“He left.”
She was aware.
“He resigned. He quit, so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for you to keep seeing him. He reminds you of Will?”
He nodded.
“You couldn’t see him in the mirror?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“No. I couldn’t.”
He laughed sardonically.
“He’s a good person like Will. Yeah, he makes questionable choices…,” he said, pointing at himself. “But I know he’s decent.”
She held his hand.
“Ask him about his past, and you might see exactly why he makes those choices. I can’t give you much, since it’s his evaluations and psych profile, but I will say this. No one has ever fought for Alex in his past. No one. If you want to break through, fight.”
He squeezed her hand.
“I’ll go talk to him.”
Elizabeth was to the point.
“You have the chance to find so much happiness, Corbin, but I’m warning you. It won’t be easy with Alex. He’s damaged too. His childhood was bad.”
He stopped her.
“I can get through to him,” he admitted. “I don’t want him to quit. I want him to come back, and I’ll talk to him.”
She clued him in.
“He checked out a while ago. He’s likely on his way back toDamascus. Get to him before he does something stupid, like hops a flight back to DC.”
When she got up, he stopped her.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
She smiled.
“I did. Gene and Ethan love you, and you’re part of our family. Plus, before long, Alice would be showing up, and then, we have a circus.”
It made him laugh.
“Oh, you have no idea,” he joked. “She’s a menace.”
Elizabeth patted his cheek.
“Go work on this. We’ve got the detectives. I’ll make them work,” she said. “If they want to be Feds, they’re going to earn it.”
He was amused.
“Who are you kidding? You’re hiring them even if they’re turnips.”
She snorted.
