Sin of Silence (Sinner's Empire #1) - Nikita Slater Page 0,35

she might actually end up married to a ruthless thug, eating her morning meal with his entire crime family on a regular basis.

She couldn't hold in her gasp as they entered a room so grand that she wondered how it wasn't in a museum. The walls were filled with mirrors, gilded-framed paintings and other items she instinctively knew were very old and valuable. In the middle of the room was a massive table that looked big enough to easily seat thirty people.

At the far end of the table, next to a large window facing a well-manicured lawn, was a group of well-dressed people who all turned as Jozef entered the room with Shaun. She stopped abruptly, her stomach swirling in trepidation, making her feel nauseous. All eyes were on her.

Jozef placed a broad hand at the small of her back, giving her a modicum of comfort as he urged her forward. The length of the room until they made their way to the head of the table felt like the longest walk she had ever taken.

Shaun was used to standing out in a crowd. Though she was far from the only black woman in Montréal, most of the places she frequented were predominantly Caucasian. She had been the only black health care worker with Doctors Without Borders in Ukraine, which didn't help her blend in. It was probably partially due to the way she looked that she caught Jozef's attention that day he saw her using sign language with the child. She stood out like a beacon on the streets of Luhansk.

Dasha stood as they approached the table, a gracious smile stretching her lips. "Shaun, welcome. Come meet the family.”

Chapter Fourteen

Jozef urged Shaun forward with a hand on her back. Her timidness with his family was calling to the protector in him. Together they walked the length of the room toward two empty chairs at the table. Jozef’s seat was on the right-hand side of Krystoff and Shaun’s chair was beside Jozef’s.

As Shaun sat, Jozef pushed her seat in. She clutched the sides of her chair as he pushed and looked up at him, her golden eyes wide and concerned. He took his hands off her seat and took his place beside her. She reached out quickly to pick up the water glass in front of her and took a hasty sip. Jozef noted that her hand was shaking, though she covered it by replacing the glass on the table quickly.

He regretted that she was nervous around him, around his entire family, but he didn't blame her. She'd gone through a traumatic few days, something that an innocent woman should never have experienced. But she was handling the situation beautifully, far better than Jozef would've thought. She wasn't hysterical, she wasn't begging him to let her go and she wasn't throwing a tantrum. He wouldn't have blamed her for any of those reactions.

"I hope you don't mind, Shaun, I've had our cook make a feast for us in honour of your arrival. Normally, we eat our morning meals separately." Aunt Dasha was the first to break the tense silence, her smile filled with warmth as she waved her hand to indicate the bounty in front of her.

Shaun didn't say anything for a few seconds and Jozef wondered what she was thinking. She was so silent most of the time, absorbing her surroundings. He suspected her intelligent brain was constantly thinking, trying to figure out a way out of the situation.

She wasn't going anywhere though. Unfortunately, she had seen too much. Besides that, there was something about her that made Jozef long to explore the connection between them. She was foreign, different. Not just the way she looked, or the country she came from, but everything about her. The way she thought, her desire to heal. The way she moved: precise, confident, elegant.

He could easily see her in an operating room, her fingers dancing expertly through someone's body. But it wasn't just her beauty and grace that attracted him, it was her existence. She was so different from him and his family. Jozef lived violence, but this woman was the opposite. She healed. Her profession was giving the gift of life to those who were critically ill. She intrigued him.

"I'm actually very hungry," Shaun said, giving Aunt Dasha a small smile. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Though her words were stiff, they were also polite. Jozef adored his aunt, even though she could be an absolute bitch when she wanted to be.