Chapter 13 - The Second Betrayal
Every stroke through the icy Atlantic felt like lifting lead weights. Her arms were numb, her fingers stiff and unresponsive. By the time Naomi reached the nylon safety lines trailing from the life raft, she was barely conscious.
She hauled herself up by her elbows, flopping over the inflated pontoon like a drowned corpse, collapsing onto the rubberized floor of the raft.
The raft was equipped with an overhead canopy, shielding her from the wind. In the corner sat Mateo, holding an emergency flashlight and an insulated survival blanket.
""You made it,"" Mateo said, his voice flat, emotionless.
Naomi rolled onto her side, coughing salt water onto the floor. ""You... you left me. You said you’d wait.""
""I said I would get the files,"" Mateo replied quietly, aiming the flashlight beam directly into her swollen, bloodshot eyes. ""If I waited another three minutes, Julian’s fire would have trapped us both. Survival is about calculation, Miss Vance.""
""My name is not Vance,"" she rasped, pulling herself into a sitting position, her teeth chattering so violently she could barely articulate the words. ""Give me the satellite phone. We need to call the rescue coordinator.""
Mateo didn't move toward the survival kit. Instead, he pulled a sealed waterproof envelope from his coat pocket—the envelope containing the laundered bearer bonds and the forged transfer documents.
""There isn't going to be a rescue call,"" Mateo said calmly.
Naomi froze, the blood running cold in her veins despite the freezing air.
May you like
""What are you talking about?"" she whispered.
""Elena Rossi wasn't my employer,"" Mateo said, stepping toward her, his shadow blocking the entrance of the raft. ""Elena was my sister. And these bonds were bought with the money Julian stole from her trust fund. You signed the shell companies, Naomi. In the eyes of the law, you're the one who laundered Elena’s blood money.""
