Dirtyhands

seventeen

Kaz slowly limps across the grass and looks up at the colorful sky. He inhales a breath for fresh air and can smell the lawn clippings. He almost lets a smile form on his face.

*Van Ecks POV*

"We can assume that Rollins is dead. Brekker wouldn't let him live. Not after what he did." Haskell says.

"Shit." Van Eck growls. Rollins had been a valuable resource. He had connections and he knew how to handle the streets of the Barrel.

"We need to make a plan. We can't go in and half-ass this again. We had Brekker but then he slipped through our fingers because had allies. Next time we need to strip him of his crew. Then he will truly be vulnerable." Haskell explains.

"How do you suggest that we do that?" Van Eck asks.

"We lure them in. Use their weaknesses against them. Kaz's sharpshooter has a gambling problem. We can start there and move our way through his group." Haskell answers.

"They would see it coming." Van Eck replies.

"Not if we lay low for a while," Haskell states. "Make them think that we fleed when Rollins was taken."

Van Eck considers the idea for a moment. "It could work... For how long would we need to be in hiding?"

"A few months at least," Haskell informs.

"We don't have time for that." Van Eck says. He doesn't know how much longer he can keep Rollins men in line.

"Then we watch them and see when it's time to strick," Haskell responds.

Van Eck considers the plan before slowly nodding. "What if Brekker comes looking for us?"

"Then, we go at him with everything that we have." Haskell sighs.

"I'm starting to feel less like the hunter and more like the prey." Van Eck mumbles and runs a tired hand through his thinning hair.

"Have you ever actually been hunting? I don't mean hunting with a parade of people trailing behind you. I mean on your own. With only a rifle, your wits, and your prey." Haskell asks and looks over at Van Eck.

"No." Van Eck answers slowly.

"You see the thing with hunting on your own is that you can see how the animals actually act. Not how they act when they are outnumbered and they know it, but when they still think that they have a chance. If you're hunting big game then they won't look at you with fear or try to run, even if that would have saved their lives. They will look at you like they're the hunter because up until you showed up they were the apex predator. When they look at you, no matter how many times you've been hunting before, you will feel a sinking feeling in your stomach. Then when you fire your gun, you'll see the same look in the animal's eye." Haskell explains and pulls out a pistol and starts to polish it.

"I don't understand." Van Eck.

"Brekker is the animal. We are the hunters. He thinks that he is on top of the food chain and that can make him blind to other predators. All we need to do is remind him that while he may be a crow but were hawks and hawks have a habit of killing crows." Haskell clarifies.

Van Eck nods.

"Brekker has forgotten the way of the world. We'll have to make him remember." Haskell hums.

*End of POV*

Kaz runs his hand along with the smooth handle of his cane. He had just finished cleaning blood off of it. It is now as clean as it had been the day he bought it. The metal gleams under his glove.

The hairs on the back of his neck start to stand on end. "Wraith." He whispers. He doesn't look back at her.

"Kaz," Inej replies and takes a seat across from him. She had only come to see him twice while he was recovering. "The cuts are healing well."

Kaz nods and tries to ignore his heart pounding in his chest.

He had missed her so much but now that she was back, he didn't know what to do or say. It was like he had rehearsed a speech in his head a million times beforehand, but when it came time to actually give the lecture his mind went blank.

"The clean-up was horrible in the cellar. I'm pretty sure that they are still working on it." Inej starts.

"He got what he deserved," Kaz replies. His voice is so low that it was almost a growl.

Inej nods slowly and looks out the window.

"Why did you go in on your own." Inej finally asks slowly.

"Because I couldn't wait any longer." Kaz rasps.

"You could have died. You almost did." Inej says.

"I knew my odds when I walked through the front door," Kaz responds, his voice cold.

Inej's eyes darken slightly. "Do you fear death at all?"

Kaz lets out a cough of a laugh. "I'll welcome it when it finally catches up with me." Kaz purrs.

Inej's gaze turns into a hard glare. The kind that one would give to someone who just cursed in church. "I've always known that you lack a regard for human life, but I always thought that you at least valued your own." She says before getting up and walking out of the room.

Kaz's almost constant frown deepens along with the crease between his eyebrows. He knows that he was doing something wrong but he also couldn't stand the idea of him bringing down his walls.

His jaw clenches and he runs a hand through his hair. Kaz had never had any problems with talking his way out of situations. At times he could make himself seem charming, terrifying, and anything in between. Words had been his weapons and now they were turning against him when he was with Inej.

She could change him in the most infuriating ways but he still loved every part of her, even if he couldn't admit it.