The meeting had gone considerably well, taking into account that Kaz never held high expectations for things that could go wrong. Especially not after Van Eck. He had met with the man, Aldrich Jed, whom he had told everything he thought necessary. He had kept to what he told the group, misinforming Jed on the dates, who seemed to be none the wiser. Now Kaz paced along the streets of Ketterdam, making his way to the Fifth Harbor, where a shipment he had ordered awaited him. It was nothing too important, just some fresh jurda and a stock of bread he had bought for the Slat.
The Berth, number fourteen, came into his view accompanied by a ship he had bought in the previous months for business, The Crow, keeping true to the animal of The Dregs. It was a ketch, not the fastest vessel, but something more for comfort and large operating range. Good enough. On the slip by the gangway stood Wade Emmerson, a trader and sailor Kaz had hired for this job. And for plenty of other trade or buying jobs that Kaz couldn't be bothered to go overseas for.
He stepped closer, stopping in front of the short man. He was scrawny, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and a diamond shaped face.
"Emmerson. Everything is aboard and accounted for?" Kaz inquired, looking over Wade's shoulder, who nodded.
"Yes sir, six barrels of jurda and 1350 bags of rolls, should last you a good few months," the fellow said, adjusting his coat proudly. Kaz nodded.
"Thank you, Emmerson." Kaz pulled a cheque out of his pocket, reading ten thousand kruge, and handed it to Wade. "That covers the cost, plus the two extra thousand for your time. I'll have my Dregs stop by to unload. You're free to go." Wade took the check happily and skittered off, no doubt headed to a bank to cash it. Kaz boarded the ketch, making sure the cabins with the goods were locked properly before directing his steps to the Slat. His leg ached as he walked, pulsating painfully as it always did. Thankfully, the weather was good today. He arrived at the stingy little place, much better in comparison to the buildings surrounding it, Kaz had taken his time renovating it when they had profited off of Van Eck. But it was still in the lower regions of the Barrel. He swept up to the door and stepped inside, laughter and shouts and talking immediately hitting his ears. Anika plodded in front of him.
"How'd it go, boss?" she asked, blonde hair shining in the hanging light.
Kaz kept his face slack, "Fine. I need you to take Pim and a few of the bigger bruisers, The Crow docked and it needs unloading. Take a pinch of jurda each, if you must, I don't care. Now, if you would be so kind as to move, I've got business to attend to." She looked exasperated but nodded nonetheless.
"Yes boss," she replied, stepping out of his way. He trudged on to his lower office and she began gathering the bruisers. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting it promptly behind him. He was met by three sets of eyes on him, staring up from the floor. They had cards in hand, though none of them seemed particularly entertained, and Kaz assumed they had been at it for a while. Inej stood.
"How did it go?" she questioned. Jesper stood as well, helping Wylan up, who looked beyond fatigued.
"Well enough. Jed bought it."
"So now we know his name. Wonderful, Kaz," Jesper huffed, rolling his eyes.
Kaz cocked an eyebrow. "I have my reasons." In truth, he didn't have much a reason at all, other than the ringing thought in his head as with every job or scheme, just in case. He only told them now for Inej's sake, so that she could know him personally and decided from there whether or not she wanted him dead. Kaz knew she only killed the worst of the Slavers.
Kaz heard Jesper mutter, "You always do, don't you," under his breath. He fought the urge to smile.
"We discussed further, The Premier is coming from the west, do with that what you will. Try to be discrete, Wraith. It's supposed to be a brutal crew, if Jed knows anything about them." That was the best Kaz could give her, he only hoped that her nod meant she understood that she needed to stay safe.
"Trust me, if any ship can manage stealth, it's The Wraith. Thank you," she breathed the last two words and they sent a chill down Kaz's spine. He hated how much power she had over him, without even knowing it, without an inkling of the chaos it could cause. Instead of telling her any of that, though, he simply nodded. She strode past him and out the door, quiet as ever. In turn, Kaz went to his desk, taking his seat behind it.
Wylan chewed his lip as he watched her leave. "We aren't going to go with her, or send anyone?" Kaz shuffled through a stack of papers that told him who had been paid and who still needed to. Wylan stared intently at him, he could feel it, and it was safe to say he was not a fan.
"Her business of slaver hunting has never included us. Why would that change now?" he drawled, picking up a pen and scribbling down a few numbers.
"Because you got her into this, and because according to you and Jed, the crew of this damned ship is relentless and she could end up dead because of you!" Jesper snapped, masking over whatever Wylan had in mind. Kaz was slightly taken aback. He looked up from the paper in his hand, meeting Jesper's eyes. He scowled but held the gaze, and decided upon saying something particularly nasty.
"Then we would be even, wouldn't we."
He saw Jesper's jaw grind, and could feel the tension in the room rising, but he did not regret what he said. He trusted Jesper, had forgiven him, but the thought of being the reason for Inej's death, having to see her cold dead body, was something he couldn't bear. The idea came along with the stabbing urge to make a low blow at Jesper, and who was he if not to bend to the will of spite and malevolence. Kaz looked away and back down at the work he held. "That was two years ago, Kaz, and I didn't mean to and you know that! How can you be such an insufferable prick that you still hold on to that? How fucking miserable do you have to be?" Jesper shouted, absolutely losing it.
"How fucking miserable do you have to be?" The words rang in Kaz's head. You haven't got a clue.
"Inej could end up dead and you're worried about something that happened TWO YEARS AGO! Nobody died, nobody suffered for more than a few weeks, and I'm sorry it happened!"
Kaz was done with this conversation. "Inej can take care of herself." His voice came out gruff and blunt.
Jesper marched in front of the desk and bent over it, forcing Kaz to look at him, who was willing him to say something else stupid. His voice was low as he said, "Fine, but if she dies remember this. Remember that you wouldn't send anyone to help her, and that you were too much of a podge to go with her yourself. If she dies, it is your fault. I'm going to go try and help her." He turned heel and gestured to Wylan, who looked between the two for a moment, clearly siding with Jesper. They left together, the door slamming shut. Kaz stared at it long and hard.
"If she dies, it is your fault."
She can take care of herself, she's fine, she doesn't need me or my men.
"-your fault."
A flash of bodies, the stink, Inej amidst it all and completely unmoving.
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, as though the motion would rattle the thoughts pinging about the walls of his mind. He forced himself to stop thinking of her all together, as he had been trying to do ever since he realized she could be exploited against him as a weakness. He took a deep breath in through his nose and straightened himself. She will be fine, and even if she's not, it's for the better. The Barrel, no, Ketterdam is unforgiving. We've both cheated death too many times. He pried his focus away from Inej and continued with his paperwork once more. Anika interrupted his flow.
Her face poked in through the doorway. "Stuff's here, boss."
Kaz looked up. "Have Hoffman and Bugs take the bread to the Crow Club, along with a quarter of the jurda. The rest stays here. I'm sorting out money right now, you'll find a couple kruge added to your pay."
"Right," she replied. He expected her to leave after that, looking back down to the numbers on the page. He crossed something out. He didn't have to look up to know that she was still in the room, watching him, shuffling about. He sighed and set aside his pen, folding his hands composedly, meeting her eyes.
"Is there something else you need, Anika?" It was less of a question, more of a coded way to say, 'get out of my office unless you have a good reason.'
She looked a little sheepish. Kaz felt himself grow agitated. She shook her head, stepping out right after she did so, as though she knew her mistake. Kaz rolled his eyes and got back to work. He wasn't blind or stupid, he was aware that there were people who were attracted to him, and he was aware that it was cocky to say so. Having one of them in his ranks could be tiring, to say the least. He wasn't sure when it started or why, but every so often she would have a look in her eyes, and he would immediately wish he could leave the room.
He was left alone once more. After a few more hours, he retired for the night, retreating to his room. He didn't sleep much, though when did he really ever. When he awoke, the sun was barely greeting the skyline and the streets of Ketterdam were quiet, or at least as quiet as a place like that could be. He went about his usual routine, dressing and getting some paperwork done, then heading down to the bottom floor of the Slat to supervise. He took a seat at one of the barstools, not bothering to order anything, eyes scanning the crowd of Dregs. Everything was as usual as always.
After a while he grew restless, deciding to go down to the docks at third harbor. When he arrived upon the threshold, he made sure his presence wasn't too noticeable. Instead of a usual spot standing in the open on a dock, he chose a more secretive spot, peering out over the bay from the shadows and safety of a dead-ended alleyway. His eyes scanned and then landed upon a large Schooner. The name read Premier. Kaz raised his eyebrows.
If the Premier is docked, where the hell is Inej?