Page 49 of Half Dead

“If you came here for Kane, what’s the delay?”

“I already told you; I’ve turned over a new leaf. I have no desire to exact revenge on Kane.”

“Then why come here at all? There are hundreds of charming small towns in America.”

“In truth, I was intrigued. Where on earth could be so wonderful that a traitor would choose to set down roots rather than cling to the shadows in his effort to escape my wrath?”

I bristled at the description. “Kane is a hero.”

“To some, perhaps.” He took another generous sip of wine.

“Why haven’t you seen him yet?”

“Only fools rush in. I would much prefer to handle it with the velvet gloves the moment deserves.”

“You aren’t worried he’ll run first?”

“No,” he said without explanation. “There’s no need to beconcerned. My only motivation in coming here is to reconcile with Kane and put our bad blood behind us. I want him to see that I’m a changed demon.”

“So tell him, not me.”

“If I waltzed into his establishment and tried to explain that I’ve seen the error of my ways, do you think he would listen?”

“He wouldn’t be able to. The sound of Josie attacking you would drown out everything else.”

Lucifer chuckled again. “She is a firebrand, isn’t she? I could’ve used someone like her in my realm.”

“Birdie,” I said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“If you didn’t plan a sneak attack on Kane, why did you kill Birdie?”

“I haven’t the slightest inkling of what you’re talking about.”

“Is it because one of her crows found your cufflink? She’d already given it to me. There was no reason to kill her.”

His face remained impassive. “I regret to inform you, or perhaps I don’t regret telling you, that I had nothing to do with whatever you’re accusing me of.”

If Lucifer wasn’t responsible for killing Birdie, then who was—and why?

“I know I can’t prove a negative, but I’ve been forthright about other things. Perhaps you can extend a chap a bit of courtesy. The benefit of the doubt and all that.”

A memory flashed in my mind of the nightmare I’d shared with Kane, the one where Kane relived the torture Lucifer had inflicted upon him. Anger simmered in my blood, low in heat but ready and willing to boil.

“What makes you think you deserve the benefit of the doubt?” I ground out.

“Isn’t that one of the core principles of humanity?”

“Like you would know anything about it.”

“After Kane’s failed rebellion, I had time to think.”

“You live in hell. You’ve got nothingbuttime.”

“You’d be surprised how busy it can get there. Bodies to flay. Punishment to exact.” He shrugged. “The days get away from me quite easily. I had to make a concerted effort to slow down and smell the sulfur.”

“At what point did you decide that Kane had a point about your leadership style?”

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