For a moment, Kovit’s face was blank, and then he slowly began speaking in Thai. The words didn’t sound as smooth as hers, but they came, creaking and groaning with rust and disuse. It looked like he hadn’t forgotten it after all, despite his fears. Or at least, not all of it.

After a few sentences, though, Patchaya switched back into English. “Where have you been the last decade?”

Kovit looked away. “Here and there.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Here and there.”

He sighed, and then laughed. “How do you still always manage to make me feel guilty with that eyebrow?”

“It’s a superpower all older sisters have.”

He snorted. “Superpower. The only superpower you have is being an INHUP agent. How in the world did that happen?”

She winced slightly, mood darkening. “It’s not what you think.”

He gave her a sad smile, just a little broken. “Oh?”

She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I just wanted to make a difference.”

Nita felt bad for the two siblings. They clearly loved each other, but one was a monster and the other a monster hunter, and the disconnect of those ten years where they’d ended up on such wildly different paths was painted in the unspoken tension and the broken spaces between their sentences.

“Well,” Kovit replied, his voice light and teasing. “What a terrible motive. Imagine wanting to make a positive impact on the world. The horror.”

Patchaya blinked and then burst into laughter and hugged him.

Nita’s heart tightened. She cleared her throat, feeling more of an intruder than ever. “I have an errand I need to run. I’ll see you back at . . . I’ll see you later, Kovit.” She turned to his sister. “And it was nice to meet you.”

Kovit frowned. “Errand?”

They’d agreed Nita would stay close by, just in case Kovit’s meeting ended in some unforeseen disaster. But that was before Patchaya had said she couldn’t help, before Nita’s whirring mind had come up with a new plan.

“I need to check on something.” Nita smiled tightly. “I need to talk to someone who might . . . know something.”

Kovit’s eyes widened in understanding, and his voice was careful. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Nita smiled. “You never know if you don’t try. But if I’m not back when you’re done, you know where to look.”

Before Kovit could protest more, she turned away.

Her steps were heavy as she went to the one person who could tell her if her plan was possible, who had the connections to make it happen. The question was: would he help her?

Or would he kill her out of spite?

Because Nita and Adair hadn’t parted on the best terms.

Ten