A Coin Has Two Sides || Kaz Brekker x OC

10. A Clean Break

It had been a fortnight of waiting, but the perfect opportunity had finally arrived for Kaz to put Winnie to the test.

Within the two weeks, jobs had come and gone. Simple ones that would have been too easy for someone of Winnie's intelligence and self-proclaimed power.

Kaz had been holding out for a job that would solve the big issue surrounding the newest member of the Crows. That issue being her insubordination.

Over the past weeks, it had only gotten worse.

As bad as it was when Winnie knew nothing about Kaz, she was a fast learner and impeccable at reading people.

The more time she spent around him, the more she grasped of his likes, his dislikes, what made him wear that devilish smirk but (to his annoyance), she had discovered what made him itch.

There was never a moment when the two of them were around one another without a cruel insult or sarcastic remark hurled the other way.

What frustrated him even more was the fact that Inej and Jesper couldn't get enough of the girl. When Winnie wasn't around, she was always the topic of conversation falling out of either one of his crows' mouths.

But the thing Kaz couldn't stand the most was his inability to one up her.

He had always been able to have the upper hand. The mastermind behind everything. The one who knew all and knew how to destroy all.

But with Winnie, whilst he rarely fell short, he always found them on an even playing field.

A field that was all too new to Kaz, and one he desperately wanted out of.

So, he wanted to find a job that would break her in line.

But he didn't just want her to break. He wanted her to shatter.

__________<>__________

"You wanted to see me?"

Winnie had heard from Rotty that Kaz finally had a job for her and immediately went to his office.

She thought it would take him less than two weeks. She was fully prepared to go on the first one that came up. But for some reason, Kaz had kept her on the bench.

She knew that they had a verbal agreement of her abilities being at his disposal whenever he should need them. But it was nowhere near her end goal of earning Kaz's trust and respect.

That would take physical evidence. Just as Inej did with every piece of information she gathered or Jesper with every bullet fired from his gun.

"Sit", Kaz said, not looking up from the papers that covered his desk.

Unlike their first encounter, Winnie had learnt to sit down during their meetings. Kaz enjoyed going on hour long rants about things only he understood. One time she could've sworn he started speaking an entirely different language.

"So? Ready to request for my help with something now?" Winnie asked as she took a seat opposite Kaz.

"I don't need to request anything from you. As per the terms of our deal, your abilities belong just as much to me as they do to you. If I need you, I will command you."

Thousands of responses entered Winnie's mind. Some sarcastic, some slightly rude, some plainly cruel, even some flirtatious in nature, but she held her tongue. She couldn't give up the opportunity to finally work a job.

"Understood", was all she replied.

Kaz looked at her slightly surprised.

No sneaky comment? What's gotten into her today?

"You've been here long enough to have had Inej fill you in on the ins and outs of Ketterdam. Am I right in my assumption?" he asked, choosing to move the meeting along.

"Yep. She's taught me almost everything she knows. I'm still struggling with the areas I haven't been able to personally visit, but I should be able to work it out easily."

"Good. So, you're familiar with the Dime Lions and what areas are their turf?"

"Pekka Rollin's turf? Yes, I'm familiar. It's one of the first things Inej forced me to memorise."

The reasoning for that was at Kazs' personal request. He didn't need Winnie to wander onto Pekka's turf and get herself kidnapped. Not because he cared about her wellbeing, of course, but rather it would be such a waste of his time trying to get her back.

"There is a man I need information from about what cargo will be coming in on a ship called the Wanderer. He is one of Pekka's men so I can't simply ask him myself. It will take a lot of convincing. Of course, I would send Inej-"

"But you're sending me instead", Winnie cut him off.

"In a certain sense, yes."

Winnie shot him a confused look.

"It's your first job, Marth. You are yet to prove yourself as a loyal member of the Dregs. So, I will be coming with you."

"Seriously? Who knew one of the many occupations of Kaz Brekker was babysitting?"

There it is, Kaz thought.

"Think of me as a silent witness. A judge. Your score will determine whether you are remaining under my protection or if I allow Ketterdam to have her way with you."

With that, Kaz got up from his chair grabbing the long black coat that hung over the back of it and the crow-headed cane resting on the side as he slowly stalked towards the now expressionless girl.

"No pressure", he whispered in a playful yet threatening tone as he passed her towards the door.

Winnie stared at the place where Kaz was sat.

He was the sneaky Bastard of the Barrel. He must have something up his sleeve. It would be idiotic for her to assume otherwise.

But this was finally it. Her chance at earning her place in the Dregs.

So, she took her mass of bright blonde hair and tied it up away from her face, carefully placing the black strand away from sight, before taking a deep breath and following Kaz out of the door.

Little did she know that this job would not only test her loyalty, but also her innermost fears, and what control she could have over them.

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Again, another purely Kaz and Winnie scene. I'm sorry (kind of). I am new to all of this so am learning to condense my writing to fit more into one chapter without making it too long <3