A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire by Nikita Slater (world best books to read .TXT) 📕

testifying against Jozef. A question that hadn’t ever really been a question. She couldn’t do it. She’d been a mess after her ordeal and weak from the poisoning. With every passing second, her confused and bruised heart had called out for him. She’d kept it to herself, but the emotional pain had been as real as the physical pain she’d went through. The authorities clearly had a plan when it came to Jozef, one that hadn’t required her presence. They weren’t upset about her departure from the Czech Republic.

“I’m tired.” She didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until Jozef touched her arm, wrapping his long fingers around her elbow. He pointed toward a door that she assumed led to the bedroom.

“It is your room or mine?” she asked, smothering a yawn.

Jozef gave her an impatient look and dropped his hand so he could make his position, and hers, abundantly clear.

You sleep in my bed. You will always sleep with me unless I’m away.

Shaun really wasn’t in the mood for an argument. She was tired, she was hungry, her clothes were rumpled and smelled like body odor and antiseptic. Her hair had become an unholy mess during the hospital struggle and her restless napping on the airplane. But, if she didn’t stand up for herself now, she would lose out in the future. She couldn’t allow Jozef to assume he could kidnap her, AGAIN, and that she would fall in line with his plans.

“No.” Her voice was clear and final.

Jozef raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

Why? He demanded. We’ve already been together. There’s no reason for you to sleep anywhere else.

His response was so typically Jozef that she almost laughed out loud. Was he serious? Just because they’d already slept together, didn’t mean she planned on doing it now. He needed a lesson in women’s rights. Then again, kidnapping was definitely a no-no when it came to feminism, or really any other kind of movement, so she was pretty sure he wasn’t going to listen.

“I’ll take the couch,” she said insistently, walking around Jozef and heading toward the couch. “I’ll need a T-shirt. I’ve been in these scrubs for nearly 24 hours.”

He grunted, but instead of responding, strode to where she was standing next to the couch. He bent over, gripped her around the knees, and stood, tossing her over his shoulder. Her stomach hit his shoulder blade, driving the air from her lungs and turning her shriek into a squeak.

He walked with her into the bedroom, flicking the light on as he walked past the switch.

Shaun was about to start wailing and beating him with her fists when he dragged her off his shoulder and threw her on the bed like she was a handful of feathers. It was a testament to his strength that he could toss her around so easily.

She pushed herself up with her hands and glared at Jozef’s back while he rummaged through the drawer of a big beautiful old wooden wardrobe. He flung a T-shirt over his shoulder.

Shaun caught it and held it against her chest. She thought about arguing, about getting off the bed and leaving the room, despite Jozef’s declaration that she would sleep with him. She also knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. If she kicked up a fuss, he might eventually give in.

She didn’t argue though. The soft cushioning of the bed beneath her butt and the smooth, silky softness of his comforter made her want to lay down and rub her cheek against the fabric until she fell into a deep sleep.

“This isn’t over.” She glared at Jozef, pulling herself toward the side of the bed and standing. She glanced around and headed toward a door that she hoped led to a washroom.

She half expected Jozef to stop her, to insist she change in front of him, but he let her go, his sharp eyes following her as she opened the door and slipped into the dark washroom. She closed the door behind herself and breathed a sigh of relief, reaching for the light.

She blinked and looked around, both shocked by the opulence of the room and unsurprised. The amount of money in the Koba family, and she suspected with Jozef himself, took everything to the next level.

The washroom was spacious and filled with modern glass amenities. Unlike the mansion, where everything had been classy and smooth, this room was all angles and modern styling. Even the huge bathtub was made out of thick frosted glass with a slight blue sheen to it. A glass-walled shower stood next to it with multiple shower heads. The vanity sink, which sat on the white marble vanity was made out of the same kind of frosted glass. The oddly angled mirror was backlit by blue light, which gave the whole room a soft glow.

Instead of flowers, there was a tall vase filled with blue and clear crystals sitting on the floor next to the vanity. The towels were big, fluffy and white. She rubbed one against her cheek, the longing for a shower pulling at her. She resisted the urge, her exhaustion beating out her desire to feel clean.

Shaun quickly pulled off her scrubs and changed into Jozef’s oversized white T-shirt. It contrasted vividly with her skin and she blushed when she looked down and realized her dark nipples were easily visible through the fabric.

She crossed her arms over her chest and re-entered the bedroom. She stopped, standing in the doorway and squinting into the gloom.

Jozef had turned out the light. She was about to call out to him, tell him to turn the light back on, when a hand reached for her in the darkness.

Jozef stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of her, his beautiful face thrown into sharp relief from the dim streetlights filtering in through the windows. His cheekbones stood out in jagged edges and his nose was a long, thin blade. He’d never been more handsome or more