The Backup Asset Read Online Free

few.” She had to reach up and stand on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips. He didn’t meet her halfway, and his kiss wasn’t all that warm.
    “Come right in? Seriously?” Steve’s frown was prominent. “In how many ways is that just plain wrong? How can you be so careless?”
    She looked at him sheepishly. It was gonna be one of those days, when he treated her like a child. She hated that more than anything.
    “Look, I knew you were coming. I had unlocked the door just minutes before you came, really.”
    “But that doesn’t make it OK, Alex. Not in our line of work.”
    “Yeah, I know.” She sighed, and tried to deter his attention. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Won’t happen again. Let me grab my bag and we can go.”
    She tried to pass by him through the door, but he stopped her in her tracks.
    “Not so fast, Alex.”
    She turned to face him, feeling her blood starting to boil.
    “And this?” Steve pointed at the timeline corkboard. “Didn’t we talk about this?”
    She sighed again, trying to calm herself and salvage the evening. She wanted them to have a good time, to enjoy their weekend at the cabin, but she also needed to make a point.
    “Look, Steve, this is my home. I do what I want in my home, in my time.”
    “I agree,” he conceded, “but it’s unhealthy, and I’m worried about you. You’re obsessing over a case we closed four months ago. It isn’t good for you. You have to move on.”
    “I’m not obsessing; stop being a shrink, all right?” Anger tinted the pitch of her voice.
    “I can’t,” he smiled bitterly. “I am a shrink, and I can’t just turn that off and pretend I don’t see you heading in the wrong direction, although sometimes I wish I could. The case is over, let it go.”
    “It’s not over, not until we find him!” Alex pointed at the Post-it note marked with the letter X.
    “We may never find him, Alex. Sam told you it could take years! You can’t live like this. Have you been to work today?”
    She blushed and ground her teeth angrily, repressing a groan. She remembered the sweatpants and wrinkled T-shirt she was wearing, her unkempt hair, and lack of makeup. Yep, busted , she thought.
    “Brian said he didn’t need me today, so I took the day off.”
    Steve paced slowly toward the window, and then pulled back the thick curtains, letting the sunshine in through the sparkling white sheers. She squinted.
    “What’s wrong, baby?” His voice was warm, concerned, and almost parental. “Talk to me.”
    She stood quietly, unwilling to have that conversation. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had it, and it would probably be a waste of time again. He just didn’t get it.
    “You used to like your job,” Steve continued. “Just two years ago, when you came to work with us, you couldn’t get enough of it. You were so excited, so happy to have the opportunity to do the work we do. What happened?”
    “Almost three years,” she said.
    “All right, almost three years. But still . . . You are a fantastic computer engineer, you’re a great investigator, you have this super-intelligent brain, you’re analytical, brave, and bold. Do you remember what you liked the most about working for The Agency?”
    She stood quiet, uncooperative. She’d been through this before. Oh God . . . make the preaching end already , she thought.
    “I’ll tell you if you don’t remember.” Steve continued unperturbed. “You liked that you could go inside organizations and right the wrongs you found, making people’s lives better. You liked you could make a difference for so many. You loved to dig around, chase the facts, and find the corrupt, greedy, evil individuals who made everyone else suffer. You loved saving lives. And you loved taking a new client every few months, keeping your mind challenged and alert, helping you learn new things and celebrate the achievement with every closed case and happy client. Where did all that go?”
    Silence engulfed the room