Time Stood Still (Volkov Bratva #3.5)(14)

CHAPTER FOUR





The rest of the day was spent catching up, mostly between Lauren and Susan since Ross was busy manning the grill and he ‘needed Volkov around to help.’ She had to bite her lip to stop from laughing at the way Mishca looked standing next to Ross, wearing an apron with a man’s bare chest on the front. It really was amazing the things he would do for her just because he loved her.

Lauren shared everything she could about her life with Mishca, making sure not to mention where they had stopped before arriving. By the time she finished, and Susan had told her of everything—though not nearly as much as Lauren—she and Ross had been up to for the past few months, it was already midday.

With not much else to do, Lauren talked Mishca into going into town with her, letting him drive since she knew he preferred it. As they ventured into the town center, she remembered why she loathed it there.

That was the thing about small towns, you either left and never came back—or only to come back and visit if you still cared about your family—or you stayed stuck there until you died, reflecting on the “good ol’ days.” Of course, Lauren’s opinion might have varied if there had been something else to occupy everyone’s time besides her father’s murder, but there wasn’t much luck there.

But, who she was before when she lived here wasn’t the person she was today.

She and Mishca were out in the town, picking up a few things from the local shops, and since Susan had asked her to pick up a few things from the grocery store, Lauren did that last. She was in the produce section, grabbing a few pomegranates when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat somewhere to her right.

If that was how it was going to start off, Lauren knew it wasn’t going to end well. Standing there with a wide smile of pearly white teeth was Amanda Ward and—Lauren actually cringed—Lauren’s high school crush, Benjamin Sutter. He had been one of the more braver souls, ignoring Ross’ surliness, or at least that was what Lauren had thought at the time.

She hadn’t thought of him since that first unfortunate day between them, the day she learned she had just been a dare. She had never thought that kind of stuff happened in real life, always thinking that it was a plot for a movie, but she learned quickly enough that it did happen, at least to her.

Apparently, there had been an initiation ritual for the freshman jocks by the upperclassmen. Lauren had never really understood who was supposed to be more humiliated, her or Benjamin, but considering she’d actually had a crush on him since middle school—which was probably noticeable—she thought it was her.

“Funny running into you here,” Amanda sad looking back at Benjamin as though waiting for him to agree. He just looked mildly uncomfortable. “I saw your mom and Detective Ross the other day. They seem to be doing well.”

The cordial smile on Lauren’s face was soon turning brittle, already knowing where this conversation was going just from that one sentence. “They are.”

“It’s a shame what happened to your dad.”

The way she referred to it, she almost made it sound like his death had been an accident. Seventeen years was a long time, and she had often heard something similar to what Amanda said over that length of time, but in the place she was in now, she was tired of hearing that phrase.

“Yea.” What exactly was she expected to say to that?

Amanda was about to say something more, but her mouth snapped shut as her eyes drifted past her. Lauren didn’t have to guess that it was Mishca coming up behind her, especially with the way Amanda seemed to stop breathing.

Mishca’s hand went from the small of her back, sliding beneath the fall of her hair, his thumb rubbing circles over the nape of her neck. That familiar since of calmness filled her at his touch.

Lauren didn’t have to introduce her, Amanda did it all on her own. Her hand shot out fast, aimed directly at Mishca.

“Hi, I’m Amanda, a friend of Lauren’s from high school,”—friend was definitely a stretch—“And you are?”

“Mishca Volkov, her husband.”

He accepted her hand, letting it go a second later, gaze already gone to Benjamin who now seemed confused about Mishca’s presence. It would have been offensive, the way they kind of gawked at Mishca as though he was an abnormality, but Lauren remembered what she was like in high school and she had to admit that even she never expected to meet someone like him.

“Oh,” Amanda said gesturing back to Benjamin as though she had forgotten his presence, though her eyes were still locked on Mishca. “This is my boyfriend, Benjamin.”

Mishca didn’t speak to him, just nodded.

“You know, a few people from our class are getting together tonight, a sort of anniversary dinner. We would just love it if you came, and your husband too of course.”

With the way she was looking, it would have been just fine if Mishca went alone.

“Vy khotite poyti v eto?—You want to go to this?” Mishca asked, glancing down at her.

If there was something to be thankful for, it was the fact that she had a better understanding of Russian.

Though she smiled at him, she said, “Nyet.”

He laughed at that hard ‘no.’ “Mozhet byt’ veselo, da?—Could be fun, yes?”

Amanda cleared her throat delicately, reminding them they still had company.