Page 133 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

I give Rob and the detective a courtesy wave and follow Aleks out of the grand hall. The moment we clear the ballroom, I grab his hand and he twists to face me.

“What the hell was that?”

He blinks. “What?”

“Don’twhatme,” I snap. “You know exactly what. That man is working with Hargrove to frame you!”

“I’m keenly aware of that, Olivia. But thank you ever so much for the reminder.”

“Why would you even engage with him?”

He shrugs. “I’m not scared of the poor bastard.”

“Right,” I say, throwing my hands up in irritation. “Because you’re Aleksandr Makarova. You’re not afraid of anyone.”

“Precisely. Glad we got that straight.”

I grit my teeth and restrain myself—barely—from pulling my hair out by the root. “He was threatening you, you know.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Aleks says sarcastically. “In fact, I think he likes me.”

“Aleks—”

He just laughs, cutting me off. “Don’t worry, Olivia. I’ve got a handle on this situation.”

“He’s a detective for the FBI, Aleks.”

“As I keep telling you, I’m aware.”

“And he’s here, at Hargrove’s wedding.”

“Why are you telling me things I already know?”

“They’re in cahoots!” I hiss, trying and failing to keep my voice low.

“I always liked that word,” Aleks muses. “Cahoots.A little archaic, but really gets the point across.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“Is that what you like about me?” he asks, wrapping an arm around my waist. That one simple touch scatters my thoughts.

Before I can gather them back up, someone calls my name. I turn to see Rob standing by the imposing golden doors that lead to the grand hall.

“Go speak to your brother,” Aleks tells me. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.” His hand lingers on my hip for a moment, enough to give me full-body shivers, before he slips away.

I head over to Rob. “What’s going on?” I ask.

“Why don’t you stay, Liv?”

“Stay? Like… at the wedding?”

“Stay here,” he explains. “Spend the night at the hotel so that we can talk tomorrow.”

I frown. “I don’t think Mia or Hargrove will like that. They were pretty pissed about the fact that Aleks was here in the first place.”

He runs a hand over his face and sighs. “Can you blame them?”

“I’m sorry, okay?” I say. “I didn’t know he was going to be here. I came down after speaking to Mia, and he was just… here, waiting for me.”

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