I stood and walked through the swinging door to the dining room. Unsurprisingly, it remained empty. Sitting with a sigh, I thought I would like to tackle a remodel of that room very soon. It was hideous.
Parker entered, setting dishes down and leaving. When he came back with a pitcher and poured ice water into my glass, I finally heard the voice I'd anticipated.
"I'll have water for now, too, Parker."
"Of course, Mr. Burke."
Soon enough, it was just the two of us. Burke fooled around with his phone, but at least he was there.
"Thank you."
Bringing his attention to me, Burke smiled briefly. "I'm hungry."
I rolled my eyes. "That happens when you don't leave your cave for sustenance."
Instead of responding to that statement, he stabbed a piece of lettuce. "Finn sleeping?"
"He should wake soon." After all, Burke might bolt if it were only the two of us for any length of time.
"It's fine. I'll get him if he does. I do miss him, even if it doesn't look like it."
"It doesn't."
"Blunt today," he commented dryly.
"And brave, apparently. Two qualities you told me I needed more of."
Nodding, he continued to eat. "There's a lot going on, that's all. This isn't one of those things I can simply pass off to the guys and let them handle it. It's serious."
"What? Someone didn't like the barrels of wine you sent as a peace offering? Or is someone annoyed they weren't invited to the wedding that should never have happened?"
Burke scrubbed his hands over his face. "The Navarro Family wants revenge for the explosion I told you about. They want their pound of flesh, Kinsley, and I have to cover our asses."
I sat in silence, processing what he said. "Because it was you."
He dropped his hands to the table with a loud thud. "What?"
"You wouldn't have to cover your ass if you were innocent." I leaned forward. "You made me think another Family targeted you and your father, but that's not true, is it?"
"Kinsley—"
"How many other times have you lied merely to scare me into submission?"
Banging his fists on the table hard enough to rattle the dishes, he shouted, "That's not what happened!"
"Liar."
The only sound in the entire house was his heavy breathing, and I had a second to regret saying the word before he stood. For the first time, I was afraid of my own husband, despite his promise to never be violent toward me. My heart beat so loud in my ears, and the rage on his face was enough to make me terrified he’d punish me for speaking up.
Standing on shaky legs, I decided my best course of action was retreat. "Spend some time with Finn, Burke. He's growing up fast."
I left the dining room before he could do anything rash, confused and upset with myself. I was right, I could feel it and see the sense of it. He'd lied to me with the intention of scaring me. That didn't mean I had to push him when he was making the effort to join me for a meal.
"Kinsley!"
Turning on my heel, I saw Burke storming in my direction. I squeezed my fist over my heart in dread of what would come next.
He stopped short a handful of feet away from me. "The very idea that your husband is worried about a revenge plot against him because of the bomb he planted intending to kill over twenty men in one fell swoop should be enough to scare you witless. There's your truth."
