Page 163 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“No!” Rob roars.

And just like that, everyone freezes.

Olivia gasps as the cold metal hits her temple. I lean in and whisper in her ear so that only she can hear me. “Do you trust me?”

For a few long breaths, she does nothing.

Then…

She nods.

“See?” Hargrove yells, his eyes practically bulging from his head. “Do you need any more proof that this fucking sack of shit is guilty? Do you believe me now, Olivia?”

“What are you doing?” Rob interrupts. “That is my sister! Tell your men to drop their weapons.”

“Are you serious?” Donald seethes. His expression is contorted into blue-faced rage.

Rob looks equally murderous. “I will not compromise her safety. Tell your men to drop their weapons—now.”

Hargrove’s response is to pull out his own pistol and level it right at me. But since Olivia’s back is pressed to my chest, it looks an awful lot more like he’s threatening her.

“That fucking scum needs to be put away for life. We agreed, remember? He needs to be buried, one way or another.”

“And we’re still in agreement,” Rob growls, through gritted teeth. “But my only condition was that my sister get out of this unharmed. I’ll ask you one more time: drop the guns.”

As the two of them stare each other down, I inch forward, pushing Olivia as I go.

“What are you doing?” she hisses.

“Trust me,” I whisper back.

“Are you insane?” Hargrove is growling at Rob. “She’s carrying his baby. He’s not seriously going to kill her.”

“And if he does?” Rob counters. “I can’t take that risk. He can always make another baby. I won’t be able to get my sister back.”

“Rob—”

“Listen to me,” Rob says furiously. “If you do anything at all to jeopardize Liv’s life, then Mia will never forgive you for it. I will make sure of that.”

“You overestimate your sister’s love for her,” Hargrove says cruelly.

I can feel Olivia flinch against the comment, but I hold her steady and inch a little closer.

“I know my sisters,” Rob says fiercely. “Both of them. We have all failed these last months. We’ve been fighting each other when we should have been united. Our parents taught us better.”

He turns and looks at Olivia. He gives her a reassuring nod. “I’m their older brother and I failed them both. But I will not—I do not—repeat my mistakes. You cannot take Makarova down without me.”

“This is insanity, Robbie. Don’t let him slip through our fingers.”

“Are you going to look your wife in the eyes and tell her you didn’t do everything in your power to protect Olivia?” Rob asks.

“He’s not going to hurt her!” Hargrove insists.

“He’s right, Robert,” I say slowly, putting my gun down. “There’s only one person I want to hurt.”

Hargrove watches me holster my gun. I know exactly what he’s about to do. I know the man better than he probably knows himself.

He brandishes his weapon right in my face. He thinks he has the advantage now that my own gun is holstered.

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