“How do you figure?” Flix asked.
“Remember what he told us at the meeting?” Kaz smirked. “He said Port could take care of himself. This shouldn’t be that big of a shock if that was true.”
“You’re relying a lot on assumption,” Pavel drawled.
“Keeps things interesting.” Kazimir winked at him, and Pavel made a face of disgust.
Apparently, Nate wasn’t the only one immune to his charms.
“You two get out of here,” Kaz ordered next. “I’ll take care of the body on my own. It’ll be less suspicious that way.”
“No,” Flix moved forward, “I’ll do it. You and Pavel can go, report back.”
Kaz stepped in front of him before he could reach the body. “You forgetting who’s in charge here, Firebug?”
Flix didn’t back down.
“Have your little standoff,” Pavel said. “I’ll be on my way.” He took one last lingering look at Nate before leaving.
“You should go too,” Kazimir told Flix once they heard a car engine rev to life outside.
“I’m not leaving you alone with Nate,” Flix replied.
“Did you not get the memo just now? He’s fine. Aren’t you, Pretty Boy?”
Nate glanced between the two of them. On the one hand, he could come clean now that the terrifying Retinue member was gone, but on the other…Whatever Port was involved with, Flix and Kaz were both a part of it. If Nate wanted to ensure his friend stayed safe, he had to play his cards right, which meant he was going to have to do the thing he hated and rely on Kazimir.
Because Kaz was right, Flix might be his actual friend here, but Kaz was the one in charge. If he chose to call Pavel back in and confess that Port had, in fact, been here a moment ago,there was nothing either Nate or Flix would be able to do to stop him.
“It’s okay, Flix,” he forced himself to say, giving his friend a shaky smile. “He won’t hurt me.”
“Nate, you don’t have to be afraid. If he’s making you—”
Kazimir planted one hand on Flix’s chest and shoved him. “You’re starting to piss me off, Flix.”
“Stop.” Nate was stepping over the body and grabbing onto Kaz’s arm faster than he could process his feet were even moving. He tugged on him, getting him to put a little more distance between him and Flix. “Don’t start fighting.”
“Why not?” Kaz snarled. “He—”
“Because you literally just murdered someone in my kitchen and I’m freaking out here!” Nate said. He felt their eyes on him, but kept his gaze locked on the third button of Kaz’s dress shirt, not trusting himself because that hadn’t been a lie.
He was, in fact, freaking out.
“This isn’t my normal,” he added when neither of them spoke. “I get that it is for you two, that you’re used to killing and seeing bodies and being covered in blood. But I’m not. The most illegal I get is racing at the docks.”
One of Kazimir’s hands settled over his wrists, and Nate realized he was shaking and clinging to the Brumal member now, instead of holding him back like he’d initially been.
“Get this body out of here, Flix,” Kaz said in a clipped tone, leaving no room for argument.
Though he hesitated, Flix did as he was told without further complaint. “You’ll have to take care of the blood on your own.”
“Yeah.” Kaz eased Nate closer to him so that Flix could have easier access to the dead man’s ankles. When the sound of him being dragged away came a moment later, and Nate squeezed his eyes shut, Kaz lifted a hand and ran it lightlythrough the hairs at the back of his skull. “It’s okay, Pretty Boy. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Youhave happened to me, Kaz,” he shot back.
Kazimir’s hand stilled, and some of the tenderness was gone when Nate risked a glance up at him. But his voice remained steady when he replied, “Remember our revelation before? When I figured out you’d pay up if you felt like you were truly in my debt.”
Nate’s hands fell away from Kaz’s arm, and he stared up at him.
