Page 134 of Cruel Honor

“Evie!” Katya screams.

Abram grabs his gun and points it at me. “I wouldn’t do anything stupid,” he says to Katya.

She hesitates then nods.

“Don’t kill her!” Juno says, running toward us. Abram lifts his gun to Juno and fires.

The bullet hits her right in the stomach, knocking her against the wall. Her eyes are wide with shock. As she falls to the floor, she leaves a blood trail on the wall behind her.

“Juno,” I whisper. “Why would you shoot her?”

“Because she was getting in my way.”

Juno slumps to the ground, but she’s still alive as she extends her hand out to me. For some reason, I extend my own hand in return.

Our fingers just barely touch before all the life leaves Juno’s eyes.

It takes me a few moments to realize she’s really dead.

I didn’t love her even though I always tried to, but that doesn’t make this any less hard. Juno was the last person who had a connection to my dad, and now, that’s gone, too.

It’s only me who’s left with memories of him. That’s the thought that makes me begin to cry.

Abram scoffs. “Would you shut up? I should shoot you right now and do it.”

“Then why don’t you?” I ask. “You have a gun pointed at me. Just kill me.”

“Because your girlfriend has her gun pointed at me. And I’m not ready to die just yet.” He scoffs again. “What does Dimitri even see in you? My Tatiana was perfect. You are just …” He rakes his eyes over me with a disgusting expression. “You’re nothing special.”

Something flares to life within me. The desire to tell Abram the truth. ThatI’mthe one who killed Tatiana.

“You want to know something funny?” I ask. “You think Dimitri killed your daughter. You think he’s responsible for everything. But, Abram, I killed your daughter.”

His eyes flash with anger. “What?”

“Evie, what are you saying?”

I ignore Katya and keep my eyes locked with Abram’s. “I killed Tatiana. It was an accident. She was attacking Katya and me, so I pushed her away. She then fell back onto the bathroom floor and bled out. Maybe it really is me you want to kill and not my husband.”

“Evie,” Katya hisses. “What are you doing?”

I’m doing whatever I can to possibly save Katya and Dimitri. With Abram’s attention solely on me, that gives Katya a chance to strike.

If she’ll take it, that is.

“You’re lying,” Abram says. “You’re just trying to stall until Dimitri gets here.”

“Look into my eyes and see if I’m really lying.”

He stares at me for a long moment before his own eyes widen. “You. You really killed my Tatiana?”

“She was horrible.” I don’t sugarcoat it. She was. “But she didn’t deserve to die despite her trying to kill me. But she did die, and I’m responsible.”

The last lingering guilt inside me disappears.

I’ve admitted the truth, and I feel free.

That is until Abram wraps his hands around my throat—and lets go of his gun to do it.

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