Brock braced himself for a low blow as soon as he set foot in Burton's office on Monday morning. He knew that smile on the Section Chief's face. Burton invited him to sit on the couch, not at his desk. Meaning it was going to be a really low blow.
"So, Brock, how's it going for you in the Cradle of Liberty?" the man asked right away. "Not talking about your work—we all know how good it's been—but about yourself, personally. Ready to leave? Feeling like staying?"
Burton's salesman mood set all of Brock's alarms off. "I'm fine, sir, thanks for asking," he replied. "But I did mean to ask you if you already know where I'm going to be assigned next, now that my semester in Massachusetts is over."
"Well, El Paso's still asking us for some backup. And Cooper would like to keep you, of course. The truth is, Brock, I still haven't made up my mind about you."
Brock nodded. El Paso or Boston wasn't a hard choice.
"There's also an opening in Nevada, in case you're interested," commented Burton, showing him the fine upholstery of the used car he was trying to sell.
Oh, Nevada, that could be interesting. In some other life. It was only the whole country away from Andrea and DC.
Burton's salesman instinct told him to sweeten the pot to close the deal before it went cold. "What would you do, if it were up to you?" he asked.
Like you didn't know. You've already crossed it and smashed a red rubberstamp on it, reading NEVER. "I'd rather come back to DC, sir."
Burton was shameless enough to sigh and grimace. "I'm afraid that's not in the picture, Brock, and it won't be for a while. That's the price for being back in the field, you know? We need to show the brass how effective you still are, to secure your status, and we won't achieve that here."
Brock nodded again. So no coming back home yet. But he wouldn't give up so easily. "And what about some part-time duty, sir? Maybe I can be in Massachusetts a couple of weeks, and then here, doing whatever you may need me to."
"I need you out there, solving cases like you and Coleman have been doing. The only thing you can do here is give seminars. Is that what you wanna do? Again? We've fought so hard and so long to get you back in the field only to have you back to the classroom in a few months?"
The cold edge in Burton's voice warned Brock to not insist—it was DC or the field.
"So you wouldn't mind staying in Boston," said Burton, picking up the conversation where it suited him better. "Coleman requested to stay, and Cooper is not about to let'im go. You and Coleman make a good team, and you guys even get the locals to cooperate. I think it'd be a wise choice for you, Brock."
There was an ironic hint in his smile that Brock didn't understand, but he didn't want to ask either.
Burton saw that he didn't get it and moved on. Not like he expected Brock to admit whatever there was between him and that officer Cooper wanted to recruit. Keeping him in Boston would also be a good way to keep that woman around the field office, and give Cooper a chance to snatch her and her team for the Bureau's ranks.
"Tell you what, Brock: stay in Boston for a few more months—let's say three—and then we'll talk about it again, okay?"
This wasn't a choice, but an order, and Brock knew he shouldn't push it. He also knew the meeting was over. So he just nodded, muttering, "Yes, sir," and stood up.
Burton stood up too and stretched out his hand to Brock, flashing that ironic smile again, on the brink of winking.
"Good luck, Brock. Keep up the good work. And keep bonding with the locals."