Brekker's Barrel

4-KAZ

By the time Kaz finished his meal, it was nearly time to set their scheme into action. There was only one problem- He was still in his sleepwear. He had noticed the others glancing back and forth with confused looks, but only now did he say something.

"Wylan, are any of Van Eck's suits still here by any chance?"

"Yes but..." he studied Kaz, "they're not going to fit you. You'd be better off wearing the new one we picked up for Jesper."

"I haven't even had a chance to wear it yet! We're just gonna let Kaz perform a robbery in it?" Jesper protested.

Despite Jesper's complaints, Wylan left and returned with a velvety, forest-green suit, complete with a black waistcoat.

~

Kaz marched toward the Kaelish prince with the long dress pants rolled up at the ankles. He could feel Inej's presence, but could not hear nor see her. The streets of the Barrel seemed a bit too calm, as they'd usually be thriving by ten bells.

By the time he got there, Inej was already entering a vent on the roof. It only took a minute for her to make her way through the building and unlock the front door.

Damn. The Dregs' spiders would have taken five. Kaz thought.

Then it was easy. All Kaz had to do was find the right documents, then the Kaelish Prince would be no more. It was suspiciously simple. In the back of his mind, Kaz knew that things like this are never as they seem, that he should keep his guard up. But the presence of the girl climbing in the ceiling above him clouded his thoughts.

He would give anything to be able to love her without fear. He would do anything to touch her without his past coming back to drown him.

Inej broke him from his daze.

"Come back here." She whispered, leading him to a room in the back.

"Inej-"

"Look." Kaz leaned into the doorframe, looking where her finger pointed.

There was a young girl huddled in the corner, maybe six or seven years old. She had Zemeni skin with light red curls. She looked up at them with fear in her eyes, but did not say a word.

"Why are you here?" Inej asked softly, kneeling down to the girl's level.

The girl began to cry. "I don't know. They took mama and papa and told me to stay here."

"Who?" Both Kaz and Inej asked.

"Big guys. I think they work here."

Kaz turned to Inej. "That means there's someone else here. Take the girl, I'll handle it."

Inej nodded and took the girl's hand, leading her to the back door.

Kaz spun on his heel to meet the eyes of Pol, one of the Dime Lions' bruisers.

"You couldn't have thought it'd be that easy."
The large man growled.

"What are the Dime Lions doing with the girl?"

"Well Brekker, with that little Wraith of yours disrupting the slave industry, the value has only gone up." Pol laughed, showing his rotting teeth. "Looks like she got another one of ours."

With that, Kaz was done talking. He lunged at Pol, swinging his cane into the giant's shins. He stumbled, but soon had his large hand threaded in Kaz's hair. Kaz's face was slammed against the stone wall, causing his nose to bleed. He glanced at his cane, which had fallen a few feet away from him.

"Don't try it, Bastard." Pol spat, raising his fist.

Kaz braced for the impact, but instead heard a yelp as he was released onto the floor. A knife was in Pol's back. Inej was standing above him.

She made sure he was dead, then retrieved her knife.

"What would you do without me, Kaz?" Inej teased.

"Get beat up." Kaz conceded. "Where's the girl?"

"Here!" She popped in from behind the door. "I'm Talon." She gasped. "Your boy is bleeding, Miss Inej!"

Your boy. Kaz allowed himself a soft smile.

"That's Kaz. Saints, he is bleeding. Do we need a medik?"

"I'm alright. Thank you." He brushed it off, but he could still see the look of concern on her face.

"Miss Inej can throw knives!" Talon giggled.

Inej knelt next to Kaz and whispered in his ear. The tickling sensation caused him to tense up, but he listened carefully.

"I saw her parents. They're gone."

"Does she-"

"I covered her eyes. Gave her some candy. She saw nothing. We have to get her out of here."

"She can't stay with us for long. A child associated with the Dregs is sure to become a target." Kaz warned.

He stood up and the three of them made their way back to the mansion. As they crossed a bridge, Kaz turned to look back at the Kaelish Prince.

"Shit. I didn't even get the papers." He scolded himself.

"We can't go back now. You know that place is covered in Dime Lions. They knew." Inej looked at him, worry still in her eyes.

They knew Kaz repeated over and over in his head. I've become predictable.

Yo! If you guys have any suggestions, whether it be editing or something in the story, feel free to comment! What do we think about Talon?