Page 33 of Acceptance
“That’s what Ashley said,” he says with a chuckle.
“When they fired you, we told Travis and Julian to go fuck themselves. We took what they did you personally. You became family whether you like it or not.”
Grayson had no idea about this. He knew they were on bad terms, but he assumed it was because of Julian’s constant comments about cleaning up the trash in town. “You stopped working with them because of me?”
“When my daughter showed up in tears because she was certain she was going to lose you over it, we knew we needed to take a stand. You do what you have to do, but as long as Julianand Travis are running the place, we’re done. What they did to you was an insult to us.”
This changes his perspective on so many things. “Why do you think I’m being used as a pawn?”
“Because Travis showed up here yesterday morning and gave me the file on the latest victim. He wants us to help under the table and just take care of the problem for them. I told him to go to hell.”
“And you think they want to leverage me to get you to help.”
He nods. “Yeah, I do. It won’t work, but if they really thought you could fix this, they never would’ve needed to come to us.”
“He conveniently left that little tidbit out.”
“I don’t know what the plan is, but if you can’t get us to help, I doubt your job will still be around. And at that point, you’d have given up your business and your working relationship with us.”
And possibly lose Ashley, too. No wonder Ashley was so upset. It’s a slap in the face to her, too.
“Thanks, Diesel. I gotta head to the station before going home to make up with my wife. She was pretty pissed I was considering it.”
“You’re accepting the job?”
“I’m going to tell Travis he can go fuck himself in person,” Grayson says and hops off the table.
The expression on his father-in-law’s face is one of pride, and it’s something he’s never seen from his own father, and he knows he’s made the right decision.
The station isn’t far, and he walks right in to see the place hasn’t changed a bit. Travis steps out of his office with a smile. “Does this mean you’ve made a decision?”
A skinny kid sits in his old desk, and he’s the new straight and narrow kid to replace Grayson. Everything he missed suddenly feels like trying to stuff himself into the tux he wore to his highschool prom when he was half the size he is now. Far too tight and uncomfortable.
“What offer?” Julian asks and steps out of his office.
“Oh, you didn’t know? I was offered my old job because you can’t find a serial killer or identify one of his victims. The truth is, though, it’s not the department that’s failing. It’s poor leadership. It’s the two of you.”
The balding man shakes his head. “I would never agree to reinstate you, so the offer was a mistake.”
“Julian—”
“You’re on your way out,” Grayson says. “Travis was given a heads-up, and he wants to boost his own career. Thinks leading me on will help get the club working with him again, but it won’t. I’m no one’s pawn, Travis.”
The animosity between Julian and Travis finally comes to a head, and it’s obvious they’re both working against the other rather than together. Something Grayson only just started to witness before he was fired.
Shaking his head, Travis sighs. “We were right to fire you, Grayson. Your loyalty isn’t with us.”
“It was, Travis. That’s the problem. You broke that loyalty, and when you did, you fucked yourself because the Drifters will never help you again. Crime isn’t falling like Julian wants people to believe, and the media’s finally catching wind that you both are nothing but smoke and mirrors.”
“You chose a biker whore over the law,” Julian says. “Don’t sound so righteous.”
He laughs. “First of all, talk about my wife like that again, and I won’t give a fuck that you have a badge. And second, you’d give your left nut to have a chance with Karmen. We all know it.”
“Fuck you.”
“No, fuck you. And be careful, Julian. The club keeps receipts,” he says, smiling at the slight change in demeanor of the olderman. The past work the club has done for him could circle back and hurt him. A lot.
Sighing, he feels a weight off his shoulders, and he walks to the door. He finally sees everything clearly. Whether the club is as moral as Grayson believes himself to be, they’re upfront about who they are. They’re the obvious choice.
