Chapter Text
Kaz breathed a sigh of relief when he entered his apartment and found that it was just as dark and quiet as it had been when he'd left. Though, the silence wasn't nearly as comforting as it had once been after the surprise visit from The Wraith the night before. Something about her unexpected presence had left him feeling shaken and on edge ever since, so, despite the fact that the air was still, Kaz pulled out his gun before he ever sat down his keys. He crept slowly, carefully, through the darkened apartment, half expecting her ghostly form to pop out around a corner and end him right then and there. By the time he'd made it to the bedroom, though, he found that he was still alone. He checked the closet for good measure and, feeling satisfied that the apartment was empty, tossed his keys onto the nightstand and slipped his gun back into his waistband.
Before leaving the bedroom, though, Kaz gave the window a few experimental jiggles. The metal lock he'd installed only an hour prior seemed to be perfectly in place, so Kaz gave the window one last shake before heading back toward the living room, flicking on the light once he'd arrived back at the entryway.
Silence was a short-lived thing in The Barrel, as was peace, both facts that were proven only a few moments later when Kaz's front door swung open, slamming violently against the thin wall behind it. Kaz, who'd just placed an unlit cigarette between his lips, cast the intruder a cursory glance, though he didn't need to look up to know who was stomping towards him.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Nina shouted. When he raised a single eyebrow at her in question, she ripped the cigarette from his lips, tore it in half, and threw it onto the ground with a frustrated scoff.
"I was thinking that I could really use a smoke," Kaz answered, eyeing the two halves of his lost cigarette where they'd settled on the carpet. "But I'm going to assume that you're talking about Matthias?"
Nina gave an overly exaggerated roll of her eyes - an expression that she was famous for, especially when it came to Kaz - and huffed. "No, Kaz. I actually meant the other terrible decision you've made recently."
"Believe it or not, there are quite a few I'm questioning at the moment," Kaz replied, tugging his pack out of his back pocket again. He shook a new cigarette into his hand. "Matthias, however, is not one of them. I need him for this job."
"There are dozens of bruisers within the Dregs," argued Nina. "You could have chosen any of them, and instead you just had to fly in the only one who has the power to turn my life into a living hell for the foreseeable future?"
Kaz shrugged. "I need this bruiser for this job. It isn't personal."
"God, you're infuriating. You didn't even have the forethought to warn me?"
"If I'd warned you, would that make it okay that he's here?"
"Of course not, I'd have-"
"Then that's why I didn't tell you."
A flash of movement over Nina's head caught Kaz's attention, and he lifted his gaze to find Jesper - with Wylan tucked sheepishly behind him - lingering in the open doorway.
"We miss anything?" Jesper asked, flicking a questioning look between Kaz and Nina. Before either could answer, he strolled into the room and flopped down onto the end of the couch with far more comfortability than Kaz wished to see another person have in his home.
A new form appeared in the doorway, then, scooting past where Wylan still hesitated near the entrance. Nina gestured toward the brooding Fjerdan in annoyance. "Yeah, Jes. That."
Jesper twisted his head to see the door, and the moment that his eyes landed on Matthias's bulky form, a devious smile slowly crept onto his face. "Oh, this should be fun."
The glare Nina cut at him was sharp as a blade, but Jesper had years of experience dodging that look. Thankfully, Nina had now set her sights on a new target.
"You didn't die," she remarked thoughtfully, eyes on Wylan.
The boy glanced nervously at Jesper, who was of no help to him, and then shifted his gaze back to Nina. "No?"
"Good. I was going to be pissed if I struggled dragging you up all of those stairs only for you to die in Jesper's messy apartment." Nina turned toward Jesper, then, and asked in a whisper that was not at all conspiratorial. "Why is he still here?"
"Wylan here has decided he wanted to trade out his plush, rich-boy lifestyle for a taste of The Dregs," Jesper offered, meeting Nina's disbelieving look with a tired one of his own.
"Is that a joke?"
Jesper snorted. "Unfortunately not."
Nina spun on Kaz, her forehead wrinkled with her confusion. "You okayed this?"
"Not yet," Kaz answered, finally lighting his cigarette. "Depends entirely on how tonight's collection run went."
He turned his expectant gaze to Jesper. Needing no further prompting, Jesper sat up and fished a few wads of cash from within his coat. With a quiet thud, they fell onto the coffee table.
"Tim still wouldn't cough it up?" Kaz asked, able to tell that the pile was light even from this distance.
Instead of answering, however, Jesper turned to Wylan. "Go on, then."
Wylan was seemingly expecting the cue, and he didn't miss a beat before stepping up to the coffee table and beginning to upturn his pockets. Stack after stack of bound bills spilled from his hands, landing on the table with a repeated thunk, thunk, thunk. As the pile grew, so did the interest from the others.
Once it finally seemed that Wylan's pockets were empty, Jesper cleared his throat. "Exactly how much did you take from the safe?"
Wylan lifted one shoulder in a half-assed shrug. "All of it?"
Nina barked out a sudden, surprised laugh, and Jesper’s wicked grin returned. Before either of them could dive in with their impressed approval, though, Kaz spoke up.
“Jesper’s been working Tim for a while now,” he said, causing all four heads in the room to spin in his direction. He took a long drag from his cigarette before asking, “What made tonight different?”
Jesper cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Well, he-”
"I'm asking him," Kaz clarified sharply, his gaze never wavering from Wylan. To his credit, the young newcomer did not falter under the hard stare. Instead, he seemed to pull himself taller, roll his shoulders back, and steady his feet underneath himself like he was bracing for impact.
"Tonight was different because Jesper had back up," Wylan offered weakly. For all his efforts in making himself appear unshakable, his voice was still hesitant. It was as if he worried that each word out of his mouth might be the wrong one, and that each wrong word would act as a chain around his neck.
Kaz took another long, slow hit, letting the uneasy silence settle in the room. Finally, he said, "Jesper doesn't need back up."
"Aw, boss," Jesper remarked from the couch, but a cool look from Kaz cut off the rest of his praise-driven outburst.
"Try again,” Kaz instructed calmly, turning his steady gaze back to Wylan. “What made tonight different?”
Kaz knew that Wylan was young. Maybe not that much younger than himself in terms of years, so to speak, but in terms of life experience, he still held that same wide–eyed wonder that Kaz had once beaten out of himself. Uneasy, Wylan cast a look toward Jesper. The glance only lingered for a moment, but it was long enough for Wylan to search Jesper’s face as if it held all the answers he needed to survive this inquisition. Despite the fact that Jesper hadn’t even acknowledged the attention, Wylan turned back to Kaz with an expression that had turned suddenly rock solid. When he spoke next, his voice was sturdy and clear.
“Tim pulled a gun. I convinced him that he was outnumbered, and that if he hurt Jesper, I’d hurt him.”
“Hurt?”
Without missing a beat, Wylan corrected. “Kill.”
“And would you?” Kaz asked, a cloud of smoke billowing past his lips on his exhale.
“I didn’t have to,” Wylan answered simply, expertly dodging the question like it was a bullet.
Kaz lifted a brow, almost amused at the attempt. “And if you had?”
Wylan swallowed, but did not look away. “I will do whatever I have to do.”
For whatever reason, Kaz found that he believed the words. There was a steadiness in Wylan’s expression that Kaz recognized. As young as he may be, as new to this world as he was, Wylan was prepared to claw his way out of whatever hole he’d dug himself into, unbothered by the harm he might cause himself in the process. It was a sentiment that was a little too close to home, if Kaz were being honest with himself.
However, while Kaz might believe Wylan's words, he was not ready to give in to him completely just yet. Noncommittally, he offered, "Decent work...for now."
As Wylan visibly deflated at what was barely approval, Kaz took another long drag and turned to flick the growing ash from his cigarette into the ashtray hidden on the TV stand. The sound of a gasp, however, brought his attention back to the others quickly, and it took him less than a second to identify the reason for the sudden shock on their faces.
The Wraith stood at the mouth of the hallway like a dark, sinister statue. She looked as she had every other time Kaz had laid eyes on her - dressed head to toe in black, a hood pulled over her head to shade the upper half of her face, her form sharp and rigid. A long, thick braid fell over her shoulder, and Kaz idly realized that it was a new sight considering that both times he’d seen her before, her hair had been tucked away tidily and hidden from his view.
Irritation made his mouth turn positively sour at the sight of her.
“I’m sorry,” Nina began, widened eyes staring at the wisp of a girl half hidden by the darkness of the hall. “Did a girl just come out of Kaz Brekker’s bedroom?”
Reluctantly, Kaz turned away from The Wraith, but the cutting glare he'd aimed for Nina fell flat when Kaz realized her sights were not set on him, but on Jesper. From his spot on the couch, Jesper tipped his head back with a groan, tugged his wallet from his back pocket, and less-than-discreetly passed a folded $20 into Nina's outstretched hand.
Kaz's temper flared at the assumption. If only they knew how much effort he'd put into keeping her out of his apartment, how much her presence set his feet teetering on the edge, how his annoyance was now pumping hotly through his veins.
But anger was an emotion of weakness, so he schooled it away as best he could and slipped his gaze back to The Wraith. "I thought I told you to use the door this time."
The Wraith shrugged, and Kaz's hands curled into fists at his side. Maybe it wasn't so much the fact that she'd invaded his life so suddenly, but the ease and nonchalance with which she did it.
"The window is really more my style," she offered as a way of explanation. Her voice was soft and light, a gentleness completely at war with the harsh tenseness emanating from her form. In her hand, she clutched something that Kaz couldn't identify, but when she saw him eyeing it, she lifted her hand and tossed the object in his direction. He caught it with ease, and as he uncurled his fingers, his stomach twisted uneasily at the sight of the ruined remnants of the metal window lock.
"Those locks are easy to pick," she explained, leaning casually against the corner of the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. "Easy enough for a ghost to figure out."
The words felt like a challenge, but before Kaz could snap back his response, Jesper cleared his throat. "Kaz? Care to introduce us to your little friend?"
"She is not a friend," Kaz defended instantly, though he wasn't sure why his own words suddenly felt heated. He paused long enough to flick the ash from the growing end of his cigarette and take another drag before instructing, "Everyone take a seat so we can start."
Strangely enough, Matthias was the first to move, claiming the single armchair as his own personal island away from the rest of the Dregs. He had yet to complain - to Kaz, at least...he was sure Nina had already received an earful in the car - but his unease was clearly building beneath his skin. Matthias was antsy, and he needed answers. Why was he here, why was this all so sudden, why was he specifically necessary for this mission instead of literally anyone else? They were all questions that would be answered in due time, though he might not like any of the answers once he’d gotten them.
Nina took her place on the other side of the couch, as far away from Matthias as she could get, and that left Wylan to hesitantly settle into the narrow space between her and Jesper. The Wraith did not move, but Kaz hadn’t really expected her to. Instead, she stood perfectly still in the mouth of the hallway, the shadows behind her creeping around her statuesque form as if they might wrap around her limbs and pull her back at any second. As Kaz ground out what was left of his cigarette, he couldn’t help the way his eyes trailed back to her.
She was nothing but dark shadows and sharp edges, the latter of which was fitting considering the multiple blade handles Kaz could spot strapped against her torso and hips. While the top half of her face was still obscured by her hood, it did nothing to hide the line of smooth bronze skin along her jaw or the full set of her lips.
Her head snapped towards him suddenly, as if she’d sensed his eyes roaming over her, so he turned away instantly.
“This,” he began, jerking his head in her direction without daring to look at her, “is The Wraith.”
From the couch, Nina’s eyes grew wide and eager. “No fucking way. I thought you were a myth!”
“Clearly not,” The Wraith mused. There was a barely there cocky edge in his voice that made Kaz’s irritation flare again.
“Why didn’t you tell us you knew The Wraith?” Jesper accused sulkily.
In a bored tone, Kaz answered, “This is a new business partnership.”
“Business?” Jesper asked, his brows pulled together skeptically.
Kaz braced himself before replying, “I had her look into Haskell. She-”
“Jesus Christ, Kaz,” Jesper intervened with a groan of disapproval. “You have to let this Haskell shit go.”
Kaz had been expecting that reaction, but it didn’t stop him from clenching his jaw so hard that it ached. “Just because you can’t see what’s happening right in front of your eyes doesn’t mean I need to be just as blind.”
“I’m not blind, Kaz. I just think you’re getting a little too deep into the conspiracy theory at this point,” Jesper argued, though he kept his voice calm and light. It made Kaz’s lips curl in distaste. Jesper’s placating tone was the last thing he needed right now. “If Haskell finds out you’ve been poking around where you don’t belong, shit could go sideways real fast. You’d be a lot better off remembering your place in the food chain before you end up with a fucking bullet in your head.”
Kaz ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek as he mulled over Jesper’s words. “Consider this a disruption in the food chain, then.”
Jesper rolled his eyes. “And what do you plan to do when-”
“Also consider this your formal warning to keep your mouth shut until your opinion is requested.”
Jesper had been with Kaz far longer than the others, which meant he was able to read the warning in Kaz’s voice instantly. His lips clamped shut, and though he looked about as irritated and exasperated as Kaz felt, he kept silent.
Jesper and Nina had both made it very clear in the past few weeks that Kaz was alone in this crusade against Haskell. In their minds, Kaz was pushing against limits that didn’t seem bendable. He was stretching the patience of an old man well known for his violence in this city, and in their minds, Kaz was only inviting problems onto himself and, by proxy, them. They were content to just keep their heads down, get their jobs done, and wait for the old man to lay down and die on his own time. Then, they’d promised Kaz again and again, he could take his place at the head of The Dregs.
But Kaz Brekker had never been one for waiting.
“I had The Wraith look into Haskell,” Kaz repeated. This time, no one interrupted. “And she found something.”
From his pocket, Kaz produced a stack of photos that The Wraith had given him the night before. The dull thuds of his cane against the carpet were the only sounds in the room as Kaz approached the coffee table. He gestured towards the disorderly pile of cash in the center with clear annoyance, and Jesper immediately moved to tidy the mess into neat stacks. As he did, Kaz began to spread the photos out onto the table. The other Dregs leaned forward to get a better look once Kaz finally stepped away.
“Are these letters?” Nina asked, lifting one of the photographs. She brought it close to her face and squinted. “I don’t recognize this language.”
“No one does,” Kaz answered simply. “It’s not foreign; it’s code.”
Nina raised a brow at him. “So you gathered all of us here in order to look at a bunch of letters none of us can even read?”
“We can’t read those,” Kaz specified, tugging a second, smaller stack of photos from his jacket pocket. He offered them to Matthias. “Confirm my suspicions, would you?”
Matthias was scowling, but then again he’d been scowling since the moment he’d walked into the room. In fact, Nina would argue that he’d been scowling like that since birth. However, his expression quickly shifted from one of irritation to one of confusion as he took the photos from Kaz. “Fjerdan?”
Kaz answered with a small nod. “Can you translate?”
“You flew me halfway across the globe to translate?”
“No,” Kaz replied coolly. “I brought you here to pay back Brum’s debt and not ask stupid questions.”
Matthias glared, but he didn’t try to argue again as he turned his attention back toward the photos. His lips moved silently as he read, and after a few long moments, he said, “This one is an old Fjerdan proverb. It loosely translates to ‘the road to righteousness is a dangerous one, may Djel keep you safe’.”
“Poetic,” Nina mused, and Matthias sent a sinister look her way.
“Just because your land is godless does not mean mine follows the same heathenism.”
“Ah, heathen,” Nina cooed. “That’s a new one, Matthias. Your vocabulary is improving.”
“What about the others?” Kaz prompted before Matthias could offer up whatever angry retort was darkening his expression. If he let the two of them get started on this, they’d never finish this meeting.
After a few more minutes of glaring at the photographs in his hand, Matthias replied, “They’re all fairly similar. This one says ‘redemption is a steep slope, do not misstep.’ This one…I don’t know the direct translation, but it’s something like ‘all acts done in the name of Djel are holy in his eyes’. This last one just says ‘darkness…consumes’? Where did you say these were found?”
“Haskell’s office. Why?”
Matthias shook his head. “These aren’t exactly common sayings. They’re more like…parables. Stories told to scare Fjerdan children onto the right path.”
Jesper, who’d been in the middle of inspecting one of the coded letters from the table, looked up. “Does Haskell have any contacts in Fjerda?”
“Not that I was aware of,” Kaz said, unease settling in his bones. Every day, it felt like there was less and less that he was aware of, despite his efforts to stay in the know. It was like his power and control were slipping away from him day by day, minute by minute, second by second. The harder he tried to hold on, the faster it escaped him.
He’d never go quite as far as saying he liked Haskell. That simply was not and would never be true. He did, however, respect the man. Or, at least, he had. He’d been twelve when Haskell had first decided to take a chance on him. Though, it had taken Kaz stabbing a man twice his age and size in order to garner the old man’s attention. Back then, it had felt like Haskell’s interest would be an easy thing to keep. After all, Kaz played the role of an obedient follower far better than even he could have hoped.
By sixteen, he was officially Haskell’s right hand man, much to the disappointment of the older Dregs members who’d been waiting for their turn in the spotlight. The other gang leaders used to scoff when Haskell strolled into their meetings accompanied by the scrawny kid with violence in his eyes. It had only taken a few stray bullets that had just barely missed their mark to silence the teasing from the rest of the Barrel leaders. And, while they might not have treated Kaz as an equal back then, they grew wise enough to keep their mouths shut in his presence.
By nineteen, Kaz had taken over nearly all of the business handlings for The Dregs. He balanced the books, scheduled the meetings, brokered the deals, brought in piles and piles of income, and yet…by twenty-two, he was being blocked out entirely. Every question asked was answered with a door slamming in his face. Every sealed deal was met with nothing more than a sideways, unimpressed glance. Every reported investment was ignored or mocked.
He’d poured more of himself into this city and The Dregs than he had to offer most days, and, as time went on, he felt more and more like there was absolutely nothing left to show for it.
“Do we know what this symbol means?” Nina asked, snapping Kaz out of his own mind. He glanced up and found her holding out one of the photos, her thumb pressed flat beside the red flower that repeated on each and every letter.
Wylan – who’d only been in this new world for a whopping two days - gave the photograph a polite once over, then shook his head and leaned out of the way for Jesper to see.
Jesper made a displeased face. “Don’t recognize it.”
“Neither did I,” Kaz admitted, “and yet it pops up over and over in these photos.”
“Could it be a signature of some kind?” Nina suggested.
Kaz nodded once. “Could be. However, we’ll have to crack this case later on. We have a more pressing concern here at the moment.”
Nina dropped the photo she was holding and sighed. “Alright, then. What is it?”
“There is one letter,” Kaz began, plucking the photo of it from the mess on the table so that he could lay it front and center. Nina and Jesper both leaned forward, squishing Wylan between them, and even Matthias lifted his chin in an effort to see it better. “That lists a series of numbers.”
After a few long moments of waiting for the crew to put two and two together, Nina’s brows crunched together as she guessed, “Tomorrow’s date?”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“Or,” Jesper countered, “it could be nothing?”
“Haskell has a secret drawer full of coded letters, one of which includes tomorrow’s date, and you think that means nothing?”
“Might include tomorrow’s date,” Jesper corrected. “Besides, maybe they’re letters from a sweetheart he has hidden away somewhere.”
“Haskell has never been one to keep quiet about his exploits,” Kaz pressed. “There would be no reason for him to need letters written in code and stored in a locked, hidden compartment in his home office. Something about this isn’t right.”
“You know I hate to agree with you,” Nina intervened, “but I think you’re right. Something about all of this is…strange, at the very least.”
Jesper sighed, the sound at once reluctant and resigned. “Yeah. It’s weird; I’ll give you that.”
Though he’d never admit it, a weight in Kaz’s chest lifted with the realization that they saw it too. Finally. After he’d been feeling the slow, creeping shift in his world for months, they were finally starting to feel the tilt as well.
“Until we can decode those letters, we won’t know exactly what Haskell is up to, but we can at least try to get a head start tomorrow and hope we get lucky.”
There was silence as the room considered their options. They could back Kaz and risk angering Haskell, or they could back Haskell and risk angering Kaz. Thankfully, when Jesper spoke next, it seemed that they’d be making the correct choice.
“What’s the plan, then, boss?” Jesper asked, leaning back casually. He slung an arm across the back of the couch, making Wylan shift nervously. The intrigued twist at the corners of Jesper’s lips said it was intentional.
“Haskell is far too lazy to travel, so whoever or whatever is happening tomorrow will have to come to him. Which means that we will all be spending the entire day staking out his frequent locations to keep an eye on anyone or anything suspicious.”
Jesper tipped his head back and groaned. “I hate stake-outs.”
Kaz was not surprised. Jesper had always voiced how dull he found the process of sitting and watching. He’d rather be where the action is, guns in hand, grin on his face.
“Hopefully, this one will be a bit more entertaining for you than usual,” Kaz said, leveling a knowing look at his oldest partner in crime. “You and Wylan will take The Slat.”
Beside Jesper, Wylan perked up and sat forward. “Does that mean I’m in?”
His eagerness made Kaz’s eyes narrow. “Tentatively.”
Wylan nodded once, feigning nonchalance. However, when he leaned back into his seat, Jesper nudged his shoulder lightly in encouragement, and the boy couldn’t hide the tiny relieved smile that made its way onto his face. Kaz wondered how long his excitement to be a part of their world would last.
“Nina and Matthias will-”
“Nina and Matthias will not be going anywhere together,” Nina broke in, supplying the rest of the sentence with a sharp, cutting voice.
“Seconded,” Matthias replied, and Nina rolled her eyes at the support.
“I don’t need your help.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“You implied-”
“Fine,” Kaz interrupted, wondering if perhaps he should rethink his decision to pull Matthias in on this. “Matthias and I will take Haskell’s house. Nina, you’ll keep an eye on The Crow Club with The Wraith.”
Nina lifted a curious brow. “She’s a part of this now, too?”
“Provided she’s still interested after meeting all of you,” he replied. He turned to face her then, and though she hadn’t moved a single inch since the conversation had begun, Kaz had felt her eyes boring into him since the moment he’d turned away.
Kaz was used to having eyes on him. A person didn’t craft myths and legends about themselves in order to be ignored. Her eyes, however, were an unfamiliar weight. She didn’t admire him with the same unusual mixture of fear and respect that the rest of the Barrel did. Instead, her stare was a challenge, like she was waiting for him to slip, for the mask to fall, for the legend to crack.
Kaz kept his face carefully blank when he met her stare, though he still couldn’t quite see her eyes beneath the shadow of her hood. “Do we have a deal?”
Silence ebbed through the room until, finally, The Wraith dipped her chin once. “We have a deal.”
Kaz said nothing to acknowledge her words as he turned back to face the others. While part of him was relieved – The Wraith was a powerful asset to have in their arsenal – the rest of him was still uneasy in her presence, though he wasn’t yet sure why. Maybe it was the way she moved like air itself, silent and unseen. Maybe it was the way she watched him like she wished to pick him apart piece by piece with her eyes alone. Maybe it was the way she lingered in the mouth of the hall, distanced away from the others as if anticipating the need for a quick escape.
Whatever it was, Kaz shook it off for the time being. To the others, he said, “We’ll start at sunrise. Haskell won’t get up any earlier than that even if his life depended on it. Keep your eyes open for anyone entering or leaving that doesn’t look familiar – possibly Fjerdan,” Kaz added, nodding towards the pictures Matthias had just laid down. “Lie low as best you can. We can’t afford one of Haskell’s watch dogs catching whiff of this. Keep your head down and your cards to your chest for now. Clear?”
Four heads bobbed in agreement, each with various levels of enthusiasm. The Wraith, however, continued to simply watch him. It made his skin crawl and his irritation bubble.
“Matthias, you have a room under your name at the hotel down the street. I assumed you wouldn’t want to stay here again?”
The look the Fjerdan cut him was deadly. “No, I would not.”
“Figured,” Kaz sighed. “I still need you close by, though, so keep your phone on and don’t wander. If you ask nicely, maybe Nina will give you a ride.”
Both of Nina’s hands rose, middle fingers up, and Matthias ground his teeth at both her and Kaz.
“I’ll walk,” he announced as he stood. He slung a duffle bag over his shoulder and turned to Kaz. “Are we done here?”
“Sure,” Kaz answered, and Matthias headed for the door without another word. The door slammed behind him, hard enough to shake the thin walls, and then Nina’s scathing glare was on Kaz again. Though, it was nothing compared to the weight of the watchful eyes behind him.
“Now are we regretting our decisions?”
“Me?” Kaz asked. “Why? I’m having a great time.”
Nina rolled her eyes and shoved off the couch. “You’re an ass, Brekker.”
If there were a contest of strength when it came to slamming Kaz’s front door, Nina would have won by a long shot. The sound was echoed a moment later by the slam of her own door down the hall. It was then that Jesper stood, shaking his head.
“She’s right, you know?”
“Noted,” Kaz replied, fishing his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket again. “Now, take Wylan and go.”
“Take him where?”
Kaz stared at Jesper blankly as he lit his cigarette. “Down the hall?”
“I thought new recruits stayed at The Slat?”
“The ones approved by Haskell do,” Kaz acknowledged. “However, Haskell still currently has no idea Wylan exists, and I’d like to keep it that way for a little while longer. Besides, you bring in the stray, you take care of it.”
Wylan frowned at that, but said nothing. In fact, he didn’t say a word when Jesper summoned him and headed toward the door. Jesper paused before stepping out into the hall to cast a glance at Kaz over his shoulder.
“Remember – thin walls.”
Kaz took a drag before responding, “Get the fuck out of my apartment.”
Jesper grinned at his successful attempt at getting beneath Kaz’s skin, then escaped quickly out into the hall, Wylan at his heels. This time, thankfully, the door shut gently. However, that meant there was nothing but an uncomfortable quiet that filled the apartment for several long moments as Kaz waited for The Wraith to speak. When she finally did, though, Kaz found he suddenly wished she hadn’t.
“Do you get off on telling people what to do?”
Kaz shut his eyes, grateful his back was still to her so she couldn’t read the tense set of his jaw. He took another long drag and exhaled slowly before turning to face her again.
“Did you come through the window just to prove a point?” He asked, ignoring her question. “Or to make absolutely sure you’d have a quick escape route if you needed one?”
The Wraith hesitated. Not long enough for most people to notice, but Kaz had. “Is ‘because I just wanted to’ not a viable option?”
“Not when you’ve spent the entire time here itching to get back to the exit,” he answered, and her feet stilled. She’d been subconsciously inching backwards down the darkened hall, and at Kaz’s words, she hesitated once more. Kaz nearly smiled at the realization that he might be getting somewhere, so he pressed, “Who is it you’re running from?”
The Wraith turned sharply. “We’re done here.”
She disappeared into the darkness of the hall, and Kaz muttered a curse under his breath before he set off after her. He tossed his still lit cigarette into the nearest ashtray as he went, and as he stepped into the bedroom illuminated by silver moonlight, he found The Wraith braced at the window, one leg already swung over the windowsill.
In any other situation, Kaz would never have done what he did. However, he’d been stewing in his irritation for too long, uncomfortable and on edge under her watchful gaze, and now he needed answers from her – if for no other reason than to feel in control again.
So, when The Wraith moved to slide the rest of her body out of the window, Kaz reached forward to grab her shoulder with his free hand. His terrible mistake was made immediately obvious to him. Within a breath, The Wraith had pulled herself back into the bedroom and shoved him far more violently than he’d have imagined her thin limbs capable of. He stumbled backward in the narrow room, bumping into the wall opposite him, but before he could steady himself with his cane, he felt the sharp pinprick of a blade pressed against his throat, just beneath his Adam’s apple.
“Touch me again and you will choke on your own blood.”
Long gone was the soft tone she’d used when she’d entered the apartment, teasing Kaz with the broken lock. In its place was a snarled voice, and, in the rush of motion, her hood had fallen back. It was the first time Kaz had found himself able to see her face without the shadow of her hood, and it was all smooth, dark skin, viciously curled lips, and dangerous eyes.
Kaz scanned her face carefully, studying her the way she’d been studying him earlier. It was her eyes, though, that kept drawing him back. Beneath the violence there, Kaz saw fear. It was not the type of fright he typically saw in The Barrel – a momentary starburst of unease that would dissipate once the threat was gone. No, there in those dark eyes was a horror that settled bone deep, one that had been with her long enough that her hands no longer shook and her voice no longer quivered.
Staring down at her, Kaz asked, “Who made you so afraid?”
“Fuck you,” she snapped, voice dripping with venom as she worked her jaw.
“Is it the person you want me to help you kill when this is all over?” he pressed, suppressing a hissed breath when the blade bit deeper into his skin. “Who are they?”
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear,” she seethed. “I owe you nothing, especially not answers.”
“How can you expect me to trust you when you’re hiding something?”
“I told you already,” she began, shoving away from him. He stayed perfectly still even without the threat of the knife at his throat. “Don’t trust me.”
She backed toward the window, and was nearly halfway out of it again before Kaz spoke. “If you still want my help when this is all over, you’ll have to tell me eventually.”
The Wraith paused, braced on the edge of the windowsill. She glanced over her shoulder to meet Kaz’s eye, and fire was burning in her gaze. “I encourage you, Mr. Brekker, to remember that I specialize in digging up secrets. Perhaps you should consider what things I might be able to discover about your past before you go demanding answers about mine.”
And then she dropped. In the few seconds it took Kaz to cross the room, she was gone, disappearing into the air like smoke. With a quiet, annoyed curse, Kaz shut the window and turned his back on thoughts of The Wraith for the rest of the night.