Page 1 of A Silent Reckoning

Prologue

The People’s Republic of Luhansk - The first time Jozef saw Shaun

Jozef watched his target leave the bookstore and walk north on Pavlivska Street. He followed the man as he headed toward the Optovyy Rynok market. It was mid-afternoon on a Wednesday. The streets weren’t deserted but they weren’t filled with people either. Jozef and his team could easily grab Gustav now, as he cut through a side street on his way to pick up groceries, but that wasn’t the plan.

Jozef refused to do a job without the proper surveillance and equipment. It was something he and his team had become well known for throughout the mafia underworld. They were unparalleled when it came to completing operations to their client’s satisfaction. Though this particular mission was personal, Jozef wouldn’t fuck it up by snatching his target too early. He was in Luhansk for surveillance only.

As he walked, he started to give Gustav more space, not wanting to spook the man. In the five days since Jozef’s uncle, Krystoff Koba, had been kidnapped, Jozef had come up with only one lead. Gustav. The man responsible for mailing a finger to Dasha Koba, Jozef’s aunt. The desire to cut the man’s throat, to avenge this insult to Jozef’s family was strong. His time would come. The courier was living on borrowed time.

“Excuse me.”

Jozef’s gaze snapped from Gustav’s back to a woman who’d stepped out of a small store and into Jozef’s path. He was about to grunt a response and move on, when his gaze landed on her face. He froze, stunned by the exotic beauty of the stranger as she passed him without lifting her eyes. She was looking down at the phone in her hand.

Jozef turned to watch her walk away, his gaze taking in the gentle swell of her hips, the confidence in her walk and her unusual complexion. There were so few black women in that part of Ukraine that he had to blink a few times to be sure he was seeing her right. She stopped on the sidewalk next to a child and crouched down, smiling and holding out her hand. The boy hesitated and then took her proffered hand, giving it a shake.

She said something to him, but he shook his head and pointed at his ears. She shifted so Jozef could see her face again. He was so drawn to her that he found himself taking a few steps toward the pair before forcing himself to stop. He watched her smile fade into a frown of concern as she carefully set her bag on the pavement and sat next to the boy on the curb.

Jozef didn’t want to look away, he wanted to see every expression her mobile face made, every tiny movement of her graceful hands, but he wasn’t here for her. He was here for Gustav. Jozef glanced over his shoulder and saw Gustav heading toward a corner. Jozef would have to jog to catch up.

Yet, he couldn’t seem to tear himself away from the woman. Finally, he let Gustav go, shaking his head in frustration. What was wrong with him? He was a duty first kind of guy. Women were interesting for sex only, but not beyond. Not a single one had yet tempted him toward marriage.

His gaze strayed back to the woman and what he saw next stunned him. He couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, could only watch as she used sign language to speak to the child. It became quickly obvious the child didn’t understand but she patiently showed the boy several signs that he was able to pick up easily, grinning his happiness as he showed her.

Jozef knew exactly what they were saying.

Hello.

Boy.

Food.

Hospital.

Doctor.

Then she signed her name. S-H-A-U-N.

Jozef stared as her beautiful fingers moved to create each shape, showing the child until he understood. Her patience and kindness astounded him. As far as Jozef could tell, she hadn’t known the child before sitting down with him, yet she was taking time out of her day to teach him an important skill. A skill Jozef knew too.

Jozef rarely met people outside of his family who understood or used sign language. It was so rare, in fact, that he’d given up finding anyone who could and started teaching the people around him, particularly his security team, how to sign.

This woman was different. She was unique and beautiful.

A powerful bolt of lust shot through his body. He hungered for her. A total stranger he hadn’t met.

She showed the child the sign for goodbye and then she stood, stretching her back. She picked up her groceries, ruffled the boy’s hair and set off down the street.

Jozef had to make a decision. Follow the mysterious woman or go find Gustav in the market and record the man’s routine. They would pick him up soon, take him to their borrowed house outside of the city and force the whereabouts of Jozef’s uncle from him.

He watched her walk until she disappeared. She was not his mission and never would be. She would be better off if she never met Jozef. He was the harbinger of death. Jozef rarely spent time with anyone outside of his inner circle unless they were a target. Those that he did spend time with didn’t survive long.

If he became involved with the woman, her mortality would become a question and he couldn’t bring himself to imagine anything happening to her. She was special.

He turned away and headed toward the market. He would hold her image close to his heart until she faded. Her ghost would be his comfort during the lonely nights when he paced his rooms, his mind occupied with death, strategy and war.

She would be his angel of mercy.

The woman he would never know.

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