The Haunting Past - a Kanej fan fiction

Chapter 2

"WHERE DID SHE GO?!" Van Eck roared. "You morons! How could you let her go. She was Brecker's undoing! Find her. FIND HER!!" He'd lost it. I could see the anger pulsating under his skin. I knew Inej was watching. Waiting. So I have her her chance. "Oh dear Van Eck. Did my dear wraith give you the slip?" I taunted. I knew he would fall for it. He was too angry to make rational decisions. He swung his fist, connecting it with me left cheek. I just smiled and spat blood at his feet. He fully lost his control at that. He swung punches not even caring where he hit. It hurt. I think he may have broken some of my ribs. But I trusted my wraith. And soon enough Inej fell from the rafters like an avenging angel of darkness. Van Eck was unconscious before he even hit the floor. He didn't even have a chance to scream. And I smiled up at my beautiful Inej.

I was lucky that they didn't take my gloves off when they captured me. Amateurs. "What took you so long Inej darling?" I purred. She cocked her hip at me and smirked. "Ah well I thought that you deserved a good beating." I cocked an eyebrow at this response. "And why, pray, would I deserve such cruel treatment?"

"Because you got yourself captured Kaz. Causing me to go after you..." she trailed off at the end of that and I could feel this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't quick enough to hide the shock that crossed my face and she saw it. She always does. "What's so shocking Kaz?" She asked confused. "You came to try and rescue me. Why?" I allowed my unguarded side open to her, because I knew she wouldn't betray me with it. A slight blush dusted her cheeks and in response she just glared at me. Saints give me strength.

Inej leaned down and cut my ropes and I rolled my wrists to allow the blood to circulate back into my wrists. I turned on the spot to analyse the room fully looking for all the entrances and exits, noting the advantage points and the dead ends, all of this taking no more than a couple of seconds. I knew many things about Inej but sometimes she still managed to surprise me and now as one of those moments for when I turned to her I saw her leaning on something very familiar. I smiled at her lazily and said "I knew I could count on you to return my dearest love". She raised one eyebrow and smiled knowingly "your only love Kaz?"

"Apparently not. But it's funny how you thought I meant the cane." I replied. A light laugh escaped her lips and I began praying to all her saints that she didn't think I was joking. I just smiled in return though and posted towards the double doors to which she had entered the room .Together we crept along the long white corridors of the warehouse. The silence of the compound was deafening yet we dared not make a noise, not even breathing to loud in case we would be heard. However, lucky for us we were born to the darkness and dressed in night. We hide in the shadows and become the shadows. We would only have been found if we wanted to be found. Ten minutes later Inej lead me to a large steel door. I trusted her to lead our way out as she had an uncanny ability to remember directions, no matter how complicated. The door was locked with not even a window to look out of to see what awaited us on the other side. I just grinned. They really should have taken off my gloves. I flipped my hands and a second later I had two lock picks in my fingers. I caressed the mechanisms in the lock quickly and efficiently until I heard the reassuring click of the lock opening. With one last promising glare behind us we enveloped ourselves into the dark and smoke of Ketterdam.

After strolling the dark streets of Ketterdam, Inej and I had arrived back at the barrel. I breathed in a deep breath, taking in a lung full of the polluted air of Ketterdam's favourite pleasure district. When we passed by the Menagrie, though she will deny it I sensed Inej stiffen in fear under her cloak of shadows. Without realising what I was doing I had reached out and entwined a gloved hand in her's for support and felt her physically sigh with relief and calm down. In return she squeezed my hand to show her thanks. We dared not speak because our voices were too recognisable. We had our hoods up and low over our faces. We did not want questions tonight. We crept into the crow club and after a quick survey to see how the club was managing in my absence we crept silently up the three flights of stairs to my bedroom.