Chapter Two #2
Roque suspected he knew what Dimri’s answer to his question would be, but he still asked it. “What about the other three?”
“Dead. I managed to get in touch with the only survivor, but they didn’t have any more answers than I do. We don’t know how Ramiel found out the others were spies. We just know that he did and had them killed in a public execution.”
Roque didn’t know exactly what Dimri’s job entailed when it came to the spies, so he had no idea what kind of relationship Dimri had with them.
There had to have been trust there, though, and he probably felt like he’d failed them.
It would be of no use to tell him that all of this was on Ramiel’s shoulders.
Dimri felt responsible for what had happened, and he was taking it hard.
That still didn’t explain the state of his office.
“I’m really sorry,” Roque said. “Is that why your office looks the way it does? Did you get angry over what happened?” If this had been Dimri exploding, Roque could understand.
Dimri shook his head. “I’m destroying documents because the remaining spy told me I have a mole in my network. I don’t know if that’s how Ramiel found out about my people, but I can’t afford for them to give him any more information than they already have.”
Roque looked around the room. Dimri had done a pretty good job. “And you think that destroying your office is going to help with that?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t take the risk.”
He sounded determined, but there had to be a better way to do this. “What did Berith say?”
“I haven’t told him yet.”
“What are you waiting for? He needs to know what’s happening.”
“I can’t let anyone get their hands on the information in my office. Destroying this takes precedent.”
“Then get a guard to stand by the door. The first thing you should’ve done was talk to Berith.” Roque grabbed Dimri’s arm. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
DIMRI TRIED TO PULL away, but Roque wasn’t letting go. It made Dimri feel like an unruly child being dragged to his parents so they could yell at him. He glared at Roque’s back, wondering what the bodyguard would do if he kicked him behind the knee.
It was tempting, but Roque wasn’t wrong. Dimri should have contacted Berith to tell him what had happened. Berith expected him to, and he needed to know about the deceased spies.
Before destroying half of his office, Dimri had gone over the documents he had.
He’d collected a lot of information on many people, including his spies.
That meant he had a pretty good idea about who might be responsible for this, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on them.
Luckily—or unluckily, he wasn’t sure yet—none of them was at the palace right now.
Dimri wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if they had been.
People watched them walk past, clearly curious.
Dimri glared at the whispers and stares, then he tried to free himself from Roque again.
This time, Roque let go, for which Dimri was grateful, but he was still snarky.
“There’s no need to drag me around the hallways like that,” he said, shaking out his arm. “I can walk.”
“Then why didn’t you walk to Berith’s office to tell him about this?”
“And leave all my files available for the spy?”
Roque snorted. He was walking so fast that Dimri almost had to run to keep up, which didn’t help him feel less like a child.
“You would never leave important information out in the open, not where anyone could walk in and get it,” Roque said. “You’re too careful.”
He wasn’t wrong, but it surprised Dimri to realize that Roque knew him that well. “I don’t know what they might use,” he explained. “Even something that appears useless to us could be useful to the mole in my network, especially in a war. I couldn’t risk it.”
“What you can’t risk is Berith’s safety.”
“Which is why I did it.”
Roque looked like he wanted to disagree, but they’d reached Berith’s office. His assistant was at his desk, his phone to his ear. He blinked when he saw them, then waved at them to go in. It didn’t look like Berith was in a meeting right now.
Roque opened the door without knocking. Dimri was always appalled when he saw Roque and Yakim do that, but he had to remember that they were Berith’s friends. They were much closer to him than anyone would normally be in their position.
Berith blinked at Roque and Dimri’s entrance. “I’d asked to what I owe the pleasure, but I can already see it’s not going to be pleasurable. What’s going on?” he asked.
“Dimri’s spies are dead,” Roque declared.
Berith’s expression turned sharp. “Dimri?”
“Three of four are dead,” Dimri confirmed. “The fourth one is attempting to come back to the palace, but I don’t know if they’ll manage.”
“What happened?”
“Ramiel found out about them. I don’t know how yet, but he had them killed.”
“And Dimri here thought that it was more important to destroy documents in his office than to tell you about this right away,” Roque said, and this time, he was the one who looked like a child.
Dimri narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you a spy, too?”
“I’ll tell on you every time if it means keeping Berith safe.”
“It’s not like I wasn’t going to tell him.”
“Maybe not, but you were wasting time.”
“To ensure that things wouldn’t get worse.”
“Enough,” Berith snapped.
Dimri sucked in a breath. As annoyed as he was with Roque, he had to be professional.
“I apologize,” he told Berith. “Not only are three of my four spies in Ramiel’s palace dead, but the only survivor managed to let me know that I have a mole in my network.
I needed to destroy any information they could use against you.
That’s why I didn’t come to you right away. ”
“You really think it was necessary?”
“I do.”
“There are better ways to destroy things than to throw them against the wall,” Roque pointed out.
“How I destroy my things doesn’t concern you,” Dimri told him.
“Children,” Berith scolded. “Please. You’re supposed to work together, not to bicker over something as stupid as this.
Dimri, please, next time, come to me before destroying your office.
Roque, Dimri has been at this for years.
He knows what he’s doing, and I’m sure that if he decided that destroying his office was a priority, he was right. ”
Dimri looked down. Why did he feel like he was getting scolded by his parents? He supposed that it was similar since Berith was his prince.
“I’m sorry,” Roque said. “I’m worried.”
“We all are. We need to trust each other, though. We’re not going to be able to win this if we don’t.”
He was right. Clearly, Dimri couldn’t trust anyone but the people in this office and a few more.
He couldn’t even trust his own network that he’d built over the years.
As little as he liked Roque right now, he was one of the few that Dimri was sure would never betray Berith.
That meant that Roque was safe to work with.
“In fact, I want the two of you to work together to find the moles,” Berith said.
All of Dimri’s good intentions flew right out the window. “I’m not working with him,” he said.
Berith arched a brow. “Aren’t you?”
“I don’t need a babysitter. You said yourself that I’d been doing this for a long time, and I know what I’m doing. I can find the moles on my own.”
“I never said you couldn’t, but we don’t know who to trust. I’m not going to risk you, both because you’re my friend and because what you do is important. Without you, we lose any chances of fixing this and winning the war. Roque will protect you.”
Dimri wanted to continue arguing, and from the look on Roque’s face, he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one. Neither of them said anything, though. Even though Berith was a friend, he was also their prince, and he’d given them an order.
“I’ll keep him safe,” Roque promised.
Dimri glared at him. Even though he was agreeing to this, it didn’t mean he had to like it.
He very much disliked it, in fact. He was used to working on his own and not giving anyone any kind of explanation.
He was free to move without having to warn anyone, and he had no idea how Berith expected him to change that.
Berith was doing it because he cared. He was doing it because he wanted Dimri to be safe. How could Dimri get angry because of that? How could he do anything but nod and go along with it?
He supposed that both he and Roque were about to find out.