"I know who Doctors Without Borders are. I'm not stupid,” Saskia snapped. "What I want to know is what you were doing there. Are you some kind of do-gooder? You're willing to sacrifice your life for the dregs of society left on the front lines?”
Jozef’s face heated as anger surged through him. He slapped the table with his palm to draw his cousin's attention and swiftly signed to her, keep a civil tongue in your head.
"We don't bring strangers into our home," Saskia said coldly, not afraid to stand up to their feral dog. "I’ve been told from the day I was born, no strangers, and I’ve followed this house rule to the letter. Now Jozef is allowed to drag a foreigner home?"
Jozef glanced down at Shaun, worried that she would be upset by his hotheaded cousin. Instead, she gazed at the girl calmly, an expression of understanding on her face. Jozef wished that she would look at him that way.
Before Jozef could continue arguing with his cousin, his uncle stepped in to decisively shut her down. "Shaun is Jozef's fiancé. She is not a stranger to us. She will live in this home, and you will be polite to her. End of argument."
"I doubt it," Leeza piped up from beside her sister.
Leeza was the older sister, more levelheaded. Next to Leeza was her husband, Adam. There was an empty spot next to Adam for the couple's son, Kristoph. The child missed many of their family meals though, as he was autistic and often unable to attend, depending on his state of mind that day.
“I apologize for my sister’s behaviour. You are of course welcome here,” Leeza said, her accent thick. She'd never been able to pick up English as well as her sister and mother. They spoke almost flawlessly, with little accent, while Leeza and Krystoff retained heavy accents.
Leeza stood and leaned across the crystal glasses and porcelain plates, sticking her hand out to Shaun. Shaun looked startled. The table was so massive Leeza’s hand only came halfway across. Jozef bit back a smile and shook his head.
Shaun stood as well and shook the proffered hand, squeezing before letting go. When she relaxed back into her seat, Jozef could feel some of the tension draining from her. Despite their chosen profession, the Kobas generally were not bad people. Unfortunately, Shaun was an innocent caught up in their drama. Ordinarily, as enforcer, it would be Jozef’s job to keep innocents out of the family business.
As Leeza settled back into her seat, she pinned Jozef with a look. "My understanding is that she was taken from Luhansk rather quickly. Does she have any clothes besides the ones I provided this morning? Does she have toiletries, or feminine products?"
Jozef shook his head.
"Then that's our first order of business today," Leeza said brightly, with a smile. "I will take Shaun shopping and we’ll purchase all of the necessities she’ll need.”
"No, thank you…" Shaun tried to protest, but Jozef reached out and squeezed her hand, looking over at her and shaking his head as he caught her eye.
Jozef signed to his cousin. You may take her shopping, but under no circumstances is she to be out of your sight. You will take bodyguards and you will remain with her at all times.
He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, digging out his credit card and tossing it across the table toward his cousin. She snatched it up, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"I'm coming too," Saskia chimed in, her annoyance forgotten over the thought of a shopping spree. "It's been ages since I've managed to get to the Gucci store."
Leeza rolled her eyes as she pocketed the credit card. "You and your famous designer houses. You should try someone local, support our shopkeepers."
"And end up looking like you," Saskia said sarcastically, eyeing her sister with mock horror. "No, thank you."
The sisters were almost polar opposite in their clothing choices; Leeza was conservative while Saskia preferred edgier clothes. Despite their differences, the one thing the two women could agree on was how much they enjoyed a shopping trip. Especially if someone else was picking up the bill. Jozef hoped Shaun wouldn't feel too hopelessly out of her depth with his two shopaholic cousins.
"Girls, we have a guest present, please don’t argue," Aunt Dasha chided gently.
The rest of the meal went well, with conversation flowing easily around the table. Unless spoken to directly, Shaun remained silent. She ate the food placed in front of her and watched the family as they chatted with each other, her gaze remaining slightly concerned and haunted but occasionally amused at the gentle ribbing. That was the look Jozef hoped he could grow. He hoped that one day she would forget their beginning and settle into some semblance of a relationship with him. It didn't even need to be happy, just real. Because a real marriage would bind her to him, erase the danger of her knowing too much. And it would place in his grasp a good woman, a person who would have been far out of his reach only a week ago.
He looked down at her as she bent her head to fork a bite of eggs into her mouth. Meeting her had been a stroke of luck and Jozef wasn’t stupid enough to let go of his lady luck.
Chapter Fifteen
Shaun stood quietly and watched while preparations were made for the shopping trip. She was surprised at how long it took and how much was involved in the planning. Jozef had lined up the five guards who would be accompanying the women and was lecturing them, his hand signals rapid and smooth. Once again, she marvelled at his lack of expression. It was so unusual to see someone use sign language without involving facial expressions.
At first, Shaun tried to follow what he was saying. He was instructing them on things like checking the vehicles before entering, making sure all exits were covered, and making sure each woman was accompanied by at least one guard, with three guards for Shaun. She was not allowed out of their sight for any reason, except to go into a change room without an exit.
His movements were so rapid that she quickly grew tired of watching. The group was standing in the lobby of the mansion, next to the large double doors. Dasha was talking quietly with her daughters while Jozef instructed his guards. Shaun’s gaze lingered on everyone and everything as she attempted to retain as much information as she could, which was a lot. Shaun had learned many tricks in medical school for memorizing information so she could pass her exams.
Each of the guards had at least one weapon visible, though she suspected they probably had more beneath jackets, and strapped to hips or ankles. Even Saskia was checking a small pistol, opening the chamber and squinting at it before snapping it shut and shoving it in her purse.
It was the sort of scene Shaun might expect to see in a movie. She was the only one shocked by the extravagance, the security, the weapons, everything. She felt like she was living some kind of dream, or more accurately, a nightmare. It was so difficult to wrap her head around the things she was seeing and experiencing.
Leeza reached out to touch Shaun’s arm. “Everything okay?"
Shaun thought about the question. Was everything okay? Not really. At that very moment she was supposed to be in a field hospital, preparing for surgery on a soldier who been struck in the chest with shrapnel. She’d been waiting for the swelling to go down, for him to gain strength so that he could survive the surgery. Now, he would be left in the hands of a less skilled surgeon.