Page 135 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

He gets in after me and settles into the seat at my side. The moment the door closes, it shuts out all the noise and lights from beyond. Silence ensues, cool and comforting.

I close my eyes and let loose a deep breath, but I can’t quite stave off the fear in my gut.

“Did you have to do that?” I ask, keeping my eyes closed.

“It’s always nice to have a little insurance.”

“Was that what that was?” I crack open an eyelid to glare at him.

He smiles and fingers a lock of my hair. “You look beautiful, you know.”

“Stop it.”

His smile only gets wider. “What did your brother want to talk to you about?”

“None of your business.”

He chuckles. “Ah, right. He wanted you to leave me and stay with them.”

I recoil. “Jesus, do you have me bugged or something?”

“I just know all the players in this game,” he explains. “And I know your brother better than he knows himself. He’s worried that you’re going to get caught in the middle.”

“A little too late for that, don’t you think?”

He laughs again, completely carefree. “True enough.”

I sigh. “Yeah, he asked me to stay there with them. He says they can protect me. They’re worried about how this will come out in the press if they manage to expose you.”

“Of course. Appearances are everything.”

“That might be Hargrove’s primary concern. But I doubt it is Rob’s,” I say. “As for Mia… well, she’s becoming more and more of a stranger to me.”

Aleks stares at me, perfectly content not to say anything. But as the silence stretches on, I squirm in my seat.

“What?” I snap.

“You chose to come with me,” he says, as if I need the reminder.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It was a practical decision.”

“How so?”

“My baby,” I say, laying a hand over my stomach. “I have to make sure he’s safe at any cost. They betrayed my trust once before. I’m not about to trust them a second time. Not where he’s concerned.”

“He? You think it’s a boy now?”

My cheeks flush. “Well, no, not really. I just… when I imagine the baby, I see a boy. That’s all.”

“What does he look like?”

Aleks’s gaze is burning, intense, unblinking. Solely focused on me.

Does he know what that look does?

Is he even aware of its power?

I bite my lip. “He… well, I imagine he looks like you,” I mumble awkwardly.

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