Page 55 of Sin of Silence

He loved to hear about her life and often made this request when they were in bed together.

“Okay,” she whispered.

Jozef rolled against her and covered her mouth with his hand giving her a stern look. She rolled her eyes and shoved his hand away.

Okay, okay, it’ll take me some time to adjust to non-verbal.

It really was going to take Shaun time to adjust. She’d been extremely rusty with her sign language before Jozef grabbed her. Though she was quickly relearning, she wasn’t entirely there yet. She did silly things like stopped breathing while she was signing. If Jozef wanted her to sign as much at it seemed he did, then she was going to have to learn to sign and breathe at the same time or risk passing out. Her mom used to gently make fun of Shaun’s inability to multi-task. She would shake her head and laugh that it seemed appalling that such a promising young doctor couldn’t even walk and chew gum at the same time.

Shaun realized she knew what she wanted to talk about. She would give Jozef what he wanted, insight into her life, while working on a way to reconnect with that life. She would talk about the life she left behind as a way to deal with her grief over losing it. She would talk about her mother.

Shaun pushed herself up into a sitting position and wiggled around on the bed until she was facing a reclining Jozef. She took a deep breath and started signing.

My mom’s name is F-A-T-I-M-A.

He nodded and signed back,I remember, you told me about her in the van.

While he was driving her into the woods to shoot her. Though the memory still made her heart beat faster, she was able to think of it without the icy fingers of terror stealing down her spine. She was impressed that Jozef remembered what she’d told him. At the time, he’d acted as though he hadn’t heard a word.

I’m half Iranian, which most people don’t know about me because I look more like my dad. My mom was born in Iran but moved to Detroit with her family when she was a child. She met my father while he was taking his residency in Detroit. After a few years they moved to Canada and got married. She’s really smart; she’s fierce and compassionate. She’s involved in all kinds of charities…

Chapter Thirty-Two

Their truce lasted less than a day. Shaun had spent a good part of their evening together telling Jozef all about her upbringing and her love for her family. He’d nodded in all the right places, his face softening as he listened to her. He even pulled her in for a hug when she told him of the devastating loss of her father. During their conversation, Jozef looked much less like a gangster and more like a man she would actually date.

So it came as a shock to her when he refused to listen to reason when she requested a phone call to her mother. He stood firm, his face a granite carving as she’d pleaded with him. He was unmoving though.

“But if she knows I’m alive, she’s much more likely to stop looking for me. I can’t know for sure, but if I know my mom, she’s pulling in every connection she and my dad had to try and find me. If even a single person in that hospital recognized you, she’ll be able to find me. Plus, you aren’t exactly low profile, going to clubs and flaunting a black woman among your predominantly Caucasian friends.”

Still, he refused to listen to reason. He did try to give her an explanation, but it only made her angry.

If your mother is anything like you, she won’t stop digging. Hearing your voice will only make her try harder to find your location. It would be cruel to give her hope when she can’t see you.

“What’s the big deal?” she asked. “If I – ”

He cut her off by lightly slapping her mouth and grabbing her hands, waving them in the air. Far from thinking it was a cute gesture, as she’d done the night before, it enraged her. She shoved him, but he didn’t move, which forced her to take a step back.

She growled her frustration, then took a deep breath, seeking the deep dark depths of her patience for just a little more.

She signed, her hands moving in angry jerky movements,don’t hit me and don’t cut me off when I’m speaking.

He narrowed his eyes at her, then nodded. She wasn’t sure if he was agreeing to her demands or if he was acknowledging that she was using sign language. She felt if she didn’t conclude this conversation quickly, she was probably going to stab him, and she knew how to make sure he bled out in under a minute. Why did she ever think she was attracted to this man? Oh yeah, fucking pheromones.

If I tell my mom it was a misunderstanding that’s been taken care of, I can probably convince her not to come searching for me. But I have to talk to her, to reassure her and get her to call off any searches she might have started.

Jozef shook his head.No phone calls.

So you’re content allowing me to think you’re some heartless asshole who would stop his bride from talking to her mother?

He glared at her, making his displeasure known through his facial expressions. He didn’t need to sign his thoughts.

Shaun took a step away from him so she wouldn’t get smacked again. “If you won’t give me what I’m asking for, then I won’t give you what you want.”

He took a threatening step toward her, a shutter slamming down over his expression, leaving blankness in its place.You won’t have a choice.

“Watch me.”

He grabbed her, crushing her lips beneath his. Shaun fought him, but Jozef was extremely adept at subduing a person. She found herself locked into place and shoved up against a wall while he ravished her mouth. Butterflies swirled in her stomach, while her brain went wild with anger that he would do such a thing after their night together.

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