“That sounds serious. I had better handle it myself.”

“Sir?”

“Please phone Dr. Burke and let him know that I’ll pick him up on the way.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, sir? That he’s ready? He hasn’t been out in the field yet, and he doesn’t do great with crowds. Or people in general.”

“He’s as ready as he’ll ever be. Tell him I’ll be there in ten minutes. And tell him to wear something presentable. Tell him to pretend he’s going to church.”

Chapter 10

By the time Officer Dominic Juliano arrived on scene, the uniforms had already set up the barricades, and Taz had strategically positioned the SWAT team and squad cars around the perimeter. But now that the full unit was here, Sgt. Rafael “Taz” Ortiz would probably replace the uniforms with his own SWAT guys. The entire GoBox building was surrounded, and the mobile communication van was in place. All of Taz’s drills and training exercises of late were apparently paying off. Even with their forces divided, they were at the top of their game.

Nic hopped down from the back of the BearCat and walked toward the Mobile Communication Facility, which on the inside was basically a big RV, like the one from the Robin Williams movie. Except that this RV was loaded with state-of-the-art communication and monitoring capabilities. As far as Nic Juliano was concerned, though, it was just a place to get coffee and plan your attack where the reporters and nosy grandmothers in the crowd couldn’t hear.

Nic looked over his shoulder at his team’s personal command center. The BearCat armored transport vehicle had been designed for a wide range of missions and uses: SWAT, Military, Rescue. With its standard NIJ IV armor and four-wheel drive system, it could carry up to ten people over and through nearly any terrain or obstacle. The BearCat had been embraced by several security forces and law enforcement agencies because of its affordability, low maintenance, ease of use, and superior armor level. To Nic, it looked like a UPS truck designed to deliver packages to Hell, but it was also a wonderful tool that had saved more lives than he could count, even in their relatively small department.

The only problem was the color.

It was some shade of army green that made it seem like the HPD was becoming militarized, which was far from the truth. The BearCat was a rescue vehicle designed for saving lives, not an offensive military transport. Nic thought of it as more of an armored ambulance than a mini-tank.

But it was an expensive piece of hardware, and the only way that their department had been able to afford one was through the 1033 Program, which supplied DOD surplus to civilian law enforcement. His department had initially been reluctant to take advantage of the controversial program, but Nic had convinced his superiors that just because some Texas sheriff had amassed enough equipment to invade Mexico—including 64 armored vehicles and 17 helicopters—that didn’t mean that they shouldn’t reap the benefits of the program. And save more lives as a result.