Page 48 of Cruel Honor

“You see,” he repeats, dropping his hand, “I want Dimitri to hurtfor what he did to my daughter. I also want him to do the right thing and marry her. So, what better way than to kill his current wife?”

Everything inside me goes cold. Katya and I were just trying to help.

And now we’ve made it worse. So much worse.

“Boris, Arthur. Get them into my car,” he orders.

The man holding me does as he’s told. I try kicking and clawing at him, but he doesn’t let go. Then I remember—relax.

I ease back against Boris, and he stumbles, not expecting me to do that. Then I jam my foot against his foot, and he grunts, letting me go. I drop to the ground and roll away.

Then I hesitate. To help Katya, I need to get Dimitri. He’s the only one who can truly save us both. But I can’t leave my best friend behind.

“Run, Evie!” Katya says, struggling against Arthur. “It’s ok. Run!”

But I hesitate for too long.

Both Boris and Abram come at me and drag me to Abram’s car, where they throw me into the trunk. They push Katya on top of me so we’re both squished in the back of Abram’s trunk. The smile he gives me as he closes the lid will haunt me forever.

Once the lid is shut, Katya and I are in complete darkness. There’s no room to move or breathe.

I feel the panic hitting me, and my breath starts to come out in small pants.

“Evie,” she says softly. Her elbow jams into my stomach, making me gasp. “Sorry. We need to stay calm. We can’t panic. We only have so much oxygen in this thing. You know this. You’re smarter than me, and if I know this, then that means you know this. You can’t panic. For me. Stay calm for me.”

Slowly, I inhale and exhale, calming my racing heart. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Those fucking men will be sorry once my brother is done with them. He’ll find us, Evie. He’ll save us.”

Her faith in her brother is astounding. I wish I had the same kind of faith.

But all I feel is doubt and fear that I really will die this time.

How do I not panic over that?

The car starts and begins to drive. I know the farther we’re taken away, the harder it will be for Dimitri to save us.

DIMITRI

When I arrive home, I’m confronted with a surprise.

Juno is pacing back and forth in front of the door. “You’re finally here,” she says once I get out of my car. “I’ve been knocking, and no one has been answering.”

“Why are you here?”

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Kidnapping my daughter the way you have. She hasn’t called or texted. I need to make sure she’s all right.”

“She’s my wife now. Not my prisoner.”

Juno’s eyes widen, and then she slaps me across the face. Not many people can surprise me. Juno is a surprising woman.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You married my daughter and didn’t even invite me to the wedding?”

“It happened so fast. It was to protect her. I wasn’t thinking about family. I mean, my sister was there, but just as a witness. Now, if you’ll kindly move out of my way, I’d like to get inside my house.”

Juno plants herself more firmly in front of me. “I’m not going anywhere until you give me Evelyn back. She belongs at home. With me.”

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