Page 128 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“Right,” I mumble. “I’ll head down now.”

When I walk out of the bridal suite, I come to a stop when I’m faced with five of my bodyguards.

“Jesus,” I breathe. “I almost forgot you guys were with me.”

“Are you ready to head down, Mrs. Makarova?” the head guard asks politely.

“I guess.” I look towards the elevator doors and sigh. “It’s too late to turn back now.”

30

ALEKS

“Where are you?” Demyan asks on the phone.

“Walking in now,” I say just as I spot Olivia stepping out of one of the elevators.

She looks phenomenal in her dress. But the smile on her face is definitely forced. As I watch, she hangs back, observing the last remaining guests shuffling through the grand golden doors that lead to the main ceremony hall.

“Gotta go,” I tell Demyan. “My wife is looking a little lonely.”

“You’re sure about this?” Demyan asks one more time. “Your face is going to be plastered on the front of every magazine for miles around.”

“Trying to scare me?”

“A little, yeah. Is it working?”

“In this case, I’m willing to deal with the publicity,” I say. “Just so long as it pisses Hargrove off, it’ll be worth it.”

“Good luck then, you crazy bastard.”

“A man makes his own luck in this world, Demyan.”

I hang up and walk towards Olivia. She doesn’t see me until the last minute. Her eyes go wide with shock as she takes in my sharp black suit. Tom Ford tends to do that to women.

“I… I…”

“If I’d known dressing up would render you speechless, I’d have done it a long time ago.”

She swallows back her shock and finds her words. “What the hell are you doing here, Aleks?”

I give her a wounded look. “I’m your plus-one, of course. I didn’t want my wife to have to sit by herself during her own sister’s wedding.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me close. “Aleks, please… this is not the time for games.”

I shake my head at her. “Actually, it’s the perfect time for games. This whole wedding is a fraud. If you think that asshole in there is marrying your sister for any other reason than to cover his tracks, you’re deluding yourself.”

“It takes one to know one, I suppose,” she snaps.

I smile. “Careful now, darling. We’ve got eyes on us.”

She turns around just in time to see one of the wedding planners walking up. “Sorry, Ms. Lawrence. I had no idea you were the bride’s sister. We’ve got a place for you up front.”

She waves her away. “Oh, that won’t be necessary. I’m late as it is, so I’ll just grab a seat in the back.”

“Nonsense,” I butt in. “You don’t want Mia to misunderstand, do you?”

I grab Olivia’s hand in mine. She struggles as subtly as she can, but she can’t quite shake me off without making our disagreement obvious.

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