Chapter 10 - The Mid-Point Climax
Evelyn stared at the tablet screen, feeling the world tilt violently on its axis.
She was standing on a freezing runway in Ireland, yet there was impossible video evidence of her committing a murder in New York just an hour ago.
Antonio took the tablet from Marco and studied the footage with narrowed eyes.
He noted that the woman in the video had Evelyn's exact height, hair color, and profile, but her face was obscured by a dark baseball cap.
It was a professional deepfake or a perfectly chosen body double.
Antonio handed the tablet back to Marco and ordered him to wipe Evelyn's digital footprint from the global database immediately.
He turned to Evelyn and told her she was now under the permanent protection of the Vitelli family.
He promised to use every resource in his empire to find the people framing her and destroy them.
Evelyn felt a massive, overwhelming wave of relief wash away the terror of the past twenty-four hours.
She had survived the flight, the assassins, the fire, and the betrayal.
Now, she had the protection of one of the most powerful men in the world.
They boarded the luxurious private jet, leaving the nightmare in Ireland behind them.
The cabin was silent and warm, a stark contrast to the violence they had just escaped.
Antonio poured two glasses of expensive champagne, handing one to Evelyn with a reassuring smile.
He toasted to their survival and to finding the truth together in New York.
Evelyn drank the champagne, finally allowing her exhausted muscles to relax into the plush leather seat.
She excused herself and walked to the lavish lavatory at the back of the plane to wash the dried blood from her face.
She splashed warm water on her cheeks, staring at her tired reflection in the gold-rimmed mirror.
She opened the small cabinet under the sink to look for a hand towel.
Sitting inside the cabinet was a familiar small black medication case.
It was the exact same case Marco had supposedly handed over to the police at Shannon Airport.
Evelyn's heart skipped a beat as she slowly unzipped it.
Inside was a burner phone, its screen glowing brightly in the dim light.
There was only one unread text message displayed on the screen.
The message read: "Lorenzo is dead, and Antonio completely trusts the girl."
Evelyn's breath caught in her throat as she read the next line.
"Throw her out over the Atlantic before we land, Marco, and your payment will be doubled."
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Evelyn slowly turned around, realizing she was trapped in a metal tube at forty thousand feet.
Antonio and Marco were standing silently in the doorway of the lavatory, and both of them were pointing suppressed pistols directly at her head.
