Page 21 of Goodnight, Sinners

They stayed with Vasiliy for two-and-a-half days. Jozef had only intended to stay for one, but the peace Shaun was finding in spending time in the cottage, the woods and with Vasiliy was worth the extra days. She slept without nightmares, heartily ate whatever food Vasiliy put in front of her, and smiled more than Jozef had seen her smile in months.

The time spent with Vasiliy was good for Jozef as well. Though Jozef knew he had to get back, that the Bratva were watching him carefully, waiting for him to misstep, he couldn’t bring himself to regret their impromptu vacation. The problems of his new empire melted away and he was able to spend time in his own head without the clutter of a lifetime of responsibility.

It was their last day with Vasiliy. They would walk out of the woods in a few hours, timing their departure with the setting of the sun. They would have daylight until they reached their car and made their way back to the highway. Jozef would have to drive through the night, while Shaun slept in the passenger seat, but it was worth giving her as much time as he could in the peaceful setting.

She was on her hands and knees next to Vasiliy, pulling weeds from his small garden with a trowel. It was winter, and the air was chill, but Shaun was determined to spend as much time outdoors as she could. Once they finished clearing the patch they were working on, Vasiliy would insist on filling Shaun with cider and cookies until she was warm and pleasantly stuffed.

Vasiliy laughed loudly at whatever Shaun had said to him, and she grinned at him. She was telling him an anecdote about her mother’s garden in Montreal. Something about Fitzy chasing a squirrel through it and breaking every sunflower stem as his chubby body smacked them on the way by.

She glanced over her shoulder at Jozef, her dark eyes dancing. His lips quirked and he winked at her. She looked startled and laughed. He supposed it was the first time she was seeing him so carefree.

After they shared cider and snacks with Vasiliy, it was time to go. Shaun hugged the older man tightly, murmuring her thanks to him for his hospitality. He patted her back and told her to come back any time, with or without Jozef.

Jozef didn’t comment. There was no chance Shaun would travel anywhere without him, let alone through a forest to meet a retired mobster.

Jozef was startled when Vasiliy reached out to grip his shoulders, then pulled him in for a hug. He stood with his arms dangling at his sides as Vasiliy held him.

Outside of Shaun, it was rare for anyone to touch Jozef. The embrace was uncomfortable, but not terrible. Finally, he lifted his arms and thumped Vasiliy’s back before stepping quickly away.

Before Jozef could fully extricate himself from the hug, Vasiliy took him by the shoulder and said seriously, “You will find your path, son. You’re a strong man. Your parents would be proud.”

Jozef nodded and glanced away, catching Shaun’s gaze. She took his hand and squeezed.

They left Vasiliy and the cottage behind and made their way back through the woods. The setting sun lit the surrounding forest, turning the bed of leaves beneath their feet into an array of bright yellows, greens and reds. Shaun reached down to pick up an oak tree leaf and held it against her nose, inhaling.

When they reached the car, they discovered a gift sitting in the passenger seat. Jozef frowned. The car had been locked and the area was crawling with his men.

The car also had an alarm that would send an alert to his phone if it’d been broken into. Whoever left the small gift-wrapped package had used keys to get inside; Jozef’s keys.

It had to be Vasiliy.

Jozef unlocked the Buggati and reached inside, picking up the package.

“What’s that?” Shaun asked curiously, peeking over Jozef’s shoulder.

He shook his head.

The old man was enigmatic. Caring, but crafty. Whatever Jozef was holding was a message. The placement had been carefully orchestrated to show Jozef that Vasiliy might seem innocuous, but the retired mobster still had some tricks up his sleeve.

“Is it safe to open?”

Though it saddened him that because of his lifestyle Shaun had to think in terms of what was safe and what was not, he was proud of her for asking instead of simply reacting to a gift.

He thought about it and then nodded, handing the package to her. The placement of the package was a somewhat sinister message to Jozef, but if Vasiliy had wanted to hurt them, he’d had two-and-a-half days to do it.

Shaun tore the wrapping paper, revealing a wooden box, about a foot long and half a foot wide. Jozef suspected he knew what was inside, and Shaun’s sharp intake of breath, along with her exclamation, “It’s so beautiful!” told him he was correct.

Jozef looked down at the open box. Nestled in a bed of red velvet was a doll. It was rounded with the traditional shape of Russian nesting dolls. The body was painted in a red and white dress with brown clog shoes. Its face was a deep mahogany with lighter brown circles painted on the cheeks. It had beautiful chocolate brown eyes. The curly hair was created with short black swirls, outlined in white to make them seem almost real.

Despite the doll being a caricature, it looked remarkably similar to Shaun.

She set the wooden box down on the hood of the Bugatti.

Jozef wondered if Havel was watching them. He would be appalled that Shaun was using the hood of Jozef’s high-end car as a table. Jozef didn’t care. He’d buy a new one if she scratched it. He’d rather buy a thousand cars than say anything to wipe the expression of wonder from her face as she lifted the top from the first nesting doll to reveal the one beneath.

Shaun laughed out loud and pointed at the face. The second doll looked very much like the first, but this one was wearing a dress of blue instead of red, and one of its eyes was closed in a mischievous wink.

Shaun lifted the next doll, revealing the last one. Both eyes were half lowered, and it was wearing a white lab coat. Shaun laughed when she noticed a stethoscope around the doll’s neck and hugged it to her chest.

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