The Final Hour (Volkov Bratva #3)(71)

“Sometimes I forget how much of a bad influence Luka is on you. While Lucia considers us friends, it’s more pressing that I go to meet Marco for a meeting. Besides, the jewelry she’s selling was once a gift from Marco.”

“So she’s selling it? Wouldn’t that make him mad or something, and I still don’t understand who he is to you?”

“Marco is an old associate of mine. There’s nothing to worry about, honestly. He approved of this.”

Rolling her eyes, dropping the invitation on the table, Lauren asked, “So since this is a business trip, why do I need to be there?”

“One night of business, two days for just us. Consider it our pre-honeymoon. There’s a gold bikini in there that I’ve been waiting to see.”

Lauren pretended to think it over, more than excited at the prospect of leaving the country and traveling to a place she had never been.

“What do I need to pack?”



Vlad didn’t look happy—though his facial expression rarely changed—at the news of the private jet, but dutifully kept driving towards the airstrip where the pilots were waiting their arrival.

After Lauren thought about it, she had seen less and less of the enforcer since the Albanians had come to town, especially since Luka showed up, but Mishca hadn’t said anything about demoting him and when she looked, his tattoos were as they were supposed to be.

As they were pulling into the hangar, Mishca’s phone rang, and with one look at who was calling, he rolled his eyes and silenced it. Before Lauren had a chance to question him about his reaction, her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Why can’t I go to Rio?” Luka whined into the phone, music blaring in the background.

Laughing, Lauren glanced at Mishca. “I’m not in charge of that.”

“You shouldn’t have answered,” Mishca murmured.

“After all I’ve done? You let him just throw me away like garbage! I’m offended.”

“Luka—”

“I’ve put my ass on the line of fire for you—I even got a damn speeding ticket. Did you know I had to pay him off not to arrest me. Which means I paid to get a damn speeding ticket!”

“You’re being a little dramatic, Luka,” Lauren said, ducking out of the way when Mishca tried to take the phone from her. “If you want, I could tell Mishca to give you vacation time.”

“Nyet, Vy s uma soshli—No, have you lost your mind!” Mishca growled at her, pulling her to his side so he was able to snatch the phone from her. Whatever Luka was saying now had Mishca frowning. “No, she didn’t mean—I don’t give a shit…You’re giving me a headache. Fine! We’ll discuss it when I return.”

Lauren was still laughing, even more so when he promised to hurt her for what she had done.

“You should stop indulging him,” he said as they got out of the car, the small, but sleek plane waiting dozens of feet away.

“Give Luka a break. He’s deserves a vacation after looking after me when you were in the hospital.”

His eyes grew hard, never liking to be reminded of that time. “It was his job.”

“And with every job comes benefits and promotions,” she replied with a sunny smile, going up to the tips of her toes to kiss his furrowed brow.

“You’re too nice to him.”

“No, you’re not nice enough.”

Though Vlad offered, Mishca carried their luggage to the plane

While the plane was much smaller than a commercial airline, the interior was still spacious enough for the three of them to have their own areas, though Lauren sat with Mishca.

They were buckling in, the pilot coming over the intercom to tell them they were about to take off. Lauren was looking out the window as the plane started rolling forward, her excitement making her glance over at Mishca with a smile on her face.

While it might not have been his first time out of the country, it was hers, and she was glad that she could have that experience with him.



Lauren slept through most of the trip, her head resting on Mishca’s shoulder. She didn’t think that position could have been very comfortable for him, especially for that length of time, but he didn’t complain.

“Are we there yet?”

“We’ll be landing soon. Sleep okay?”

She shrugged. “How’s your shoulder?”

“I’m fine.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Going over the plans for the weekend.”

The light blinked on, signaling for them to put on their seat belts. As they began the descent, Lauren dug through her carry-on for the camera she’d stashed inside, snapping a photo of the sprawling land outside her window. They even flew over the infamous Cristo Redentor that was just as amazing in person as it was in pictures.

There was a car waiting for them when they landed. Mishca greeted the driver easily, but Lauren could tell he wasn’t as familiar with the language as he was with Russian and French.

Lauren climbed in first, followed by Mishca and Vlad. It took minutes before they were pulling out and onto the street. Despite the ten-hour flight, and the hour long drive from the airfield, since she had slept on the plane, Lauren was wide awake now, taking in the sights as they drove past.