Without Armor

Chapter 10

"Could have just gotten the key." Vernera turned to see Kaz holding the key in his gloved hand. "Not like you don't know the code to the safe." He added softly.

"I just wanted to see what you did with the place. Got to say I'm a bit shocked you haven't rented the place out." Vernera tried to make a joke even though she was feeling some conflicting emotions.

"Couldn't stand to share this space with anyone." Kaz put simply as he put the key into his jacket pocket.

"Right....should have known. Why keep all of my things though? Surely you could have gotten some Kruge for it." Vernera stated plainly as she continued to look around at her things.

"I don't know really..." Kaz said stepping further into the room. "Maybe a part of me thought that....if you still had a room here....you'd might come back one day." He said under his breath. Vernera turned to face him noticing that he refused to make eye contact with her.

"You know I didn't leave to spite you...right?" Vernera finally spoke.

"Don't be daft." Kaz deflected as he put back on his emotionless mask.

"I was just tired of running away from my past." Vernera ignored his antics. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm sorry for a lot of things...." She paused to take a deep breath. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know we make one hell of a team you and I. So if you'll allow me for the time being, I'd like to have back the title of your second in command." She smiled which made Kaz's act crumble at the seams. He quickly looked towards the ground to compose himself before clearing his throat.

"I don't know...I was just about to offer Jesper your position." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"You wouldn't dare." Vernera laughed. And there it was, that twinkle in Kaz's eyes that Vernera hadn't noticed before. The eyes can never lie she remembered the seamstress telling her in Ravka. Before Vernera knew it, the crows were heading for Hellgate.

"If this is all true, then Bo Yul-Bayur needs to be eliminated" Nina interjected as Kaz was explaining the job to all of them.

"That is not the job, Nina." Kaz spat back.

"This isn't about money, Kaz." Nina fought. The two had always butted heads, but even Vernera knew Kaz was hiding more then he was letting on. Getting Matthias to work with the crows was not going to be easy, and Kaz knew this. He knew everything. The group had arrived, and Vernera knew better than to question how they were going to get in.

When the boat's hull scraped sand, two men rushed forward to haul them farther onto land. The other boats she'd seen were making ground in the same cove, being pulled ashore by more grunting and cursing men. their features were vague through the gauze of her veil, but Vernera glimpsed the tattoos on their forearms: a feral cat curled into a crown- the symbol of the Dime Lions.

"Money," one of them said as they clambered out of the boat. Kaz handed over a stack of kruge and once it was counted, the Dime Lion waved them on. Vernera grabbed onto Jesper's arm to help steady her racing heart. She did not like going into places that she did not know, especially ones driven by her ex captivator.

"It's ok, just stay close to me." Jesper whispered to her. Though he'd never admit it, he was also feeling uneasy.

They entered a dark, surprisingly clean kitchen, its walls lined with huge vats that looked better suited to aundry than cooking. The room smelled strange, like vinegar and sage. Nina had gotten closer to Vernera, sensing her alarming heart rate. They passed throuch a dank entry hall, and Vernera thought they would
head up into the cells, but instead they passed through another door sond onto a high stone walk way that connected the main prson to what looked like another tower.