When Havel was confident he could speak freely, he continued, “The Bratva are watching your every move. If for a second they think you’ve blinked, they will strip you of everything, kill everyone loyal to you and absorb your holdings.”
Jozef nodded slowly. The trip to P-O-L-A-N-D was stupid.
“Very,” Havel agreed.
Jozef didn’t bother to justify his actions. Though the trip had been a bad idea from a business perspective, he didn’t regret it.
Shaun had been happy. For a few days, she’d relaxed, smiled, laughed and shared herself. Jozef would lay the world at her feet for a few smiles. He’d known he needed to stay at the mansion, while also knowing she needed to get away. He’d made her the priority. He always would. And he would never justify that decision to Havel or anyone else.
When Havel finished saying his piece, Jozef held a hand up to get his attention. I will not allow our Russian brothers to take what is rightfully mine. If they try, I will bring them down. They will underestimate me to their detriment.
Havel flashed him a grin. “That’s what I want to hear.”
Jozef grunted. Don’t bring this up again. My decisions are my own. While I understand they will affect you and the others, know that any decisions I make will be with the weight of the organization on my shoulders. I will not fail you or anyone else.
Havel dipped his head in a nod, his eyes dancing with excitement. He was looking forward to rebuilding the Koba organization, modelled after Jozef’s philosophies and work ethic. This was a new dawn on an old family.
While Jozef had been born and raised as mafia royalty, Havel had grown up in the trenches. They’d formed a close bond, but their outlooks were different. While Jozef saw his climb to the top as a responsibility, and sometimes a burden, Havel relished every step of the way. He was the true mobster of the two of them.
Before they wrapped up their meeting, Jozef tasked Havel with one more thing, on top of his already enormous workload.
I want you to fill the empty position in our team with a new member. Jozef tossed a file at Havel.
Havel raised an eyebrow and picked up the file, flipping it open. It was unusual for Jozef to fill their empty positions himself. Havel was used to being the voice of the business, while Jozef stayed behind the scenes orchestrating their missions. The two men and their entire team worked as a well-oiled machine, but they were down men.
Then there was Jozef. While he intended to continue running missions with his men, he wouldn’t always be available. If there was a scheduling conflict, his place was as boss of the Koba organization, not lead on an elite mercenary unit. He would need an alternate.
Flipping through the file, Havel started laughing. “You can’t be serious.”
Jozef stared at him without speaking.
Havel sobered quickly. “A woman.”
Jozef nodded.
Havel was the more likely of the two to underestimate a woman. Jozef had spent more than a year either with Shaun or studying her. He knew better than to underestimate the power and determination a woman could hold.
As Havel thought about it, he began to nod. “Yeah, okay, I see the advantages, but this particular woman?”
She’s qualified.
“She’ll get us all killed,” Havel countered.
Jozef grinned. Maybe, but the battle will be fun. Find her, recruit her. Let me worry about the rest.
Chapter Twelve
Shaun took Jozef’s hand as he helped her from the SUV. She gazed up the side of Jozef’s building, squinting at the top floor, where she’d lived only a few weeks earlier.
Havel, Cooper, Terek and Nikolay surrounded them.
Jozef touched her back, urging her inside. He didn’t like it when she lingered on the street. Both of them had become somewhat infamous since the funeral. They’d been gossiped about in the society pages, speculated about and spied on. Out of the corner of her eye, Shaun spotted two men with cameras coming toward them.
Jozef had assured her the interest would die down soon. Mobsters didn’t like the limelight. Or at least, not Jozef. He fully intended to lead a boring life until the attention faded away. He’d told her they were targets of the local paparazzi because Jozef had inherited his uncle’s massive fortune and was engaged to the doctor who was kidnapped out of Ukraine.
Somehow Jozef had kept the attack out of the newspapers. They could only speculate on the death of Krystoff Koba, though the rumour was that Jozef had killed him for his fortune. Jozef ignored the gossip, though Shaun wondered if it bothered him. It wasn’t far from the truth, but Jozef’s reason for killing his uncle was complicated.
They walked into the club together. It was 10:00 AM and empty.
“It looks so different in the light of day,” Shaun murmured.
Much of the destruction had been cleaned up, though there were work crews rebuilding the sections that had been shot up or destroyed. Sawdust filtered through the air, giving the club a pleasant scent. It felt strange standing exactly where a storm of men and bullets had come through.
Shaun shuddered at the memory and continued walking.
Jozef planned on working with Guard Dog Securities for the day. He was amalgamating several of his uncle’s holdings into his business. A complicated process that would take months of work.
When they reached the security floor, Jozef turned to Shaun, trapping her in the corner of the elevator. He lifted her chin and stared down at her, his gorgeous blue eyes speaking to her.
She kissed him. “I know,” she whispered for him alone. “Stay with my mother, don’t leave the building and listen to Cooper.”
He nodded, his eyes softening.
“I’ll be good, I promise.”
He wrapped an arm around her back and held her close, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips and stealing her breath. Her chest filled with warmth and she slid her arms around his neck, anchoring herself against him.
They ignored the men standing in the elevator with them, stopping the metal doors from sliding shut and pretending they weren’t there.
Finally, Jozef set Shaun away from him and stepped out of the elevator. He pointed at Cooper and signed, defend her with your life.
Always, Cooper signed back.
Jozef strode away and the doors closed.
Shaun sighed happily.
“So, do you have a wedding date yet?” Cooper asked as the elevator dinged on the fourth floor.
“Not really,” Shaun admitted.
“What’s the hesitation. You’re obviously in love with the guy.”
“What makes you think I’m the one hesitating?”
He gave her a look. “We both know it’s not Jozef dragging his feet. If you gave him the word go, he’d have you in a chapel so fast your head would spin.”
“Okay, fine. But I’m not dragging my feet, not really. There’s too much for us to settle before I’ll feel really ready to commit myself.”
He gave her a skeptical look as he escorted her from the elevator. He shuffled Shaun to the side as he knocked on Fatima’s door.
“Let yourself in,” Fatima called, and Cooper opened the door.
“Lady, I think you can consider yourself committed. No way is that man letting you go.”
“Why does it always have to sound so kidnappy?” Shaun complained, reaching out to hug her mother. “Mom, you need to keep your door locked.”
“I knew you were on your way up.” She pointed to her TV screen, which showed the building’s cameras. “Havel gave me the channel for the security feed.”
Cooper and Shaun stood in front of the TV, watching the workers as they moved through the building.
“That one likes to take his shirt off when he gets hot.” Fatima tapped the screen over a black and white figure who was talking to someone. He wore a tool belt that rode low on his hips. “I think he’s the supervisor. He likes to boss the other ones around.”
Shaun slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud while Coope
r grinned.
The trio made their way to the top floor, to Shaun and Jozef’s apartment. It was Shaun’s first visit since the attack.
Cooper swept the apartment before allowing the two women inside.
She was nervous, but as she glanced around, she realized most of the broken furniture and other debris had been removed and there were no traces of death that she could see or smell. She felt… glad to be home. Sunlight filled the room from the two walls of windows.
“It feels small,” she murmured.
“Well, you have a mansion now,” Fatima said with a laugh. “This place is tiny in comparison.”
Shaun ran her hand over the shiny chrome finish of a brand-new fridge. Her gaze dropped to the floor.
Krystoff would have died right where she was standing. His body had been destroyed. At a glance, she’d known he couldn’t recover from his injuries. He’d died in pain, but he hadn’t been alone. Jozef had sat beside him, holding his hand.
Shaun didn’t notice her breathing becoming more erratic until she looked up and found herself surrounded by her mother and Cooper, both standing too close. She took a step back and waved them away.
“I’m fine, just a flashback.”
Cooper nodded knowingly and gave her the space she desired, taking his place by the door. Fatima continued to look concerned.
“Mom, I’m fine, really.” Shaun shook off the lingering sadness and panic and moved out of the kitchen. “Let’s decide what we want to do with the place. Jozef says we can use it as a weekend home when we want to get away from the mansion.”
Fatima laughed. “So you have a mansion for weekdays and a luxury apartment for weekends. Life is going to be difficult for you.”
Shaun forced a smile, but she had trouble sharing her mother’s humour. The tradeoff for luxury living wasn’t always worth it and there were days when she longed for the simple life Vasiliy led. Of course, she knew that kind of living would eventually drive her crazy too. It took a special person to hole up in the woods all alone, with his nearest neighbours a three-hour hike away.
“Will you be working here?” Fatima asked, looking around speculatively.
“I hope to,” Shaun admitted. “I’m going to at least continue my research.”
“Well, since it’s usually just the two of you, I think you should buy a smaller table and put in an office against these windows. You’ll get plenty of light and you can watch the city below while you work.”
Shaun moved to stand beside her mother. “I love that idea. Maybe I’ll ask the interior decorator to use brighter colours in here. Something that will really light up when the sun hits it.”
“And for your second bedroom, you should consider a nursery.”
The words were spoken so casually that Shaun almost missed them. “A nursery?” she sputtered and laughed at the same time. “Don’t you think that’s a little premature?”
Fatima looked at her. “You’ve been with Jozef for a while – .”
“Off and on,” Shaun cut in.
“I think you can consider yourself ‘on ‘ from now on. Are you actively trying to stop a baby from happening? You’re still young and you’re healthy. Eventually one will come along if you two are doing what I assume you’re doing.”
Shaun laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth while Cooper bit his lip and stared at the ceiling.
Fatima gave her an annoyed look. “You know where babies come from, right?”
“Okay, I get it!” Shaun said, still laughing. “I could get pregnant.”
“Well, you need to think about where you’re going to put the baby, both in the mansion and in your weekend apartment.”
“We don’t exactly live a safe life,” Shaun pointed out, sobering. “We’re standing in an apartment that was shot to pieces. It doesn’t seem quite right to bring a baby into the mix.”
Fatima shook her head. “This is your life now, and you’ve accepted that. There are plenty of places in this world that we wouldn’t consider safe, but babies are born every day. It’s the cycle of life.”
“I’m not sure the cycle of life should happen within the mafia,” Shaun admitted, though the thought of a baby growing inside her, created by her and Jozef, was incredibly tempting. “I’m not sure if I’m ready.”
“Well, you better figure it out. Babies have a way of happening when their parents don’t take steps to stop them.”
Shaun really didn’t want to talk to her mother about birth control. She was almost thirty-six. They’d had ‘the talk’ about twenty years ago and it had been just as cringe-worthy then as this conversation was now.
“I’ll think about a nursery, but not right now. For now, we’ll leave the spare room empty and concentrate on the main living area and bedroom.”
Leaving the subject of babies behind, they continued to come up with design ideas until Jozef came looking for Shaun to take her back home.
Chapter Thirteen
Shaun was busy clipping the dead roses and leaves from a bush in the rose garden when Atlas announced a visitor.
“There is a Dr. Elisa Černý here to see Dr. Patterson. I’ve put her in the formal sitting room.”
Without waiting for a response, Atlas turned on his heel and left.
Shaun could only assume he was slithering back to whatever hole he spent his time in when he wasn’t springing visitors on Shaun. He disapproved of her, and nothing she said or did seemed to change his attitude. She supposed he didn’t see her as the proper rich lady of the household.
Jozef had hired him for his size and the air of deadliness swirling about him. Shaun believed he could back that air up. He certainly moved faster than he looked.
She sat back on her heels and dusted her hands on the thighs of her jeans before climbing to her feet. Shading her eyes, she looked out across the rose garden.
She wasn’t sure exactly what she was trying to accomplish. She’d always been too busy with her work at the hospital to create and maintain a garden, but something drove her to take care of this one. To keep it alive and thriving, as if it could bring back the memory of the man who had spent so many hours tending it.
She did it for Jozef. He’d considered tearing it out as it was a constant reminder of his uncle, but she’d asked him to keep it. Maybe one day it would bring him more pleasure than pain.
She looked down at herself and thought about changing into something more presentable than a pair of dusty jeans and a dirt-streaked sweater. She’d left her coat and knit hat on the path when she’d gotten too hot from digging.
It was winter, but the roses were perennial and would come back in the Spring. She was tidying them while she had the chance. Jozef had told her it was unusual not to have snow on the ground at this time of year, but that it would come soon. The thought of snow made her miss home.
When she was a child, her father used to take her to the ice festival in Montreal, where they would tour the ice sculptures and play in the ice castle. She’d continued the tradition, even after her father’s passing. It helped keep his memory alive. Perhaps, one day, she would convince Jozef to visit Canada in the winter and experience the unique beauty of the snowy landscape.
She made her way from the garden, into the dining room and through to the formal sitting room, a five-minute walk that gave her enough time to straighten her clothes and smooth a hand over her hair.
Shaun had never heard of their guest, Dr. Elisa Černý.
She paused for a second in the doorway of the sitting room, observing the woman. Not mafia, Shaun decided. Dr. Černý was sitting on the edge of a plush couch, her legs neatly tucked beneath her, her hands in her lap, fidgeting with a folder.
“Hello,” Shaun greeted the other woman in halting Czech, stepping into the room. “Dr. Černý, I’m Dr. Shaun Patterson.”
The other woman stood and extended her hand, smiling. Relief was palpable on her face. Shaun suspected she was nervous about visiting a known mafia stronghold.
“I’m fluent in En
glish.”
Shaun was relieved to make the switch. She was slowly learning both Czech and Russian, but she found them difficult to get a handle on.
Shaun was intrigued by the other doctor. She’d overcome her natural fear of a potentially dangerous place, inhabited by dangerous people, to speak to Shaun. She looked to be in her mid to late fifties. She had sharp blue eyes and thin lips. Her blond hair was pinned back away from her face and her nails were short and unpainted. She wore chic but practical clothes.
Shaun would bet her newly acquired mansion the woman was a surgeon.
“Thank you so much for seeing me. Please, call me Elisa.”
Shaun waved her hand back toward the couch that Elisa had just vacated. “Please sit down, I’ll ring for coffee. Or would you prefer tea?”
Elisa shook her head. “Neither, thank you. I can’t stay long.”
“Are you on shift?” Shaun asked bluntly.
Elisa smiled and confirmed Shaun’s suspicions about her. “Yes, it’s a one-hour round trip to get out here, so I’ll have to hurry back. I have surgery this afternoon.”
“Then you’re here for a reason, rather than a social visit.”
“Both, actually.” Elisa looked down at the file in her lap, but instead of opening it, she scanned Shaun from head to toe. “We met you last year. I was covering emergency for a colleague when you were brought in. I had the privilege of working on you after the poisoning.”
Shaun stared at the woman, trying to place her, but she couldn’t. She shook her head, but before she could speak, Elisa continued, “You were unconscious, and it was a fluke that I was in emergency that night. I’m usually in neurology. By the time you woke up, I had moved back to my department. I’d intended to drop by your room to introduce myself, but you’d already been moved and surrounded with enough security to make an airport blush.”
Shaun sorted through her memories of that week spent in the Prague hospital. Between the hospital staff, security and the local police, she’d been constantly surrounded by people determined to keep her safe.
Goodnight, Sinners (Sinner's Empire Book 3) Page 8