Page 43 of Tommy Gabrini: All Fall Down
“But that’s not the plan?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want any police escorts to that classroom. If anything goes sideways, I may need to takemeasures that they may not deem as appropriate. It could end up in the papers.”
“Ad be it far from you to ever have negative press.”
Hammer ignored that putdown. He was beloved in the United States for the numerous successful missions he spearheaded for his country. The only bad press Mick ever saw him get was whenever he and Amelia were breaking up, which was seemingly every month, or whenever Hammer was spotted with some other woman that wasn’t his wife or when there were other romantic news to report about him. Hammer somehow had managed to not only be a war hero to the country, but a heartthrob too. That asshole a heartthrob? It was uncanny to Mick!
And besides all that, Mick found his plan odd at best. “You say you don’t want a police escort into that school?”
“That’s right.”
“But there’s an active shooter situation at that school. How in hell are you going to avoid the cops? They have that place covered.”
“I havemycops covering that far back gate,” Hammer said. “They’ll escort us in.”
Mick had no idea what kind of cops Hammer had, but he was certain they weren’t beat cops. “So we go in through a back gate?” said Mick.
“Right.”
“And you disable that implant that you believe is inside of TJ?”
“I don’t believe it. I know it for a fact.”
Mick, Roz, and Amelia looked at him. “How would you know that?” Amelia asked him.
“I’m not answering that,” said Hammer. “Just know I know,” he said.
But Mick was skeptical. “Can I take a look at this implant you supposedly have inside of your body?”
Hammer stared at him. He knew better than that. Anything relating to that level of technology was Top Secret. He already told them what he wanted them to know, to help alleviate some of their fears, but he wasn’t going to tell them anything more than that.
“Or is it an implant at all?” asked Mick.
“If I can get within five feet of TJ,” said Hammer, “I’ll be able to disable that device. Isn’t that all that matters?”
Mick didn’t like law men, and he especially didn’t like super-powerful ones like Hammer Reese. But he respected that power. “Yes,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”
And on that note of agreement, they shut the hell up.
When the SUV drove to a road behind the school, a small group of Hammer’s special ops agents were waiting for them. Mick and Hammer got out and made their way toward the school’s back gate while the SUV still containing Amelia and Roz, along with the others in the motorcade, drove off to the command center.
“Once I disable the device,” Hammer said as he and Mick were walking toward the gate, “you’ll order TJ to open the door and tell him his device has been disabled. And that they can’t see or hear him anymore.”
“Nor can they blow him to smithereens?” Mick asked.
“Nor can they do that,” said Hammer. “But if he doesn’t believe you,” Hammer started saying, but Mick cut him off.
“Are you joking? He’ll believe me and he’ll do whatever I tell him to do. I’m not bragging,” he added, “but that kid’s terrified of me. Even more than he is of that implant, I’ll tell you that.”
Hammer shook his head. “Anybody ever tell you how modest you are?”
“Anybody ever tell you how modest you are?” Mick shot back. “Just make certain you disable that device,” he added.
“Yes sir boss,” said Hammer, and his men smiled.
