Page 69 of All Twisted Up
I shot him a look. “Better at giving them, for this evening at least.”
“Listen up,” the captain said. “It’s important that you pay attention, Mr. Calder. Please come over here for a second.” He turned and walked over to the dining room table where a large roll of paper lay. The moment he stretched it out, I realized it was a blueprint of some sort and recognized the familiar layout of classrooms.
“It’s the school,” I said, running my hand over the paper to smooth it out then tapping on my room. “My classroom, the entrances to the building, and my parking lot.” Nash leaned over as I pointed to the various landmarks.
“That’s right,” the captain said. “I wanted to show you and Hampstead—Nash—where we’d be setting up since he’ll be joining you in the classroom.”
I shot a glance at Nash, feeling my eyes go wide before turning to look at Captain Sorensen. “Inside my classroom?”
“Yes, that’s right.” He nodded.
“And we’ll be there too,” Raven said.
“What?” I turned to him and Miguel, with Agent Way hovering just behind them, arms crossed over his chest. “But, if you’re all there, it’s going to make the classroom very disruptive.”
“I’m not going to leave you alone in there, Joshua,” Nash said.
I turned to stare at him, shaking my head. “What’s the point then? Don’t you think my students are going to be a littleconfused about the three of you in the room? Not to mention the fact that this is an ESL class—English as a second language. Don’t forget, a lot of my students come from countries where the very presence of police is a terrifying thing for them. What kind of message would I be sending if I allowed them to feel frightened or intimidated by your presence? They’ll feel they’re not safe in this country or that they’re being suspected of something or spied on.”
“Well, that may be unavoidable, Mr. Calder, but these are my rules,” Sorensen said. “I want my agents in the room, or you won’t be teaching at all.”
“We don’t have to be in uniform,” Nash said, looking at his boss. “We can sit in the back of the room and wear street clothes.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Candy,” Miguel said. “What do you say? The kid has a point.”
My back went up at being labeled a kid, even though the agent probably hadn’t meant it to come out the way it did. I knew I looked younger than I was, but being called a kid still bugged me.
The captain stared at his men for a few seconds, seeming to ponder it before finally turning to me. “Okay, we can do that, but I will be putting assault rifles in the classroom somewhere. They can conceal handguns beneath their clothing but there’s no way to hide the kind of firepower that will be needed if a cartel hit squad gets past our perimeter. And by the way, you’ll all be wearing vests. There’s no arguing that point, none whatsoever,” he said with finality.
I shook my head vehemently. “I can only assume you’re talking about bringing assault weapons into my classroom. That’s not happening for reasons which need no explanation.”
“We can hide them, boss,” Agent Way said.
I glanced at him before swiveling back to Captain Sorensen. “I’m not sure about that.”
“I’m certain we can hide them somewhere,” he said hesitantly.
“Maybe.”
He nodded. “Okay, show me where.”
As much as I hated the very idea of it, I figured this was the only way I was going to be able to serve my students. I looked down at the blueprints, hating the fact that guns were being brought into the classroom. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that men on the team would be sitting in the classroom, much less, armed federal agents. The very idea of it made my stomach turn.
Maybe he was right and my insistence on teaching was being selfish and would put all my students at risk. I’d been so focused on my own desires that I hadn’t even considered the possibility that a cartel hit squad could get inside the school, much less, scare the hell out of my students in this manner.
“Joshua?” Nash put his hand on my lower back, instantly bringing my thoughts back to the present as I looked up at him. “Where can we stash weapons?”
I stared at him for a second, almost chickening out and then wondering what the real danger was here. Chances were that Captain Sorensen was deliberately trying his best to get me to back down. I dragged my gaze back to the blueprints then pointed. “This back wall away from the door has a row of floor to ceiling cabinets but I think they’re all crammed with stuff. The school uses them for extra storage.” I ran my finger over the diagram.
“Okay, that will work,” Sorensen said, looking at Nash. “You will sit up at the front of the classroom to be a first line of defense if anyone gets in the door.” He looked at Miguel, Raven, and Agent Way. “You three will sit at the back near that row of cabinets. Find some room for the weapons inside. I don’t care if you have to empty one of them onto the floor. You will have weapons. Understand?”
The men nodded while Nash reached for my bicep. I turned to look at him. “Do you have a desk up front?”
I nodded. “Yes, at the front of the room.”
“Can I hide a rifle under it?”
I slowly nodded my head. “There’s a recess where I generally push my chair. I don’t sit at it when I’m standing at the whiteboard. I guess you could put it inside there. If you sit in the front row, you’d have quick access to it.”
