Chapter Twenty:

Everybody Got A Price

"This is ridiculous."

"Shut up."

"This outfit is going to prevent me from having children."

"Pim, if you don't quiet, I will personally make sure that you never have offspring. Because you will be dead." Kaz spoke his threat through tight lips. The result had Pim silencing himself, whilst still attempting to tug at the crotch of his linen pants. Kaz had his eyes on the cut through the alley, staring out to the end of the cobbled road. He watched as the dust began to blow along the road, indicating that the dirt was being disturbed.

"Anika, Pim, go." The two left, leaving just Jesper, Big Bolliger and himself in the Alley. The dregs weren't actors by any means, but a little description from Kaz had Anika and Pim taking on the roles of Mercher's children as they descended onto the cobbled street.

Pim, dressed as the perfect little merchling with a soft cap covering his curls, was walking with a hop in his step a little way ahead of Anika. The younger teen was pushing a wooden hoop in front of him. To any passerby he would seem transfixed with the toy, dodging the cracks in the sidewalk with determination.

Anika held the heavy skirts of her dress in her hands as she bustled after the smaller dreg, "Petre! Slow down, Papa said to stay close to me." Kaz thought that the difficulty in which she moved with the layered dress was the only sign that Anika had often spoken of preferring to be caught dead than to wear what the richer women in Ketterdam wore. The bright colours could blind a lesser soul.

Pim's response to Anika's words was a laugh that was so bright it had Kaz wondering if he had lived another life as a privileged youth because saints knew that the Dreg had certainly not experienced this sort of frivolous joy in his own time.

From his spot behind both Bolliger and Jesper, Kaz brought his gaze away from Anika and Pim, focusing again on that telltale dust along the path. He watched as it picked up faster, his only warning before a business cart led by two large workhorses turned the corner and into his view. Kaz eyed the one driver at the front of the cart, from his experience there should be two guards inside the cart along with the bank manager. Three marks.

He leant forward, capturing Jesper and Bolligers' attention, with one hand raised he motioned one finger straight, a clear sign to brace themselves. The three pressed themselves into the shadows as the cart passed their hiding place. Like clockwork, the moment the horse's hind legs had passed the alley, Pim moved into action.

The three dregs waited, poised to run, as Pim moved. Still in the role of a child, he stumbled in his walk and the hoop turned, spinning, and rolling onto the road. This act enough had the horses' releasing sounds of distress as the driver tightened the reigns. With no hesitation, Pim followed the hoop right into the path of the now-rearing horses. The driver's shout of alarm was drowned out by the inhuman screams that came from Pim. Dirt rose from the horses' hooves, and if Pim had rolled fast enough, from his own feet kicking at the ground.

"Petre no!" Anika had run at the horses, her actions causing more stress on the animals. The rider was now tugging harder on the reigns to calm them, the cart lurching. The rider dismounted, attempting to calm the animals before they took off. Anika's shouts coupled with Pim's had now drawn a crowd.

Seconds passed and Kaz found himself wondering if he had banked on the good nature of the guards too much. Finally, the door to the coach opened and a man, dressed in dark clothes, exited. The moment the guard was away from the door, Anika began to hurl abuse and threats.

"Is this your carriage? Help him!" Anika's shouts were drowned out by the sound of distress as the horses reared up, the driver yanking hard on the reigns. Kaz hoped Pim had rolled as he had instructed, avoided the horses' hooves whilst kicking up enough dirt to make it uncertain as to whether he had been harmed or not.

As Pim's screams filled the air, reaching a decibel that Kaz hadn't heard before, he wondered if he hadn't moved fast enough. A crowd moved to surround them as Anika shouted at the passengers of the carriage to get out and help. The rider had dismounted in a desperate attempt to calm the horses. Finally, the bank manager got out of the cabin, Kaz was certain the final guard would remain inside. Kaz and Jesper moved forward towards the carriage, moving towards the back. Kaz moved forward, gloves disappearing in a flash as he unscrewed the hinges of the window facing outwards at the back of the carriage, he held it firm as he placed his gloves back on. The frosted panelled glass of the back windows swung open. In one swift move, Kaz reached his hand in and grabbed a fistful of hair from the man who had only just begun to look back. With a strong jerk and a sickening thick thud, Kaz slammed the head against the window frame. The man's head hung limply, and he was still. Kaz pulled the other side of the window out, creating two crates length of space, just enough space for Jesper to climb through.

Bolliger stood crouched by the back wheel, hidden as best as his bulking frame could be. The large man was truly not made for subtle work. He was looking between Jesper and Kaz with a focused stare. Kaz had given him two main jobs, grab the goods and warn them before things went south. His concentration was leaving him with a sweat bead dripping down his face, just one before he wiped it away, eyes flicking back to Kaz quickly, but the man had already refocused his attention on Jesper.

So far it seemed unlikely that the plan would go awry. There were still clouds of dirt being created at the front, spreading in plumes to the sides of the carriage. Up the front of the carriage, hysterical, frightened screams could still be heard, even over the sound of Jesper locking the carriage doors from the inside. Pym was truly releasing any pent-up emotions he held inside. Kaz placed aside the jab for later, that perhaps if Pym was not truly horrifically injured… he should quit the Dregs and join a performance troop.

"My leg! Help me!" Pim was still screaming, his voice bordering on hysterical shrieks whenever anyone attempted to get too close. Shrieks that promised the grip of his hands would crush whoever dared to touch him.

"Do you know who our father is? How could you not see him on the road?" Anika's screeches met Pim's, her voice mimicked that of every posh entitled teen who had ever stared down at her in the streets. If Kaz was unaware he would be sneering in disgust just at the tone that screamed of higher breeding.

As a team, Jesper and Kaz had done enough robberies to understand that you couldn't grab everything, not with two people as carriers. They had once been too ambitious and left packages scattered in their wake. Each had growled that it had been the others' fault, an argument that resulted in a sizeable lump on Jesper's head and a joint agreement that it had been the sharpshooter's fault for not having a stronger grip and larger pockets. After that, they learned how to scan, and take inventory with their gaze. With practice, both could identify what the more valuable packages were. In terms of kruge, the heavier the packages the more kruge. Kruge was the easiest to move and steal. So, it was the bottom packages that Jesper handed through to Big Bol. The larger dreg, while inconvenient when it came to low profiles, was able to handle half the packages on his own. Kaz supposed, as a human pack mule, Bolliger was certainly earning his keep. Once the man had grabbed the bulk of the bounty, he nodded to Kaz and began to move backwards. He moved with the smoke at first, his gaze on the commotion, before he turned and began heading back towards the Alley and en route to the Slat. He ducked between the crowd with ease and Kaz watched until he had disappeared safely before he turned his attention back to Jesper.

"You think money will fix this?" Anika screeched, if possible, it was even louder than before. That was the warning cue. Kaz rapped hard at the window to get Jespers attention. It was time for them to get moving. It was time for Jesper to hurry it up and get his arse out of the carriage.

As if reading his mind, or responding to the knock, Jesper grabbed two more packages under his arms and climbed back out of the carriage. He fumbled for a moment as he hopped out and rolled onto the ground. Kaz screwed the hinges back on quickly, his fingers barely stumbling as he tightened them back. He swiped over the metal to remove prints before pulling his gloves on. Windows shut tightly, he turned and grabbed the packages from Jesper. To his credit, the Zemeni relinquished them with ease despite the confusion on his face. The years of following Kaz's lead must have been ingrained in him by this stage.

"I thought…" Jesper spoke but was silenced with a shake from Kaz's head. They met eyes and nodded to each other.

Kaz shifted to hold both packages under one arm as he used his cane to help spur him forward in the direction of Big Bol. Jesper remained behind and could feel the man's eyes on him as he moved. The moment Kaz was past the crowd and into the shadows of the alleyway, a loud gunshot rang out. The sound reverberated against the brick of the walls.

New screams rang out at the sound of gunshots. Kaz stood in his previous position at the alley, he saw Jesper's bullet pierce a shop window. The people within came rushing out and, in the mass chaos, Kaz could make out Anika grabbing Pim from under his arms and dragging him up, Kaz watched as the two began to run, Pim's acting had been just that, after all. There was barely a limp in his gait as they sprinted in different directions. With a final sweep of the area, Kaz could see that Jesper was also long gone. Everything accounted for, Kaz stopped watching the scene and continued moving away. He only wished he could see the looks of the guard's face upon entering the carriage. He moved back towards the slat, the packages now hidden under his coat as he moved. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins. It was so rare that a plan would go off without any issues, despite the frustration of the day, he had pulled off a near-perfect robbery. There was no pain in his leg as he moved, only the thoughts of the kruge in his coat.

He met the others at the Slat, Kaz flicked his eyes over each of them as he moved his head toward the corner of the room, taking attendance silently. His gesture had them moving towards a corner table on the ground floor. Jesper was noticeably missing from the group. His absence sent a siren ripping through Kaz's head. Big Bol seemed unconcerned as he feverishly began unloading his packages onto the wood top of the makeshift table. Kaz watched the large man's eager hands as the words 'Jesper was missing' ran through his head. Unloading the rewards of a robbery was not something that Jesper would be late to.

Kaz had just begun to bring himself to open his mouth, preparing to demand Jesper's whereabouts from the group, as the door pushed open. His sharpshooter hobbled in, hand to his ribs but back straight. Their face set in a frustration-filled anger. He sported a scrape across his face that Kaz was sure matched the brick walls of the Barrel. Noticeably so, Kaz could see from a glance that his jacket had been pulled open, the inside pockets torn at.

"Black Tips were waiting for me." Jesper caught his breath and made his way to the table. He grinned at Kaz, "Smart thinking, taking the packages from me, Kaz, this didn't seem like a random attack."

Of course, Kaz had not come this far from spontaneous decisions, his smart thinking had been fuelled by a hunch. The decision flamed from a small spark of suspicion in a consistently suspicious man. Kaz let his eyes flicker to Big Bol for less than a second, he noted the small clench of his jaw, the only hint of surprise in the tall man. Kaz moved his jacket and removed the packages, adding them to Bolliger's pile. The smallest smirk was all that betrayed his happiness with the outcome as he met the eyes of his makeshift crew.

"The Black Tips have been getting cocky recently."

Jesper snorted, "They knew I was coming that way, Kaz, they nearly tore my clothes off searching me!"

Kaz rolled his eyes under the gaze of the crew. "Don't get paranoid Jesper, it's not a good look on you." He snapped in response, dismissing the boy with one sentence.

Jesper's face went red with annoyance or embarrassment, it was difficult to tell and even more difficult to care. He listened to Kaz and focused on the packages regardless, which was the important thing.

Jesper was hardly the only one in the room with an injury, Pim was trying to subtly rub at his hip when he thought Kaz wasn't looking and Anika had somehow managed to inhale dust, coughing none too subtly. Kaz gave her a look devoid of sympathy and she began to smother the coughs into her shirt sleeve. Her eyes were glaring as she did so. Kaz took her annoyance as a sign the dirt hadn't done too much damage.

Kaz stacked the packages up, counting them before handing them to Big Bolliger.

"Walk these through to Per Haskell, Bolliger, you've got enough girth to carry them all. The rest of you are to follow. Per Haskell will give you the payout from the job."

"You're not interested in your cut?" Bolliger questioned, he appeared confused and slow as he grabbed the packages, hesitant as if Kaz was going to snatch them away and bare his teeth.

"I thought it would be better for the rest of you not to see how much more Kruge I'm worth, avoid the tears." He snarked. The group rolled their eyes, but accepted it, leaving him alone as they walked, limped, and grumbled their way towards Haskell's office. Jesper patted Anika heavily as if to chase away any remaining dust from her lungs.

Kaz watched them move their way into Per Haskell's office, once they were out of sight, he moved up the stairs.

Small things were beginning to add up, small moments of suspicion. Concerns had been brewing since Bolliger had first begun to engage more in the crew. He had gone from a muscle man to wanting to be deeply involved, holding stakes in the plans, and providing suggestions. The man was far too eager after too long proving himself as a lazy glutton. But suspicion was all it was, a feeling that had served Kaz well, but not one he could loudly act on. For now, it needed to remain his suspicion alone, the less people suspicious meant that Bolliger would be more likely to slip up. It was in the hope of a slip-up that Kaz checked for silence before he walked down the halls of the second floor, listening for sounds in the rooms as he made his way to Bolliger's lodgings. He waited a moment before stooping to the floorboards and pulling out his knife. He could see the worn wood where Bolliger's large boots had scuffed against it over the years. From those marks, Kaz was able to gauge the distance of Bolliger's steps and promptly shoved his knife in between the floorboards, a step away from the door. The action caused the already worn board to lift slightly. Kaz pulled the knife out and stood, stepping his foot slightly on the board, it let out a creak.

Creating a creaky board to listen out to in a building full of creaky boards was not his most proof plan, but for a man like himself, who awoke before the sun, if he slept at all, he could find himself close enough to hear it, and then all he would need to do was watch from a window. This could be paranoia, the very thing he had used to move the attention earlier, but Kaz had enough trust in his gut to know if he followed the clues, he would find exactly what he expected. Now it was about building proof and confirmation. Deciding the best move to follow would come after.

Placing his knife away, Kaz made his way as quickly as he could to his attic room. His eyes fell on the window, and he realised it was still locked since the morning's nightmare. He had heard or seen no sight of Inej today and had thought she would come to him with information about Van Eck, it wasn't as if he would be hard to track, even during a heist. Not for her anyway. He flicked the latch on the window and pushed it open slightly, allowing the stiff breeze of smoke and grime to waft into his room.

With a clearer mind, Kaz could understand Inej's absence this week. The task he gave her was no easy feat. Following Van Eck, surveying his house. It was difficult even for someone of Inej's skills, he didn't doubt that she would get it done, but perhaps he should not have expected it to be done overnight. He reflected on his expectations. It was not yet night, and he felt no desire to go down and retrieve his earnings. If he waited too long Per Haskell would conveniently forget his role in the job and the money would be gone. But it could wait till the next day, at the most.

Kaz busied himself, going over the busy work and delegating dregs to future jobs. He received information on new pigeons entering the area, often these were simply left as envelopes on his desk, scraps of information that should have gone straight to Per Haskell, but someone had felt would be put to better use by himself. As the sun began to set, he felt the shift and spoke without looking.

"What business do you have for me Inej?"

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Notes:

Hi All,

Jesus! We now have just ten chapters left! Please know that this chapter actively ruined my life. I rewrote it three times before I was satisfied with it and honestly, it is still leaving a lot to be desired.
I apologise for the delay in posting. I am a teacher and it is very difficult to find time to write amidst marking and teaching. It was a lot easier when I started this story as I was still at University. How insane is that?
Anyway, thank you to everyone who has commented so far. I love receiving feedback and occasionally it reminds me to prioritise time for writing.
Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
~ ThisMayFlower