Dasha fussed relentlessly until Krystoff finally gathered her against his chest. "Stop, Wife," he murmured against her rich chestnut hair. "I promise, I won't disappear if you stop touching me." Rather than feeling comforted, Dasha burst into tears and sobbed into his shirt while he held her, running his hand over her smooth hair. "I know!" she wailed. "But they cut off your finger, Krysto!" She pushed away from him and paced the length of their bedroom, tears streaming down her face, hands thrown up in the air as she talked and walked. Krystoff took her momentary distraction to sink tiredly onto the mattress of their bed. He nearly groaned out loud at the pleasure of being in his own bed again. A hard, lumpy single mattress on a wooden plank with no pillow or blanket had been the extent of his accommodation for a week. "It could have been much worse, Dasha." "No, it wouldn't have been," she snapped, going from despair to anger in a flash as she pace
Shaun stretched, luxuriating in the feel of soft blankets and silky sheets. She rolled onto her side and curled up, rubbing her cheek against the smooth fabric of the pillow. A delicious scent teased her nose. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it. She buried her head in the pillow and breathed in. It was a masculine scent, like natural body odour mixed with something spicy and leather. It was nice. She frowned. Had she brought a guy home the night before? Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp, staring around in consternation. The light filtering through the curtain-covered windows was dim, and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She was not in her small room with her lumpy bed in Luhansk. The events of the day before rushed at her in flashes. She pressed her spine against the headboard and covered her face with her hands. What had she gotten herself into? Her mother warned her that something might happen if she continued to work wi
Jozef urged Shaun forward with a hand on her back. Her timidness with his family was calling to the protector in him. Together they walked the length of the room toward two empty chairs at the table. Jozef's seat was on the right-hand side of Krystoff, and Shaun's chair was beside Jozef's. As Shaun sat, Jozef pushed her seat in. She clutched the sides of her chair as he pushed and looked up at him, her golden eyes wide and concerned. He took his hands off her seat and took his place beside her. She reached out quickly to pick up the water glass in front of her and took a hasty sip. Jozef noted that her hand was shaking, though she covered it by replacing the glass on the table quickly. He regretted that she was nervous around him, around his entire family, but he didn't blame her. She'd gone through a traumatic few days, something that an innocent woman should never have experienced. But she was handling the situation beautifully, far better than Jozef would've thought. S
Shaun stood quietly and watched while preparations were made for the shopping trip. She was surprised at how long it took and how much was involved in the planning. Jozef had lined up the five guards who would be accompanying the women and was lecturing them, his hand signals rapid and smooth. Once again, she marvelled at his lack of expression. It was so unusual to see someone use sign language without involving facial expressions. At first, Shaun tried to follow what he was saying. He was instructing them on things like checking the vehicles before entering, making sure all exits were covered, and making sure each woman was accompanied by at least one guard, with three guards for Shaun. She was not allowed out of their sight for any reason, except to go into a change room without an exit. His movements were so rapid that she quickly grew tired of watching. The group was standing in the lobby of the mansion, next to the large double doors. Dasha was talking quietly with
"Do you think burlap will be in again next season?" Saskia asked, running her hand over a row of silk scarves. "I don't think burlap has ever been in." Leeza picked up a scarf with a price tag that made Shaun feel a little faint and slung it around her neck, turning to pose in the nearest mirror. "That's because you get your fashion sense from drugstore catalogues," Saskia said tartly, snatching a dress off a rack and stalking to the change rooms. As the day progressed, Shaun became more and more convinced that the Koba crime family was trying to break her will through shopping. They wouldn't have to kill her if she killed herself just to escape the tediousness of going to multiple stores and listening to the two sisters bicker constantly. At each store they visited, the bodyguards insisted on sweeping the premises before posting a man at every exit. Not a single one of them cracked a smile during the entire shopping trip. The process was tedious, an
"Saty is here," Krystoff said, flicking the ash from his cigar into an ashtray. Technically the club was non-smoking, but the rules didn't apply to the club owners. "I truly despise that little weasel." Jozef followed Krystoff's line of sight, his own gaze settling on a short, stocky man who was speaking to a muscular bouncer. Saty looked around, caught sight of Jozef, Krystoff, and Havel in the VIP section and began making his way to the back of the club. Jozef stiffened as the man approached. "Krystoff, my friend." Saty greeted the men heartily. "Good to see you alive and well." There was a pregnant pause before Krystoff drawled, "Is there a reason you should not be seeing me alive and well?" Saty looked uncomfortable and glanced around, likely taking stock of Krystoff's manpower if it came down to a fight. Though there were few people on the floor of the club, as it was only early afternoon, Krystoff had men at every entrance. His usual precaution
Dasha met Shaun, Leeza and Saskia in the mansion foyer. She was wearing a pink silk bathrobe over matching pajamas, as though she'd prepared for a lazy day at home. The four-inch heels and full makeup were completely incongruent with her outfit. Shaun watched in bemusement as the older woman rushed toward her and took her by the arm, pulling her inside. "Girls," Dasha said over her shoulder to her daughters. "Make sure her bags are brought in and taken to Jozef's suite." Without waiting for a response, Dasha rushed Shaun through the mansion. Shaun was impressed with how fast the older woman could walk, considering her choice of footwear. Shaun was still barefoot from when she'd kicked off her shoes in the dressing room before attempting to run through the shop. The two women walked at such a dizzying pace through the first floor of the mansion, Shaun had no idea where they were going until they arrived at Jozef's suite. Dasha pulled a set of keys from her pocket,
Jozef stared down at her, blinking until he was able to focus on her hands. She was saying, I don't want to die, over and over. He'd had tunnel vision when he'd entered the room. From the moment Karl had told him of her escape attempt, all he'd been able to think about was getting to her, setting eyes on her. He didn't know why, but he needed to make sure she was real and still under his care. Once he saw that she was safe, the fury had set in. Like an inferno raging through his body, he hadn't been able to douse the flames of his anger. He wanted to take hold of her, shake her, demand she tell him why she wanted to escape. He knew exactly why she would want to leave. He'd be deeply surprised if she actually wanted to stay. She was everything he was not. Her life was so different from his that they never would have met in the normal course of things. Yet, Jozef had found her and taken her; now she belonged to him. He wasn't going to kill her. After that moment in