The Final Hour (Volkov Bratva #3)(30)

When he was halfway across the floor, Lauren looked up in his direction, her answering smile the brightest he had ever seen it. Clearly, she was a happy drunk.

“My love,” she said in a soft voice, hopping down from the stool to wrap her arms around him. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

The crowd began to disperse at Mishca’s appearance, Alex giggling into her fist at the sight Lauren was making. Of course this was the one night she had chosen not to get drunk.

“I’m sober,” she said like she could read his thoughts. “I was going to drive, but she clearly wanted to see you.”

Lauren was swaying on her feet, humming below her breath as she danced to a song only she could hear.

“How much has she had to drink?”

Alex shrugged like it was no big deal. “Maybe five shots.”

“Then we had martinis—maybe a margarita thrown in there at some point. Oh! And this cool drink called an Aviator cocktail. Have no idea what’s in it, but it was awesome.”

With Lauren rambling on, Mishca glared at his sister.

“Don’t worry, Mish. She’ll be up bright and early tomorrow,” Amber chimed in walking back over, a small slip of paper in hand.

“With a hangover, no doubt. I blame the two of you for this. You shouldn’t have let her drink so much.”

“Don’t try to spoil my night,” Lauren drunkenly said, poking him in the chest with her finger. “Tonight was epic.”

Trying not to laugh, he swept an arm behind her legs, picking her up. “Let’s go.”

They brokered no argument as they followed him out to his car, climbing into the backseat. Mishca placed Lauren on the passenger side, maneuvering the seatbelt around her so she could lay down.

To drive comfortably, he had to adjust the seat back, not wanting Lauren to have to move.

As they started out onto the street, Mishca looked through the rearview mirror at the girls in the back. “Now I see why you had your little party two days before the wedding.”

“Yeaaa, cause she’s definitely not walking down the aisle like that,” Alex said with a laugh. “I think our night was a success?”

They fist bumped, leaving Mishca shaking his head.

It didn’t take long getting back to the hotel, and while Luka escorted Amber and Alex to their rooms, Mishca carried Lauren to his room. Since they were already spending the day apart tomorrow, he wanted her next to him until then, even if she would be hardly aware of that fact.

Lauren giggled as Mishca carried her into his suite, gently laying her back on the bed. She reached for him trying to get him to stay, but he easily slipped free, helping to remove her shoes.

“I could do that,” Lauren said, clumsily reaching for the zipper at the front of her dress.

Mishca was patient with her, moving her hands to the side so he could do it. He thought about trying to dress her as well, but he was just a man after all, and rather liked what she was wearing currently.

When he got her comfortable, Mishca stripped out of his own clothes, pulling her into his side.

“You have a beautiful smile, Mish,” Lauren said whimsically, her words making him smile wider. “I’m glad I get to keep you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

She traced over one of his stars with her pinky, and while he was charmed by her affections, he knew she was going to have one hell of a morning.



Lauren hadn’t understood before, why they wanted to have the bachelorette party two days before the actual wedding, but when she woke up to a headache that threatened to split her skull open, and nausea churning in her stomach, she understood very well.

She also learned that she hated tequila, just a little bit.

“Oh God,” Lauren muttered, yanking the cover over her head to block out the rays of sunlight streaming through the windows, the drapes pulled back.

Wherever Mishca was, she was going to kill him for leaving them open. She specifically remembered them being closed the night before—at least she thought they had been closed. Were they closed? What the hell happened last night?

“Are you awake under there?”

She groaned, Mishca’s voice like nails on a chalkboard to her pounding head. “Please, not so loud.”

He chuckled, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood as he came closer to her. He gently extracted the cover from her hands, pulling it back to present her with a glass full of a thick looking liquid.

“Drink this.”

He didn’t say what it was, and she didn’t ask, dutifully taking a large gulp, her entire face scrunching up as she fought the urge to spit it back out. She managed to swallow, cringing as the taste stuck at the back of her throat.

“This is possibly the worst thing I have ever tasted in my life. What the hell is this?” She turned the glass over in her hands, squinting at the offending liquid.

“The cure for a hangover. Make sure you drink all of it.”

He looked far too amused by her current situation, but at least he had lowered his voice where it wasn’t making her headache worse.

“Where’s Alex and Amber?”

“In their consecutive rooms, looking about as bad as you feel. No worries, Luka is taking care of them.”

She gave him a dry stare, dutifully taking another sip when he signaled at it. “Then I should be worried.”