She let out a breath and walked down the hall to the other recording studio. The door opened silently, to reveal Kovit awkwardly sitting on one cot, avoiding looking at Gold, who stared at him with judgmental eyes while she slowly ate a piece of pizza.

Nita looked between them. “Did something happen here?”

Kovit shrugged and avoided eye contact.

Gold snorted. “Nothing but a zannie doing what it does best.”

Kovit bristled and his jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything.

“Is that really how you should be talking right now, Gold?” Nita closed the door behind her. “Given your situation?”

“And what is my situation?” she asked, her eyes boring into Nita’s. “Am I your prisoner?”

“No,” Kovit said, at the same time Nita said, “Yes.”

Gold raised her eyebrows. “So which is it?”

Nita pursed her lips. “What do you plan to do now, Gold?”

“Do?”

“When you leave this room, what will you do?”

Gold shrugged. “Go back to the Family, of course.”

“Everyone else in your team is dead. You could easily pretend to be dead too.”

“But why?” She frowned, her lip piercing catching the light. “Why would I want them to think I’m dead?”

Kovit responded, voice soft. “To start a new life.”

“I don’t want a new life.” Gold’s eyes narrowed as her gaze shifted between the two of them. “My life may not be perfect, but I like it.”

“You enjoy being the flunky in a mafia group?” Nita asked.

“I enjoy being the presumptive heir to one of the most powerful and extensive crime families in North America.” Gold grinned, sharp and fierce. “Someday I’m going to rule the fucking world.”

Nita blinked. She had to concede, that did sound like a great life. And given her own ambitions, she couldn’t really condemn Gold for it.

So instead she said, softly, “And what about Kovit?”

“What about him?” Gold asked, voice cold.

“It might be useful, if you want to rule the world, to have a zannie on your side.”

Gold’s mouth tightened. “I want nothing to do with monsters. When I’m in charge, I’m going to get rid of every monster in the organization and burn them all.”

Nita raised an eyebrow. “The human ones too?”

Gold gave her a withering look. “Don’t patronize me.”

“It’s an honest question. Henry was human, but I would argue he was a far worse monster than Kovit,” Nita commented mildly. “He loved torture as much as any zannie, not even to eat the pain, just for the sheer pleasure of it. And he was far more ruthless and less loyal than Kovit. So, what do you consider him?”

Gold’s lip curled in displeasure. “Henry was my father’s right-hand man.”

“I didn’t ask what your father thought of him.”