Fabricio’s father, Alberto Tácunan, ran one of the largest corrupt legal services in the world. Every monster who was anyone used his services. Legal assistants covered up crimes and got monsters off on technicalities, and shell corporations and calculated tax evasions hid money. And money, well, money told stories. Money proved crimes. Money hid secrets. And secrets were power.

Nita wanted that power.

“I told you. I don’t know the password to get into my father’s databases.” Fabricio sounded desperate, his body straining forward against the bonds. “I would give it to you if I did, I don’t care if you rob him blind. But I don’t have it.”

“I’m sure you’ll remember it eventually.” Nita gave him a hard smile. “After all, it’s the only reason you’re still alive right now.”

“Forgive me if I don’t jump for joy.” His voice was dead. “I seem to be tied up and in the middle of being tortured. It’s really getting in the way of celebrating.”

Nita pressed her mouth into a thin line. “You really only have yourself to blame for that.”

“Really? I somehow tortured myself?”

“Don’t play the fool. It doesn’t suit you,” Nita snapped. “This is vengeance, and you damn well deserve it.”

His head jerked up. “Are we doing tit for tat, Nita? An eye for an eye? Because I’m pretty sure we’re more than equal by now.”

“We’ll never be equal.” Nita’s words were tight with rage. “You sold me on the black market. You ruined my life. Because of you, there’s a video of me healing online that I will never escape. I can never lead a normal life. I’m constantly on my guard. I’ve been attacked dozens of times in the week since I escaped the market that, I remind you, you put me in.”

“So you poisoned me.”

“And you sent a mafia group to kill me in vengeance.”

“Not in vengeance,” Fabricio said softly. “I sent them because I was scared. I was scared you’d never stop trying to kill me, I was scared you knew too much about me and you’d ruin my life.” He said bitterly, “And I was right, wasn’t I? You’re threatening me with the same thing that happened to you. To release my information online and set the whole black market on me, hoping to use me against my father.”

Nita shrugged. “It would be poetic justice.”

Fabricio laughed, harsh and angry. “Oh, that would be poetic justice, would it? I thought having Kovit torture me was your ‘poetic justice’?”

“No. That’s just vengeance.”

Fabricio was silent a long moment, his whole body trembling. With rage or pain or something else entirely, Nita didn’t know.