Chapter Seventeen
The Devil Ain't a Friend To No One.

It was a bad day.

Days in Ketterdam didn't exactly come in shades of good and bad. For those living in the Barrel, it was more like Bad and Slightly Less Bad. For Kaz today was a bad day and it had started the night before.

Inej had returned with a yes from the Heartrender. Kaz had sent some of his Dregs to sneak her out of the Emerald Place, he had not deigned to go himself. He feigned indifference when Inej asked why he hadn't gone himself, when he needed Zenik's services he would go to her, she was not a priority. The reality was, that perhaps it had been the walk to the roof in the cold two days ago or the continuous sleeping at the desk had hurt his leg more than it usually did. Today he was limping harder and being twice as cruel to cover it. He certainly was not going to aggravate it by sneaking Zenik out of the Emerald Palace.

So maybe it was the pain in his body that had caused the nightmares. Maybe it was the welcoming of a new year that made Jordie's voice louder in his dreams. All Kaz knew was he had spent the nights drowning, touched by cold hands that clawed and grabbed, pulling him deeper. He'd woken up gasping. He'd changed damped clothes into dry ones. Thicker fabric than usual and as many layers as he could without looking ridiculous. He couldn't bear to clean himself properly today, although the sweat he'd woken drenched in was a sign he should. But then again, with the look that cemented itself on his face as he pulled his gloves on and made his way downstairs, who would dare to comment on it?

So yes, it was a bad day. Kaz snapped his way through meetings. He slammed his cane harder when collecting for Per Haskel and grit his teeth when the old man lectured him about the Heartrender.

"If the Dime lions had a Heartrender, we would have been at a loss. This puts us above the other gangs."

"It sounds like it puts the White Rose above, seeing as she's staying there." The old man huffed.

"So we get a cut of her pay and inside information on the influential merchants who frequent there." Kaz prevented himself from speaking slowly, Per Haskel wouldn't react well to being spoken to like a snot-nosed toddler. Although right now Kaz felt like he was responding like one.

"This is the second time you've gone behind my back and done what you like, Brekker, do I need to start watching my back for your knife?"

Maybe for his cane, Kaz entertained the thought for a second before focusing on the battle at play.

"Just like the last time, this will only serve to benefit you. And the Dregs." Kaz added the gang as an afterthought, knowing how Haskel's ego would be stoked at being the priority.

The greedy, gapped grin Haskel gave only proved him right.

"I treat you like a son, Brekker, need to be firm sometimes to make sure your priorities are straight." The heavy hand swung forward and slapped him on the back. Kaz managed to stop himself from both breaking the old man's wrist and simultaneously passing out.

"My priorities are always in order, Per Haskel." The sentence did not hold a lie, his priorities could be listed neatly as such – revenge, money. It was not a long list by any means, but they were entirely unwavering and always in order. Jordie's voice whispered the possibility of other priorities, but Kaz was quick to clench his jaw and force the thoughts away. "You'll have information worth your weight in gold by the end of this week, the Heartrender will earn her keep."

"See that she does."

That was as clear a dismissal as any from Per Haskel, Kaz nodded his head and moved out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Two collections and a conversation with Haskel had not seemed to increase time, it was only late morning. Kaz had not yet eaten and he did not feel like trudging the steps back to his room. He took advantage of being on the main floor and moved his way to the excuse of a bar. The main floor was, as always, busy, bodies moving around him, threats of brushing against him yet never quite meeting. He kept the glower on his face as he reached the wooden top of the bar, and laid his hand to rest on the top in a way that discreetly hid the way he used the wood to relieve his weight. Anika was leaning against the wall finishing her murky drink, at the sight of Kaz she pushed off the wall and grabbed the worn coffee jug, pouring what was left of the sludge into a chipped mug and shoving it towards him.

"Look like you need it more than I do, boss."

Kaz was something akin to grateful if his twisted mouth didn't show it. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Anika, to her credit, didn't seem to expect a different response from him, she skulled back the rest of her mystery drink and left him to his thoughts. Kaz was loathed to admit that may be worse, but he could pretend, as he forced down the lukewarm black liquid, that there was something similar to peace here. That, for a second, he couldn't hear the bickering of his fellow gang members, he couldn't hear Jordie and he couldn't feel the sharp protest of his leg.

This momentary illusion was ripped away by the slam of the door opening and a woman pushing through into the slat like an unmovable force, or a walking headache. He refused to turn and look as she entered, but could feel the woman's eyes scan the room. Kaz heard Jesper approach her, he sipped from his drink slowly. If Jesper set this headache onto him he was going to find a way to make this the most unpleasant year of the Zemeni man's life.

"I think you're in the wrong place."

"I want to speak to Kaz Brekker, where is he?"

"Kaz tends to find you when he wants to talk, patience is always a virtue… miss?"

"My name is Nina Zenik, and if he wants me to work for the Dregs then he can come to me himself."

"His room is on the attic floor, a bit of a walk but you can't mistake it." Kaz finally spoke, "He's in a bit of a mood today though, knocking might help." He focused on drinking the last drops of his coffee, choosing his words carefully so his heart wouldn't give him away. No lies were to be found here.

Nina sighed in annoyance but set herself up on the stairs. Kaz moved himself to the other side of the bar and refilled the coffee pot, a second cup would be needed.

"Boss?" Jesper moved closer to the bar, "Have you had a bump on the head?"

"Unlikely."

"Then why have you sent that girl up three flights of stairs?"

"Peace and quiet." The coffee set off and Kaz poured it into the mug, only just preventing himself from third-degree mouth burns by stopping to give it a second before drinking. Where would he be if he couldn't talk? He had managed to take the first successful sip when the cyclone came back down, accompanied by his wraith this time. Inej looked about as impressed with him as she usually did. Not that he cared what she thought of his antics.

"So, the man I am meant to be working with is a lying teen with a bad haircut." Zenik stared at him, hands resting on her hips. Kaz wasn't sure who looked more unimpressed.

Kaz took another sip if only to keep his hands from drifting over his hair. He cut his hair which was, apparently, blatantly obvious, it wasn't as if the Barrel was a fashion show, however, Jesper chose to treat it. He supposed Zenik was used to high-end cuts and perfect clothing in her fancy little Grisha palace. His haircut did not hinder his ability to slice a man's throat or maintain fear and respect in the Barrel; in Ketterdam, that was all that mattered.

"For, you'll be working for the Dregs, Zenik, not with. Consider it a test that you failed, I thought your Grisha gifts would mean a lie wouldn't work on you."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, "If I'm getting tested for a job, I don't even want…"

"The alternative being working for the Dime Lions."

"Which doesn't sound much worse than your offer."

Kaz turned his attention to Jesper, his tone forcing conversation. "Speaking of the Dime Lions, I heard there was a commotion at The Sweet Shop this morning?"

Jesper nodded, "Girl was strangled to death by a customer, all dressed up like Mr Crimson."

"Well there you go, Zenik, a free bed opened up for you, I'd recommend changing the sheets yourself." He finished the last sip and tossed the cup at the sink none too carefully, turning to stare the girl down. To her credit, and Kaz's grudging respect, she did not look away.

"Tempting."

"Well, if you do end up taking Pekka Rollins's offer, make sure you return everything the Crows have provided. Oh… and make sure you say goodbye to any chance of getting your little friend out of Hellgate."

"How did you know about Matthias?"

"You weren't quiet in your lacklustre efforts to free him." As Kaz had said to Inej, he had heard about the Heartrender, he knew why Zenik had stayed in Ketterdam and he guessed it was the fact that her lover was a witch hunter that kept her from seeking out the Grisha refuges. Kaz couldn't imagine that that match would go down smoothly in the eyes of either of their countries.

"So what, Brekker? I do a few jobs with you and the Dregs and you help me free Matthias?"

"You do whatever jobs are required, you get a place to stay that hasn't had a dead body carted out of it recently," Kaz placed his hat onto his head, choosing his words carefully. He had no intention of rescuing some lump of a Fjerdan from an impenetrable prison, but giving someone a string to hold onto, to tie them to the Dregs? It was useful in the long run. "If along the road, a job comes up that requires a prejudiced Fjerdan soldier, then you get your lover back."

"You're giving me a maybe?"

"Well that depends, find a job that requires him. For now, since you insisted on leaving your work to come here, you can go with Anika to collect some potential pigeons for the club."

"What job could possibly require a Fjerdan?"

Kaz grinned sharply, "Nothing comes to mind."

"You're a little conniving…"

"Careful, Zenik," Kaz cut her off, "The introduction is over, Jesper will show you to Anika, off you go."

"Where are you going then?"

"Why, are you so desperate for my company?" He walked past her, the only way to make it to the door. It had been two days and he had only marked a faint trail on the whereabouts of the blackmailing guard.

"No, you stink." Nina wrinkled her nose and given his speed wash this morning Kaz wasn't entirely sure she was lying. But it didn't matter, that grudging respect for her was growing, it wasn't often people weren't afraid to speak their mind to him.

"It's the stench of the Barrel." He snarked back and pushed the Slat door open with the good half of his body. He could see Nina's eyes flick to his leg and back and wondered how his heart rate faired when he was pushing aside sharp jolts of pain with each step. She, at least, had the good sense to not comment on if it was noticeable, perhaps some self-perseverance had remained from her time as a Grisha soldier. He waited for her to turn away to Jesper before fully leaving the building into the alley.

It didn't matter that all he wanted to do was push his way to his room and prop his leg up with something hot. He now had three days to get the dirt on Holst and it was time to push things into overdrive. This could have been made simple if he got Inej to follow him, but he had his reasons for not wanting others on this job with him. Aside from the fact that he currently had her collecting intel on Van Eck for his own means…blackmail worked best the fewer people were involved. Secrets worked best when it was Kaz who knew them all.

He already had to scrap his original plan, the one that he had made with the thought that his leg would feel better by the third day. That plan had been fairly clear cut, he would leave his cane behind for the day and head for the wharf most frequented by Stadwatch. He would have clumsily stolen from a rich mark, knocking against him as if he was a beginner novice thief. Kaz would have allowed himself to get arrested and chucked into the local cell, he would have picked the lock whilst the guard was on break and grabbed Holst's information from the files. He would have been out and following Holst by midmorning and found something worth holding over him by nightfall. But if Kaz tried to make it without his cane today he would not have made it to the wharf. The steps he was taking towards his target were hard enough with the weight he bore on his crow's head.

So plan A was scrapped and Kaz had come up with a slightly riskier plan but one that he thought would work well. Unfortunately, the plan still involved a long walk to the Third Harbour. It was located so close to the Government District that it was guaranteed to be swarmed by Stadwatch. The markets were also close by and that was Kaz's overall hunting ground for today. There were two ways this could go, Holst could be at the markets patrolling and Kaz can scrap the more difficult parts of this plan and simply shadow him from there, or Holst could be nowhere to be found and he would have to push on.

The cold kept pressing onto him, chilling his leg and stiffening his fingers against the crow's head. Ketterdam was celebrating the new year by finding new and unique ways to ruin Kaz's day. Seeing the Harbour and bustling markets come into sight had him pushing forward, eyes set not on the well-dressed pigeons bustling around each stall, but on the shadows that hinged against the walls.

Kaz knew what he was looking for, the forgotten who had not learned how to steal yet. The young and naïve who were desperate enough to target places were swarmed by Stadwatch. Marks trying to become something else. He spotted the kid in moments, the runt's jaw was clenched, fingers twitching at his side as he eyed the purse of a greying woman. Kaz made his way toward him.
"Kid." Kaz hissed at him. The boy's head jerked towards him; eyes wide like a rabbit caught in a corner. His body was coiled for take-off. "Want to make twenty kruge fast?" Kaz got the deal out before the boy could bolt. As expected the pale face nodded eagerly, eyes still darting to the Stadwatch. Kaz gestured the boy forward and crouched slightly, keeping his voice low. He pushed a folded piece of paper between two gloved fingers toward the kid.

"The lady in the fur-lined hat, she's expecting a note from me, but the man next to her," Kaz pointed at the man with the ridiculous moustache accompanying her, "he can't see me, so it needs to be delivered by someone else. Do you understand?"

The kid squinted at the woman and then at him, "Is she your lover?"

"You're too young to understand, do we have a deal?" When the kid nodded, Kaz handed the paper over, "I'll be here waiting with the money." It was evidence of the kid's naivety that he didn't ask for payment first. As the boy moved towards the woman Kaz slipped into the crowd, keeping close. By the time the boy had reached the lady Kaz had positioned himself behind a man standing near the boy, as the boy reached out to slip the note in Kaz moved his cane quickly and knocked into the man, causing him to stumble and knock the boy who, as Kaz knew he would, tripped, his hand jerking on the woman's coat whilst still inside it.

"Thief!" The shout had the head of every Stadwatch turning, the woman's partner had grabbed the boy by the scruff of his shirt, keeping him firmly in place. Kaz took a deep breath and allowed himself to be plunged into the fray of people moving and pushing out of the way as the Stadwatch approached. He gave a stuttered and hurried 'sorry' when he was shoved against the Stadwatch, receiving nothing more than a grunt in return as they focused on their target. The boy in question had tried to run away and had received a bloodied lip from the guard Kaz had bumped into. Kaz let himself move with the crowd and did not stop until he was out and walking away from the hustle, finally releasing a breath of air as he scrounged to compose himself and remove the thoughts of clammy hands. He used the cold metal of the guard's keys that he held under the sleeve of his glove to ground himself.

Part one was a success.

Kaz only gave himself a second to breathe before he pushed on towards the Stadwatch station. He counted in his head as he walked, three, two, one…

"You there! Stop!"

Kaz did not stop. He turned a corner and kept walking, changing his course slightly so he was headed through an alley instead of the open street.

"I said stop!"

Kaz sighed and braced himself as the scruff of his neck was grabbed, he turned sharply and pulled away. He turned to face the city guard whose keys he had stolen.

"I know who you are, whatever you've taken, give it back."

"Who am I exactly?"

"Dirtyhands, the so-called Bastard of The Barrel." The title was spat like it left a foul taste in the man's mouth.

Kaz fiddled with his glove as he adjusted his grip on the cane slightly, "Were you a pity hire?"

The Stadwatch stepped forward, face red, "What did you say to me?"

Kaz lifted his hands, cane gripped in his right hand as he braced himself onto his left leg, locking it into place. "Well, you know who I am, which means you know my reputation… and yet you followed me into a deserted alleyway?"

There was only a second for a flicker of doubt to enter the guard's face before Kaz's cane came crashing against the man's neck. The man stagged sideways from the force, choking sounds coming out, his hand had hardly risen before Kaz struck again, this time his cane met its mark, hitting hard against the man's temple. The blow was enough to knock the man out, leaving him slumped on the ground.

Kaz did not waste any time. He moved quickly, gloves working lightly to remove the guard's coat, along with his hat. He shook off his jacket, folding it and tucking it against the inside of his pants. This job may be important, but it wasn't 'lose his nice jacket' important. His hat had seen better days, and so he only felt a twinge of irritation as he discarded it by the unconscious man. Kaz pulled the guard's jacket on, flipping the collar up high and placing the hat on. He kicked the guard into a more shadowed area of the alley, out of sight.

Kaz had chosen an alleyway that was just a corner from the station. He was able to use his cane to walk to the brink of the alley before he took a moment, braced himself and gritted his teeth, then slid the cane down his back along his spine. The beak of the crow's head slid into the separate fabric pocket he had sewn into the back of his jacket in place of a tag. He would need to walk straight, a feat that was nearly impossible with his limp, but he had managed it before, and he would manage it again.

Still, the key part of this plan would be time.

'One step at a time,' was Kaz's predominant thought as he walked the path to the station, he focused on his gait, and his posture, matching his body language to the man who now lay unconscious around the corner. He clenched and unclenched his hand as he walked, bracing himself for the last step in the disguise. Seconds before he moved up the steps of the station, he slid his gloves off and pushed them up into his sleeves. He shoved one hand into his pants pocket, gripping the fabric like a lifeline. He lifted the other, shaking barely noticeable to grab the door of the station and shifted himself forward.

"Back early?" Was the lazy greeting given by the man behind the front desk, eyes drifting up from his paper just enough to confirm it was one of his own.

"Need to get the cell ready, they'll have a thief coming in from the Harbour soon," Kaz grunted in a passable imitation of the man whose clothes he was wearing. He used the keys to let himself behind the glass that separated the pedestrians from the Stadwatch. Eyeing the keyhole and guessing the correct key in seconds, his hand didn't fumble as he shut and locked it behind him. A quick scan from under his cap showed him the five other men moving around. He was glad he hadn't attempted to break his way in.

"The scum will be squished in, we're packed after that riot." Another nameless man chortled to himself and Kaz gave an amused huff of agreement.

That was what he had been counting on.

He walked towards the cells and slammed his hand against the door, causing the prisoners inside to look up, "Move back." He snarled, making a conscious effort to minimize the gravel in his throat. The people shuffled back and he unlocked the door, stepping inside but leaving the door open and unlocked behind him. In the open doorway, he lifted his cap slightly, revealing his face to the people locked up. A scruffy teen scowled in a mix of confusion and recognition.

"Brek…"

Kaz cut him off with his now gloved hand in a shushing motion. "Hit me and run." He said, his lips barely moving.

"What?" The teen traded glances with the prisoners squeezed in amongst him.

"Are you deaf? Hit me." Kaz snapped.

"Most people hear 'hit me' when you speak, Brek…"

Kaz clenched his fist, "Now, idiot."

Three times was the key, the kid wound back and threw a punch that was far harder than it needed to be, Kaz probably should have expected that. Kaz stumbled back and out of the cell, a hand gripped to his bleeding nose. The crowd of people rushed out after him, shouts building up.

"Prisoners escaping!" Kaz shouted as he gripped dramatically to his nose, the guards in the room ran towards the crowd, batons out, pushing for order. Kaz took several steps back, eyes scanning to check the attention was focused elsewhere before he turned and picked the lock of the door adjacent to him, slipping inside and locking it behind him.

The shouts were somewhat muted as Kaz looked around the admin room. He moved to the filing cabinets shoved against the wall, the fools didn't even lock them… they did, however, clearly label them alphabetically. Kaz flicked through the H section, his hands moving quickly until he found Holst's name, he opened the file just enough to confirm there was an address before he shoved it away into his shirt. As the shouts started to ease up Kaz could hear his name being spoken, the teen had decided to sell him out. It wasn't surprising; Kaz hadn't recognized him as one of his own.

Kaz moved towards the window and shoved it open just as the first thud on the door began, he reached behind him and pulled his cane back out, using it to help balance as he pushed himself through the window and outside to the grass, the small drop nearly eliciting a groan of pain. But his job was nearly done.

He was quick as he walked around the back of the station, jacket and hat discarded as he threw his own back on, cane in his hand, he moved as quick as his. now screaming, leg allowed him.

The walk back to the Slat may have been long, but the adrenaline of pulling one over authority had Kaz moving forward.

When he entered back into the Slat he was grateful to see Nina and Anika were still out, Inej was off tailing Van Eck and Jesper most likely had headed off for the Crow's Club. Therefore the only people bold enough to comment on the blood down Kaz's front, or his crooked nose, were absent and so he was able to make his way back to his room. He sat at his desk and pulled out a small mirror, propping it against his folders, he put a piece of fabric into his mouth, braced himself and cracked his nose back into place. Setting it had the blood gushing again. He shoved a handkerchief against it as he pulled out Holst's file with his free hand, studying the address and reading over the maps until he was confident he would find his way there with ease.

When his nose finally ceased bleeding he put the cloth to the side, stood and faced his stripped bed. He had never bothered to replace the sheets when he had last pulled them off, knowing he wouldn't sleep comfortably in them whilst the weather was cold. But Kaz did need to sleep, and he needed to rest if he was going to last tomorrow. He lay on the mattress and willed himself to think of anything but what his dreams might bring him. It was not the task of tailing Holst that would require a night's rest.

It was the fact that he would need Nina Zenik to accompany him.

Authors' Notes

This chapter took me so long to write. I have been working on this for months now, I deleted Kaz and Nina's first scene over and over again and rewrote the market scene more times than I can count. In saying that I am really proud of this chapter.
Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I am doing an internship in my final year of teaching, I actually work on this during my DOT time at work hahaha. But in saying that I am very busy with university so it does take me time to finish the chapters. I have by no means lost interest or motivation for this story. I also refuse to work on anything else until I have completed this.
Thank you to those who leave comments! I really appreciate it more than anything, it's motivation.
See you all again soon... the next chapter you will finally learn what blackmail Kaz managed to get on Holst that was so scandalous...

Playlist for this story: playlist/5n43bLe6zrNi8cDRxy9lnU?si=5244c9bd17fb405c
Responding To Reviews

Thank you to Lucy MJ for your comment! I'm glad you like my portrayal of Kaz, I have the book by me most of the time when I'm writing so I try really hard to stay true to character.
Cat K- I hope the length of time it took me to upload this won't make you forget to read! Thank you as always for your review, I chose to not use Inej's point of view for Nina as we kind of saw what happened in the books so I didn't feel the need to rehash it, but I hope I did her character justice and you enjoyed her introduction! The spotify playlist is called 'Kaz Brekker But Make it Angst'

Lasers In The Sky- Thank you for your review! I was so excited to see you had binged read this, that is my goal for people to just want to get lost in my writing! I'm glad it made you smile as well. Mental Illness sucks that's why we dive into these worlds and characters isn't it really. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

See you all next chapter ~ThisMayFlower