Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

W hile they were flying back to Odesa, Oleg read through the report Tatyana had prepared, but most of it was gibberish to him.

Planning an armed assault on a river fortress with a dozen vampires, a few human soldiers, and eliminating his enemies before dawn? That was well within his skill set.

Interpreting the intricacies of twenty-first-century banking was not.

“Mika.”

“He’s already in Odesa, boss.”

Oleg glanced up and realized that the only people on the plane were him, Seban, and Tatyana. “Right.”

Seban asked, “You need anything from the galley?”

“No.” Oleg turned to Tatyana, who was sitting in the back row of seats nearest the Faraday cage. “What is a cryptocurrency?”

“Oh…” She glanced at Seban, then back to Oleg. “Um, how much do you know about blockchain?”

“Nothing.”

“Then this is going to take a while to explain,” she murmured.

“It’s made-up money from computer programs,” Seban said. “You know how countries switched from gold coins to paper money?”

“Yes. A foolish decision.”

“Yeah.” Seban nodded. “This is kind of like that but with computers. Numbers on a screen, boss.”

Tatyana raised a hand.

Oleg frowned. “We’re not in school.”

“It’s slightly more complex than that, but one thing blockchain has in common with precious metals is that it is not connected to an issuing bank or tracked by the government, which makes it very convenient for hiding money you’ve stolen.”

“Hmm.” Oleg nodded. That he could understand. “Electronic transfers of currency are still backed by human governments that have to account for them. So those currencies, even if they are only electronic, can be tracked.”

“Exactly. And cryptocurrency is more like electronic gold that is mined—I’m not going to try to explain the blockchain—but it can be sent through exchanges that aren’t backed by any government.”

Oleg nodded. “I approve of this.”

“Of course you do,” Tatyana muttered.

“Like gold exchanges, boss.” Seban flipped through a newspaper.

“Gold exchanges?” Tatyana looked between them. “Like public exchange markets?”

“The opposite of public,” Oleg said. “Most immortals over a century keep their wealth in precious metals and jewels. Tangible items that don’t lose value.”

She nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Because of that, we have gold exchanges that are exclusively for vampires. You can store gold with them or simply move it through their system.”

“Oh right.” Tatyana nodded. “So instead of having to show up with physical gold?—”

“Oh no,” Seban said. “You show up with physical gold. But instead of, say, having to move that gold on a ship across the Atlantic and risking it getting stolen or the ship sinking, you can show up at the gold exchange in Lagos with ten kilos of gold bars and they send a message to give someone at the gold exchange in New York the same amount.”

Oleg added, “Minus a service fee.”

“There’s always a service fee,” Tatyana said. “But that’s interesting. From what I have found, I don’t think Zara bought any gold with the money she took from you. I do think she bought something physical though.”

“Which is?”

“Real estate.”

Oleg nodded. “I taught her well.”

“It’s nearly impossible to track cryptocurrency exchanges, but most lawyers don’t want to be paid in crypto. If I can find out who she was paying with traceable money, I should be able to find out who she was using to buy her property.”

“Good. Then we can… persuade those lawyers to tell us where Zara spent her money.” Oleg flipped the file closed and shoved the folder through the cage. “So I don’t need to read any of this.”

Tatyana took it. “Not if you don’t want to. I’ll give this to Elene when we get back.”

“Excellent.”

She had a good mind. An excellent mind.

Maybe his little accountant would be able to figure out how to make Zara’s trap better. “You know that you are the bait Mika is dangling to lure Zara back to me, correct?”

Tatyana narrowed her eyes. “Yes.”

“How would you like that trap to snap shut faster?”

“With me and Zara in it? Not appealing.”

“Just Zara, little wolf.” Oleg smiled. “I have other plans for you once Zara is no longer a headache.”

Seban reached over and silently put on his favorite accessory: a pair of high-tech noise-canceling headphones.

Tatyana saw them. “I need to get a pair of those.”

“Not when you’re traveling with me.” He should have put her in the cage with him. “Zara. Trap. How do we bait it better?”

Tatyana huffed out a breath. “I don’t know. What do you think she wants?”

“She wants money and to make my life miserable.”

“Okay…”

“Zara likely left Istanbul because she was stealing from her new lover, so she knows Laskaris won’t protect her anymore, but it doesn’t matter. She’s already made my business less profitable through increasing the tariffs.” He leaned back. “Now she needs money.”

Tatyana frowned and stared at the ground near her feet. “I’m not going to bother asking why she hates you so much—parents are complicated—but the money she stole from you is hard to access. She hid it well, stashed it in property that she can’t sell without coming out of hiding. So she probably needs cash.”

Oleg enjoyed watching her think. Her forehead drew two little lines between her eyebrows. Her face scrunched up in concentration.

She looked older than twenty-seven, and he suspected that she’d long been the most responsible member of her family. She had gone away to university. She had also returned when it was necessary and spent all her savings and inheritance to preserve her family property.

He approved of her work ethic and values, but he also had the very strong urge to erase those lines on her forehead. He wanted to wipe away the stress he saw in her eyes.

He had the nagging urge to watch her sleep. Would she be restless and tense? Would she relax like an exhausted child?

Oleg grimaced, irritated that this human woman was occupying so much of his mind.

Once he was rid of Zara, he would install Tatyana at the house in Sevastopol. That was the ideal situation. She could be near her mother, and Oleg could visit her like he’d visit any of his human mistresses. He’d indulge in her company when it suited him and then go about his business. She would be well cared for, and he could get back to living his immortal life.

Tatyana looked up. “Does Zara have gold? Like the gold you were mentioning earlier? Something she could take to one of these exchanges?”

He nodded slowly. “Technically? Yes. She’s my daughter.”

“So she has something like a trust fund she can access?”

“Ah.” Oleg smiled. “Not exactly. Vampire children are supposed to spend their first years with their sire. We teach them how to control their urges, how to feed without killing. How to live inconspicuously in the human world, eliminate their enemies, and develop a ruthless business sense in order to survive for centuries.”

She nodded. “So a typical family environment.”

He didn’t try to stop his smile. “Often vampires stay with their sires for decades or even centuries before venturing out on their own. Some never leave at all.”

“Let me guess,” Tatyana said. “Luana didn’t want to wait a decade. She wanted Zara back.”

“She did. I trusted Luana to protect her, so I allowed Zara to go with Luana instead of staying with me.”

“But she has a trust fund? Something from you or from Luana?”

“She has nothing from Luana. Though we were estranged, I was still Luana’s mate. All her property belonged to me after her death. But when vampire offspring venture out on their own, they are given an inheritance from their sire.”

“So Zara has her inheritance from you.” Tatyana nodded. “And that is in gold?”

“It’s in gold and quite a lot of jewels.” Oleg folded his hands together. “And she can come retrieve it anytime she wants.”

Realization dawned in Tatyana’s eyes. “She has an inheritance, but she doesn’t have an inheritance.”

“When she defied me and went to Laskaris, I told Zara her inheritance would be waiting for her in Saint Petersburg.” He smiled. “All she has to do is go there and get it.”

“And I’m guessing it’s in a house or a castle there?” Tatyana was staring at the ground again. “Under guard?”

“Obviously I can’t leave chests of treasure sitting around without guards.”

Tatyana took a deep breath and looked up. “Then that’s how you sweeten the trap. Bring that treasure to Odesa and make sure she knows about it. You want to draw Zara out? Show her the gold.”

Show her the gold.

It wasn’t bad advice, and it would probably work. It might escalate the conflict, but it would work.

Mika was standing in the driveway of the compound in Odesa when Oleg returned. “You left the human at the hotel?”

“Yes. She needs to sleep.” Oleg handed Mika the folder Tatyana had left with him. “Read this and see if you can make any sense of it. Do you know what cryptocurrency is?”

Mika shrugged. “I’ve read Satoshi Nakamoto’s work.”

“Is he a vampire?”

Mika narrowed his eyes. “Some theories say yes. Zara put most of her money in cryptocurrency?”

“I believe that’s how she moved it, but Tatyana thinks it’s in real estate now.”

“Hmm.” Mika opened the file, perusing it as they made their way into the house. “Smart.”

“Zara or Tatyana?”

“Both.”

As soon as they were inside, Oleg stripped off his shirt and rolled his shoulders, allowing his fire to flicker over his skin.

Mika caught his release of tension. “We should talk about the meeting with Saba. How was being in Luana’s house?”

“Strange.” He’d stayed in Luana and Zara’s old day chambers, and the experience was haunting. He could still smell his mate, sense her amnis. It had been unsettling. “I think I’ll tear up the basement and renovate so I can use the house again. Tell Elene to find a project manager for the job.”

Mika leaned against the fireplace and set the folder on a nearby table. “Are you going to keep the woman there?”

“I’ve thought about it. It’s near her mother and sitting empty at the moment.”

“She can use the house, and you can fly in and visit her when it’s convenient.” Mika nodded. “I approve.”

“I don’t care.” He stretched his arms over his head and reached for a box of cedar incense he kept on the mantel. Pinching the end between his fingers, he lit the stick and set it in a holder to fill the room with the comforting smell of burnt wood. “I’m going to move Zara’s treasure to Odesa. Call someone in Saint Petersburg and arrange the transport. A small truck should be enough.”

Mika blinked. “You want to move Zara’s treasure here?”

“It will draw her out.”

“It will provoke her.”

Oleg picked up a tray of tesserae from a rolling cart next to the mantel project. He picked up a handful of rounded green glass and rolled it in his palm, enjoying the sensation of cool glass against callused skin. “This is taking too long.”

He felt restless and irritable. Maybe he should have kept the woman with him.

No, she needed to sleep. She hadn’t slept well in Sevastopol, and she needed to stay in good health if she was going to be his lover.

Mika asked, “Since when are you impatient?”

“Since when are you so cautious?”

“Always,” Mika said. “You pay me to be cautious, remember?”

They had talked about logistics and business, but Oleg still hadn’t told Mika what had passed between him and the ancient vampire he’d met in Sevastopol.

Oleg poured the green glass back into the tray and turned. “I told Saba that Zara was already dead.”

Mika’s face went blank. “You lied to her.”

“We’ve lied to everyone.”

“I didn’t think you would lie to Saba.” A thread of fear in Mika’s voice. “If she finds out?—”

“She won’t find out if we take Zara quickly. Right now there are only rumors and whispers, but this needs to end.”

“Take Zara? Not kill her?”

Oleg wavered. “I haven’t decided yet.”

He kept going back and forth. Kill Zara? Keep her captive? After his first conversation with Tatyana about it, he’d been entertaining the idea of keeping Zara captive. But then he’d told the vampire world she was dead. He didn’t mind lying, but he also didn’t want to anger the ancients.

Mika’s face was even paler than usual. “I don’t like any of this. She needs to be dead, Oleg. I’ll call Roman. He’ll arrange a truck to bring Zara’s gold here.”

“Good. And tell Roman to include Luana’s jewelry too.”

Mika closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “When she hears about this, I cannot predict how she will react.”

“She’ll lose her mind—more than she already has—and when she does that, she’ll make a mistake.” Oleg turned back to the mosaic and tried to calm his mind. “Make it happen, Mika.”

“I can have an armored truck by tomorrow. The truck isn’t a problem.”

“Talk to Radu and arrange for it to go through Minsk. I don’t want that gold going anywhere near Ivan and the others in Moscow.” It would be just like his brothers to hijack his truck to fuck with him. Technically they were under his aegis, but they were already angry about Oleg killing Sokolov blood; he didn’t want to provoke them more.

“Understood. He owes us more than one favor.”

“Then once I have Zara’s gold in Odesa, it stays with me,” Oleg said. “Forget dangling the human in front of her—dangle the gold. We both know she wants that more.”

“I suspect she wants the human and the gold,” Mika said. “But she might be content with the gold.”

A week later, Oleg woke at dusk, lying in his day chamber and letting his mind drift. He kept his eyes closed and saw a picture in his mind, a floating, fuzzy image of doves flying over a field of wheat, their pearl-grey wings casting shadows on the golden waves below them.

He could use polished marble for the birds’ bodies, mother-of-pearl around their necks. Amber glass to create the heads of wheat so in candlelight they would appear to move, catching the light as the flames flickered.

He saw her walking through the wheat field, her golden hair the same color as the nodding heads of grain. She turned and looked at him, her blue eyes easy and her smile wide in the afternoon sun.

Do you dance, little wolf? Do you still dance in your dreams?

Oleg opened his eyes and stared at the velvet darkness that wrapped around him.

Unlike most vampires, he preferred his day chamber to be void of all light.

Vampire sleep was one of the best and worst aspects of immortal life. Other than a few outliers, his kind was struck unconscious during daylight. Whether his mind was exhausted or frenzied, when the sun rose, Oleg slept. It was one of the reasons he preferred life in the Kievan South.

For an immortal, life in the north was a journey of extremes. In the winter, icy cold chilled his fire and slowed his already slow blood but allowed for plentiful darkness. When the summer hit and temperatures warmed, his blood quickened, but waking hours contracted to an impractical three or four hours a night, so it was impossible to get any work done.

The vampires who had remained in Oleg’s northern homeland were a different breed, and he’d never felt kinship with them. He preferred the milder temperatures and lower latitudes of the Black Sea and the surrounding regions.

He snapped his fingers and brought a flame to life, directing it toward the oil lamp by his bed. The soft gold glow illuminated his day chamber and animated the walls.

He hadn’t finished the mosaics in this room because he didn’t spend much waking time here, but he’d sketched out a river scene he remembered from his early years with his sire, when he followed Truvor’s command, conquering territory up and down the vast interior river systems of Eastern Europe.

“You want to move Zara’s treasure here?”

“It will draw her out.”

“It will provoke her.”

His daughter Zara truly had no idea how luxurious her life had been. Oleg had indulged her because Luana had loved her. He’d never subjected her to the harsh discipline his own sire had demanded of his children.

Truvor’s clan was made up of the hardest and smartest warriors he could gather from the human populations he conquered during his reign. The humans who fell under his violent hand probably had no idea the barbaric Norseman was something other than human, though Truvor acted like a vengeful god.

He demanded tributes of young men and women from every city he passed, and he used those humans to hunt, feed, and train his army.

That was the crucible that had birthed Oleg, and when he had woken as a fire vampire, his sire had been more than pleased.

For a time.

A note slid under Oleg’s door, and he swung his legs over the bed, letting the sheets fall away while the cool night air kissed his bare skin.

Walking over to the door, he captured the scent of Elene on the folded paper.

He opened the note and saw his CFO’s neat script.

Tatyana and I had a productive week. Another ten million recovered from bank accounts with the help of her hacker friend. I think she’s made some agreement to split her commission with him, but since it’s her money, it’s none of our business. Our own tech people have looked into this mysterious contact and can’t find any trace of him.

Oleg grunted. If his technology wizards couldn’t find Tatyana’s friend, Zara’s people were unlikely to find him either. Elene’s note continued.

I gave her the night off but told her to stay near the hotel. Mika’s people told me this afternoon that Zara’s Albanian allies were spotted in Malinovsky, and the delivery arrived from Saint Petersburg, so it’s likely Zara is somewhere close. Tatyana doesn’t need to be wandering around, even with security.

Neither do you! Oleg wanted to scream at Elene, but he knew she wouldn’t listen, and the moment he got high-handed, she would quit. She’d done it before when she married Dmytro, and Oleg had stubbornly survived for all of three weeks before he begged her to come back to work.

I’m headed home, and yes, Mika put extra guards around our place, so calm down. Have a good night and don’t bother the girl. She needs a break from you.

Oleg tossed Elene’s note to the side and walked to his closet, tossing another flame at the lamp near the door. Once he was in his closet, he picked out some casual clothing that would be appropriate for the club at the Admiral because he had no intention of taking Elene’s advice. He’d already given Tatyana a week alone.

He was hungry.

She was talking with a bartender who wanted to have sex with her. Of course the stupid human bartender wanted to have sex with her—half the men in the club probably wanted to have sex with his bookkeeper, but this bartender should have known better.

The human said something to her, and her response was a pure laugh. Nothing rueful or sarcastic. There was no edge to it; it was happiness and delight.

The sudden jolt of jealous anger caught Oleg by surprise. His fangs dropped, a low flame burned along the back of his hand, and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

He quickly pulled his anger back, remembering where he was.

Admiral staff was off-limits, but the man should have known better. He was flirting with Oleg’s woman. Worse, she was responding to him. Encouraging him.

Tatyana’s cheeks were flushed, and she appeared to be in a celebratory mood. She should be. If he’d made a cool million dollars just by tracking down somebody else’s money, he’d feel celebratory too.

“Mr. Sokolov.” The hostess greeted him. “Shall I prepare your usual table?”

“Thank you.”

“For one?”

“Two.” Tatyana would be eating with him.

Or he might be eating her, but that wouldn’t be in the club.

“Very good.” She hustled away to herd her staff, and Oleg approached the bar.

Tatyana sensed him before he even got close. Her shoulders froze, and the laugh that she’d been sharing with the bartender died.

The human quickly turned when he saw Oleg’s frigid expression.

“You.” Tatyana pouted, and he could tell from her scent that she’d taken more alcohol than usual.

Damn. She was off the menu for the night.

That didn’t mean he didn’t require her company. Oleg held his hand out and snapped his fingers. “Come. You’ll eat dinner with me.”

Her head fell back and she sighed. “Is it impossible for you to just ask like a normal person?”

“I’m not a normal person.”

“Obviously not.”

Her lips pouted adorably, and a little of Oleg’s anger died away. He stepped closer and ran a finger along her shoulder, making the hairs on her neck stand at attention for him before he trailed his fingers down her back until his hand rested in the small of her back.

“Elene said you had a successful day. Let me buy you dinner as a thank-you.”

“You’re paying me ten percent.” She looked up, her blue eyes hooded and languorous. “That’s a good thank-you.”

Oleg pressed a finger to her lips. “Let’s not talk about money in the club, hmm?”

Her mouth formed a small O, and she nodded.

He rubbed the small of her back and nudged her off the barstool. “Come, volchitsa. Eat with me.”

“Food?”

The corner of his mouth inched up. “Do you like caviar and champagne?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a little loud even for the club. “That kind of dinner I can agree to.”

Oleg’s fire soothed for the moment, he walked Tatyana to his booth and waited for her to settle in before he slid beside her and put his arm around the back of the booth.

She looked at his arm where it rested across her shoulders. “You’re hugging me.”

“I’m not.” He snapped at the waiter who was hovering nearby. “Do you have a preference for the champagne?”

“I don’t know enough about good champagne to care,” she murmured. “You’re going to order something ridiculously expensive, so just order whatever you want since you were going to do that anyway.”

“Good.” He ordered in Georgian, which was the language of the young man who was waiting on them. “I ordered you some salmon too.”

“That’s nice.” She took a deep breath and leaned into his side. “You smell good.”

“I’m surprised you can smell my cologne. It’s made for vampire sense of smell.”

“Most human perfumes are probably too strong for you.”

“Yes.” He enjoyed her scent though. It was the one he’d brought her from Greece. “You smell delectable.”

She looked up, blinking slowly. “I should have asked if you were hungry.”

“Are you offering?”

Her lips flushed, and he could see she was considering it.

Oleg bent down to her ear and spoke softly. “It’s normal to be curious about new things.”

She pulled away and he gave her space. He could hear her heartbeat racing.

“I think I want to go back to my room,” she said. “Can we eat there?”

“Are you inviting me to your room?” Oleg’s cock was already hard.

Tatyana had drunk too much alcohol for Oleg to enjoy his initial plan for the night, but he wasn’t ready to take his leave, especially when the bartender was still watching her and trying to pretend he wasn’t.

“Uh…” She shook her head. “I don’t— Yes.” She whispered, “I don’t want everyone looking at me while I’m eating dinner, and when I’m with you, I can feel their eyes.”

His eyes turned and swept across the room, immediately noticing that most of the vampires in the room were watching them.

“Fine.” He slipped out of the booth and held out his hand. “We’ll eat in your room.”

“No, but then everyone will think we’re going to have sex.” She glanced nervously around the club. “They’re going to think that, aren’t they?”

“They think that anyway.”

Her cheeks were flaming red, and now Oleg wanted to get her out of the club because she smelled like an amuse-bouche to every vampire around them.

“Come.” He tugged her out of the booth. “We’re leaving.”

“Oleg—”

“No.” He pulled her close and bent down to whisper in her ear again. “You will not argue with me in public. Ever. If you know what is good for you, you will not argue with me in public.” His fire was dancing right on the edge, and he could sense his amnis roused by even the suggestion of challenge from the woman. “Don’t make me use amnis to silence you, because I will.”

He saw her mind doing very quick calculations despite the haze of alcohol. “Okay.”

“Good.” He walked with her from the club, her hand grasped firmly in his. “Please deliver our meal to Miss Vorona’s suite,” he told the hostess.

“Of course, Mr. Sokolov. I’ll take care of it.”

Oleg walked down the stairs and bypassed the elevator.

“It’s five floors down,” Tatyana protested.

“Do you want to be stuck in an elevator for the next few hours after I’ve shorted out the control panel?”

She followed him into the stairwell. “Are you saying that you walk up fifteen flights of stairs every time you come up here?”

“It’s not difficult, Tatyana.” He was tempted to throw her over his shoulder and walk faster, but he didn’t know how precarious her belly was. “How are you feeling?”

“More sober now that I’m walking down five flights.” She took a deep breath. The stairwell was open at the landings, and the night air was bracing. “I’m not sure what just happened back there. Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry.” Oleg was annoyed, but like Tatyana, he wasn’t sure why.

You know why.

The bartender making her laugh. Her delight with no shadows. He wanted her to laugh like that, smile like that. At him. Only at him.

“You are angry.” She squinted. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“I’m not angry.” He turned and swept her up in his arms. “You’re walking too slowly.”

She was light as a feather as he carried her, and the scent of her blood and body set his fangs on edge.

“Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“I’m going to walk at vampire speed.”

“What does that…”

She trailed off when he started to move.

“Oh no.”

She pressed her face to his shoulder as Oleg sped down the stairs. Since they were alone, he didn’t have to modify his natural speed, and they were at her door around a minute later.

“We’re here.” He set her on her feet, and she wobbled a little bit. “Steady.”

Tatyana leaned into his chest and tilted her face up to his. “That was fast.”

He trailed a finger over the soft brown wing of her eyebrow. “I told you to keep your eyes shut.”

“Like a high-speed train,” she murmured. “I took one of those once. In Germany.”

“Hmm.” He held her, enjoying the wondering expression in her eyes. “Do you have your key?”

“Are you going to kiss me again?” Her eyes were on his lips. “The way you kiss… I’ve never been kissed like that.”

“I imagine not.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over her mouth. He kissed her again and again, soft, drugging kisses that ratcheted up the delicious tension zinging between them.

Her mouth was full and swollen from his teeth. He scraped his fangs along her lower lip, enjoying the hint of blood that rose just underneath her skin.

“When I bite you” —he trailed his lips to her ear and whispered— “I will give you so much pleasure that you will come just from my teeth.”

She pressed her breasts against his chest and leaned into him, her eyes clouded with anticipation. “Why does that sound so good?”

“Because you’ve already felt my hands and you want more.” He ran his thumbs along the small of her back, trailed his fingertips over the rise of her bottom. His touch was so light she shivered, and he felt her skin prickle at the sensation he aroused. “Would you like to feel my cock, little wolf? Feel how hard it is when I fuck you?” He brought her hand to the front of his trousers. “My teeth are even harder. Sharper.”

Tatyana sucked in a breath and wrapped her fingers around his heavy cock.

Oleg smiled and pulled her hand away before too many ideas grew in her mind. “You’ve been drinking. I’m not going to touch you more than this when you’ve been drinking.”

“But it’s the same feeling as when you kiss me,” she whispered. “When you touch me. It feels like… champagne bubbles along my skin. Under my skin.”

Oleg’s cock was not interested in nobility. She was standing in front of him, willing, wet, and ready.

“Tatyana, open your door.” He wasn’t going to fuck her, but he wanted to play a little longer, and he didn’t want to share. “You’ll be embarrassed if someone walks by.”

“What do you want from me?” She looked up at him, her blue eyes drowsy and drunk. “Is this part of the plan?”

Oleg pulled away. “Plan?”

“To catch Zara?” She frowned. “To get your money. Why are you being… sweet?”

The spike of anger tore through him again, but this time what lay behind the anger wasn’t jealousy.

Her suspicion hurt .

Damn her.

Oleg crossed his arms over his chest. “Where is your key?”

“Okay, okay.” She dug into her pocket for the key and held it out to him. “You’re angry again. I can’t keep track of why you’re angry all the time.”

Oleg took her key. Then he opened her door, shoved Tatyana inside, shut it behind her, and walked away.