Page 2 of Stand By Me

"Good morning." He offered Clay a hand when Clay stood up to greet him. "Welcome to KRK Security. It's good to have you with us."

Clay shook his hand. "It's good to be here, sir."

"Please, call me Kalei, everyone else does. We're not very formal around here." He tilted his head towards Vic with a shadow of a smile. "Unless you get on the wrong side of this one."

"Damn right. Speaking of, you need to call Noa before the debrief," Vic told Kalei, who nodded and excused himself.

So, the atmospherereallywasn't formal around here.

"You'll get used to it," Vic said and, when Clay looked at him, shrugged. "All of our field personnel have been in the military or the Secret Service, like yourself, and expected similar ways of doing things. But Kalei took what's best of different worlds and created something better. You'll see."

Clay nodded. He had no problem calling his boss by his first name. It was the idea of having a boss in the first place that had been worrying him. Kalei being open and friendly could actually help with that.

Finally, after Clay had signed everything that was left to sign, Vic led him to the kitchen.

"You have to drink something, right?" he said. "And I need another coffee."

There were a few guys in the surprisingly spacious kitchen and they all turned towards the two of them as they entered.

"Hey, everyone, this is Clay." Vic waved towards him. "It's his first day, so be nice, please."

"Oh, right, we heard there'd be a new guy today." The man standing closest to the door offered Clay his hand. He looked vaguely familiar, but Clay couldn't place him. "Diego Martinez, nice to meet you. Most people use my last name around here, but feel free to do whatever."

"Clay Jackson. Clay's what I'm most used to, but last name is fine, too."

Then the handshakes and introductions with the rest of the group continued, until the last guy stepped forward.

"Jeremy Callan. Heard good things about you."

Clay raised his eyebrows, but before he could ask, the man went on.

"Troy Abbot is a close friend of Pascal, my partner. He talks a lot."

That prompted a laugh out of Clay.Troy. Of course.

"That he does. But he's also the one who let me know about the opening here, so I shouldn't complain too much, should I?"

"We can commiserate, if needed."

"Deal." Clay looked around the group. "I hope the shoes of my predecessor aren't too big to fill out, but I'll try my best."

Everyone present either snorted or grimaced. Even Vic, as he quietly slipped out of the room with his coffee.

"Don't be an asshole and you're already ahead." Martinez clapped his shoulder. "The bar is basically lying on the ground."

Clay didn't know what to say to that. Apparently, he'd already managed to put a foot in his mouth.

"Don't mind us," Dave,the redhead who was built like a brick wall, spoke up from his place at the small table. "We're really glad the guy is finally gone, that's all."

Travis,a blond, tanned guy who could probably pass for a surfer if he wasn't in a suit, nodded and met Clay's gaze head on.

"He was a homophobic asshole who mouthed off one too many times."

If this was a test, it was the easiest one ever.

"Then I'm glad he's gone, too," Clay said. "The last thing I want is to have a guy who hates my guts on my six."

"Hoo-rah." Dave and Travis clinked their mugs together in a toast while the rest of the group nodded.

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