Page 33 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

I haven’t told Demyan. I haven’t told anyone yet.

I’m still trying to accept it myself.

“Aleks?”

“Yes,kiska?”

“What’s going to happen?” She looks to me as though I have all the answers.

I take a deep breath and choose my words carefully. “What’s going to happen is that I’m going to expose Hargrove for the monster he is. I’m going to remove his stain from our lives. And then everything will be as it should be.”

“As it should be,” she echoes. “What does that even mean? What is normal?”

“For whom?”

“For any of us. Like Jennifer, maybe. What will she do once Hargrove is gone?”

I shrug. “There will always be another mission.”

Olivia nods sadly. “I thought you might say that.”

“Something wrong with it?”

“‘Normal’ for you is what you’ve always done. Same goes for her. But none of this is normal for me and my family, Aleks. ‘Normal’ for Rob was being engaged to a woman he thought he loved. He can’t go back to that, can he? And he can’t move forward, either, because he’s still in love with her.”

“I don’t blame him. The girl is easy to love.”

Her brow creases, a frown pulling down on the corners of her mouth. “Is that your experience?”

“She is an impressive woman.”

“Because she is loyal?” she asks, clearly fishing for more details.

“Because she’s strong and savvy and fearless,” I say. “Because she can walk into a room and blend into the background or become the center of attention at will. It’s what you want in a spy.”

“Is it what you want in a woman, too?”

I glance at her with an amused smile. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous, Olivia.”

“I’m not. The two of you make a beautiful couple. It makes sense, really. You’re a liar and so is she. Of course you’d be the perfect match.”

I suppress a chuckle.

She rounds on me. “Don’t you dare laugh at me.”

“Then stop being so transparent.”

“I’m being honest.”

“Then maybe you should get better at lying.”

“Why?” she scoffs. “Are you recruiting another spy?”

“If I was, I’d look elsewhere. You would make a terrible spy.”

She crosses her arms like a petulant child. “I could learn.”

“There are things you can’t learn. Gifts you can’t acquire.”

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