CHAPTER FOURTY-TWO
vol ii — home turf

WHEN THE GIRLS 'laughter finally subdued, despite the fact that they were unable to wipe the large grins off their faces, they allowed Kaz to continue talking, the tapping of his foot indicating that he was getting impatient with their antics. Sure, he enjoyed seeing the smile on Dinara's face, but they had bigger matters to attend to and he would bring the smile to her face personally at a later moment. "I used half of the money for our shares. I used the rest to purchase shares on behalf of Van Eck — well, on behalf of a holding company created under Alys' name. Couldn't make it too obvious. The shares were purchased in cash, untraceable. But the certificates authenticating their purchase will be found stamped and sealed at his attorney's office."

"Cornelis Smeet. Deception upon deception. You aren't just trying to figure out where Alys Van Eck was being kept when you broke into his office," Matthias breathed out, realizing the alternative motives behind Kaz's actions.

"You don't win by running one game. Van Eck's reputation will take a hit when the people who paid him to keep it safe find out he profited from their loss, they'll look more closely at those silos," Kaz explained, his eyes darting around the room, making sure that everyone understood what he was saying.

"Destruction of property, tampering with the markets. It will be the end of him. Could he go to prison?" Inej asked, her innocent gaze peering up at Kaz, wanting to know just what she was getting into.

"He'll be charged with violating a contract and attempting to interfere with the market. There is no greater crime according to Kerch law. The sentences are the same for murder. He could hang."

"Will he?"
"I hope so. Bastard deserves it."
"Di!"

"I doubt he'll swing, My guess is they'll saddle him with a lesser charge. None of the Merchant Council will want to put one of their own on the gallows. As for whether or not he'll actually ever see the inside of a jail cell? Depends on how good his lawyer is."

"He'll be barred from trade. Holdings seized."
"It's the end of the Van Eck empire."
"What about Alys?"

"No one is going to believe that girl had anything to do with the financial scheme. Alys will sue for divorce and probably move back in with her parents. She'll cry for a week, sing for two, and then get over it. Maybe she'll marry a prince," Dinara said, a small smile creeping over her lips as she thought about the better life the girl could have.

"There's just one small problem, and by small, I mean 'huge, glaring, let's scrap this and go get a lager. The silos. I know we're all about breaching the unbreachable, but how are we supposed to get inside."

"Kaz can pick the locks."
"No, I can't."
"I have never heard that."
"Say it again, nice and slow."

Kaz let out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought about caving in all of their heads. "They're quatrefoil locks. Four keys in four locks turned at the same time if they trigger security doors and an alarm. I can pick any lock, but I can't pick four at once."

"Then how do we get in?"
"The silos open at the top."
"That's twenty feet high!"
"Is Inej doing this with all of them?"
"Just one."
"I'm gonna walk between them from a high wire."
"And all without a net, I suppose."
"There will be a net, considering I'm going too."
"What?"

Dinara shrugged her shoulders, letting her back rest again the wall she was near. "Of course I'm going. I would never miss out on a little fun, where's the adrenaline rush with sitting on the sidelines? Plus, me and Inej make one hell of a team, so we can get this done in no time."

"The stakes have changed. Based on Van Eck's little demonstration today, wanted posters with our faces on them are probably already going up all over Ketterdam, and I suspect he'll be offering a handsome reward. He's trading on his credibility, and the sooner we destroy it, the better. We're going to take his money, his reputation, and his freedom all in one night. But that means we don't stop. Angry as he is, Van Eck is going to eat a fine dinner and fall off to a fitful sleep in his soft merch bed. Those standwatch grunts will rest their weary heads until they get to the next shift, wondering if maybe they'll earn a little overtime. But we don't stop. The clock is ticking. We can rest when we're rich. Nina, there are guards who walk the perimeter of the silos. You'll be the distraction, a distressed Ravkan, new to the city, looking for work in the warehouse district. You need to keep them occupied for long enough for the rest of us to get inside."

"I'll do it on one condition," Nina said, crossing her arms over chest as she stared Kaz down. "Don't say this isn't a negotiation, everything is with you. I've learned that. You probably bartered your way out of the womb. If I'm going to do this, I want us to get the rest of the Grisha out of the city."

"Forget it. I'm not running a charity."
"Then I'm out."
"Fine. You're out. I don't need you."
"You need me."
"Is everyone forming alliances tonight?"
"Apparently."
"My love, which side are you on?"
"Nina's. Sorry, mon amour."
"Also, they're called friendships."
"I don't like being held hostage."
"Oh well, don't care."
"How many are we talking about?"
"Less than thirty?"
"You gonna corral them? Hand out pamphlets?"

"There is a tavern near the Ravkan embassy. We use it to leave messages and exchange information. I can get the word out from there. And then we just need a ship. Van Eck can't watch all the harbors."

"Please tell me he actually frothed at the mouth."
"It was a close thing."
"I wish. And then died on the ground."
"Gee, morbid. You need help, Dinara."

"Van Eck won't have made the choice to involve the city lightly. It's a risk, and he wouldn't take that risk if he didn't intend to capitalize on it to the fullest. He'll have every harbor and watchtower on the coast on full alert, with orders to question anyone trying to leave Ketterdam. He'll just claim he knows Wylan's captors may plan to take him from Kerch."

"Trying to get all of the Grisha out will be extremely dangerous," Dinara said. Her eyes were racing across the room while her brain tried to work out a plan that could work. She was a devious creature. "The lady thing we need is for a group of them to fall into Van Eck's hands when he may still have a store of parem. That could bring the whole city down to the same level, ground level. I'm in though, I happen to enjoy living on the edge."

dinara is something else. that's why kaz is basically in love with her