Page 15 of Goodnight, Sinners
Leeza crouched in the bushes on a rise overlooking her father’s cottage. Her heart was beating faster than a rabbit's after being caught in a snare. Kristoph struggled in her arms and pushed against her shoulder.
“Want down, mama,” he whined.
She loosened her grip but didn’t set him on his feet. Instead, she leaned back so she could see his face. Good, no signs of fear. Their frantic flight from the cottage hadn’t frightened him.
“Shhh, baby,” she whispered. “We must continue our game of pretend. The bad guys are after us and we have to slip through the forest as quiet as we can. Are you going to be our mission commander, or do I need to take charge?”
He grinned at her, his gaze lingering over her shoulder. He rarely made eye contact. “Mission commander!”
“Okay, then you’ll have to be very quiet. We need to go find our ride and get out of here before we’re caught. You’re the boss, Commander. Which way do we go?”
He pointed in the opposite direction of where they needed to go, so Leeza stood and spun on the spot until they were both dizzy and Kristoph was giggling. She wanted to shush him, but she held her admonishment in. They were far enough from the cabin that she was certain Jozef couldn’t hear them. Luckily, he had Shaun in tow and was unlikely to come after them immediately. He wouldn’t want to leave his fiancé alone with Vasiliy, though Leeza’s father wouldn’t touch a hair on her head.
If Jozef brought men with him, that would be a different story. They would easily track Leeza and Kristoph. She hadn’t seen any of his guard when he pulled up next to her car in the clearing. Thank god Vasiliy had cameras and motion sensors all over the area.
They’d been about to settle down for a cup of tea while Kristoph played with his grandfather’s dolls, but the perimeter alert had gone off. When they checked the cameras, they found Jozef and Shaun bent over Leeza’s getaway car.
Leeza hadn’t wanted to leave her father behind, had tried to insist he come with her and Kristoph. Vasiliy had been equally stubborn, insisting that he would stay to distract Jozef so she could get away. If Leeza hadn’t had Kristoph, she would’ve dragged Vasiliy out by his ears.
Instead, she’d been forced to leave him behind. She’d frantically stuffed their things into a backpack and rushed through the tunnel, to her father’s workshop and out through the trapdoor.
Now they were running through the forest in the opposite direction of her car. She would have to leave it behind. Jozef knew what it looked like now. If he had it fingerprinted or tested for DNA, she was fucked. He would connect the dots and realize his cousin, the one he was already gunning for, was also the elusive Phantom. The woman who’d been shadowing his footsteps for years. Learning and waiting until the time was right to seize her own empire and rule her own slice of the underworld.
Chapter Eight
“On the contrary,” the older man interrupted, speaking English with a heavy accent. “I’ve been learning sign language, though I am not fluent yet.” He turned to Shaun and reached a hand out to her. “Dr. Patterson, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Shaun felt instantly at ease, taking Vasiliy’s hand and squeezing, before letting go.
Jozef stepped between them, his expression fierce as he demanded.Who is visiting you?
Vasiliy stared at Jozef for a moment, as if debating his words, then he admitted, “My daughter.”
Jozef’s expression became truly terrifying. Shaun took a step back so he wouldn’t hit her with his rapid signs.Tell me where she is.
Vasiliy shook his head. “She left the moment we realized you were headed here.”
Jozef snarled and grabbed Vasiliy, shoving him backwards into the fence behind him.
“Jozef!” Shaun grabbed his arm. “Stop it.”
To his credit, Vasiliy did nothing to defend himself. Some of his calm must have penetrated Jozef’s anger, because gradually he loosened his hold on Vasiliy and his expression cleared. He let the older man go and stepped back.
“What’s going on?” Shaun asked, a waver in her voice. “Why did we come here if you were just going to threaten this man who I assume is to be our host?”
Jozef turned to her, remorse bright in his eyes.I’m sorry,he signed, then pointed at Vasiliy.His daughter is a danger to us. I shouldn’t have brought you here. We should go.
Shaun sensed that if she weren't there, Jozef would already be running through the forest, tracking Vasiliy’s daughter.
“Of course she’s not a danger to you,” Vasiliy interrupted them, allowing some annoyance to leak into his voice. “If she wanted either of you dead, you’d be dead. Instead, she’s avoided crossing paths with you.”
Because she knows I’ll kill her when I get my hands on her, Jozef countered.
“Stop threatening him,” Shaun snapped at Jozef, losing her patience. “You brought me here for a reason. Right now, the only person who’s acting threatening is you. Enough violence, Jozef. For once, can’t we try to solve a problem without pulling a gun?”
Jozef stared at her, then his lips twitched, and she knew he was amused by her. She jutted her chin out and glared.
“Come inside,” Vasiliy interrupted them. “I have a pot of hot tea steeping. I was going to share it with my daughter, but she had to leave in rather a hurry.”
