CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The plane touched down on a sun-drenched island in the South Pacific under a sky so vast it felt like the universe itself was offering them forgiveness.
The airstrip was little more than a strip of cracked concrete bordered by swaying palms and the distant roar of the ocean.
No customs officials, no questions…just a single weathered jeep waiting with keys in the ignition and a handwritten note from Theo: “Villa is stocked. Burner phones in the glove box.
Stay ghosts.”
Elena stepped onto the tarmac first, bare feet still carrying the phantom chill of lake water.
Her side throbbed where the bullet had grazed her, but the pain felt distant now, like a story from someone else’s life.
Lila followed, moving slower, one hand pressed to the fresh stitches across her che
