Love can find you |~ Kaz Brekker ~|

|8| the job

Kaz and Danielle were now in the office, the girl sat in the couch and the man still standing, taking off his jacket and gloves.

Kaz turned around and saw the window was open. "Hello Inej."

As she pulled down her mask he continued, "what information do you have for us tonight?"

"A lead in a job" she said. Danny perked up at this. "A big one. Enough money to change lives."

Danny and Inej looked at each other, then both k owing what it cousin mean for her.

"Doesn't take much to change someone's life in the Barrel." Kaz stated, not looking up from what he was doing.

"Kaz..." Danielle tried.

"A million kruge?" Inej asked tilting her head.

Kaz picked up his head. "What's the name?"

"Dreesen. A wealthy merchant." Inej claimed.

"Dreesen." Kaz repeated. "I've heard of him. He could afford it."

"Well what is worth a million kruge to him?" Danny asked.

"He's looking for a crew willing to cross the fold into East Ravka and bring back something" Inej told him, still holding a serious look on her face.

"Oo! East Ravka? I've always wanted to go there-"

"Well the trip wouldn't be like that El- Danny." Kaz interrupted. He looked at Inej. "The fold? Well of course, certain death pays a million."

"He didn't say what he wants nicked?" Danny questioned, if they were to do it they'd need to know what they're looking for.

"No." Replied Inej. "But he's taking meetings tonight. Starting at midnight." She clarified.

"Tell me you followed him."

Inej just smirked. "He brought someone in from a ship." She didn't answer him. "Took a way back to his house in the Garden District to avoid attention. I would've followed him inside but Dreesen hired private security."

"Probably would've had to use your k Ives to get closer." Danny said, knowing the girl's ways.

More thunder rumbled as Kaz spoke. "Private security. Anyone we know?"

"A Zemeni man. I think his name is Tendo. Do you know him?" Inej said in response.

"Yeah. He gambles at one of Pekka's clubs." Danielle indicated.

"So we don't have leverage on him." Kaz finished. "But Pekka will." He then stepped to his desk, which was where Danny was sitting by.

"Kaz, Danny. I got this lead from one of the girls at the Menagerie. They tell me things in case you'd buy them out. Like you did with me." Inej mentioned.

Danny sat there silent, not wanting to face something this serious, she's involved anyway. Why even try.

"I didn't buy you." Kaz told her. "I'm paying off your indenture."

"You know what I mean. This one girl Kesh. She has skill, she's like me."

"I only invest in one of a kind." Kaz snapped.

Inej looked broken to hear this. Danny looked at him shocked. 'Invest'? She thought.

"She isn't like you." Kaz stated. "No one is."

"So. What's our move now?" Danielle tried to defuse the obvious tension.

"Your the one of us all who believes in a higher power," Kaz said while looking at Inej. "If we are going to survive a trip through the fold, we will need a miracle or two."

~•**•~

The four were sat at a table in their bar after they had tried to information for the food. Inej was spinning a knife on the table, blade down and Jesper was drinking. Kaz and Danielle were sat close to each other, the latter eating a croissant she had made and the man sitting still clutching his cane.

"Here's what I don't get," Jesper started.

"We're going to be here all night." Inej remarked teasingly.

"Rude." Jesper glared. He continued, "why haven't they tried going under it? Just did a tunnel."

Danny sighed at the suggestion. "They've tried that. More than a century ago. Something... heard them digging." She shuddered.

"So it was made hundreds of years ago by the crazy Grisha-"

"The black Heretic." Inej corrected, still spinning her knife.

"Yeah. They've got one in their army now. General Kirigan, I think?" Said Danny.

"Your point?"

"If one of his kind made it, can't he just unmake it?" Jesper queried.

"Have you ever put out a fire by adding more fire?" Inej told him as a way to prove her own point.

"Then what's the opposite if you're so clever?" Jesper asked.

"A sun summoner." The Suli spoke with no playfulness in her tone or on her face.

"Right. Then one if those."

"Doesn't exist." Kaz shrouded her hope.

"Not yet." Danielle tried, hoping he could get through to Kaz and also help Inej ignore his hurtful words towards her beliefs.

"Dreesen comes into tow, doesn't waste a minute. Sends out for a crew to steal something but doesn't specify what. Is it heavy? Is it large? Is is worth more than a million in the black market?" Kaz rushed out. "Maybe he doesn't even know."

"We could let this one go?" Danny suggested.

"Sounds like a trap anyways." Jesper rose his glass of whiskey to his lips.

"A trap would sound easy." Kaz told the three. "This is something else."

One of the bouncers in the pub walked over. "Boss! We intercepted a note from Dreesen."

Kaz say up straight quickly, almost smacking Danielle with his cane. "Did you, now?"

"It's for the owner of the Orchid. Says they require the services of a heartrender tonight."

"A heartrender? Why?" Danny sat up too.

"It doesn't say. Just that they need it before midnight."

"You don't bring us a heartrender u less you need an answer out of someone who isn't willing to talk." Kaz figured it out. Dressen wants a someone. Not something. He looked to the other crows. "That's how we get this job before anyone else. Bring Dreesen a heartrender."

The man spoke again, "boss. Just one problem. Pekka Rollins knows."

Danny saw Kaz get stiff so she stood up from the booth and trotted over to him. "We'll take it from here, thank you." She said to the bouncer.