Page 135 of Cruel Honor

“Evie!” Katya doesn’t shoot him, and I don’t blame her. Taking a life is not an easy thing to do.

But she does hit him over the head with her gun, knocking him to the side. I cough and gasp and suck in shallow breaths. I try rolling to the side, but Abram grabs me again.

“Let her go,” Katya threatens. “Let her go.”

“You’re not going to shoot me.”

I feel his gun lodged under my back, but Abram has his hands on my arms, holding me down.

I know I’m not going to like this.

I use my head to bash it against Abram’s nose. He jerks back, and my arms are free. I reach under me to grab the gun. My fingers find it.

I lift it, but Abram is fast. Much faster than I expect.

He grabs the gun from me and fires.

Pain ricochets up my arm. When I look down at it, I see the bullet hole. I see the blood pouring from the wound.

Abram’s grin is savage as he points the gun at my face. I don’t squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t look away.

I’m not going to look away from his eyes as he kills me.

Then Katya shouts my name and shoots Abram in the chest. He grunts and flops back onto the ground. Quickly, I scramble away and move back to Katya.

“Is he dead?” she whispers.

Abram is on the floor, wheezing and trying to stand up. But he can’t.

“No, he’s not dead. Not yet.”

Katya is shaking so hard; I’m scared she might accidently shootherself with her own gun. I hold my hand out for it. “Give it to me. You’ve saved me.”

“Your arm,” she gasps.

“It hurts, but it didn’t hit anything vital. I’m not dead. Give me the gun, Katya. Let me help you.”

She clings to it for a long moment before placing it in my hand. The gun is heavy. The power in it is immeasurable.

Abram manages to sit up as he clings to his chest. “You … bitch. You’re going to … burn in hell … for what you did to my … Tatiana.”

“No,” I say, looking him square in the eye. “I’m not the one going to hell.”

The hotel room door bangs open, and Dimitri is there. Looking strong and powerful and brave.

He takes in the scene before rushing to my side. “Evie?”

“Abram’s not dead yet.”

He opens his mouth to say something before he turns to Abram. “She’s right. You’re not dead yet.” He kneels next to Abram, who looks at Dimitri with fear in his eyes. Abram knows exactly what’s coming next. “If you just hadn’t pushed me to marry Tatiana, then none of this needed to happen.”

“If you hadn’t ruined her … then none of this needed to … happen.”

“True. I was an asshole. I took her virginity without thinking about the consequences. But god, Abram, you’re just such a little shithead.”

Dimitri stands up and puts a bullet in Abram’s brain. His blood splatters on the wall behind him.

Abram is officially dead.

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