Page 108 of Blood Mosaic

Elene walked across the office and looked over Tatyana’s shoulder. “How many accounts?”

“Five total.” They’d already recovered two of them, and both those accounts had held nearly ten million. “Four in Switzerland.”

Which had some of the best security in the world, meaning Tatyana would never have cracked it without Grimace’s help.

But agreeing to split the commission with him still meant that SMO already owed her over a million dollars.

She keyed in the authentication code for the first Swiss account and almost fell over. “Another eight million.”

“The first of four?” Elene smiled. “I knew it was over thirty million.”

By the time Tatyana had finished and sent statements to Elene, the total of Zara’s theft, not counting the money in real estate, was 42,560,017 Swiss francs.

Over fifty million US dollars.

She was riding back to the hotel in Elene’s car, still in shock.

Elene glanced over as she drove. “We owe you over five million dollars now.”

There were security cars in front of them and behind them, but Elene preferred to drive her own sleek Mercedes sedan. Tatyana was riding in the passenger seat, watching the city go by and wondering how a person’s life could change so much in the space of two months.

Two months. That was all the time that had passed since she’d walked boldly into SMO’s offices and made a deal with a vampire.

“As soon as we submit the paperwork to transfer the money,” Elene continued, “how would you like to be paid? Have you decided? Or would you prefer to let me help you open your own Swiss account now?

“Oh my God.” Tatyana was breathless. Even with Grimace’s cut, she had over three million dollars now. “Um… yes, a Swiss bank account might be helpful.”

Elene smiled. “I have a few connections there. I could probably find a bank that would give you one or two percent interest on an amount like that. You could easily live off the interest when you go back to Sevastopol.”

“Right.” She felt a knot in her chest ease. It was over. It was actually over.

She could have a life again. Her mother would be protected. The farm wouldn’t be in danger from the taxes ever again. She could… She could breathe. For the first time since her grandparents had passed away, Tatyana would be able to breathe.

Elene stopped at the red light behind the guard’s car. “Of course, if you’d be interested in continuing employment with SMO, Iwouldhire you. You’re very talented, Tatyana. Very smart.”

Tatyana looked at Elene’s profile in the red glow from the signal light. “Do you need to ask Oleg?”

Elene scoffed. “I am in charge of the hiring for SMO. Not Oleg.”

Tatyana nodded. What would it mean? She could stay in Odesa. She could… get her own apartment. She could have her own space again.

Your mother.

That was the sticking point, wasn’t it? Her little bubble of hope rose, then sank. That was always the sticking point.

“I’ll think about it,” she told Elene. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” The light changed, and she started into the intersection. “You’d be an asset to?—”

The delivery van came out of nowhere, slamming into the black sedan in front of them and pushing it across the intersection as Elene’s Mercedes slammed into the side.

Airbags exploded; there was a sickening crunch and the sound of gunfire.

Everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Four

There was shouting outside. Mika burst through Oleg’s front door, and his fangs were already bared.

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