Jozef opened the door and indicated that Shaun should step through. She did as he asked and quickly stepped away from him. She opened her mouth to thank him for showing her to the guest room, but he stepped in with her, then closed and locked the door behind them. She turned warily as he strode across the room, dragging his leather jacket from his shoulders as he walked. He tossed the jacket on a chair and reached for the buttons on his shirt. It was becoming rapidly clear that they were not in a guest room, as she had thought, but in Jozef's room. A king-size bed occupied the space in front of a large stone fireplace, which was glowing brightly in the cool evening air. Someone had lit a fire in anticipation of Jozef's arrival. There was also a large battered leather chair, a small plush couch, a chest of drawers and a wardrobe in the room. Against the wall was a bookshelf, stuffed full, with several books tossed haphazardly on top. Though the room itself was large, it

Shaun stretched, luxuriating in the feel of soft blankets and silky sheets. She rolled onto her side and curled up, rubbing her cheek against the smooth fabric of the pillow. A delicious scent teased her nose. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it. She buried her head in the pillow and breathed in. It was a masculine scent, like natural body odour mixed with something spicy and leather. It was nice. She frowned. Had she brought a guy home the night before? Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp, staring around in consternation. The light filtering through the curtain-covered windows was dim, and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She was not in her small room with her lumpy bed in Luhansk. The events of the day before rushed at her in flashes. She pressed her spine against the headboard and covered her face with her hands. What had she gotten herself into? Her mother warned her that something might happen if she continued to work wi

Shaun stood quietly and watched while preparations were made for the shopping trip. She was surprised at how long it took and how much was involved in the planning. Jozef had lined up the five guards who would be accompanying the women and was lecturing them, his hand signals rapid and smooth. Once again, she marvelled at his lack of expression. It was so unusual to see someone use sign language without involving facial expressions. At first, Shaun tried to follow what he was saying. He was instructing them on things like checking the vehicles before entering, making sure all exits were covered, and making sure each woman was accompanied by at least one guard, with three guards for Shaun. She was not allowed out of their sight for any reason, except to go into a change room without an exit. His movements were so rapid that she quickly grew tired of watching. The group was standing in the lobby of the mansion, next to the large double doors. Dasha was talking quietly with

"Saty is here," Krystoff said, flicking the ash from his cigar into an ashtray. Technically the club was non-smoking, but the rules didn't apply to the club owners. "I truly despise that little weasel." Jozef followed Krystoff's line of sight, his own gaze settling on a short, stocky man who was speaking to a muscular bouncer. Saty looked around, caught sight of Jozef, Krystoff, and Havel in the VIP section and began making his way to the back of the club. Jozef stiffened as the man approached. "Krystoff, my friend." Saty greeted the men heartily. "Good to see you alive and well." There was a pregnant pause before Krystoff drawled, "Is there a reason you should not be seeing me alive and well?" Saty looked uncomfortable and glanced around, likely taking stock of Krystoff's manpower if it came down to a fight. Though there were few people on the floor of the club, as it was only early afternoon, Krystoff had men at every entrance. His usual precaution

Jozef stared down at her, blinking until he was able to focus on her hands. She was saying, I don't want to die, over and over. He'd had tunnel vision when he'd entered the room. From the moment Karl had told him of her escape attempt, all he'd been able to think about was getting to her, setting eyes on her. He didn't know why, but he needed to make sure she was real and still under his care. Once he saw that she was safe, the fury had set in. Like an inferno raging through his body, he hadn't been able to douse the flames of his anger. He wanted to take hold of her, shake her, demand she tell him why she wanted to escape. He knew exactly why she would want to leave. He'd be deeply surprised if she actually wanted to stay. She was everything he was not. Her life was so different from his that they never would have met in the normal course of things. Yet, Jozef had found her and taken her; now she belonged to him. He wasn't going to kill her. After that moment in