Page 454 of Sticks and Stones
It made Corbin smile.
Then, he was pulled into his body, and hugged against him. Gene held him, and whispered in his ear.
“I’m proud of you, Corby. You are strong, and you’re going to be okay. We love you.”
That touched his heart.
Honestly, he was proud of himself too.
He hugged Ethan next.
“You’re damn strong,” Ethan whispered. “You can overcome anything.”
He was starting to believe it.
“We got you something,” Gene said, reaching into Ethan’s ride. When he pulled out a box, he flipped it open.
“What’s that?” he asked, checking it out.
Gene was to the point.
“That’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Crotch Goblin. The President of the United States heard from the Deputy Director of the FBI that you stopped Snow from coming into the US. You closed the case the second that piece of shitwas found, and went above and beyond in your service to this country.”
He stared at him.
“Wait. I didn’t. You did. I didn’t do any of that.”
Gene shook his head.
“Nope. Your case. You started it, and as far as the people of the United States are concerned, you closed it. The price you paid is greater than anything that anyone should have to pay. Gabe wanted you to have this, and didn’t want to make you go there if you were uncomfortable.”
When he went to take it, Gene closed it on his fingers and pulled it out of his reach.
“HEY!”
He clued him in.
“With this fancy award goes more news. Don’t be impatient. That’s rule six. Patience is a virtue,” he said, handing him the medal.
He laughed.
“I know I asked this. Really. Should I be writing these down? You’re still throwing rules at me.”
Gene didn’t mince words.
“Memorize them. They will save your ass. Oh, and Ethan and I did a little dance for you.”
He didn’t understand.
This time, it was Blackhawk that told him.
“The FBI is going to be opening a position with thePhiladelphiapolice where we run the cases that come in that are a little too much for the cops. Ethan and I will be directly given the shit cases that overwhelm the cops of this city in an effort to clean up this town.”
Corbin stared at him.
“What’s that mean?”
They held out his badge, and flipped it over. The cards on the back had his name and number, along with a new title.
