at least 2, but nothing more than that. Finally, I did get behind them. I peered over a desk almost directly behind the two. They must have had no experience, they still hadn’t moved. The honorable thing would be to say something witty like in an action movie so they would turn around.
I left that world 12 hours ago in a dusty storeroom. I stood and shot both men with my machine gun. I stood there watching the blue smoke curl from the barrel and listening to the silence in the office. I didn’t think there were any more guards.
From my previous visit I knew Cabrese’s office was in the far left corner of the floor. I headed that way, still alert for any movement. There was none as I reached the large mahogany door that had “Raymond Cabrese” carved into it. The last two rounds from my machine gun splintered the lock and the door swung silently inward.
I drew one of my pistols as I dropped the machine gun to the marble tiled floor. I entered the room to find no one. I also saw the filing cabinet just to the right of the desk. I would search for any other connections to Cabrese’s business and make sure they were all finished.
I spent half an hour digging through paper and looking at his computer. When I was done I felt dirty. There were porn rings and prostitution houses that we had never known about in those files. There were details of blackmail from some state senators as well as the old governor. The mayor had a file but it didn’t look like anyone had acted on it yet. Drugs came and went right under our noses from a dozen legit import services.
Cabrese was into way more stuff than we had ever even guessed. I thought I was going to finish the whole thing tonight. I was only cutting off a few of the hydra’s heads. It would take weeks to finish it all. But it would be weeks without Cabrese.
I got painfully to my feet and picked up the garbage can that I had filled with files. These were evidence. I was taking them. I would kill this monster that Raymond Cabrese had created. As soon as I killed him. I slipped out of the office, down the elevator and out of the building without seeing anyone again. I fell into my car, started it, and pointed it back towards the nursing home that would be the place where Raymond Cabrese took his last breath.