As soon as Inej saw the lady in white bring out a syringe and the fight-response in Kaz, she let her knife fly. It found its target, embedding itself into the nearest man's neck at the same moment Kaz tackled the woman. She leapt down from her perch on the roof beam, and sprinted towards the downed man and her knife. While running she saw the other thug pick up Kaz, and slam him into the ground, stunning him. She flinched at the sound, knowing it must have hurt, but she didn't pause. She skidded on the ground towards the dead man, and in one fluid motion pulled the thin knife from the man's neck, and sent it flying towards the white lady who was closing in on a staggered Kaz.

The knife sank into her chest, blood colouring her white clothes crimson red. Inej spun around, and used her speed and momentum to leap off the ground, slamming her elbow into the last man's face. He didn't go down.

She dodged and weaved to stay out of the man's reach, keeping his focus on her while Kaz got time to recover. He was herding her towards a corner of the room, and she was soon running out of space. Getting desperate, she took the only opening she saw, and tried to dive through the gap between his legs. The thug anticipated it, and grabbed her ankle before she could escape his reach. She urgently tried to kick him off, but his grip was too strong. He caught her other leg, effectively locking her. She looked around for any kind of weapon to aid her, but there was nothing.

The man had a disturbing and lust filled look on his face. He started to work his way up her legs, using his weight to pin her down, letting his hands explore her body as he climbed. The weight and touch were bringing up old feelings and memories in Inej, her body slowly starting to seize up, her old survival mechanism of disappearing in her mind coming back to haunt her. The last time a person had been this close to her was at the Menagerie.

She had worked long and hard to block those memories and feelings out, but the weight and contact was bringing it all back, making her eyes tear up and her body fill with nausea. She was frozen, limbs unable to move, caught in her own nightmare. She wanted to fight, to scream, but all she managed was a small whimper.

Out of nowhere, Kaz was behind the man, plunging the syringe and its contents into the man's neck. The man roared with anger and pain. Before he could get to his feet, Kaz kicked the man in the face, sending him flying towards the wall.

Kaz eyes were black, filled with a fury and darkness Inej had never witnessed before. He was like a predator playing with a toy, his hands and feet delivering destruction with every blow, his own injuries forgotten. The thug tried to shield himself, but Kaz, wouldn't allow it, finding openings and weak spots that brought screams from the man.

Inej was still frozen, not able to take her eyes off Kaz, feeling as she was part of a horror show. In what felt like ages, but was probably only minutes, the man fell silent, and his chest stopped rising. Kaz had stilled his heart with a final blow, the mans ribs cracking and piercing his own heart. Kaz stood over the dead body, breathing hard, eyes still locked on the man, rage and danger rolling off him.

Seeing Kaz still, Inej finally managed to make her limbs move again, and started to slowly approach him. "Hey, it's over now, he's dead. There's no more danger," she said in her most reassuring voice.

Kaz didn't move, eyes still locked on the dead man.

She paused near him, admitting to herself that she was scared. Kaz had looked like he was in a trance while attacking the man, the rest of the world forgotten, only focused on delivering agony and death to the being in front of him. She had seen Kaz fight plenty of times, but never with this kind of intensity. He was usually a calm and calculating fighter, executing a move while thinking three steps ahead. That was what made him such a good fighter despite his limitations. Even in the middle of a fight he would plan, delivering well timed counterattack and using the environment to his advantage, allowing him to take down groups without taking lethal damage to himself. It was violent, but never excessive. This had been different. This had been animalistic, actions filled with malice and hatred.

Wylan had once told her a similar story. Before escaping on the boat to the Ice court she had been injured, and Kaz had saved her. When Kaz had the man responsible for her injuries, he had apparently gone a bit crazy, even going so far as to ripping his eye out while the man was still alive, and murdering him afterwards. Wylan had said that the crew was shaken, keeping their distances from him, whispering of Dirtyhands. She had believed it was just an exaggeration from people who didn't know Kaz. Now she realized it hadn't been. She also realized the two scenarios had a common element – her.

She swallowed hard and reached out for Kaz, a soft tap on his shoulder.

Kaz spun around, his gloved fist flying towards her.

She didn't have time to dodge it, shutting her eyes, waiting for the blow to fall, but it never came. She opened her eyes. His bloody fist was hovering just in front of her eye. She could feel her eye lashes rub against it as she blinked. He had stopped just before impact.

Kaz had a look of shock and horror on his face. She watched as it changed to shame, then sadness. "I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…. I'm…" He barely managed to get any words out, his voice shaky and breathless. He pulled his fist back, and turned from her, leaning his back against the wall, closing his eyes as his adrenaline faded.

"It's okay. You would never hurt me," Inej said softly, trying to offer what comfort she could.

Kaz eyes flew open at that, anger flaring in them once more. "I nearly hurt you! Saints, I could have killed you with the right blow!"

"No, you stopped yourself. You wouldn't hurt me," Inej stressed again, truly believing it.

"My life is dangerous. I'm dangerous. I only bring death and destruction, and you deserve better than that. You should leave while you still can," he said brokenly as he let himself slide down the wall, head hanging down in defeat.

"Kaz, stop it, that isn't true! You are so much more than that." Inej said as she sat down beside him. "You help people. You save people".

Kaz looked at her dubiously.

"Firstly, your crew. You pluck them from the streets, you feed them, train them, pay them and protect them. You never mistreat them or offer them up as sacrificial lambs like the other gang bosses do. They are loyal to you, not out of fear as you think, but out of respect. They trust you, and would willingly follow you into any battle."

Kaz's face was downcast, but she knew he was listening to her.

"Then there's' us, your flock of crows. I don't know that much about your history with Jesper, but he told me of the night you met, and how you saved his life. If it hadn't been for you, Jesper would have died that night. He had a massive gambling debt that he was unable to pay, so he tried to cheat, but was caught. They were going to hang him that night, but you intervened, protected him and sent the would-be-killers running in fear. You saw something in him, and took him under your wing. You paid of his gambling debts, and let him work for you to repay you. Even tough it's hard, near impossible at times, you try to keep him away from gambling houses and unnecessary situations that could cause him harm. You keep him close, bring him on jobs as your trusted second in command. He has grown massively under your tutelage, he is fiercely loyal to you, and would easily kill to protect you. Did you know he considers you as the brother he never had?"

Kaz looked up at that, shock and awe on his face. "He does?" Kaz asked incredulously,

Inej smiled and gave a soft nod. For one so observant, he could be quite oblivious to other people's love for him.

"And Wylan would probably have died on the street if it wasn't for you. That relationship might have started as a business venture, but it evolved into something more. Whenever he's in the room you read stuff aloud, making sure Wylan is included even tough he can't read. I also know a secret you swore Wylan to never tell."

He looked shell-shocked. "He wouldn't."

Inej laughed. "No, he didn't spill the secret. but nothing gets by the Wraith," she smiled and winked at him.

Kaz blushed slightly, and hung his head, before looking up, a soft smile in the corner of his lips. "He is actually making progress. He still has a long way to go, but I believe he'll be able to get there eventually." Inej couldn't hold back her smile as he heard the pride in Kaz's voice for Wylan.

"So many teachers failed Wylan. He had given up hope, resigning himself to never being able to read. But there isn't a puzzle the great Kaz Brekker can't solve. Only you would think of teaching him to read and write by putting the words to song, playing on Wylans innate talent for music."

"Promise not to tell, for both Wylan's and my sake?" Kaz asked shyly.

"Of course, what would people think of the bastard of the Barrel if they learnt that he spent his past time singing and tutoring a young man to read," she said while laughing.

Kaz loved hearing the sound of her laughter. And even tough he had worked hard to keep the tutoring a secret, he didn't really mind that Inej had figured it out, not when it brought her such joy.

"And than there's me, your Wraith" Inej smiled.

Kaz held his breath, both afraid and curious about what she would say.

"You saved me in more ways than I could count. You saved me from Tante Heleen and the terrors of the Menagerie. If it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't be alive today, either dying by someone else's blade, or my own," she said, voice breaking slightly on the last words.

A tear slipped from her eye as she remembered the sadness, helplessness and loneliness at the Menagerie.

In the beginning she had tried to escape, but she had soon learnt that it only led to punishment and pain. She had also tried to fight the men they sent to her, but Tante Heleen had taught her through fierce beatings that fighting back wasn't allowed. To survive she had learnt to let her mind shut down. The men would do what they wanted with her, but she had locked her mind away, body going numb, trying her best to not be present. As time went on it got harder and harder to escape the horrors, nightmares haunting her in both her waking and sleeping hours. She had almost given up when she had reached out to Kaz, making a last-ditch effort to escape.

He was the only visitor that would look at Tante Heleen with disdain. Not once did he touch a girl or look at one with lust in his eyes, no matter how hard Tante Heleen tried to lure him in. She was always parading out different girls in different states of undress when he came on his business, but Kaz had always been the perfect gentleman, averting his eyes whenever possible, and keeping to the rooms the girls didn't attend. One time she had even tried using men and children to bait him, wondering if he swung that way, but it hadn't worked. Kaz had remaining unmoved, except for the anger at seeing Tante Heleen use children for such purposes. Inej had never seen her use children again, making her wonder if Kaz had threatened her that night.

She was lost in her memories, when she felt a soft touch on her face, her breath stilling.

Kaz wiped away her tear, but froze at her stillness, unsure if he had overreached.

Inej looked up at him, letting her bad memories fade, letting the feeling of safety that was Kaz envelop her. She lifted her own hand to take Kaz's gloved hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "I'm okay, it is just bad memories"

Kaz gave a soft nod, a look of understanding in his eyes. He didn't pull his hand away, letting Inej hold onto it.

"You taught me how to fight and how to protect myself. You gave me my first knife. You gave me a new life, and a new skill set, a new way to live."

"I made you something you didn't want to be. I made you a criminal, and worse, a murderer" he whispered as he let his gaze slide over the bodies in the room.

She sighed at that. "I'll admit, I hate killing, but I don't regret it. We did what we had to, both of us. None of us kill for sport or pleasure. I can live with that as long as it's the reason you, Jesper and Wylan are alive," she said, resolution in her voice.

She could see Kaz still wasn't completely convinced that he was worth saving. She had one last idea.

"Did you know that you are my haven, my safe port in the storm?" she asked, looking at him to see his reaction.

"I'm what?" Kaz asked uncertainly, head slightly tilted.

"The place I feel most safe is in your window in the Slat, with you there."

"But…"

She interrupted him. "I mean it. Your presence calms me. It makes me feel safe, protected. When I first met you, I thought you were a ruthless businessman like the rumours said, but I learnt to see past it, to see the man underneath the facade. I've seen how you care for your crows, how you protect your own, how you would sacrifice yourself if it means saving us. I know you would never harm me. Plenty of other people would have taken advantage of me and my situation, but never you. You always gave me the time and space I needed. You try to push people away, me included, locking yourself and your heart away from the world, but you don't succeed as we keep coming back to you. We have learnt to see the real you, and your heart, despite how much you try to hide it. Kaz, you are loved by your fellow crows, and no matter what you do, we will always flock to you, because we are your family."

Kaz was astonished, working hard to wrap his thoughts around what she was telling him. He cared deeply for Jesper, Wylan and his Wraith, but he hadn't realized that they might feel so strongly about him in return.

Inej continued. "So no, you aren't just danger, death and destruction, you are also our guiding light, leading us through the darkness and evil of the world. You aren't allowed to hide yourself away and pull away from us, you aren't allowed to sacrifice your life for ours. We fight together, like the murder of crows that we are. Now, are you ready to get out of here now?" she said confidently, holding his hand tight, getting ready to rise.

He nodded, not thrusting his voice to answer. He had lost his last family when he lost Jordie. Shut himself off from the world to become Dirtyhands, and done whatever was needed of him to survive. But despite it all, it seemed that he somehow had family after all, a found family of fledglings that had grown into his flock. Maybe Inej's prayers on him hadn't been wasted after all, somehow reviving a heart and person he had thought dead long ago.

Inej got up, pulling Kaz's hand with her, steadying him as he used the wall to support himself while rising.

The world spun as he rose. He shut his eyes, leaning heavily on the wall to fight the feeling of vertigo. He could feel Inej hand in his, still holding him, steadying him. He was her safe haven, and she was his everything. He would burn down the world for her. One day he would find the courage to tell her, but this was neither the place nor the time. They both froze as they heard a wet cough in the room.

He felt Inej's hand slip away. He opened his eyes. Inej was at King's side, ready to finish her kill. "Wait, she might be useful," he called out.

"Why?" Inej said darkly, murder in her voice.

Kaz was still leaning against the wall, his strength spent and his body sluggish to respond. Whatever had been in the syringe had started to take effect, making his head and body feel off. On the bright side it seemed to have dimmed some of his pain, filling his chest with a sensation of warmth instead. He kept the information to himself, not wanting to worry Inej needlessly. Hopefully he could get some useful info out of King. "She knows Keller, and she might have information that could help locate him or take him out.

Inej let her gaze glide to Kaz. He looked paler then normal, and his earlier trembling were back, his strength spent killing the last thug. They had beaten them all, and should be making their escape according to Plan E, but Kaz seemed to have switched to a different plan of interrogation, a plan she didn't know yet.

"Can you get me her box?" Kaz asked.

Kaz slowly made his way to the chair in the room that was located close to King. Inej brought him the small white case. The case was small and white. Inside there were two more syringes with what appeared to be the same white mixture. There were no notes or names to indicate what it might be. He pulled out one syringing and inspected the contents. The liquid was thin flowing, it had no odour and no taste. Nothing to reveal what it might be, or how it would affect him.

"Maybe we should inject King with the two last syringes to see what they do?" Kaz asked, making sure King could hear him.

A laugh escaped King, before it turned into a wet cough, blood dappling her face and clothes. "I'm dying anyway so there is nothing you can do to me."

Kaz tilted his head at her. "Well, we could make your last moments short and peaceful, or we can fill them with horrors and pain. Either choice suits me just fine. Just tell us what's in this syringe, and who Keller is?"

"My Kinker says that you are a clever boy, but I don't see it. All this time, and you still haven't managed to figure out why exactly you were his target."

"He knows me, doesn't he? He and I have met before, but under a different name and guise."

"Yes. You impressed him when you were younger. He wanted to study you, have you as his apprentice. But you turned on him, took everything from him. So now he wants to do the same to you. And it all ends with him slicing into that overstated brain of yours, before he can return triumphantly to Ketterdam."

The last memories slipped into place, and Kaz finally realized who Keller truly was.