34
Burke
I walked out of the warehouse, wiping my hands on a rag before dropping it in a metal trash can, stripping my gloves, and dumping them along with the zip ties I still had in my pocket. Unlike the spy I'd tortured on the day of Finn's birth, I hadn't lost my temper with the man I’d just left. My suit remained immaculate, as did my shoes, and every hair was in place. One of my men would set the contents of the trash can on fire before we left, so I walked away without a backward glance.
Climbing into the backseat of the SUV, I pulled my phone from the center console and pressed the button to wake it up. What I found was a text from Kinsley that made me smile. While I waited for Logan and Caden, I sent a reply to let her know I was pleased she'd had an enjoyable day and that we'd be home soon.
To say Kinsley had blossomed in the time she'd lived in Boston would be an understatement. Her classes were going well, she was getting better at consistently hitting the center of the target when we practiced, and she and Maddie were planning the upcoming wedding. Recently, Kinsley had asked if they could use the gym in the basement. I was reluctant to allow another person to know about the hidden room so, instead, I had Wyatt empty one of the unused rooms on the main floor and turn it into a home gym. Specifically, what they wanted was to learn kickboxing. It took a little vetting, but I found someone through word of mouth who could be trusted, though I still had Noah monitor him. So far, Kai was a strictly professional trainer, and the women enjoyed learning from him. Jealousy was second nature to me, and I hated the fact it was a man teaching them, but Noah assured me there was nothing to worry about. It wasn’t that I mistrusted Kinsley, but the idea of any man seeing my wife’s ass in leggings made the green monster inside me feel edgy.
Already, I was hard at the mere image of her bent over.
I thought back to my conversation with her on a wintry morning months ago, realizing she was finally fulfilled. It was a stark contrast to the woman I'd met in Chester; she wasn't cowed by strangers anymore, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She initiated more than just conversations with me, something I was eternally grateful for, and she commanded respect from the men we employed.
The front doors opened, and Logan and Caden got in the vehicle.
"He should be ready to spill the rest by morning," Logan commented.
"I think we have enough," Caden countered. "He told us when Posey and her daughter will be out of town and how to get into the garage."
"The only thing I want solidified is Carlos's plans." I set my phone on the seat beside me. "I don't want to go to all this trouble if the fucker won't even be home."
"So Rat will follow him." Logan started the car, checking his mirrors before pulling out.
Even after the discussion about how solid our security truly was, I felt a paranoid need to check for bombs. Not only had I beefed up security at the house, but I made sure one of my men checked the undercarriage of every vehicle before we even put the key in the ignition. Despite being confident the garage and the entire compound were secure, I double checked. If we left any of our cars unattended while out of the house, even at the warehouse where no one else had access, we checked again.
To lose focus was to be a dead man, as I always said.
Once we were positive our plan was solid, we would take out Carlos. Assuming his underboss, Casper, was amenable to reinstating our alliance, then he would undergo a trial period. If it appeared he would abide by a new peace treaty, the rest of the White Family would live. If Casper declined or fucked it up, he would find himself in the grave next to Carlos and their entire compound would go up in flames.
The ride home was blessedly uneventful, and the first thing I did was head upstairs to shower. I didn't believe there was any such thing as being too careful and always burned my clothing after doing anything even remotely including someone else's bodily fluids. My clothes went in a bag to take care of later; I took a second to mourn that suit. However, I put it on that morning knowing what was on the agenda, so I couldn't be too upset over its loss.
My shower drain probably held enough forensic evidence to land me in the electric chair.
The water droplets on the tile told me Kinsley had recently used the shower, causing me to lament my timing. Though we'd volleyed the idea back and forth, we'd never gotten around to having sex in the shower. Usually, one of us brought it up to tease the other, but the timing of what else we had going on prevented it from coming to fruition. It remained on my list of things to try with my wife, a list we'd managed to shorten drastically in recent months—but I was always eager to add more to it.
Considering the time when I finished my shower, I assumed Kinsley and Finn would be in the dining room. Once dressed, I made my way there to join them. Kinsley sat at the table, her laptop open in front of her, and Finn was in his favorite bouncy seat.
"Mo chroí," I said, picking up my son and kissing him. My reward was a drool-filled smile.
"He's eaten, and Parker should be in shortly with our dinner," Kinsley said.
I couldn't help noticing she didn't look up from her computer. Standing behind her, I saw she was busy with classwork. "Did you not have time earlier today to fit that in?"
"No," she said distractedly. "Maddie had a dress fitting, and then Kai was here."
"Do you need any help?"
Finally, she looked up with a smile. "Thanks, but I'm almost done."
"Okay."
Finding one of Finn's favorite toys on the floor, I bent to retrieve it and hand it to him. It was odd to feel unneeded for a change, but I took the chance to have a break, sitting on the floor and letting Finn crawl around me.
Parker brought dinner in, and Kinsley set aside her schoolwork while I strapped Finn into his high chair. It was important to her that we both abided by the rule of putting work away at mealtimes, ever since she'd asked me to do so several months back.
"We got most of the information we needed," I told her once Parker returned to the kitchen.
Kinsley looked at me carefully. "Does that mean the plan is a go?"
