So Nita went early. She entered the mall beside the Pickle Barrel where they were supposed to meet up, and casually people-watched. A hostess texted at the counter of the restaurant, and an old man drank coffee by the front window. Past them, in the bookstore across the way, a man with large round glasses browsed the front tables. Nita skimmed the titles, but nothing interested her. She continued past into the mall proper. It was early enough in the morning on a weekday that there weren’t too many browsers, mostly overcaffeinated retail staff.

Nita bought a bagel at a small stand and had them put it in a larger bag, so it looked like she’d been shopping. She was about to loop back around and return the way she’d come when she noticed that someone was following her around. She paused at a toy store and glanced at his reflection in the window. It was the man from the bookstore.

But why? She hadn’t done anything to indicate she was the one meeting Kovit’s sister, so if INHUP agents had been set up here, they shouldn’t have marked her as worth watching yet.

Unless he wasn’t an INHUP agent.

Nita’s fingers tightened on her bag, and she turned sharply away. She needed to deal with this, find out who this person was, and handle him. In private.

Her sneakers squeaked softly on the polished floors, and she made a left, following the sign for the bathrooms down a long concrete corridor between a shoe store and a makeup store.

The man followed, slow and sure.

INHUP agent or black market hunter. But if he was a black market hunter, how had he found her? A sick feeling twisted in Nita’s stomach. INHUP had sold her location out before. They could have done it again.

Except INHUP didn’t know who was meeting Patchaya Vidthuvitsai. So they couldn’t have sold her out this time.

Nita kept her pace even as she turned a corner and waited there. The bathrooms were just ahead, wide doors displaying clean white porcelain and pastel blue stalls. She could hear a fan going, but there didn’t seem to be anyone here. It was too early on a weekday. Practically empty.

That was fine by her.

The man turned the corner and jerked back, clearly not expecting Nita to be waiting.

She smiled at him, all sugar. “Why are you following me?”

“I’m not?” He adjusted his glasses and smiled.

“But you are.”

He stared at her, then looked down the hall, noticing the deserted bathroom. Since they’d turned, they weren’t visible from the main part of the mall. Then he smiled.

“Stupid girl.” He took out a knife. “You shouldn’t confront men in dark alleys. I’m going to make so much money off of you.”