Page 89 of Goodnight, Sinners

Now, with Jozef out of town, Havel had decided it was time to have a talk with the accountant. Man to man. As the man who loved Leeza to the man who married her.

He stopped outside the cottage, giving himself one more chance to walk away. Did he have the self-control not to kill Adam Horácek? He was about to find out.

He unlocked the door and let himself in, his hand falling to the butt of his pistol. He didn’t need to worry though; Adam was sitting at his dining room table eating his evening meal.

He looked like the prince of his kingdom, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He was seated at the head of the table, a candelabra lighting the immediate area surrounding his placemat. All other lights had been turned off.

Adam was a weird guy and always had been. He seemed unflappable, even in the direst of circumstances. Though Havel hadn’t interrogated the accountant, Jozef had. He’d sat across from Adam, asking question after question, with Havel translating. Every man in the room had become fatigued by the process, though they knew better than to show their feelings.

Only Jozef and Adam had remained unfazed, each completely focused on the other. Interrogator and prisoner. One wanted information, the other… had no motive that any of them could see.

Except Jozef had a secret weapon, a file detailing Adam’s life from childhood to adulthood, including his marriage to Leeza.

It had been hard to retain an impassive face and a level voice when the subject of Leeza came up during the interrogation. Especially because Jozef was dropping bombs that Havel hadn’t known. Jozef knew that Havel cared about Leeza, but he hadn’t known the depth of their relationship before Adam entered the picture.

When the interrogation had ended, Adam had been allowed to resume his old life in the comfort of his cottage. He would remain under surveillance and his position would be suspended until after Jozef met with the Bratva, since Adam was a Bratva sanctioned accountant and related to one of their top men.

“I was expecting you sooner. Months ago, in fact.”

Adam continued to eat his meal without looking up.

Havel pulled a chair out on the opposite side of the dining table and dropped his heavy frame into it. The chair creaked and then held.

“Why is that?” Havel kept his tone level and his eyes unreadable.

Adam reached for his glass of wine, taking a long sip of the rich liquid.

“You were in love with my wife. I assumed you would want some kind of payback since I stole her from you.” Adam finally lifted his gaze from the table. Havel read triumph there.

Not an ounce of fear. The man was either sociopathic or he somehow thought he could win this confrontation.

Havel laughed coldly. “You don’t know your wife if you think she would allow herself to be stolen.”

A flash of something rippled across Adam’s face before he fought to control his emotions. Havel thought it was anger at being told he didn’t know his wife.

“Yet she still became my wife.”

“Yes,” Havel drawled. “Why is that? What did you say to Krystoff to get him to agree to a merger between his eldest daughter and someone who is so much lower than her?”

Adam didn’t react to the insult. Instead, he picked up his napkin, wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin down. “He was ordered to allow the marriage by Stellan Jovanovich.”

“You’re related the Bratva accountant.”

Adam nodded. “Yes. Stellan is my uncle.”

“Stellan Jovanovich? Well, no shit. Maybe we should give your uncle a call and see if he thinks we should continue to pay for your room and board, or if he’d rather you make a quiet exit from the organization. Word has it, you’ve been an embarrassment to your family.” Of course, Havel already knew about the association. It’d been in the file Jozef found in Krystoff’s things.

Adam’s throat bobbed, giving away his fear for a split second. So, not a sociopath, just a Bratva connected man with some very sick proclivities.

“You can’t kill me,” Adam said quickly.

“Why?” Havel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his biceps.

He was surprised that rage wasn’t making this conversation more difficult. Instead, he felt satisfaction as he played with his food. He might not kill Adam today, but he would eventually. One day. And it was going to be awesome, glorious and satisfying. It would be everything he’d wanted to do to the man since Leeza broke his heart. Every fantasy come to life.

“Jozef won’t allow it.” Adam pushed his chair back and gripped the edge of the table but didn’t rise. “The Bratva won’t allow it.”

“Is that what you think?” Havel chuckled. “One day soon, Jozef will give you to me on a silver platter. And the Bratva? You’ve caused them more problems than you’ve solved.”

---