Dirtyhands

twenty two

Kaz shoves Van Eck onto the floor at his son's feet.

"Can you give us a minute alone," Wylan whispers hoarsely? Kaz nods and exits. Inej follows but stops and gives Wylan a small squeeze on the shoulder to show her support before following Kaz.

*Wylan's POV*

Wylan's looks down at his father. Anger, grief, confusion, and pain well up in his stomach.

"What are you looking at boy?" Van Eck growls and looks up at his son with a look of pure disgust. It's a look that Wylan is all too used to.

"I'm deciding what to do with you." Wylan answers slowly and for one of the first times in his life, he isn't scared of his father.

"Let me guess. You're going to send me away. You aren't good at anything. You will fail as a merchant and you're failing at being a criminal. You don't have the guts to do anything more than put me in some psychiatric hospital like I did your mother." Van Eck says.

"That's where you're wrong. I may not have been able to live up to what you wanted but that doesn't make me a failure. Maybe it's a good thing that I didn't turn out the way you desired." Wylan says and refuses to reveal how the words really stung. "Maybe I'll just let Kaz have his fun with you and be done with it."

Van Eck pales slightly. He didn't think that his son would have the guts to even threaten him like that. He saw this conversation going in a whole different direction.

"Then why am I still breathing?" Van Eck asks.

"Because Kaz knew that it should be my choice. If you live or die." Wylan answers.

"Judge, jury, and perhaps the executioner." Van Eck says "Looks like your friends are good influences on you."

"Better than you could even imagine," Wylan states and sits in an armchair. "They taught me how to survive."

"And I didn't? I taught you about consequences, failures, and pain." Van Eck declares.

"No. You taught me about bad people. I guess it was a good lesson to learn. But I would have gotten it on my own eventually. But the Dregs taught me that you can't let your weakness control you." Wylan explains "So I'm done letting you control me."

Wylan feels anger burning in his chest. He wants revenge. For every hit, for every insult, and every lie. There is one other major lesson that the Dregs have taught him. You need to be cutthroat to survive in Ketterdam. "You know," he says as he picks up a letter opener. "I think that you should understand what it's like to feel trapped. Imprisoned if you will. That's why your new residence will be Hellgate."

Van Eck goes almost white. Wylan smiles and walks out of the room.

*Kaz's POV*

"Hellgate? That's pretty cold." Jesper says and looks over Wylan with care in his eyes.

"It's what he deserves," Wylan responds.

"What he deserves is a knife in the throat, but it's your choice," Nina says softly.

"I want him to suffer like me and my ma." Wylan states "And Hellgate is the place for that. Can you make it happen, Kaz?"

"With ease," Kaz answers coolly.

Wylan nods at Kaz as a thank you.

"So that's it? Your dad's just gonna go to prison and we can get on with our lives?" Jesper says with a smile.

"I guess," Wylan answers slowly.

"Great because I've been having a lucky streak and I need to get back into a casino," Jesper states happily.

"Didn't you just almost die in a casino?" Nina replies with a raised brow.

"Yes, but that's nothing new. I've had knives or guns pointed at me in almost every casino in Ketterdam." Jesper responds.

Nina shakes her head at Jesper.

Kaz sinks into the darkness as the two argue over Jesper's gambling addiction.

He slips through the door without them noticing and heads for the mudroom. He senses Inej behind him but doesn't say anything.

He exits the house and starts to walk towards Ketterdam. It's time to get Van Eck's life sentence.

He listens to his uneven footsteps and tries to hear Inej's silent ones. He can't.

He reaches the dock where the prisoners are shipped off to the island. The dock is currently empty, except for a single office. Kaz walks into the office and up to the clerk. "How can I help you?" The clerk asks.

"I need someone to be put on to the next barge to Hellgate." Kaz answers.

"Do you have a court order?" The clerk presses.

"This man belongs in prison." Kaz hums and pushes a coin towards the clerk. 

The clerk picks up a sheet and starts to fill it out. "What did he do?" He asks. 

"A plethora of atrocities," Kaz replies.

"I'm going to put down tax fraud." The clerk states dryly. "His name?"

"Jan Van Eck." Kaz answers.

"Okay. The next barge is tomorrow at dawn." The clerk informs and puts away the file.

Kaz turns and returns to the dark streets of Ketterdam. Inej is leaning against the wall outside of the office. She follows Kaz without a word.

They walk through the empty streets as the wind howls around them.