Page 146 of Deacon

Deacon

Ledger’s empty chair was the first thing I noticed when Church started.

Nobody mentioned it. His paperwork still sat in front of the seat, squared into a neat stack like he might walk in late and complain somebody had touched it. That almost made it worse. Priest saw it too. His gaze caught there once while coffee mugs hit wood and Ghost opened his laptop, then he looked around the table and knocked his knuckles against the scarred surface. “Let’s get through business first.”

The Bar, Red Mercy, Retribution Auto, Last Rites. The usual numbers moved around the table, but nobody settled into them. When the discussion finally reached Last Rites, I dragged the last sheet closer. “The Bar’s good,” I said. “Steady traffic. Red Mercy’s pullin’ strong weekends and private bookings. Retribution Auto’s stacked up but handlin’ it. Last Rites is doin’ well too.”

Priest tipped his chin, so I kept going. “Garrett’s work stands on its own,” I said. “But it ain’t just the ink bringin’ people in. Women flirt with him, men flirt with him, and somehow that keeps turnin’ into bookings. Doesn’t hurt that the bastard knows exactly how to work it.”

Ink made a low sound beside me. Barely more than breath, but every man at the table heard it.

Priest turned his head. “You got somethin’ to say against the new hire?”

Ink answered with a grunt. Priest waited him out until Ink finally exhaled through his nose. “I ain’t got anything to say.”

I leaned back, unable to resist. “Garrett’s taken a liking to Evan. Taken him out a couple times. Ink doesn’t seem to trust him with him.”

That got the room’s attention.

Priest studied Ink. “That so?”

Ink looked irritated with the entire subject, which probably meant it mattered too much. “I just got a feeling, that’s all. I just don’t trust him because of it.”

Priest’s expression lost the teasing edge. “We always trust your feelings. We’ll have Ghost keep an eye on things. That make you feel better?”

Ink grunted and nodded once.

Priest looked to Ghost. “You good with that?”

Ghost barely blinked. “Yeah. I got that handled.”

Priest nodded once. “Good.”

The word settled, and Priest’s attention went back to Ledger’s chair. Whatever little ease had slipped into the room disappeared with it.

“Now,” he said, then let the silence sharpen before he continued. “Ledger isn’t here. Someone wanna tell me what’s goin’ on and where he’s at?”

Ghost leaned back and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. For once, he looked like he would rather be anywhere but behind a screen with the answer. “Man, you asked him to go read those journals Lena left for him to read. Shit hit him hard.”

Nobody interrupted.

Ghost stared at the table for a moment, jaw tight, then started where Ledger had started. “First thing,” he said, “there was a note on the safe. Said the combo was the birthdate of the person he loved most in his life.”

Something moved across Priest’s face and disappeared.

Ghost kept going. “He put Lena’s birthday in. Didn’t open. Put Cage’s in. Didn’t open. Then he just sat back and looked at me like what the fuck.” A humorless breath left him. “Grabbed his hair and yelled. Full-on lost his shit for a minute.”

The thought of him trying Lena’s birthday and then Cage’s tightened my chest. “I would too.”

“Yeah,” Ghost said. “I let him cool off and then asked if there was anybody she might’ve thought he loved more. Anyone he’d had an affair with, maybe. He got real pissed at me.”

Nomad’s response came low. “Course he did,”

Ghost nodded. “Told me he wasn’t that kind of man. Said he never would’ve cheated. Said he married her, had Cage with her, made his bed and laid in it.” He looked down again before adding, “So I asked him what the hell that meant.”

The room had gone completely still.

Ghost’s voice dropped. “He sighed and said it wasn’t supposed to be a real marriage. Not at first, it was just on paper to protect her, give her insurance and benefits, get her out of that club, give her a chance to go to school. Said he got drunk one night, somehow slept with Lena, then a few months later found out she was pregnant with Cage. That was it. He was havin’ a baby, so he was gonna stand by her. Be a real husband. Be a father.”