The deputy is the anchor, Jesse confirmed. Grim turned this over.
If the deputy leaves, Clay's exposed, Jesse said. He doesn't have the buffer anymore.
Whatever happens is just him and his guys against He gestured vaguely at the room. Whoever's in here.
The three of them were quiet for a moment. Then Grim said, "I'm going outside."
Danny shook his head.
"No. I'm not arguing about it.
I'm just saying no. You go out there alone and Clay puts you on the ground and takes the drive, and this whole night means nothing."
"I'm not going out there to fight him," Grim said.
"I'm going out there to talk to the deputy." The room was quiet.
The deputy, Danny repeated.
He's a small man, Grim said. Not Clay.
Clay is what he is. He's committed.
He's dug in. He's got too much to lose to back away.
But the deputy, he's hired help. He has a badge and a pension and a family somewhere and a life he wants to keep living.
Grim's voice was calm and certain, the voice of someone who has made many assessments of many men in many difficult moments, and has calibrated this one carefully. He doesn't know what's on that drive yet.
He doesn't know about the seven women. He doesn't know that I already made a call to a federal contact 2 hours ago and that call is already moving.
He paused, but he's about to. Danny stared at him.
You're going to walk out there and tell a corrupt cop that the feds are already involved. Yes.
And you think that's going to make him leave? I think that's going to make him do the math.
Grim said, "A deputy who walks away from a parking lot tonight, it is a deputy who maybe has enough distance from this to survive what's coming. A deputy who's standing next to Clay Mercer when federal agents arrive is something else entirely."
He looked at Danny steadily.
He's going to do the math, Danny, and the math is going to tell him to get in his car. Danny pressed his lips together.
And if it doesn't, then we have a different problem and we solve it differently. Grim pulled on his jacket.
The heavy leather cut the Hell's Angels patch 30 years of road and consequence worked into every seam. But I think it does.
What do you want me to do? Danny said, "Stay here.
Keep everyone calm. And if you hear anything that sounds like it's going badly."