“Take a look and sign it,” Casale said.
Marek reached over and plucked the folder out of Sage’s hands, grabbing a pen while he was at it. “We’re signing.”
“Marek,” Sage said exasperatedly.
He turned and looked at her, and whatever she could see in his eyes that Patrick couldn’t, it was enough to get Sage to stop arguing.
“Casale asked me about the murders on the news earlier today. I saw the demon in the bar, but I didn’t see ittonight. Sign the contract, Sage,” he said in a tight voice.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Wow,” Patrick said. “I think that’s a first.”
“First what?” Casale asked.
“First time a lawyer is signing something without reading it. What if there’s a clause in there that says you have to give up your firstborn to the PCB?”
Sage shot him a withering look. “You’re not funny.”
“It’s happened before. The giving up the child part, not the lawyer signing without reading. Although on second thought, I’m sure that’s happened before.” Patrick pointed his fork at Marek. “Where did you see the demon?”
“You mean the soultaker?” Jono asked pointedly.
Patrick internally sighed when Casale’s head snapped around to look at him. “Just couldn’t keep your ears to yourself, could you?”
Jono smiled lazily at him and didn’t say a word.
“The demon is awhat?” Casale bit out in a tight voice.
Patrick reached for the bottle of Tylenol and twisted off the cap. He shook out five of the 200 mg pills and swallowed them with the last of the Gatorade.
“You’re gonna give yourself an ulcer,” Jono warned.
“Blame the job, not the medication,” Patrick said.
“Was what you killed tonight a soultaker?” Casale demanded.
Patrick thought about lying, but something told him the Fates seeing through Marek’s eyes wouldn’t appreciate it. “Yes.”
“An explanation for those of us who aren’t versed in demonology would be nice,” Sage said.
“Soultakers are shock troop demons. They’re used in war if they’re used at all because they’re as difficult to control as they are to fight against.”
Unless one had an alliance with immortals, but that was neither here nor there. Patrick shoved those thoughts aside to deal with later, preferably with a bottle of whiskey at hand.
“They’re almost always summoned by Dominion Sect magic users,” Casale stated flatly. “Are you telling me we might have an active cell in New York City?”
“You got eight bodies carrying eight signs for the gods in death. I’d bet all the stock Marek owns in his company that soultakers are the murder weapons. Who is pulling the trigger? Your guess is as good as mine, and mine would be the Dominion Sect,” Patrick said.
Casale was quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable. When he did speak, he directed his words to Marek. “Where did you see the soultaker in your vision?”
Marek chewed on his bottom lip before letting out an explosive sigh. “There were trees around me in the vision, but I could see buildings, so I don’t know, a park? New York City has a lot of those, so good luck figuring out which one it is.”
“Anything else?”
“I could see the demon crouching over someone on the ground, but I couldn’t see who it was. I don’t know if I knew them.”
“Or if it was you,” Casale said.
