Page 20 of Goodnight, Sinners

There was a child from the union with my aunt, wasn’t there?Jozef asked.

Vasiliy nodded, watching Jozef expectantly, without adding more to his story. He didn’t need to. Jozef could do the math on his own.

To be sure he was correct, Jozef signed,L-E-E-Z-A is your daughter?

“Yes,” Vasiliy confirmed, then waited as Jozef reached the next conclusion.

Leeza was the Phantom.

Chapter Ten

Jozef was stunned by the news that Leeza was not only Vasiliy’s biological daughter, but she was also the elusive Phantom. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Leeza had become secretive over the years. She used to be outgoing, caring, fun. But since her marriage she’d become withdrawn, impatient, unfeeling.

Jozef stared at Vasiliy.

He had to make some decisions and Vasiliy wouldn’t like any of them.

Why did you tell me this?Jozef asked.

He almost wished Vasiliy had kept the information to himself. Though Jozef had ordered his cousin’s death, it didn’t sit well with him. When Leeza escaped with her son, Jozef had been relieved. He could let her go; let her live her life somewhere else, away from the mafia world they grew up in.

Now, Jozef was faced with a much worse scenario. Leeza had been building her own empire, her own army over the years, using her biological father’s resources. Jozef couldn’t allow her to live. She was more of a threat to him than ever.

Vasiliy watched Jozef work through his thoughts and emotions. When Jozef finally looked him in the eye, Vasiliy spoke, but instead of answering Jozef’s question, he asked one of his own. “Why did you come here?”

Jozef wanted to rage at Vasiliy, demand his answers, kill him on the spot. His upbringing, his training, was clashing with the man he’d become in the past year, outside of the Koba influence. It confused him, made him feel off-balance. His legendary calm, his ability to assess all situations and see a way through was failing him. Everything was murky when it should be clear. He felt lost, felt like a failure.

He couldn’t keep Shaun happy. Had traumatized her yet again with his family and his way of life.

Why had he come to Vasiliy?

Their last meeting should have been the last time they saw each other. Jozef had spared Vasiliy’s life, and in return the old man was supposed to remain in hiding, away from the politics and power of the Bratva influence.

Vasiliy had done his part. The only thing he was guilty of was omitting the truth of who his daughter was.

Finally, after a few minutes of introspection, Jozef told Vasiliy the truth.You got out. You forged a life away from the mafia, the life you were born into.

Vasiliy watched Jozef, his expression sad. Jozef could’ve hated Vasiliy if he’d looked at him with pity or knowing arrogance. Instead, he looked at Jozef with compassion. A compassion he sorely needed.

“This life destroys our children, Jozef,” Vasiliy said heavily. “They’re raised with the privileges of the mafia, but it’s not a happy life. All the power and money in the world won’t buy what you’re missing. You’ve just taken on an enormous burden by taking over the Koba holdings. You need allies, the right kind, to have your back.”

Jozef nodded his agreement. He’d been raised to become the family guard dog. The position had held pride and power, but it hadn’t fulfilled him. He’d created his own team, a brotherhood, in search of whatever elusive thing he’d been missing. While his men were like family, they never quite filled in the missing piece. Not until he met Shaun.

As if reading Jozef’s mind, Vasiliy said, “She loves you, the same as your family did. The difference is, she also cares about you. She loves you deeply, not because of what you do, but in spite of it.”

Jozef’s heart was pounding and his eyes burned. He should hate Vasiliy, the failed mobster who was lecturing him on what he needed in life, but he knew better. This was why he had come. He needed to see another way to live, make some decisions.

Jozef stood and looked steadily at Vasiliy before signing,thank you for being so forthcoming, as well as accommodating my wife and myself. We appreciate your hospitality. I will take all that you have told me into consideration before making any decisions about your daughter.

Without waiting for a reply from Vasiliy, Jozef strode away from the other man, through the makeshift tunnel and back into the house. He slipped quietly into the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Shaun.

He looked down at her face, which was bathed in the moonlight pushing its way through the crack in the curtain. She looked peaceful, much more so than she had since their lives exploded all around them. Her mouth was open slightly and she was breathing heavily, one arm flung over her head while the other was curled against her neck.

Jozef wanted to give her the world, because she deserved the world, but what kind of world did she want to live in? What kind of world was best for her?

Jozef curled on his side on top of the blanket, facing her so he could watch her as he drifted into sleep. For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep with his back to the door.

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