The Final Hour (Volkov Bratva #3)(35)

He smiled brilliantly. “I’ll see you at the end?”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”





Today was the day, and the butterflies in Lauren’s stomach had her antsy. Since the moment Susan had woken her up at six in the morning, she and Amber had been running around, trying to get everything together as Lauren moved around like she was walking on a cloud.

It didn’t feel real, but she was there, in the room getting ready for what was to be the best day to her life, and everything around her was complete chaos.

Alex, trying to stay in charge of the dozens of people in attendance, was practically running from room to room, making sure that everything was according to plan and that nobody was running behind. One of the directors at the hotel was more than willing to provide her services, but she was acting more as an assistant to Alex than anything else.

Lauren was currently sitting in a chair, her hair clipped in pin curls around her head as Amber worked her magic on her face.

“With the way you keep bouncing your leg, you’re making me nervous,” Amber said, holding the powder brush aloft as she waited for Lauren to mellow out. “Do you need a drink?”

Her stomach turned at the prospect. “I think I drunk enough for a lifetime the other night. Besides, I’m totally cool.” Though she was freaking out a bit.

“It’s okay if you are. I don’t think I know anyone that was one-hundred percent sure the morning of.”

“No, this is what I want.”

“Good, because it took a long time for me to finish this makeup, and I don’t want all this to work to go to waste.”

Alex reentered the room, dropping her clipboard onto the bed, carrying a package beneath her arm.

“Oh good, we’re almost done. I have a surprise for you.”

“The last time you had a surprise for me, I didn’t like it that much.”

Ignoring that, Alex began unwrapping the box, carefully extracting the bundle inside. She held it up with both hands, grinning proudly.

“No.”

“Definitely yes.”

“I’m not putting that on.”

Alex pouted, looking down at the corset in her hands. “Why not? It even has blue in it.”

“Because I would like to be able to breathe while I’m standing at the altar.”

Narrowing her eyes, Alex wasn’t giving up that easily. “You promised you would do what I say. If you don’t put this on, I will give you hell.”

“You can’t possi—Fine.” She could only imagine what Alex would do to her, but she would rather go along with it now.

After Amber finished the last of her makeup, Lauren stood, taking the corset from Alex, pulling it on over her head.

“You might want to hold onto something,” Alex suggested as she started tugging on the ribbons along the back of it.

She didn’t think it could be that bad as Alex started, but the tighter she gripped it, the more Lauren realized why she knew she would hate this idea.

“Oh God, this is hell,” Lauren groaned as she gripped the bedpost, squeezing her eyes shut as Alex stood behind her, murmuring words in French as she tightened the corset. “Why do you insist I wear this?”

“Stop complaining. I wore one of these for a banquet I attended and I wasn’t crying about it.”

“How do you expect me to get out of this later?”

“Tell your husband to untie you,” Alex said, amused.

Lauren didn’t even want to ask what she was thinking.

“I’m almost done. Deep breath in…”

As Lauren breathed in deeply, she grimaced as Alex finally finished tying it, finishing the bow at the bottom.

Susan came out of the bathroom with the gown, steam billowing out behind her. They helped her into the gown, painstakingly buttoning each of the little pearls along the back of the delicate lace.

Lauren focused on the mirror standing in front of her. Everyone was moving around her, laughing, talking, excitement charging the air. She was trying not to hyperventilate. There was so much happening that she couldn’t focus on any single thing.

She needed to talk to Mishca, just to hear his voice.

“Can I use my phone?” Lauren asked, thanking Alex as she dropped it into her hands.

Five little words was all she sent. I need to see you. She had no idea if he would even get the message with everything going on around them—and the fact that Alex threatened to hurt him if he used it at all today.

“There, all done,” Susan announced proudly as she took a step back. “Now we just need to get the veil.”

Before she could, a heavy knock at the door froze them all.

Exasperated at the lack of help, Alex mumbled, she went to open the door, using her body as a shield to prevent whoever was on the other side from looking in. It did’t help that it was Mishca, and he was nearly a foot taller than her.

“You can’t see her!” Alex yelled in a shrill voice, holding her hands above her head to keep Mishca from seeing inside.

“It’s okay, Alex. I asked him—”

“No!” Every woman in the room said looking back at Lauren.

“Perhaps I can talk to her through the door?” Mishca suggested.

That was enough for them to get their privacy, but Alex made sure to warn her brother that if he even dared trying to sneak of peek, she would make him pay.