Page 85 of Priest

Ledger is already halfway to the door when I call his name.

“Ledger.”

He pauses and glances back. “Yeah?”

“Office,” I say. “Need a minute.”

He gives a small shrug, easy enough on the surface. “Sure.”

We walk the hallway in silence. My office smells faintly of leather and oil, familiar and grounding, though tonight it doesn’t do much to settle the twist in my gut. I take my place behind the desk, and Ledger drops onto the black leather loveseat in the corner, stretching his long legs out like he’s done this a hundred times.

“’Sup, Prez?” he asks lightly.

I rub a hand along my jaw, choosing my words with care. Ledger’s one of mine. That means I know when his quiet has changed shape. He’s always been controlled, always kept his thoughts locked behind numbers and dry humor, but lately there’s something sharper under his skin.

“I been noticin’ some tension lately,” I say. “You and Lena.”

His shoulders tighten. Just a fraction.

“You two good?” I continue. “You ain’t steppin’ out on her now, are you? You know better than that. Ain’t what we built this club on.”

Ledger’s head snaps up, insult flashing clean across his face before he gets it under control. “Nah, brother. Ain’t nothin’ like that.”

Good. I hate asking, but I hate assuming worse.

He scrubs a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding through the calm he usually keeps locked down. “If I’m bein’ honest,” he adds, “sometimes I wonder if she’s the one havin’ an affair.”

That gets my attention.

Ledger looks down at his hands, like he can make sense of his marriage if he studies the lines in his palms hard enough. “She’s been distant. Snappin’ when Church runs long. Mad when I get home late. Keeps sayin’ I’m neglectin’ Cage. The last couple runs I been on, Cage says she has been gone hours at a time and he doesn’t know where she’s been.”

“You aren’t neglecting your son, you’ve always been a good father, a good family man,” I say immediately.

He nods, but it doesn’t settle him. “That’s what I told her. She said the kid’s watchin’ everything I do. I said he should be.”

I lean back slightly.

“He’ll be prospectin’ soon,” Ledger continues, and pride cuts through the frustration, bright enough to show me the man underneath the worry. “Told her it’s his legacy.”

I can’t help the smile that pulls at my mouth. “Damn right it is.”

For a second, we both sit there with that truth between us. Cage is Ledger’s blood, sure, but he’s ours too in the way the kids around this club become everybody’s. I’ve watched that boy grow from scraped knees to smart mouth, watched him trail his father with eyes too sharp for his age. The thought of him wearing a prospect patch someday should feel like trouble.

Instead, it feels like continuity.

Ledger doesn’t hold the pride long. His mouth flattens, and he looks away again.

“I don’t think she wants Cage anywhere near the club,” he says quietly. “At all.”

That gives me pause.

“She flipped when I talked about gettin’ him a bike for his birthday,” Ledger adds. “Wouldn’t speak to me for a week.”

“A bike?” I repeat.

“Yeah.” He exhales. “Kid’s been talkin’ about it for months. So I got it anyway.” A corner of his mouth twitches, and there he is again for half a second, the proud bastard who can hide a whole surprise under everyone’s nose. “It’s hidin’ in the back of the shop right now.”

I shake my head slowly. “Sounds like she’s scared.”