A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire Nikita Slater (smart books to read .txt) 📖

“Yes!” Her heart sped up in anticipation as she realized she could talk shop with Jozef. There were very few people in her life who weren’t colleagues who understood the complexity of her work. Her father had been one, which made his death that much more of a blow. “I’m trying to figure out how to remove the harder to reach tumors using this non-invasive technique. It’s not possible with the current technology available, but one day it will be.”

Someone will weaponize the technology first.

You’re not wrong. Shaun switched to sign language. But if a medical professional is able to build the technology first, then maybe we can keep it out of the hands of the people who would weaponize it.

Not if I get my hands on it first, Jozef signed with a snicker.

Shaun laughed out loud and smacked his leg.

Together they went through the box, discussing her papers in detail. She discovered that the markings in the margins were questions Jozef had. He asked many of them while they sat on the floor together, clearly enjoying that they could share something of this depth and complexity.

Shaun realized that Jozef was an impossible man not to love. He put so much of himself into loving her that she couldn’t resist, even if she wanted to. And it was time to admit that no part of her wanted to resist him anymore.

She stared at him as he continued to flip through the papers and books like an excited schoolboy showing off his homework.

“Jozef.” He looked up at her. “I love you.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jozef’s revelation was a turning point in Shaun’s thinking toward him and the life he led. If he was willing to put so much effort into understanding the things that Shaun loved and had worked so hard to achieve, then she could bend enough to try to understand his world.

It had taken some convincing, but she’d finally talked Karl into spending some time with her in the apartment. He was the only mobster on the premises she saw on a regular basis who was somewhat friendly toward her. Except for Jozef, of course, and he was too busy to help her.

“Would you like coffee or tea?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Karl, who stood in her living room looking like he was about to be shot for the infraction of spending time alone with the boss’s woman.

Shaun had cleared it with Jozef first. She hadn’t told him exactly why she wanted to spend time with Karl, just assured him that her intentions were entirely innocent. She’d been surprised when the usually hyper-possessive Jozef had allowed it without argument. Maybe he thought Karl was too old for Shaun? Karl couldn’t be more than 50, so she didn’t think so. She was 35. It wasn’t an insurmountable age gap.

She wasn’t interested in Karl though, and beyond the job, he didn’t seem interested in Shaun either.

“Coffee,” he said gruffly. “Black.”

Shaun brewed a single cup of coffee with the shiny new Keurig upgrade she’d ordered, taking a page from her mother’s book and spending some of Jozef’s money. She set the steaming cup on a coaster on the coffee table and curled up on the far end of the couch, holding one of the pillows against her stomach.

Karl continued to stand, his arms hanging at his sides, his expression clearly saying he’d rather be anywhere than in her apartment.

“You can sit down.” She tried to keep the humour from her voice.

He looked at the couch where she was pointing and moved to sit on one of the sofa chairs instead.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked warily. “Your mother?”

She frowned. “No… what about my mother?”

“Uh, nothing,” he said quickly, clearing his throat and looking away.

“I’m not sure if you know how women work, but you can’t say something like that and expect that I’ll let it go.” She watched shrewdly as his face became flushed. “Do you have a crush on my mom?”

“No,” he denied quickly, his flush crawling down his throat. Then he sheepishly admitted, “Okay, yes. She’s a beautiful woman, but I don’t have any expectations from that quarter.”

Shaun couldn’t help herself, she grinned. “You like my mom. That’s so… so… kind of awesome.”

“You can keep it to yourself,” he said gruffly, scowling at the floor.

“Of course,” Shaun said solemnly, then added, “She likes movies. She’s a big-time classic movie buff; her favourite is Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She loves gardening too. I’m pretty sure that’s what she’ll miss most about living in an apartment. You could buy her a plant if you wanted to get your foot in the door.”

Though his scowl deepened, he seemed to be absorbing what she was telling him.

Shaun thought it would be best to let the topic go before Karl became too uncomfortable and left before she got what she needed out of him.

“I want you to tell me what Jozef does,” she started. At his blank look she added, “I want to get to know him better and his lifestyle is completely foreign to mine. I guess what I’m looking for is some kind of bridge to understanding why Jozef does the things he does.”

Karl looked thoughtful and then shook his head. “You won’t like it.”

“How do you know?” she challenged.

He gave her a skeptical look.

“Okay,” she admitted. “I probably won’t but I need to start somewhere.”

“May I ask why the sudden interest in Jozef’s work?”

Shaun nodded but hesitated before speaking.

“I guess there are a few reasons. I want to get to know and understand what Jozef does, especially if this is the life I’ll be living with him. I need to know what the risks are.” She stopped speaking, trying to find the words to explain what she wanted. “Jozef loves me wholeheartedly and puts in the effort to show me that love. I suppose I want to return the favour.”

Her gaze drifted back to Karl and she almost laughed out loud at