Page 67 of Sin of Silence

Jozef pinned his uncle with a cold look.Then I will not rest until I’ve found and removed the persons who caused her harm.

Krystoff nodded thoughtfully. “You have my word that no harm will come to Shaun while she is under my roof.”

Though it sounded like Krystoff was capitulating to Jozef, he’d worded his concession carefully. As long as Jozef resided under Krystoff’s roof, remaining under his control, then Shaun would not be harmed. If Jozef moved with Shaun, then she would become fair game. Jozef needed time to think and decide his next move. Things were changing in the Koba household.

Jozef stood.I will hold you to your word. Shaun is to be treated like family while I’m in Poland.

“You have my word,” Krystoff assured him.

Jozef dug the burner phone from his pocket, crushed it in his hand and handed it to his uncle.No more tests.

Krystoff’s face stiffened but he nodded his acquiescence.

As Jozef turned to leave the office, Krystoff’s voice reached out to him. “Don’t forget where you belong, son. You are a Koba. Loyalty, pride, family.”

Jozef looked down at his hand resting on the doorhandle. The wordsvernost,hrdostandrodinawere tattooed on his first three fingers. Loyalty, pride, family.

He jerked his head in a nod, opened the door and left.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

There’s no security that I can detect. No men, no cameras, no alarms.

Jozef nodded as his man filled him in. Terek had gone ahead to meet up with their Polish contact and to stake out Vasiliy’s hideout. Despite Terek’s assurance that the house wasn’t wired, Jozef wasn’t taking chances with the safety of his team. With the tight timeline they were on, they’d only had a few hours of surveillance, rather than the minimum of two days Jozef would normally insist on.

Is he inside the house?Jozef asked.

Terek lifted his shoulders in a shrug, his look of frustration mirroring Jozef’s, who was silently cursing his uncle for setting up such a disorganized hit. Twelve years earlier, when Krystoff had wanted to up the Koba game in the global market, Jozef had suggested putting together an elite team of mercenaries for hire. His team consisted of the best people he could find in the areas of security, explosives, surveillance, investigation and tech. He'd worked with them until they became a well-oiled machine. He always had a five-man team who travelled with him, a two-person tech team at home, and a secondary B-team in training. After years of taking jobs, Jozef had come to understand exactly what he and his crew needed for each job: time to plan, time to train, time to surveil, and the correct equipment. They’d had the opportunity to do none of that for this job, meaning they were forced to go in blind.

Jozef hated the idea of doubting his uncle, the man who had adopted and raised him, but it seemed strange that he was being sent on such a rushed mission when he could have easily done the job after the engagement party. That would have given his team a few extra days, enough time to plan, and enough time for Jozef to make sure Shaun was well settled.

He’d hated leaving her behind. She’d simply nodded when he told her and remained silent, a frown creasing her forehead. He could see the questions lining themselves up in her mind: where is he going, what is he doing, is he planning on killing someone? But none had passed her beautiful lips. Before he left, she’d told him to stay safe. He’d held those two words next to his heart, determined that he would do as she asked. He would stay safe for her.

Halil and Havel will go through the front gate while Nikolay provides backup, Jozef signed to Terek, adjusting night vision goggles over his eyes. It was 2:00 AM, and the entire team would be equipped with goggles to help ease their entry into the house. They would also have the element of surprise if Vasiliy was sleeping. There was no light shining through any of the windows, though they could be covered with blackout curtains.I will go through the back gate while you follow.

Jozef, Halil, Nikolay and Havel had discussed the plan in detail on the ride into Poland, but Terek had gone ahead of them and wasn’t privy to their discussion, which was why he was being given the safest position of rear backup.

Jozef tapped out his commands into his earpiece, reiterating the plan to the others. He and his team had learned morse code so they could easily communicate with Jozef. The uses went far beyond Jozef being able to give orders to his men via radio coms, though; the entire team used a combination of morse code and sign language, which allowed them seamless and silent entries and exits from their jobs, stealthy communication, and a way to let the tech team know what was happening while they were on radio silence. The method was much less cumbersome and less visible than messaging.

Once the entire team acknowledged Jozef’s commands, Jozef gave the order to move. Like a team of wraiths moving swiftly through the pitch-black night, they moved so fluidly through the trees they would have been invisible to the naked eye.

Havel and Halil went through the front gate, breaching the perimeter first. Nikolay stayed at the gate to provide cover for the team while they were inside. Two taps through the radio told Jozef they’d made it safely to the front door. Jozef acknowledged and then pushed the back gate open, crouching as he went through, sweeping the area with his goggles. Nothing moved, no heat signatures. Terek came in behind him and they made their way through the shrubbery to the back door. Per protocol, they waited and listened for twenty seconds before letting Havel know they were in position.

Three seconds later, they breached the cabin, throwing smoke grenades and moving through each room in rapid succession. Jozef met Havel in the hallway and together they moved through to the bedrooms, while the other two covered the front and back entrances so no one could come in behind them. Havel stood next to the first bedroom door, his gun up and ready while Jozef flung the door open, threw a smoke grenade and swept the interior. It was empty. They hit the next room, which was also empty.

They paused, regrouping. The cabin appeared to be empty, and now they’d lost the element of surprise. If anyone was home, they would know that they’d been discovered.

Havel tapped Jozef’s shoulder, catching his attention.

Underground?Havel signed, his face reflecting his annoyance. Jozef felt the same way. If they’d had enough time for proper surveillance, this wouldn’t be happening. They would know Vasiliy’s routine, would know if he was home or not. They would have had time for a phone tap and surveillance, which might have given them an edge.

Jozef had to think quickly. He couldn’t spend precious seconds trying to make a decision. He nodded at Havel, indicating that he should search the front of the cabin while Jozef searched the rear. The team reconvened and started swiftly searching for a trap door or loose floorboards.

It was Jozef who found the tunnel. Like a scene straight out of a movie, he leaned against a bookshelf as he was bending to flip over an oriental rug in the office. The bookshelf moved a few inches.

Jozef turned swiftly, took hold of the top of the shelf and pulled. It swung easily out, opening into a stone stairway leading into an underground tunnel. Jozef tapped furiously on his earpiece, bringing the team running to the office. He gave Halil and Terek instructions to watch the entrance, while he and Havel descended the stairs.

Now that they had an idea of where Vasiliy had gone, they moved swift and sure, back on target. The tunnel ran about a hundred yards from the house; a crude dugout reinforced with wooden beams every few yards. They swept through at top speed, running until they reached a door, which was slightly ajar, light pouring through. Jozef reached for a smoke grenade on his belt but was halted when he heard the sound of music drifting into the tunnel.

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