Chapter 4 - The Gulfstream Trap
The private Gulfstream G650 climbed steeply into the night sky above Shannon Airport, banking hard toward the west across the black expanse of the Atlantic. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was vastly different from the commercial flight three days ago. There were no rows of sleeping passengers, no drink carts, no bright galley lights.
The cabin was bathed in a dim, amber glow.
Antonio Vitelli sat at a polished mahogany conference table near the center of the jet, reviewing encrypted financial printouts on a tablet. Across from him sat Evelyn Foster, dressed in a civilian cashmere turtleneck and dark slacks, though she still wore her airline silver lapel pin pinned neatly to her collar—a quiet anchor of her professional identity.
In the forward cabin, Marco Bellini monitored the secure satellite comms link connecting them directly to their operatives in New York.
"We're two hours out from Teterboro," Marco announced, stepping back into the conference area. "Franco's inner circle has called an emergency council meeting at the Manhattan docks warehouse for midnight. They believe the boss is still incapacitated in Ireland."
Antonio didn't look up from his tablet. "And the trap?"
"Set," Marco replied. "The local precinct has been notified through confidential channels, and our loyal capos are already positioned around the perimeter of the warehouse. When Franco tries to force the vote on the shipping route transfer, we walk through the front doors."
Antonio turned his gaze toward Evelyn. "Are you frightened, Evelyn?"
"Terrified," she admitted honestly, taking a sip of bottled water. "If this goes wrong, I lose my career, my freedom, and possibly my life."
"It won't go wrong," Antonio said with absolute conviction. "Because for the first time in ten years, I am surrounded by people who cannot be bought."
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As the sleek jet cut through the stratosphere at Mach 0.9, the miles melted away beneath them. Evelyn looked out the triple-paned oval window into the infinite blackness of the night sky, realizing how fundamentally her life had changed since she poured that first cup of coffee out of JFK.
She wasn't just a flight attendant anymore. She was a key player in the takedown of an international criminal syndicate.
