A Coin Has Two Sides || Kaz Brekker x OC

15. Clueless

A week had passed since Jesper and Winnie's little hook-up and to her pleasant surprise, Jesper had somehow managed to keep it a secret.

What made her even happier was the fact that the two of them hadn't changed a bit due to the situation they were in.

Admittedly, the first few days were slightly awkward. They avoided making eye contact with one another and seemed lost for words when they spent any time alone.

They also ensured to watch just how much alcohol they were drinking around each other.

But after a few days of tense behaviour, they seemed to agree that they were being ridiculous. 

After a much-needed conversation, they snapped back into their usual routine of teaming up to wind up Kaz at any given opportunity as well as their little gossiping sessions at the end of a long day.

It made Winnie glad that Jesper still sent flirty remarks her way, it meant that everything truly was back to the way it was. But she would never admit that they hit her a little differently than before. His cheeky wink that used to make her roll her eyes now bought up memories of that night which she quickly suppressed and rolled her eyes forcibly for good measure.

But above all, it didn't seem that Inej or Kaz knew any the wiser.

How wrong she was.

Kaz Brekker had thought of nothing else and had been racking his brain to understand what Jesper and Winnie had been up to that morning.

He hated the concept of confusion and what he hated even more was that it involved two of his own crows.

Had they lied to him? Were they plotting against him? Had they switched sides to leave him and work for Pekka Rollins?

One day, Kaz snapped and asked Jesper what it was Winnie had come to him for help with.

He cleverly covered up his pure curiosity with concern that whatever she was struggling with in the Barrel should come to him first, after all, he was the boss.

Jesper had told him that she was asking about the terminology that they all use with each other. She had heard them using certain words and wanted to know what they meant and so Jesper had taught her. Simple enough.

Kaz had believed him in the moment. But the more he thought about it the more he found himself diving back into confusion.

Winnie was smart and a quick learner. She would be able to understand what they were talking about even if she didn't directly understand the words they were using, and he could've sworn he asked Inej to teach her their terminology when she first joined the Dregs.

That's when he decided he just couldn't take it anymore. It was starting to affect his business considering it was the only thing his mind could focus on.

To prove his theory that Jesper was lying, he decided to speak to Inej. After all, she was the one who gathered information for him. If there was anything going on, she would know about it.

__________<>__________

"For the hundredth time, Kaz. Yes, I taught Winnie the terminology when she first joined. No, I don't know what she went to see Jesper about and please could you stop pacing?" Inej repeated as she stood in Kaz's office.

She had been curious as to why Kaz had called for her. He knew she was working a job. A job he sent her on. But something had him so rattled that he called her away from it and was astonished to find out all he wanted was to know if Winnie knew the Dregs terminology.

"Something isn't right here, Inej", Kaz said as he remained pacing up and down his office. Something he did whenever he was really thinking.

"What did you see to get you so confused, I haven't seen you this lost since ... well ever."

"I went to find Jesper to ask him about Hobby. When I got there, he opened the door and Winnie was standing there with him", he recounted.

A small light went off in Inej's head.

"What did Winnie look like?" she asked.

"Why does that matter?" Kaz stopped pacing to look at her.

"Just answer the question."

"She was dressed in the same clothes as the day before. She always wears that outfit, it's her favourite one. But her hair was messy. It looked like she had been standing out in strong wind for an hour", Kaz replied, returning to his pacing.

"And what about Jesper?"

"He didn't have a shirt on, just trousers. Most likely just got out of bed."

Oh. My. Saints. Inej thought.

"I just know they're lying to me, Inej. But why? I can't have them lying to me. I can't have disloyalty amongst my crows", Kaz spat, letting out the irritation he had been bottling up for the past week.

Inej stayed silent as she grasped what had happened.

Kaz noticed her silence and turned to face her, seeing her sat with a huge grin on her face and her eyebrows raised before she burst out laughing.

"Inej? Why are you laughing? Has this whole place gone crazy?"

"No ... just you", Inej replied through her chuckles.

"What do you mean?" Kaz questioned.

"Are you really that oblivious? Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel, one step ahead of everyone, a true genius. Now, this, this is hilarious", Inej said as she kept laughing.

"Saints, Inej, just tell me what you know", Kaz almost yelled as he took steps in her direction.

"They did lie to you, you're right about that. But it's not exactly for a bad reason", Inej began.

"Why then? What are they trying to hide from me?" Kaz asked, his eyes blazing with anger.

Inej took a deep breath to recover from her laughing fit before stating, "Do I really have to spell it out for you? Jesper, a boy, Winnie, a girl, both stepping out of Jesper's room, barely dressed, the morning after they both got blinding drunk?"

Kaz just tilted his head, still not being able to understand what his Wraith was trying to tell him.

"Sex, Kaz. They had sex", Inej finally said.

Kaz froze.

Inej moved her head forward, looking at Kaz with furrowed eyebrows.

"Kaz? Are you alright?"

"Go. Find Winnie and tell her to come and see me immediately", he finally spoke and moved towards his desk.

"It's not that big of a deal, Kaz. We are all just teenagers. So what if they had a bit of fun?" Inej protested, knowing exactly what Kaz was planning to say to Winnie.

"If you value your legs not being broken, Wraith, you will do what I say and you will do it now", Kaz spat.

Inej took that as her cue to leave. She left through the door, not through her usual window exit and heading to the Crow Club floor to find the poor girl who had to deal with Kaz's mood.

If it were any other person she was asked to bring to Kaz, she would fear for their lives. But Winnie could hold her own against Kaz, it never ceased to impress Inej. Sometimes she even liked it when Winnie put him in his place, much to Kaz's annoyance which he ended up taking out on the rest of them.

Winnie and Jesper were talking by the bar when Inej came down the stairs and walked up to them.

"Oh, hey Inej", the blonde girl greeted.

"Kaz wants to see you", was all Inej said as she glanced at Jesper before walking out of the Club back to the job she was on.

Winnie glanced at Jesper with a concerned expression to which he replied, "He knows."

And with that, Winnie headed up to Kaz's office and nothing could have prepared her for the conversation she was about to have.

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Oop- how is Kaz going to react guys? I honestly still don't know myself lol. Another short one, that's on me please forgive me <3