Once Upon A Lie 2

Three

Ketterdam was not a place that Alina Starkov frequented. Alina was a society girl. She'd been born into a rich family. She went to places like tea rooms and charity events. That was, until she graduated, and had saved her family from financial ruin by securing one of the biggest deals in corporate history through some tricky blackmail. Ketterdam was the kind of place gamblers and thieves went.

It was no surprise that Kaz Brekker ended up there. He had come from there before, and he went to Os Alta after making his fortune. He had enrolled in the same private school Alina went to so that he could make connections. Kaz owned two-night clubs called The Crow Club. One in Ketterdam, and one in Os Alta.

Alina had even worked in the one in Os Alta for a little bit. The one in Ketterdam was a little grungier, in the night club district. It was night, and there was a line of people coming out of it. Alina wasn't sure if she should wait in line or try to go to the door.

A shadow fell over her then. There was a tall man, with blond hair, and blue eyes. "Alina Starkov?"

Alina flinched. She had had bad luck with strange men approaching her. The last time this had happened, she had been chased into a church and forced into a marriage against her will. "Yes. I'm Alina. Who are you?"

"Matthias Helvar," he said, "I'm the bouncer for The Crow Club. Mr. Brekker told me that you'd be arriving. I'm supposed to lead you up to his private rooms."

Alina smiled. "Thanks. That line looked intimidating."

Matthias nodded. "Friends of Kaz Brekker don't wait in line at The Crow Club. Come on."

He pulled her through the crowds, into the busy night club, and up a set of iron stairs. They didn't stop until they were on the second floor, in what appeared to be a loft that had been turned into an apartment.

Kaz Brekker sat on a couch with Inej Ghafa sitting slightly distanced from him. Kaz had his cane on the couch. He had a bad leg, and a thing about touch. But there was no denying the chemistry that flowed from him and Inej. It was hard to look at, because Alina had never had something so safe and content.

But Alina looked anyway. "Hey!" Alina said. "I'm here."

Inej got up off of the couch. "Alina!" she hugged her tightly. "I'm glad your back. Ketterdam wasn't the same once you left."

She had spent the first few weeks of her journeys in Ketterdam, just to get her baring's with travel. But Kaz hadn't let her go anywhere too dangerous. She suspected he still saw her as Aleksander's fiancé, and didn't want her getting hurt incase Aleksander came back. What no one seemed to understand was that Aleksander had given him up. But during that time, Alina had become great friends with Inej.

"Thanks, Inej. Hi, Kaz."

"Starkov," Kaz said with a nod, "Aleksander's out on the balcony. Don't worry. I told him that if he jumped, I'd bring him back from the dead and kill him myself."

Alina smiled. "Thanks. Is he----"

Kaz smirked. "He's okay. But um...there's something that you need to know, before you go out there."

"What's that?" Alina asked.

"The last thing that he remembers is The Apparat marrying you in the church," said Kaz, "and he thinks that you're still married."

"No," Alina said.

"Yes," Inej said, "he doesn't remember anything about Zoya, or the baby, or about what happened before he wound up in the canal. But he remembered everything about you and him. That's all that he remembers, really."

Alina took a deep breath. "Saints."

"Yeah," said Inej, "Saints."

She glanced out at the balcony. She could see Aleksander's outline as he leaned against it. He was wearing one of Kaz's black shirts, which was a little fitted on him, and black slacks. He looked good. He always looked so fucking good. But he wasn't hers. He hadn't been.