Page 30 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

He shakes his head. “She didn’t leave shit; she disappeared without a fucking trace. That’s not something she would do. It’s something men like you would do.”

I laugh and tilt my head to the side. “You don’t know the first fucking thing about what men like me do, my friend.” Then I straighten up. “But I know what men like you do. And, more importantly, I know what women like this one do. They do what they want. What they crave, even if they won’t admit it out loud.” I pull Olivia a little closer to me. “Just ask your sister. I think she’s seen how right I am.”

She tries to struggle, but I’m holding her too tightly. “Please,” she whispers. “Please stop… Just let me go. Let them all go.”

“That power lies with your brother,” I tell her. “All he has to do is stop the witch hunt.”

“Rob,” Olivia says desperately, “think of Mia. Of Mom. They don’t deserve this. Is your job worth it?”

His eyes go wide with anger. “You think this is about my job?”

“Rob—”

“This is about Isabella!” he yells. “This is about my life, my woman, my future! This bastard stole it all from me. I want it back!”

Olivia shakes her head. “What makes you think she’s even alive?”

“She’s out there, Liv. My fiancée is out there. And he knows where she is.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s hopeful thinking. But me? I’ve always been more interested in facts. And the facts are that I have the upper hand here. You have five seconds to make your choice before I make mine.”

I give a nod and my men move in once again. Pike and Lipkin point their guns at the mother and sister while I pick up my weapon and press it tenderly to the side of Olivia’s head. She trembles, but the moment the cold metal touches her skin, she goes deathly still.

“What’s it going to be?” I ask.

Rob stares at his mother and then his sisters. I can see the fury building inside him. The guilt. The war between the two.

How can he sacrifice the living, breathing women before him for the phantom of a woman who disappeared a year ago?

“Please, Rob,” Olivia whispers. “Just give him what he wants.”

“Listen to your sister, Robert,” I suggest. “She’s very smart.”

His eyes meet mine. They’re filled with vengeance, with the promise of more violence.

And then, finally, with the acknowledgement I came for: he cannot win this battle.

His jaw clenches. “Fuck! Fine.”

“Fine what?” I ask.

“Fine, I’ll back off.”

With a satisfied smile, I drop the gun. My men follow suit. “You made the right choice, Agent Lawrence.”

“Don’t say my fucking name,” he mutters. “Just let us go.”

“In a minute,” I say. “Before I leave, I’m going to need some insurance.”

Rob narrows his eyes. “What the fuck do you want? A note attesting that I’ll back off you? Not sure an illegal deal made under duress will hold up in court.”

“Court?” I laugh. “I handle my business myself, thanks. And I wasn’t asking you for anything. When I want something, I take it.”

I release Olivia and step back. She sags with visible relief.

But as she is about to find out, this is far from over.

“Pyotr,” I order. “Take her.”

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