"On it." Logan got up and left the room.
Kinsley said, "So we wait to hear from the Carmichaels, and we pick a spot the Navarros can't use to their advantage. What about the territories? It still hasn't been decided who gets what."
"We're all that's left; us, the Navarros, and the Carmichaels. We'll have to come to an agreement to split it evenly. I'll ask when we meet with them."
"I think that was all we needed to worry about today, right?" Kinsley asked as she stood.
I watched her, my pulse kicking up as she sidled to the door. "That was it for now. Do you have plans?"
"Yes, I've got classwork, and then Kai will be here in an hour."
"Okay. I'll see you at dinner?"
"Yes."
Kinsley left the room, and I felt the need to sit down and catch my breath. It was as if I'd run a marathon and couldn't pump enough air into my lungs. I couldn't say why I thought Kinsley would disappear in the middle of the day if she was out of my sight, but the fear was enough to strangle me.
"Are you okay?"
Caden's question made me jump. "I forgot you were sitting there."
"Burke, what's going on?"
I couldn't deny the concern on my cousin's face. "I don't know." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair and getting up to pour a shot of whiskey. "I feel weird after the entire thing with Casper. Worried."
"It was scary, Burke. You don't want the same thing happening again. But Logan punished John for not doing a better job at keeping his eyes peeled for Casper's movements, and Al from the restaurant was taken care of immediately."
Al was a new concierge, a little too eager to prove himself as a hotshot. Instead of raking in the dough with his loyalty, he sold out to the likes of Casper Molina and paid for it with his life.
"I know, but it's the tip of the iceberg. We all know it. There will always be another Casper, another Carlos, another Lucian."
Caden frowned. "Are you done with the life?"
I scoffed. "I couldn't be even if I wanted."
"I never thought I'd see the day Burke Gallagher was done with the power, the money, the influence—"
"Shut up, dick."
Caden snickered. "Okay, I was kidding, but honestly? You sound like you don't want to do this anymore."
I paced to the door and back, letting the whiskey burn down my throat. "It isn't me I'm concerned about."
"Kinsley can hold her own. She's proven that, hands down."
"No, I know." Why couldn't I put it into words? "I can't explain it to myself, Caden, so how can I explain it to you?"
"You're terrified she'll leave you."
Dead silence filled the office, and I closed my eyes. With a deep breath, I tried to find some semblance of the rational man I thought I was. "Yes."
"Why would she? You two are tighter than you've ever been, and you've got Finn."
Hands shaking, I stalked to the liquor cabinet and tipped the amber contents of the decanter into my glass. "This isn't the life she would have chosen for herself. We're polar opposites. She's in constant jeopardy, and so is Finn."
Rising, Caden strode over to me and stood as close to me as he could. In a soft, deep voice, he warned, "You'd better not be thinking of leaving her for her own good."
"No." I swallowed thickly, avoiding his glare. "But she'll leave me one day, and I'll be powerless to stop her."
