Page 26 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

She gives him a smile and saunters away. Her hips switch as she goes—she knows we’re watching.

When she’s turned the corner and disappeared, Demyan looks at me and whistles. “Now,that’sa woman.”

“She’s also a whore.”

“You and your standards,” he says, rolling his eyes at me. “There’s nothing wrong with paying for it. Hookers gotta eat, too, you know. I’m just helping these girls through college.”

“That’s not the kind of sex that interests me.”

“That’s right. You like your sex within the holy bonds of matrimony now, don’t you?” he says with a wicked grin.

“If you like your brain within your skull, then I’d shut the fuck up.”

He cackles. I ignore him and watch the meeting carefully.

While Hargrove’s business associates leer at the women who flock past, sometimes even reaching out to slap a waitress on her ass when they venture too close, Hargrove remains disengaged from all of it.

He talks, sips his drink, talks some more. But his eyes never wander. His focus never shifts.

“He’s here for the meeting,” I say, thinking out loud. “He’s not interested in this scene.”

“Something you two have in common, huh?”

“But then again, why would he be interested?” I say. “His tastes run much… younger.”

“Yeah, but doesn’t he look the very image of respectability?” Demyan says with disgust.

“It’s what his plan hinges on,” I say. “He’s hoping his image will protect him.”

A waitress approaches their table and leans in to speak to Hargrove. He listens, nods, and she walks away.

“What do you think that was about?” Demyan asks. “Up to no good?”

I shake my head. “A man like him didn’t get to where he is now by taking unnecessary risks. This place is too exposed for him to indulge.”

“Maybe that’s why it’s perfect. Hiding in plain sight and all that jazz.”

I shake my head, unconvinced. “I think there is someone running girls for the motherfucker. But it’s someone less obvious. Someone he trusts implicitly. Someone who has as much to lose as he does.”

“Ever thought about just killing him? One knife to the throat and it’ll all be over. Plus, I’d get the suit.”

“It won’t be over. Not for us,” I remind him. “We’ll have gotten rid of a monster, but the FBI will still be on our asses. And Agent Lawrence will have even more reason to suspect us.”

“Like he needs anything else. The fire under his ass is burning hot enough as it is.”

“You’re not wrong,” I agree. “Fucker’s not seeing straight. He’s blinded with loss.”

“Jen should be flattered.”

I grit my teeth, knowing the toll this mission has taken on her. She’s underground right now, but I worry about her mental state.

And she’s not the only one who’s fragile. Somewhere high in a hotel tower not far from here, Olivia is waiting with my child inside of her. One wrong touch and she might crumble to pieces.

I can’t let that happen.

As the music crescendos, Demyan gets up and walks away to explore a different vantage point. I stay put and continue my observation of Hargrove.

The man has his public image down to an art form. No chinks in the armor. Just a friendly, wholesome man, the kind of guy who’d pull over on the highway to help you change your tire.

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