Page 5 of Cruel Honor

“Tell him that more than dweebs and dorks go to the library.”

“Tell him yourself. Dimitri doesn’t listen to me.”

“Seeing as I’ve never met him, I couldn’t exactly talk to him.”

Despite the fact that Katya and I met when we were fourteen at our private boarding school, I’ve never been to her house. I’ve never met her family. She’s met Juno. She met my dad before he passed.

But I’ve never seen her true, intimate life. I’ve asked her before why she never invites me over, and she always told me it was just easier that way. For my own protection. Of course, that prompted me to ask more questions, but she would always evade. Eventually, I dropped the subject.

Now, I know not to ask more questions. Katya has a home life she doesn’t want me to be a part of it. I try not to take it personally.

“Trust me, you don’t want to meet Dimitri. Knowing him, he’d try to get in your pants.”

“I’ve never let anyone in my pants, so I don’t think it would be a problem.”

“Trust me. You haven’t met my brother. He could make a nun turn against her faith to be with him. It’s disgusting.”

I laugh as I place the last book from the cart onto the shelf. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She checks her phone and groans. “Ugh, I have to head back. Please, Evie. Just tell me you’ll start to live more so I can live vicariously through you.”

“I’ll do that.”

But we both know I won’t.

DIMITRI

The club is being transformed from a nightclub into an elegant ballroom.

Not that I really care, but I figure if I’m going to get a woman tomarry, I might as well host a party to meet eligible women, and I assume that women want nice things like elegant ballrooms. I don’t really know, though. I’ve never cared to ask before.

There is someone who would know. My sister.

“Katya,” I say, finding her in the living room, scrolling on her phone.

“What?” she asks, not even looking away from it.

I rip it out of her hands.

“Hey!” She sits up trying to snatch it back, but I hold it out of her reach.

“I have to ask you a question. Do women like balls?”

She blinks then snorts. “Are you really asking me that?”

I sigh. “I don’t mean testicles. I wouldn’t talk about shit like that with you. I mean balls as in ballrooms, gowns, fancy music. Shit like that.”

“Oh.” She slinks back into her seat. “Yeah, sure.” She perks up. “Wait. Are you throwing a themed party? Can I come?”

“No.”

She pouts. “Why not?”

“Because I promised our father I would take care of you, and that means keeping you here where I know you can’t get into trouble.”

“I went out today. I could’ve gone anywhere.”

“Oh, I know. But I have a tracker on your phone and car and in your purse.” Her eyes slowly widen. “And if you think about removing any of those, I’ll just replace them. So, you’re not going anywhere I won’t know about. And why the fuck do you spend so much time at the library anyway? You hate reading.”

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