Page 36 of Blood Mosaic

“What problem?” Elene said. “I trust Kiril delivered you home safely.”

“Yes, but when I arrived, I went to my office to check on my backups.”

“Your backups?”

“I had a backup computer. An external hard drive. Some USB drives with scans of files that Zara had given to me. They were all gone.”

Mika gripped his hand and shook his head, baring his fangs at Elene, who shook her head and put a finger over her lips. The message was clear.

Quiet.

“Your backups were stolen from your office?” Elene asked. “Is there anything you don’t already have?”

“No. And I do have other backups, but these were stolen from the office in my home. In mymother’shome. It’s very possible that Zara knows I’m working on finding the money.”

Mika scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Elene.

“Did your mother realize someone had broken in?” Elene read the note Mika handed her. “Have there been any workmen in the house? Anyone who might have been posing as someone they were not?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask her. Do you think Zara is watching me?” A tremor of fear in Tatyana’s voice. “What if she?—”

“Volchitsa, I’m flying to you.” Oleg spoke before he realized what he was doing.

Mika’s eyes went wide, and Elene’s eyebrows went up.

“Mr. Sokolov?”

A low rumbling in his chest, and his fangs grew long. “You called me Oleg last night.”

“I didn’t know you were on the call.” Tatyana’s voice had turned from frightened to suspicious. “How long have you been listening?”

“We were talking about a billing issue when you called,” Elene said. “I understand you’re frightened, but I can send Kirilback to the house if that would make you feel more secure.” Elene was staring at Oleg, silently shaking her head.

She mouthed,Do not go to Sevastopol.

He narrowed his eyes. “Mika and I can both go.”

Mika’s head swung around. “What?”

“We’ll make some inquiries and see if any of ZOL’s employees might still be in contact with Zara. If anyone is, they might offer some insight into the embezzlement. And to her location.”

Elene was silently cursing him, and Mika was furious.

“We’ll be there before dawn,” Oleg continued, ignoring his two closest associates.

Tatyana tried to protest. “That’s really not necess?—”

“I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He snapped his fingers at Elene. “Hang up. This is not a discussion.”

Elene tapped the phone and disconnected the call, then sat back and stared at Oleg. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Exactly what I want.” He stood and walked out the door. “Mika, tell Grigor to pack some clothes for me. We’ll leave as soon as my plane is ready.”

It always amusedOleg when Mika was annoyed. The man was normally as even-tempered as you could desire in a second-in-command, but when his temper was riled, he could be as pissy as a wet cat.

“—didn’t even consider that I might have commitments I didn’t want to cancel,” he was muttering.

Oleg paged through a fashion magazine Roman handed him and noticed that a model he’d had a brief affair with was doing a campaign for a new perfume. “Good for you, Sofia.” He showed Mika the ad. “Look at that. She looks beautiful. I should send her some flowers. She liked tulips.”

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