Page 37 of Cruel Honor

I won’t let Dimitri Ivanov win.

He thinks he can defile my daughter and then not face the consequences, but he has another thing coming for him.

Now, he’s right. He’s a married man now. I can’t force him to get a divorce. Dimitri’s too powerful for me to take on by myself. Case in point when I almost died in his house. He could have so easily killed me, but he didn’t.

That was foolish of him.

See, I can’t go after Dimitri.

But I can go after his wife. Evie, was it? If she’s dead, then Dimitri will be free to marry my Tatiana.

There. Problem solved.

EVIE

I change out of my wedding dress and back into the loungewear Katya gave me earlier. I can’t play dress up for Dimitri. I just can’t.

“Calm down,” Katya says as I pace around the living room.

“I need to go to my shift at the library. I don’t have a car. I’m not even sure I’m allowed to leave. What if I do and Dimitri forces me right back here?”

“I doubt he’ll care if you go to the library.”

“But what if Dima finds me there?”

She pauses then shrugs. “Thenthathe would care about. Listen, Evie. Don’t let him control you like he’s controlled me. We can go to the library together.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes! I could get out of the house anyway.”

She opens the front door, and for a moment, I think I’ve tasted freedom again.

But then we see the dead body on the front porch. It’s a young woman, brown hair, white, petite. Only in a bra and underwear. She looks an awful lot like me.

“Oh my god!” Katya screams, backing away.

I go completely still. I know exactly who killed this woman. Dima.

Then I see a piece of paper attached to the girl’s bra. I reach for it.

“Don’t! Evie, be careful. Don’t get your fingerprints on her!”

I’m careful not to touch the girl as I grab the piece of paper and unfold it.

Written on it is one sentence:I’m coming back for you, and until I get you, I’m going to continue to kill every last girl who looks like you.

Dima has sent his message. His threat.

Dimitri forced me to marry him because he said it would protect me, but already that’s proving not true. My body tenses, and the note flutters from my hands.

Katya catches me before I can fall to the ground. “Evie?”

“It was a mistake,” I whisper. “It was all a mistake.”

Chapter

Six

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