Her money and the other items she’d bought after she’d left her brother were in a new suitcase, sitting by the door.
She did a final twirl, then grabbed her suitcase and headed downstairs.
At seven p.m. on the dot, a sedan picked her up at the front entrance and drove across the street to Teterboro Airport.
She had a seat booked with an airline company that specialized in luxury flights on small jets, each flight boasting no more than twelve passengers.
The company had a special service they did not advertise. For an extra fee, one could have their luggage loaded without a security check. It was just the perk she needed to get her newfound wealth out of the country without anyone asking questions.
The car took her directly to the plane, where a passport and immigration officer met her after she boarded. She’d used a lot of her own money for her false passport but was still nervous she’d be found out, until the official stamped the booklet, handed it back, and left.
She turned to find her seat and realized there was no one else in the cabin. There was still thirty minutes before they were scheduled to leave. Perhaps showing up at the last minute was de rigueur for the luxury jet set.
She settled into her seat and was looking out the window when she heard someone else enter the cabin. So much for the fantasy of being the only passenger.
She checked the time. Six minutes and they should be on their way.
Another person boarded the plane. She looked over this time, but he was turned away from her and appeared to be closing the door. Perhaps he was the flight attendant or even the pilot, though his outfit looked more like a business suit than a uniform.
She looked out the window again and daydreamed about what her new life would be like.
“Good evening, Miss Gennaro.”
She turned, thinking it was the flight attendant, then realized he had used her real name, not the one from her passport. The moment she saw him, she understood why.
“Do I need to introduce myself? Or do you know my name?”
Barely above a whisper, she said, “You’re Johnny Fratelli.”
“Oh, good. We don’t have to worry about that, then.” He motioned to the seat across the aisle. “May I?”
He sat without waiting for her response.
“I have a few questions for you,” he said. “How you answer them will determine what happens to you next.”
“H-how did you find me?”
“That would be my friend Stone’s department.” He motioned toward the seats in front and the man who’d been with Fratelli in the subway station stood up and walked down the aisle to join them.
“The exact method is classified, I’m afraid,” Stone said. “I will say, once we knew where you were, it was simply a matter of a few calls to figure out what you were up to.” He leaned past her and pointed out her window. “You see that hangar over there?”
She looked out and wasn’t sure which building he meant, but she nodded anyway.
“That’s my hangar. And the one next to it?”
He pointed again and she nodded again.
“That hangar belongs to one of the top three security companies in the world, Strategic Services, on whose board of directors I happen to serve. Among other things, Strategic Services is responsible for security for this plane and the company it belongs to. That is how we knew where you were.”
She gulped. “I see.”
“I assume you know why we tracked you down,” Fratelli said.
“Because of the money my brother made you pay him.”
“Precisely, though we all know that money is now in your suitcase.”
“I-I-I had nothing to do with what he did,” she said quickly. “I didn’t even know about it until a couple days ago. I just…just want to screw him over.”
