Page 30 of Sin of Silence

He wasn’t going to kill her. After that moment in the forest when he hadn’t been able to pull the trigger, he knew that he would never be able to follow through with killing her. She was safe from him. If he was being honest, she was safe from any other harm, too. He couldn’t stomach the thought of anything happening to her, but she did need a reminder of his possession.

He had to impress upon her that escape was impossible. She could harm herself in the attempt, and if she somehow succeeded, he could lose her. She was a highly intelligent woman who was used to thinking on her feet. After she’d mentioned Doctors Without Borders at the breakfast table, Jozef had googled the organization and discovered they worked all over the world in all kinds of conditions. Which meant she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

If he didn’t find a way to convince her to stay, he had no doubt that eventually she would figure out a way to leave that was far more effective than a dash through a dress shop.

He stood, dragging her off the mattress. She tried to sign something else to him, but he ignored her. He didn’t want to be swayed by her pleas. She needed to find out what could happen to her if she tried to escape again, which meant he had to come up with a punishment. He moved his grip from her neck to her arm as he thought about it.

The shed.

It was harsh, not meant for a woman, especially an innocent. The shed was an on-property prison where they took people for interrogation and execution. It was cold, dark and empty, but it wasn’t permanent. It wouldn’t hurt or kill her. Jozef could use the prison to show her what her alternative was if she refused to settle down.

He hoped it wouldn’t break her, but he had to do something. If she continued acting up, his uncle would pressure Jozef to get rid of her. As much as Krystoff loved his nephew, he wouldn’t allow Jozef to keep a woman who could bring down the family with the information she had on them. If Krystoff demanded Jozef take the girl out, then Jozef would have to make some tough decisions. No part of him wanted to go head-to-head with his family, but he couldn’t allow them to harm Shaun. She had to learn to behave, to follow their code.

He walked swiftly through the mansion, his grip on her tight enough to cause pain. She was no longer attempting to use sign language; now she was talking rapidly, her voice edged with hysteria as he dragged her.

“Please tell me where you’re taking me,” she begged him. “You promised not to kill me. Jozef, please!”

She tripped and almost fell. Using her arm, he swung her back up, but he didn’t break stride. She was going to have bruises up and down her arm tomorrow. He almost wished he could tell her it would be okay, that she needed to slow her breathing and relax, but he also needed her to be terrified. It was an impossible situation, not one he’d ever been in before. He hated treating Shaun badly.

Jozef dragged her through the kitchen and out the back door, startling the cook and his assistant. Shaun tripped over the steps and this time he allowed her to fall in the dirt. She lay on her side in a bed of crushed flowers, sobbing and curling into herself. Jozef knelt next to her, getting right in her face where she had no choice but to watch his hands.

Get up now.

The tears continued to fall while her breaths came out in frantic rushes. She was shaking so hard it was a miracle she didn’t collapse completely. Her pupils were dilated and unfocused. She wasn’t reading his hand motions but retreating into herself. She was having a panic attack. He hesitated to continue, worried about her mental state. He had no choice though; she had to learn what could happen if she tried to escape again.

He lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his body as he continued to walk with her through the perfectly manicured gardens. She curled into his chest, still crying, unable to focus on anything besides her own terror.

Jozef hardened his heart as he walked. This was the only way. The life of an organized crime family was a brutal one, and if Jozef wanted Shaun to be part of his world, he needed to toughen her up. Force her to fall in line.

They called the property’s prison ‘the shed’ because it looked like a large version of an old building where an estate gardener might keep his tools. The shed housed four cells: each a concrete room with a wooden pallet, a toilet, a sink and a thick metal door with a grate in it. Jozef hated the idea of taking Shaun to this building, but he carried on with his plan. He strode through the shed to one of the back rooms, one that he knew was cleaner and less drafty than the rest.

She clung to him as he attempted to set her down on the wooden pallet against the wall. It made his heart thump the way her fingers grasped hold of his shirt, the way she pressed her face against him, wetting the fabric with her tears. His dick responded automatically, leaping to attention. This was a woman he'd been attracted to from the moment he set eyes on her. He never intended to take advantage of that attraction, but her long elegant fingers scrabbling against his skin and his shirt was doing things to him.

He took hold of her wrists, shackling them with his fingers and pulling her hands away from him. He crouched in front of her, trying to make eye contact. Tears flooded her beautiful golden-brown eyes, making them look bigger, almost luminescent. He transferred both of her wrists to one of his hands and used his thumb to try to wipe the tears from beneath her eyes. They were quickly replaced by more tears.

Finally, when he thought she was calm enough to listen, he dropped her hands and lifted his own.

You will stay here for the night, he signed to her.

She sniffed loudly and turned her head to the side to wipe her nose against the sleeve of her shirt. Her eyes drifted around the room as if only now realizing she was inside a building. Gradually, as her brain caught up with her eyes and she realized where she was, what the room was used for, terror replaced curiosity.

"Please don't leave me here," she begged him, reaching out for him again.

Jozef jerked to his feet and stepped away from her. If those soft hands landed on his skin one more time, he would be putty in her hands. He wouldn't be able to resist the lure of giving her whatever she asked for. Her sweet voice, her goodness, everything about her was the opposite of him. He wanted her so badly he was tempted to take her right there on the wooden pallet.

But that wouldn't be fair to her. That would be a brutal and abrupt introduction to his world, one that she might not be able to forgive. He needed to keep his head, give her time to adjust and teach her how to acclimate to the Koba empire.

He turned and walked away from her, away from her sobs and away from her begging. It was one of the hardest things Jozef had ever done in his life.

Jozef slammed the door shut to her cell and locked it. He made it five steps away from the door, away from the hysteria he could hear rising in her wails. His heart felt crushed beneath her grief. He had driven her to this. A doctor, a professional woman, crumbling in on herself in despair. Jozef almost wished he’d put a bullet in her head when he had the chance, given her the dignified death she deserved, rather than a life she feared and despised.

He couldn't leave her like this, yet she needed to learn a lesson. Unable to walk away from her broken-hearted cries, Jozef retraced his steps back to the prison, leaned against the door and slid to the ground. He would be her guardian for the night. He would be here for her, even if she didn't know it.

He slung his arms over his upraised knees, leaned his head back against the door and listened, his heart crying with her.

Chapter Twenty

It took a long time for Shaun to calm down. She cried for herself, for her mom, for Danilo, her dead colleague. Her sobs gradually become soft hiccups until she was finally able to look around and take stock of her situation.

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