Chapter 10 Kane
KANE
Kane was, simply put, a fool.
He liked it far too much, the idea of having Zaria at his beck and call. In fact, it was so appealing that he’d promptly recoiled from the prospect. If he was going to make it as kingpin, he couldn’t afford distractions, which Zaria undoubtedly was.
But then he’d remembered his conversation with Inspector Price.
The device that had been snuck into the Crystal Palace, and his task to find the Curator.
If the device was indeed alchemological, then knowing its intended purpose might help him draw up a list of suspects.
The only person who would be able to divine that purpose, though, was an alchemologist. If the device had stumped the Royal Commission—which collectively had more knowledge of magic than any of the members would ever care to admit—then Kane certainly wouldn’t recognize the thing.
That was why he needed the godforsaken necklace back.
He’d originally wanted her to have it—foolish, foolish—because, despite it all, he’d been unable to bear the thought of her dying in alchemology’s cold, relentless grip.
It had been a moment of weakness. If Kane had been smart, and made choices the way a kingpin ought to, he would’ve kept the source of power for himself.
Hired another, less infuriating alchemologist who could use it on his behalf.
But Kane was not smart. He let Zaria cloud his better judgment again and again. Now that she was here, though, he could at least hold on to the necklace as leverage. If he failed to find the Curator, at least he would have that much.
Of course, having Zaria work for him would mean having her here at all times.
She couldn’t very well stay at the barracks with the men.
Kane could only imagine how they would leer at her, and all the ways her smart mouth would no doubt get her into trouble.
That said, allowing her to go back to Mirko Petrov’s was also out of the question.
No—Kane would need to keep her close, no matter how much more difficult it made his life.
“You’ll stay here,” he told her as she made for the door. “In the manor.”
Zaria blanched. “As in, with you?”
“Not with me. But I will also be here, yes. Don’t worry; it’s a rather large house.”
That cornered, bewildered look didn’t leave her face, and Kane wondered if they were thinking the same thing.
He hadn’t lied—the house was large—but not nearly large enough.
It was no matter. He would station one of his most trusted men at her door and forget she existed until he had need of her.
Other than that, she would be treated like any other crew member.
“Fine,” Zaria said. The change in her expression was minute, but Kane saw it nonetheless: The corners of her mouth turned slightly downward, and her gaze flicked to the ground and back, avoiding his. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”
“What do you mean?”
Her short laugh was self-deprecatory. “George kicked me out when you took Jules. So, thanks for that, by the way.”
What did she expect Kane to say? That he was sorry? “I’d have thought that would be Petrov’s call.”
“He’s George’s friend, and he doesn’t know me well. He only let us stay there in the first place as a favor to George.”
“Well, if George Zhao is looking for someone to blame, he ought to take a closer look at himself. He’s the one who couldn’t pay his dues.”
Zaria’s expression was withering. “Once again, we both know that’s not why you did this.”
“There’s no use in pointing fingers,” Kane said smoothly, following her to the door and opening it. “You can have the rooms at the other end of the hall. You don’t leave this building without me or another assigned crew member.”
“There’s no need to make me a prisoner. I’m not going to try and run.”
“Then it shouldn’t make any difference to you.”
She stared down her nose at him, lips pressed tight, dark eyes furious.
God—her presence, not to mention Fletcher’s, was already throwing Kane off-kilter.
He didn’t want to see how much his friend resented him.
He didn’t want to recall how it felt to kiss Zaria and then be betrayed by her.
But what could he do? His knowledge of alchemology was limited to recognizing weapons and estimating value.
He could use an alchemologist, so it might as well be her.
In the meantime, Kane would ignore the part of himself that remembered all too clearly how their previous business arrangement had devolved into his mouth on hers.
She would help him find the Curator, and that was all.
In the meantime, they only had to try not to kill each other.
“As you like,” Zaria said eventually, the words at odds with her dagger-edged tone. “But Jules gets to leave your employ right away.”
“I’ll dismiss him the moment he returns. You have my word.”
“That doesn’t mean a whole lot to me.”
He gave a hollow laugh. “Then we understand each other.”
Her only response was to glower and turn on her heel.
Kane waited until she disappeared behind the door he’d indicated, then released a wavering exhale.
Zaria had tried to hide it, but he’d seen the fear in her eyes.
Fear of him. Of what he’d become. It had been so much easier to hate her when she wasn’t standing before him, delicate and lovely and inadvisably resolute.
He was a kingpin now, though, and it was right that she should be afraid—for both their sakes.
After taking another moment to compose himself, Kane made his way downstairs.
The rhythm of his breath shifted when he saw Fletcher still there, standing between the first-floor landing and the entryway.
He was engaged in conversation with Elijah and Adam, both of whom appeared to be in good spirits, though the latter was sporting a black eye.
Behind them, Jules skulked with his back pressed against the lowest rungs of the stairwell, a portrait of discomfort.
“Atwood,” Kane barked. “I want you standing guard outside the door at the end of the hall. Our newest crew member doesn’t go in or out without my explicit consent. Understood?”
Elijah straightened. “Sure thing.”
As the boy strode purposefully up the stairs, Kane turned to Adam. “Cromwell—escort Master Zhao home, if you would.”
Adam nodded, but Jules lifted his head, frowning in suspicion. “Back to the barracks, you mean?”
“No. I no longer have need of you, so you can leave.”
“Why?”
Kane fought to curb his irritation. He could feel Fletcher’s gaze on him and worked very hard to avoid it. “Because I said so. You didn’t want to be here in the first place, and now you don’t have to.”
“What did Zaria want?” Fletcher asked, and Kane cursed inwardly as Jules’s lips parted.
“Zaria was here?”
“She is here,” Kane ground out.
Jules pushed away from the banister, focus and anger flooding back into his face. “Where is she? I swear to God, if you hurt her—”
Kane cut him off. “She’s perfectly fine. We came to an agreement. As it happens, she’s more useful to me than you are. Her only term was that you be released from my employ. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”
Jules continued to gape, digesting this. “Like hell I will. I’m not leaving her alone here with you.”
“Christ almighty.” Exercising this much self-control was giving Kane a headache.
He pressed his fingers against his temples before dragging them down to his chin.
“You two and your unending desire to play savior for each other is getting on my nerves. You will go home, and you will leave Zaria alone here. Because if you don’t, I’ll put a bullet in your head just to be rid of you.
Understand?” He wrenched his gun from his waistband. “You have three seconds.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Do I look”—Kane clicked a bullet into the chamber—“like I’m fucking bluffing?”
A moment passed, static with tension. Finally, eyes burning with unconcealed hatred, Jules gave a jerking nod. He didn’t seem to trust himself to speak; instead, he simply wrenched open the door and walked out of the manor, Adam a hulking presence behind him.
This left Kane alone with Fletcher, who didn’t look very pleased about the development.
Heartbeat pulsing hollowly in his ears, Kane stowed the gun away.
The chatter and guffaws of the crew members in the adjacent parlor drifted into the entryway, but to him, they might as well have been in another world.
For the first time in nearly a week, that pressure in his chest threatened to overflow.
Each emotion he’d pushed down and avoided came bubbling to the surface.
He needed to say something. He wanted to say everything.
“Why did you bring Zaria here?” Kane asked instead.
Fletcher worried at his lower lip. One of his shoulders twitched up in an imitation of a shrug. “She begged me to take her to you, and I didn’t see any real reason to say no. If she wants to make foolish decisions, that’s not my business.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t decide to move.”
“I knew you wouldn’t.”
Part of Kane wanted to ask how Fletcher could be so certain, but he was afraid of the answer. Didn’t want to hear Fletcher say, I knew you wouldn’t go where I couldn’t find you, and have his weaknesses be laid bare between them.
“Why did you say yes?” Fletcher continued, wrenching Kane back to himself.
“What?”
“To Zaria offering to take Julian’s place. I didn’t think you’d be happy to see her, let alone willing to have her stay here with you.”
There was an edge to Fletcher’s voice, as if something important and unspoken hinged on Kane’s reply. He didn’t know what it could be and abruptly felt the need to defend himself. “I’m not happy. I wasn’t. But I was telling the truth—recent developments mean she’s more useful to me.”
“What recent developments?”