Part 48 (1/2)

He'd taken over Chicago crime with ruthless efficiency, always cutting down on the violence. A couple of people had been hurt in gang-related crimes. The gangsters responsible hadn't been heard from again. I'd always a.s.sumed it was because Marcone had decided to manipulate matters, to make himself appear to be a preferable alternative to more careless criminals who might take his place if the cops took him down.

I'd never even considered the idea that he might actually give a c.r.a.p about innocents being harmed.

Granted, that didn't change anything. He still ran a business that killed far more people than any amount of collateral damage. He was still a criminal. Still a bad guy.

But...

He was the devil I knew. And he probably could have been worse.

I got to the last page of the contract and found s.p.a.ces for three signatures. Two of them were already filled.

”Donar Vadderung?” I asked Marcone.

”Current CEO of Monoc Securities,” Marcone replied. ”Oslo.”

”And Lara Raith,” I murmured.

”Signing on behalf of her father, the White King, who is obviously in charge of the White Court.” There was a trace of irony in Marcone's voice. He hadn't been fooled by the puppet show.

I looked at the third open line.

Then I signed it, and left without another word.

It isn't a perfect world. I'm doing the best I can.

”Hmmmm.” said Bob the Skull, peering at my left hand. ”It looks like...”

I was sitting in my lab, my hand spread open on the table, white the skull examined my palm.

I'd worn a mark there for years-an unblemished patch of skin amidst all the burn scars, in the perfect shape of the angelic sigil that was Lasciel's name.

The mark was gone.

In its place was just an irregular patch of unburned skin.

”It looks like there's no mark there anymore,” Bob said.

I sighed. ”Thank you, Bob,” I said. ”It's good to have a professional opinion.”

”Well, what did you expect?” Bob said. The skull swiveled around on the table and tilted up to look at my face. ”Hmmmmm. And you say the ent.i.ty isn't responding to you anymore?”

”No. And she's always jumped every time I said frog.”

”Interesting,” Bob said.

”What's that supposed to mean?”

”Well, from what you told me, this psychic attack the ent.i.ty blocked for you was quite severe.”

I s.h.i.+vered, remembering. ”Yeah.”

”And the process she used to accelerate your brain and s.h.i.+eld you was traumatic as well.”

”Right. She said it could cause me brain damage.”

”Uh-huh,” Bob said. ”I think it did.”

”Huh?”

”See what I mean?” Bob asked cheerfully. ”You're thicker already.”

”Harry get hammer,” I said. ”Smash stupid talky skull.”

For a guy with no legs, Bob backpedals swiftly and gracefully. ”Easy there, chief; don't get excited. But the brain damage thing is for real.”

I frowned. ”Explain, please.”

”Well, I told you that the ent.i.ty in your head was like a recording of the real Lasciel, right?”

”Yeah.”

”That recording was written in your brain, in portions you weren't using.”

”Right.”

”I think that's where the damage is. I mean, I'm looking at you right now, and your head has been riddled with tiny holes, boss.”

I blinked and rubbed my fingers over my scalp. ”It doesn't feel like that.”

”That's because your brain doesn't sense injuries. It manages sensing injuries for the rest of you. But trust me, there's damage. I think it wiped out the ent.i.ty.”

”Wiped out... you mean, like...”

”Killed it,” Bob said. ”Technically, it was never alive, but it was was constructed. It's been deconstructed, and...” constructed. It's been deconstructed, and...”

I frowned. ”And what?”

”And there's, um, a portion of you missing.”

”I'm sure I would have felt that,” I said.

”Not your body,” Bob said scornfully. ”Your life force. Your chi. Your soul.”

”Whoa, wait a minute. Part of my soul soul is gone?” is gone?”

Bob sighed. ”People get all excited when you use that word. The part of you that is more than merely physical, yes. You can call it whatever you want. There's some missing, and it's nothing to panic over.”

”Part of my soul soul is gone and I'm not supposed to be worried about that?” I demanded. is gone and I'm not supposed to be worried about that?” I demanded.