Re: Brian and Mike
"Are you calling me a geek?" Mike asked, chuckling. "Maybe a little. I think it's one of the unofficial requirements for new agents, the ones who are sure enough of their place in life to be ashamed of admitting it."
He had walked into that. In fact, he had given Brian an opening as big as the freaking USS Kennedy, as his dad liked to say. "Not the car fanatic. I drive a car. I often drive rentals and official cars. They get me places and if they are good cars, they get me places in a very comfortable way, with nice seats, good stereo system and cup holders for my coffee. But, I'll tell you what? I'll come with you and we can see if you can get me as excited about cars as you sound."
He made a face. "Dude, was that is? You should have moved out East. You get cookies and donuts." He looked at Brian while he picked up the bottle, letting it dangle from his fingers without drinking. "You know I've seen agents make this job too personal, but usually when they flip, it's because they are looking for revenge from a criminal that hurt their partner or their family." Mike didn't really know Brian's history, so the names meant little, but he got the gist. "You could say that you were getting revenge from the FBI, or maybe because you weren't smart enough to remember that we make deals all the time, but they are just empty words unless it's in writing. It's how we make plenty of arrest. Still, you let him go long before the FBI got involved and that's ... That's fascinating to me, because it is that simple for cops and agents. There is right and wrong. There is legal or not. Good people who do bad things should serve their time and then they are free members of society. What you did is ... interesting." And it made him wonder if Brian should have ever joined in the first place. Cops were like the military. You could be good at it, but if you didn't have the right mentality, you'd wash out. He knew that thanks to his father's many attempts to get him to serve.