Page 58 of Sin of Silence

Havel looked somewhat taken aback at Jozef’s admission. They didn’t usually talk about their personal lives. Then, they didn’t exactly have personal lives, beyond the most recent piece of tail one of them was sampling. Shaun was different, she hovered between personal and business.

“Hate to say it, buddy,” Havel started, “But you should’ve – ”

Jozef held up a hand, stopping the other man from continuing.Don’t say it. I don’t want to make an enemy of my best friend.

Havel nodded slowly, digesting the implications of what Jozef was saying. He was telling his second-in-command that Shaun was more to him than just his kidnapping victim, or another piece of tail. She was his future wife. She was someone he was rapidly coming to care for.

“Then I won’t say what I think. Instead, I will say this.” He looked at Jozef seriously. “Classy bitches, like the one you have, are high fucking maintenance. And yours is worse than the usual. She has ethics. Prepare to spend your life grovelling, my friend, because every time you fuck up, she’ll expect you on your knees. And I have no doubt you’re going to fuck up a lot.”

Jozef reached over to slap Havel in the side of the head, but Havel dodged him, picking up his glass and downing the rest of his scotch.

When Havel was looking at him again, Jozef signed,one day you’ll find a woman who fucks with your head and I will take pleasure in your misery.

Instead of laughing and giving a snappy comeback, Havel’s face fell into serious lines and his thoughts wandered to somewhere else. He pushed himself off the couch and made his way to the door, only speaking as he was about to leave.

“If you love her, make sure you do everything in your power to keep her. Don’t fuck it up.” He left, closing the door behind him and locking it. He never left the family’s security up to chance.

Jozef was stunned by Havel’s parting words and not just because they were downright romantic, but because they were spoken by one of the toughest, most staunch bachelors Jozef knew. It was Havel’s position that Shaun should’ve been killed in the basement before ever getting to know any of them. It seemed strange that now Havel was advising Jozef to keep her. Had Havel loved and lost? And when had it happened? Havel had been with the family for decades, since Jozef was a teenager. Jozef didn’t remember any point at which a woman featured in the older man’s life.

Then Havel’s words struck Jozef like a punch to the chest, leaving him stunned, his mouth open and his hands clenched on the arms of his chair. He wanted Shaun more than he’d ever wanted anything.

He loved Shaun.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Shaun spent most of the afternoon avoiding Jozef, which wasn’t a difficult feat considering the size of the Koba mansion and the level of activity going on inside. The engagement party was in two days. Flowers were being brought in and placed in a special refrigerator to keep them fresh. The extra staff Dasha hired for the event were arriving in droves to join the fray. Shaun was amazed at their ability to immediately pick up their tasks and carry on like they’d been there for years. They looked as though they belonged far more than Shaun did.

Shaun trailed after Dasha for a while, who generously tossed a few party planning tidbits Shaun’s way. Dasha already had her mind made up about everything so Shaun’s opinion was often overridden or ignored entirely. It wasn’t out of maliciousness. Dasha knew what she was doing, and she was in her glory doing it. She was like a military general with armies of servants and boatloads of money at her disposal.

“Silver or gold for napkin rings?” Dasha held up two rings, which sparkled their shiny best in the lights of the formal dining room.

“Uh…” Shaun had heard of napkin rings, but she’d never seen one. “Silver?”

Dasha shook her head, her dark, perfectly arranged waves bouncing around her shoulders. “No, I think the gold will be more effective. We have a gold underplate with white china place settings, silver cutlery and silver lined teacups. A little more balance is needed.” She nodded sharply to herself. “Yes, the gold.”

She handed the gold ring to a hovering servant, who hurried away with it to presumably find more. Dasha turned on her heel and walked briskly to a wall lined with rows of windows and French balcony doors. The formal dining room and ballroom faced the gardens, with doors opening out onto the terrace, leading into the plush green paradise.

“I’m not convinced this drapery will do. It is perhaps too heavy for the season.” She fingered the heavy rich brown fabric with silver strands throughout. “I think something lighter, maybe saffron velvet with a sheer gold overlay. We’ll save white for the wedding day. What do you think?”

She turned to look expectantly at Shaun.

Shaun marvelled over how impossibly perfect the older woman looked while orchestrating an engagement party likely to become the event of the season. She wore a pencil skirt suit, with pink frills at the throat and sleeves. Instead of looking overly feminine, the delicate fabric somehow complemented the severity of the suit. Dasha’s dark hair was shot through with honey-coloured highlights and styled to perfection. Shaun wondered if the woman had a professional stylist on her payroll.

The amount of money flowing through the Koba empire was staggering. Being surrounded by that kind of unimaginable wealth was definitely a learning curve for Shaun, who still lived out of boxes three years after moving into a cute and modern condo townhouse situated between the hospital and her family home.

“Shaun, are you with me, dear?” Dasha said impatiently, snapping her manicured fingers.

Shaun blinked and looked up, trying to force her lips into a smile. “Sorry, I was daydreaming about Montréal.”

Dasha’s face reflected sympathy and she rejoined Shaun, leaving the problem of the drapery for a few minutes. She put her arm around Shaun and gave her a squeeze. It was an awkward perfume-filled half-hug, but Shaun was grateful for the sentiment.

“It’s only natural that you should be thinking about your homeland at such a time. You’re far from home during this very significant event in your life. Your friends and family aren’t here to support you and you probably feel at sea with all this.” Dasha smiled warmly at Shaun. “I hope you know you can come to me about anything. I’ve been a source of great comfort for my daughters and Jozef in their times of need. I can be the same to you.”

Shaun stared at Dasha in bewilderment. Was she delusional or was this her attempt at comfort? It was like Shaun had never been kidnapped and forced into their lives against her will. A significant part of her wanted to start shrieking like a banshee at the strange unfair turn her life had taken. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she was their captive and no amount of golden plates and opulent parties was going to change that.

Then she caught the hard glitter to Dasha’s eyes. She was standing next to Shaun, her body carefully arranged in a picture of beauty and poise, but Shaun sensed the shark under the manicured exterior. Dasha would always say and do the correct thing, but her thoughts were carefully guarded.

Instead of shouting that she’d been kidnapped and of course she missed her friends, family and home, and no it had nothing to do with the upcoming sham of an engagement party, Shaun forced a smile and said, “Thank you, I really appreciate all that you’re doing.”

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