Chapter 2 - The Decoy
Evelyn stared at the photograph of herself on Marco's phone.
Her mind struggled to process how a mafia assassin could have been tracking her days before she ever stepped onto this flight.
Marco grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the airport exit.
He told her they had less than five minutes before the people who sent that photo found her in the terminal.
Evelyn tried to pull away, demanding to know why a crime syndicate cared about a random flight attendant.
Marco pushed her through the sliding glass doors into the freezing Irish rain.
He said nothing about this was random.
A black SUV idled at the curb with its headlights off.
Marco opened the rear door and shoved Evelyn inside before climbing in next to her.
He ordered the driver to get them to the safe house immediately.
The heavy vehicle accelerated away from the airport, its tires splashing violently through deep puddles.
Evelyn demanded answers again, her voice shaking with adrenaline.
Marco finally looked at her and said the poison used on Antonio was a rare synthetic toxin.
It was designed to mimic a natural heart attack and leave no trace in the bloodstream.
Only three people in the world had access to the flight manifest in time to plant it.
One of them was Antonio's brother, Lorenzo.
Evelyn asked what that had to do with her.
Marco explained that the syndicate did not believe in coincidences.
If her picture was in the case, it meant she was the backup plan.
They were driving down a desolate stretch of highway bordered by thick forests.
The rain was falling harder now, blurring the streetlights into smeared yellow streaks.
Evelyn noticed the driver kept glancing in the rearview mirror.
A pair of bright headlights suddenly appeared in the darkness behind them, approaching at a terrifying speed.
Marco drew a sleek black pistol from his jacket and ordered the driver to lose the tail.
The SUV swerved sharply onto a narrow country road, throwing Evelyn against the door.
The vehicle behind them matched their turn perfectly.
Marco rolled down his window, letting the freezing rain whip into the cabin.
He leaned out and fired three shots into the darkness.
The pursuing car swerved but did not slow down.
Evelyn screamed as their SUV hit a massive pothole and skidded toward a stone wall.
The driver fought the steering wheel and barely kept them on the road.
Marco pulled himself back into the cabin, breathing heavily.
He told Evelyn to keep her head down and stay perfectly still.
Evelyn closed her eyes and prayed this was just a horrible nightmare.
Then the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the SUV to a violent halt in the middle of the empty road.
Marco yelled at him to keep moving.
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The driver slowly turned around to face them.
He was holding a suppressed pistol, and the barrel was pointed directly at Marco's chest.
