Kanej

Chapter 16

Kaz

Kaz sat rigidly, cane clutched firmly in his bare hands as he stared hard at the unconscious figure of the Phantom, tied tightly to the steel chair. It had been almost 12 hours and he was still passed out.

Kaz blinked his bloodshot eyes, reaching the limits of his patience. His leg ached from the long walk and he was short on sleep. Kaz figured Inej was still upset with him because she'd gone straight to the room, after helping Kaz haul the Phantom in and securing him firmly to the chair. Kaz had nothing to do but wait, plot and swig the occasional sip of brandy.

The good thing was that Kaz already had a theory as to who the Phantom may have been. As for who he was working for, that was another problem. The list of Kaz's enemies was never ending. A lot of people wanted Kaz dead. But only few could afford to carry out the notion.

Kaz also considered the motive. Who would benefit the most if he were dead? Vengeance? Kaz, of all people, personally knew revenge and greed were a strong motivator.

Kaz was about to get up for some breakfast when the Phantom stirred. Kaz glanced impassively at him as the Phantom opened his eyes and slowly looked around in confusion. When he saw Kaz, shock registered across his features and he attempted to move but realised he was tied up. He glared in panic and mumbled incoherently against his gag. Kaz looked to the ceiling and said coldly,

'I'll remove your gag, but you'd better start talking.'

Kaz gripped the edge of the tape and ripped it off the Phantom's mouth none too gently. The Phantom hissed in pain and looked at Kaz with narrowed eyes. 'Brekker,' he acknowledged roughly. There was silence for a brief moment. Kaz raised his eyebrows.

'Who are you?' He rasped rudely, impatiently tapping his cane against the floor. The Phantom looked conflicted, and was about to retort something but Kaz interrupted. 'My Wraith informs me of your insolence and audacity. I highly suggest you start talking, because unfortunately for you, I am not in a patient mood.'

The Phantom angrily shook his arms free, his eyes darting side to side but when he realised there was no escape he slumped in defeat. He glared but there was no menace behind it.

'My name is Mikhail -' 'Who sent you? Why did you follow me?' Kaz demanded.

'No one sent me!' He replied, but Kaz interrupted. 'In Ketterdam, you either work for someone or you work alone. What. Is. Your. Game?!' He enunciated.

The Phantom- Mikhail- suddenly flashed a sardonic smile. 'You're the great mastermind. Shouldn't you be telling me who I am and what I'm doing here? Where I come from, you're all what anybody talks about. The infamous Kaz Brekker and his precious crew,' he mocked. 'I have to say, I am not impressed.' Kaz sighed in annoyance and muttered under his breath 'the hard way it is.'

'Left or right?' Kaz asked in a bored tone, producing his trusted leather gloves and slipping them on. The leather was familiar and comforting against his skin, even though he hadn't worn his gloves for a while. Mikhail eyed Kaz's movement warily but he retorted cockily 'Left or right what?'. Kaz looked thoughtfully at him and nodded 'left it is.'

He walked towards Mikhail and stood in front of him, twirling a knife that had suddenly appeared in his hands. Mikhail's eyes darted nervously to the weapon but he stubbornly remained quiet, watching Kaz and waiting. 'Ever heard of Oomen?' He asked casually. At Mikhail's vigorous nods he suddenly smiled, looking more like a happy teenage boy than a cruel killer.

'And do you know what I did to him?' Mikhail pressed his lips, refusing to answer, but when Kaz pressed the tip of his knife against his left temple, he broke down.

'I came to Ketterdam to look for you! I need help, the kind of help someone like you can offer!' He shouted in panic, his breath quickening when Kaz didn't lower the knife.

'Why?' Kaz asked calmly. 'What makes you think I will be interested in helping you? And if I did, then at what price? What could you possibly have to offer me that I don't already have?' The tip of the knife pressed against Mikhail's skin, drawing blood and he shut his eyes.

'Ten million kruge!' He blurted and Kaz stopped. The knife stilled in his hands and he watched in morbid fascination as a drop of blood dripped from the cut. His knife pressed against Mikhail as he said indifferently 'I don't make deals with petty thieves who've lost their way in Ketterdam'.

'I'm not a thief!' Mikhail insisted.

'So who are you? Or better yet, what are you?' Kaz rasped harshly.

'Twenty million kruge! And I'll kill Tante Heleen too!' Kaz looked sharply at Mikhail. He grabbed his chin and forced his head up, glaring into his eyes as he snarled 'what do you know about Heleen?'

'Enough to know that you have good reason to want her dead' he replied with a sudden burst of bravery.

Kaz released him and stepped back. He considered Mikhail curiously and mused 'What is twenty million kruge worth to you?' Mikhail stared back steadily. His expression was resolute, his voice hard when he answered 'revenge.

There is somebody, an individual who has harmed me and I want him dead. Well, I want to destroy him first and make him suffer,' he added as an afterthought. 'But then, I will kill him. And I need your help.'

Despite himself, Kaz was intrigued, and he had the familiar glint in his eyes when he knew big money was to be made. His face was devoid of any expression as he asked neutrally 'who is the unlucky bastard?' Mikhail suddenly grinned, his face transforming from a sullen adolescent into a handsome young man.

'You're going to like this,' he stated and when Kaz raised his eyebrows, he declared, 'Pekka Rollins'.

...
Who saw that coming 🤔😉