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
“No. I was filmed on the black market demonstrating my ability, and now I’m worth a lot of money. I’ve been in hiding—or trying to be in hiding. I was in Toronto, and things got . . . violent. Black market hunters everywhere trying to kill me. INHUP was useless at protecting me. So I’ve tried to stay out of the limelight. I don’t want them to find me again.” Nita took a deep breath, then continued, “Kovit was helping protect me. People are scared of zannies, and he can fight well. After the disaster where INHUP betrayed him and couldn’t adequately protect me, we met back up so we could keep each other safe.”
The officer was silent for a long moment. “That’s quite a story.”
“I know.”
“I’ll need to talk to my superiors. Do you need a protective detail here?”
Nita shook her head. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. I’m scared. Kovit’s already got enough attention without the black market finding out about me being here.”
“I see.”
Nita hesitated. “But Kovit will need one. If . . . if he survives.”
The officer sighed. “I’m aware. We’ve got some people here already.”
It made Nita uneasy, having the police so close. But she couldn’t see any alternative, so she just nodded. “Thank you.”
The officer looked down, frowning. Nita couldn’t tell how much of her story he believed. But he’d believe a lot more once he started researching Nita. She hoped.
She rose. “I’m going to go get some food from the cafeteria. Do you have any more questions?”
He shook his head. “No. Do you have a phone number?”
She gave it to him, and one of her burner emails, then said quietly, “But you won’t need to use them. I’ll be here, at the hospital until . . .”
Until the end.
He grimaced, understanding her unspoken words. “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll be in touch.”
Nita stared at the floor as he walked away. Lies upon lies upon lies. She wondered how long it would take the world to untangle them all. Hopefully long enough that Nita would have vanished without a trace by the time they realized how much wool had been pulled over their eyes. Long enough to keep Kovit safe in the hospital.
But there was only one thing that could ever truly keep her safe.
Nita rose and headed for the doors.
It was time to end this.
Forty
OUTSIDE, THE SKY was still blue, and the sun beat down. The air was warm, and the city was bustling with noise and laughter. It was a beautiful day. The kind of day people wrote poems about, did their wedding shoots on.
The kind of day people died.