Chapters (52)
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Acknowledgments
- Read More from the Market of Monsters Series
- More Books from HMH Teen
- About the Author
- Connect with HMH on Social Media
So much murder, so little time.
They turned away from the water and toward the towering steel and glass towers of Puerto Madero, each of them lost in thought. So much so that Nita almost didn’t notice when Fabricio stopped.
“We’re here,” he whispered.
Thirty-Two
THE SUN WAS SETTING. It was a Saturday, and the office was closed, most of the lights off. Nita didn’t take any chances, though, and called Diana.
Diana picked up on the first ring, and Nita dove in without preamble. “I’m here, is everything ready?”
Diana’s voice was nervous, and a little excited. “Yes. I mean, it took a bit of work, Tácunan Law isn’t easy to hack, you know, but CCTV really is a joke security-wise and—”
“Is it off?” Nita interrupted.
“Oh. Not yet. They’ll notice when it vanishes. Do you want me to loop it instead?”
“Please.”
The sound of keys clicking echoed tinnily on the phone, and Diana said, “Okay. Annnnnnd, you’re good.”
“Excellent. Call me if there’s any issues.”
“Will do.”
Satisfied that the cameras were taken care of, Nita hung up. Her googling had revealed that Tácunan Law leased out most of the lower floors in the building, but that the upper ones, where the firm worked, were completely inaccessible from the lower floors. It had its own elevator, stairwell, and security.
Which was fine by Nita. It made things less dangerous. If there were people in her way, she knew they were employees of Tácunan Law and should be dealt with accordingly, not random employees of Habitat for Humanity who decided they should work on Saturday for some reason.
She tucked her bag close. She’d prepared for any security they found.
Nita turned to the others and nodded to Fabricio. “All right, lead the way.”
Fabricio didn’t go to the front door, he went around to the side of the glass and metal monstrosity. Nita and Kovit followed, both watching his every movement.
An emergency stairwell exit blended into the side of the building so well it was almost invisible, innocuously placed behind an artistic patch of flowers. It was the same gray as the rest of the building, and if Nita hadn’t known it was there, her eyes would probably have skimmed right past it.
Fabricio typed some numbers into the small covered keypad beside the door. The door beeped twice, and the lock clicked off.
Fabricio hauled the heavy metal door open and gestured to the entrance. “Coming?”
Nita and Kovit exchanged a look, then entered.
They ascended the stairs slowly, sterile concrete steps that went round and round, up and up. They looked like they’d barely been used, and a fine layer of dust covered the railings.
“There’s no elevator?” Kovit asked, huffing as he passed the eighth floor.