𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬 ⎜𝘬. 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘬𝘬𝘦𝘳 ━━ UNDER MAJOR EDITING

iii. 𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘬𝘢

"If he had," Kaz takes out his pocket watch, checking the time, "I'd be dead. Sunrise in five hours."

Kaz talks a couple of steps, using the high level bar to look over his club. Kaz always speaks about the Crow Club as Per Haskell's club, but Dara does not miss the small smile he tries to force out when she refers to the club as Kaz's.

After all, he built it.

"Yeah, but we're off the job now, right?"

Dara rolls her eyes, wondering how Jesper could ever ask a question as dense as that one. Well, there is always a first time for everything.

"Never make decisions out of fear, Jesper. Only out of spite."

Dara wants to laugh, make a joke of how big and bad Kaz is acting, but she holds herself, only allowing a small smile to peak through as Kaz glances her way. He cocks a brow, challenging her to which she respond with a cheeky smile.

"Well, greed always worked for me," Jesper chuckles.

Dara furrows her brows, tilting her head to the right to get a good look at Jesper, "how's your tab coming along with that greed of yours?"

Jesper gives her a blunt look, sticking his tongue out as Dara only chuckles.

"Go guard the door," Kaz orders, Jesper's face falling as he nods with a thin line on his lips. He walks off, Dara look to Kaz.

"You could be a little nicer."

"I took him in, didn't I?"

Dara rolls her eyes, scanning the crowd as she tries to pick what Kaz is currently locking into his head. His eyes dart from person to person, her eyes in amazement how his mind works. Kaz makes the plans, figures out the angles, figures out the leverage.

Dara figures out the people, the culture, the personality.

Together, as shown through years, are dangerously beautifully crafted.

As Kaz was building his empire, the only reason he got under people's skin without literally getting under the skin was because he had a Wonderer to tell him how people ticked.

Her thoughts snap when Kaz raises a hand, point to a bouncer and then making a fist. The bouncer gets off the wall, Kaz motioning with his head to a woman. She is pale, rags worn as clothes, with a cloth wrapped around her head, dirt littered her completely as Dara feels grateful to be where she is; clothed with a roof over her head.

"Thoughts?"

As the bouncer goes to see to her, Dara sees the way the woman is counting money. It clicks. As always, Dara looks to the woman, seeing how she reacts to the bouncer, the flinch, the way she is frazzled, concerned, tired. The woman looks around, finding someone as she tries her hardest to lock eyes with them before she is pulled up the stirs, her eyes turning wide as soon as she realizes she could not find them.

"She's hiding." Dara speaks. "She's afraid. Not for herself...for someone."

Dara can feel his eyes burning into her head, but she is too focused on her objective.

"Anything else?"

Dara looks to Kaz, realizing how close she is, "she is going to protect someone. She will do anything to make sure to tell her she is safe and that you do not want her."

"And if I do want her?"

Dara bites the inside of her cheek, "just offer the person she values most sanctuary."

Kaz nods, "come on."

⏤ " 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘴 " ⏤