Page 82 of Cruel Honor

“Thank you,” I whisper, staring at the floor. I’m practically burrowing a hole into it. “For saving me again.”

Dimitri’s arms around me tighten in the best way. “Always, Evie.”

Katya makes a sound in the back of her throat. She and Dimitri share a look I don’t understand.

Before I can ask, Dimitri gets a text and pulls away from me. “We’re all good. Here we go.” He sends off a text of his own, and then after a few moments, the fire alarm goes off.

“Come on,” he says, taking my hand. “We have to blend into the crowd.”

The three of us leave the restroom, and just as Dimitri predicated, no one is looking at us. Everyone is heading for the door.

Except for two men dressed as waiters. They head straight for the bathroom. Oh no. They’re going to see Tatiana and arrest us.

“Don’t worry,” Dimitri says for only me to hear. “Those are my men. They’ve come to do their job. Don’t look back.”

I do as Dimitri instructs.

We make it out of the restaurant and onto the street. Vera spots me and rushes over. “Evie, darling. Where did you run off to?”

I freeze. How can I tell her I just accidently killed Tatiana?

“We were powdering our noses,” Katya explains.

“Well, it’s a good thing Dimitri was here,” Vera says, eyeing Dimitri over. “If there’s really a fire, he can protect us.”

Dimitri laughs like he didn’t just help me cover up the woman I killed. “You know that’s very true, Vera. I’m always open to helping women. It’s my favorite pastime.”

“Oh, you,” she says, swiping at his arm. “You’re trouble.”

“Am I?”

His response just makes her laugh even more.

This is good. Dimitri is a natural charmer, and he’s distracting Vera so she doesn’t question anything.

I wait for Dimitri’s cleanup crew to come through those doors, carrying Tatiana’s body, but they never show. I wonder what they’ll do with her body.

And then I realize—I don’t want to know.

“We should get back home,” Dimitri says.

“Do you have to?” Vera asks.

“I’m afraid so. Evie is a little bit scared because of the potential fire, and I have to be her strong husband and care for her.”

If I weren’t so freaked out, I’d roll my eyes over Dimitri’s words. He can lay it on a little thick sometimes.

“You go do that,” Vera says, smiling without a care in the world.

Dimitri leads Katya and me over to his car, and it’s only once we’re in and driving away I let myself break down into tears.

My tears soon turn into a full-blown panic attack. I can’t breathe. I clutch at my chest and try to suck in air, but it’s not coming. “Oh my god,” I gasp, bending forward, putting my head between my legs. That’s supposed to help, but right now, it’s only making things worse. All I can see is Tatiana. All I can see are my hands pushing her back and her tripping and her falling.

And her dying.

“Evie?” Katya asks tentatively.

“Evie, snap out of it,” Dimitri says.

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