Page 50 of Cruel Honor

“But I like our couch.”

I huff, struggling against Boris, who reeks of sweat and ham. It makes me miss Dimitri’s cologne—it’s subtle yet masculine. I neverthought I would miss any part of Dimitri, but here I am, doing exactly that.

“Fine,” Abram grumbles. “Boris, get her up. We’re bringing her to the basement.”

The moment Boris stands up, I jump to my feet and make a run for the front door. Instinct makes me grab a vase off a sideboard and chuck it at Boris. It smashes into his head. He falls to the floor and doesn’t get back up.

“Shit,” Abram mutters, pulling out his gun. “Stop right there.”

I do as he says.

“No, Evie!” Katya shouts. “Just run.”

But I’m frozen in fear at the sight of the gun. It reminds me of that night …

When I had to see my father get mugged down in the street. I survived, and he didn’t.

Panic creeps back into my throat and stomach, and I can’t move. Not a muscle.

Abram walks over to me and pushes me forward. “To the basement.”

The smug smile Tatiana gives me makes it all worse.

“No!” Katya shouts, bucking against Arthur, but he doesn’t let up.

“It’s ok,” I tell her. “I’ll be ok.” But we both know I won’t be.

Abram forces me down the stairs to the basement, which is made out of cement and is empty. This is where I’m going to die—in a cement box at the age of twenty.

He puts his gun away and lifts the dagger. “It will be more fun this way.” He rushes right at me …

… but I dodge out of the way, just barely avoiding getting cut.

“You’re dead,” he growls, grabbing my head and slamming it against the wall. My legs buckle, and I fall to the ground. Abram stands over me, smiling triumphantly.

A bang from upstairs makes Abram look away from me.

Footsteps. Shouts.

Then Katya is running down the stairs with Tatiana right behind her.

And behind them both is Dimitri.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he snarls at Abram. He has a gun pointed right at Abram’s head.

“She was getting in the way of my Tatiana.”

“Enough is enough, Abram. I tried to offer you peace, but you just wouldn’t take it. You’re dead to me. Actually, you’re going to be dead in one second.”

“Wait!” Tatiana shouts, throwing herself in front of her father. “If you kill him, you’ll have to kill me.”

Dimitri hesitates. “Get out of the way, Tatiana. You annoy the fuck out of me, but you don’t deserve to die.”

“She told her father about us,” Katya says. “She led him right to us.”

“Oh. Then you do deserve to die.”

“Wait,” Tatiana begs. “Please. If you let my father live, we’ll leave you alone. We won’t bother you anymore. You won’t need to marry me. I swear.”

---