Chapter 83
An introvert, he’d never been a huge fan of public speaking. When he’d been a young man, he’d been afraid he would forget his words, or bore the audience, or switch languages in a bizarre act of social anxiety. None of that could compare to getting up on a stage in front of thousands of his competitors and colleagues knowing someone in the audience wanted to kill or kidnap him
He came prepared. Ben hadn’t let him leave the room without a bullet-proof vest. While the idea of being “allowed” or “not allowed” to do anything chafed at everything Lennon held dear, he went along with it. While the vest didn’t exactly feel comfortable, the weight let him settle into the speech. Ben and the rest of his weird Agency buddies were out in the crowd, making sure no one could get a clean shot off. There was plenty of security on the venue itself, between the NYPD, the NSA, and the Plaza’s own security.
He was as protected as he could be.