𝐈𝐅 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒- ᴋᴀᴢ ʙʀᴇᴋᴋᴇʀ

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎

After a moment's hesitation Inej spoke, "We can let this one go, Kaz."

"Absolutely not." Shivani's voice was laced with venom and her eyes were narrowed. She would be dammed if she let this opportunity escape from her grasp. She had spent so long with her life in a rut to give this up. What would that make her to let such an opportunity slip away, but a coward?

"Yes, ma'am," Jesper muttered, looking away when the tension in the air became stiff.

"Boss, boss!" The interruption was a welcome intervention from the uneasiness at the table, "we intercepted a note from Dreesen."

"Did you now?"

"It's for the owner of the Orchid. Says they require the services of a Heartrender. Tonight."

"A Heartrender?" Kaz questioned, "Why?"

"Doesn't say. Just they need it before midnight."

"You don't bring in a Heartrender unless you need an answer out of someone who isn't willing to talk." Kaz was already standing before he finished speaking, his calculating gaze meeting Shivani's. "That's how we get this job before anyone else, bring Dreesen a Heartreander.

Shivani was quick to tail Kaz towards the club's exit. He had a plan, that she was sure of, and there was nothing to do now except hang on tight and hope he knew what he was doing. It certainly wasn't that she didn't trust Kaz's plan, but she wasn't sure that she trusted his intentions.  At least, not completely.

"Boss, just one problem." Their steps halting rapidly enough that she almost stumbled into Kaz, just to be caught by his cane pressed firmly against her abdomen. He looked down at her, one eyebrow quirked. She had fallen from grace long ago, but this was different. It was like she was in this loop, constantly out of step with life itself. 

Shivani had messed up the job he had given her, which was quite distant from normalcy and she had blamed her failure on her own safety, making excuses for herself, yet they both knew that she could have found a way. She always did. And now, she was apparently incompetent of walking as well.

"Pekka Rollins knows." 

Shivani watched as tension grew in Kaz's jaw and a ravaging storm built in his eyes. There was something about that look that was unnerving to her. Not scary, she never could see him that way, but definitely unnerving. Something about Pekka made him lose all sense of rationality, something deeper than blood and bullets, and if he was going to continue to press on at full speed, then she would do the same, right by his side, stride for stride, even if she didn't know why just quite yet.

***

As strange as it was, Kaz was happy. It wasn't full of pure and childish innocence like dancing in the rain until you were numb from everything but unadulterated bliss. This was unapologetic, insincere lewdness. It was marvelously crooked, awash with undeniable vengeance lacing his lips.

His sudden change in attitude seemed to radiate off of him and reflect onto the other crows. They all walked with a bit more pep in their step, especially Jesper, who couldn't seem to wipe the smug grin off of his face now that there was just a little more light at the end of the tunnel. On the other hand, the same could not be said for Shivani.

She wasn't only known for her unpredictable changes in mood, or her short temper, but also for the way her patience was essentially nonexistent in relation to others' downright mindlessness. That could probably explain why Kaz thought she looked as if she might drown Milana in the canal.