Page 132 of Cruel Honor

Everything goes silent.

And then I hear a gunshot.

Both Katya and I go very,verystill.

“Please tell me that was Abram who got shot,” Katya whispers.

Somehow, I doubt it.

Someone bangs on the door again. “Let me in,” Abram threatens.

“Did you just shoot that security guard?” Katya asks.

“I did. And I won’t hesitate to shoot either of you. If you cooperate with me, you can make it out of this alive.”

“Like hell that’s going to happen.”

I nudge Katya. “We need to play nice. Juno is out there. Maybe she can help us.”

“Help us? Evie, she led Abram straight to us.”

“I know. But she’s still my stepmom. She doesn’t want us to gethurt. She only wants Dimitri dead. So, maybe we can lead Abram to Dimitri.”

Katya gives me a sharp look. “You want Dimitri dead?”

“Of course not. But we play along. We survive long enough to get an advantage.” I nod at the gun in her hands. “Unless, of course, you want to shoot Abram right now and do us all a favor.”

“Ok,” she whispers. “We let him inside. And then I shoot him. I’m a pretty good shot. My dad taught me.”

“You can do this?” I whisper back.

“What other choice do we have?”

“Ok.” I quickly squeeze her arm. “Be careful. And don’t accidently shoot me.” I walk over to the door and slowly open it a crack.

I come eye to eye with Abram. “You want Dimitri dead. We’ll take you to him. But if we’re dead, we can’t help you, and you know it.”

“Don’t kill her,” Juno says to him. “I didn’t agree to that.”

Abram sighs deeply. “Fine. Take me to Dimitri. And no fucking funny business.”

I fling open the door and dive to the side.

And Katya fires.

The bullet hits Abram in the arm, making him jerk back. Juno screams and backs away. Katya pauses for just long enough to give Abram the chance to lift his own gun.

I see the dead security guard just down the hallway. Soon, other people will show, including the police. They can help. Detective Johnson was no help with Dima, but this showdown is something no one can deny is happening.

Katya is about to pull her trigger when Abram says, “I wouldn’t do that. I’m a good shot. You fire at me, I fire right back at you. And I doubt a pretty girl like you would want to get a nasty scar from the bullet I put inside you.”

“You already gave me a scar, asshole,” Katya responds. She lowers her gun toward his leg and shoots.

The bullet hits Abram right in the thigh and he falls to the ground, his gun clattering to the floor. I kick it out of the way of his hand.

Katya comes to stand beside me, and we both stare down at Abram as he groans in pain. Blood seeps from his thigh. We exchange a look. We could do what we did with Tatiana and just let him bleed out.

Like daughter, like father.

---