Page 158 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“I don’t mean anything to him,” I say. “And as for the baby, well… he can always make another with someone else. It’s not like he has a shortage of girls, right?”

She nods as though my reasoning makes sense. But I can see the worried way her eyebrows knit together.

It’s the look of someone who knows something vital that I don’t.

The kind of knowledge that might break me when I learn it.

The waiter appears with the waters. She takes them both and dismisses him with a tight smile and a nod. Then she hands me the glass with the lemon in it.

“Drink.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

“Drink anyway.”

I’m too tired to fight, so I take the glass and drink a sip. The water soothes my burning throat and it does help calm me down a little. Reluctantly, I drink more. When I set the glass down, it’s almost empty.

“Feel better?” she asks.

“Marginally.”

“Good.” She glances past me. “Come on then. We’ve got to go.”

She doesn’t grab my hand or try to guide me this time. She just lets me follow behind her at my own pace. When we walk out of the sky bar, both Demyan and Aleks are waiting for us at the door.

“Ready?” Aleks asks Jennifer, ignoring me altogether.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you want to be there?”

She nods. “Positive. Might as well go out with a bang, right?”

I have no idea what that means. Does she think this is a doomed cause and that they’re all going to die? I glance at Aleks, but nothing on his face suggests that defeat is part of his future.

In fact, I tremble a little in fear for the men who are about to face him. My brother included.

From the moment we met, Aleks has been one thing: undeniable. An irresistible force of nature, a catastrophe consuming everything in his path.

What could possibly stop that? Nothing, as far as I’m concerned.

Then again, I suppose Mia would insist the same about Hargrove.

Aleks turns and walks down the hall. We all follow along behind him. As we walk, he glances back at Jennifer.

“Make the call,” he commands. “Now.”

She nods and pulls out her phone. I watch her with bated breath. Things are happening so fast that I can barely keep up anymore.

Well, that’s not quite accurate. I was barely keeping up in the first place. But now, even little things—breathing, walking, blinking—feel like more than I can manage.

“We’re here,” she says into the phone.

The response is brief, but the muffled voice sounds like it could be male, maybe? It’s over too soon to be sure.

Jennifer listens and nods. “Affirmative.” Then she hangs up.

I want to ask what the plan is or where we’re going, but before I can, Aleks turns to a set of gilded double doors and shoves them wide open.

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