"Saskia," she said in surprise as she recognized Jozef's younger cousin, the one who hadn't warmed up to her. Although, after yesterday's debacle, the older cousin, Leeza, might hate her now too. The memory of the other woman holding a gun on Shaun made her shudder.
Saskia dropped the tray on a table behind the couch, making the cutlery rattle. The girl stepped back and looked around as though she'd never been in Jozef’s suite before. For all Shaun knew, she hadn't. Jozef seemed like a private man, not a person who entertained in his private suite.
"Pretty sweet place,” Saskia drawled, running her hand over the back of the plush leather couch.
"Never been here before?" Shaun asked dryly, picking up a plate of buttered toast and carrying it back to the couch where she sat down again.
Saskia shrugged. "Jozef doesn't entertain much."
"What are you doing here?" Shaun asked bluntly. "I didn't take you for someone who appreciated serving duties."
Saskia wrinkled her nose and dropped onto the couch beside Shaun. She reached out and snatched a half piece of toast from Shaun’s plate. Shaun raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t realized they were at the food-sharing stage of their relationship yet. Though Jozef was considered the feral dog of the family, his younger cousin certainly knew how to act like one too.
"I wanted to see how you're doing," she said casually. "I heard you spent the night out in the shed. That's pretty badass. You know how many people spend the night in the shed and come out alive?"
Shaun shook her head. "How many?"
Saskia swallowed the last of her toast and licked her fingers. "I don't actually know, but I would guess not many. I've definitely never seen a woman taken out to the shed."
"I guess I'm lucky then." Shaun was having trouble keeping the sarcasm from her voice.
"You are lucky," Saskia insisted earnestly. "After the move you pulled in the store yesterday, I thought for sure my dad would make Jozef get rid of you."
Both women fell silent as they contemplated what ‘getting rid of’ meant.
"It was a pretty badass move trying to run from the guards." Saskia glanced slyly at Shaun. "Didn't think you had it in you. You're so quiet, so compliant. I honestly thought you were just gonna settle into things and go with the flow. You proved us wrong."
"Don't sound so happy," Shaun said sarcastically, eating another piece of toast.
Saskia twisted around and reached over the back of the couch, digging through Shaun’s lunch. She turned back around with a piece of bacon clutched in her hand. "I am happy. Life can be pretty boring around here, but I suspect you're not as boring as you seem."
Shaun shook her head. "I really don't know what to say to that."
Saskia shrugged as though she didn't know what to say either. She ate her piece of bacon and licked her fingers. "I heard you're going out to the club tonight. You going to wear that dress that you tried on yesterday? The one you wore home?” She snickered.
"I hadn't really thought about it," Shaun admitted.
Saskia bounced excitedly on the couch. "You totally should. Not only will you look amazing, but you're gonna make all those club bitches green with jealousy. The ones who treat my cousin like shit but would still fuck him if he looked at them twice."
Shaun stared at Saskia silently. Now she really didn't know what to say. She didn't know why any woman would treat Jozef badly, other than his tendency toward kidnapping, and she really didn't want to hear about him fucking other women. She didn't want to examine why she didn't want to listen to that sort of thing too closely, but she knew that it made something inside her burn with jealousy.
Unable to remain silent, Shaun asked, “What other women?"
"The club whores,” Saskia said with an evil grin. “The hotties who hang out there in hopes of catching the eye of one of the Koba boys. They're looking for a good time, drugs, gifts, that sort of thing. They want to get set up in an apartment, be the arm candy.”
“Koba boys?”
Saskia nodded. “Yeah, Jozef and his team. You know, Halil, Havel, Terek, Nikolay. Even Karl gets attention, and he’s like, old. Basically, anyone who lives or works with us is considered cool by association.”
“And these club… women…" Shaun said tentatively, refusing to say the word 'whore' in relation to another woman. “They want Jozef?"
"They want Jozef's money," Saskia clarified. "They want nothing to do with his disability and everything to do with the cash he rakes in for my dad. He's damn good at his job and they know it. They flock to him because he's the baddest bad boy in town and because he can set them up real sweet. But most of them treat him like crap behind his back, tease him because he can't talk."
Shaun appreciated that Saskia was standing up for her cousin. "Ability. Your cousin has a different ability, not a disability. The way he communicates, it’s unique and special. It's not a disability, but something to celebrate."
Saskia laughed sharply. "Look at the chick who tried to run away defending my cousin. Cute. You can keep your lecture to yourself. I'll be the first to get in line to cut any bitch who treats my cousin wrong."
Though she was positive the comment wasn't directed at her, Shaun made a mental note never to treat Jozef wrong in front of Saskia. Especially if she was holding a knife.
"Are you coming to the club?" Shaun asked tentatively. Though Saskia wasn't exactly an ally yet, she would be a familiar face in an unfamiliar situation. Not only had Shaun never been to the so-called club, but she rarely went to clubs at all. She despised high heels, loud music, and sweaty, pawing, drunken dancers.
Saskia shook her head. "No, my parents don't like me going. They think I'm too young."
Shaun took an extra hard look at Saskia. The girl had a sophisticated air about her; a hard shell cultivated over years of wealth and being part of a crime family. Her attitude made her seem older than she probably was.
"How old are you?"
“Seventeen,” Saskia said breezily.
"You’re definitely too young to go to the club," Shaun said with a frown.
Saskia rolled her eyes. "I shot a guy once. I figure that makes me old enough for this sort of thing, but since my family owns the club, the bouncers know better than to let me in without permission."
"Shot a guy?" Shaun asked faintly.
Saskia smirked. "Yeah, he got a little too handsy on a first date and my dad taught me never to put up with bullshit. I only put a bullet through his hand to remind him where he should keep them."
Once again, Shaun decided that this girl should probably be treated with respect.
Saskia winked at her and stood, wiping the crumbs from her toast off her jeans. She made her way toward the door, then stopped and turned back to look Shaun over one last time.
"Wear the silver dress." She cocked her head to the side. “And a pair of very high heels to add to the height you already have. Nothing else. No jewelry and minimal makeup. The mystery of you is going to drive the club whores insane.”
Saskia left, closing the door firmly behind her.