She whirled on him, her eyes watering, rage in her voice. “Don’t fuck with me! I spoke to Agent Quispe. The moment you went up on the DUL, she came forward and identified you as one of the kidnappers! She said you were the one in the driver’s seat, that she saw you right before someone tranquilized her. You kidnapped Fabricio, Quispe, and Bran, and Bran is the only one who hasn’t reappeared.”

Kovit’s eyes widened, and he whispered, “Pat—”

“Don’t you ‘Pat’ me!” she shrieked, voice rising. “He was my best friend! We went through basic training together, we’d known each other for years! He was the only one I ever told about you, he would have helped get rid of the DUL! He would have been on our side! And you—you—”

Her voice broke, and she burst into tears, as though she’d been bottling up all her pain and fear and anger and grief and it had exploded out in a wave of sobs, choking on her own emotion.

Kovit looked stricken, and he took a step back. “I didn’t know. Pat, I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry? You’re sorry?!” Patchaya stepped forward, hands gesturing wildly. “You’re sorry about what, Kovit? What did you do to him?”

Kovit looked away. “You really don’t want to know.”

Patchaya flinched like he’d slapped her. “Oh, God. You—I didn’t—oh, God.”

“Pat—” He took a step toward her.

“Don’t come near me!” she snarled, and suddenly her gun was in the air, and Kovit froze. “Stay back!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Kovit’s voice was soft, and Nita knew he was remembering the way he’d made that INHUP agent scream. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” Her voice was suddenly flat, and Nita’s skin prickled. It was not a good tone. “You’re not ‘sorry.’ You don’t regret your actions. The only thing you regret is that I found out.”

Kovit blanched.

Patchaya took a step forward. “You don’t feel bad for what Bran went through, what you put Bran through. You don’t feel bad for what I’ve gone through, the loss of a friend, the grief at knowing his final hours must have been horrific. No.” Her voice turned vicious. “You feel bad that you have to face consequences for it. You feel bad because now you have to look me in the eye and admit what you’ve done.”

“I’m sor—”

Patchaya interrupted, her voice calm, so calm. “No, Kovit. You’re not.”

In the silence that followed, Nita’s mother curled her fingers over Nita’s shoulder and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Here it comes.”

Nita didn’t want it to come. Because she could already see where this was going to go.