Three months later

Dark clouds were above her and water drenched her hair and her dress. The cold seemed to freeze her blood but she was used to it, spending a year in Ravka with only a blanket to keep warm did that to a person. The alley below her was dark and wet from the rain. Callie lay on a edge of a rooftop watching the Barrel. Her legs dangled over the side and her back was propped up by a chimney. The chaos from the plague was dying off but the city was still shaken.

The soft click of a cane broke her from her reverie. She peeked over the side of the roof and her heart skipped a beat.

Kaz was waiting in the alley. She pulled up her legs from the edge of the roof and crouched on the balls of her feet. Whoever Kaz was waiting for appeared on the other side of the alley. Kaz made his way toward them and Callie followed him from the rooftops.

His spider was crouched on a roof a couple buildings down from her. Callie squinted and she saw that Kaz was meeting with a middle aged man.

"Mr. Brekker," the man said with a thick accent Callie couldn't quite place. Kaz tapped his cane with a finger impatiently, giving off the perfect impression of someone who had better things to do. "There's a new gang leader in the Barrel."

Callie stiffened slightly. They tried to keep a low profile but they might have been found sooner than she thought they would.

"There are seven of them," definitely her gang now. The man continued, "they are run by a girl. Her name is Callie. She is a year your junior and looks Fjerdan; however, she is not. She is more deadly than your Wraith."

Callie saw Kaz stiffen and his eyes flicked to where Inej would be crouching, watching the exchange.

"No one is better than my Wraith," Kaz said, a muscle twitching at his jaw.

"Then do this job for me," the man said and leaned in slightly. "Kill her, and her gang if you have to. They can run this city to the ground and burn it before you have the chance to light a fuse."

"I don't do jobs for free," Kaz said and made to turn the other way.

"Seven million kruge," the man said and Kaz paused.

"I made the mistake of taking a job," Kaz turned away even more. "I will not make the same mistake."

"Ten million, upfront." The man tried again.

"Fifteen million," Kaz turned back around. "Upfront."

"I can have it delivered to you tomorrow," the man said and held out a hand for Kaz to shake. "The deal is the deal."

"The deal is the deal," Kaz agreed and shook the man's hand. Kaz disappeared from the alley and the man's gaze flicked to the Wraith. She froze and let her knives flash in the dim light. The man looked away and retreated down the street.

Callie glanced at the retreating figure of Inej, and the man. After a moment's hesitation, she dropped from the roof and landed in the alley. She shadowed the man and stopped when he entered a Tailors' shop. That man could be anyone.

She watched the building until the sunrise replaced the moonlight. No one came in or came out.

OoOoO

"I want your eyes and ears to catch any sign of Callie," Kaz said as he was walking toward the Slat. Inej was trailing him and he could feel her hesitation.

"You're not going to kill her yourself, are you?" Inej asked and Kaz paused.

"I'm not. You are," Kaz replied and sighed. "But not yet. I want to know her strengths, weaknesses, allies, enemies, everything. I want to know why you haven't picked up on anything and why we don't know anything about her."

Kaz felt her leave and mentally cursed himself. He felt less secure without her at his back, and though he'll never tell anyone that, he felt more comfortable when she was near. The thought of something slipping past them didn't sit well with him. He entered the empty Slat and limped up the stairs to his room.

His hand hovered over his doorknob. His door was slightly ajar, he was sure he closed it before he left. He drew his gun and cocked it before swinging open his door. It was empty.

His eyes did a full survey of the room and his eyes fell upon his bed. His sheets were slightly disturbed from the way they were this morning. His door, his bed…

Realization fell upon him and he limped down the stairs as fast as he could. He rushed into his office and saw multiple files and papers shifted. To the untrained eye, it would seem like nothing changed. But little things were changed like the positions of the paper that Kaz's eyes caught. He scanned each paper and couldn't quite place how they were all connected.

Quiet chatter reached his ears and Kaz checked each lock and window. They showed no signs of picking or forced entry. Whoever this was, they were good.

Deciding to tend to his throbbing leg and think on it in a more comfortable place, Kaz made the trek upstairs again. Someone got past him tonight. Nothing showed any signs of tinkering, but Kaz knew how to get in and out without anyone noticing. If he knew, others must know too.

Only the thought of fifteen million Kruge let him sleep soundly that night.

OoOoO

Kaz had himself tailored to look completely different and stared in shock at the hand he did not deal. The dark haired man lay down a straight flush that beat Jesper's full house. The pale skinned lady who was seated on Kaz's left let out a frustrated groan.

"Come on now," the lady sighed as the man next to her collected his pot. "I've already put too much into this game to lose it all!"

"Anti up Cal," the man teased. "Deal another one."

"But this is the last one," Cal warned and Kaz dealt again. Cal was an odd name for a woman to have. Perhaps it stood for something. Inej was spying in the city, Jesper was helping Kaz scope out the gambling centers. Kaz's Kruge arrived this morning with a note tipping off this gambling spot. The lady's hair was a rich brown and her eyes were the color of the sky on a cloudy day. She didn't look Fjerdan at all.

Kaz shared a glance with Jesper. This was the first they heard of the lady's name the whole night.

"Cal is a strange name for a beautiful lady like yourself," Jesper commented and Cal let loose a melodic laugh.

"Cal was a very popular nickname where I grew up. It's short for Callie," Cal continued. Jesper and Kaz shared another glance. Could this be her? "It's not as common here, but after people from my city came here, it's become much more common among teenagers."

Did Kaz miss something while they went to the Ice Court? Either that, or this would be a lot harder than he thought. If there were more teenagers named Callie in Ketterdam, it would be harder to pinpoint the gang leader.

Cal threw down her cards in a celebratory burst of energy. A royal flush. Another hand Kaz did not deal. Someone at this table other than him was controlling the game. The dark haired man sighed and threw his cards face down on the table.

"Nice meeting you all," Cal nodded to Kaz and Jesper asks she stood up. "But I'm cashing out while I'm ahead."

"Nice seeing you again Callie," the man said and smirked. He leaned back in his chair and glanced at her pile of chips. "Heard your gang is doing pretty well, caught a couple thousand Kruge off of Brekker."

Jesper stiffened. No one took from Kaz and got away with it. He fingered his revolvers, but he did not shoot.

"Sure did," Callie winked and Kaz noted every single inch of her face. "Didn't I Kaz?"

Kaz's hands went deadly still over his deck of cards. Callie's gaze was fixed on him and seemed to pin him to his seat. Jesper shot her heart. It whizzed by her and shot the table next to her, leaving a hole in a gamblers chair. People panicked and Jesper stared at his guns in shock. He missed.

Callie flashed a smile and became lost in the frenzied crowd. Kaz jumped onto the table and surveyed the crowd. He lost sight of the brown haired lady. Jesper pushed and shoved his way through the gamblers, but he could not find Callie. The gang leader was gone.

OoOoO

Renny met Callie in a local bakery. Her hair was longer and her dress seemed to cling to her body more than usual.

"That went well," Renny said after a moment of silence. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "At least they know we're here."

"I suppose so," Callie sighed. "Someone leaked. One of us did."

"I would never betray us," he said. "I have more to lose than everyone else."

"I know," she gritted and glanced outside. "That's why I'm telling you this. Someone wants me dead. That same person bribed Brekker with fifteen million Kruge to kill me."

"Good luck with that," Renny scoffed and then perked up, "Does that mean we can finally be open now?"

"It does," she nodded and Renny beamed. "And this is our public hideout."

His face fell. "This?"

"Is there another building I could be referring to?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"No," Renny shifted uncomfortably. "But isn't it a little-"

"A little what?" Callie interrupted. "It's perfect."