Page 41 of Blood Mosaic

“How much?” Zara said.

“Just under one percent. I’ve programmed it to choose randomly between point seven and point nine percent so nothing will seem too regular. And unless someone at your father’s company is checking every line in the receivables, it’s not going to be enough to notice.”

Zara squeezed the back of her neck and straightened up. “You’re brilliant.”

“I’m really not.” She watched the code running and let out a deep breath. “I’m just a bookkeeper.”

“You’re a whistleblower,” Zara said. “When we go to the authorities?—”

“Are you going to have to tell them it was me?” Tatyana spun in her chair. “I don’t want… I don’t think I want the police knowing it was me unless they really have to.”

“I’m not sure.” Zara sat on the small futon on the other side of Tatyana’s home office, and her eyes were wide. “I’ve neverdone anything like this before either. I don’t even know how much evidence they’re going to need.”

“What if you go to them now?” Tatyana asked. “Maybe there’s a way that you could meet with them and they could tell you what kind of paperwork or documents they might need to?—”

“And chance Oleg finding out?” Zara shook her head. “He has people everywhere. Like I told you, all the people originally hired at ZOL were hired by his staff.” She huffed out a breath. “I don’t even know why he gave all this to me. I’m starting to think he’s trying to set me up to get arrested or something.”

“Why?” Tatyana’s eyes went wide. “Your think your own father would try to set you up?”

“He can be very… practical.” Zara’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “And cruel. He hasn’t been the same since Luana died.”

“Is that your mother?”

Zara cut her eyes to Tatyana. “Luana wasnotmy mother.” Her gaze turned to the dark window where the yellow glow from the streetlamp illuminated the cobbled street. “Luana was his wife though. We were close. She loved me.” Zara’s eyes turned a little bit pink. “I think she loved me more than she loved Oleg, and he’s never forgiven me for that.”

“I’m sorry.” Tatyana swallowed the lump in her throat. “My father… My mother thinks he disappeared, but he didn’t. He found me when I was at university, and he started emailing me. He tries to pretend he’s interested in my life, that he wants to have a relationship, but I think he just wants money. He emailed me right after my grandparents died and was asking all these questions about their property.”

“That’s your mother’s country house, right?”

Tatyana nodded. “It’s just a farm. There’s actually quite a lot of property, and it’s very near to the sea. So there are developers who have wanted to buy it over the years.” Tatyana shook herhead. “My mother would never sell. She’s really only happy when she’s there.”

There was a clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen down the hallway, and Zara turned her head. “Why is she in the city then? She’s retired, isn’t she?”

Her lip was curled in disdain, and Tatyana had that random thought burst into her mind again. You’re a bad person.

She blinked and turned back to the computer. “She knows I need to work. I already moved back so she wouldn’t be alone, but there’s nothing in the country. The house doesn’t even have a phone line. Definitely no internet. I wouldn’t be able to work anywhere but as a server at a tourist hotel.”

“Hmm.”

Tatyana glanced over her shoulder. Zara was staring out the window again, looking bored. The woman was strange, but Tatyana tried not to judge her too harshly. Everything Zara was trying to do was honorable, so why did she make Tatyana’s hair stand on end?

At first she’d been dazzled by Zara’s laughter and quick wit. Her passion for discovering what he father was up to. Tatyana had been swept up with the idea of being a secret superhero, fighting crime with her computer and accounting skills. It was so much more exciting than keeping books for a shipping company.

But the more time she spent with Zara, the more she realized that—while their project was noble—Zara was just not a very good person.

She was spoiled and selfish. She wasn’t kind to people and she was rabidly judgmental, writing off anyone who offended her with embarrassing swiftness.

People don’t have tobegood to do good things.

“You look stressed again.” Zara jumped to her feet and came over to rub Tatyana’s neck. “Relax. We’re doing the right thing. You’re not going to get into trouble. I promise.”

Anna was staringout the window at the black car that had just pulled up next to the house. “Are you in trouble?”

Tatyana glanced out the window and saw Oleg Sokolov looking up. He was wearing a black overcoat, and his piercing grey eyes found Tatyana’s before she could hide from his view.

I am in so much trouble.

“It’s my boss.” Tatyana spun around. “Why is he coming herenow? I was waiting all day.” Her eyes raced around the small living area. Had the sofa always been so threadbare? There were scratches on the coffee table, and the stack of books under the lamp was crooked.

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