Page 4 of Goodnight, Sinners

“Fuck me.” He sounded dazed.

“Shirt, now,” she snapped, pulling her fingers from his.

She grabbed the scissors from the medical kit and began cutting his shirt away. He grunted in pain but twisted his body to help her, his hand firmly over the wound, keeping pressure on it. It wasn’t enough, she could already see blood seeping through the gauze.

She hooked her fingers in the heavy bulletproof vest, releasing the sides and then dragging it over his head.

She helped him lay down, positioning the lamp so it shone directly on the wound.

His eyes rolled up to meet hers as she used the disinfectant on the blade and clamps she’d dug out of the med kit. “If I pass out, you take this gun,” he waved it in the air between them, “And you fucking kill anyone who comes down that hall. You understand.”

She smiled at him. “If you keep being so nice to me, I’ll start to think you like me.”

He shouted in pain, then grit his teeth, as she peeled the bandage back and set to work with her scalpel, making the hole large enough that she could manoeuvre inside the wound.

It took her seconds to find the bleeder and a few more seconds to clamp it. By the time she’d finished, her patient had slipped from consciousness, likely a result of blood loss and pain.

She reached across his prone body and picked up the gun which had landed next to him on the now bloody carpet. She lifted it in one hand and pointed it toward the hallway, her other hand on his neck, keeping tabs on the steady rhythmic beat of his heart.

Chapter Two

Two weeks later

Jozef took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second, pushing his emotions into a tidy box to set aside for the foreseeable future. He wasn’t ready for this day. Hadn’t been ready a week ago when he made arrangements and definitely wasn’t ready now. What he wanted didn’t matter. His life had been one of duty up to this point, and his duties had only increased with the death of his uncle.

Jozef strode around the limousine. Before he could open Shaun’s door, she opened it herself. He thrust a hand toward her, squeezing her slim fingers tighter than normal in his annoyance. He’d told her to stay put until he had a moment to assess their surroundings. Shaun’s thoughts had been so scattered since the night of the attack, he doubted she remembered what he told her.

He didn’t blame her. His thoughts might have been scattered as well over the past few weeks, except he’d had to show fortitude as he managed damage control in his club, took over the entire Koba organization and took his place as a top Vor within the Bratva.

In the two weeks following Krystoff’s death, Jozef had done more for his reputation, holdings and standing within the Bratva, than he’d done in the past several years. Everything hinged on the death of his uncle.

He involuntarily squeezed Shaun’s fingers too hard again, and she looked at him. There was no censure in her eyes, only shock and grief. The same look that had been there since that night in their apartment when everything had gone to hell. The look hadn’t abated and Jozef didn’t have time to deal with it.

His fiancé was traumatized once more, and he didn’t have time to be there for her. The situation made him want to howl at the unfairness, but he had to hold his shit together. Not only were people depending on him, but a loss of control at this crucial point would be very dangerous.

The Bratva would replace him in a heartbeat if they thought he couldn’t manage the Koba organization, Prague, and the surrounding territories.

“Are you okay?” Shaun whispered, her gaze roving over his face and down his body. “You look great.”

For a split second there was a sparkle to her golden eyes. It released the tight knot in his chest. This was one reason he loved Shaun. She was intuitive, knew what to say, and could look past her own trauma to help others.

Jozef gave her a grim smile and tilted his head toward her. He released her hand so he could sign,I would love to say the same, but truthfully, I despise that colour on you. You are too beautiful to wear black. You should be draped in colour.

Her lips tilted up. Not quite a smile, but the closest thing she’d managed in two weeks. She signed back,that’s the sweetest insult I’ve ever received.

Jozef chuckled and gathered her against his chest, kissing her lips. He held her tightly, holding her head to his, her chest to his, her hips to his. He loved feeling her body against his. It grounded him while chaos surrounded them.

She was wearing black heels, a slim fitting black dress and a knee-length black coat. She was bundled for the cool December weather, but looked sophisticated and beautiful. Her heels made her almost the same height as Jozef.

He stepped away from her and linked their hands, guiding Shaun forward. Havel fell into step behind them, while the rest of Jozef’s men followed. Havel had talked to Shaun in the vehicle about what to expect. Jozef wasn’t worried, Shaun was the epitome of grace and poise. She did well under pressure, despite her panic attacks, which had returned.

“Shaun, Jozef.” Fatima joined them from a separate escort.

The night of the attack, Terek had made the life-saving decision to hustle her into her panic room rather than try to sneak her out of the building. As a result, Fatima hadn’t seen even a moment’s action. Jozef had given the man a sizeable bonus for saving the life of his mother-in-law.

Fatima was dressed in black as well, her somber golden eyes searching Jozef’s face. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but something in her expression softened and she gave him a weak smile.

Fatima took Shaun’s other hand.

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