Same voice. Same answering machine. Another voicemail.
He was supposed to be home by now. She knew this. So where was he? He was just supposed to go to the Crow Club, talk to Jesper and Anika, and be home in an hour. That was six hours ago. Inej was worried. What if something happened on his way back? What if he was hurt or worse? She knew it was a stupid fear. This was Kaz Brekker she was talking about. He was almost impossible to get the jump on.
And, yet, she had this feeling. Like something terrible had happened. She called again, pacing back and forth in their living room. The phone rang twice, and then she heard the door unlock, and a phone buzzing. She turned around and watched as Kaz walked into the room. "Inej-" He began, knowing what was coming.
"Where were you? You said an hour!" She exclaimed, dropping her phone. "That was six hours ago. No call, no text. I called you twenty fucking times! I thought something had happened to you. Do you have any idea-"
"I was followed from the Crow Club. I didn't want them to follow me back here. I tried to lose them, and when I didn't, I had to, well, their bodies are laying in an alleyway now." He let out a small chuckle, taking a few steps towards her, slowly in case she decided she wanted to stab him. "I wanted to answer your calls, I promise."
"What mess did you get yourself into this time, Kaz?" Her voice was quiet but angry. She could see right through him.
He shook his head. "There's no mess." He tried to assure her. She was not fooled. She crossed her arms, giving him a look that might have been a warning.
"Don't fucking lie to me, Kaz Brekker." She warned. "What did you do?"
"There's been some trouble down at the club. Pekka Rollins has been stirring up some trouble." She sighed, closing her eyes. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm dealing with him."
"That's exactly what I am worried about!" She exclaimed.
"Well, don't. There's no reason for you too." He hung his coat up, not looking at her. "It's my problem, not yours. And it's not even that big of a mess. Just some moron from the barrel who wants to stir up some trouble." It was another lie. Pekka was threatening to bring down the Crow Club, the Dregs, everything Kaz had built. But he could not tell Inej this.
"I'm not talking to you until you tell me what's wrong." She decided, starting up the stairs. He began to follow her, but she stopped him. "And you're sleeping on the couch."
"Inej-" He began, but she was already gone. He sighed, leaning against the stairway railing. His leg ached, his mind was swimming, and he had a million and one regrets right then and there. He knew he should not have pushed her away, but he could not drag her into this. He would not let her get hurt, no matter what she said. No matter how strong she was, he would not let her get involved and risk Pekka taking her away like he had everything else Kaz had found important. He sat on the couch, trying to scheme a plan, trying to figure out what to do, but the only thing he could think about was why he was sitting down here and Inej was sitting upstairs and why they were not talking.
At some point, his brain must have given up on everything altogether, and the rest of his body followed in suit. He dozed off. When he woke, he looked at the old clock in the corner. It was the oldest thing in the house, and he was honestly surprised either of them had decided to keep it. It was a few minutes behind the rest of the clocks, but he got the gist of it. It was three in the morning.
He got up, groggy, his eyes bleary. His leg was still sending jolts of pain throughout the rest of his body. He went upstairs, hoping Inej was asleep so he could at least change out of his blood and dirt-stained clothes. Of course, however, he was not so lucky. He opened the door quietly, and in the dim moonlight, he could make out Inej's small frame, her black hair in dark waves down her back, her legs folded beneath her. She was mumbling. She was praying.
She did not look up, but he knew she knew he was there. "Inej." He tried again. She did not respond. "Inej." She turned around, and he registered tears. He had made her cry. He walked towards her, slowly, and when she did not tell him to stop, he sat near her on the bed.
"You're late." She muttered, making him laugh a little.
"You told me to sleep on the couch." He reminded her.
"Since when do you listen?" She raised an eyebrow. He laughed more, and she laughed a little too. It sounded forced. She was still upset.
"I lied to you." He admitted. She gave him a look that said, about damn time. "I didn't tell you because… well, you know my history with Pekka. I didn't want him to take you away from me like he's doing with everyone and everything else."
"What do you mean? What's going on, Kaz?" There was worry evident in her voice.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "He says he has something that could bring down the Crow Club, the Dregs, everything we have. We're missing four Dregs so far, and twenty thousand dollars." He admitted.
"You still should have told me."
"I know." He opened his eyes, meeting hers. "The reason I was home late-"
"You were captured, weren't you? Someone succeeded in getting the jump on you." He nodded. "It was Rollins, wasn't it?" He nodded again. "Kaz-"
"It won't happen again." He promised. She knew there was a chance it could not be kept, but she also knew she could trust Kaz to come back to her. He laid back on the bed, opening his arms and gesturing for her to come. She crawled across the bed, laying in his arms and resting her head on his chest. "I'm guessing you don't want me to sleep on the couch tonight then?"
She jabbed him in the side. "Shut up, bastard."
He laughed, running a hand through the ink black waves of her hair. "Love you too." He did not get a response, for she had already fallen asleep. He smiled, watching her breath for a while, just to know she was still here, still alive, before finally falling asleep as well.