Sin of Silence (Sinner's Empire Book 1)

by Nikita Slater

  She glanced up at him and realized how close she’d gotten when his velvet blue gaze met hers, their face only inches apart. “Someone was trying to keep you from speaking.”

  A slight frown pulled at his brow, as though she was giving him information he hadn’t known before. She wanted to ask him if he remembered anything, but he already told her he didn’t and she didn’t want to push.

  She touched the rigid scar on his neck, running her fingertips over it and then lifting her fingers to touch his scruffy chin. He needed a shave. His facial hair grew quickly and even when he shaved in the morning, he usually needed another by the time evening came around. The dark hair against his pale jaw was sexy as hell.

  The air surrounding them became charged with sexual tension as Shaun continued to stroke her fingers down the side of his face. She shouldn’t be doing it. She was reaching out and touching the forbidden, and if she wasn’t careful the forbidden was going to get her killed. Yet she felt helpless against the swirling chemistry that came to life whenever they were near each other. Like oppositely charged magnets, they were drawn together, even if they were better apart.

  Slowly Jozef dropped his head to hers, resting his lips on hers. He waited, giving her the power to decide. Blood was rushing through her veins and each breath she took stuttered in, then whooshed out. She’d never felt this way with anyone before. As though she was sitting next to the one person on the planet who could possibly complete her. The idea was so wildly disconnected from all her usual cool logic that she was left floundering in a strange new world with only Jozef as her anchor.

  She reached for him, sliding her arms around his neck and wiggling closer to him on the couch. She tilted her head up, pressing her lips against his. He didn’t hesitate. He took her invitation, gripping her around the waist and dragging her onto his lap until her knees fell open on either side of his body. He gripped her hard around the back and slashed his mouth across hers, kissing her with brutal desperation. It was painful, but also fierce and exhilarating, as though they couldn’t contain themselves anymore.

  The kiss progressed quickly until Shaun was dragging Jozef’s coat from his shoulders, her hands clutching at the muscles of his back, while Jozef gripped her thighs so hard she was positive she would bruise.

  He pushed her back on the couch, never breaking their kiss, and leaned across her, his chest pressed to hers. Shaun finished yanking his coat off, then lifted her shoulders off the couch so Jozef could pull her shirt over her head. Then they were kissing again, their heated passion flaring higher and higher with each touch. Josef was gripping her with painful fingers one moment then shoving her back the next so he could strip her pants from her legs.

  Shaun tried to help, but it was hard since all she wanted was his lips on hers. Every time he broke their kiss, she trailed kisses down his neck and chest before gripping his shoulders and dragging him in for another lip-lock. Her passionate enthusiasm was driving him crazy. She could tell by the way his hands shook as he tried to stop himself from grabbing her too hard and bruising her.

  His care for her well-being melted her until she couldn’t remember a single argument against sex with the mob enforcer. Everywhere he touched burned so good she felt consumed by him. She couldn’t stop even if she wanted to.

  Soon her clothes lay in an untidy pile next to the couch and Jozef’s hands were everywhere, worshipping every inch of her he could reach. Though his touches weren’t gentle, she'd never felt safer in his hands. He was in complete control and she trusted him to hold on to her. She wanted to give herself to him, feel him all over and inside her.

  She reached between them and unzipped his jeans while he moved his hips so she could reach him. Her fingers were shaking, and her breath was puffing out in short gasps as though she were running a race. Dragging his belt through the loops, she opened his jeans and reached inside, touching him, circling him with her fingers, feeling the raw strength running through him as blood engorged his cock. She pulled him free, tightening her knees against his hips.

  He took her wrist in one hand, pulling her away from his cock and dragging her arm over her head. He used his other hand to reach down between them, dragging his knuckles through the wet folds of her vagina, pulling a gasp from her. Her hips surged up in wild supplication. He rubbed his thumb against her clit, dragging cries from her as she writhed underneath him, waves of pleasure already rocking her body and she hadn’t even peaked yet.

  Jozef pressed his fingers into her tight passage, filling her with excruciating slowness as she wiggled against him, trying to find a rhythm so she could get off. Jozef had other, more tortuous ideas. He gave her a heated look, his gaze capturing and holding hers while his fingers sought and found her g-spot. It was so intimate, having his eyes touch hers with such knowing, while his fingers played inside her vagina, pushing her higher and higher until she thought she would die if she didn’t come.

  Sparks of light burst through her skull as she clawed for the release that was just out of reach. Before she could take hold of it, Jozef abruptly pulled his fingers out of her. She yelled her frustration and hit him in the shoulder with her fist. He made a grunting sound and her eyes flew open as he took her free wrist and captured it with the other above her head. Then he took her chin in hand and forced her to look at him as he surged inside her.

  He filled her completely as he slammed to the hilt, the scent of her own arousal reaching her from where his fingers touched her face. It was the most erotic experience of her life. It was beautiful, raw and honest.

  Jozef fucked her with long deep strokes, his rhythm even until the very end, each stroke igniting the fire in his eyes to a fever pitch. She was burning up with him, reaching for her orgasm while laying helpless beneath his masterful body. She felt his cock growing bigger inside her, tighter, and knew he was close. She yanked her wrists from his grasp, reached up and dragged his face down to hers, wanting to see every expression as passion took over and controlled his body. She saw the glassy hardness of his eyes, felt the breath whoosh from him and rush over her face, heard the guttural grunts as he was pushed over the edge.

  His hands tightened almost unbearably, pushing Shaun into her own orgasm. She let go of him, reached over her head and took hold of the couch cushions, pushing her hips up into his and taking every drop of semen rushing into her body.

  They came down together, the shock of unplanned intense sex visible on their faces. Jozef rolled to the side, pulling Shaun with him until he lay with his chest pressed against her back. He held her in a bear hug, his fingers lacing with hers and resting on her belly. He was cuddling with her, floating with her through the aftermath of the best orgasm she’d ever experienced. She wanted to know if he felt the same but didn’t want to ask.

  She tipped her head up to look at him and found his gaze steady on her face. His lips softened, not quite into a smile, but something close. His arms tightened around her and he watched her as her muscles began to relax and her breathing evened out. Before she fell asleep, the last thing she noticed was a blanket being pulled across her naked body and tucked around her.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Jozef wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the evening holding Shaun in his arms while she slept, but he had a meeting to attend. Krystoff wanted to talk to him about some information Jozef’s team had dug up. They’d finally managed to discover the whereabouts of Vasiliy Stanovich, the mastermind behind Krystoff’s kidnapping. Unfortunately for them, Vasiliy was holed up in the neighboring country of Poland.

  Jozef suspected his uncle was going to send him on an out-of-country job, not something Jozef wanted to do while he was still unsure of where he stood with his fiancé. Would she try to leave him the moment he was out of the country? Would her heart grow cooler with distance? He didn’t want to risk their budding relationship on a job, but his uncle’s word was law, and if Krystoff ordered Jozef and his team to go on a job, they didn’t have a choice but to go.

  It was the way
they had always done things. Krystoff was head of the organization, Jozef was his loyal dog. The power imbalance they held was beginning to make less and less sense to Jozef. He’d never questioned his uncle’s autocracy, since Krystoff always treated his family well, and Jozef got to make most of the security related decisions. But it was Jozef who'd put his team together, trained with them, ensured they were the best in the business. He should be the one making the decisions. It was something he’d have to bring up with Krystoff.

  Knowing his uncle would send someone to find him if he didn’t get moving, Jozef gently pulled his arm from beneath his slumbering woman and slowly crawled over top of her.

  She rolled onto her back and let out a soft snore before flinging an arm over her face and falling into a deeper sleep.

  Jozef had noticed that about Shaun. She slept soundly no matter where she was or how cramped the sleeping conditions were. He supposed it was her experience as a doctor, working long hours on her feet, that allowed her to sleep so soundly. Jozef was a light sleeper, always had been and likely always would be. That particular character trait could one day save his life.

  He pulled on his clothes and then searched through her pockets until he found the burner phone. Stuffing it in his pocket, he made his way quietly out of the suite, locking it behind him. He should be wearing a suit for meeting his uncle, but he didn’t want to take the time to change. Krystoff wouldn’t care, but Jozef had trained their men to respect the family patriarch at all times, which meant dressing appropriately and using the correct language and grammar.

  Krystoff’s office was on the first floor, opposite the formal dining room. Jozef knocked briefly, waited for the summons and opened the door. Krystoff was standing next to the floor to ceiling windows, which opened to a spectacular view of Prague in the distance. The older man was drinking cognac from a crystal highball glass. He turned when Jozef entered the room and lifted his glass with a raised brow.

  Jozef shook his head, his mind flashing to the woman snoring on his couch. He wanted round two when he was finished his meeting and he suspected she wouldn’t want him coming to her bed smelling of alcohol. He didn’t think she was a prude, but the look on her face when he’d taken that line of cocaine in the club haunted him, reminding him they were from two different worlds. He was used to a life filled with vices. He knew how to moderate himself, but that didn’t mean he had to flaunt his lifestyle while wooing a woman who meant something to him.

  “Sit, Jozef.” Krystoff waved his hand toward a pair of immaculate leather chairs in front of the fireplace. There was no fire yet as it was warm outside, but Krystoff tended to prefer the leather chairs when he was meeting with Jozef or another member of the family. If the meeting was of a more professional nature, or if there was a darker purpose, he would seat his guest opposite him, the oak desk between them.

  Jozef dipped his head in acknowledgment and took a seat, accepting a glass of water from his uncle. Though he’d refused an alcoholic beverage, Krystoff would never allow a guest to go without a drink.

  “How are things, my boy?” Krystoff asked jovially, dropping into the chair opposite Jozef and crossing his ankle over his knee.

  I’m doing well, Jozef signed. Are you fully recovered from your ordeal?

  “Indeed. That week off was almost a vacation,” Krystoff said with a half-smile, holding up his hand with its missing finger. “Your girl did an excellent job of patching me up.”

  Rather than prolong the meeting, Jozef asked bluntly, what’s the job?

  Krystoff looked taken aback. Krystoff led the meetings, not Jozef. He talked business when he was ready to talk business. However, Jozef was impatient to get back to Shaun and unwilling to engage in light banter.

  “I want you to go to Poland,” Krystoff said, switching gears. “Get what you can out of Vasiliy, take care of him and come home. Make sure there is no evidence of your existence. Our Polish allies have made it clear: we do not conduct business in their territory without their permission and we don’t have permission for this particular operation.”

  Jozef dipped his head in a nod. He’d been right about why Krystoff summoned him. Terek, Jozef’s ‘hunter,’ had traced every move Vasiliy had made over the past few years and discovered the man owned a small rustic cabin in Poland. They’d sent someone to check and sure enough, Vasiliy had holed up, disappearing from the mafia radar. He’d probably chosen Poland specifically because the Kobas couldn’t move as easily through the territory. Vasiliy was about to find out otherwise.

  When do we move? Jozef asked.

  “Tonight.” Krystoff’s voice held a hard edge to it, as though daring Jozef to argue. “You’ll have to be back in time for the engagement party.”

  Fuck. Krystoff was cutting it close. It would take a minimum of twelve hours to travel to Poland, dispose of Vasiliy and travel home. The party was scheduled for the next evening. Jozef was going to be coming in right under the wire, and he was more afraid of what his aunt would do to him if he missed the party than what Krystoff would do to him. Why weren’t they waiting until after the party? A few extra days would allow Jozef to come up with an adequate plan that would ensure the safety of him and his team, as well as give him the opportunity to prepare Shaun for his absence.

  Jozef didn’t want to leave Shaun in Prague while he travelled to Poland. It would only take a day, but that was still a day too long to be away from her. Of course, bringing a woman on such a dangerous mission wasn’t an option. Krystoff would never allow it. Though often progressive in his thinking, when it came to the women of his family, Krystoff still held old-fashioned values. The women stayed home and, for the most part, stayed out of the family business. They helped run the home, went shopping, supported charities and met up with socially acceptable friends.

  As if reading Jozef’s mind, Krystoff said, “I ran into Shaun in the rose garden this morning. She seemed upset.”

  Jozef frowned. Shaun hadn’t said anything about meeting up with Krystoff.

  Krystoff studied his nephew with a keen eye. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. She won’t settle easily into this life, son.”

  Jozef nodded his head in agreement. There was no point in arguing the obvious. She won’t have a choice.

  “How do you intend to control her?” Krystoff leaned back in his seat, his sharp eyes on his nephew.

  Jozef didn’t like what his uncle was implying. As if Shaun was some kind of dog that needed to be leashed and controlled. She was a kind and intelligent woman with a quick brain and a compassionate nature.

  This is not your concern, Jozef signed, trying to shut down the topic.

  A frown deepened the grooves between Krystoff’s thick grey eyebrows. “I disagree. Her actions will have an effect on this family. I had hoped the lures of our lifestyle would have helped her settle down, but the conversation she and I had this morning has left me concerned. She won’t be happy here.”

  Jozef wanted to growl at his uncle to stay the fuck out of his business. Jozef was an independent man. He stayed in the family home at the request of his aunt, but he owned a building in downtown Prague, the same building the club was in. Many of his men stayed on the middle floors above the club when they were in between jobs. It was times like this, when his family became overly involved in his life, that Jozef wanted to move away from the family estate.

  “She called her mother earlier today,” Krystoff said quietly, his sharp gaze on Jozef’s face, as though trying to decide if Jozef knew.

  How do you know? Jozef demanded.

  Krystoff’s gaze softened. “My apologies, son, but I fear I did something you won’t approve of.” It was unusual for Krystoff to apologize for anything, but then, he didn’t often involve himself in Jozef’s personal life. “I made sure she would have access to a phone.”

  Jozef frowned, anger and disappointment rising within him. His uncle was supposed to be his greatest ally, the man who always had his back. And he was trying to set up Jozef’s woman? U
nacceptable.

  You were testing her?

  “Testing you,” Krystoff admitted. “You told me you would control the woman, but the first thing she did when given the opportunity was make a call out.”

  You have the recording? Jozef demanded. Give it to me.

  Krystoff pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped for a few seconds then held it up as Shaun’s voice filled the space around them. Jozef and Krystoff listened to the entire conversation in silence. Some of Jozef’s tension eased as he heard Shaun repeatedly deny her mother’s inquiries. Whether to keep her mother safe, or because she didn’t want to cause problems for the Kobas, Shaun had refused to give up her location. The parts where she and her mother cried together tore at Jozef’s heart. He was the cause of such misery.

  When the recording finished, Krystoff put his phone away.

  “I must admit,” Krystoff said thoughtfully, “I thought she would have given us up as her kidnappers. Her refusal is a point in her favour.”

  Jozef was seething. What would you have done if she’d given her mother the information?

  Krystoff looked at him steadily, his expression telling Jozef everything he needed to know. Krystoff would’ve had Shaun removed, any evidence of her contact with the Koba family erased and he likely would’ve done it without Jozef’s permission or knowledge. It would have been as though she never existed to them.

  She needs more time, Jozef insisted.

  Shaun’s compassionate personality was already softening her toward him, and he could tell she was bonding with Saskia. Given more time, Jozef was positive Shaun wouldn’t want to do anything that could harm Jozef or his family. She may never fully reconcile herself to Jozef’s lifestyle, but she wouldn’t wish to hurt him either.

  “We don’t have the luxury of time,” Krystoff said, his voice hardening. “Do what you must, but if you wish to keep this woman, you need to crush her spirit and ensure her loyalty.”