Page 108 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“Stranger things have happened.” He glances at me. “And I don’t want to be at odds with my son’s uncle. If Rob drops this insane witch hunt, then maybe I won’t have to be.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

His jaw clenches. “Then I’ll do what I must.”

I frown. “That sounds like a threat.”

“Not to you.”

“He’s my brother, Aleks,” I breathe. “You can’t hurt him. You can’t hurt any of them.”

“That, I can’t promise. I’ll try to preserve them. But if they come at me and my Bratva, I will answer back in kind.”

Suddenly, my nakedness feels wrong. The vulnerability snakes back into my body and my heart races. “Aleks, if I asked you—begged you—not to hurt them… would you listen?”

He reaches out and cups the side of my face, staring straight into my eyes. “I’ve offered them enough grace.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, ripping my cheek from his grasp.

“I’ve already gone easy on them for your sake,” he says. “I can’t do anything more for them now. They made their choice, Olivia. They chose Hargrove and his lies.”

“They need more time to figure things out. You have to give them time.”

“I will not gun for them yet,” he says. “But if they get in my way—”

“I can’t deal with losing anyone else, Aleks.”

He looks at me calmly. “You almost lost our child because of them.”

“Aleks,” I plead, reaching out and grabbing his face between both my hands, “don’t do something that will make me leave.”

His eyes narrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“There are some things we won’t be able to come back from. And if you hurt my family, I will take my child and I will run forever.”

Something flashes across his eyes. Dangerous and dark. Like the shadow of a monster beneath the surface of the ocean. “You won’t have the option.”

I drop my hands. “You can’t make me stay.”

“I can make you do anything I want.”

“Are we back to that again, Aleks?” I demand. “The same old power games? Debating who holds the keys?”

“There is no debate, Olivia. There is only the truth. And the truth is that I am the one who decides what happens next. I always have been. I always will be.”

He gets out of the bed, still naked, and storms into the bathroom. I sit there, shivering, wondering how things can go from euphoric to horrific in a matter of minutes. Fast enough to give me whiplash.

I get dressed and leave his room before he returns.

As soon as I step into the hallway, I see Yulia walking up the stairs. She stops short when she sees me, realization coloring her face.

I flush with embarrassment, but there’s no avoiding her now. “I… I was just… I had to tell Aleks about how the meeting went.”

“Of course,” she says, graciously pretending to believe my obvious lie. “Are you okay?”

I try to push back my new sadness. “Fine. I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”

“Olivia,” Yulia says, moving closer and putting her hand on my arm, “if you need to talk to someone, I’m here. Always.”

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