“Sure, that works. Whatever you’re comfortable with, Nuri.”
“I’ll be in touch. Have a nice day.” He ended the call, blowing out a breath.
“Who was that?” Silver tipped his head when Nuri’s eyes widened slightly. “You seem flustered, Narek.”
“No, no,” he denied. “You just surprised me is all. You’ve been so engrossed in your work, I almost forgot you were here.”
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
Shit.
Nuri cleared his throat and forced a small smile. It was no secret that Silver and Romeo did not get along, and since Nuri intended on using the other man to get into Club Spade so he could investigate… It was best to keep the Emperor in the dark. “I—”
His multi-slate rang again, but before he could get too nervous, he noticed his sister’s name flashing across the screen. It was easy to forget all about his problem when her angry voice came blaring through the earbud as soon as he connected the call.
“What happened? I can’t believe that not only did you not show up as promised but you also went and got yourself into an accident!” Neve sounded angry, but also concerned, and that made the guilt within Nuri swell to exponential levels. “If not for Emperor Silver, we wouldn’t have even known about it, would we?”
Nuri turned to find Silver still watching him, most likely because his sister was practically screaming in his ear, and with a quick bow, he excused himself to the hallway. As soon as the door to the study was shut tightly behind him, he blew out a breath and dropped down onto one of the two bench seats set in an alcove at the end of the hall.
“I’m sorry. I meant to call you first but things have been a bit hectic,” he said, before recalling what Nate had told him earlier. “I thought you had work until the afternoon?”
“It is the afternoon,” she snapped, before adding, “But I did leave an hour earlier. I couldn’t wait to hear from you. Nate said you’re all right but still…”
“I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Yeah, well, thanks to the Emperor you didn’t. I can’t believe I now have to be grateful to him. I hate that. He explained you were in an accident and that’s why you didn’t make it.” She grew quiet for a brief moment and then, “He also told me he’d accompany you here as soon as you’re better…Is that true?”
It was the first he was hearing about it, and he sent a frown toward the closed door. For now, it was best to just roll with it and not upset Neve even more than she already was.
“It shouldn’t take me too long to heal,” he found himself saying. “The injuries are minor.”
“Should I come—”
“No,” he said firmly. “You just graduated. It’s bad enough Nate took time off. I’m fine. Really.”
“And I’ll see you soon? Here?” She clearly was on the fence over whether or not she believed that, but like him, was probably thrown by the fact she’d been given that information directly from the Emperor. As far as Nuri knew, Silver and Neve hadn’t spoken since she’d left the planet, and even before that, he’d certainly never had reason to call her.
“Yeah,” he promised, hoping it was the truth.
Wondering what exactly he was going to have to do for Silver to make sure it was.
“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Suddenly, Neve sounded on the verge of tears. “If I hadn’t pressured you into coming and gotten mad, you wouldn’t have been in such a rush to make it to the airport and this never would have happened.”
“Don’t say that,” Nuri softened his tone. “It was an accident, and I’m fine. Besides, I’m the one who’s sorry. I broke my promise again. I should have been there for you.”
“I understand,” Neve reassured him, a forlorn sigh broken at the end with a forced laugh. “This time.”
He appreciated her trying to lighten the mood and chuckled himself. “It won’t happen again.”
She snorted.
“Hey, come on. You heard it straight from the Emperor himself. I’m coming.”
“So is he.” It was obvious she could do without that.
“It’ll be worth putting up with him to see me finally, won’t it?” Nuri teased, grinning when she laughed again. Footsteps caught his attention and he lifted his head just in time to see the man of topic pull open the study door and step out into the hall. His smile vanished. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll contact you again later, okay?”
“Make sure you rest,” Neve ordered. “If he’s working you even when you’re unwell—”
