A little, she realized. She’d trusted that he had his own self-interest in mind, and she’d banked on that. The problem was, she hadn’t known enough about him to realize what was in his self-interest. She still didn’t.

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

No, he couldn’t turn on them completely. She could still ruin his life with a few clicks of a button, send all his information to the internet and let the black market descend. It would be everything he feared. He wouldn’t let that happen.

But the uneasiness lingered as she fell into step beside Kovit, following Fabricio into the light.

They left the hotel and walked south along the water of Puerto Madero. Joggers ran past, and Rollerbladers skated around each other, laughing. A woman leaned casually against the railing over the water, rows of ships lined up behind her, as a college-aged young man took pictures using a tripod and a teenager held up a portable hairdryer so the model’s hair would blow in the nonexistent wind.

Glass and steel skyscrapers looked down on them, silent and powerful, blocking out the sun in places, as though the buildings were trying to obtain the dark, shadowed atmosphere of Toronto, but the sun in Buenos Aires was too bright, the sky too blue, and there were too few skyscrapers.

Nita fell into step beside Fabricio. There was something lighter in the way he walked now, as though with each step he shed a piece of the fear that had been weighing him down for years. Someone passed too close to him, and for a moment he froze, then relaxed again. He bent down, hands on his knees, and took big gulps of breath.

Nita leaned away from him and gave him a suspicious look. “Are you okay?”

He laughed, a short, high burst of sound, almost disbelieving. “I am. He’s dead. He’s finally dead.” Fabricio took a gulp of air. “It’s just taking a moment to sink in. I keep watching the street, looking out for anyone who might be working for him, who might come kidnap me and bring me back, but then I remember: he’s dead. It doesn’t matter. It’s over.”

Fabricio was shaking with relief, and he looked close to tears.

“It’s over,” he whispered again, as though by repeating it to himself, he could make himself believe it.

Nita went to say something and was surprised when Kovit intervened instead.

“That stage of your life is over. He can’t hurt you again.” Kovit’s voice was soft, but hard. “But that doesn’t mean it’s all over. You have to get us into Tácunan Law.”

He nodded, straightening, “I know.”

“And, Fabricio.” Nita raised her eyebrows. “Remember, if you betray us, I still have all your information set up to automatically post if I don’t stop it.”