Page 32 of Blood Mosaic

“It’s been a pleasure to serve you.” The old steward nodded kindly. “Miss Beridze said we will see you again to take you back to Odesa when everything has been arranged here, and we look forward to that.”

It would be easy—so, so easy—to accept all this without question, but Tatyana had questions. So many. “How long have you worked for Mr. Sokolov?”

“I’ve worked for SMO for nearly forty years.” His blue eyes crinkled at the corners. “As you can imagine, I have seen many changes during that time.”

“Forty years?”

“Mm-hmm.” Roman picked up the damp towel with a pair of gold tongs and stood. “They will roll the stairs to the door soon,” he said. “You will be with a driver named Kiril. Please follow allhis directions. He already has your address and he will get you home.”

Tatyana stood and registered faint shouting from outside the plane, but it didn’t sound dangerous. She suspected it was just loud outside.

Roman began to retrieve all her luggage and place it by the door. “Kiril will transport your bags, but I understand you will hold on to your computer bag yourself. Is that correct?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Roman smiled and waited with her as the door opened and the roar of military jets filled the air. “I will see you next time, Miss Vorona.”

“Please call me Tatyana.”

She couldn’t hear how he responded as she was swept off the plane and into the long shadows of the afternoon sun, hustled toward a black car, and quickly shuffled inside.

Moments later the doors shut and everything went quiet again.

She couldn’t see her driver through the black divider in the front of the car, but she recognized the streets they were driving a few minutes later, even through the near-black windows of the luxury sedan.

Eventually they turned onto the rutted street north of downtown where Tatyana and her mother lived in a three-story house that had been divided into three flats with generous balconies that looked over the ocean when the sky was clear.

She tapped on the divider and it rolled down. “This is fine. You can drop me off here.”

“I’ve been instructed to take you to your front door and help you with your luggage, Ms. Vorona.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered before she sighed. “Fine, but my mother is going to interrogate you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As soon as they pulled onto the street, Tatyana saw curious eyes peering out.

It was a perfectly nice, perfectly safe neighborhood of middle-class retirees and civil servants like her mother. Nothing was too run-down. Nothing was too fancy. Walled compounds were common, but there were still a few brightly painted summerhouses with metal roofs and large gardens with fruit trees in the yards.

Kiril opened her door before he went to the back of the car and retrieved her two suitcases.

“We’re on the third floor.” She pointed to the tall building painted an optimistic yellow. “Stairs are on the left, so you can?—”

“Tatyana Vorona.” The grating sound of Mrs. Lipovsky’s voice stopped Tatyana in her tracks. “Your birds are shitting in my fruit trees again.”

She sighed and turned to the middle-aged woman who lived on the ground floor. “I’m really not sure how you know that it is our birds who are shitting, Mrs. Lipovsky. Unlike the government, we don’t control the airspace.”

Kiril snorted and started up the stairs as Mrs. Lipovsky looked her up and down.

“Did you get a new boyfriend?” Her smile was twisted. “He looks rich.”

“I have a new job.” Tatyana turned to go. “Have a good afternoon.”

The woman grumbled something about Tatyana’s mother before she turned to go inside. Kiril was already at the top of the stairs and waited for her.

Tatyana opened the door and immediately called out, “Mama?”

The house was so neat you could eat dinner on the floor, but her mother was nowhere to be found. Still, the old car wassitting in their spot and the house smelled of pork cutlet and her grandmother’s gravy. Anna was definitely at home.

She turned to Kiril as he set down her suitcase. “Thank you. I don’t know if I’m supposed to tip you.”

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