Page 100 of Cruel Honor

He stands up straighter. I can tell he likes my compliment, but he would never admit it out loud. “We should include Maxim. He can help us.”

“Sure. But you know he’s a stick-in-the-mud. He never wants to do anything fun.”

“I’m calling him,” is Nik’s response.

After a half hour of Nik glaring at me and me making little quips and him glaring harder, Maxim finally shows up.

“What’s going on?” he asks. His leather jacket is a lot more casual than Nik’s and my suit jackets. Fucking bikers, man.

“He needs help killing Abram,” Nik explains.

“I’ve been looking into him, and I haven’t found anything to use against him,” I say. “His daughter is dead. There’s nothing I can do to draw him out. I’ll have to go to him, and I’d rather not.”

“You?” Maxim asks, raising his eyebrows. “Mr. Jump into anything without asking questions? I remember you when you were crazy.”

“Still crazy, but now, I have more things at risk.” Like Evie. I can’t lose her again.

“Huh.” Maxim nods his head, a smile on his lips. “I guess that means there’s hope for all of us to change.”

“Help me take down Abram?”

Maxim hesitates and then sighs. “There’s something I know about Abram. Ever since you had us confront him, I was curious. I knew he was going to cause more trouble, and I don’t like it when people cause trouble. So, I found out he doesn’t just have one daughter. He has two.”

I stand up straighter. “What? Why haven’t I ever heard about this?”

“Apparently, he keeps his other daughter pretty well hidden. But she’s ten. You could use her against Abram; though I don’t agree with using little girls as bait. I’m just saying it’s an option.”

“Wow,” I drawl. “I didn’t know you had that in you, Maxim. A little ruthless, if you ask me.”

“I don’t like it,” he mutters. “But it’s one way to draw Abram out. Just don’t hurt the girl, Dimitri.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“After you killed his first daughter, I just wanted to make sure.”

I go still. “You know about Tatiana’s death?”

Nik nods. “Abram sent the news across our contacts. He wants everyone to know he’s going after you for the death of his daughter.”

“But I didn’t even kill her!”

Maxim snorts.

“I didn’t,” I emphasize.

“Then who did?” Maxim asks.

I almost tell them the truth but hold it back. I’m not going to throw Evie under the bus. Besides, she didn’t mean to kill Tatiana. She doesn’t deserve to have that over her head forever.

“No, I did,” I lie. “I killed Tatiana, but she was a pain in my ass. I won’t hurt a ten-year-old girl, Maxim. If you really thought I would, then you never would have told me about her in the first place.”

“You’re so strange,” he mutters.

“Enough,” Nik says. “I won’t take part in the kidnapping of a young girl. I just won’t.”

“Ava has your balls in a vise, doesn’t she?” I comment.

He levels a glare at me. “And your wife doesn’t?”

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