Page 28 of Crimson Oath (The Firebird and the Wolf #2)

Oleg

“ I t’s not because of the woman.” Oleg was on a video call with Polina, who was in Minsk, while Mika sat across from him at the table. “It is possible that Ivan is working against us using Vano’s people.”

Polina’s eyebrows went up. “So you want me to violate a long-standing agreement and find the route of the Poshani kamvasa?”

“Radu needs to know that his clan might have been compromised.”

“We know that Ivan is working with Vano’s people,” Mika said. “We don’t know if Vano is part of it.” He shrugged. “I never liked that asshole.”

“Ivan or Vano?” Polina asked.

“Ivan.” Mika curled his lips. “Maybe both.”

“The question remains” —Oleg broke into their bickering— “we don’t know if Ivan lured Vano’s people away from the Poshani clan or if Vano is going behind Radu and Kezia’s back to work with Ivan. Are these independent troublemakers, or is there a bigger problem?”

“That’s what Vano has claimed,” Polina said. “When we discovered that these were Poshani vampires who had hijacked our truck, he implied they were rogue troublemakers estranged from the clan.”

“Is it possible the greater Poshani clan have allied themselves with Ivan?” Oleg asked. “I have a good relationship with Radu, but he’s only one of the terrin. My relationship with Kezia is very superficial.”

Mika said, “Power inside the clan might be shifting.”

“Exactly,” Oleg said. “These are questions that we need answers to. That’s why we must find the kamvasa.”

It wasn’t because Tatyana was with them.

It wasn’t only because of that.

“The caravan has been roaming for nearly two months now,” Polina said. “I suspect they’re in the eastern part of my territory, but I don’t know for sure because I do not ask! They pay us well for those roaming rights and for privacy.”

Mika was writing something in a small notebook he kept his pocket. “It’s been the arrangement for centuries, Oleg. If you want to change our treaty with the Poshani?—”

“I don’t want to change it over the long term, but this year is different.”

“Because of the woman,” Mika said.

“Because they’re choosing new leaders this year.”

“You know” —Mika seemed to ignore him— “she’ll only be there for a few more months, and then you can lure her back to Odesa.”

Polina nodded. “She probably wants more money. Not many of our kind are technologically talented, so if she’s as skilled as you say?—”

“It’s not a question of money.” Oleg was trying to be cool, but his fangs had been on edge since he’d heard Radu’s voice on the other side of Tatyana’s phone.

The moment he’d acquired another phone after he’d broken the second one, he called Radu back, asked him to pass his number along to Tatyana, and then he’d waited.

For three weeks .

Oleg wasn’t willing to call Tatyana’s phone more than once. That would make him look desperate and attract too much attention toward Tatyana.

“Your father is very grumpy right now, Polina.” Mika glanced at Oleg. “Personally, I think he needs to go hunting.”

“The deer are plentiful at the country house,” Polina said. “Alexi was just up there last weekend with some friends and?—”

“I don’t need to go hunting.” He didn’t want to hunt down a deer; he wanted to hunt down Tatyana Vorona. He just didn’t want to create a problem with an old ally while he was doing it. “I need to find the Poshani kamvasa.”

“It’s not that we can’t find it,” Polina said. “Of course we could. But even asking around will create problems, Papa. They guard their route carefully, and even a hint that we’re looking for them will cause offense.”

“You’ve been invited to the Vashana Zata,” Mika said. “Surely we can wait for a few more months. So far, no more trucks have been attacked, and Ivan seems to be quieting down.”

“I know,” Oleg said. “That’s what puts me on edge.”

“I spoke to Vano in Warsaw a few nights ago and casually brought up Sami Novak again.” Polina lifted a finger. “I did not mention Danior. I believe he still thinks that all Sami’s friends are dead.”

“Good.” Oleg and Mika spoke at the same time.

“And Vano didn’t mention Ivan at all. Was very friendly, very eager to work on the housing project I proposed in Grodno.”

Oleg asked, “So Vano is playing like he’s still on good terms with you?”

“He is on good terms with me,” Polina said. “We have no proof that Vano is working with Ivan. Some of his people obviously are, but Vano can be an asshole. An independent-minded immortal might not want to stay under his thumb.”

Mika looked up. “I have to agree with her. We can’t assume that Vano is going behind our backs with Ivan. If we can be double-crossed, so can he.”

“I don’t like any of this,” Oleg said. “And in a matter of weeks, Vano is probably going to disappear into that stupid roaming safe house.”

With Tatyana.

His Tatyana.

“We need to find the kamvasa,” Oleg said. “Do it, Polina.”

His daughter groaned. “This is going to screw up the Grodno project.”

“The future stability of Sokolov Industries is more important than one project.” Oleg’s voice was clipped. “I don’t need an exact location. Get me a rough estimate and I’ll do the rest. If Vano’s people have a problem with it, they can speak to me directly.”

“Yes, Papa.” Polina’s voice was subdued. “Of course.”

Moments later, Polina disconnected the call and Mika stared at Oleg.

“What?” Oleg was suddenly in a foul mood.

Three weeks. What was she doing in that damned caravan? Taking up knitting? Tatyana would only be interested in knitting needles if she could stab him with them.

“Tell me this isn’t because of the woman,” Mika said.

“We suspect a centuries-old ally might be double-crossing us and working with my most dangerous sibling, and you think I’m overreacting?”

“No.” Mika shook his head. “I agree with you that we need to find out what’s going on, and probably we need to kill Ivan. But I question the urgency. What’s the rush? Why not wait until the fall?”

Because by the fall she could have formed a connection to someone else. Someone equally as powerful. Someone who didn’t have the history that he did.

“Because the Poshani people are choosing new leaders at the end of this season.” Oleg stood up.

“The Vashana Zata only happens once every hundred years. Radu might be thinking to retire. If Vano is going behind the backs of his brother and sister—putting the safety of their entire clan at risk—then I owe it to my old friends to let them know.”

Oleg returned to his private apartment in Odesa before dawn after hours of dealing with tedious business matters that Elene should have been handling.

His fucking daughter.

He wanted to kill Zara all over again. For many things, but mostly for killing one of his dearest friends, and then he would kill her again for giving him more paperwork.

Oleg couldn’t find it in his heart to regret Tatyana becoming a vampire even though he regretted how it was done. But Elene?

He missed her dearly. Perhaps he would see if Elene’s daughter and grandchildren would like a holiday. He missed the sound of children.

There was a strange buzzing somewhere in his room, and he went on alert.

What could it be? Could someone have secreted an explosive device in his apartment? That wasn’t possible. Mika’s security team regularly swept for any electronic devices and…

Oh.

He had an electronic device of his own now.

Oleg walked to his desk and opened the drawer. The phone—the one with a number that only one person had—was ringing.

He picked it up and touched the green button, putting it flat on his desk and glaring at it. “Hello?”

“You really got a mobile phone.”

He sank into his upholstered leather chair and spread his hands on his desk, trying not to grab the device as he listened to her voice. “I did.”

This wasn’t a dream.

She kept talking. “Have you given the number to Mika yet?”

“No. If I did, he’d just want to talk to me.”

He heard a low laugh from her, but the speaker wasn’t good enough. The mobile phone didn’t capture the richness of her voice. It was tinny and irritating.

“Your voice doesn’t sound right.”

“The connection should be good.” Her voice dropped into that absent, thoughtful tone that she often had when she was mulling over a problem. “But I’m using a VPN, so it’s possible?—”

“You’re not here.” Oleg sat back in his chair and looked at the phone. “I can’t hear your actual voice, just the electronic version of it.”

“Ah. Yes, that’s the way phones work.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Which shouldn’t be a surprise since you planted a phone on me .”

“I gave you a brand-new phone with my number programmed into it,” he said. “In case you wanted to call me.”

“You wanted to track me, Oleg.”

“If I wanted to track you, I would have planted a tracker, not given you a phone.”

“Oleg—”

“I like the way you say my name.” He closed his eyes. Ridiculous. He sounded like a schoolboy. “There’s always a slight hint of scorn. I was talking with my daughter earlier. She was being very deferential. It was annoying.”

“How terrible for you.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “The sarcasm transmits surprisingly well.”

“Why was she being deferential? Were you being terrifying?”

“I am never terrifying.” He sat back in his chair and stretched his legs out. He couldn’t smell her scent, but it was always amusing to parry with his favorite bookkeeper. “I’m a very modern immortal leader. I don’t hang any of them by their toes anymore. I haven’t disemboweled anyone in years.”

Or had he? He’d have to ask Mika.

“Oh yes, not terrifying at all. Tell that to one of the vampires or humans you’ve killed.”

“Obviously that’s not possible because they’re dead.”

“Fine, tell it to Marta then. I’m assuming she’s still alive.”

“Who is Marta?” Did he know a vampire named Marta? Did one work for him?

“Elene’s secretary. She’s still working for you, isn’t she?” Tatyana sounded alarmed.

“Oh, that one. Yes, she’s quite well.”

“Good.”