City Of Spies - A Six Of Crows Fanfiction

kaz

It was hardly noon and Kaz Brekker was already pissed. However, it was probably an unfair assessment considering he was almost always pissed these days.

He had taken full control over The Dregs months ago and remained unchallenged. For the most part, his job was quite the same, considering he was practically doing all of Haskell's work anyway. The largest difference was that it was far easier to give orders. He liked that particular trait a lot.

However, even though much was the same, so much had changed as well. He hardly went up to his old office anymore, it hurt too much to look to the window. He found himself glancing to the roofs of buildings expecting to see someone there, only to find shadows. He constantly heard her laugh in crowds.

Kaz had spent the past six months alone. He didnt hear from Jesper or even Wylan and he told himself he didn't care. He had asked Inej to stay and she left anyway and that was her choice. It didn't effect Kaz's ability to run his empire.

He had stopped taking off his gloves.

His attention was taken away from his thoughts at the sound of a knock at the door. That was also something he was trying to get used to. As Lieutenant, he had to be smart. He played the game to his best advantage but as General there was another challenge he found extremely hard to manage. He had to deal with people.

"What?" He mumbled, looking up towards the door.

A boy just a year or so younger than himself entered. His name was Roeder and after Inej had left, he become Kaz's new spider. Although no one could possibly match Inej's mastery of her craft, Roeder came close and Kaz eventually had to give in to the fact that he needed a spy. He was plain enough to blend in and yet handsome enough to flirt information from the lips of pretty girls. He was also young and not typically the type to be questioned as a spy. He would never be as good as the wraith, but he was good enough until she came back. She had to come back.

"I was just at the harbor," he started as he shut the door behind himself. "Inej is back."

The words hit Kaz with enough force to knock him off his feet. He might have done just that if he was standing

"When?"

"Just this morning. I trailed her to the Van Eck mansion and as far as I know shes been there since. Stadhall also received a dozen new prisoners under charges of slave trafficking."

A dozen. She had been gone for months and already a dozen...
He reached for his cane despite having no intention of standing.

"Oh and, sir?"

He looked up at the boy who suddenly seemed a little nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Yes, Roeder?"

"I uh, I saw Jesper last night. He was in a gambling hall in West Stave. I was unable to follow but...he was there for three hours."

A flash of rage shot through Kaz's body, so vibrant he had to tighten his grip on his cane to contain it.

"Anything else?" He ground out.

"No. Sir, do you want me to keep-"

"You're dismissed," he said coldly with a wave of a gloved hand. 

It was a matter of minutes before Kaz had left, cane in hand and gloves tightly pulled on. Despite his aching leg, he moved quickly. Did Wylan know? Where did Jesper get money to gamble with in the first place? It didn't necessarily matter, what mattered was that Kaz stepped in before it went too far because as much as he'd hate to admit it, he couldn't afford to lose Jesper to this.

When he reached the door of the Van Eck mansion, he knocked and waited until a woman answered the door.

She greeted him with a warm smile and welcome, motioning him inside. The last time he was actually in this house, he'd entered through a window. He recalled that memory quite fondly.

"Where will I find Jesper?" He asked the maid.

"He's upstairs." It was not the maid who answered

They met eyes from across the room. Dirtyhands and his Wraith, once again in the same place.

"But I don't think now is the best time," Inej continued, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

Kaz couldn't remember the last time he had seen it down, framing her face. She was even more beautiful than he remembered seeing her last.

"It's important-"

She cut him off. "Something is wrong and whatever you're here for can wait." For some reason, he didn't argue.

She motioned for him to follow as she stepped into the sitting room, sitting in the chair closest to the window. Kaz chose the seat beside her, immediately stretching his leg out.  His pain didn't escape Inej's notice, it never did.

"What's going on with Jesper?" She asked, glancing over him.

"That's exactly what I want to know," he said vaguely.

"He looked worried earlier and I haven't seen Wylan since this morning."

"I'm surprised you don't already have every peice of information we could possibly need."

"I took a nap instead."

He huffed a laugh, a rare, genuine thing that even surprised himself. He managed to get her to laugh as well and his whole body reacted to the sound. He looked at her then, really looked at her. She was different and yet the same. With her hair down she looked far more feminine and yet he still saw her sharp jaw and brow, the way her gaze shifted to the smallest details in the room. Her skin was tanned and....

"That scar is new," he heard himself say as his own gaze fell on her collarbone, a thin scar stretched across it. Her fingers reached towards it, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Got into a nasty sword fight with a sore loser," she said with a small shrug.

"And where is he now?"

"Awaiting charges in Stadhall."

Kaz smiled. "Good."

Inej began to smile as well until she looked towards the door at the sound of footsteps. Kaz was immediately on his feet, leaning heavily on his cane.

Jesper spoke first. "I know why you're here and I know you're pissed but I can't- I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Kaz heard the defeat in his voice, recognized it. "Why? What's keeping you so busy but leaves you enough time to sneak out at night?"

"That's none of your business."

"What are you talking about?" Inej interrupted, looking between Kaz's anger and Jesper's tired frustration.

"Roeder saw Jesper enter a gambling hall in West Stave last night," Kaz ground out.

"Is that true Jes?"

He hesitated before relenting a small nod. "Yes but-"

"But what? Does Wylan even know? You made yourself a promise and then broke it. You-"

Someone screamed.