Nita’s shoulders loosened, relieved he was playing along.

“I will,” she promised. “I hear the gelato here is good too?”

They continued prattling on about innocuous dessert items as they strolled along the cobblestoned roads. The narrow streets were one way, closed off and small, a perfect little bubble that made her feel like she’d gone back in time. Small café tables cluttered the sidewalks, full of people reading books and drinking coffee. Nita saw a big sign for something called a submarino, which, if the sign was to be believed, involved putting a whole chocolate bar into hot milk and letting it dissolve to make hot chocolate. She made a mental note to try it while she was here.

Kovit was so busy staring at a building nearby with old-fashioned balconies that he nearly stepped in dog poop. Nita and Fabricio both kept one eye on the ground and neatly avoided it. Even this small similarity between them annoyed Nita.

It didn’t take long to find their Airbnb. Kovit had booked it with Fabricio’s money, money he’d gotten selling Nita on the black market. It was only fitting Nita used that money to advance her own goals now.

The Airbnb apartment was small but serviceable. It had a double bed in one room and a pullout sofa beside the kitchen. The walls were white with small pink flowers, and the floors were well-worn hardwood. The windows looked down on the street, with metal shutters that could be lowered over them. The room was light and airy, and the flat-screen TV on the wall was so shiny it could be used as a mirror.

Fabricio looked nervously between the couch bed and the main bedroom. “There’s two beds.”

“And?” Nita threw her bag in a corner and pulled out her phone to connect to the Wi-Fi.

“And there’s three of us.”

“So we’ll share.”

Fabricio tried to play it cool, but Nita could see how tense and tight his body was. “Am I sharing with Kovit?”

Kovit raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like me?”

Fabricio held his bandaged hand tight to his side. “No offense, Kovit, but you’re not my type.”

Kovit blinked at him, clearly not expecting the conversation to go there, and then burst into laughter. He ran his hand through his hair, and his eyes lowered to Fabricio’s injured hand. His smile fell a little.

Nita interrupted, not liking the pensive, slightly unhappy look on Kovit’s face. “It’s fine. I’ll share with Kovit.”

Fabricio looked between them, slight smile forming on his face. “I didn’t realize you two were . . .”

“Were what?” Nita’s voice was soft and dangerous.

He gave her an innocent look. “So close.”

Kovit laughed softly. “Good save.”

Nita rolled her eyes.

“Enough play time.” Nita turned to Fabricio. “It’s time to make yourself useful. We’re going to break into Tácunan Law. What do we need?”