Author's Note:

This chapter contains some graphic violence and a romantic interlude between our boys. If those things make you uncomfortable, you may want to skip this chapter. I promise more is coming soon!

KAZ

I returned to the Slat and gathered the rest of the Dregs. If the Dime Lions are smart, they'll come to the warehouse armed and en masse. I doubt Greiden will go without a fight. If he decides to come to save face, he'll definitely bring his men. I'm not stupid enough to keep my crew small for this part of the plan. I've instructed all of them to stay hidden. The roofs are best. I don't want many of them on the ground, giving away our numbers.

"Don't watch the warehouse. Keep your eyes on your surroundings. I want you alert to every movement within a 100 yard radius. They're going to come at us with everything they've got. I need you to be ready. Kill anyone you see quietly and leave them where they fall. When they arrive on the ground, you'll hear it from me. Be vigilant and take out as many of them as you can before we start. When I give the signal, start shooting but do not" I look around the circle of men, "do not shoot Greiden." My Dregs nod and fall out, disappearing into the darkness. Only a few remain with me, including Ryare.

While Ryare can't make large fires, he's excellent at small ones. He's rather averse to violence but in the last few months with me, he's become more accustomed to it. I wasn't sure why he decided to stay in Ketterdam until I had him followed home after our first meeting. His girl has family here; not poor lower class citizens but well-off merchers. No fortune large enough to get them anywhere close to the council but their lands in the country produce well.

I pay Ryare well for every job and, while I can sense his distaste, I'm not cheap. He is able to maintain a nice wardrobe and comfortable flat for his trouble, enough to make him look good to her family. If he gets his way, he'll be working for her father before long. I doubt he'll stay on after that. I plan to get as much use out of him as possible before that happens.

I retain the few men for protection while I evaluate the situation. They follow me without question and we depart quickly. I can smell the fire several blocks away. As we draw closer, I can see ash floating in the air around us. When we turn the corner, I see the remnants of the warehouse glowing slightly, the center still hot. The light should be enough if we stand close to it. I choose the right side where part of a wall remains standing. It backs up to the sea, which is probably why it's still relatively intact. This particular warehouse was valuable because it's dock leads directly into the water, allowing for shipments to be unloaded straight from the boat. The waves slosh against it occasionally. It will protect our backs, enabling us to see them coming and only have to watch the sides.

We don't have to wait long. Within ten minutes, I see a group emerge from the alleyway in front of us. While the group isn't small, I know better than to assume this is all of them. I'll have to hope my Dregs were as prepared as I told them to be.

"Glad you could join us," I call out as they approach, making sure my voice carries to my men on the roofs. When they get closer, I see Greiden in the middle, armed and unrestrained.

Looks like he decided to come willingly. Smart move. It won't help him in the end.

"Thank you for bringing him," I gesture to the men surrounding him, letting them know I'm acknowledging their expected amnesty. Of course, I never stated how long that amnesty would last.

"What business, Brekker?" Greiden starts on the offensive.

"It's good to see you too, Greiden." I give him the nastiest smile I can muster. "Since you want to move right into business, I'll state my terms. I'd like my warehouse back." He shuffles his feet, either in nervousness or anticipation. Perhaps both. He remains silent.

"Can you give me that?" I continue. He scoffs.

"I've nothing to do with your warehouse. If you're here to make ridiculous demands, we'll be going." I can see he wants to leave but knows better than to turn his back to me.

"That's where you're wrong. See, I noticed your men casing this warehouse a couple weeks ago. Then, last week, your men really got to work. It seems you've been cleaning it up. Isn't that right?" Silence.

"Perhaps for the shipment that's set to arrive in a couple of days?" I can see sweat gleaming on his face in the soft glow from the warehouse.

"Of course, I don't mind someone cleaning up my property, as long as they leave it in better shape than they found it. Does it look like it's in good shape to you?" I ask, gesturing to the warehouse although my eyes never leave his.

"Now, how would you like to do this? Will you come with me willingly or would you have your men hand you over to me trussed up like a goose?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Brekker, and there's no way my men are going to hand me over to the likes of you."

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" I look around at the men. "Your amnesty only lasts as long as your cooperation." I can see them begin to shuffle around him, murmuring to each other. I sigh with false impatience.

"I've been very tolerant of your antics tonight, Greiden. Last chance." A couple of the men move toward him but Greiden's glare stops them.

"Don't even think about it," he growls.

"It's too bad it has to be this way," I start, my voice rising slightly. "If only you hadn't started the-"

I developed a signal word with my Dregs less than a week after Per Haskell was ousted. It changes frequently, lest someone decides they're stupid enough to make a little money off the information. Tonight, the word is so easy it's nearly unpredictable. No one would expect it to be-

"-fire." Nearly all the men fall at once. I see a couple bullets graze Greiden but he doesn't fall. It would seem target practice has been going well. There are yells from the alleys and several other men coming running out of hiding. They're dropped instantly.

"Now, where were we?" Greiden makes the mistake of trying to run. I glance at Ryare and a small fireball shoots out of his hands, setting fire to the bottom of Greiden's pants. He falls with a scream. I nod and two of my men swiftly move to restrain him. One kneels, a knee digging into the back of his neck. The other grabs his hands and binds them. Neither of them attempt to extinguish the flames. His screams continue, growing louder with each second.

"Put them out," I say to Ryare quietly. The flames flicker out immediately. Left behind are his scalded legs. His shoes seem to have melted into the bottoms of his feet. Blisters are already forming over the exposed skin. His cries have been reduced to gulping sobs.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," he gasps out. "Plea-s-se d-" he stutters, unable to finish his begging.

"Perhaps no one informed you. I'm not the forgiving type." I sniff the air, inhaling the sharp scent of his roasted flesh.

"Turn him over," I instruct the men. They do so, continuing to hold him in place. I move closer.

"I want to see your face while I cook you," I say softly. More sobs burst forth, somehow how even louder than before. I move toward the warehouse and pull out a long piece of wood, the end charred but cool. I motion to Ryare.

"Light this," I can see his disgust but he does as I ask. Flames shoot out and the end of the wood is alight instantly. I turn back to Greiden.

"Where should I start, hm?" I ask, pretending to pose the question to him.

"N-no-o-o," he keels.

"Let's start with the shipment. When is it arriving?" I don't give him a chance to answer before I dig the end of the wood into his thigh. He screams.

"Would you like me to ask again?" I say when he quiets slightly.

"T-t-two days."

"To be delivered here?" His head jerks in what I assume is a nod.

"Good." I slam the flickering end of the wood into his side this time. His yells are going to draw the stadwatch at some point. I need to finish this.

"Thank you kindly for the information. I'll make sure it's put to good use." I look at the men.

"Lift him."

"Wait!" his panic makes the word come out as a pant. I hold up my hand to stop them. "There's m-o-o-re," I look at him, pretending to consider.

"I don't care." I step back and my men adjust their grips. When they touch his legs to lift him up, his screams resound inside my ears. I relish the sound.

"I did-didn't knoooow," he manages to get out. "she was-s-"

"I. Don't. Care." I enunciate each word carefully, rage coloring my voice as the vision of Inej collapsed in the burning warehouse crosses my mind.

"Throw him there," I point to the center of the warehouse where the coals still glow red-hot. His eyes follow my hand as much as they can and, despite his injuries, he does a decent job of squirming.

"No! Please! I'll do-" his pleas are cut off as they heft him through the air. He lands with a crash in the still smoldering pile. I walk away as his screams turn to smoke.

WYLAN

News travels fast in Ketterdam, especially gruesome news. Tales surrounding the death of the recent owner of Perka Rollins's pleasure houses spreads like wildfire.

Maybe not the best word choice given the nature of his demise. At the center of it, as expected, is Kaz. Jesper smiles as he recites the story and I grimace at him.

"How can you be happy about something like that? A man died. Horribly."

"He deserved it."

"Who are you to pass judgement on him? He was just a man-" I'm not sure why I'm arguing this. Something inside me doesn't want Jesper to be pleased when others die, regardless of the circumstances.

"Tell that to Inej. He owned girls, made money off of them, the very girls she's trying to save. Not to mention, he nearly got her killed. So yeah, I'm happy he's dead."

"Are you happy Kaz did it?" Jesper shrugs.

"It's Kaz. What do you expect?" I sigh. I know he's right. Still, it doesn't sit well with me.

Kaz hasn't returned since that night. It's been three days since he murdered Greiden and, while I know he doesn't do well with Inej being injured, I expected him to return to check on her.

As if to accent his absence, Ashiana has stayed with us. She tends to Inej every day. Inej seems remarkably better although she hasn't done more than move around her room. Jesper and I have taken turns sitting with her but neither of us have managed to muster up the courage to tell her about Greiden. We both know she won't react well. Unlike Jesper, she doesn't seem to take pleasure in the deaths of others - no matter how deserving they seem. She is always especially displeased when Kaz does something truly despicable.

"Are you going to see her?" I turn my attention back to Jesper.

"I thought we had an appointment at noon?" He nods.

"I meant after that. I thought maybe..." I raise an eyebrow. Jesper isn't one to beat around the bush. "Do you think we should invite her into the garden?"

When Inej lived here, before she departed for her year-long voyage, she openly enjoyed the garden. Ketterdam is a dirty city, no which ways about it. While I know Inej has no issues with its state of cleanliness, we both clearly remember how much she loved smelling each flower, regardless of whether it contained a smell or not. She said it reminded her of summer in Ravka as a child - sampling each flower they found to discover which one held the most delicious scent.

"It's the yellow ones," she insisted. "The yellow flowers always smell the best." Since then, I have pointedly cultivated a variety of plants with yellow blooms. She hasn't visited the garden since her arrival. With spring in full swing, the new foliage is in top form.

"I'll ask her to join us this afternoon," I confirm. I ring for the maid.

"Have you spoken with Ashiana today?" I ask Marian when she arrives.

"Yes, sir. She said Ms. Ghafa is doing well."

"I'm glad. Please let her know we'd like to see her." Marian nods and retreats deeper into the house. Within minutes, Ashiana has appeared.

She is very beautiful, if you enjoy looking at women. Slim and graceful with golden brown hair shot through with a myriad of colors. It looks almost multicolored in the sunlight. She gives us both a smile but I see her gaze linger a moment too long on Jesper's lanky build.

Jealousy spikes even though I know he is faithful. It's a look many wear when he enters or exits a room, men and women alike. His easy smile and natural charm make him a magnet for anyone remotely interested in men, which includes an unexpectedly large amount of the population.

"Ashiana, I'm glad you could join us." Her focus shifts to me and a real smile spreads across her face. Jealousy mostly discarded, I gesture to the chair in front of me.

"Thank you for having me."

"Of course, we're happy to have anyone here who can help Inej recover." She nods.

"Inej is doing much better now. She and I have done a good bit of talking. Her lungs seem to be functioning almost normally. She still has difficulty catching her breath sometimes but I think that will pass soon."

"I'm so glad to hear it. I wanted to ask-" I glance at Jesper.

"We were wondering if you thought she was well enough to join us in the garden this afternoon," he finishes.

"Oh yes," she replies immediately. "She is certainly well enough for that. I hope she will join you. It would do her good to get out of her room." A look of uncertainty flits over her face for a moment so short I hesitate to say I saw it. A quick glance at Jesper indicates I wasn't wrong. I continue, unwilling to acknowledge it in her presence.

"Thank you. I hope you will join us for dinner. And please, enjoy the garden. That's what it's made for." She smiles and rises, recognizing the dismissal. It's her parting look that gets me. Her eyes shift from kind to sultry in seconds. I'm not even sure it's intentional. All I know is her gaze was much less than innocent as soon as she turned it on Jesper. For a moment, I'm sure I see a flicker of interest reflected in his eyes. Something akin to anger fills me and I walk away from Jes, unable to hide my emotions.

"Sounds like she's well enough," Jesper comments when I remain silent. I try to get ahold of my emotions.

One woman looking longingly at Jes shouldn't make me this angry. Even while I know it's irrational, while I know Jesper is happy with me, I still struggle. After a moment, I compose myself and turn.

"Yes, I'm glad. We'll definitely invite her down this afternoon." Jesper gives me a slow smile and swiftly sidles up to me.

"Let's do that. But first-" his long fingers brush through my curls. I look up at him, his height always makes my chin tilt up almost unnaturally. It's easy to see why people fall all over themselves when he glances their way. I'd like to tell myself I wasn't the same at the start but one look into his eyes and I'm not sure I'm much different.

"First?" I question. He draws closer, ignoring the notion of personal space. He bends toward me and my breath hitches. One hand splays against my back, gently pushing our bodies closer.

"First, we have our lunch meeting." Then his lips are on mine. I don't have time to do anything but gasp. He takes the opening and his tongue delves past my lips, flicking out once, twice, again, till I'm only tasting him. A moan escapes and I feel his grip tighten around me, our bodies molding together. Without warning, his mouth is exploring my jawline, my neck, alternating tongue and teeth.

"I'm all for-" another moan as his teeth skim a sensitive spot where my neck meets my chest. "-skipping that," I manage to finish. I feel his laughter more than hear it. He pulls away slightly, ending the marvelous torture.

"You wouldn't say that if you were looking over our stock in barley." I pull his face to mine, my lips finding his again.

"I don't care about barley," I say between kisses.

"You would if you enjoyed my whiskey," Jesper admonishes although his hands trace a different story along my body.

"I couldn't care less about whiskey right now." I mumble. He draws back suddenly, as though pulling away requires immense intention.

"You may not but I promise you, many do. This isn't a meeting to miss." He runs a hand through his hair and gives me a lazy grin.

"And then-" he grabs me again for another kiss, pushing me back the moment it's finished, holding my at arm's length as if I'm something dangerous "-then we'll work off lunch." He winks and walks to the door.

"Meet you downstairs in ten." And with that, he's gone. I groan. This is going to be a long meeting.