Page 53 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“Let. Me. Pass,” Olivia growls, staring up at him with violence in her eyes as though she isn’t half his size.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

I’ve had about enough of this shit. I shove the door open and stride through it, revealing my presence. I don’t even bother to draw a weapon.

But the moment he sees me, Rob has his gun pointed right at my head.

I see a flash of panic in Hargrove’s eyes before he manages to replace it with his signature calm. “Guards!” he calls through the door.

Two bodyguards bolt clumsily into the space with their weapons drawn, too. Hargrove seems significantly more relaxed now.

“Mr. Makarova,” he greets cordially. “I don’t believe you were invited here today.”

Everyone’s expressions are masks of horror and panic.

All except Olivia’s.

She’s looking at me like I’m the fucking Second Coming.

“Actually, that’s not true,” Olivia says. Her eyes never leave mine as she crosses the room to stand directly next to me. “I invited him.”

13

OLIVIA

Mia’s mouth drops open as she turns to me. “What have you done?”

“Me?” I balk, looking at my big sister with new eyes. “Youdid this, Mia. You refused to listen. You didn’t give me a choice.”

“So you calledhim?”

“He’s the only one who listens to me.”

“Honey,” Mom says, looking at me with tears in her eyes. “Oh, honey… I’m so sorry. I should… I never should’ve gone along with this to begin with.”

Mia frowns at Mom, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she looks at Hargrove, waiting for his instruction.

When did my sister become this person? The kind of woman who looks to a man to tell her what to do, how to feel?

But then, when I look at her face, I realize:she’s thinking the same thing about me.

“Why can’t we just talk?” I rasp. “Openly and honestly? Why did you have to trick me?”

“Are you trying to tell me that you were being transparent this whole time, Olivia?” Mia scoffs nastily, her own sense of betrayal shining through. “You were in contact with him the entire time and you lied about it. To our faces!”

“Because you would have judged me for it. Like you’re doing now!”

“Why do you think that is?” she erupts. “He came into our home and beat up Rob. He duct-taped me and our sixty-three-year-old mother! He fuckingabductedyou, Olivia! And you’re standing there next to him as though he’s your savior and we’re the enemy.”

“You tried to abort my child!” I scream right back. “How can you claim to have the moral high ground?”

“He’s a monster!” Mia says, her voice shaking furiously.

Aleks holds up his hands. “I’m not the one who’s armed right now.”

I have to admit, in the face of so many weapons pointed at his face, he seems inordinately relaxed. It’s a little unnerving to see just how unaffected he is by the tension circulating in the room.

Then, amazingly, Rob lowers his gun.

---