Page 21 of Sin of Silence

Though her words were stiff, they were also polite. Jozef adored his aunt, even though she could be an absolute bitch when she wanted to be. She had heart. When Jozef's parents died, she’d taken him under her wing as though he was one of her own children. She'd raised him, learned sign language along with her husband, and insisted her children learn as well so they could communicate with him. Jozef owed Dasha a debt of gratitude that he could never repay. Any future wife of his would have to get along with his aunt and he appreciated that his aunt was putting in effort to make Shaun feel welcome.

It was a bizarre situation for all of them. Having a strange woman in their midst, one who was there under duress, was unprecedented. Captives went to the shed, then they went into the ground. Shaun was the only exception in the history of their organization. Aunt Dasha and Shaun were both dealing with the situation as best they could.

"Where are you from?" This question came from Jozef's cousin, Saskia. Her tone was bordering on rude.

"I'm from Montréal, Canada,” Shaun answered, her own tone guarded.

“What are you doing here?" Saskia demanded, ignoring her mother’s sharp admonishment to be polite.

"I work with an organization called Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières.” Her accent as she spoke the words was so perfect, Jozef wanted to ask her to say it again, then something else in French. “For the past four months, I have been working in a hospital in Ukraine, close to the front lines."

Shaun glanced at Jozef, her brain clearly flashing back to the moment he'd taken her from the hospital, the moment he murdered her colleague. The haunted look in her eyes was unmistakable.

Once again, a feeling of regret arose in Jozef. It was unusual for him to regret anything. Everything he did in life was thought out and methodical, including kidnapping Dr. Shaun Patterson. He’d needed a doctor and he preferred to have one that he could communicate with. Finding her was like finding hidden treasure in the soundless murky depths of an ocean.

While he enjoyed the idea of keeping her, looked forward to being married to the intelligent, beautiful doctor, he didn't like that he'd been the one to terrorize her. The thought of causing her harm cut deep, an uncomfortable sensation for a man who dealt death with the same casualness he used to order a meal.

Had they met somewhere else, under different circumstances, he would've approached her, showed her that they shared a language, an uncommon one. She would've smiled at him, the way she'd smiled at the boy on the street. She would have used her graceful hand movements to greet him. Eventually, he might’ve asked her out. He could've taken her to the club that his family owned, or on a walk through the streets of Prague, shown her the Old Square. Instead, she was his captive and he was her tormentor.

"I know who Doctors Without Borders are. I'm not stupid,” Saskia snapped. "What I want to know is what you were doing there. Are you some kind of do-gooder? You're willing to sacrifice your life for the dregs of society left on the front lines?”

Jozef’s face heated as anger surged through him. He slapped the table with his palm to draw his cousin's attention and swiftly signed to her,keep a civil tongue in your head.

"We don't bring strangers into our home," Saskia said coldly, not afraid to stand up to their feral dog. "I’ve been told from the day I was born, no strangers, and I’ve followed this house rule to the letter. Now Jozef is allowed to drag a foreigner home?"

Jozef glanced down at Shaun, worried that she would be upset by his hotheaded cousin. Instead, she gazed at the girl calmly, an expression of understanding on her face. Jozef wished that she would look at him that way.

Before Jozef could continue arguing with his cousin, his uncle stepped in to decisively shut her down. "Shaun is Jozef's fiancé. She is not a stranger to us. She will live in this home, and you will be polite to her. End of argument."

"I doubt it," Leeza piped up from beside her sister.

Leeza was the older sister, more levelheaded. Next to Leeza was her husband, Adam. There was an empty spot next to Adam for the couple's son, Kristoph. The child missed many of their family meals though, as he was autistic and often unable to attend, depending on his state of mind that day.

“I apologize for my sister’s behaviour. You are of course welcome here,” Leeza said, her accent thick. She'd never been able to pick up English as well as her sister and mother. They spoke almost flawlessly, with little accent, while Leeza and Krystoff retained heavy accents.

Leeza stood and leaned across the crystal glasses and porcelain plates, sticking her hand out to Shaun. Shaun looked startled. The table was so massive Leeza’s hand only came halfway across. Jozef bit back a smile and shook his head.

Shaun stood as well and shook the proffered hand, squeezing before letting go. When she relaxed back into her seat, Jozef could feel some of the tension draining from her. Despite their chosen profession, the Kobas generally were not bad people. Unfortunately, Shaun was an innocent caught up in their drama. Ordinarily, as enforcer, it would be Jozef’s job to keep innocents out of the family business.

As Leeza settled back into her seat, she pinned Jozef with a look. "My understanding is that she was taken from Luhansk rather quickly. Does she have any clothes besides the ones I provided this morning? Does she have toiletries, or feminine products?"

Jozef shook his head.

"Then that's our first order of business today," Leeza said brightly, with a smile. "I will take Shaun shopping and we’ll purchase all of the necessities she’ll need.”

"No, thank you…" Shaun tried to protest, but Jozef reached out and squeezed her hand, looking over at her and shaking his head as he caught her eye.

Jozef signed to his cousin.You may take her shopping, but under no circumstances is she to be out of your sight. You will take bodyguards and you will remain with her at all times.

He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, digging out his credit card and tossing it across the table toward his cousin. She snatched it up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

"I'm coming too," Saskia chimed in, her annoyance forgotten over the thought of a shopping spree. "It's been ages since I've managed to get to the Gucci store."

Leeza rolled her eyes as she pocketed the credit card. "You and your famous designer houses. You should try someone local, support our shopkeepers."

"And end up looking like you," Saskia said sarcastically, eyeing her sister with mock horror. "No, thank you."

The sisters were almost polar opposite in their clothing choices; Leeza was conservative while Saskia preferred edgier clothes. Despite their differences, the one thing the two women could agree on was how much they enjoyed a shopping trip. Especially if someone else was picking up the bill. Jozef hoped Shaun wouldn't feel too hopelessly out of her depth with his two shopaholic cousins.

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