Page 36 of Sin of Silence

When the waitress left, she took the unpleasant atmosphere with her, leaving Jozef and Shaun in a bubble of their own. Shaun was hyperaware of Jozef at her side, his thigh touching hers, his long, capable fingers tapping the edge of his glass. He lifted a finger to his lips and sucked the alcohol from it. A warm tingle started in her belly as her gaze traced the move.

Shaun jerked her eyes away from him, blushing. The things she was feeling for him were very inconvenient. She needed to remember that she was dealing with a murderer, a man who’d pressed a gun against her head repeatedly. He was muddying the waters of her conscience by doing things for her, like sleeping with her in the prison cell, buying her a new wardrobe, dressing her up and bringing her to an exclusive club. Normally, these things would not turn Shaun's head, but she knew that Jozef wasn't doing them to impress anyone. He was doing them because he wanted to.

She sensed a feral beast lurking just below the surface of the man sitting next to her. For some reason it was the darkness in him that was calling to her just as much as the moments where he was sweet with her. It was the blend of the two that made her sit up and take notice. Jozef could kill in an instant with no remorse, but then curl up next to her while she was being punished because she might get cold.

In an effort to keep her thoughts away from their current path, she turned her gaze on the club itself, taking in and absorbing the opulence. Everything inside was glittering and gold: the tables, the chairs, the ceiling, the columns. It was beautiful, but so far over the top that Shaun couldn't even imagine how much it cost to build the place.

In fact, it was finally beginning to sink in just how much money the Kobas probably had. She'd been so caught up in her own situation, the fear and tension, that she hadn't really given her place of captivity much thought. But the fact was, she was living in a mansion now. She could go on shopping sprees with unlimited funds. She could come to clubs that she didn't have a hope in hell of being accepted to before meeting Jozef Koba. The whole thing was both awesome and unsettling.

Shaun was not one to be distracted by money. Sure, she made a decent salary at the hospital, but that didn't matter. If she cared about wealth, then she wouldn't have taken a volunteer position with Doctors Without Borders. She cared about people, and she needed to remember that. As long as she was under the thumb of a crime family, she would never be free to continue her life's work. She would be languishing in the home of the very types of people who were often responsible for the horrors she saw in the world. They shaped lives and politics, culture and history.

Shaun jumped as Jozef reached out to touch her, tapping her cheek with his finger. She turned her head to look at him and realized he'd been trying to get her attention. He immediately began signing.

Tell me your thoughts.

Shaun dropped her eyes to the table and thought about what to tell him. Jozef was blunt when he communicated, but she supposed that was only natural. Having to get his messages across without using verbal language had probably trained him to become succinct. He spoke only when he had something to impart, rarely for idle chitchat. Which meant he actually cared about her answer.

She hesitated and then told him the truth. "I was thinking about my job, how much I miss it and how much it’ll hurt if I never get to practice medicine again."

Jozef’s fingers lingered on her cheek, rubbing gently, as though he was testing the texture. Then he signed,I am sorry.

She stared at him. "Sorry for what?"

Sorry for taking you away from the life that you loved.

She hated that he used the word ‘loved’ in past tense. It meant that he had no intention of ever letting her go back to that life. She blinked away tears and concentrated on his face. "You can't be too sorry since it's clear you have no intention of letting me go."

His response was immediate.I am sorry that you are hurting, but I’m not sorry that I have you with me.

It felt like the club was closing in on her until it was just the two of them in the booth together. No glittery people, no opulent room, nothing but them.

"But you kidnapped me," she whispered, pain evident in her voice. "You took me from my job, took me from my family and my country. How can you think I will forgive you for these things?"

He thought about it for a few seconds, then signed,I don’t expect forgiveness.

She shook her head at him. "How can you want to be with a woman who only wants to get away from you?”

He reached out so suddenly that she flinched, thinking that he was going to hurt her. Instead, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped her face up to his. His lips were several inches from hers; she couldn't tear her eyes from them. Hard, but so damn sexy they made her heart skip a beat. The scar across his lips only enhanced his appeal.

He stared down at her intently, his blue gaze searching her dark one. Then he dropped his hands and said,time will reconcile you to this life.

"I don't believe that," she whispered.

Nonetheless, this is how it must be.

"You're wrong. There are other options that don't include staying with you forever."

His frown was so sudden and so fierce that she stiffened and wiggled in the booth in an attempt to move away from him a few inches.

There are no other options, he signed rapidly, his movements jerky.You will stay with me. You will not leave and you will learn to adapt.

"No," she said clearly. “I won’t.”

He reached out and gripped her by the back of the neck, dragging her against him. Her heart hammered as he held her against his chest, staring down at her with an intensity that sent a chill skittering through her body. He spoke with his eyes instead of his hands and his message was clear.You will never leave.

Before they could say anything else though, they were interrupted.

"I see someone let the dog out of his cage."

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