"Well, I don't blame Kirigan for wanting to leave this shit-hole of a town but c'mon, stowing away on his boat is seriously the dumbest plan."

     Inej cast a side glance at Jesper as he blew a puff of cigar smoke up towards the morning sky. The hues of gold and pink would soon be reflected on the waters of Fifth Harbour and the Barrel would soon be bathed in a golden light. The scene would have been welcoming for any aspiring young artist; it was just too bad Ketterdam's filth and beggars cast a dark stain over the picture.

     Inej sighed. "Kaz knows what he's doing," she returned flatly, leaning back against the balcony railing and crossing her arms over her chest.

     "Hmm, does he though?" Jesper cocked his head to one side and pulled a face. He held out his cigar, almost searing Inej's sleeve with the angry red end.

     Inej frowned and swatted his hand away. "You know I don't smoke."

     "This plan better bloody work or we're all dead," Jesper huffed dramatically. "Why does Kaz want this money anyway?"

     "When doesn't he want money?" Inej snorted. "It's just typical Kaz...his greed is too big even for his quick, thieving hands."

     "Is that your way of saying you don't know?" Jesper jibed but Inej could sense the concern lacing his voice.

     She didn't reply. Instead, she looked away - past Jesper and towards the pub down the street where Kaz and Nina stood talking with a man in the doorway.

     Even though Inej didn't want to disclose her feelings to Jesper, he must've seen something in her eyes because he leaned over and touched her arm lightly. "Hey. It's okay, Wraith. If we don't die escaping, we'll die here anyway. It's up to us how our story ends."

     Inej looked back at him and offered a small reassuring smile. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't death she was afraid of, it was Kaz Brekker not knowing what he was doing.

~~~

      "I have a feeling you don't like me very much."

      Inej jerked her head up and glanced over at Nina who was standing amid a chaos of flouncy dresses, dangly gold jewellery and colourful crystals.

      She scoffed and replied coolly, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean." She returned to folding some of Nina's less eye-catching outfits – as few as they were. "You know you don't have to bring everything you own, right?"

      "Oh, dear Inej, it's not a want, it's a need," Nina protested laughingly as she draped one of her dresses over the top of her. "How badass would I look stepping off the boat in Great Britain wearing this?"

      Inej rolled her eyes, trying to hold back a smile. She refused to let Nina in on the fact that she was actually quite funny. "We're trying to look boring, not badass."

     Nina giggled. "Just imagine though – the three of us marching out in matching costumes. What a sight!"

      "The three of us?" Inej questioned.

     "Yeah! You, me, and Jesper!"

      Inej couldn't help it – she snorted. "I'm not going to lie, Jesper would look better in a dress than both of us combined."

      They both burst out laughing.

     Earlier, Kaz had insisted that Inej go over to Nina's place and help her get prepared. Maybe, Inej thought, it was because Kaz would've been uncomfortable looking at Nina's undergarments but she suspected it was more than that...he wanted them to start getting along.

      Inej hated to admit it but it was kind of working. Nina was as captivating in conversation as she was in a dress.

      That's why Inej couldn't help but ask, "Why did you say that? About me not liking you?"

      Nina hesitated as she laid the dress back down on her bed. "I notice the way you look at Kaz...like he's everything to you," she admitted. "And when you look at me, well, I can see the disdain in your eyes – like you don't see me as a friend, but an intruder. I was hoping, somehow, I could change your mind."

      Inej pressed her lips together and turned away, guilt washing over her. "I – I'm sorry, Nina. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just have trouble making friends...especially ones that are...girls."

      She had never spoken those words out loud before and she inwardly cringed at how stupid it sounded.

      "No, no it's fine!" Nina jumped to reassure her. "I'm not expecting us to be close – we've only known each other for a day...well, less than a day...but I just wanted you to know that you can come to me if you need anything."

      Inej just stood there, unsure of how to respond. No one had ever said that to her before. This was unfamiliar territory and she feared that one misstep would cause an explosion.

     All she could do was offer Nina a small, shy smile and say, "Thanks."

      Then, she turned her attention back to the carry case in front of her and busied herself brushing non-existent dust off it.

      Right now, she knew she couldn't go to Nina with any of her questions because she wouldn't have the answers. Luckily, she knew someone who did.

~~~

      "We need to talk."

     Kaz looked up from where he was scrutinising papers on his desk and flicked a disinterested glance in her direction.

     "How many times do I have to tell you, Inej?" a spark of annoyance flitted over his face. "Don't come sneaking up on me like that."

     "Well, you can't train a falcon and expect it not to hunt," she snapped sarcastically as she dropped through the window and into his room - a convenient three stories above street level.

     Kaz turned away and continued to look through the papers, keenly aware of her presence but saying nothing.

     For a moment, Inej just stood there and waited, arms crossed, foot tapping. Finally, she could wait no more and strode towards the desk. She slammed her hands down on top of his precious papers and forced him to look her right in the eye.

     "What are you up too?"

     Kaz recoiled so there was some more distance between them. "I don't know what you're on about," he replied coldly.

     "Tell me why you want to do this job, Kaz!" she demanded. "Tell me why I should put my neck out on the line for you! Tell me why you're willing to risk the lives of the few loyal Dregs you have left! Tell me!"

     "You've never questioned me before," he shot back, dead calm but furious. "Why now? Is the Wraith having doubts? I'm sure Kirigan's cause will interest you more."

     "Well, maybe I'm questioning you because we have nothing more to lose now," she retorted. "This isn't just your everyday heist, Kaz. You're trying to outsmart the most powerful dark lord in all of Ravka! You can't plan an escape in a day."

     "You don't think I know that?" Kaz growled. "This isn't going to be a walk in the park... but it'll be worth it."

     "Wow," she scoffed. "That's it, isn't it? I just figured it out. You want your reputation back...the bastard who outwitted the Black Heretic. You want your empire back, your Dregs, your power .... And you're going to risk Jesper and me to do it!"

     "Is that so bad?" Kaz finally exploded. "I've lost everything, Inej, everything! And it's all your fault!"

     Inej reeled back, fuming. "What the fuck? You're blaming all this shit on me? You're the one who agreed to it! You're just as responsible!"

     "Yeah? Well, you're the one who told me to let the Sun Summoner go!"

     "Oh, are you that easily swayed by your unimportant, useless Wraith? Trust me, I could tell, you never actually wanted to see Alina get hurt!"

     Silence filled the room as Kaz and Inej stared at each other.

      Alina.

     Neither of them had said her name since that day. This was the first time that she, so saintly, so good, and so opposite to them and everything they were, had been discussed. It had given them both a shock...how easily she had come between them.

     Then, Kaz said, "You can say her name, Inej." When she didn't respond, he repeated louder, angrier, "You can say her name! Alina Starkov...the Saint, the Sun Summoner, the one we betrayed Kirigan for, the person we let escape, the person who has cost us everything!"

     "No!" Inej shook her head, full of denial. "It isn't like that...if we hadn't let her escape then, then..."

     "Then what?" he guffawed and lowered his head in defeat. "Kirigan would've stayed in his precious Ravka, Alina wouldn't be a fugitive, and we would've gotten our money. Ketterdam would've been saved."

     Inej's face softened. "Kaz, I..."

     "Don't." He held up a hand and cut her off. "I don't want to hear it."

     Inej chewed the inside of her lip to stop herself from making any further comments. She watched as Kaz stacked his papers and tucked them under his arm. He picked up his tall black hat and fitted it snugly on his head. Then, he looked at her and stated, "Kirigan is sailing to Novyi Zem because he thinks Alina's there."

     "Why would he think that..." Inej's eyes widened as it dawned on her. "It's because you told him she was there."

     "Not directly, obviously," Kaz muttered in agreement, almost sounding ashamed of what he had done. "It was just a very convincing story...one that very conveniently travelled to Kirigan's ears. I need him distracted, preoccupied, so we can make our escape."

     "And because no other ships are allowed to leave Ketterdam, you want to stowaway on his..." Inej mused, continuing his train of thought. "But how will we get on unseen?"

     "I've scraped together the last of our savings and planned a neat little distraction that will give us surety of passage," Kaz answered confidently.

     "And what about the rest of the Dregs?" Inej challenged him. "Are we just going to leave them here and let them keep suffering?"

     Kaz's face hardened. "None of them have suffered more than we have and where were they then? They abandoned us, so now it's time we return the favour."

     Inej felt a pang of hesitancy, of pain. The Dregs were her home, her family...but then again, family didn't desert you and leave you at Kirigan's mercy. She stiffened and brushed the thought from her mind. "Once we get to Novyi Zem, then what?"

     "We do what we do best...we steal," Kaz smirked. "And then we find a boat to take us the rest of the way to Great Britain."

     "Those are treacherous waters, Kaz," Inej shook her head. "I doubt any good sailor would be willing to go anywhere near there."

     "Already sorted," Kaz returned smugly. "Our neat little distraction just happens to have an acquaintance who's a sailor and he'll be stowing away with us. He's desperate to get out of here to escape his creditors. Of course, I've promised him money we don't have but a couple of stolen wallets here and there should do the trick. We'll part ways when we dock in Great Britain, him none the wiser."

     "You think of everything, don't you?" Inej finally conceded, satisfied with his response.

     A look, a wicked, coy look, passed over Kaz's face. "Of course I do. That's what Dirtyhands does best."

     Inej rolled her eyes. "There's so many things that could go wrong with this plan. You know that, right?"

     Kaz's expression turned serious. "Like you said, we have nothing more to lose now so what's one more heist? If we die, we die. But at least we'll die together."

      Inej gazed into his eyes, losing herself for the briefest moment. Should she tell him now the matters that lingered in her heart, that she could never stop caring for him and that if he ever changed his mind she would be waiting?

      She drew a deep breath and tore herself away. No. She determined she would die with the last of her dignity still intact.

      "What do you want me to do?" she queried.

      Kaz smirked and handed her the stack of papers. "Do what you do best, Wraith – spy. Make sure the people we'll be hiring for this job aren't dirty. Find out where they live, who they hang out with, where they were born, who their parents are, their cousins' middle names...everything. Come back and say your farewells to this place, pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to get it out of your system. Then, we go and we never look back."