Cooper had finally found his home with the Koba organization. He had access to weapons, got paid quadruple what he’d been paid as an agent and had the freedom to make his own decisions as long as they aligned with Jozef’s idea of safety for his wife.
Cooper wasn’t going to do anything to fuck up this job.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Interpol is taking her in now. I talked to Moreau and he’s assures me that she’ll be processed in country.”
Jozef grunted his acknowledgment and hung up. He preferred text, but this was one of those rare times he’d insisted on a phone call. He’d wanted to know the moment Dasha was taken into custody.
Instead of elation, he felt a heaviness that had been growing over the past few weeks. Not about having his aunt arrested. She was lucky to get off so lightly. If he’d gotten his hands on her first, she’d spend her incarceration in his shed, dying inch by inch, a little more each day.
The heaviness came from his disappointment in Shaun. She’d kept a secret from him. She’d arranged for Dasha’s arrest behind his back. Thanks to Cooper, Jozef had known from the inception of Moreau’s plan, his first meeting with Shaun.
Jozef had gone out that night to confront Moreau about his use of Shaun in what could be a potentially dangerous situation. Dasha had nothing to lose. Her life meant nothing to her without her husband, family, home or fortune. Jozef had no doubt that her plan was to take Shaun out, then put herself in the position to be killed quickly.
Moreau had backtracked quickly on his original plan and had agreed to work with Jozef instead of Shaun. Jozef hadn’t given the man a choice. Moreau was smart enough to realize that if he continued to contact Shaun, Jozef would make his broken nose look like a playground injury. The only thing stopping Jozef from putting a bullet in Moreau was his desire to use Interpol to trap Dasha.
But why hadn’t Shaun come to him when Moreau first contacted her? He had his suspicions, but she would have to answer the question herself.
Living in a world of intrigue and betrayal, Jozef should have been immune to Shaun’s betrayal, but it cut deep. She should trust him to take care of her, to listen to her and hold her opinion in high regard.
Jozef was tempted to search out his fiancé and demand the truth, but he knew he had to wait. Had to calm down so he wouldn’t terrorize her. He might say or do something he regretted, and he was learning to step carefully with the woman he loved.
He would be lost without her and he wouldn’t risk losing her. He would give himself time to calm down, then he would confront her.
He would also close the loophole to her escape from the life he’d pulled her into. She wouldn’t be happy, but he needed to tie her to him as tightly as he could before he was comfortable giving her more leash. She wanted a job at the hospital, then she would have to give up any escape from the mafia. She would have to learn to tell him the truth at all times.
Jozef settled into his office chair and continued to peruse the map in front of him. It was a layout of all the trade routes open to the Koba family. Some were marked out as they’d been closed off by rivals. Jozef studied these and calculated the loss in revenue if he couldn’t get the routes opened to him. Only two were valuable enough to negotiate over.
Jozef texted Havel, requesting his presence.
Jozef would send his team, with Havel leading, to ‘convince’ the men holding these routes hostage that it was in their best interests to work with Jozef. If they didn’t, then they would find their organizations liquidated and rolled into the Koba organization.
Jozef wouldn’t play nice, especially not now. He had too much to prove. If he came across as weak, the Bratva would have him killed and replaced, which he couldn’t allow. If he was killed, then Shaun’s existence would come into question.
Jozef rolled his shoulders back before reaching for the next file. He wasn’t used to being in the office this much. His role had shifted from the field to largely organizational. Once things settled, he intended to resume some of his out of country work with his team. In the meantime, he would take out his frustrations on Havel in the boxing ring.
Before he could open the file, his phone rang.
Jozef looked at the number to see the country code for the Central African Republic.
Radik.
Jozef was surprised it took the man this long to track his sister down.
Luckily, Havel arrived almost as soon as Jozef answered the call.
Jozef put the phone on speaker and set it on his desk.
Havel frowned as Radik’s booming, deep voice and unmistakable accent filled the office.
“Koba, are you there? Grunt or something, so I know you are listening. I hate to waste my time threatening some underling.”
Havel sat on the edge of the desk and leaned forward. “He’s here.”
“Ah, and you are his second-in-command, Havel.”
“Yes,” Havel acknowledged. “We’re both here.”
“Good, it has come to my attention that while Koba has recruited my sister into your organization, you are the one training her… touching her.”
Radik’s rage came through the phone loud and clear. Havel winced, which was rare for the big man. Jozef didn’t blame him. Radik was one of the few men on planet Earth who might be able to shake Havel’s rock-solid confidence.
“No one is touching your sister inappropriately,” Havel said calmly. “She’s in control of her situation and happy to be here. What more could a brother ask for his sister?”
Havel should’ve known better. It was like baiting a tiger.
“I could ask that my sister not be deliberately put in the line of fire!” Radik shouted. “You have pressed her into the service of a team of mercenaries.” The man spat the last word like it was poison.
Jozef signed, you hired that very same group of mercenaries, trusting them to take your sister to safety.
Havel translated.
“Yes, I did trust you to take her to safety, and paid an exorbitant amount to make it so. Now you have dragged her away from the safety of France, turning her into a soldier for hire.”
She was a soldier for hire before we ever got to her. I’m simply using her considerable skills and paying her a large salary. You should be happy for her.
“Would you be happy if one of your cousins was deliberately placed in the line of fire? Your doctor fiancé perhaps?”
Jozef growled the moment Shaun was mentioned. He couldn’t help himself. He didn’t care if it made him a hypocrite. No one was allowed to use her name, especially not a man of war like Radik.
“I wouldn’t mention the good doctor again, if I were you,” Havel drawled, shaking his head at Jozef.
“I don’t give a fuck if I’ve upset the boss. I want my sister sent back to Nice immediately.”
“Your sister doesn’t want to go back to Nice.”
“My sister is young and impetuous. She doesn’t get to decide what she wants.” Radik’s voice turned from rage to ice. “You will put her on a plane, or you will go to war.”
You don’t want to go to war with us. I have become far more powerful than when we met. Jozef signed while Havel translated.
“Good, then you will give me a worthy adversary when I come to crush you.”
Stay out of P-R-A-G-U-E, you won’t receive a welcome. Don’t forget that I have your sister under my control.
Havel shook his head as Jozef took things to the next level, but translated word for word.
Predictably, Radik didn’t handle the threat well.
“You will fucking die for this, Koba. I will crush you and yours, that is a promise.”
He hung up before either Havel or Jozef could respond.
“I think you need a course in negotiation. I believe the accepted practice is not to escalate the situation.”
Jozef chuckled. I’ll keep that in mind the next time a warlord wants to burn my house to the ground.
Havel stood up. “I’ll have the guard on the women dou
bled.”
Jozef nodded and waved Havel to the chairs by the fireplace. He picked up the maps from his desk and sat with his second-in-command.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Shaun stared down at the stick in her hand, waiting and watching, trying not to shake it. She sighed heavily and forced herself to set the stick on the edge of the sink. She stood, pulled up her leggings and washed her hands, splashing water everywhere because she was too busy staring at the pregnancy test.
She’d never taken one before, but the instructions were easy to follow. It was the wait that was difficult. Two minutes felt like an eternity and every second that ticked by was torture.
Her period wasn’t late, though it had been a little wonky lately, so she’d bought one of those early pregnancy tests. She and Jozef had been having unprotected sex since they met, and Shaun assumed she kept getting lucky by not getting pregnant.
Damn it. How long had it been? One minute, two, three? Why hadn’t she brought her phone in with her so she could time it?
She paced the length of her washroom, back and forth, trying not to look at the stick. It was a sizeable washroom, so she had room to pace. She was at home, having gotten off work from the hospital a few hours earlier.
She’d been working on her research on laser guidance technology when she broke down and used the test she’d asked Dr. Černý to pick up for her. It was the only way she could get her hands on one without Jozef finding out.
Shaun wasn’t ready to have that conversation with him yet. Mostly because she had no idea where her own head was at when it came to pregnancy. She didn’t think it would be responsible to bring a child into their current situation… yet she couldn’t bring herself to start using birth control.
She knew she should talk to Jozef, but he’d been so overworked lately. When they finally got to spend time together, he seemed grateful to just be with her, whether they were eating a meal, watching TV or reading together.
Somehow, Shaun thought bringing up the possibility of a baby might add to the already heavy weight he carried. Yet, she was positive he wouldn’t want her on birth control. He was so possessive, so completely wild when it came to her. She suspected he wanted to have a baby with her as quickly as they could manage, whether or not it was the responsible choice.
Shaun picked up the pregnancy test. One line. She double checked the paper that came with the box. One line meant… not pregnant.
Tears sparked in her eyes and she collapsed onto the toilet. Doubts flooded her mind, along with self-condemnation. She should be happy, but she wasn’t. What was wrong with her? Bringing a baby into their situation was a terrible idea.
But what if there was actually something wrong with her? She was thirty-five and a half. Maybe her eggs were running out. Maybe she was going through early menopause. Maybe the stress of the past several weeks had caused her reproductive system to go on strike.
Damn it! Why was she stressing this? She was a normal, healthy woman. A doctor. She knew damn well there probably wasn’t anything wrong with her. Her body sensed her elevated anxiety levels and knew it was better to hold off on a baby until she could confidently carry it.
Should she have a baby at all? She’d always wanted to have one someday, but it had been a distant, fuzzy goal in her career-driven world. She’d consoled herself that if she reached the age where she couldn’t have a viable pregnancy, then she would adopt. Now, she faced a situation she never could have imagined.
She tossed the test into the garbage and left the bathroom, walking straight into Jozef who was standing on the other side. He gripped her arms, steadying her.
“Jozef!”
Her smile at seeing him died as she looked into his face. He was furious.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as he dropped his hands and stepped away from her. “Did something happen?”
She imagined every terrible scenario as he stared at her, his icy blue eyes unforgiving. Had the club been attacked again? Was her mother in danger? Was Saskia injured?
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
Maybe you should tell me, he signed. You’re the one keeping secrets.
Shaun frowned. Keeping secrets? What was he talking about?
“I don’t know what you mean, I tell you… everything,” she lied. She didn’t have much choice. Jozef was always watching her. Even when he wasn’t with her, he was watching through his bodyguards or the cameras installed through the mansion.
D-A-S-H-A. He spelled each letter of her name with quick, vicious movements.
Shaun’s heart sank. She had been keeping a secret from him, but it was sort of accidentally on purpose. Her schedule at the hospital was becoming increasingly more demanding and Interpol hadn’t connected with her except for the first time. She thought they’d either forgotten about her or were waiting for another opportunity, so she let the whole thing go.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a conciliatory tone. “I didn’t think about what it would mean to you.”
What were you thinking? Even in sign language, she could tell his tone was scathing.
“Jozef, I’m used to making independent decisions. I’ve never had to run my every thought and action by anyone before. I’m sorry this has upset you, but I really hadn’t thought it through. I was preoccupied with the hospital and settling into this mansion.”
That’s why you can’t keep secrets from me, he signed, pacing in front of her. You don’t know how to keep yourself safe. You don’t understand the danger all around us.
“I’m not a child,” she snapped, losing some of her calm. “I knew how to take care of myself just fine until I met you.”
His eyes glowed with icy fire as he glared at her. You have proven repeatedly that you aren’t capable of keeping yourself safe. I’ve kidnapped you twice, my aunt attacked you twice, and you allowed Interpol to get to you without saying a word to me.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at him. “You really want to talk about the time you kidnapped me and then dragged me into a family intrigue that has had more of a destructive force in my life than anything else that’s ever happened to me?”
He flinched, but he didn’t calm down.
He pointed at her. You are not in control here. I am master and you will listen.
“Is this really how you want our relationship to go?” she answered back, furious. “Because I refuse to participate in a household where only one voice counts.”
You have no choice.
“I always have choices.”
You either choose to follow the path I lay at your feet or you will live in a gilded cage. No hospital, no trips into the city to visit your mother. Nothing but the safety of the mansion.
“You wouldn’t do that to me.”
He stalked toward her.
Shaun did her best to hold her ground. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the storm of anger surging towards her was terrifying. She could imagine what his enemies saw when he attacked.
I will always do what is best for your safety, whether you like it or not.
Shaun’s heart melted a little. She was in the wrong and she knew it. She’d put herself in a dangerous position by not immediately telling Jozef about Interpol.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the agent who came to see me.” She sat on the bed, her hands twisting in her lap. “I thought it would be better if your aunt was arrested. I didn’t want you to have to deal with a woman you thought of as a mother.”
You took the decision from me. You didn’t allow me the chance of deciding what I would do with the woman who betrayed this family. Jozef sank down to one knee in front of Shaun. The position should have put him at a disadvantage, but it didn’t. He almost looked scarier. Like the tiger who looked relaxed before biting down on the neck of his prey.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say. She saw his perspective and understood the magnitude of her secret. Would she do it again if given the opportunity? She didn
’t know. Regardless of what her keeping a secret meant to Jozef, she stood by her reasoning.
She’d seen the look on his face, the utter devastation after he’d been forced to kill Krystoff. The heartbreak had been visceral and unbearable. She’d shared the moment with him and it had shredded her heart. She wanted to save him from having to go through that all over again with his aunt.
She blinked as she realized he was signing.
… just a word. Words do not prove loyalty.
She’d missed something, but it sounded like he was rejecting her apology.
“Then what proves loyalty.”
Actions.
He stood and stalked to her closet, jerking the door open.
Shaun quickly swiped at her eyes, drying them. Jozef hadn’t been very harsh with her. He was incapable of it. But still… it hurt that she’d lost his trust.
Jozef walked out of her closet with a handful of clothes, tossing them on the bed.
She looked from the clothes up into his lake blue eyes, drowning in the anger she saw there. Living in the mafia world, in Jozef’s world, felt like learning how to swim all over again and she kept sinking below the surface of the water. Maybe she would never learn how to navigate Jozef’s world. Much as she tried, she kept screwing up.
She was living in a place that felt cold and oppressive with a contingent of bodyguards who were always in her space. Cooper shadowed her constantly while Atlas announced guests like he was the royal crier. She’d been harassed by Interpol and had to live knowing there was a woman out there, too close for comfort, who wanted to murder Shaun. In short, her life had become a big mess from the moment she'd met Jozef.
Yet, even now, with him looking at her through a lens of betrayal, she couldn’t bring herself to regret a single moment with him. She didn’t want out. She didn’t want to leave. She just wanted him.
“What do I have to do to prove my loyalty?”
Pick a dress. He pointed at the pile of clothes on the bed and left the room without another word.
Goodnight, Sinners (Sinner's Empire Book 3) Page 22