Page 130 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

A FEW DAYS LATER

“You opened up her phone line?” Demyan asks.

“I did.”

“And you tapped it, I assume?”

I smirk and give him a pointed look. “What do you think?”

He laughs. “Well, out with it. What’s the hot goss?”

I exhale slowly. I understood the risks of giving Olivia freedom of the house, but I hadn’t expected it to escalate so damn quickly.

Especially since I assumed the maids knew how to follow orders.

“She found the scarf.”

Demyan’s eyes go wide and he sits bolt upright. “How?”

“How else? She went snooping.”

“That door is supposed to be locked.”

“I know,” I growl. “The maid on duty forgot to lock it.”

“Fire the woman. No, execute her. Better yet, jettison her into space.”

“It’s Tina,” I tell him, knowing that he’s always had a soft spot for the petite blonde.

He groans. “No, not Tina!”

“Should I prepare the rocket?”

“The poor girl was probably day-dreaming about me,” he muses with fake devastation. “She shouldn’t be punished for that. We can’t really blame her, can we? Curse my roguish charm!”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“Okay… so the wifey knows then?” he asks.

“Hardly,” I scoff. “She doesn’t know anything for certain. But she has assumed a lot.”

“And she told her brother?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t change anything. I made it clear to both of them where I stand. Rob knows what he’s risking if he pushes me.”

“Does that mean you’ll keep her for more than a year?” Demyan asks shrewdly.

“I’ll keep her as long as I have to.”

“I see, I see.” He strokes at his nonexistent facial hair. “How convenient.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Dem,” I warn.

“You might as well tell me to stop breathing,” he retorts. “My point still stands.”

“Since when have you ever made a valid point?”

“Since your world got flip-turned upside down by the cute brunette with the dimples.”

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