Kovit closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Nita flopped on the bed. Her voice was resigned. “I told you.”

“I know,” he whispered.

“I warned you that she’d turn on you.”

“I know.” Kovit ran his hand through his hair and fisted it there. “I just thought if I let her go, maybe she’d see I wasn’t all evil. She’d remember that once upon a time, we’d been friends. Before she knew who I was. I wanted to remind her that I’m not just a monster. I thought she’d . . .”

“Be your friend again?”

He shrugged, looking away. “I guess.”

Part of Nita wanted to yell at him, to berate him for his naivety and stupidity. For risking everything so that he might look better in a childhood friend’s eyes. But the other part of her just felt sorry for Kovit, for his shitty life and his shitty friends and his sad, small attempts to be good going terribly wrong.

Sometimes, she felt like both of them were damned no matter what they did, good or bad. That any choice they made led to ruin.

But she couldn’t let herself think that way. There’s was always a way to victory. Always a path to survival. Maybe it was ugly and painted in blood and grief, but it was there. She believed it. She had to believe it.

She put her hand over his gently. “It’s okay, Kovit.”

He looked at her, his eyes dark. “I’m so sorry, Nita. I never meant for this to happen.”

“I know,” she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I know. But it’s okay. It’s an extra complication, but we’ve faced worse. And even if your location is out, so what? People are questioning the entire validity of the list right now. It won’t be long until a full-scale investigation is launched.”

He perked up. “Really?”

“Really.” She handed him her phone with all the articles. “Take a look.”

He did, scrolling through the information, body loosening the more he read. Nita took the time to wash and get dressed as she mentally prepared for the next stage of her plan. All these things were distractions, Kovit, the list, all of it. She had come to Buenos Aires for two reasons: Alberto Tácunan and Zebra-stripes.

And today she was going to destroy them both.

She dressed and went out to the main room. Fabricio was still sleeping, but he woke when she entered the room and watched her through slitted eyes.

“Off somewhere?”

“Taking care of something. Kovit and I will be gone most of the night.” She pulled out the duct tape and smiled at Fabricio. “You know what that means.”

Fabricio gave a long-suffering sigh. “Can I go to the bathroom first?”

She let him, and afterward, duct-taped him back to the couch.