When Villains Rise (Market of Monsters #3) - Rebecca Schaeffer Page 0,55

made a frustrated noise. “You’re not a fucking avalanche mowing down everything in its path.”

Kovit looked down at his cooling tea. “I think you’re vastly underestimating people’s fear of what I am. I suspect the average person would much rather die in an avalanche than meet me.” Kovit gave him a small smile. “But I appreciate the thought. And the tea. Thank you.” Kovit rose. “I think it’s time I slept some of that jet lag off now.”

Fabricio raised his eyebrows and sipped his tea as he watched Kovit vanish into the bedroom.

Nita stared between Fabricio and Kovit, uneasiness growing. She could see, clear as day, Fabricio’s plan. Humanize himself to Kovit, make himself a real person so Kovit wouldn’t be able to bring himself to hurt Fabricio again.

But Fabricio didn’t understand Kovit’s rules, didn’t know how carefully Kovit had crafted them to keep himself sane, didn’t understand that by twisting and breaking them, Fabricio might inadvertently destroy the glue that had held Kovit together for the last decade. Glue that had started melting when Kovit killed Henry and hadn’t had a chance to properly re-form.

And if that glue melted apart, Nita had no idea what would happen to Kovit. But she didn’t think it would be good.

Twenty-Two

NITA STARED AFTER KOVIT, but didn’t rise.

“That was very well done,” she admitted, looking at Fabricio. “You’ve learned how to pull his strings quickly.”

Fabricio smiled slightly. “I’m good with people.”

“Good at manipulating them, you mean?”

He shrugged. “Isn’t that what all human interactions are? We want people to think certain things, behave certain ways. Believe us to be certain types of people. For example, I imagine you could have hid the fact that Kovit went up on the list from him. Well, for a day or two. But you didn’t want him to think you were lying or hiding things from him. You wanted him to think you were honest and forthright, so you told him when you found out.” He sipped his maté. “Isn’t that a form of manipulation too, then? You wanted him to see you a certain way, so you behaved accordingly.”

Her eyes narrowed, but her palms sweated at the truth of his words. Were her actions truly so transparent? “Not all human interactions are as calculated as you seem to think.”

“No? Perhaps not consciously. But every interaction you have, every decision you make, all of that is subconsciously determined by who you want people to see you as. Or what you want to hide. Or how you want people to perceive others.”

“Maybe in some interactions, but certainly not in all.” Nita’s voice was steady, even as his words burrowed into her mind like weevils. “Some interactions aren’t that complicated.”

“Aren’t they?” His eyes were open and honest, but his smile was clever. “When I was younger, my father used to order these elaborate Starbucks drinks. Half sugar, shots of syrup, almond milk, low-fat whipped cream, all that stuff. He’d get angry when they got it wrong, and his request was always so complicated they often did. I always ordered something really simple, even though I wanted whipped cream too. But I didn’t want the barista to think I was like my father, demanding and inconsiderate.” He looked down into his maté, as if it were a window into a past that made him sad. “It was, as you say, an uncomplicated interaction. Just an order at Starbucks. But even in that, there are layers.”

Nita was silent. She’d never thought too much about the casual considerations that went into everyday encounters. Now that she was, she found she didn’t like the picture Fabricio was painting.

“So you see, Nita, to some extent, all our interactions are manipulations of some sort or another. We’re all playing a part, and how we deal with people is a trick to show them what part we want them to think we’re playing.”

Nita’s eyes narrowed at that. “Is that so? Well, I see what part you’re playing with Kovit.”

“Do you? Because if you really did, I don’t think you’d be so angry.” Fabricio smiled slightly and set down his maté. “Speaking of, I imagine you want to follow him now. It’s about the right time for you to play the good friend. That’s your role, isn’t it?” He rose and went to the couch Kovit had vacated, pulling one of the blankets draped over the top onto his shoulders. “And it’s about time for me to go to bed. I still have some drugs to get out of