“But there’s the other thing.” “So I hear.” “Your friend Candy was knifed. Your father is dead. Simon is dead. Lucifer himself almost died.” “Johnny is gone.” “Who was he?” “Someone I only knew for a little while. A good guy. He had a sweet tooth.” “Light Bringer was canceled, of course. I heard that even the Golden Vigil has disbanded.” I sip the Jack and nod. “It looks that way. I went by their warehouse to pull out Wells’s spine, but he was gone and the place was empty. There wasn’t a screw, a nail, or an oil stain on the floor.” “That’s the kind of thing I mean by the other thing.” She pushes her way in closer so that we’re side by side and leans against me. “You’re a lovely man. Do you know that?” “I can hear a ‘but’ the size of the Titanic bearing down on me.” “People get hurt around you. They die. And worse.” “I’m a professional shit magnet. I know.” “You scare me to death, which, on the one hand, makes you more attractive, but you wear death like that long black coat of yours. I think if things had just been a little different, if we’d met at a different moment, I wouldn’t feel quite so overwhelmed.” “If you’re keeping score, don’t forget Alice. I got her killed, too.” “Don’t talk like that.” We drink without talking for a minute. She feels good against my side. “So, where are you headed from here?” “I’m staying with Gigi Gaston. Maybe you met her at the Geistwald party. She worked at the studio and has taken over since Simon is gone.” “Hooking up with the studio head is a smart move for an actress.” “And for my other work, too. Gigi is one of the ones I meant by ‘my people’ when I called for someone to take the bodies of the revenants from behind the bar.” “That work is over, you know. The Drifters are gone. They all died when the Druj broke.” “Are you absolutely sure?” “Yeah. But worrying about it is a good excuse to go off with Gigi. If I was you, it’s what I’d say.” “If you scared me just ten percent less.” “No. You’re doing the right thing. Things are going to get strange again soon and I’m afraid I’m going to end up in the middle of it. If Gigi can take care of you, you should go with her.” She pushes away and looks at me, her forehead furrowing. “You don’t hate me? You don’t think I’m a coward for deserting you?”
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