Page 170 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“All that… it really happened?” she asks. There’s a heartbreaking tremor in her voice.

I reach out and take her hand gently. She closes her eyes for a moment and then leans into me, settling into the crook of my arm.

Right where she belongs.

“It really happened,” I tell her softly.

“You killed your mother.”

“I know it’s a lot to accept,” I say. “Especially for a woman who holds family in such high esteem. Especially for a woman who loved her parents completely.”

She nods. “Yulia wasn’t a mother. She was… She was…”

“A monster,” I finish firmly. “Every bit as bad as Hargrove in her own way.”

A new realization makes her stiffen. “She groomed me, too, didn’t she?”

I hate the wince that follows. Like she’s lashing herself internally for falling victim to so many liars at once.

“Yes. That is what proved it to me. The last nail in her coffin.”

Olivia shakes her head. “She was just so… kind. So…”

“Maternal.”

“Yes, exactly.” Olivia nods. “She made you believe that she would never do anything to hurt you. She made me believe that she was the long-suffering mother and you were the…”

“Asshole son?”

She laughs, then cringes like laughing hurts her. “Yes. Your words, not mine. Well, actually, I might’ve said them at one point or another.”

“Not undeserved.” I sigh and add, “I don’t blame you, you know. The woman was a gifted con artist.”

“But you saw through her.”

“Because I’ve had a lifetime of practice,” I say. “And my trust in her was already compromised.”

“How long did you know about her involvement with Hargrove?”

“A few weeks now.”

“And you pretended like you didn’t know?”

I toy with the ring on her finger. The ring that marks her as mine, flashing under the fluorescent lights. “If I’d cornered her, she would have tipped him off. Even if she hadn’t been able to, her silence would have been tip enough for Hargrove. I needed to keep her in the game to make sure I could take them both down together.”

“And Kennedy?” Olivia asks. “How did that come about?”

“That was unexpected,” I explain. “He’s the one who made contact with me. Through Jennifer, actually.”

“And the two of you came up with this plan together?”

“Not exactly,” I say, remembering that contentious first meeting with him that changed everything. “It’s not exactly easy for a man like me to be working with the cops. We clashed a lot. The only thing we could agree on was catching Hargrove.”

“You said you think he likes you, and honestly, I kinda see it,” Olivia says with a sheepish, teasing grin. “Maybe it’s the start of a beautiful friendship.”

I suppress a laugh and shrug. “I have no use for friendships. Alliances are the only connections that are useful. Our alliance served its purpose. Now, it’s time to put it to rest.”

She nods and rests her head against my shoulder once more. “Can I ask you a question, Aleks?”

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