Chapter 10 - EVELYN’S FATHER HAD BEEN HIDING TOO
Evelyn’s father had died when she was sixteen.
At least that was what she had been told.
Industrial accident.
Body badly burned.
Closed casket.
Suddenly every death in both families seemed to come with a closed coffin.
She sat down.
“I’m getting tired of dead people not staying dead.”
Antonio understood.
Thomas Foster—Tommaso Vitelli—had entered federal witness protection after his cooperation became dangerous.
His “death” had been staged to protect Evelyn and Ethan.
Even their mother had not known the full truth.
Thomas lived for years under another name.
Then disappeared from the protection program six years earlier.
No one knew why.
Until Matteo approached Ethan.
Antonio called his uncle directly.
This time Matteo answered.
“Antonio.”
“Where is Thomas?”
Long pause.
“Alive.”
Evelyn leaned toward the phone.
“Put him on.”
Matteo laughed softly.
“You sound like him.”
“Put my father on.”
“He is not with me.”
“Then why approach my brother?”
“Because Thomas contacted me.”
Antonio’s expression changed.
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Thomas had discovered Paolo was alive and planning to return.
He reached out to Matteo because he believed Matteo was the only senior Vitelli who might help Antonio.
That explained Matteo’s strange behavior.
Partly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Antonio asked.
“Because Thomas said someone inside your security structure was compromised.”
Marco went still.
Antonio noticed.
The room changed.
Matteo continued.
“Your father knew Evelyn would be placed on your flight.”
Evelyn whispered, “How?”
“Because Thomas had been watching Paolo.”
He tried to stop the plot.
Failed.
Then disappeared again.
Matteo had been searching for him.
Antonio looked at Marco.
“How many people knew my flight details?”
“Security. Airline liaison. Luca. Me.”
“And?”
Marco hesitated.
“Your father’s former chief of staff.”
“Name.”
“Stefano Ricci.”
Antonio’s eyes hardened.
Stefano had remained inside the organization after Paolo’s death.
Antonio trusted him enough to control travel logistics.
Marco began pulling records.
Then froze.
A security access log showed Stefano had opened Antonio’s medication itinerary two days before departure.
He also accessed Evelyn’s crew roster.
Antonio stood despite the monitor wires.
“Where is Ricci?”
Marco called New York.
No answer.
His apartment was empty.
His office computer wiped.
But one document remained in cloud backup.
A letter addressed to Paolo Vitelli.
The first line read:
THE SON STILL TRUSTS ME.
Evelyn looked at Antonio.
He had just discovered the traitor closest to him.
Then Luca read the final paragraph.
Stefano had promised Paolo that Antonio would never reach Rome alive.
May you like
But the signature at the bottom was not Stefano’s.
It belonged to Marco Bellini.
