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It was clear to Talia that Spence was trying to ascertain if there were a few people out there who knew the man, and still cared for him.
“My…best friend, Hack, was killed. Drove his Humvee over an IED and there wasn’t anything left of him to scrape up.”
That had to have sucked and played havoc with the man’s mental health.
“But… There are a few guys I’m still in touch with.”
“That’s good. Have you asked them for help? Advice?” Spence questioned gently.
There was a snort. “Not likely. They all have problems of their own. It’s not easy coming back and figuring out what to do. For any of us. I…don’t want them to know I’m…not okay.”
“Understandable,” Spence agreed with just the right amount of sympathy. “But I bet they’ll be kicking themselves if something happens to you. You know how it is with buddies. They blame themselves for not seeing a bad situation before it happens. They’ll regret not reaching out.”
“Stop trying to twist things around,” Bentensil cried out. “This has nothing to do with them. And besides, they’ll all get it, eventually. Once I’m gone, they’ll figure out how hard things were for me, and they’ll move on with their lives as if I never existed.”
Spence suddenly stopped soft-peddling and got real. It was almost a whiplash about-face. “So this is a suicide thing?” he probed pointedly.
“What if it is?” the man sneered.
Mason’s voice came quietly back over everyone’s mics, so Talia missed Spence’s response.
“Where are we on the evacuations?” Mase asked of his assigned squads.
“McGee up. Two rooms empty, one to go, Chief.”
“Same,” Julient affirmed.
“Conide up. We’re just getting started.”
“Copy that,” Mason clipped. “Let me know when we’re clear.”
Talia, along with the squad members who had been biding their time at the doorway, kept silent, with their eyes and ears once again glued to Spencer and the shooter.
But when Doug’s voice rasped out of their mics again, she felt like either strangling or kissing the man.
“As soon as everyone is safe, I think I can take him,” Doug said.
“Lumous, you will stand down,” Mason barked. “There’ll be no stray bullets flying in that hallway. Understand? Have you forgotten there are still sixty-plus teachers and students waiting things out in an equipment closet?”
Doug growled. “Of course I remember. I put them there. But if Spence can keep the perp talking, I can sneak into the adjoining classroom one door down, then make it unseen out of there and into the hallway. I’ll be able to come up behind his partially open closet and tackle him before he knows I’m there. Nobody dies today, boss. Nobody.”
Damn.It could just work.
There was a moment of silence from Mason. Was he seriously considering Doug’s suggestion? Talia held her breath.
“Okay. Wait for my go, Lumous. If you so much as twitch before I give the word, your already two-week suspended ass will get booted off the team so fast you won’t know what hit you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly, Chief.” Doug didn’t sound contrite. At all. And wasn’t that what Talia found she liked about the guy? He was ready to step up, even when he went rogue.
“Squads A and E,” Mason snapped out. “As soon as Lumous has the shooter down, you move in immediately and cover him.”
“Roger that, Chief,” Mike responded.
They were all amped up for some action after being sidelined on the evacuations.
This wouldn’t take long.
CHAPTERTWENTY
