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“I’ve mapped out ten possible routes to the hospital, listed in order first by time, second by traffic flow, and third by routes that could potentially be hazardous.”
He passed out papers to all of us as he walked around the table.
“I also took the liberty of color coding the routes and programming all of them into the SUVs.”
“Good lord, the hospital isn’t that far away,” Florrie snapped. “Why did you need ten different routes?”
“Again, should I refer you to Sinner?” I asked.
“No,” she grumbled.
“Rocco, how’s the baby vest?”
“Locked and loaded.” He gave a firm nod and picked up the vest from the floor and plopped it on the table. “This baby has been upgraded since it was given to me. I’ve added in a soothing vibrator in case the baby is fussy and a white noise machine.”
“Gunfire?” I asked.
“First on the list,” he nodded. “I’ve also added in a tarp at the bottom of the carrier, for those big blowouts when you just don’t have enough space to deal with the mess. It can easily be rolled up and tucked away until you can safely dispose of the biohazard.”
I smiled at him. He thought of everything. “It’s just missing one thing.”
He stood and pulled the carrier on, grinning at me like a fool. “I gotcha covered, Cap. For the possible scenario in which you would need to perform a HALO jump.” He opened a side pouch and pulled out a baby-sized mask. “Since that would be dangerous for the baby, I’ve included a mask for the baby’s safety, along with a GPS unit so you can safely navigate to your desired location.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Florrie shouted, slamming her hand on the table. “Are you serious right now? A HALO jump with a baby? When could you possibly need to do that? And correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Medic Man, but that would be extremely dangerous for the baby.”
Rocco frowned at her like he didn’t understand why she was so upset. “Well, all HALO jumps are dangerous. That’s why I’ve prepared all this.” He laughed slightly. “I mean, it would be pretty irresponsible not to be prepared for all scenarios. This is Maggie we’re talking about after all.”
Florrie turned to me with a scowl on her face. “That’s it. I don’t want any part of this. You’re all insane, and I’m one of you!”
She stormed out of the conference room, letting the door slam shut behind her.
I turned to Alec. “Do you think it was the route planning or the HALO jump that sent her over the edge?”
He shrugged. “It’s a tossup, but I’d go with the route planning.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “And with that in mind, does anyone else have a problem with what we’re doing?”
Lola sighed. “I feel like I should say yes just because I’m a woman, but…I was there when Maggie blew up the hotel. I get it.”
I nodded in appreciation. “Alright, along the note of kids…this is rather an unusual request, but I need volunteers to stay at Sinner’s house over the next few nights.”
“For what?” Gabe asked.
“For…various fatherly duties that he cannot at this time perform,” I explained, hoping I didn’t sound like a psychopath.
“Like what?” Jules asked.
I glanced at Sinner. This was not the time for him to explain how he thought his kid was a demon. It wouldn’t help us right now. “You know…basic things. Changing diapers and such.”
“That’s what he has a wife for,” Ice snapped.
“Like I said, Sinner will be out of town.”
“Hold on,” Irish asked. “Where’s Sinner gonna be?”
“Out,” Sinner responded. “Away. On a job.”
“What job?” Cazzo asked. “Any job you have, we have too!”