Page 45 of Crimson Oath
“And?” Oleg glanced at the little one, but the toddler was falling asleep.
“Sami Novak was his government name,” Polina said, “but once we tracked his credit card, we found rental records online that listed him with a few others.”
“He had rental records?”
“Short term only,” Polina said. “He used an online placement service that caters to businesspeople who do remote work. And more than once he listed two other men with him—Manfred Novak and Danior Kosinski. Sometimes Danior had a different last name, but it was almost always Sami with Manfred and Danior.”
“Do we think they were two of the others at the scene?” Radu had told him that Sami was the only Poshani vampire killed, but Manfred could easily be a Westernized version of Manfri, and Danior was a common men’s name among the Poshani. “Radu said that only one of theirs had been involved.”
Polina lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “It’s possible Radu was misinformed. Or maybe someone didn’t want to admit that a few Poshani vampires went rogue. No one wants to look like they’re not in control of their people.”
Possible. Likely even. Poshani justice was swift within the clan.They were free spirits in the vampire world, but adherence to cultural norms within the clan was a necessity. A rebellious Poshani put the entire community at risk.
“If these other two were also Poshani and involved with the truck robberies,” Oleg said, “this problem could be bigger than we anticipated.”
“There is no way of confirming it at this point. We’ve put alerts on their known credit cards, but so far none of them have been used.” Polina set the folder down. “What are you going to tell Radu?”
“Nothing right now. We don’t know anything definite, and if I ask him, I’m casting doubt on what he’s already shared with me.”
“He won’t want to lose face,” Polina said. “He’ll shut you down.”
And no one could keep a secret like the Poshani.
“He invited me to the Vashana at the end of the season,” Oleg said.
“That’s months away.” Someone had come into Polina’s office, because she held up a finger when Oleg started to speak. “One moment, Papa.”
A human nanny walked over and took the sleeping girl from Polina’s arms, not sparing a glance at the video screen in the room.
Polina trained her people well.
After the nanny left and closed the door, Polina spoke again. “The Vashana is at the end of the season, but there have been four truck robberies in six months, and this last one nearly killed our driver. We need to shut this down and make a statement.”
“I agree.” Oleg mulled over his options. “I’m going to fly to Moscow to see the driver. I need to give him some cash from Radu’s people anyway. I told Radu I’d deliver it personally.”
Polina made a face. “Say hello to Ivan.”
“I’m not going tonight. I’ll give it a few days.” He closed the file on Sami Novak because there was nothing else to do at the moment. “Sami Novak is dead. All his conspirators are dead. Maybe this was an isolated string of robberies, but only time will tell.”
She sighed. “You’re right.”
“And you’re impatient.” Oleg smiled. “I want you on a video call tomorrow night.”
“Why?”
“I’m calling a meeting of the governors. We need to put a permanent replacement for Elene in place.”
Polina’s jaw tightened. “Elene is not replaceable.”
“I realize that on an emotional level, and I know how close the two of you were,” Oleg said. “But SMO is suffering from lack of clear leadership. The overseas shipping arm of the company is central to our corporate plan over the next century, and the current political situation with the humans needs a steady hand. We must hire a replacement who can fill the gap.”
“Fine.” Polina was clearly unpleased, but she was a businesswoman too. “Send me any files you have on possible replacements and a secure link. Unless you want to send a plane for me and Alexi.”
“A screen meeting is fine for now,” he said. “And there are no candidates yet. I’m asking everyone to put forward their best, so think about who could step into the role from your region.”
“Human?”
“Yes. Day meetings are a necessity, so yes. I want to promote from within the organization, but I’m open to ideas. When the final vote happens, it will be in person.”
