Page 46 of Cruel Promise

The music switches to a new song. The people around us finally look away, allowing me to breathe again.

“I need to get out of here,” I whisper, heading for the front door.

“Ava, wait!” Jason follows me outside and grabs my arm before I can walk away. “Where are you going? We should talk about this. Do you really only want to be friends? I’ve liked you for months. You’re beautiful. Sweet. Have great eyes. We would be a perfect match.”

“Jason, I need to go, ok?” If I leave now, maybe I can make it to the train station before Nikolai finds me. “Do you have any money I can borrow?”

He stares at me for a moment before scoffing. “I can’t believe this. You reject me and then ask me for money? Why don’t youlike me, Ava? I’ve spent months being quiet and polite, waiting for you to wake up to how you feel about me.”

“Do you have money? I need to get to safety. My husband will find me and force me back to his house.”

“Maybe that’s what you deserve for toying with my heart.”

I blink at me. My mom was right—Jason does have a crush on me. But I just never realized how much of an asshole he was. I’m literally begging for his help, and all he can think about is himself.

“I have to go,” I say, walking away.

“Ava, wait!” Jason grabs my arms and forces me against him. “Let’s talk about this.”

“Let me go, Jason.” When he doesn’t, I kick him in the shin. “Let me go!” When kicking him in the shin doesn’t work, I land a kick between his legs. That sends him stumbling to the ground.

I take off running.

Jason was no help. The only person who has ever helped me was Rosemary, but I have no idea where she lives. I don’t even know her last name.

Two men step out of the shadows and surround me. “Hey, pretty bitch,” one of them says. It’s too dark out to make out their features. All I know is I’m in danger. Serious, serious danger.

The second man grabs me. “You look rich. Grab her shoes. I’ll take her dress off.”

“No!” I kick at the first man, who tries taking my shoes off. He grabs one before I kick him in the face. He jerks back, then smacks me across the face.

The man holding me rips my straps down, making my dress pool around my waist.

“No, please,” I beg. Leaving with Dimitri was the biggest mistake of my life. It has been nothing but misery. Ironically, I was safer with Nikolai.

The first man gets my other shoe and waves them around. “These are going to get us at least a couple hundred. Get her dress.”

“I’m trying,” the other man mutters as I struggle against him.

“Please, no! Just let me go.”

He tosses me to the ground and gets on top of me. “Stop struggling, bitch.” He punches me in the face.

Everything goes blurry.

Through the blurriness, I think I see Nikolai, with a gun in one hand, grabbing the man off me and throwing him to the ground.

Nikolai shoots the man in the face. The other man begins running, but Nikolai shoots him too.

Then he’s before me, helping me stand up. We stare at each other for a long moment.

And then I throw my arms around him.

After a couple of seconds, Nikolai wraps his arms around me, too.

Chapter

Seven

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