In the Beginning (Volkov Bratva #1)(4)

They were quite similar in appearance, both with light brown hair and high cheekbones, but Lauren always thought that’s where the similarities ended. Susan had a certain uniqueness to her features, the bow of her lips, the slant of her eyes, while Lauren just seemed...plain. She was not under the impression that she was ugly—she wasn’t one of those girls—but she didn’t think there was anything striking about her. She was just…normal.

As they rode on, Lauren took out her phone, snapping a few photos here and there, feeling like the tourist that she was. They were so different, New York and Michigan. She had never left her small town in Michigan in her twenty years. With her mom working full time, Lauren hadn’t had the time to travel anywhere, though after graduating high school, she’d taken a year off. She took that time to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, though even now, she still wasn’t quite sure.

The following year, she had enrolled at Michigan State, but even there, the past still clung to her and she wanted to escape it. So on a whim, she applied to NYU, always wanting to get out of her small town and start over in a bigger city.

Breaking the news to her mom after being accepted hadn’t been as easy as Lauren thought it would be. She had sobbed about her, ‘baby growing up,’ and panicked a bit about Lauren being out on her own, but eventually she had caved and they began to go over the details of the move.

Together, they scoured the internet for potential housing for her—after Lauren made it adamant that she didn’t want to stay in a dorm. She had eventually found a listing, advertising a brownstone apartment that wasn’t far from campus.

Lauren had liked what she could see of the place, and after talking with Amber on the phone about potential costs, she had decided that it was the place for her. She’d done a Skype tour, Amber patiently going around the entire apartment with her laptop so she could see what the place looked like.

“What if she’s very neat?” Susan brought Lauren out of her thoughts. “You know how you can be sometimes with all your junk.”

“Untrue.” Very true.

That was an understatement. Lauren’s room back home was cluttered with posters and knickknacks, clothes thrown all over the room, books stacked everywhere. If Amber was a neat freak, she would definitely hate having Lauren for a roommate. But then again, Lauren normally regulated her junk to just her room.

“Mom, you’re freaking out more than I am,” she said on a laugh. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Susan gave her a watery smile as her eyes filled with tears. “Your father would be so proud.”

Lauren smiled in return, feeling the familiar pang in her chest that bloomed whenever her father was brought up. She wished she could know if that were true. She looked back out the window, escaping into the bustling city life.

New York City was just as beautiful in pictures as it was in real life. The city life did have a certain allure. Buildings seemed limitless in size as they stretched as far as the eye could see, flashing billboards called to tourists, so many depicting the best restaurants and the best hotels to stay at, models wearing the latest designs...

But dear God the traffic.

Nothing could truly prepare a person for the vehicles fighting for purchase along the busy streets, horns constantly honking, a few angry drivers yelling out their windows as they all waited bumper to bumper.

After doing her research—mainly between the distance from her new apartment to school—Lauren knew that she didn’t really need a car, and now that she saw the traffic, she didn’t want one, knowing that she would be stuck in traffic for an eternity if she drove into the city.

Another hour passed in silence—the time lengthened as they maneuvered through the throng of other cars, but blessedly they finally reached a row of brownstones, a small patch of manicured lawn with a tree planted in the middle lined in front of each residence.

The street wasn’t too busy though they did have to park a few blocks up for lack of a better parking spot. Ross shouldered Lauren’s duffel bags, snorting when she offered to help.

Climbing the steps, Lauren scanned the names along the buzzers, pressing the white button next to Amber’s name, waiting as it made a soft buzzing sound.

“Hello?” A rather cheerful voice answered.

“Hi, this is Lauren. I’m looking for Amber Lacey.”

“Oh, come right on up. I’m on the third floor, first door on your left.”

A loud whirring sound started at the door, then an audible click as the lock disengaged. Ross held the door open for them, making sure it was closed behind them before following. As they took the stairs, Lauren smiled at her mom.

“See? You can’t get in the building without someone buzzing you in.”

Susan gave her a droll stare. “And if a man just happens to look innocent and you’re coming through the door? He’ll act polite, maybe give you a coy little grin, and you’ll think nothing of it as he walks in behind you. Then…Bam!” She slammed her fist into her hand. “He murders you in the hallway with a golf club.”

“How many episodes of CSI have you watched?”

Susan sighed in defeat as they reached their floor. “Thomas, tell her what I’m saying is plausible.”

“She’s right, Lauren. You have to stay vigilant when you’re alone. There are crazy people out here that won’t hesitate to hurt an innocent girl.” The seriousness of his words had Lauren nodding, but then he smiled and said, “But I do think I saw that once on CSI.”