Chapter 10 - The False Victory
Gabriel held Norah tightly against his chest.
He stroked her hair and told her everything was going to be fine.
He looked down into the bassinets and saw the two tiny babies sleeping peacefully.
Despite the betrayal, despite the lies, he felt an overwhelming surge of relief.
He had saved his family from the Bratva.
He had secured the master ledger hidden in her diaper bag.
The nightmare was finally over.
Luca walked up the steps and patted Gabriel on the shoulder.
Gabriel told Luca to get the cars ready to take them all home.
He lifted Norah to her feet, supporting her weight as she leaned heavily against him.
She buried her face in his neck, her tears soaking his collar.
Gabriel closed his eyes, inhaling the faint scent of her perfume.
He whispered that he would forgive her for everything she had done.
Norah stopped crying instantly.
She slowly pulled her face away from his neck.
Her expression was completely devoid of fear or sadness.
She leaned close to his ear, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm whisper.
She told him that the Bratva had never hijacked her escape.
Gabriel felt a sharp, agonizing pinch in the side of his neck.
Norah had just injected a potent paralytic toxin directly into his bloodstream.
His legs gave out instantly, sending him crashing onto the hard marble floor.
He could only move his eyes as Norah calmly stepped over his paralyzed body.
She looked toward the shadows of the confessional booth at the back of the church.
A man stepped out of the darkness, adjusting his tailored suit with a cold, victorious smile.
Gabriel realized with absolute horror that the man was the federal prosecutor who had been hunting his family for a decade.
Norah handed the master ledger to the prosecutor and coldly told Gabriel that the FBI sent their regards.
As Gabriel's vision began to fade, Norah leaned down and whispered that the babies in the bassinets were not even real.
She flipped the blankets back to reveal two heavy, blinking explosive devices.
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She told him he had exactly sixty seconds to make peace with God.
The heavy wooden doors slammed shut, sealing Gabriel inside his own ticking tomb.
