Page 124 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“Why are you doing this?” I ask suddenly.

“Doing what?”

“This,” I say, gesturing to my now-empty bowl. “The fancy dinner, the amazing food, the… the… ‘full-bodied’ wine. Why go through all the trouble for a prisoner?”

“Because you’re not my prisoner anymore, remember?” he tells me. “You’re my wife.”

“Does that mean I can leave whenever I want?”

“No.”

“Case in point.”

He shakes his head. “You are not allowed to leave because your safety is my top priority. With the FBI sniffing around, I can’t exactly let my wife run around on her own, can I?”

I frown at the reasonable way he packages that little narrative. “The FBI are a threat to you, not me.”

“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours,” he smiles. “What threatens me, threatens you. We’re one now, kiska. You’d do well to remember that.”

Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore. The waiters round the corner with the next course, but Aleks senses something and waves them away.

“You did promise me you would be cooperative,” he chides when we’re alone again.

“That depends on what I need to cooperate on,” I point out. “If you expect me to do anything illegal or—”

“Calm down,” he says. “Have you always had such an overactive imagination?”

“Actually, yes.”

He smiles. “I suppose you’d have to, living the life you do.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I think you know.”

“How many times do I have to tell you: I like my life. Liked it, at least.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m sure worms like the rocks they live under, too.”

“You’re an asshole.”

He chuckles. “I’m not all bad. Would an asshole let you call your family?”

I jerk upright. “What?”

He nods, pleased with my reaction. “I figure it’s been long enough. We’ve been married for a week now. I’m sure you’ll want to tell them just how happy you are. Brimming over with marital bliss.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” he says. “I just want to show you that I’m willing to give you certain concessions. So long as you do the same for me when the time comes.”

I have no idea what the hell that means, but I’m not about to pass up a chance to speak to my family. “When can I call them?”

“The phone line in your room has been cleared. You can use it tonight whenever you’re ready.”

“And this isn’t a trick?”

“Now, why would I do that?”

---