Page 85 of Crimson Oath
“Okay, yes.” Oksana angled a rifle case into the back of the second Land Cruiser. “She may be favored by a Slavic rain god, but remember,Iwas her first teacher.”
Ludmila insisted on packing enough weapons to take out a small army. Oleg didn’t think filling half the vehicle with weapons was strictly necessary, but when he’d suggested leaving them behind, Ludmila had looked at him like he’d suggested running through the streets of Moscow stark naked in the winter.
“And such a good teacher you were.” Ludmila patted her mate’s shoulder. “Lazlo is right. Mary herself favors that young one. She’s very lucky.”
Mika walked over and leaned on the Land Cruiser next to Oleg. “You know, the religious mix among your soldiers would be rich fodder for an academic.”
Oleg’s chief boyar had been busy making one telephone call after another, trying to arrange his responsibilities so he could be out of mobile phone range for at least two weeks.
“Pagan.” Oleg pointed to Lazlo. “Orthodox.” He pointed toward Ludmila. “Along with a few followers of Mohammed, and don’t you burn rowan branches at midsummer to some thunder god or something?”
“That’s just tradition,” Mika muttered. “Are we almost ready?”
“Yes.” Oleg looked at Mika’s phone. “Are you bringing that thing?”
“There is still work to be done.” Mika scrolled through the device as he spoke. “Not all of us can drop everything to track down a woman and?—”
“Be very careful right now,” Oleg said quietly. “I’ve been listening to the three of them for the past half hour.”
Mika looked up. “Track down the Poshani to warn them about a possible security breach in their inner hierarchy.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Which is none of our business,” Mika said, “but something we are doing only from the charity that lives in our hearts.”
“So glad we’re clear on that.” Oleg glanced at Mika’s phone. “Anything else from Polina?”
“Vano is gone, and another truck was hijacked.”
Oleg stood up straight. “What?” If there were more missing employees, he would have to delay his plans to find Tatyana no matter how persistently she was plaguing his mind.
Mika raised a hand. “It appears to be human-on-human crime this time,” he quickly added. “Polina’s people reported it to the police. No harm to our employees. They were held with weapons at the Russian border and the truck was stolen, but no violence. No one was hurt.”
“What was the cargo?”
“Electronics,” Mika said. “Mobile phones mostly. There were trackers in the container, but they were disabled.”
It was hardly an unusual crime, but it still irritated Oleg anytime something was stolen from him. “Perhaps we need to start putting armed guards with our drivers.”
“That’s a possibility that Ivan has suggested.”
“Let me guess, he would like to employ his own men?”
Mika smiled. “What do you think?”
Oleg could easily believe Ivan would target Oleg’s trucks, creating a problem just so Oleg would have to hire Ivan’s people to solve it.
It was something Oleg had done to rivals in the past.
“Where was the truck stopped?” Oleg asked.
“Smolensk.”
“Hmm.” The city was a border area in Oleg’s empire, roughly where Polina’s governance ended and Ivan’s started.
“Yes, I thought it was interesting too.” Mika was looking at his phone again. “Ivan has been sending daily updates about the police progress.”
“How helpful. Does he think we don’t know he has the Russian police in his pocket?” Oleg asked.
