CHAPTER TWO
vol i — bloody fjerdans!

"BIG BOL IS BLEEDING BAD, KAZ—"
"Good."
"Kaz, he needs a Medik!"
"No, let the bastard bleed out."

Kaz didn't even look over at Big Bol, too busy taunting Geels in front of him ( it was more important anyway ). "That's the guards name isn't it? Willem Holst and Bert Van Daal? The two city guards on duty tonight. The ones you emptied the Black Tips' coffers to bribe?" Geels is silent. "Willem holst," Kaz said loudly, his voice floating in the silence, rising like smoke, polluting the air. "Likes to gamble almost as much as Jesper does, so your money held a lot of appeal. But Holst has much bigger problems — let's call them urges. I won't go into detail. A secret's not like coin. It doesn't keep its value in the spending. You'll just have to trust me when I say this one would turn even your stomach. Isn't that right, Holst?"

The response was another gunshot, this time was closer to Geels' feet. He jumped back, frightened, looking like he was going to piss himself at the exchange. Geels bellowed, "Shoot him in the head."

Kaz let out a snort of disgust. "Do you really think that secret would die with me? Go one, Holst. Put a bullet in my skull. There will be messengers sprinting to your wife and your watch Captain's door before I hit the ground." When no shot came, Dinara let out a breath, you never know when someone is actually going to kill Kaz.

"How did you even know who would be on duty tonight? I had to pay through the gills to get that roster. You couldn't have outbid me," Geels asked bitterly. He was standing rigid, pissed off that everything he had planned was falling apart each second he talked to Kaz Brekker.

Kaz was starting to stall Geels with all the useless information he had stored in his brain. Rambling on about shame and how men will do anything for coin, very impressive to someone who didn't round up all the information. Dinara tried not to laugh and the obvious taunts Kaz was blowing into Geels' face, watching as the older man didn't understand, thinking Kaz was just being a young kid. Geels face grew redder with each word, while Kaz had a smirk growing bigger by the second. Kaz was going to be playing their final card...Van Daal. Geels went to bellow out the name, only to have no response, it was sad really. Dinara could practically see the steam flying out of Geels ears, ready to throw a temper tantrum.

"Always on step ahead, aren't you?"
"With you? I have a running start?"
"The race isn't over yet."

Dinara's heart stopped when Geels reached into his pocket, pulling out a heavy black pistol. Dinara patted her body down — discreetly — looking for a weapon of some sorts, cursing under her breath when she can't find one, knowing she is going to have to resort to hand-to-hand. "Kaz," Dinara whispered, only to be stopped by his voice.

"Finally, the big reveal."
"Bolliger searched him. Oh, Big Bol, you idiot."

Geels smirked. "Kaz Brekker, the great escape artist. How are you going to wriggle your way out of this one?"

"Going out the same way I came in." Kaz ignored the pistol, turning his attention to Big Bolliger laying on the ground. "Do you know what your problem is, Bolliger?" He jabbed the wound on his stomach with his cane, causing Bolliger to hiss in pain. "That was a rhetorical question."

"Besides eating too much and too little exercise," Dinara snarked. She got a poke by Kaz's cane due to her comment, yet she finds it well worth it.

"Give me a guess," Kaz hissed. Big Bolliger just let out another trembling whimper. "All right, I'll tell you. You're lazy. I had to ask myself why my laziest bouncer was getting up early twice a week to walk two extra miles to Cilla's Fry for breakfast, especially when the eggs are so much better at the Kooperom. Big Bol becomes an early riser, the Black Tips start throwing their weight around Fifth Harbor and then intercept our biggest shipment of jurda. It wasn't a tough connection to make, especially when Dinara was following you around for weeks. Bet you didn't know that," Kaz sighed and turned to Geels. "This is what happens when stupid people start making big plans, ja?"

"Doesn't matter much now, does it? This gets ugly, I'm shooting from close range. Maybe your guards get me or my guys, but no way you're going to dodge this bullet."

Kaz stepped forward — effectively pushing the barrel of the gun into his chest. Dinara cocked her head to the side, slightly worried about this whole plan. "No way at all, Geels."

"Oh, I think you'd do it gladly, with a song in your black heart. But you won't. Not tonight." Geels finger twitched on the trigger.

"Kaz, this whole 'shoot me' thing is starting to concern me."
"Jesper, let the man do what he pleases,"
"Nineteen Burstraat. That's your girl's address, isn't it, Geels?"
"Don't have a Girl."

"Oh yes, you do. Dinara got me all the information. She's pretty, too. Well, pretty enough for a fink like you. Seems sweet. You love her, don't you?"

Sweat covers the brow of Geels, slowly starting to drip down his face, his hands twitching on the gun, wanting to wipe it away. "Of course you do. No one that fine should ever have looked twice at Barrel scum like you, but she's different. She finds you charming. Sure sign of madness if you ask me, but love is strange that way." Kaz glances at Dinara for a moment, looking away just as fast. "Does she like to rest her pretty head on your shoulder? Listen to you talk about your day?" Geels eyes widened with realization, Dirtyhands had come out to play. "She lives at Nineteen Burtraat." Kaz says, his voice gravelly, dangerous even. "There are two Dregs waiting outside her door right now, and if I don't walk out of here whole and feeling righteous, they will set that place alight from the floor to the rooftop. It will go up in seconds, burning from both ends with poor Elise trapped in the middle. Her blonde hair would catch first. Like the wick of a candle."

"You're bluffing."
"He isn't."

Kaz lifted his head and inhaled deeply. "Getting late now. You heard the siren. I smell the harbor on the wind, sea and salt, and maybe — is that smoke I smell too?" Pleasure was dripping from his voice.

"You're right Kaz, I smell smoke too," Dinara taunts, playing along with Kaz's game. Geels finger twitched on the trigger yet again.

"I know, Geels. I know," Kaz says in false sympathy. "All that planning and scheming and bribing for nothing. That's what you're thinking right now. How bad it will feel to walk home knowing you've lost. How angry your boss is going to be when you show up empty-handed and that much poorer for it. How satisfying it would be to put a bullet in my heart. The only downside is that you would have to deal with the Shadow. Hmm scary thought. You can do it. Pull the trigger. We can all go down together. They can take our bodies out on the Reaper's Barge for burning, like all paupers go. Or you can take the blow to your pride, go back to Burstraat, lay your head in your girl's lap, fall asleep still breathing, and dream of revenge. It's up to you, Geels. Do we get to go home tonight?"

"You'll get what's coming to you someday, Brekker."
"I will. If there's any justice in the world. And we all know how likely that is."

Kaz stepped back, brushing the front of his shirt where the gun barrel had been resting moments before. "Go tell your general to keep the black tips out of fifth harbor and that we expect him to make amends for the shipment of jurda we lost, plus five percent more for being such a spectacular bunch of asses." Kaz suddenly swings his cane at an arc, slamming it down onto Geels wrist — effectively shattering his bones.

"I stood down!" Geels shouted, cradling his hand. "I stood down!"

"You draw on me again, I'll break both your wrists and send my Shadow on you. Then, you'll have to hire someone to help you take a piss." Kaz tipped the brim of his hat with his cane. "Or maybe you can get the lovely Elise to do it for you." Kaz crouched beside Bolliger, the man letting out whimpers. "Look at me, Bolliger. assuming you don't bleed to death tonight, you have until sunset tomorrow to get out of Ketterdam. I hear you're anywhere near the city limits, and they'll find you stuffed in a keg at Cilla's Fry, courtesy of sweet Dinara over here." he switched his gaze to Geels. "You help Bolliger, or I find out he's running with the Black Tips, don't think I won't come after you."

"Please, Kaz," Bolliger whimpered.
"Shut up Bolliger," Dinara snapped.

"You had a home, and you put a wrecking ball through the front door, Bolliger. Don't look for sympathy from me." He stands up, glancing at his pocket watch. "I didn't expect this to go on so long. I'd best be on my way or poor Elise will be getting a trifle warm."

Geels shakes his head. "There's something wrong with you, Brekker. I don't know what you are, but you're not made right."

Kaz cocks his head to one side — giving him the appearance of a confused puppy. "You're from the suburbs, aren't you, Geels? Came to the city to try your luck?" He smooths his lapel with a gloved hand. "Well, I'm the kind of bastard they only manufacture in the Barrel."

Despite the loaded gun laying at the Black Tip's feet, Kaz walked off, Dinara right behind him. Kaz limped across the cobblestone, his cane creating a tapping sound against the ground.

( ...⛓... )

CHEERD GREETED THE SMALL GROUP, though Kaz was already brooding ( his speciality ), ignoring the group that charged at them, cheering for their success. No matter who did all of the work, the Dregs took each and every win as a team. They circled around the group, being careful not to touch Kaz, and jump around, handing out shots. It was a party in the middle of the street, Dinara was surprised that fireworks hasn't gone off. Members of the Dregs were shouting out questions, hoping that one of the Crows would answer. 

"I'm not talking. Holst could prove useful in the future." Even those words tumbling out of Kaz's mouth could not ruin the mood. The Dregs were running on the high of winning. Most of them were itching for a fight, upset that they hadn't gotten one. Dinara remained at Kaz's side, not wanting to venture into the crowd. Due to the thick crowd, no one had mentioned Big Bolliger. Dinara followed behind Kaz, following as he weaved through the crowd. She knew he had business to attend to, but she didn't know if she was going to be allowed with him.

Jesper stepped into their path. "You should have let me know about Big Bolliger," he says in a furious whisper.

"Don't tell me my business, Jes."
"Dinara knew about it though. Do you think I'm dirty too?"

"If I thought you were dirty, you'd be holding your guts in on the floor of the exchange like Big Bol, so stop running your mouth." Jesper shakes his head and rests his hands on his revolvers. Dinara noticed whenever he got cranky he would place his hands on them. "Go on, Jesper. There's a line of credit waiting for you at the Crow Club. Play till morning or your luck runs out, whichever comes first."

"Another bribe?"
"I'm a creature of habit."

"Lucky for you, I am, too." Jesper hesitates a moment. "You don't want us with you? Geels' boys are gonna be riled after that."

"Let them come." Kaz turned down Nemstraat without another word, Jesper no longer following. Dinara followed silently, slinking through the shadows. "Dinara, go back to the Slat."

"Why?"
"To have a drink. Go drink the night away and gamble with Jesper."
"I think I'd like to follow you around. Keep you out of trouble."
"Dinara. Go home."
"Fine, but if your ass gets kidnapped it ain't my fault."

"I know," Kaz continued walking, leaving Dinara to turn around and go back to the slat alone.