Page 125 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

I don’t bother dignifying that with a response. “Guess I have to wait until the end of this dinner to make the call, huh?”

He looks like he’s trying very hard not to laugh. “It would be rude not to.”

“Great. Then bring the boys back in and let’s get this thing over with.”

Aleks snaps his fingers and, like magic, the army of servers reappears with our entrées.

When they slide the plate in front of me, I gawk down at a beautifully seared steak, buttery mashed potatoes, artfully charred broccolini, and a red wine jus that looks dangerously rich.

“You know, when most people say, ‘I could eat a whole cow,’ they don’t mean it literally,” I advise him. “This is an absurdly huge plate of food.”

He shrugs without looking up. “You’ll manage.”

We start eating, but I barely taste anything anymore. All I can think of is getting up to my room so that I can see if he’s made good on his promise and opened up my phone line.

I’m halfway through my steak when I notice Aleks staring at me. “What?”

He shakes his head. “Just thinking how docile you are. A braver soul would have dashed out of the meal altogether.”

I blush. “I didn’t think you were giving me the option.”

“We give ourselves options in this life, Olivia. Wait for someone else to give them to you and you’ll be waiting forever.”

I take a deep breath. The food that was so appetizing a moment ago is now repulsive. I want away from it, away from him, away from everything that keeps trying to make me into something I’m not.

“I… I’m going to go to my room now,” I say, pushing myself away from the table.

“That sounds like a question. Is it?”

I square my shoulders and infuse as much confidence into my voice as possible. “I’m going to go to my room.”

He shrugs. “Not very convincing, but it’s a start.”

I grit my teeth. “I stand by what I said earlier: you are an asshole.”

He chuckles as I turn around and storm away from him. The moment he’s out of sight, I run up the stairs and to my bedroom. I need to get this call in quickly in case he changes his mind.

I dial in Mia’s cell number first and hold my breath. It rings four times before she answers.

“Hello?”

“Mia!”

“Jesus!” she gasps. “Liv?”

I laugh, but it sounds more like a sob. “It’s me. It’s me, Mia. How are you? Is Mom alright? Have you seen Rob?”

“Jesus Christ, why are you asking about us?” she demands. “How are you? Is it true what Rob told us? Are you married?”

“It’s a long story… but everything Rob told you is true.”

“Fucking hell, Liv. I don’t know why we can’t just go to the police.”

“Our brother is the police, remember?”

“Right, but he’s still our brother. We should get more people involved. He can’t just—”

“Mia!” I interrupt. “Calm down. I know there’s a lot to discuss, but we both need to take a breath.”

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