The Devil Is a Gentleman

by J. L. Murray

  I thought about Naz. How empty I’d felt after I’d killed those men. Boys, really. “No,” I said. “But sometimes, it’s all I can do not to bring the whole goddamn world down.”

  “You’re just one human,” she said. “All you can do is accept it.”

  “I don’t think I can do that.”

  Eliza studied my face. “I think you’re more like your father than you know.”

  I raised my eyes to look at her. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing anymore,” I said.

  Eliza let a little smile slip through. “Perhaps not. But it does make you frightening.” She picked up some papers in front of her and put them in a tidy pile. “How did he die?” she said without looking at me. She picked up a pen and put it in a mug with the others.

  “The angel?” I said. She stopped what she was doing and nodded. I thought about the truth. It was too cruel for her to know what they had reduced her friend to, what my sister had done to him. “He saved our lives,” I said. “He used his last bit of power to kill a man that was going to kill us.”

  She nodded. “It’s fitting,” she said. Her usual cold expression returned and she put her glasses back on. “Of course I will pay you for your troubles.”

  “I don’t want your goddamn money,” I said. “Do you think that’s what this is?”

  “Tell me what it is, then,” she said. “Because I don’t know anymore.” She sighed. “It seems like everything in this world is a gray area. There is no right or wrong here.”

  “Just get rid of Bobby’s record, okay?” I said. “You promised that to him.”

  “Fine,” she said. “As well as the warehouse evidence.”

  “Do whatever you want,” I said.

  She arched an eyebrow. “You’re going after them, aren’t you?”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “It was,” she said. “But it seems futile now.”

  I snorted. “Just because your angel is gone doesn’t mean they won’t do it again. They make people disappear. They control the city and people just let them get away with it. My sister is either dead or about to die right now because of them. Those protesters are dead and the rest will probably spend their lives in prison. The Registry. Everything leads back to them.”

  “Are you sure they’re the ones calling the shots?” she said.

  “Who else?” I said. Eliza shrugged. “How did you get this job, Eliza?” I said. “If you’re not New Government, and you hate The Blood, how did you manage to slip in here?”

  “I have connections.”

  “Connections in government?” I said.

  “Connections everywhere,” she said.

  “Took you a long time to find who had Daniel,” I said. “I would have thought with connections like those it would have been easy.”

  “It was more difficult that I thought it would be,” she said. “I always got the impression that I was being blocked around every turn. Like someone higher up didn’t want me to find Daniel.” She shook her head. “It’s silly. I don’t see how it could be true.”

  “Why not?” I said. “Maybe there is someone in Heaven that didn’t want you to know.”

  “For what purpose?” she said.

  Suddenly I felt very tired. I didn’t want to talk to Eliza any more. I shrugged and stood up to leave.

  When I came out of the building, Gage was leaning against his car rubbing his head like he just woke up. His eyes were still bleary. “All these cop cars,” he said. “Thought maybe you turned yourself in.” He looked at me as I leaned against the car next to him. It was cold and slightly wet. It would frost by the time the night was over. “Glad to see you’re still here.”

  “Eliza didn’t set us up,” I said.

  “You sure?”

  I shrugged. “Pretty sure. She seemed pretty broken up. As much as she can be, anyway.” I glanced at him. “Your record will be clean.”

  “Don’t care about that,” he said. “You gonna be okay?”

  “I don’t see why not,” I said. “Nothing’s changed.”

  He grunted. “Get off it, Nik. What about that sister of yours? She might be dead.”

  “She might be,” I said. “Yesterday I didn’t even know she existed. Plus she likes to burn things.”

  “You can’t pull that on me,” he said. “I know you. You’re all torn up about this. Just like your dad. She might be batshit insane, but she’s blood.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said. “I knew Sasha. Or I thought I did.”

  “Come to that, what about old Alexei Slobodian?” he said. “Seems he was murdering for a good reason. I don’t know if that’s morally right, but it sure turns the tables on what you thought was happening, doesn’t it?”

  “A little,” I admitted. “But it doesn’t change anything.”

  “You keep saying that. So you’re not going after The Blood yourself?”

  I hesitated. “Nope.”

  “Bullshit,” he said. “I want in.”

  I looked up at him in surprise. “What? Why?”

  He shrugged. “Call me a sucker. I don’t know. These rich bastards, they think they can do anything. That girl, your sister, they broke her. She was just a crazy kid in a box in the end.”

  “She just saw too much,” I said. “So much noise. Seeing into people’s heads, every thought and feeling. It would change a person.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “It’d drive anyone bonkers. Someone should stop them. I’m free tonight. Think I’ll help.”

  “It’s dangerous,” I said.

  “Yeah,” he smiled. “I know.”

  I shook my head. “Okay, Bobby. Your funeral.” I rubbed my neck. “I gotta get some sleep.”

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll drop you home.”

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. “Damn, it’s probably Eliza again. Woman never stops calling me.”

  “She likes you,” said Gage.

  I took the phone out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. “Jesus,” I said.

  “Who is it?” said Gage.

  “I don’t believe it,” I said. I flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

  “Niki?” came a voice on the other end. The reception was scratchy. “It’s Eli. I need to see you.”

  Chapter 14

  “Why is Eli at the Deep Blue Sea?” said Gage, as he pulled up between the warehouses, where the bar was lodged.

  “Don’t know,” I said. “Sam helped him get to Hell, maybe he had to go through the bar to get there. ”

  “Wait, hang on,” said Gage, turning off the car and looking at me. “Did you just say Sam convinced your boyfriend to go to Hell? Literally?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I said. “Eli asked him to.”

  “Is that what Sam told you?”

  “Stop being so suspicious all the time,” I said. “It messes with my ego when I’m the trusting one.”

  “You worked out what Sam is, didn’t you? Back at the vault,” he said. “You know who he is?”

  “Yeah, Bobby,” I said, opening my door. “I know.” As we approached, someone stepped out of the shadows, the glowing coal of a cigarette visible in the night. The form stepped forward and caught the moonlight. It was Eli, no doubt about it. But he looked different. He walked with a slight swagger and he seemed broader in the shoulders. His head was silhouetted against the neon of the Deep Blue Sea, and his horns had grown a good six inches since I’d last seen him. And when he got closer I saw the scars.

  “I’ll just wait for you inside, Niki,” said Gage.

  “Yeah, okay,” I said, watching Eli ground his cigarette into the gravel.

  “Hey, Niki,” he said. He moved towards me like he meant to hug me, but changed his mind halfway and took a step back.

  “Hey, Eli,” I said. “I see you started smoking again.”

  He shrugged. “Terrible habit,” said Eli.

  “What happened to you?” I said.

  He sat down on the hood of Gage’s New Yorker. “
I’ve been through some shit, Nik,” he said. He gestured to his face. “I’m sorry about all this. It’ll heal.”

  “No,” I said, leaning against the car, “I mean, what the hell happened to you? You left and the first I heard about it was a note? I’m worth a note stuck under the door?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I knew you’d try to talk me out of it. I had to find my dad. I just felt like I couldn’t go on not knowing.”

  “I get that,” I said. “So what did happen to your face? You look like shit.”

  He laughed. “Yeah. Things are different down there, Nik. Brutal. I knew one guy, a demon. He used to visit me when I was growing up. Said he was my uncle.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I said.

  “Why would you?” he said. “I never even told my mom. So I found him. Grazial, his name is. Anyway, he told me where to find my dad. Got in three fights just on the way to see him. My ability came in pretty handy. Even demons tend to run away when they see they can’t kill you. And when I did find his family’s house…well, they have rules about bastards. I had to fight my brothers before I could even talk to my dad. All of them.”

  “How many were there?” I said.

  “Twenty-three.”

  “Busy guy, your dad,” I said. Eli smiled.

  “I did it, Nik. I beat them all. I bled a lot, I had to sleep it off a few times. But I finally beat every one of them. And then I met my dad.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “He’s like a king,” he said. “He knows so much. He’s taken me under his wing, he’s going to teach me. Their culture, my culture, it’s so rich. It’s amazing to wake up there every day.” He took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth. He dug in his pocket for a light. “He’s made me his heir.”

  “So you’ll rule in Hell,” I said. “I’m glad you’re happy, Eli. It sounds weird, but I’m glad it makes you happy.”

  “I came back to talk to you,” he said, lighting his cigarette.

  “What for?” I said. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Bullshit,” he said. “We meant the world to each other once.”

  “It was a long time ago, Eli,” I said. My voice sounded tired.

  “Not so long,” he said. He inhaled and sent spirals of smoke and misty breath up into the air. “We were good together. You remember.” He looked at me and the new pinkness of the scars glowed silver in the light. “I want you to come back with me.”

  I laughed, but stopped when I saw his face. “You’re serious,” I said. “Eli, I’m sorry. I’m not going to Hell.”

  “It’s not bad,” he said. “You’ll live like a princess. We’ll get married and you’ll have servants to care for your every need.”

  “Really?” I said. “You think I’d enjoy that? Get married and settle down and pop out little demon babies for the rest of my days? Let the demon-nannies take care of the hard stuff?”

  He frowned and looked down. “I know,” he said. “It was a long shot.” He flicked the lit cigarette toward the street. “But what about me? Don’t you miss me? I think about you every day.”

  The truth was that I had barely thought of Eli in the last few days, even before Natalie confirmed that it was not meant to be. I looked at him and smiled. “Eli, it can’t work between us. I think you know that. I loved you once. But a lot has happened since then. It’s not the same anymore. Can’t you feel it?”

  “I still love you, Niki,” he said. “I never stopped. After everything, the Registry, the lies, meeting my father, I never stopped loving you.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m broken. It’s gone for me. I wish it wasn’t.”

  He nodded, his horns dipping with each bob. “Okay. I didn’t expect you to come back with me. But I had to try.”

  “Did you see Sasha?” I said.

  “I heard about him,” said Eli.

  “Is he okay?” I kept my voice neutral. I would give anything to talk to my father right now. To ask him if everything Natalie said was true. To hug him, to let him know that I understood. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again, though.

  “He’s great,” Eli said, his voice bitter. “He’s got his own goddamn army down there.”

  “His own army?” I said.

  “Yeah. This thing with Heaven, some of the Demon lords are getting their armies ready, just in case. Only a lot of the troops are abandoning their posts to go work for Sasha.”

  “Really?” I said. “Why is that?”

  Eli snorted. “Because he’s Sasha. Guess they’re tired of getting kicked in the face by the demon generals. Sasha treats them well, I’ve heard. My father wants him dead.”

  “Guess he’ll have to get in line,” I said, smiling. “Anyone else you going to see while you’re here?”

  “Smithy,” he said. “But I gotta go take care of some things first. Clean out my apartment.”

  “Why don’t you just leave it for your landlord?”

  “My landlord is a ninety-year-old woman with an oxygen tank,” he said. “Thought I’d be the bigger man and do it myself.”

  “Sounds like you,” I said. “But you might want to put on a hat. You’re likely to give the old bird a heart attack.”

  “What do you suggest?” he said, touching his head. “I don’t think a baseball cap will do the trick.”

  “Dunno,” I said. “Stovepipe hat?”

  He laughed.

  “Goodbye, Nik,” he said, suddenly serious. “I’ll miss the shit out of you.”

  “Bye, Eli,” I said. I gave him a hug. He hugged me back so tight I could barely breathe. When he finally let go, he turned his face away, sniffing.

  “I’ve gotta go,” he said, and started walking away.

  “Okay,” I said. “Do you want a ride or something?”

  “No,” he said, calling over his shoulder. “I need the air.”

  I watched him until he turned the corner and was gone. I closed my eyes and sank back against the car. I took a deep breath and when I breathed out I felt a little better. Eli was going to be okay. He had a family now, a place where he belonged. He’d find someone. I nodded to myself. Then I walked into the Deep Blue Sea.

  Sam was sitting in his usual booth and looked up when I came in. I strode straight past him and made a beeline for the bar, where Gage was sitting and Janis was smoking. “Janis, give me a Jameson,” I said. “Please.” She grumbled over and pulled out a glass. “Not that one,” I said. “The big one.”

  “You okay?” said Gage. “Where’s the Halfer?”

  “Don’t call him that,” I said. Gage was drinking a beer. “Why aren’t you sitting with Sam?” I said.

  He shrugged. “Didn’t seem very interested in my brand of companionship.” he said. “He either wanted to be alone or he was waiting for someone else.”

  “Jesus, Gage,” I said. “Let up, will you?” Janis slid the drink across to me and went back to her stoop. I grabbed it and stalked over to the booth by the door. Sam was watching me. I sat down across from him. “When were you going to tell me?” I said.

  He frowned. “Tell you what?” he said. His nostrils flared. “And why do you reek of angelwine?”

  “Knock it off,” I said. “When were you going to tell me what you are?”

  “It doesn’t really come up in polite conversation, does it?” he said. But he looked pained as he said the words.

  “This isn’t some goddamn dinner party, Sam,” I said. I took a drink of the whiskey. It was smooth. “How does it work?” I said.

  “How does what work?”

  “What you do,” I said. “How do you do it?”

  “I don’t actually kill them, if that’s what you mean,” he said, indignant. “My part comes after they die. I guide them across. It’s quite simple.”

  “I’ve never seen you,” I said. “And I’ve seen a lot of dead people.”

  “I choose to remain invisible usually,” he said. He looked uncomfortable. “I don’t exactly look the same when
I go through that door.”

  “Invisible to the living?”

  “And the dead,” he said. “Unless it gives them comfort. But it rarely does anymore.”

  “What do you look like?” I said. “Out there, I mean.”

  “How do you think?” he said. “It’s not pretty, I’ll tell you that.”

  “So with all the ghosts stuck here — ”

  “I’ve not been able to do my duty,” he said. “It’s maddening, really.”

  “But I’ve helped people cross over,” I said. “I thought I was, anyway.”

  “Yes,” he said. “I’ve seen you.” He narrowed his dark eyes. “It isn’t usual, you know. To have such a gift.”

  “It’s not a gift,“I said. “I just tell them to let go.”

  “Indeed. And do the job of Death.”

  I looked down into my drink. “Is that why you hired me?” I said. ” Are you training me to be your lovely assistant?”

  “No,” he said without hesitating. But he continued to scrutinize me. “I watched you, though. A few times. I often feel that this world is so dismal. Everyone works so hard to feel nothing here. You, too, Niki, don’t try to deny it.”

  “I’m not denying,” I said. I sipped my drink.

  “But when I would watch you, and you were helping these lost souls to find their way, you felt such pain and sadness for them. Like you were taking on their torment so they could continue. You didn’t help them often, but I don’t think it’s because you didn’t want to. I think it’s because you couldn’t. It hurts you, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I said.

  “But you do it anyway. Watching you was like seeing color in a sea of gray.”

  “Jesus,” I said. “How long did you watch me?”

  “Long enough,” he said, finally looking away.

  “Stalker,” I said.

  “I have the peculiar ability,” Sam said, “to look into people and surmise who they are, what they want, what they’ve done. You’re a walking contradiction. It intrigued me.”

  “It’s still stalking, buddy,” I said.

  He laughed. “I suppose so,” he said.

  “Sam?” I said, looking back down at my barely-drunk glass. “Do you know when someone’s going to die? Just by looking at them, I mean.”