Page 261 of Deceit

“Yes, sir.”

“Come have breakfast with me tomorrow.” He glances at Marty. “You too. We have some things to go over.”

Stepping forward, he shakes Bishop’s hand and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear, giving me a weak smile.

“She stays with you tonight.” His eyes never leave mine even though he’s talking to the man I’m currently kept safe in. “And give me a break for a while, yeah?”

I nod, and he takes off when Marty shows up at my left.

“Now what did we do?” he emits, annoyed.

I’m not quite sure, but I have a funny feeling it’s gonna suck.

“It’s been almost a year,” Ledger conveys, sitting spine-straight behind his desk. “That you’ve both had…your own issues.” His frown deepens, clearly upset with the both of our antics that haven’t been non-work related. “Now, you both have children and significant others…” He flicks his gaze to me. “I think.”

Marty and I remain seated next to each other in his office, silent and waiting impatiently for him to stop speaking.

He loathes being interrupted. Do it, and he’ll give you the shittest assignment just to show you how much. His level of petty, however, keeps us in line.

Sorta.

“I’m offering an out.” He leans back in his brown leather chair, large hands folded over his navy suit. “A retirement, if you will. I never expected both of you to stay here forever.”

Marty shakes his head, clearly not happy with the idea.

“Go ahead, son,” our commander cajoles.

“I don’t want to leave,” my teammate bites out. “I need it.”

Ledger sighs. The wrinkles around his eyes alluding to how times he’s had to squint, glare, or used them on one of us or all of us. “You don’t need the job, and the danger entwined with it, just the family. You found it—here.”

“It…” Marty readjusts himself in his chair. He doesn’t like talking about his needs and wants. He just deals. This job is his way of doing it, and I know him and Stormi have spoken about it before. “It keeps the dark at bay.”

“And Stormi? Does she not worry about you when you’re out here now saving Emmy?”

Ugh. Is it possible to feel more like an asshole?

“She is, but—“

“What about when you’re in your fifties like I am,” Ledger retorts. “Are you going to go around taking people out? People that are decades younger and stronger than you.”

“Maybe,” Marty leers. “It’s called a gun.”

“Marty, your children will grow. What will you tell them you do when they go off to school? What kind ofjobdo you have, and why do you come home with blood on you that’s not yours? This was always supposed to be temporary. A way to find yourself.” Ledger leans forward and places his elbows on the desk. “I’m not firing you, though, I should. This is the second time I’ve told you not to take matters into your own hands that haven’t been assigned to you.”

“Emmy is family. That matters.”

“Of course it does.” He rubs the peppered stubble of his chin. “Think on it, for the future. If you want to stay, so be it. Except don’t lose that lovely wife of yours. I’ll kill you myself with agunas you so put it.”

“Yes, sir.” Then the full weight of Ledger’s gaze suddenly falls on me, and I swallow.

It’s awful knowing that you’ve disappointed someone who’s like a father to you. That you’ve betrayed trust and time lost when they thought you were gone from this world. I knew our previous conversation wasn’t done. There was so much more that needed to be sorted out.

And now…I’m not ready.

“You, on the other hand, are something else altogether.” I nod, aware that he’s right and I’m a straight, overbearing pain in the ass like everyone has been telling me for ages. “I expected more from you. Especially since you’ve been trying to keep the boys in line for years.” He steals a glance at Marty. “Half the reason why they’re still alive.”

“You’re not wrong,” my teammate mutters back.

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