The Final Hour (Volkov Bratva #3)(27)

“Anya is gone.”

Mishca sighed because he would have preferred to hear anything but that. Anya was the last person he felt like thinking about. “How long?”

“Who is to say.”

“And what about the idiots you had guarding her?” Mishca asked, wishing he did smoke so he could light up a cigarette and find a little relief.

“Two found dead, the others are missing, presumed dead.” Mikhail didn’t sound particularly upset by the news. Hell, he had sounded more upset when he had scuffed a pair of his shoes.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. You are going to find her and this. I should have finished her when I had the opportunity, but that is what you are for.”

Mikhail stood, smoothing the front of his clothes as he smiled at Mishca.

“Tell me, did you bring this to me only because you wanted me to take her out because of what she might do, or solely because of the fact that she’s Alex’s mother.”

As he had done so many times in the past, Mikhail simply smiled and took his exit.





Lauren thought she looked cute, but Mishca didn’t seem to appreciate her outfit. She rarely wore anything this revealing, but Amber had insisted, and with Alex as her wing-woman, she couldn’t be deterred.

“You don’t like it?” Lauren asked with a smile, spinning around so he could get the full effect.

“You look beautiful,” he said though he still looked like he wanted her to go and change. “Must you wear this?”

“Oh, stop your complaining, Mish,” Alex piped up, rolling her eyes. “She’s pretty tame considering what I wanted to put her in.”

Mishca was not in a good mood, but Lauren had a pretty good idea as to why.

Tonight was her bachelorette party.

Despite her initial reservations, and outright denial that she would participate, Amber had convinced her that it was a right of passage—one that she refused to let Lauren miss.

They had tried to go in secret, hoping to make a clean break, but Alex should have known that her brother knew what she had been planning before she had. He had promptly appeared at the door before they could leave.

“There’s no reason for you to be jealous, Mish. Lauren should be the least of your worries.”

That didn’t help make him feel better. He folded his arms across his chest, flickering his eyes from Alex to Lauren.

“Luka goes.”

“He can’t,” Lauren protested. “I don’t know how many times I have to remind you that he’s going to do something that will send people fleeing, or he’ll just go ahead and shoot them.”

Alex was quick to agree, though for totally different reasons. “Luka can’t go, what if we want strippers?”

If anything, that made Mishca angrier. “Luka goes and there will be no damn strippers. Eto moi prikaz—that is an order.”

Alex and Amber laughed in the background, Lauren fighting her own smile as she narrowed her eyes on Mishca. “Did you just order me?”

“Luka can be the stripper if that makes you feel any better,” Alex chimed in, winking at the enforcer who smiled at her in return.

“Wipe that damn smirk off your face,” Mishca snapped, irritably. “And yes, that was an order.”

“Don’t worry, babe. We’ll have a chaperone.”

“We will?” Alex and Amber both echoed.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Natasha is coming.”

Amber gave no reaction to the name, but Alex and Luka both looked startled by that. Lauren hadn’t been around her long, but she thought it would be fun for her to go as well.

When she saw Mishca gradually calming, Alex grew upset. “How do you trust her more than me?”

A knock at the door cut Mishca off before he could respond. Since Luka was closest, he pulled it open, Natasha standing on the other side.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Lauren said warmly going over to hug her.

“It’s good to see you, Lauren. I’m glad you are happy.” She smiled kindly at Mishca, nodding in his direction, but when she looked over at Luka, there was a fire in her eyes.

“You wanna tell me what I’m missing?” Amber whispered to Lauren, gesturing with a tilt of her head at the way Alex was glaring at Natasha and Luka.

“Those two have or had a thing, at least that’s what I think, and Alex might have a secret thing for Luka though she hasn’t admitted to that yet.”

Amber nodded, looking to Luka. “I guess I could see the attraction. Great body, but he can be a bit…” She trailed off like she didn’t know how to describe him.

“Strange?” Lauren supplied helpfully. “Don’t worry, you can say it.”

Mishca might not have completely agreed with the plans for the night, but he did finally agree—though it took another fifteen minutes of convincing on her part.

“You’ll be careful tonight,” Mishca said when they were walking out, ignoring his sister’s scoff. “And if you need me, no matter the time, I want you to call me.”

“Absolutely. I promise not to do anything too crazy.”



The bar Amber insisted they go to was in the Village, a place she frequented when she had free time. It had a rustic sort of charm to it, aged wood a signature in the place.