In the Beginning
by London Miller
Volkov Bratva #1
Publication Date: October 14, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Twenty-year-old Lauren Thompson left her small town in Michigan to begin a new life in the Big Apple where no one knows her name or the tragedy that had rocked her family fifteen years prior. With new friends and an intriguing new love interest, starting over is easier than she expected...but Mishca Volkov isn't what he seems. As the son of a Russian Mob boss, he thrives in a world of chaos and fear, earning the title of Bratva Captain through blood and pain. When the two cross paths, lines blur and passions ignite, bringing them closer than they could ever imagine. Until secrets from the past threaten to tear them apart. Can they fight past their demons...or were they doomed by fate before they ever met.
Lauren walked around the
barrier—feeling stupid for not having realized it at first—until
she could see the entirety of the warehouse.
There was a large octagon ring in the
center, rows of punching bags hanging from hooks in the ceiling, and
a spot for weightlifting over against the West wall. Most of the
floor was covered in green square mats where men, and some women,
were grappling on the floor.
She tried to find Mishca amongst the
sweaty bodies, but it was hard to see clear faces with the crowd
surrounding the octagon. In her brief look around, Lauren hadn’t
noticed the two guys inside, circling one another, both wearing knee
length shorts.
One had a buzzed head, tattoos covering
the majority of his torso and back. His shorts were white with black
flames, and the mouthguard protecting his teeth was also white with a
word written across it that
Lauren couldn’t make out from her
distance.
His opponent, however, was the tiger to
his bear. He was tall, his muscles cut and defined like he was
specifically molded that way. Tape was wrapped around his ankles and
the heels of his feet. Fingerless gloves protected his knuckles, but
they hardly looked like they had any padding.
Mishca looked like a born fighter as he
wiped the sweat from his brow, pushing the inky black strands of his
hair out of his face. His gaze found Lauren’s, his pale eyes
brightening as he smiled and winked at her.
She gave a slight wave, walking over to
the edge of the cage so she would have a better view of the fight. Up
close, she could see the slight sheen of sweat on his chest, some
droplets descending down his chest. It was hard not to stare at the
perfection he hid beneath his clothes.
Two eight-pointed stars were inked on
either side of his chest, just below his collarbone, another set on
his knees. Across his forearm was a setting sun, and a line of script
on his bicep. There were also two more tattoos on his shoulders, but
Lauren couldn’t remember what they were called.
Mishca came over with his usual slow
stroll, crouching down until they were eye level. He smiled,
revealing the fluorescent green mouthpiece before he removed it,
wiping his mouth with the back of a gloved hand.
“I’m glad you could make it for my
last fight.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She glanced
around, noticing they seemed to be the object of everyone’s
attention.
“You must be
pretty popular around here,” she said jokingly, gesturing around at
all the people with a wave of her hands.
Mishca’s eyes shifted from hers to
just above her head. He barked something in Russian, his expression
turning agitated for only a second before it cleared and he returned
to her.“Ignore them. They’re not used to someone so pretty. ”
She rolled her eyes. “They see you
everyday.”
He chuckled, touching a hand to his
chest. “You flatter me.”
The sudden clamor of the audience
clapping made them look to where the referee was climbing into the
cage. He was a squat man, who seemed genuinely afraid, although
Lauren was sure he was in no danger
of the actual fighters.
“Time to defend my title.”
Before heading to the center of the
ring though, Mishca removed one of his gloves, fitting his hands
through the fence to draw her forward.
When she was close enough, he pressed a
quick kiss to her cheek, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Lauren felt warm at his touch, wishing
that she didn’t blush as much as she did where he was concerned.
“Good luck, Mish.”
He strapped on his glove. “Who needs
luck when I have you, moya dorogoya?”
With a two finger salute, he stepped
forward, his demeanor shifting from cool indifference, to a predator.
Until the End
by London Miller
Volkov Bratva #2
Publication Date: February 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
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 him 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 Mafia.
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 first hand.
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 so 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 way 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 man 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.
“I can’t.”
Lauren drew away from him, watching the
mask fall over his face. This was goodbye.
Turning her back on him, she walked
back to the car where Ross and Susan were waiting. With each step, a
foolish part of her hoped that he would call her back.
The Final Hour
by London Miller
Volkov Bratva #3
Publication Date: July 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
While Lauren was preoccupied, Mishca
took a moment to just watch her. The way she smiled when she spoke
softly with Amber, how her eyes would light up with humor when Luka
told a joke, and how even when he promised to return shortly, her
gaze still sought him through the crowd. Such simple things in
retrospect, but more the reason why what he was about to do was more
than worth it.
He’d specifically told Vlad and his
men working security for the night to stay out there with her,
knowing that when he approached Ross, he would probably get punched
in the face for what he was going to ask. Mishca liked to think that
if he were in Ross' shoes, he would be more understanding if his
daughter wanted to be with a known criminal, but then again, if
Mishca ever had a daughter, he would be the most overprotective
father in the world.
Mishca signaled for the bartender
again, needing another shot of Vodka as he waited for Ross to exit
the
restrooms. This was the only
opportunity all night that he had gotten the detective alone, and
while Mishca could have asked his question over the phone where the
likelihood of him getting hit was low, but he wasn’t a coward, and
he knew he would eventually have to face Ross whether he liked it or
not.
Like Mishca’s thoughts had conjured
him, Ross came walking out, his eyes intent on the party. Mishca
tipped back his drink, swallowing it down without really feeling the
burn, clearing his throat to get Ross’ attention.This was the first
time in a really long time—besides with Lauren—that Mishca felt
nervous.
Ross didn't look too happy, but he did
wait as Mishca approached him, his frown deepening when he noticed
Mishca touch his breast pocket. It wasn’t the first time Mishca had
done it throughout the night, but Ross was one of the few that
noticed.
"You've been doing that all night.
What the hell are you hiding?" Ross asked suspiciously.
Only he would notice Mishca doing that
and actually call him out on it. "I have a question for you."
"Yea? Get on with it."
"I know you don't like me much--"
"At all."
Mishca almost smiled. "But Lauren
and I are serious and I..." Mishca hesitated, clearing his
throat again. Ross looked at him expectantly while Mishca tried to
covertly remember if he was right-handed or not. Deciding that it
didn't matter, since either hand was going to hurt like a bitch,
Mishca finally said the words. "I wanted to ask you for Lauren's
hand in marriage."
There was a split second of shock on
Ross' face as he stared Mishca down like he thought it was a joke.
When Mishca didn't laugh, he cocked that left fist back and slugged
him so hard, the people observing them gave cries of surprise,
drawing the attention of their party outside. Straightening, Mishca
raised his hand, a silent stand-down to his men that were already
making their way towards them.
He couldn't stop Susan though.
"What the hell is going on with
you two?" She asked in a heated whisper, glaring at them both.
"You should be glad Lauren didn't see that."
Mishca touched his face, wincing as the
pain radiated through his face. Dammit, that was going to bruise.
Ross seemed too angry for words.
"I asked for Lauren's hand."
"I don’t—Oh." She drew
out the word, understanding what Mishca was saying. She tried to keep
a straight face, but the edges of her mouth were twitching like she
was trying to fight a smile. “Thomas, we have talked about this. We
agreed not to interfere.”
"Well I'm not going to give my
blessing on something I don't agree with, and I definitely will never
agree to having a Volkov in the family."
Mishca understood, but that didn't stop
his temper from flaring. "I'm not my father."
"The hell if you're not. Look what
you've gotten her into since she's been here. Damn Albanians--and
hell, she isn't even safe with your lot."
Susan shushed him, noticing that they
were still the center of attention despite their lowered voices.
"I didn't take that into
consideration then," Mishca said trying to remain calm. If he
lost his cool, he would never get them, Ross in particular, to agree.
"I would protect her with my life, of that you should have no
doubt."
Even if Ross didn't know what that
meant, Susan did. Mishca knew he could never win him over, but Susan,
Susan was another story entirely. She had never outright told him,
but he believed she had a soft spot for him.
"I've met your father," Susan
said, "and I met your mother. No matter how brief, I can see a
little more of her in you than Mikhail Volkov. More importantly, I
know you love Lauren and I know she loves you. If you're what makes
her happy, we won't stand in your way.” But she wasn’t done yet,
noting his triumphant smile. “But from now on, I want someone with
her when you're not around."
"It's already been done," he
promised her.
She nodded, looking relieved. Ross only
looked a little more pissed off.
"I hate you," he said
bitterly.
Mishca looked the man dead in his eyes
and said, "That may be true, but your love for her overshadows
your hatred for me."
"I want to talk to Lauren first,"
Ross said, gazing out past the windows. "I'll tell you my
decision after."
Mishca had no choice but to stand there
with Susan and watch Ross walk off with his fate in his hands.
Also in the Series...
Time Stood Still
by London Miller
Volkov Bratva #3.5
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Also in this series: In the Beginning, Until the End, The Final Hour
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Can a love born of violence stand the test of time?
Despite a less than ideal start to their marriage, Mishca and Lauren are finally in a place where they do not have to look over their shoulders at every turn. Now that they are in a secure place, it's time for them to have the one thing Mishca had promised her before they took their vows.
A honeymoon...
Traveling to the sandy beaches of Sardinia, Italy, the couple will explore what brought them together in the first place, instead of the life that constantly threatens to tear them apart.
But as the newly appointed Boss of the Volkov Bratva, is it too late for Mishca to have an even remotely normal life...and is Lauren ready to face another challenge that neither of them saw coming... 
With a degree in Creative Writing, London Miller has turned pen to paper, creating riveting fictional worlds where the bad guys are sometimes the good guys. Her debut novel, In the Beginning, is the first in the Volkov Bratva Series. She currently resides in southern Georgia where she drinks far too much soda, and spends her nights writing.
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