Page 57 of Goodnight, Sinners

Shaun nodded, then stood, her hand on the wall for support.

Jozef slipped an arm around her, steadying her. She tipped her head back and stared at him, registering the determination, the truth of what he said in his eyes. He meant every word.

“Okay,” she whispered, then stepped back. She turned away from him and left the shed, taking peace in the sunshine flooding the rose garden and lighting the stone path.

Cooper came up alongside her and together they walked silently back to the house.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Shaun didn’t know what to do with herself once she got up to the house. She felt restless and uncomfortable in her own skin. She hated knowing what was probably happening down at the shed. It helped to know that Jozef was going to do what he wanted to do, regardless of what she wanted.

She searched for their cook, Sona, in the kitchen to go over the week’s menu, but found a note saying the other woman had gone grocery shopping.

She tried knocking on Saskia’s door, but the younger woman yelled for her to go away. Shaun understood why Saskia was angry, but she hoped the other woman wouldn’t hold a grudge. She was one of Shaun’s few friends in Prague. Plus, Shaun suspected Saskia’s grudges could become painful, depending on how she directed her energy.

“Are we done pacing the mansion?” Cooper asked drily, trailing Shaun from room to room.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Just for that, I should make you do laps around the grounds.”

He flashed her a grin. “You’ll be coming too.”

Shaun decided to spend some time alone with her cat. He spent most of his time in their suite, though he was allowed the run of the mansion. He hadn’t quite gotten brave enough to go exploring yet. Shaun was okay with his timidity. She didn’t trust the house guards not to let him outside, and she would be devastated if he disappeared or got hit by a car.

“Fitzy.” She bent down to scoop up the cat who met her at the door.

He vocally let her know how much he didn’t appreciate spending all day alone, then shoved a paw in her throat, insisting she put him down. She laughed and set him back on his feet, where he proceeded to follow her into the bedroom, treating her to a meowing diatribe.

She lay down on the bed and patted the covers, encouraging him to jump up. After a few seconds' hesitation, he jumped and made his way over to her, rolling onto his back so she could pet his chubby belly.

“How is life, little man?”

He purred in contentment, kneading the air with his paws.

“Not too bad in this giant mausoleum, is it?” Shaun glanced around her bedroom.

It was growing on her. She still hated knowing it had once belonged to Jozef’s aunt and uncle, but their ghosts were fading. She pulled her phone from her pocket and tried calling her mother, but there was no answer. She wondered what Fatima was up to and decided to try again later.

She sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. These were the moments she hated, had always hated. She didn’t enjoy being alone with her thoughts. She’d never really been a Zen kind of person. She liked to move, to work, to keep busy.

After a few minutes she stood and went back into the sitting room, pulling her binder from its cubbyhole under the coffee table. Fitzy jumped up on the couch beside her, making himself comfortable against her thigh. She curled her legs beneath her and allowed her work to consume her. She read through the step-by-step procedure for her upcoming surgery and referenced the works of several other professionals to make sure she was on the right track. The surgery itself wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was complex. The type of surgery other surgeons would refuse to do because the odds of fatality were too high. Shaun enjoyed the challenge. She tried not to let worry over fatality rates stop her from taking on difficult operations.

She wasn’t sure how long she poured over the documents but when she looked up the shadows in the room had lengthened and Jozef was sitting in the armchair across from her, his leg crossed over the other at the knee, his elbow on the armrest and his chin in his hand. Fitzy was curled on top of his foot, snoozing on the floor.

Jozef looked serious, but relaxed.

When she first caught sight of him, she yelped, dropped her binder and grabbed her throat.

He chuckled.

“Don’t do that!” she said accusingly.

Don’t do what?he asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him.Don’t scare the life out of me. Make yourself known next time you want to hang out.

He shook his head.I enjoy watching you.

She glared at him, but her lips twitched in amusement.You’ve done this before?

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