Chapter 20
Contains spoilersOverview
Evie secures a renewed favor from Governor Andrew Marshall while George warns that Mr. Smith will escalate legal pressure unless she complies. She regroups with Devon, who documents George’s surveillance and tracks leads to unmask Mr. Smith.
They monitor Victor Connolly and watch new APD evidence—now a video—arrive, tightening the case against Evie.
Summary
Evie leaves Ryan at the motel, intentionally shaking a tail while reflecting on the Tate job, her failed attempt to build alliances with other contractors, and her brief desire to quit. She steels herself to continue after Mr. Smith targeted her through Ryan.
She buys a burner phone and arranges a meeting at the 21C hotel. In the bustling lobby, Evie approaches Governor Andrew Marshall, confirms he still owes her a favor, and secures his private cell number.
George, now in a suit, intercepts her, warning that Mr. Smith will escalate by sending more incriminating images to police and urging her to go to Atlanta and open the safe deposit box. Evie evades watchers via elevators and stairs and meets Devon in room 515.
With Devon’s surveillance setup, they review footage showing George monitoring her and audio captured via a cane mic. They discuss how Mr. Smith believes Evie kept leverage on Andrew and Victor Connolly and how renting a safe deposit box fueled his suspicion. They agree Connolly is dangerous, push offensively to flush Smith’s evidence, and note Devon is close to unmasking Smith via the King Harvest lead. Devon suggests bailing; Evie refuses.
Devon penetrates the Atlanta PD system, pulling Amy Holder case files: older images precede Evie’s Lake Forbing arrival, including Evie dragging Amy from a car. New material, disguised as coming from another department, has just been added. They leave it in place as Mr. Smith will resend if erased. The latest upload is a video, which plays and shows Evie.
Who Appears
- Evie (Lucca, alias Mia)
Protagonist; courts Andrew Marshall’s favor, rebuffs George’s pressure, coordinates with Devon, and confronts new APD evidence against her.
- Devon
Hacker ally; surveils the hotel, captures audio, tracks Victor Connolly, penetrates APD systems, and edges closer to identifying Mr. Smith.
- George
Mr. Smith’s handler; confronts Evie, warns of escalating evidence, urges her to open the safe deposit box, and observes her in the lobby.
- Governor Andrew Marshall
Former employer; confirms he owes Evie a favor and gives her his private cell for future help.
- Mr. Smith
Controller/client broker; escalates pressure by feeding APD new evidence and suspects Evie kept leverage for herself.
- Ryan Sumner
Evie’s target and partner; concerned at departure, remains offstage while Evie handles business alone.
- Victor Connolly
Dangerous client; monitored by Devon as a key risk driving Mr. Smith’s pressure on Evie.
- Amy Holder
Deceased woman; her APD case file gains new images and a video implicating Evie.