“I don’t know anything about it. He’s the one who was contacted, not me,” the man said as he again pointed to the man in the chair.
Tony watched and then it became clearer to him. “Wait a minute … You’re telling me that the guy I need to talk to is this guy here in the chair?”
“Yes. I didn’t know any of it. I wasn’t even supposed to be here. He asked if I wanted to come along, and I did.”
“Again? The guy I need to talk to is this fucking guy?” Tony shouted as he pointed his finger hard into the restrained man’s forehead. “And now he is incapacitated with horse tranquilizers. This is fucking great! Why didn’t you tell me that he has all the information? I would have put you in the chair instead! I wouldn’t have done that to him if I had known he is the one I needed to talk to.”
“He tried to fucking tell you and you wouldn’t listen!”
Tony immediately pulled a gun from his waistband in back and shot the man in the head. The man fell to the floor, and the blood pouring from the large wound made its way to the old oil drain in the middle of the floor.
Tony put his gun away and stared at the incapacitated man in the chair … “Fuck! Now it’ll be a couple of hours before I can talk to him.”
Tony shook his head in anger. He looked at the mirrored glass and motioned for Colt to come into the garage. Colt walked through the door with a large smile on his face. A chuckle followed soon after as Tony watched him walking in his direction and he couldn’t hold back.
“What’s so funny?”
“Hee hee … You drugged the wrong guy!” Colt was laughing hysterically now.
Tony began to smile, and soon everyone in the room was laughing. “Well, fuck! I didn’t know that one was just along for the ride.” He could barely breathe now.
The laughter finally calmed down. Tony and Colt walked away from the victim in the chair. “Guess I probably should have figured out who was in charge first,” Tony admitted as he put the syringe into the bag.
“Yeah, guess that would have been the best thing to do,” Colt answered with a giggle.
Tony walked over to Colt and put his arm on his shoulder. “You should probably beat it before this guy comes up missing. Ya never know who he’s working for.”
“Okay … Let me know when you find something out. I’m gonna take my time getting to where I’m going. I hope he doesn’t have any partners. Can I get rid of that damn bug before I go?” Colt pointed at his car. Tony motioned for the men to get rid of it and turned back to Colt.
“Well, you stay by the phone and I’ll let ya know when I get some news,” Tony said as the two began to walk toward Colt’s car.
“Okay, and Tony? Thanks for the help. I owe you for this one.”
“Yeah, no problem, Colt. You’d do the same for me.”
Colt climbed into his BMW and started it up. Tony told one of the goons to open the door; Colt backed out and then drove away. He didn’t know what was happening or even why someone would have him followed. He did know that he was going to be very cautious as he went about his daily activities.
He pulled up to the street and searched both ways for another tail car. None stuck out to him. He turned left and made his way back through the old town and onto I-35. As he drove onward, he continued to search and look for another obvious tail, but found none. Colt wanted it all to be over and his family to be home with him.
Chapter 20
Carmine finished listening to the commander and the feds explain the operation to take down the big drug containers. He knew he would have to tell Gamboni what he had learned in the briefing. After the meeting was over, Commander Martin stood and shook Agent Carnes’s hand.
“Thank you, gentlemen, for your help with this one. We’ll need all the manpower we can get,” Carnes said as he looked around at the attendees.
“You’ll have the cooperation of the Dallas Police Department at your disposal, Agent Carnes. If there is anything else we can help with, please let me know,” Martin replied.
All the men left except Carmine, Sergeant Former, and the commander. Commander Martin followed as the men walked to the door and closed it after the others had left. “We need to put a plainclothes officer over there at the docks until this goes down. I don’t want anyone to screw this up. It sounds like it will be a very good bust for all the departments involved,” he said as he walked back to the table and took his seat.
“I have a man we can count on, Commander; he’s a good field guy. No one will even know he’s there,” Sergeant Former replied.
“Well, make sure he knows as little as possible and tell him he has to keep a low profile. If they’re running that big of an operation, they have to know what they’re doing. It would probably be a good idea to assume that they will have people watching all the traffic around the dock. And that means that anything suspicious will cause them to panic.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll get right on it,” Former said as he stood up.
“And Former? Make damn sure this guy hasn’t been compromised. There is a lot of money at stake for these guys. There’s no telling who they have working for them,” Martin said.
Carmine followed Former out of the room, and the two made their way toward the elevator. His heart raced as he thought about what the commander had said. If they found out he was snitching for Gamboni, he would be treated like a dog.
“How’s the family doing now, Carmine? Are they still taking it hard about their dad?” Former asked.
Carmine thought for a second and answered, “Yeah, it’s a damned shame about that guy. I guess I always knew there was something goofy about him. Who knew he’d have issues like that?”
“What exactly happened?”
“The wife says the kids found him sitting in a chair in the living room dressed up like a woman and that he had killed himself with a plastic bag. He just got dressed up, put on women’s makeup, and then sat in his chair and put a bag over his head. I guess he couldn’t live with himself anymore. He was a freak, and the kids had to find out like that. What an asshole to make your own kids find you like that.”
“Wow, it must be hard for them now. Knowing that their dad was a freak of nature and walking in, finding him like that. People who kill themselves should think about who’s gonna find them and how it will affect them. So no one knew he was like that?”
“No … and the worst thing about it is, my boy Billy won’t even look me in the eye now. He just mopes around and doesn’t say anything. It’s like a light turned off in his head after he saw his dad like that. I know it must be hard for him, but I’m here for them, ya know,” Carmine said as the two of them finally reached the elevator and pressed the button.
“Well … take it easy on them, Carmine; kids are very fragile after something like that.”
“I know. It just strikes me as odd that they still love the guy after finding out what he was really like. And he was never really a dad to them. He was more like a second mother to them than a dad.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll figure out what kind of guy you are as well, with time. Then they’ll warm back up to ya. Listen, I have to get going. I need to get my guy over to the docks. Have a good one, and I’ll let ya know when we’re ready to head out in the morning.”
“Okay, Sarge … I’ll talk to ya later,” Carmine said. The bell on the elevator dinged just as he finished shaking Former’s hand. Carmine entered the elevator and pressed the appropriate button. He was thinking about Gamboni and the information he had learned in the briefing room. He knew he had to let Gamboni know that the feds were going to take him down, but he couldn’t just call him up and tell him that the DEA and ATF were coming for his drugs and whatever else they could find.
He made his way to his desk and removed his coat from the back of the chair. He told his coworkers he was going to run a couple of errands and wou
ld be back. He walked back to the elevator and made his way to the parking garage. His vehicle was parked in the middle of the garage, and it seemed to take him forever to get there. He opened his door and climbed inside. He placed his seat belt on, took a deep breath, and left the parking garage. He made his way down the street and pulled into a gas station. He pulled out the phone Gamboni had given to him and dialed the number.
After a few rings, the line picked up. “Yeah.” Berto’s voice was cold.
“Let me talk to him, please.”
“Okay, hang on a minute.”
After a brief pause, Gamboni’s voice answered. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“I have that info you wanted. I think we should meet and talk about it.”
“Okay. Meet me at the Twelfth Street Bridge in an hour.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
After an hour had passed, Gamboni had still not arrived. Carmine was nervous but had made his mind up to wait as long as it took. Before too long Gamboni’s car arrived and parked at the other end of the bridge. Carmine watched as Gamboni stepped out and surveyed the area. He then walked toward the bridge and stopped at a set of stairs going down the embankment. He looked in Carmine’s direction … nodded, and then disappeared down the set of stairs.
Carmine turned the key off and stepped out of his car. He looked around as well to make sure no one had seen the gesture. He locked his car and made his way to the steps on his end of the bridge. He walked down the long steps to a concrete underpass that wasn’t very busy. He saw Gamboni sitting on a bench looking down at the ground. Carmine looked for traffic in both directions and then walked across the road. He stuck his hand out to shake Gamboni’s, but Gamboni just looked at him.
“Have a seat, Carmine,” Gamboni said as he looked in the distance down the road.
“I have information for you, Mr. Gamboni. I was pulled into a meeting with several others, and we discussed your business.”
Gamboni looked up at Carmine and asked, “What kind of other people and what business are we talking about?”
“There were agents from the ATF and DEA there. They know about the shipments coming into the dry dock, Mr. Gamboni. They are planning a bust on Thursday after your shipments come in.”
“The guy from the ATF, was his name Regar?”
“Yes, sir, that’s him.”
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t say very much. The one who did most of the talking was Agent Carnes.”
“Well … who the fuck is Carnes?”
“He’s the agent in charge of the operation from the DEA. He seemed to be the one heading up the investigation as well.”
“So the DEA is involved in this?”
“Yes, sir. I specifically heard them talk about the drug shipments coming into the dry docks and that we’ll make the bust on Thursday. They’re going to take down your drugs, Mr. Gamboni.”
“What drugs, you fucking imbecile? I don’t deal drugs out of the dry docks, and neither does anyone who works for me. I am against drugs! They always seem to end up in the hands of children.”
“They were talking about the past year—well, seven months to be exact—and all the drugs they’ve encountered in that area. They feel like they are catching people as they leave the docks. They said they have been watching these shipments and want to make the move this Thursday.”
“Let them move, Carmine. As a matter of a fact, tell them that the green containers with white letters will be the ones they need to check.”
“Why would I tell them that, Mr. Gamboni?”
“Because I don’t have drugs going through there; I only have guns going through there.”
“But if they find drugs there, they’ll have the docks covered up so badly that you wouldn’t be able to have guns there or anything else for that matter.”
“I have already called my guy and told him we need to change our place. It is hard to get guns into the U.S. and then sell them to the bad guys, but it ain’t too hard to find another place to keep them until I can.”
“I see … So you’ll just change the place you deliver them to?”
“That’s right … and that fucking Irish puke will get busted and lose a lot more money than I would if they found my guns. I can’t stand that fucking cocky prick. He always was careless, and now it’s catching up to him.”
“Mr. Gamboni? I think that if we find the drugs, they may not look there for any other type of contraband. You would probably be okay to have the shipment come in anyway.”
“Look, Carmine,” Gamboni said, glaring. “Don’t assume that you know any part of my business. And don’t tell me how to take care of my business. If they find anything at those docks, they’ll be on it like stink on shit. They’ll get warrants to search several of the containers and they may find my guns. I don’t want to take a chance on losing that kind of money.”
“Not to mention getting thrown in prison for it, right, Mr. Gamboni?”
“I’ve already told you … I am not tied to anything over there, and there is no way to connect me with anything illegal,” he snapped.
“I understand, sir.”
Gamboni looked away and then back to Carmine with a hateful look on his brow. “Carmine … my name isn’t anywhere around any of those containers. They are bought with money from an overseas account, and it can’t be traced to me at all. I am only worried about the money being lost. A thousand guns at five hundred apiece is a lot of smack to lose. So if my name is ever mentioned, then I’ll know you were the one who mentioned it.”
“Yes, sir, I understand,” Carmine answered, and nodded.
“All right … so go and figure out a way to let them know that they should check the ones that are green and have white letters on them. Then you’ll be a hero and I’ll have a good little monkey working for me. Not to mention that I can finally get that fucking Irish bastard out of my hair for a while.”
“How am I going to tell them they should check them out?”
“I don’t know—won’t you be there when it happens?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Then just walk up to one of the containers and get a gut feeling or something.”
“Okay, I will do what I can.”
“Let me know how things turn out, Carmine,” Gamboni said as he stood up and walked away.
“Yes, sir … I’ll let you know,” Carmine said as he too stood and began making his way to the road.
Chapter 21
Young took his new writing material and looked at the top of the yellow tablet. He took the blunt blue crayon and began thinking about the events that had turned him into a caged animal. He pressed the crayon to the paper and wrote the word R-E-V-E-N-G-E.
Young hated Colt for what had happened a year before, and he wanted him to pay for it with his life now … but now he hated Wise as well. Wise wasn’t supposed to catch on to what he had done. And his partner Archer was a backstabbing son of a bitch now too. As confused as Young was about why Archer had helped him, he didn’t understand why he was still in prison and hadn’t heard from Archer in any way. He now had no one whom he could trust. Not one person would be on his side now. He was a criminal, just like all the criminals he had arrested over the years.
No one would help him now. No one would listen to what he had to say. No one cared if he died right here in this prison—in this lonely, cold, damp, and dreary cell that would be his home, at least until he was transferred out of this facility or moved into another, more suitable prison cell. Young stood up and began pacing in his cage.
Young couldn’t stand to be trapped like an animal. He was used to the finer things in life, the things that he could only dream about now while he was in this hellhole. Like the taste of fresh-cut steak grilled in a springtime backyard. Like the smell of a beautif
ul woman as she walked past him on the street or in a more private setting. He could only dream about the way it felt when the hot water ran down his back in the privacy of his own shower at home. He could only imagine the taste of a woman’s kiss upon his lips again. He would now only imagine the way it felt when he was a free man and could roam around the streets as he pleased.
He’d have none of that now. He now had only an eight-by-twelve concrete box with a sink, a nasty toilet, and a mildewed mattress on a cold steel bed to look forward to. And that wasn’t the worst part of it. Young was a conversationalist, and the fact that he had no one to talk to was his biggest burden as he waited to be released.
He looked at the half blanket that the guard had brought him and folded it up again. He slid it under his head and used it for a pillow. He was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard the lock on his cell click. The door opened slowly, and he waited for someone to enter. There seemed to be no one there. He continued to lie on his bed and wait for a sign of someone entering and the order to stand at attention to be given. After a few moments, he stood slowly and then peeked at the door, as if to see around it from five feet away. After another moment a hand grabbed the door and pushed it open. A very large guard stood in the doorway and looked at Young. “Stand back and face the wall. Don’t turn around and don’t move when I put these chains on you.”
Young complied and turned away. As he faced the wall, he felt the large man’s hands on his shoulder. One hand held on as the other patted every inch of his body. A set of handcuffs was placed on his hands, and a set of leg shackles was placed on his ankles. A belt soon followed and then the chains, as each time before.
Young wanted to know where he was going, but didn’t dare ask while they were securing him. After they finished, Young felt the hand leave his shoulder and then he asked, “Where are we going?” The guard didn’t answer; he turned and pulled Young by the arm gently but firmly.
They made their way down the long corridor and through several sets of doors. He hadn’t been in this direction yet and paid close attention to the details on his journey. He watched as the windows began to get higher and higher. They finally made their way to a large room on the end and the guard opened the door. This door opened with a key and not an electric lock like the others.
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