Page 30 of Cruel Honor

Five

DIMITRI

Nikolai Petrov is a stoic man.

I swear, he’s made of fucking stone sometimes. With a nasty scar across his face, he’s an intimidating figure. Good thing he’s never intimidated me.

“Nik!” I exclaim, sliding into the booth across him. “Nice to see you again.”

He’s nursing a drink—scotch from the look of it. Probably top shelf, knowing him. Me? I love a good drink, but I’m a bit trash when it comes to alcohol. I’ll kind of drink anything if it gets me drunk.

“What do you want, Dimitri?”

“Hey, be careful with the tone. We’re business partners, remember? We’ve made peace. All is good.”

“I do remember. But I don’t remember giving you license to call me Nik. It’s Nikolai to you.”

“Uh-huh. So.” I lean my arms on the table. “I’m in a bit of a predicament and need help.”

“Aren’t you always in a ‘bit of a predicament’?” He takes a sip of his drink. “Well, what is it this time?”

“I fucked a Bratva woman, and now, her father wants me to marry her.”

“So?”

“So? I don’t want to marry her! And now, he’s trying to kill me over it.”

Nik takes one look at me and laughs. “Oh, Dimitri, you are fucked.”

“Thanks. So, you gonna help me or what?”

“Help you with what? You have your answer. Marry the girl.”

“It’s Tatiana Sokolov.”

He winces. “Tough luck. She’s a bit annoying.”

“I know, Nik. I know she’s annoying. That’s why I don’t want to marry her. I … have someone else in mind.”

“Who?”

“You don’t know her. She’s not from our world.”

“Then marry her.”

“But I still have the problem of Abram, Tatiana’s father. He wants me dead. He literally shot up my house. Just a few hours ago. I need to nip this in the bud.”

“What do you want me to do?”

I sigh and give Nik my most charming smile—it doesn’t work on him. Screw him for not being a pretty girl who can’t resist my charms. “If you were to come with me to talk with Abram, it would scare him straight. He’d back off. I know he would. You tend to scare people.”

“Huh.” He finishes off his drink and sets the glass down. “That’s all? No fighting?”

“I seem to recall your love of a bloodbath. Getting your hands dirty.”

“That was before I was married.”

I groan. “Ugh, Ava made you a pussy.”

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