Until the End (Volkov Bratva #2)(22)

“No?” She remembered his words in the hotel room, how callously he spat them at her. “You blamed me. I think you made that point quite clear when I talked with Mikhail”

“I never blamed you for any of this. I blamed myself. It was an impossible situation that even I didn’t fully understand. I was trying to protect you. I would never let anything happen to you.”

Protect her. Protect her? She clutched the arms of the chair, feeling that familiar rage she was growing accustomed to take over her.





“Oh right, and I’m supposed to believe that? Did you forget that your father sent two, big ass thugs to kill me, and I had to talk my way into a meeting with him? Then,” she stressed when he thought to interrupt her, “I confess the truth—because he demanded it—and you have the nerve to get mad at me because I hurt your sister!”

Mishca was pissed.

Pissed that his father went behind his back although he promised to handle the situation, but more pissed at himself for hurting Lauren more when she had probably been reeling from the information she had learned about her father.

He didn’t know what to say to make this better for her, but he had to do something. “Lauren—”

“You think I meant to do that?” Lauren asked like he hadn’t spoken, glaring at him. “For all I knew, family didn’t mean the same thing in the Bratva.”

She was right…again, but what she didn’t understand was that because of their lifestyle, Alex hadn’t had a conventional childhood, neither of them had. Realistically, Mikhail didn’t know how to be a father, his only familial sentiment towards his fellow Vors, and Anya was too narcissistic to care about anyone other than herself.

Mishca was all Alex had growing up and seeing her cry—even if it was for someone like Anya—made him angry, but he had never meant to take that anger out on Lauren in the process.

“I’m sorry,” he said when she paused to take a breath.

Those two simple words seemed to take all the steam out of her.

“Okay.” But it didn’t sound like she believed him.

“What could I have said?” Mishca asked desperately. “You asked me months ago if I knew about him, yes I lied and said I didn’t, but I couldn’t tell you the truth. It would only lead to more questions that I couldn’t answer, not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t know.”

She was shaking her head, tears pricking her eyes, but he wasn’t done.

“I asked you to trust me, to let me help.”

“How the hell was I supposed to do that when you were part of it? Not only that, but I had just found out you were in the f*cking mob! Can you even comprehend what that was like? This was a bad idea.”

Grabbing her bag, Lauren was up and hurrying to the door, pulling it open, but Mishca shot up after her, refusing to let it end like this. A strong arm shot past her, slamming it shut again. She spun around, ready to give him a piece of her mind, at least until she saw the look on his face.

“Don’t run from me again,” he said softly. “I won’t let you run again.”

His hand came up to cradle her cheek, tilting her face up so she would look at him. His words weren’t convincing her, no matter what he said.

He had to make his point before she left this office because if he didn’t, he doubted he would see her again.

Leaning into her, he crowded her space, breathing in the floral scent that clung to her. Their foreheads touched, Lauren’s hands going to the front of his shirt, clutching the material in trembling hands.

“Stop punishing me,” he whispered, “please.”

He didn’t wait for a response. He titled her face up and pressed his lips to hers, silencing whatever protest she thought to give him. Lauren wasn’t hearing him, or at least she was trying to talk her way out of it, but he wasn’t going to let her. If it took him until the end of time to fix this between them, he would fight for her, or burn the city down trying.

For several heartbeats, she didn’t respond, remaining passive beneath him, but finally, it was like her entire body melted as she sighed, kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His heart sang. It was everything he needed, that empty hole in his heart finally disappearing. She was everything to him and he couldn’t let her go.

When words failed him, he showed her his heart through his kiss. A promise to her that though she may have doubts, he wasn’t ready to give up.

One chance was all he needed to prove it all to her.

Not pulling away from her for an instant, he drew her back into the room, practically carrying her over to his desk, sitting her on top of it. Nothing else mattered to him in this moment but her.

Nothing else mattered to him anymore but her.

“Wow that was fast.”

Lauren lurched back away from him, looking back to the door where Jonathan stood eyeing them with wry amusement.

“Get out!”

Jonathan threw his hands up, leaving back out. Knowing the moment was officially over, Mishca sighed, looking back at Lauren.

She was just as affected as he felt, her cheeks flushed, and her hands trembling as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I have to go.”

“Lauren, wait.”

“I…I’ll call you, Mish.”