Page 12 of Cruel Honor

She rolls her eyes. “Well, this is Evie, my best friend. So leave her alone. We’re going to dance.”

Dimitri turns his eyes back onto me. “Katya never told me her friend was so attractive.”

“Gag me,” she says.

I can’t help it. I blush. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I say.

His lips quirk. “So polite. But there’s got to be a wild side to you, isn’t there?”

“Wild side?” I quickly shake my head. “No, I mostly just spend my days working at the library and going to school and …” I trail off as I realize I’m rambling.

“The library? I thought only old ugly people went there.”

I stand up straighter, feeling a flare of annoyance shoot through me. “Well, first, that’s a rude thing to say.” His eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t say anything. “Second, all kinds of people work at the library. All kinds of people go to the library. It’s a beautiful place that’s welcoming to everyone. There’s no discrimination.”

He raises his hands in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I struck a chord.”

Katya is looking at me with a wide-eyed expression. “Well, that’s Evie for you. She’s very passionate about the library.”

“So, you work there?” he asks me.

“I do. Part time. But I hope to be an actual librarian one day once I finish my degree.”

“Sexy and smart. So, you wear hot, little librarian outfits? Pull off the glasses and let your hair down?”

My face is on fire, but I don’t let him embarrass me. No wonder Katya never introduced me to him before. He’s incredibly rude. “No. I wear normal clothes because the library is not a porn fantasy. It’s a place for people to read and do research and escape the world for a little bit of time.”

He whistles. “You’re something else. Feisty. Most women don’t call me out.” He pauses. “Well, no women ever do.”

“Well, maybe they should. I’ve been friends with Katya for years, and this is our first time meeting. You should be a little bit more polite.”

“And lecturing me, too. You really are a librarian.” He sidles in closer to me. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“Why should I be?”

His eyes narrow, and a smirk plasters itself across his face. My body is on fire, and I don’t even quite know why.

Katya gets between us and gently pushes Dimitri back a step. “Leave my friend alone. And she has a good point. You need to be nice to her.”

He turns his eyes to Katya. “She’s not a Bratva woman?”

Bratva? I’ve only ever heard that in relation to … the mob.

“No, she’s not,” Katya hisses. “And she doesn’t need to be. So, leave her alone. We just came to dance, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Dimitri grabs his sister’s arm and bends his head down to hers. “Then you should get her out of here. The women here are protected by their fathers. You’re protected by me, but Evie doesn’t have anyone to protect her. So, leave.”

“What’s going to happen?” Katya responds. “Some mad man is going to come in here and start blowing things up?”

“What the hell is happening here?” A man’s voice rings out over the soft, classical music.

We all turn to see a middle-aged man with a scowl on his face and gun in his hand. The sight of the gun makes me tense. Beside him is ayounger, blonde woman. Pretty, but the scowl on her face hurts her appearance.

“Abram!” Dimitri says, placing himself between Katya and the man. By extension, he’s also shielding me. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“What’s the meaning of this party, Dimitri?” Abram barks. “I was told it was a ball for you to meet women. To find a potential wife. But need I remind you, you have a future wife.” He wraps his arm around the young woman. “My daughter.”

“Right. But listen, Tatiana and I?—”

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