CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Back at the command center when Roz and Amelia walked into the private room where the Gabrinis were still waiting, and walked in without their respective husbands, every Gabrini knew something was up. Something in TJ’s favor. They hurried to them.
“Roz! Amelia!” Then they lowered their voices. “Where’s Mick and Hammer?”
“They’re handling business outside of business hours,” Roz said, and she didn’t have to say anything else. They all knew what she meant. The two men had gone behind the cops and the FBI to get things done.
So they decided to talk about everything else but what those two might be up to. And Grace phoned Destiny again.
Once they found out that something sinister was at play with TJ, Big Daddy Sinatra, Mick’s big brother, along with a group of Mick’s capos, were on their way to collect her and her baby from The Bahamas just to be on the safe side.
It wasn’t even a thought about their safety per se, since Destiny said they were fine and she welcomed Big Daddy coming to retrieve her. Nothing seemed amiss at all. Until now.
“How’s it going?” Grace asked her oldest child when Destiny finally answered the phone call.
“I’m good, Ma.”
She sounded tired to Grace. “You’re just waking up?”
“No ma’am. I’m just chilling in Jamaica like always. That’s all.”
Tommy looked at Grace. Grace looked at Tommy. Jamaica? They knew both countries were in the Caribbean, but Destiny and their grandchild were supposed to be in the Bahamas. When did they get to Jamaica?
But Grace was a Gabrini. She’d been taught for years by Tommy that if something was out of the ordinary, never give it away. Go along with it. See where it led. “How’s the weather in Jamaica?” Grace asked.
“It’s cloudy, but that’s okay.” Then there was a slight pause. “But listen, I need to go check on Danny. He’s crying. I need to feed her.”
“Okay, Destiny. You take care.” Then they ended the call.
Gemma looked at Grace. “I thought she was in the Bahamas.”
“She was.” Then a thought occurred to Grace that terrified her. “Oh my God.”
“What?” asked Tommy.
“What if she’s in danger?” She jumped to her feet. “I knew it was something that didn’t make sense!”
All the Gabrinis got up too. “What are you talking about, Grace?” Reno asked her.
“What doesn’t make sense?” Tommy asked her.
“That’s why TJ was willing to risk the lives of all of those students,” Grace said. “He wouldn’t have done it just to save his own skin. He’s not like that.”
“Grace, what are you talking about?” asked Reno.
But Tommy understood. “My Lord, she’s right.”
“She’s right about what?” asked Reno.
“TJ wouldn’t risk the lives of his fellow students just to save himself,” Grace made clear. “But he would risk their lives to save his sister and her child.”
“What are you saying?” asked Amelia. “You’re saying they may have Destiny and the baby?”
Grace, horrified, was nodding her head. “That’s what I’m saying.”
“My Lord, my Lord, my Lord,” said an anguished Gemma.
“But that means if Hammer disables that device,” said Amelia, “they won’t be able to kill TJ anymore, but they would still be able to kill Destiny and Danny?”
Tommy, Sal, and Reno were already running out of that room.
When Chief Browne and the FBI’s special agent in charge saw them, they hurried toward them. “What is it?” Chief Browne asked.
“Hammer Reese is already at the school,” Tommy said without breaking his stride. “If he disables that device, my daughter will die.”
“What device?” Browne asked.
“I believe they have my daughter captive and that’s why my son is involved. They have my daughter and grandson. We’ve got to stop Hammer!”
And Tommy, Sal, nor Reno waited for permission from the FBI. They took off running out of that command center. The FBI and Chief Browne took off behind them, although they had no clue what device they were talking about.
It took less than two minutes for all of them to run across the cordoned off street, into the school, and around the corner. When they saw Hammer and Mick standing at one of the classroom doors, Tommy and Reno and Sal all were yelling “Hammer no! Don’t disable it, Hammer! They have Destiny!”
But it was already too late. TJ had already opened that classroom door after his uncle’s command, and he already fell into Mick’s arms crying his heart out. Mick’s eyes were squeezed shut with relief as he held his great-nephew. Until they all heard the running and the yelling.
When Mick And TJ looked up, all of the rest of the Gabrinis and Sinatras, along with the police and FBI were running toward the classroom.
When they arrived, the Police and FBI sought to check on all the hostages, although the chief and the special agent in charge stayed with TJ. Until proven otherwise, he was still their chief suspect.
“They’re okay?” asked a relieved TJ.
“Who’s safe?” asked Mick.
“We believe whoever implanted TJ kidnapped Destiny and her baby,” said Tommy.
Mick and Hammer were shocked.
“They did kidnap them,” said TJ. Then his heart dropped. “They still have her?” He clutched his father’s coat lapel. “Daddy, they still have her?”
Tommy was beyond distressed when TJ’s reaction confirmed Grace’s theory. He nodded his head.
“Motherfuck!” yelled Mick. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“We didn’t know!” Roz yelled at Mick.
“But that can’t be,” said a now panicking TJ. “They told me they’ll kill them both if I made one false move, Daddy. They said they’ll kill them both. Oh Daddy!” A terrified Tommy pulled him into his arms.
When the Gabrini ladies and Amelia made it up to the classroom too, TJ left his father’s arms and ran to his mother. Grace clutched him so tightly that they both nearly fell. “Mommy, Destiny’s in danger,” TJ was crying in her arms. “They said they would kill them both if I made one false move.”
Trina, Gemma, Roz and Amelia hurried to Grace and held onto her and TJ as Grace looked at Tommy with terror in her eyes.
Tommy, so overwhelmed with emotion that his knees buckled, fell against the wall like a towering figure of a man about to go into meltdown.
He thought it was just TJ. But it was both of his children, and he didn’t even realize it.
Sal and Reno, devastated too, hurried to Tommy and pulled him into their arms.
If mortified was a picture, it was all of them.