Until the End (Volkov Bratva #2)(5)

She dropped her packet on the table, turning her nose up at them smugly. Lauren was speechless, much like the detectives, but she had no idea who the attorney was or who had hired her.

“Let’s go, Lauren.”

Not questioning it, Lauren made to stand, the detectives following suit though they looked less than pleased. What more could they say? Until they ran whatever the attorney had in that file, they could no longer hold her.

Ross and Susan were waiting for Lauren near the vending machines, both looking surprised at her rather speedy exit, as well as the lawyer that was guiding her out of the precinct. Ross, a Michigan homicide detective, knew how interrogations worked, had conducted hundreds over his lengthy career. He had specifically warned Lauren not to answer any questions, but eventually relented on the way over.

He eyed the lawyer suspiciously as he and Susan joined them. Lauren hadn’t thought for a second that either he or Susan had called her—though Susan could afford to—but it seemed too convenient that she came exactly at this time and with Lauren’s alibi.

How the hell had she gotten it so quickly?

Lauren felt like every police officer in the precinct was looking in her direction as she walked behind her attorney, like they were all judging her. It was irrational, since not all of them could know why she was brought in, but with a high profile case like this, anything was possible.

Outside the precinct, the sun was shining, police cars were parked along every inch of the street, and Mishca Volkov was casually standing at the foot of the stairs.

Lauren stopped where she was, a few feet above him on the top step. It all came flooding back, like it had been yesterday when everything had changed between them instead of almost four months ago.

Same wavy, disheveled hair, same towering relaxed frame, but there was something different about his eyes. They were still that endless blue, but now they held a haunting knowledge she was all too familiar with.

He looked like he hadn’t slept in days and Lauren despised herself for caring. Completely ignoring him, she continued down the concrete steps, towards Ross’ old pickup.

Ross made a rude sound below his breath, hobbling down the steps on his crutches There was no love lost between he and Mishca, and it wasn’t just because Mishca’s uncle decided to send his foot soldiers to attack them in the middle of the night. It was because Mishca was Russian mob.

On the surface, Mishca was a law abiding, tax paying citizen like the rest of the country, but to a man like Ross, it was what Mishca was on the inside that he disliked.

Criminal. Mobster. Murderer.

Lauren hadn’t believed it at first, but it was hard to deny it when she had witnessed it firsthand.

Ross glared at him as he passed, Susan following soon after, though her expression was far less menacing. She almost looked…sad. Not like the last time the two had crossed paths. Back then, Lauren hadn’t understood her mother’s strange reaction, but now it was more than clear that they had more of a history than she had ever known.

The lawyer spoke softly in Mishca’s ear and after his nod, she was off, never speaking another word to Lauren. He didn’t come towards her, didn’t crowd her with his presence, just stood there, allowing her to make the decision.

She didn’t think about the consequences of her actions, just held her head high and approached him. Up close, the effect was worse because now she could smell him. Mishca was just overwhelming in every way possible.

But that wasn’t what today was about. She couldn’t get sucked back in.

“Are you having me followed?” Lauren asked. Her first thought was to ask him why he hired the lawyer, but that was plainly obvious considering where she had come from, but what she didn’t know was where the lawyer had come across the information.

“Not in so many words.”

Classic Mishca evasion. “I’ll take that as a yes. Did you come here to make sure I wouldn’t talk?”

He looked frustrated, like she wasn’t saying what he thought she would. What did he expect? It wasn’t like they had walked away on good terms. In fact, it was better if they didn’t talk about it at all.

“Is that what you think now?” He asked looking down on her. “Is that all you think of me?”

“It’s who you are,” she said back just as fiercely. “You never showed me the monster that hid beneath the pretty surface.”

“I showed you what mattered.”

Like they had done many times before, they unconsciously drew closer until they were just a whisper apart. It was almost too easy to get lost in his eyes, the ways his lips twitched when he was going to smile, or how he always made it a habit to kiss her knuckles when they saw each other.

Even now, she could feel the ghost of his lips pressing against her skin and had to refrain from reaching for him.

“I’m leaving, Mish.”

His eyes softened when she used that nickname for him. She could practically read his thoughts and knew, despite how much it would hurt, she had to let him go.

“Lauren, about what I said…I didn’t mean—”

“You don’t have to explain.”

He shoved a hand through his hair the way he did when he was agitated. “I want to, to fix this.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could ignore the hopeful look on his face when he said that.

It was hard, staring up at the boy who had been such a big part of her life for months, someone she had grown to love and care for, but there was too much between them and she didn’t think any of it could be fixed.