Chapter 5

No Kaz please plagued her mind as she pressed her hands to the floor, getting to her feet. Her pleas took on the bleating of a sheep in her mind which brought out the humiliation of the torture Kaz put her through. Coward, you couldn't even bring yourself to be an actual threat with Jespers revolver too scared to even pull back the hammer of his weapon to be of any use. Instead, you hoped for Kaz's mercy blindly following after him to his apartment hoping to plead your case. Your just like your mother, weak and pathetic. The only reason you have this room now is Kaz feels pity for you knowing a man could take you if he just lay on top of you.

Maya's eyes darted to the door as he heard the springs of the lock release, turning her body into a fighting stance as the door sprung open revealing Kaz on the other side. "Kaz?" She asked not changing her fighting stance in the least, not sure what he wanted.

"I've been banging on your door." Kaz said with a hiss. "Then I heard a disturbance do I need to call a medic?" He looked Maya over she looked fine, but appearances can be deceiving. "I'm fine. What do you want?" Maya asked. "You've been avoiding me." Kaz said.

"I wonder why." Maya said sarcastically letting her arms fall to her sides. Kaz let himself in her room shutting the door behind him, Maya instinctively moved back. "If you're afraid of me, you don't have to go on the job." "I'm not afraid of you. I was giving you space." Maya's room was the smallest he had to offer she had enough space to store a small cot, dresser, and a small table with a chair in front of it for when she made her clothing, the sewing machine taking up the bulk of the space.

"What I did to you, do you plan to tell anyone?" Kaz asked. "We went up to your place and we talked you didn't do anything. So, what's there to tell?" Maya answered.
She was giving him too easy of an out there must have been something. "You're not using it against me, why aren't you demanding anything?" Kaz uttered. "Correction I am demanding one million kruge plus the quarter a million for the negotiation with Sturmhond once the job is done." "That's what I offered but why are you not demanding more?" Kaz was suspicious again. "You don't want to know why I am not demanding more." Maya informed him.

"No, I do tell me." Kaz told her. "You want to know how humiliating it was to be tied to a chair and having to beg you not to hurt me? How much it hurts to have your ribs broken only to be told that it's not the worst pain I can experience and having morphine held over my head as the only way to get rid of the pain, knowing that it won't cure it? So, no I don't want anything more from you because I want to earn what I have, without having to beg for it. I've seen my mother do it all my life and I want a different path to hold my head high."

Kaz merely leaned on his cane listening to Maya, feeling a twinge of guilt. A feeling he never had since Jordie died. "So can we go?" Maya asked. Kaz nodded and she walked on ahead of him practically running down the stairs, Kaz fell quickly behind. Pride. He didn't have a name for what he took from her till now. He wondered why he had to push it.

Maya was already at Berth five, talking enthusiastically with Jesper and Wylan. Inej ran up to Kaz looking excited to be on another job with him. De Vries was already on the boat with everyone assembled Kaz told them they were actually going to Berth twelve.

They all picked up their suitcases with the exception of Kaz, his suitcase been carried on by Berend the second sailor.

Jesper offered to carry Maya's suitcase downstairs, which she gratefully accepted sitting down on the furniture that was on the boat. Jesper sat next to Maya after carrying both suitcases down. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Jesper asked tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine." Maya replied playfully batting his hand away. He was always such a flirt.

"Honey, you've got bags under your eyes." He said. "I've never been on a job with the whole crew I guess I'm anxious." Maya replied. "If it was that easy you would've come to me or Wylan, I know you too well you basically moved in for six months." He reminded her. "I was waiting for you to come to us before I confronted you, but I know you took my revolver."

"I." Maya started and stopped, looking into Jesper's gray eyes. Maya took a survey around her, it was only her and Jesper within earshot, of course Jesper confronted her now when she couldn't just walk away. Stuck on a boat leaving the harbor. Kaz had returned it as promised, but obviously wasn't convincing enough. "What happened between you and Kaz?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Maya replied trying to grin, but it turned into a grimace. "What happened that morning?" Jesper pressed. "Why don't you ask Kaz?" Maya said defensively. "I have many times, now I'm asking you." Jesper kept his voice calm, but she could feel the emotion behind it. "Kaz made you promise not to tell anyone hasn't he? He's my brother I think I have a right to know what he's doing." She gave Jesper's hand a squeeze.

Jesper was the closest thing Kaz had to a brother, but he could never replace Jordie. "Jesper, I told you I could handle myself." Maya said. "Against Kaz?" Jesper shook his head. "If you took my revolver something went down between the two of you. What was it? I have to know how things stand between you, I'm putting my neck out for this job and its not for the payout." Jesper insisted.

Kaz appeared out of nowhere, leaning on his cane. "Nice weather." He interrupted them. "A trite windy." Maya said, her hair shifting with the wind. Maya stood. "If you'll excuse me." She said using the distraction to walk away from Jesper gracefully. Kaz turned his attention to Jesper who couldn't hide his disappointment at Maya's departure. "Careful you might make Wylan jealous." Kaz joked.

"Wylan and I are fine." Jesper said tensely as Kaz sat down. "Any questions for me or are they just directed to Maya?" Kaz asked. "I spoke to Niko gave him a few hundred kruge, you planned on kidnapping Maya." Jesper said. Kaz swore under his breath. "It took a lot of Kruge to find out about your plot, instead Maya turns up knifes at the ready and my revolver to stave off your kidnapping. What were you thinking?" Jesper inquired.

"It was a demonstration, it got out to Maya, and she acted on it." Kaz explained. Maya apparently didn't stray too far and sat back down much to Kaz's relief. "Alright, I'm guessing Wylan knows?" She asked, Jesper nodded.

"Would you go get him and Inej we are going to have a meeting." Maya decided. Jesper looked at Kaz and got up to go get Inej and Wylan. "How bad is this going to make me look?" Kaz asked Maya. "We should never of agreed to keep this a secret." She told him.

Inej looked inquiring at Kaz as she sat down with Wylan and Jesper. "I've been keeping a secret from all of you, one that made Kaz suspicious and made a bad decision. He thought I've arranged with a rival gang, to get on this job. When The Wild one's decided to try to kill Kaz using Inej as hostage, it almost worked except I spoiled their plan because I can see into the future."

"On that day, I didn't have dreams unfortunately factors can come in play that prevent me from seeing something play out until said event is put into motion. My visions aren't meant to be used in the manner in which a gang might find useful, which is why I am hesitant to tell you of them. This job can't rely on what I see so don't become to dependent on them to get us through it.

Changing events is fairly new to me because in my country it is considered a curse. I don't plan on divulging on Kaz's bad decision, nor would I hold it against him." Maya finished.

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