Jozef touched his aunt’s head, attempting to gain her attention. Krystoff was swaying on his feet, dirty, injured and exhausted. He needed to find a shower and a bed as soon as possible. Dasha needed to calm down and take care of her husband.
Dasha looked over at Jozef and, as he was in the middle of signing his request to her, she flung herself at him. Unable to finish his sentence, he caught her and held her as she cried out her gratitude.
Jozef smiled in grim humour. Aunt Dasha was a force to be reckoned with. She had actively negotiated for her husband’s release, but now that he was safe, she was turning into a hysterical wife.
“Th-thank you for bringing my Krysto back to me,” she sobbed against Jozef who patted her back awkwardly.
Krystoff stepped in to peel her away and as she moved back from Jozef her eyes landed on their newcomer. She stiffened and frowned, her hand dropping to her robe pocket where Jozef was positive she kept a pistol.
“Who is this?” Dasha asked coolly, all trace of tears now gone.
Dasha was a regal woman. She held herself with an air of confidence and superiority at all times. She would soften around family, but never around a stranger, as her malevolent gaze made clear. A person was either family or an outsider. An outsider in the mansion, unless they were having an event, was not acceptable.
Jozef didn’t answer her question since she wasn’t looking at him. The bane of his life was attempting to communicate with people who seemed determined to look in the wrong direction.
“This is Dr. Shaun Patterson.” Krystoff made the introduction. “She helped save my life.” He pulled Dasha around to greet Shaun. “Dr. Patterson, this is my wife, Mrs. Dasha Koba.”
Dasha automatically put her hand out, eyeing the stranger in her home with curiosity. Shaun hesitated for a split second and then took the hand offered to her, squeezing it lightly before dropping it. Jozef took a hard look at Shaun. Despite her dusky skin, she looked pale and exhausted. She wasn’t supposed to be alive, so he hadn’t taken any pains to see to her comfort. Now he felt guilty. When was the last time she ate? Slept? She’d had to beg him to use the washroom earlier.
Jozef was used to being a solitary figure, even among the family. He was the guard dog. Brutal, loyal, dangerous. Characteristics that had served him well until now. He would have to make an effort to soften himself around Shaun, remember he had a woman now. Someone to take care of.
“Thank you for saving my husband’s life. I will be eternally grateful for this,” Dasha said with a modicum of warmth, her eyes surveying their tired guest. “I apologize for being curious, but can you please tell me how you came to be involved in our situation?”
Dasha was a sharp woman and Jozef searched his brain for a way to explain the day’s events in a way that would appease his aunt, who was even more fierce when it came to family than her husband. He didn’t need to bother, Shaun jumped in with the truth, perhaps in an attempt to gain his aunt’s sympathies.
“Your nephew kidnapped me from a hospital and forced me to help save a man who he ended up shooting anyway.” She sounded more offended than terrified, which Jozef took as a good sign. “Then he took me out to the woods, put a gun to my head and nearly killed me, too. We agreed that marriage was better than death. I patched up your husband after he was rescued, and now I’m here.”
The look on Dasha’s face was approaching comical. Though she could certainly be as vicious as any of their elite enforcers, she still lived to a certain standard. One did not talk business in the foyer of the mansion. Of course, Shaun wasn’t just any business, she was about to become the newest member of their family.
Dasha stepped forward, away from her husband and took hold of Shaun’s arms. “Oh, my dear, what a terrible story. It must have been such a shock to see that poor man die, and so suddenly.”
Jozef had a silent chuckle as his aunt skipped right over the kidnapping part of the story, making it sound like the man had spontaneously died and Shaun just happened to witness the entire thing. Shaun looked dazed as Dasha hurried her into the house.
“You must be exhausted after all that,” Dasha clucked. “I’ll have Stasia, my personal maid, set up a room for you and the cook will bring up a snack. You’ll want to get some rest after your ordeal.”
Jozef took hold of Shaun’s shoulder and tugged her back to his side, breaking Dasha’s hold. His aunt frowned at him, but Jozef rapidly signed that Shaun would be staying with him in his suite. He wasn’t about to let Shaun out of his sight. Not while she was so new to the house and the situation.
Dasha shook her head and frowned at Jozef. “She needs time to adjust, drahoušek. She should not stay in your suite until after the wedding.”
Jozef gave her a hard stare. He didn’t sign his thoughts. He didn’t need to. His family had become experts at deciphering his body language and facial expressions, rare as they were. He wouldn’t release Shaun to the care of his aunt. The doctor would be staying with him, married or not.
Dasha sighed and shrugged her shoulders, her concerned gaze on Shaun. Though Dasha was tough as nails, she did have a heart. She loved her nephew, but knew how brutal he could be. It was unlikely that Shaun would fall easily into marriage with the Koba’s second-in-command. Once she got some rest, she would very likely fight her fate and it would be Jozef’s job to make her see that her options were limited.
Still, Dasha knew better than to contradict him. After Krystoff, Jozef was next in line for head of the family.
“I’ll send some food up for the two of you.” Dasha’s gaze settled on Shaun once more and she seemed to hesitate before asking, “Would… could you please look at Krystoff in the morning? I want to be sure he’s one hundred percent after his ordeal.”
Shaun nodded and gave Dasha as much of a smile as she could, given her current situation. “Of course. I need to rebandage his hand anyway.”
“Excellent,” Dasha said briskly, taking her husband’s arm and pulling him toward the stairs. Over her shoulder she added, “We have a room we use as a makeshift infirmary. You are welcome to work in there while you’re with us.”
Jozef wanted to correct his aunt, remind her that Shaun’s placement was permanent. He didn’t want his doctor to think she might be able to one day leave them. Dasha was already climbing the stairs though, her back to them. Jozef gritted his teeth and pulled Shaun to the left, toward his suite of rooms. Another pet peeve of his, when people closed out conversations with him by turning away. Unless he punched them in the head to regain their attention and then force them to look at his hands while he signed, he was shit out of luck for ever getting the last word.
“I want my own room.” Shaun’s voice was slightly more strident as she made the demand, clearly feeling bolstered by his aunt’s seeming support.
He wanted to tell her that his aunt would be the first to put a gun to Shaun’s head if she were to become a threat to the family. Instead, he pulled her through the first floor of the mansion to his suite, slamming the door shut and locking it once they were inside. His suite consisted of a main room with his TV, couch and dining set, a washroom, an office, his room and a separate bedroom he'd converted into a gym.
Shaun yanked her arm from his grip and immediately tried the door. She reached for the lock, but Jozef took her hand and squeezed tightly. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he refused to release her. He dragged her further into the room and pushed her toward the couch.