“What?” Nuri looked to him and repeated dumbly.
“We might not be close, but I know my cousin. He would have had the Imperial Guard sweep this place thoroughly, not sent a single person. Even if that person is his treasured secretary. Do you come here often?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re misunderstanding.”
“Was it that day I ran into you downstairs?”
Well shit.
“Okay, I can see how this looks like what you think it does, but I assure you, I am not a member of this club.”
“Nuri.” Brix seemed kind of hurt. “You can trust me. I won’t judge.”
Maybe it was better to let him believe it. The reason Nuri had always been comfortable around Brix was because he held no claim to the throne, and therefore, was never a real threat to Silver. But that still didn’t mean it was safe to let it leak that someone had tried to blackmail the emperor.
Besides, that comfort hadn’t lasted. The second it’d become obvious the Imperial wanted something more than friendship from him, Nuri had pulled away.
“Let’s just say, something was filmed here that shouldn’t have been, and I’m trying to find out who planted the camera,” Nuri tentatively said.
“So you asked me to come with you in case they refused to give you access to the security footage.” He nodded as though he understood, but then pursed his lips. “You asked me. Which means Silver doesn’t know about this, does he.”
It was a rhetorical question, so Nuri didn’t bother giving an answer. Instead, he tried to change the subject. “I’ve confirmed where the camera was most likely placed. I mostlycame here for the footage, but I wanted to see it for myself. Now that I have, we can go—”
“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” Brix told him.
“Do what?”
“Push me away.” He took a step closer, and alarm bells started ringing in Nuri’s mind. “We used to be pretty close, wouldn’t you say?”
“Not really,” Nuri stated, slipping back into that no-nonsense persona he used for work. “We were friends, Brix, but—”
“You kiss all your friends like that?”
His hands tightened into fists at his sides. “You swore you’d never bring that up again.”
“I think about it a lot, you know?”
“It was one time and we were both drunk.” Nuri glared and moved toward the door when Brix took another step closer. “Let’s go. I’ve done what I needed to do here.”
“What’s keeping you with him, really?” Brix surprised him by bluntly asking. “It made sense when my uncle was alive, but now that he’s gone, aren’t you free to leave that bastard’s side?”
“You’re crossing several lines right now, Mr. Brixton.” Nuri grabbed onto the door handle but kept facing the other man, suddenly not trusting him at his back.
“You can’t leave him, can you,” Brix guessed. “If I know my cousin, and I do, he won’t let you. I can help you, Nuri.”
“Oh?” How stupid he’d been to forget for even a second that all Imperials were selfish pricks. Even the ones who’d come off sweet in college. “How do you figure?”
“Don’t you want to know why I’m back?”
“Why are you back?” Experience had taught him the best way to deal with a chatty Imperial or Royal was to just letthem talk their way through it. Once they’d said everything they wanted to say, it was easier to step away.
“I’ve been collecting Rein Inc. stock these past couple of years,” he divulged proudly. “It won’t be long before I become a major shareholder in the company.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Nuri felt like he’d stepped into an alternate reality or something. “We haven’t spoken in years. We don’t know each other well enough to trade secrets. How can you be so certain I won’t go inform the Emperor?”
“Are you going to do that, Nuri?” Brix took another step forward. “Really?”
A sudden knock at the door interrupted, and Nuri risked turning long enough to pull it open, revealing the woman from the front desk.
