Page 3 of Crimson Oath
Anna Asanova was so obviously Tatyana’s mother that Oleg found it difficult not to stare at her. She wasn’t old—in herlate forties at most—but her eyes were tired, and her life had been harder than her daughter’s. Still, the resemblance was enough that Oleg searched her face, looking for traces of the woman who had become his obsession.
“You left the country for a while.”
“Yes.” Anna blew on her tea.
“But you came back.”
“Yes.”
“Did Tatyana arrange it?”
“Did she?” Anna narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure.”
He’d been impressed by how thoroughly the woman had disappeared. Whoever Tatyana was working with—likely the same hacker or hackers who had helped her find all the money his thieving daughter had stolen—was very, very good.
If they were willing to work with vampires, he might hire them for himself.
“Do you really want to ask me about Tatyana moving me?” Anna looked up. “Or are you worried about her like you said?”
“I am worried about her.” And he wanted to know how she’d done it, but that was secondary.
“Why are you worried?”
“The people she went to…” Oleg shrugged. “I don’t trust them.”
Tatyana had fled his territory and ended up in the court of Arosh, the ancient fire vampire who ruled quietly in the Caucasus Mountains. While Oleg’s allies ruled the cities of the Eastern Black Sea, in the mountains they bowed to the Fire King, and no one traveled there save for those Arosh allowed.
“You may not trust them,” Anna said, “but she does.”
“So she is still there?”
Anna turned cool eyes on Oleg. “Are you asking me to snitch on my own daughter?”
“I am asking you to think about her safety.”
Anna pursed her lips. “She seems safe to me.”
“So you’ve seen her?”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you think, Mr. Vampire?”
“I don’t want to presume. You could be communicating via carrier pigeon.”
He would never underestimate these women again.
Anna smirked. “Did you like that? That wasmyplan, you know.”
“I thought as much.” Tatyana had managed to slip under his nose and send her mother into hiding with nothing more than a few birds.
“You think I’ve visited her when you haven’t?” Anna asked. “I have a phone now, don’t I? She has a computer. I may not know about computers like my daughter does, but I know how to video chat. My daughter is fine.”
So she was somewhere with internet access. Unfortunately, these days that could be anywhere. Even the Fire King might have entered the twenty-first century by now.
Or Tatyana could be heading into the nearest city to call her mother. Oleg would tell his operatives in coastal Georgia to watch the internet cafés and libraries for any sign of her.
He was grasping at straws.
“Tell me” —she took a bite of cake— “why do you care about my daughter? She got you your money, didn’t she?”
