“And we’re going to take out the main obstacle to his retaining power, are we not?” Tatyana looked up when she heard Sándor approaching. “He’s here.”
She shut her laptop and turned to the door to see her Hazar slipping in with a grim expression on his face.
“What is it?” Kezia asked. “What has happened?”
“They’re dead.” Sándor’s voice was barely a murmur. “They knew. Somehow Ivan’s people knew. All three of them were dead almost the moment that they walked into Ivan’s office in Moscow.”
Sándor’sfirst move was to silently sweep Tatyana’s office for bugs, a step they had taken before she moved in but one they hadnot repeated since, foolishly lulled by the massive amounts of security Oleg provided for Tatyana that doubled her already numerous Poshani guard.
“Flowers nearly every day.”
Tatyana had overlooked the large bouquet of roses that Diana had brought into her office the week before, not realizing that the vase was one of “Pavel’s” extravagant gifts.
The flowers had been changed, but the vase had not. And hidden in the base was a tiny microphone sending audio recordings to an IP address that was already a dead end.
“Damn it.” Tatyana paced in her office, dread thick in her stomach.
Ivan’s seduction had worked perfectly, though he’d never laid a hand on Diana.
Not only had he killed three of Tatyana’s own men, Ivan could also reveal Tatyana’s plans to Oleg if he wanted. And God knew how Oleg would react to her going behind his back.
“Were there others?” Tatyana asked the crying woman. “Were there any others you brought into my office?”
“Not your office,” Diana choked out. “There were a few that I brought to your dressing room and others that I spread around the house. The staff in the kitchen. The housekeeping department. They were just being so kind to us, and it’s… it’s so much extra work.” She sniffed. “I told Pav—whoever it was on the phone—that flowers every day were too much, so he said I should share them and brighten someone’s day the way…” She shuddered out a breath. “The way that I brightened his nights when we spoke.”
Tatyana knew she should feel some kind of empathy for Diana’s heartbreak, but it was too painful and infuriatingto realize how deeply Ivan’s people had infiltrated Oleg’s household.
Her office. Her dressing room—though she never spoke about private business there. The housekeeping staff. The kitchen. God knew what kind of secrets the staff had inadvertently revealed that could be used against Oleg.
Sándor walked in from the dressing room. “We must tell Oleg’s security staff without delay. I will coordinate with Mika to sweep the rest of the house.” He handed Diana a yellow notepad. “Write down every place you can remember bringing flowers. Even if you’re not sure. Every place you even considered it.”
Diana took the notebook and nodded. “The roses in the office here were the last arrangement I received. The last gift. I promise. He… they stopped sending the flowers the day after Terrin Tatyana confronted me.”
Because Tatyana had confronted Diana in her office, and Ivan and his people had been listening. Just as they’d been listening the night that she and Kezia had been planning with Sándor.
Which meant that Ivan knew not only that she and Oleg were married but that they were blood mates as well.
“I need to meet with Oleg.” She looked at Diana. “After you make your list for Sándor, you need to leave. The Hazar will take you to the Poshani camp, and you will be under Radu’s supervision.”
Diana’s face grew pale. “Are you going to kill me? Is Lord Oleg?”
“No.” There was no way that Tatyana was going to kill Diana for being an unconscious betrayer, but there was also no way she could trust the woman’s judgment going forward. “But I do not know how Lord Oleg is going to react, and I do not want you in this house. Radu will make sure you get back to Bucharest assoon as possible, and we will deal with you after all this calms down.”
The woman was still pale, but she nodded and started making a list.
Sándor jerked his head at Tatyana, and she followed him out of the room.
“There was no video in any of the bugs,” he said, “but the audio is enough. I would suggest you tell Oleg everything, including about the three men who were killed in Moscow.”
Tatyana had already planned on telling him, and she had no idea how her husband was going to react. “This wedding may not go forward after all,” she said. “All this pageantry and expense may have been for nothing.”
“Courage, surati.”
Her true marriage to Oleg might be over as well.
She was sick when she reached the library where her husband usually worked. The Hazar remained stationed outside the door, and Sándor bid her goodbye as soon as he heard Oleg answer her knock.
“Enter.”
