When it was Leeza’s turn, Shaun was surprised to see the other woman’s husband reach for her hand, then felt guilty for forgetting the man existed. He was a quiet non-entity in the family. He’d been introduced as an accountant, but Shaun had since learned he was actually the accountant for the entire organization; the same man who blew the whistle on Jozef’s childhood friend.
He looked like every stereotype of a mafia accountant that Shaun might have imagined; short, or at least shorter than Shaun, balding, thick glasses with a slight paunch around his middle. Shaun suspected he might be pre-diabetic based on the slight shake to his hands as he touched her, a pale fatigue to his features and dry skin with some dark patches that shouldn’t be there for his age. Shaun would talk to him about it later, at a more appropriate time, maybe suggest some treatments.
Leeza stepped up and hugged Shaun warmly, kissing her cheeks. “Welcome to our family.”
“Thank you.”
Shaun watched as Leeza and her husband walked away, his hand hovering over her waist but not touching her. It was odd, but Shaun couldn’t detect even a hint of warmth in their marriage. She wondered how they got together in the first place. Leeza couldn’t be more than 28 years old, while her husband was significantly older. They shared a five-year-old son, which made Shaun suspect they’d gotten together while she was still quite young.
Saskia hugged Shaun next. “Can’t wait for you to join our shitshow of a family.”
Shaun laughed and shook her head. Instead of leaving to mingle among the guests, as the others had done, Saskia glued herself to Shaun’s side. She made it her personal responsibility to impart every piece of gossip she had on the assembled guests. Shaun laughed at Saskia’s unabashedly disrespectful opinions.
“See that guy over there in that seriously out of date cravat?” Saskia pointed at a man, drawing the attention of several people surrounding them.
Shaun laughed and pushed Saskia’s arm down.
“He’s a prince, but he’s living in exile now. He became embroiled in a political shitstorm in his home country and the parliament asked him to leave. That woman standing next to him is his number one whore. He leaves his wife at home and brings his bimbos out to these things.”
Shaun tried to stifle her peals of laughter, but it was useless. Saskia was the only true friend she had in the room. The younger woman was an unrepentant gossip, and even though she shouldn’t, Shaun ate it up with glee. Knowing the foibles of the super-rich people surrounding her made her feel more comfortable in their presence. She suspected Saskia knew it and that was why she was chattering nonstop in Shaun’s ear while Jozef looked on with amusement.
After a few minutes, guests started to make their way over to congratulate the couple. Saskia maintained her position at Shaun’s side, continuing to whisper her judgments in Shaun’s ear. It was funny, but Shaun was getting the distinct impression that Saskia was trying to protect her. Shaun decided the younger woman acted just as much a guard dog as her older cousin.
“Jozef, I’ve been dying to see you again!”
Shaun turned in time to see Giselle from the club throw herself into Jozef’s arms. Apparently her near death experience at Jozef’s hand hadn’t had much of an effect. The look of disgust on Jozef’s face while he tried to disengage the heavily perfumed, scantily clad woman was enough to calm any jealousy Shaun might have felt. She knew the two had a past, but it was clear that Jozef felt nothing for Giselle now, except maybe annoyance.
Despite his obvious rejection, Giselle wrapped her arm around his and wedged herself between Shaun and Jozef. Shaun stifled a laugh at the blatant desperation of the other woman. Saskia was less diplomatic.
“Bitch… gross,” she drawled, wrinkling her nose at Giselle. “Why don’t you go hump something a little closer to your league.”
Shaun choked on her laughter while Giselle looked like she was about to launch herself at them, claws out. Shaun decided to salvage the situation before they ruined Dasha’s fancy party by brawling next to the champagne fountain.
“I need to have a private talk with Saskia,” she said, her gaze caressing Jozef. “Will you get me a drink?”
Jozef dipped his head, his blue eyes sliding from Shaun to Saskia. He knew what she was up to. Shaun was worried he would try to stop them, but he simply watching as Shaun and Saskia slipped from the room together. Shaun looked around and caught sight of a storage closet.
“In here.”
“Ohhh…. I’m intrigued,” Saskia said with a laugh, following Shaun.
The ‘closet’ was more of a utility room, stretching so far back that Shaun wondered where it ended. It was filled with spare furniture in a wide variety of colours and materials. Clearly Dasha’s party reject closet.
Saskia hopped up on a pile of chairs and crossed her legs, showing Shaun that she was wearing a pair of knee length tights beneath her tulle-heavy pink ball gown.
“What’s up, doc?” Saskia asked, then burst into a fit of giggles.
Shaun raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Have you been waiting long with that one?”
“Pretty much since the moment you arrived.”
Shaun smiled at the joke, then grew serious. “I need to know where you got that burner phone from.”
Saskia’s face straightened as well. “I told you, I can’t say.”
“I know you did, and I hate to ask. I know how much of a risk you took getting me the phone.” Shaun paced the room, wondering how to get the information she needed without pushing Saskia into disclosing something she didn’t want to. “Okay, let’s try this another way. You don’t have to tell me who gave you the phone, but can you tell me, is it someone who works here?”
Saskia chewed her lip, thinking about Shaun’s question. She must have decided it wouldn’t hurt to give Shaun what she was asking. “Yeah, I have a friend who works here, for my father. He’d be in really big trouble if it got out that he gave me a burner phone, so I won’t say who he is.”
“I understand,” Shaun reassured her. “You don’t need to say anything else.”
Saskia tilted her head, her sharp gaze on Shaun’s face. “Why are you asking me? Did something happen?”
Now it was Shaun’s turn to decide how much to give the younger woman. She didn’t want Saskia to be left in the dark when she’d gone out on a limb to help Shaun, but she also didn’t want to pull Saskia further into her mess. Finally, Shaun decided that Saskia should be warned.
“Jozef knows about the phone.” When Saskia gasped and looked alarmed, Shaun rushed to reassure the young woman. “He’s not angry, but he did talk to your father and found out the phone was a plant. Krystoff was trying to trap me with that phone call I made.”
Saskia jumped down from the chairs and grabbed Shaun by the arms. “Did you say anything incriminating during the call?”
The line could’ve been part of a bad detective film, yet it was directed at Shaun in earnest because both women knew if Shaun had taken a misstep in her recorded conversation she would be in big trouble. They likely wouldn’t be chatting cozily in a closet together.
Shaun shook her head.
“Thank god.” Saskia released Shaun. She frowned and paced up and down the storage room, her arms crossed over her chest. “It doesn’t make any sense though. The guy who gave me the phone wouldn’t betray me.” Her eyes lifted guiltily to Shaun. She’d said more than she intended to. “He… he cares about me.”