Page 58 of Goodnight, Sinners

Many times,he admitted.

She believed him. He was like a cat, entering a room noiselessly, then watching his prey until he was ready for them to see him. But once his presence was known, he filled a room with his energy. It was a strange phenomenon. He was larger than life. A man who didn’t need to use his voice to make his presence count.

I should put a bell on you.

His shoulders shook with laughter,my men wouldn’t know what to do if I walked around with a bell all day.

They smiled at each other until the seriousness of what had occurred inside the shed infiltrated their moment.

Shaun licked her lips and hesitated over what she wanted to ask him. She loved these moments, when they were together, alone and intimate, the two of them in a bubble. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she needed to know.

What did you do with A-D-A-M?

His response was quick, telling her he knew she would ask.

He’s fine.

When she opened her mouth to ask him to define ‘fine’, he held a hand up.

I didn’t touch him. I interrogated him, but the man knows nothing. He doesn’t know where my aunt or cousin are. When he realized the family was under attack, he gathered as much food as he could carry and closeted himself in the cottage’s panic room. He hadn’t left since until you scared him out.

How do you know he’s telling the truth?Shaun was curious about the interrogation. How did Jozef extract information when he needed it?

Jozef snickered, flashing a boyish smile.I know.

She frowned.You said you didn’t torture him.

I didn’t.Apparently seeing the direction of her thoughts, he frowned severely.My men didn’t touch him either. You will not disbelieve me when I tell you something.

Shaun laughed out loud, despite her concern for Leeza’s husband. “You can’t stop me from having thoughts, Jozef.”

He placed both of his hands on the armchair and pushed himself up, uncoiling from his deceptively relaxed position. Fitzy grumbled, stretched, and sauntered away. After the explosions in their apartment, Fitzy had grown more attached to Jozef. Shaun wasn’t sure why, but she was happy to see her future husband and cat getting along.

As Jozef stepped toward her, he signed, his movements slow, so she wouldn’t miss a single one.You won’t doubt me because I won’t allow it.

He dropped to his knees in front of her.

“Dictator,” she whispered, but her smile took the sting from the word.

He leaned forward and kissed her, taking her lips in a bone melting kiss. He lingered but didn’t push for more. This was one thing she adored about him. He never stopped kissing her.

In her other relationships, once sex was on the table, kissing and making out fell to the wayside. For Jozef, the kisses were essential. He took them at every opportunity, no matter where they were or who was looking. For him, the kissing didn’t lead to sex. It was an intimacy between them he kept alive.

When he leaned back, she signed,so how did you get him to confess?

He flashed her a grin and held up his hand. There was a poorly taped bandage on his palm.

“What happened?” she demanded, grabbing his hand and pulling it into her lap.

She peeled back the bandage and found a cut about an inch long. It was deep enough that it had bled, but it wasn’t bad enough that it needed suturing. She looked up at him, bewildered.

He tugged his hand away, re-taping the bandage.

A-D-A-M is sickened by the sight of blood. He damn near fainted when I cut myself. That was all it took to get him to tell us everything he knows, which unfortunately isn’t much.

“Hemophobia,” Shaun murmured, then shook her head in disapproval. “It’s not nice to use a person’s fears against them.”

Jozef shrugged.Better than torture.

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