"I don't blame you a bit." I sighed as I looked at my best friend. "I just don't want to have my life on parade again. Once was enough, Leo. I can't go back there."
"I know," he said, sinking down into his chair and resting his head in his hands. "I know. I just..."
I looked at Leo knowing how difficult it must have been for him to ask this of me. We'd been friends since grade school, and he'd been the one who'd watched me struggle to keep things together as my mother wasted away from the drinking. He'd been with me at graduation, and he'd stood next to me at my mother's funeral when no one -- not even her own family -- had shown up. And Leo had been the one who'd gotten drunk with me the night the fire changed my entire life and then looked out for me in the hard months after that night.
I knew he was trying to do what was best for the business, but I couldn't let the business interfere with the life I'd carefully constructed to keep everything at bay. I'd started the security firm as a way to distract myself while I was on leave from the fire department, but it had grown faster than I could manage alone, and when my leave was over, I found that there was no way I could manage the security business while also working full-time for the department.
Leo was between consulting jobs as he finished his MBA and looked for a position that would give him an opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge. It was the perfect fit, and after we'd agreed upon a couple of rules that would govern the company, I'd handed over the reins to him.
"All right, let's talk about this." I sighed as I sat down and looked up at him. "How can we manage this without putting my name in the papers?"
"Make me an equal partner in the business, and I'll take all the heat," Leo said in a way that made me realize he'd been thinking about this for a lot longer than the last few days. "Either that or we can hope for a political scandal that will occupy the headlines for months."
"Well, the latter might not be so far off." I laughed. "It is Chicago, after all."
"C'mon, Cam," Leo said in a serious tone. "You know I'm not going to run off with the business or run it into the ground. You can trust me."
"I know, I know," I said, running my hand through my hair and suddenly feeling very tired. "It was never about that. It was..."
"The business was your baby," he finished. "It was what you turned to after Quinn was gone. I get it, Cam, but letting go of a little portion of it isn't going to mean that you've let go of her completely. We're in this together. This business can be so much more, but you've got to let go of the tight control."
"I know." I sighed. "I just feel like everything is changing so fast, and I don't know what to do, Leo."
"What else is going on?" he asked.
"Nothing, it's just..." I began and then trailed off as I looked away not knowing how to finish the sentence. When I looked back up at him, I took a deep breath and said, "Fine, let's split it fifty-fifty and see how that goes. You take all the public heat, got it?"
"Happy to oblige." He grinned.
"But for God's sake, get yourself a girlfriend," I said, shaking my head. "The last thing you need is a scandal based on your love of exotic massage girls."
"Hey, it works for me." He shrugged. "And I'm single; I don't see the problem!"
"Dammit, Leo," I growled. "If you're going to be the face of the company, then you have to act like a professional! I don't care if you hire the girl who just left here to play your girlfriend, just do something so that you don't get caught with your pants down and have to expose me in the process!"
"I got it, I got it," he said, holding up a hand to ward off my tirade. "I'll take care of it."
"Good, and get the lawyers to draw up the paperwork," I said. "I'll swing back around early next week and sign everything."
"Cam, are you sure you're okay?" Leo asked quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. "I'm just tired and feeling a little out of sorts. Maybe I'll take Tesla for a run and see if I can't shake it."
"Maybe you need to find someone to talk to, Cam," Leo gently pushed. "You know, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said as I stood up and walked to the door. I opened it and then turned around. "Thanks, Leo. For everything."
"No sweat," he said, waving me off.
"That's what friends are for, man."
I nodded before heading out to my car wondering if I was making the right decision and, for the first time in a long time, feeling like taking a chance or two.
Chapter Eight
Alex
Several days later, Liz and I were in the basement pulling backup supplies for the ER when Mrs. Rikka cornered us.