Nita turned a corner, coming to a small clearing with a picnic table. Her mother sat on one side, legs crossed, red-and-black-striped hair falling in straight, sharp lines along her jaw. Her lips were too red, and her eyes were too dark, making her ghostly skin look even whiter.

She rose when she saw Nita and smiled. Her smiles always unnerved Nita, because there was something sharkish about them, sharp and hungry and predatory.

“Nita, I’m so glad to see you again.”

Nita stood awkwardly a few steps away. “Yeah.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she just dove right into the main point. “Did you bring my passport?”

Her mother pulled it out of her pocket and waved it, but stepped back when Nita reached for it.

“Now, now. Don’t be so hasty.” Her mother gestured at the picnic table. “Why don’t you sit down? We can have a chat. I’d love to know where you’re planning to go.”

So this was how it was going to be. “I have things to do.”

Her mother sat and placed the passport in front of her. “I’m sure you do. But you can spare a moment to ease a mother’s worries, can’t you?”

Nita gave in and sat. “I’m just leaving the country.”

“Because of the bounty hunters?”

It would have been easy for Nita to say yes. Toronto was still swarming with black market hunters trying to find her and kill her and sell her. She’d already killed half a dozen people, including a man just this morning, had an altercation at the police station, and murdered an INHUP agent to hide evidence.

But she didn’t want her mom to think she was running. She didn’t want to seem weak.

So instead of just agreeing to the assumption like she knew she should have, she said, “No. I have a plan to get them off my back for good. I need to leave the country, though.”

“Oh?” Her mother leaned forward. “I do love a good plan.”

For a brief moment, Nita considered telling her mother everything, explaining her entire plot to raid Tácunan Law and then use the information contained therein to systematically destroy the black market dealers targeting her, to bring fear into the heart of the market when they heard her name, to become untouchable as her enemies burned.

But Nita’s mother might be one of the people who hid secrets in Tácunan Law. And Nita was very sure she wouldn’t want those secrets to be exposed.

Nita just smiled and shook her head. She reached over and snagged the passport from in front of her mother before she could react.

Her mother’s eyes narrowed as Nita pocketed it. “Not planning to tell me?”

“I’ll tell you when we’re done.”

Nita realized her mistake the moment the words were out of her mouth.