Jozef leaned over to kiss her. It was a peck, the slight pressure of his lips against hers, but it sent a zing of pleasure through her. He reached around Shaun and opened her door.
She sank into her seat and then gasped as the smell hit her.
“Eggs!” she exclaimed and reached for the containers on Jozef’s seat. She was tearing into them before he opened his own door and climbed into the car with her.
“I hope this is all for me, because I’m not sharing,” she joked as he reached for the food and she held it away from him.
He tickled her ribs and she nearly dropped the food, but he deftly grabbed it before it hit the console.
She watched in admiration as he opened the packages and began splitting the food in two, giving her a bigger portion than she could eat, despite her insistence that she was hungry enough to eat it all by herself.
There was something extra sexy about a man who looked like Jozef, with his rippling muscles and plethora of tattoos as he did something as domestic as preparing food. Shaun smiled, the feeling of joy rising in her and spreading warmth.
She accepted the paper plate of food he handed to her and immediately started devouring the delicious eggs, smoked sausage, fresh fruit, cheese and jam filled pastries. Shaun surprised herself by eating everything on her plate. When she finished, a small burp escaped her.
Jozef laughed and took her plate, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. He got rid of their garbage and started the car, turning it back onto the highway.
Chapter Seven
Shaun soon realized that they were heading toward Poland. Her excitement grew with each passing hour. Jozef had told her they were going some place secluded, so she knew it wouldn’t be near any major cities. Though she would’ve loved to check out Warsaw. Perhaps another time.
They continued to drive for another three hours, crossing the border into Poland. With each passing kilometre, the weight that had settled on Shaun’s shoulders the past few weeks, lifted. She felt truly free for the first time in weeks. No, months!
She perked up as Jozef took the vehicle through a thickly wooded area, finally turning onto an unpaved road. He parked the Bugatti next to another car.
As Jozef climbed out of their vehicle, he approached the other one with a frown. He looked around and then leaned over to stare through the windows. Shaun joined him, slipping her hand into his.
“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.
When Jozef looked at her, his face revealed nothing, though she could feel tension thrumming through him. He shook his head, and she knew he was about to lie to her and tell her nothing was wrong.
“Don’t you dare,” she said sharply. “I know you well enough to know when you’re concerned. Spill it, mister.”
His face creased in surprise, then he laughed.
Mister? He signed.
She shrugged. “We don’t really have pet names for each other like dear, sweetheart, whatever.”
He nodded thoughtfully. My family called me the dog.
She wrinkled her nose and signed back, I don’t like that nickname; it sounds so derogatory. You aren’t a pet, you’re a person, and you deserve to be treated that way.
He stared at her and she saw the softening in his eyes that showed he liked what she said to him.
Don’t change the subject, she signed, though her lips curved in a smile. Tell me what’s going on.
He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it. I don’t know, just a feeling. He swept the area with his arm. There’s only one home in this area, buried deep in the woods. The caretaker doesn’t have a car, which means he must have a visitor.
Shaun nodded, but asked, “Could it be a hiker?”
He looked skeptical. Maybe, but we have to assume there’s someone at the cabin who doesn’t belong. We need to proceed with caution.
Jozef glanced around the small clearing with the two cars as if looking for something. Then she realized he was searching for a place to stash her while he checked out the cabin.
“Absolutely not,” she said sharply. “I’m going with you.” He shook his head, but she talked over his objection. “I’m not trying to be difficult, Jozef, but I can’t be alone here. I will have a panic attack. I won’t be able to help it.”
She let him hear some of the fear and frustration in her voice. She hated that she couldn’t control the panic that swelled up inside her regularly. It made her feel so helpless, so out of control.
Jozef curved a hand against her cheek before dropping it to sign. I won’t leave you, I promise.
“Thank you,” she whispered, blinking back the tears that had leapt to her eyes when she thought he would insist on leaving her alone.
When she was looking at him again, he signed, we need to leave our stuff so my hands are free. I can come back for it. You’ll have to walk behind me. Stay tight to my left side and slightly behind.
“Okay,” she said, her heart pumping in fear. “Should I… should I be worried?”
He shook his head emphatically. No, this is probably nothing. I’m being cautious.
Shaun suspected he was just saying that to make her feel better, but it worked. She trusted him. If he thought there was really a threat, he would bundle her back into the Bugatti and get her out of there.
Together they made their way through the forest. The walk to the cabin took about half an hour and by the time they could see it, nestled among towering maple trees, the sun was high overhead, shining across the area.
Jozef moved silently through the forest, while Shaun probably made way more noise than she should have. She couldn’t help herself. She’d never been outdoorsy, hated camping, and hadn’t actively practiced stealth guerilla tactics while moving through a forest the way she suspected Jozef had.
When they sighted the cabin, Jozef stopped her. He made them stand silent and mostly unmoving while he surveilled the area. They stood that way for about fifteen minutes before he deemed it safe enough to approach the cabin.
As they made their way down the path, the gate to a high fence opened and an elderly man stepped through. Though Jozef reached beneath his jacket for his gun, Shaun sensed that he wasn’t alarmed by the older man.
The man didn’t seem surprised to see them.
“Jozef Koba, it’s good to see you again.”
The words seemed sincere, and some of the tension left Shaun as Jozef’s hand fell away from the butt of his pistol.
Jozef reached for Shaun and pulled her forward, signing, I need you to translate, V-A-S-I-L-I-Y doesn’t understand sign language.
Leeza crouched in the bushes on a rise overlooking her father’s cottage. Her heart was beating faster than a rabbit's after being caught in a snare. Kristoph struggled in her arms and pushed against her shoulder.
“Want down, mama,” he whined.
She loosened her grip but didn’t set him on his feet. Instead, she leaned back so she could see his face. Good, no signs of fear. Their frantic flight from the cottage hadn’t frightened him.
“Shhh, baby,” she whispered. “We must continue our game of pretend. The bad guys are after us and we have to slip through the forest as quiet as we can. Are you going to be our mission commander, or do I need to take charge?”
He grinned at her, his gaze lingering over her shoulder. He rarely made eye contact. “Mission commander!”
“Okay, then you’ll have to be very quiet. We need to go find our ride and get out of here before we’re caught. You’re the boss, Commander. Which way do we go?”
He pointed in the opposite direction of where they needed to go, so Leeza stood and spun on the spot until they were both dizzy and Kristoph was giggling. She wanted to shush him, but she held her admonishment in. They were far enough from the cabin that she was certain Jozef couldn’t hear them. Luckily, he had Shaun in tow and was unlikely to come after them immediately. He wouldn’t want to leave his fiancé alone with Vasiliy, though Leeza’s father wouldn’t touch a hair on her head.
If Jozef brought men with him, that would be a different story. They would easily track Leeza and Kristoph. She hadn’t seen any of his guard when he pulled up next to her car in the clearing. Thank god Vasiliy had cameras and motion sensors all over the area.
They’d been about to settle down for a cup of tea while Kristoph played with his grandfather’s dolls, but the perimeter alert had gone off. When they checked the cameras, they found Jozef and Shaun bent over Leeza’s getaway car.
Leeza hadn’t wanted to leave her father behind, had tried to insist he come with her and Kristoph. Vasiliy had been equally stubborn, insisting that he would stay to distract Jozef so she could get away. If Leeza hadn’t had Kristoph, she would’ve dragged Vasiliy out by his ears.
Instead, she’d been forced to leave him behind. She’d frantically stuffed their things into a backpack and rushed through the tunnel, to her father’s workshop and out through the trapdoor.
Now they were running through the forest in the opposite direction of her car. She would have to leave it behind. Jozef knew what it looked like now. If he had it fingerprinted or tested for DNA, she was fucked. He would connect the dots and realize his cousin, the one he was already gunning for, was also the elusive Phantom. The woman who’d been shadowing his footsteps for years. Learning and waiting until the time was right to seize her own empire and rule her own slice of the underworld.
Chapter Eight
“On the contrary,” the older man interrupted, speaking English with a heavy accent. “I’ve been learning sign language, though I am not fluent yet.” He turned to Shaun and reached a hand out to her. “Dr. Patterson, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Shaun felt instantly at ease, taking Vasiliy’s hand and squeezing, before letting go.
Jozef stepped between them, his expression fierce as he demanded. Who is visiting you?
Vasiliy stared at Jozef for a moment, as if debating his words, then he admitted, “My daughter.”
Jozef’s expression became truly terrifying. Shaun took a step back so he wouldn’t hit her with his rapid signs. Tell me where she is.
Vasiliy shook his head. “She left the moment we realized you were headed here.”
Jozef snarled and grabbed Vasiliy, shoving him backwards into the fence behind him.
“Jozef!” Shaun grabbed his arm. “Stop it.”
To his credit, Vasiliy did nothing to defend himself. Some of his calm must have penetrated Jozef’s anger, because gradually he loosened his hold on Vasiliy and his expression cleared. He let the older man go and stepped back.
“What’s going on?” Shaun asked, a waver in her voice. “Why did we come here if you were just going to threaten this man who I assume is to be our host?”
Jozef turned to her, remorse bright in his eyes. I’m sorry, he signed, then pointed at Vasiliy. His daughter is a danger to us. I shouldn’t have brought you here. We should go.
Shaun sensed that if she weren't there, Jozef would already be running through the forest, tracking Vasiliy’s daughter.
“Of course she’s not a danger to you,” Vasiliy interrupted them, allowing some annoyance to leak into his voice. “If she wanted either of you dead, you’d be dead. Instead, she’s avoided crossing paths with you.”
Because she knows I’ll kill her when I get my hands on her, Jozef countered.
“Stop threatening him,” Shaun snapped at Jozef, losing her patience. “You brought me here for a reason. Right now, the only person who’s acting threatening is you. Enough violence, Jozef. For once, can’t we try to solve a problem without pulling a gun?”
Jozef stared at her, then his lips twitched, and she knew he was amused by her. She jutted her chin out and glared.
“Come inside,” Vasiliy interrupted them. “I have a pot of hot tea steeping. I was going to share it with my daughter, but she had to leave in rather a hurry.”
There was amusement in Vasiliy’s voice, but Shaun also heard the longing for his child. She almost wished they hadn’t interrupted the small family. She was curious about why Jozef had brought her to the secluded cabin with the strange man, so she followed him, throwing Jozef a warning look over her shoulder.
When they entered the house, Shaun was pleasantly surprised to find cozily furnished rooms filled with books, paintings and little wooden dolls.
She stared her fill as Vasiliy led them into the kitchen where a teapot was indeed steaming on the counter. After setting out three teacups on a tray, a small pitcher of milk and a jar with honey, he added several cookies to the tray and led them back through to the living room.
The furniture was an interesting hodgepodge of chairs and a small couch. All were draped in handmade quilts and padded with pillows. Shaun sat on the small couch and Jozef crammed himself in next to her, his bulk making the squeeze somewhat difficult, while Vasiliy sat opposite them in a rocking chair.
“I hadn’t thought to see you again, Jozef,” Vasiliy said bluntly.
Shaun swung her gaze to Jozef, who signed, I hadn’t thought to come here again, but you invited me last time we saw each other, and I needed somewhere quiet to bring Shaun.
Vasiliy’s smile was bright with genuine warmth. “It pleases me that you thought of my humble home. I’m happy to have you here for as long as you’d like to stay. I rarely get company around here.”
Shaun returned his smile, then asked, “How do you and Jozef know each other?”
Though the smile faded from Vasiliy’s face, the sparkle in his eyes remained. He reminded Shaun of a mall Santa. Perpetually happy, jovial and kind. Of course, she had no idea if he really was kind, she’d only known him a few minutes, but she sensed a friendly spirit. Which is why she was shocked by Vasiliy’s next statement.
“Jozef was sent here to kill me.”
Her mouth fell open and her gaze swung toward Jozef. His expression was carefully blank, but he nodded at Shaun, agreeing with Vasiliy.
“Krystoff Koba believed I was involved in his kidnapping,” Vasiliy continued. “He sent Jozef to extract an explanation and to put me in the ground.”
Shaun was a little surprised at Vasiliy’s admission. Then she remembered his lack of fear when Jozef attacked him.
“Did you kidnap Krystoff?”
Vasiliy shook his head. “No, it was my daughter.”
Ah, that explained why Jozef was so hot to get his hands on the daughter.
“And who is your daughter?” she asked.
Vasiliy flashed her a grin. “Now isn’t that the million-dollar question.”
Jozef turned to Shaun, catching her attention. She calls herself the P-H-A-N-T-O-M. She’s been a thorn in my side for a few years now, scooping minor jobs out from under me, but the kidnapping was the catalyst to finally hunting her down.
Shaun was getting the picture. “You came here looking for the Phantom and discovered Vasiliy instead.”
Jozef nodded. We thought they were the same person, but I quickly realized V-A-S-I-L-I-Y had nothing to do with my uncle’s abduction.
“Is that why you chose not to kill him?”
Jozef nodded, then thought about it and shook his head, then signed, I don’t know. I just couldn’t.
Shaun’s heart squeezed in sympathy at Jozef’s confession. He’d met her shortly before he’d been ordered by Krystoff to kill Vasiliy. He hadn’t wanted to kill her either, hadn’t been able to bring himself to pull the trigger. Perhaps the Koba guard dog had already started questioning his uncle’s orders prior to meeting Shaun.
“You didn’t kill him because he didn’t deserve to die,” she said knowingly.
Both Jozef and Vasiliy laughed out loud while Shaun looked bewildered.
It was Vasiliy who told her the truth of who he was. “My dear, I was a Vor until about five years ago. I ran the Stanovich crime syndicate out of Kiev until I retired and moved here.”
Shaun’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as she tried to picture the pleasant, round man sitting across fro
m her as one of the fearsome mobsters Karl had described to her when he taught her the word Vory. She didn’t know what to say.
Vasiliy sensed her discomfort and attempted to put her at ease.
“I was never very good at it,” he admitted. “Didn’t have the stomach for the job, unlike the Kobas. As I weakened in my resolve to remain at the top of the Bratva food chain, Krystoff sliced up my territory one piece at a time and seized it for his organization.”
There was no bitterness to Vasiliy’s words. He was simply describing events.
“You were married to Dasha’s sister, weren’t you?” Though Shaun framed it as a question, she already knew the answer.
Vasiliy dipped his head in a nod. “Still am.”
He must have seen Shaun’s next question, because he answered before she could form the words. “My wife remained in Kiev. Though much of her family is now dead, she wasn’t willing to leave the life behind.” At Shaun’s questioning look, he added, “The mafia life. Like her sister, she was never one for the simple life. She enjoys the money, glamour, prestige… not that we have much of that left. Between my retirement and our son’s playboy reputation, the family name is in shambles.”
“I’m sorry,” Shaun murmured, glancing sideways at Jozef. His own gaze was scornful. He didn’t understand Vasiliy’s choices. Didn’t condone them. As far as Jozef was concerned, a man showed strength, he kept his family and organization in order. He didn’t abandon them on a whim. Vory didn’t retire.
Yet, Jozef had left Vasiliy alive. She suspected he did it because he wanted to understand how a man could walk away from the life he was born to without a single regret. And it certainly seemed like Vasiliy had no regrets about living off the grid, in his own little slice of paradise, unknown to the outside world. Unknown to the mafia world.
Shaun’s admiration for Jozef grew. He was a good man, even if he couldn’t see it.
Goodnight, Sinners (Sinner's Empire Book 3) Page 5