Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
Amara did not reach for the bag.
She looked Matteo directly in his cold, calculating eyes.
"If you kill me, the ledger automatically decrypts and sends its contents to the FBI."
It was a bluff, but she said it with absolute conviction.
Matteo’s smile vanished instantly.
"You are lying," he hissed, leaning closer.
"Try me," Amara challenged, holding her ground despite the trembling in her hands.
"My father taught me how to secure assets before he died."
Matteo studied her face, looking for any sign of deception.
He slowly backed away, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Fine," Matteo conceded.
"We do this your way."
"I want a private jet out of the country, and I want two million in untraceable crypto," Amara demanded.
"Once I land safely, I will give you the physical book."
Matteo nodded slowly, calculating his own odds.
"I can arrange the flight by midnight."
He left her alone in the bunker's small, concrete reinforced living quarter.
Amara sat on the edge of the cot, resting a hand on her stomach.
Her baby kicked strongly, a reminder of exactly what she was fighting for.
Hours passed in agonizing silence.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door creaked open.
Amara stood up, expecting Matteo to return with the flight details.
Instead, a woman walked into the room holding a suppressed pistol.
It was Selena Ward.
Dante's mistress looked immaculate in a black trench coat, perfectly out of place in the dirty bunker.
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"Hello, Amara," Selena said with a wicked grin.
"Did you really think Dante wouldn't put a tracking chip in your wedding ring?"
