Page 39 of A Silent Reckoning

She smothered a gasp as saw the men assembled.

There were three of them, huge men, dark skin, shaved heads, wearing uniforms. One seemed more important than the others. He sat while the others stood to his side, hands clasped behind their backs, gazes fixed on Shaun. Or perhaps past her, staring at the opening that would lead onto the club floor.

Jozef stood and walked to her, covering her view of the terrifying men. He took her arms in his hands, warming her and leaned in to press a kiss against her lips. It was a light kiss, but it sent arrows of heat straight through her, warming her chest and belly. He led her to the table where one of the biggest men she’d ever seen stood, his eyes sweeping over her in a cold, calculating look. The medals on his uniform rattled as he reached to take her hand.

Shaun usually prided herself on a firm handshake, a necessity for her profession. Her hand felt like a limp noodle engulfed in his much bigger hand. He held her hand for a second too long, squeezing, then let go.

Jozef introduced him.I would like you to meet my new client, R-A-D-I-K. We’ll be doing a job for him in a few weeks. He’s taken great pains to come here as it’s difficult for him to leave his home country. He doesn’t speak sign language so we will need you to interpret.

Shaun was surprised that Jozef was giving her so much information. Did she need it in order to properly translate? It made her feel uneasy but elated at the same time. She was pleased that Jozef was willing to share more of his work with her, but it also terrified her. What if she knew too much? She could find herself in the same situation she faced a year ago. Dead witness or live captive.

Radik moved aside so she could sit in between him and Jozef. Before she could slide into the booth though, Jozef took her arm and pulled her to the outside, seating her next to him but closest to the nearest exit. She felt Karl move to stand on her other side. When she glanced up at her bodyguard, every trace of the softer emotions he’d shown in the elevator was gone, replaced by a fierce glare.

“You will be able to translate for us?” Radik asked, his voice a deep accented baritone that sent waves of apprehension through Shaun.

She glanced at Jozef who nodded, then looked back at Radik. “Where are you from? I might be able to understand your language too. I’ve travelled a lot.”

“The languages of my birth are French, Sangho and Arabic, but I also speak Amharic, Somalian and English.”

“Are you from the Central African Republic then, or Chad?”

Radik stiffened, which caused his men to do the same. His gaze sharpened on her face as if seeing her for the first time. “How would you know this? You are a westerner, no?”

She nodded. “Yes, but I’ve worked all over the world with Doctors Without Borders.”

He seemed to relax slightly. “You worked in one of the refugee camps?”

“Yes, just on the southern border of Chad. I also worked with a team on the detection and rapid treatment of HIV in Mozambique a few years ago.”

Shaun glanced sideways at Jozef who was staring at her with horrified interest. She wondered what was going on in his head. He knew she’d worked all over the world with Doctors Without Borders. She did four-month rotations nearly every year for the past seven years. Yet he looked as though this was the first he was hearing of it.

“I thank you for your service to our country and our neighbors. The regional conflicts have made life difficult, if not impossible, for many of my people. Our citizens would’ve starved or died in war if it weren’t for the refugee camps. Your sacrifice is appreciated.”

Shaun refocused on Radik, who appeared to be sincere in his praise. She thanked him and when she looked back at Jozef, his strange expression had passed, replaced by the blank look he wore when he was doing business.

“Should we get started?” Radik leaned back in his chair, his gaze, which was much warmer now, on Shaun’s face.

Jozef dipped his head in a nod and began signing while Shaun translated.You’re agreeable to our terms? The first three are non-negotiable; our fee doesn’t change, you give us access to regional information we can’t access on our own, and my team doesn’t do human transport. We can discuss the fourth term if you have a better plan than what we came up with.

“Your fee is exorbitant,” Radik said. “But I’m willing to pay that and more for the safe delivery of my package.”

We will see to it, Jozef signed.You’ve outlined the importance of this job. We won’t fail. I have the best team in the business.

“You understand what will happen if the package is corrupted either before or after delivery?” Radik’s expression grew fierce.

Shaun shivered. She didn’t want to know what the consequences of a corrupted package were, but she suspected they were extremely unpleasant.

You have nothing to worry about. We’ve never failed.

“I don’t care about your failure rate,” Radik snarled. “I don’t care about assurances. These will mean nothing to me if anything goes wrong.”

Radik’s gaze strayed to Shaun where it lingered in an assessing way that made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t a sexual look, but malignant, as if their pleasant conversation a few minutes ago hadn’t happened. She was beginning to wish Jozef hadn’t made her part of this conversation.

Then I won’t give you my assurances, Jozef signed.You’ll see our effectiveness in action.

“I like your confidence.” Radik switched focus. “Your second demand is also agreeable. I will have the regional maps sent over. You are correct in your belief that what’s happening on the ground it largely undocumented. I have access to a satellite that goes over the area every few days. I will have my man send over the images.”

Thank you.

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