Page 30 of Broken Wheels
“But you need sleep!”
“I can sleep on the plane.”
Josh did some quick calculations. “Milwaukee isn’t that far by air. You’d only be able to rest three hours. That’s not nearly enough for a decent nap.”
Dixon’s gaze was kind, and a strange shiver rolled through Josh when Dixon put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll deal. Helping you is my priority. I know you want this done and whoever is behind it brought to justice.”
The problem was, Josh was no longer certain who the bad guys were in this whole drama.
Dix’s jaw popped as he yawned for the umpteenth time.
Oh to be Grayson’s age again.
Dix wasn’t a young man anymore, able to be out until all hours, then arrive at work looking fresh. Nowadays, if he was up past ten, he was exhausted the following day. Still, Doc had a good head on his shoulders—despite the whole jet thing—and Dix trusted him. If he said there was something there, then there was something there.
Sleep is for the weak, isn’t that what they say?
The rest of his shift felt as though he was slogging through tar, dragging until Grayson showed up at five, looking all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Dix could have killed him for that alone.
“Good morning, Mr.—”
Dix frowned. “Excuse me?”
Grayson grinned. “Good morning, Dixon. How’d it go overnight?”
Dix shook his head. “I don’t even know why we have someone manning the desk late at night. Nothing ever happens.”
“It’s because of what could happen. Like with the bombing I read about last year. CrossBow is always prepared, so that means we have someone manning the desk all day, every day.”
Dix arched his eyebrows. “Ever heard the phrase about teaching your grandmother to suck eggs?” Lord, but he sounded cranky. “Did you get the whole tuition thing taken care of with HR?”
Grayson’s cheeks pinked. “Yes. I didn’t realize it would be that easy. It takes a huge load off my plate. Maybe now I can actually eat at home once in a while.”
Dixon scowled. “What do you do when you’re not working?”
A one-shoulder shrug. “See if any of my friends want to feed me, usually.”
Dixon pinched the bridge of his nose. “We have benefits. Take advantage of them. If you want a room here, I can make that happen. It’ll save you on the rent.”
“I think you have somewhere to be. We can talk about it later.”
“Are you clocked in?”
“I am,” Grayson replied with a smile.
“Then are you good if I go? I have a flight to catch this morning, and?—”
“Don’t explain, just go.” Grayson’s smile was warm. “Thank you so much for giving me last night off. I crashed hard. I don’t understand how kids stay up into the early morning like that.”
“Kids? I hate to break it to you, but you’re a kid.”
“I’m twenty-four,” he replied. “Way too old to be out all night. You know what they say: youth is wasted on the young.”
“And you’re way too young to be so old.” Dix yawned again. “Okay, thank you for coming in early. We’ve got feelers out to fill the position until Trent gets the okay to come back. Just so you know, there is a possibility he might not be able to come back, at least, not in this job. We’ll have to see.”
“I understand. I’m happy to help any way I can.”
Grayson was a good kid. If only they could clone him. That brought a grin. Doc was a mad scientist type—maybe he could make it happen. Dix chuckled to himself as he headed for the elevator that would take him back to his room. And Doc.