“Is he going to be angry?” Shaun asked tentatively. For all she knew, Dasha was angry too. After seeing Leeza with a gun, Shaun was starting to realize that the women of this family were just as deadly as the men.
Dasha straightened and turned to look at Shaun, her expression grim. It was that look that made Shaun viscerally aware of how vulnerable she was. She was inside the mansion of a crime family. They could do anything to her and not a damn person would stop them. She’d been a complete idiot to enact a half-formed plan that was doomed to fail from the start. She should have waited, lulled them into thinking she was reconciled to her situation and then found a fool-proof way of leaving. Instead, she’d acted on impulse and fear.
“Jozef doesn’t get angry.” Dasha continued to empty shopping bags. “He uses cool logic in everything he does. If he decides to put a bullet in your head, he’ll do it calmly.”
Shaun’s mouth went dry and it took real effort to stiffen her spine so she wouldn’t collapse to the floor. She couldn’t handle the constant adrenalin rushes razing through her body. They were making her slow and sluggish. She needed to stay as calm as possible so she could think on her feet.
“I’ve seen him angry,” she told Dasha, reaching out to fold a shirt from the pile of clothes gradually growing bigger.
Dasha stopped and looked at Shaun, a frown creasing her perfectly plucked and coloured eyebrows. “I’ve never seen Jozef get angry, or much of anything else. Not even when Krystoff was taken. I’ve long suspected his ability to feel emotion has been damaged. The day Jozef’s parents were murdered, his heart froze along with any feelings he had.”
Dasha was wrong. Shaun had seen a variety of emotions in Jozef. It seemed odd to her that she could pick out the emotions of a man she barely knew, and his own family couldn’t.
Shaun pulled the stretchy fabric of a skirt between her fingers. “But he loves you and the rest of the family. I could tell by sharing one meal with you.”
Dasha shrugged. “Sure, he loves us, but he doesn’t express it. No love, no fear, no anger, no feelings.”
“When we were… when he…” she paused, trying to find a delicate way of telling the man’s aunt that he’d shot someone point blank in the head and then turned the gun on Shaun. Dasha waved her hand impatiently as if to tell Shaun to get on with it. “When he was trying to get me to patch someone up, he seemed really angry when I refused.”
Dasha stared at her with speculative eyes. “What do you mean by angry?”
“Uh…” Though she didn’t want to, Shaun forced herself to remember the interaction. “He pushed me down and got right in my face. He was frowning and signing so fast I couldn’t follow what he was trying to say, but I got enough that I understood he was angry with me for refusing. Then, after he’d… killed the person, he seemed angry again when he put the gun to my head.”
“You can speak sign language?” Dasha asked sharply, her expression melting from concern to understanding.
Shaun nodded, surprised Dasha didn’t know. She tried to remember if she’d used sign language in front of Krystoff and realized she hadn’t. The aunt and uncle had no idea that Shaun could easily communicate with their nephew when most other people couldn’t.
Dasha seemed to absorb what Shaun was saying, before turning back to the pile of clothes, shoes and toiletries on the bed. She picked out a few items and handed them to Shaun. “Change into this.”
As Shaun changed, Dasha rushed around the room, tucking Shaun’s new clothes and toiletries away. Shaun thought it was a strange activity to engage in at a moment that felt very dire. The outfit Dasha chose was comfortable and flattering, but then, all of Shaun’s new clothes were flattering. She pulled on a pair of bright flower-patterned leggings and a black silk shirt that fit loosely but had a low enough neckline to show hints of Shaun’s cleavage.
“And these.” Dasha tossed a pair of nude ballet flats onto the floor next to Shaun.
Shaun slid them onto her feet, completely confused as to why she needed to change in such a hurry but unwilling to cause a fuss. She was also quite grateful to be able to slip out of the skimpy silver dress that she’d still been wearing. She assumed someone had paid for the expensive gown before they left the shop in such a rush.
A sharp knock on the door made both women look up. Dasha rushed to the door and opened it a crack.
“He’s in the driveway,” the butler told Dasha.
“Thank you, now please go back to your duties,” Dasha said briskly, already closing the door in his face.
She looked at Shaun, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. Finally, she seemed to come to some kind of conclusion. She strode over to Shaun, took her hand and indicated they should sit together on the bed. Dasha retained a tight hold on Shaun’s hand, sitting it on her lap.
“Listen carefully and do everything I say.” Her words spilled out in a rush and her eyes were glued to the door. “You do everything he tells you promptly and without argument. Don’t bother to apologize for trying to run away, he won’t accept it. In our world, apologies are about as good as rats. If you have to apologize for something, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
“I wasn’t planning on apologizing,” Shaun said quietly. “I’m not sorry I tried to run away.”
Dasha nodded her approval. “Good girl, he’ll respect you more for that attitude. But keep it to yourself. Keep it all to yourself. He’ll do whatever he’s planning to do anyway.”
Shaun wasn’t so sure. After all, he’d pulled back after fully intending to shoot her in the head. She nodded her understanding anyway. “I’ll do as you say.”
Dasha squeezed her hand. “It’s for the best. My nephew has developed an attachment to you and I’ve never seen him care about anyone other than family. I dearly hope whatever feelings he’s developing will keep you safe.”
“Why do you care?” Shaun asked, trying to understand what Dasha could gain from helping her.
Dasha’s answer was simple. “We were asked to welcome you into our family. As our family is a small one that doesn’t grow often, I take that order seriously. You are one of us and I will try my best to protect you as I would any other member of this family.”
Shaun was floored by Dasha’s words, especially since she’d only known the woman for two days. “Thank you,” she said humbly, wishing she could do more to earn the loyalty Dasha was showing her. It shouldn’t matter to Shaun; Dasha was complicit in her abduction. Yet for some reason, she couldn’t think of the older woman as a kidnapper.
Dasha took Shaun’s chin in her hand and looked at her closely, then nodded her head. “You’re attractive, you’re smart and you can communicate with him. These are all points in your favour. Let’s hope it’s enough.”
Shaun’s mouth went dry. The way Dasha was speaking it almost sounded as though her life were in danger. Would Jozef really kill her for trying to escape? He had to know she’d try.
Dasha let go of Shaun and stood, stepping away from the bed. The door opened and Jozef strode inside, his eyes immediately zeroing in on Shaun. She stood, using the bed to keep her legs steady because she was shaking like a leaf under his stern stare. Dasha walked toward him, but his gaze didn’t waver from Shaun. Dasha stopped and touched his arm.