The Mafia's Undoing Chapter 74: Under Siege

"You betrayed ." It wasn’t a question.

"I worked for the Commission before I worked for you. Margaret Liu recruited - paid better. More importantly," His eyes found Katherine and turned back to . "She paid loyalty. You just paid enough to keep around."

Katherine raises her weapon. "Every security breach, every attack that got through. That was you."

"Not all of them." Vincent shrugs. "So threats were real. But yes, most of the vulnerabilities you experienced? I designed them. Built them right into your security systems. Brilliant, really."

"Why?" The question bursts from . "Five years, Vincent. You worked for for five years. I trusted you."

"That was the point." He’s not even pretending remorse. "Margaret needed soone inside. Soone close to you, soone who could manipulate your defenses from within."

"And Angelo?" Katherine asks.

"Paid too, then Marie Sterling offered more. I’m a professional, Katherine. I follow the money."

"You’re a traitor." Her voice is cold.

"I’m a survivor." Vincent’s smile widens. "And speaking of survival - hello, Katherine. You’re even more beautiful up close."

I move to block her, putting myself between them. "You want her? You go through ."

"Eventually." Vincent’s tone is almost regretful. "But first, story ti."

He starts strolling, his hands visible. "Marie Sterling is paying three million dollars. Two million to kill Katherine while you watch. Another million to make sure you suffer first."

"But I told her I’d do it for free. Professional pride, you understand."

Katherine’s weapon is still trained on him, so is mine, and everyone else’s.

"So here’s how this ends," Vincent continues. "Marie has bombs planted throughout Manhattan. Your grandmother’s brownstone, though it’s already a crater, isn’t it? FBI headquarters. Morrison’s family ho in Queens, three elentary schools, a hospital, and the Grand Central Station."

My blood runs cold. "You’re lying."

"Am I?" Vincent pulls out a small device. It’s a remote trigger. "This is a dead man’s switch, biotric lock. If my pulse stops, the bombs detonate. Hundreds dead, maybe thousands depending on timing."

"You’re bluffing." But I hear the uncertainty in my own voice.

Morrison’s phone rings, and she answers, her face going pale. "Device found at FBI headquarters, it’s active. Bomb squad is-" She looks at us. "It’s real."

Vincent’s smile is triumphant. "So here’s the deal, boss. Katherine cos with now as a hostage. You get twenty-four hours to find and disarm the remaining bombs. Then you deliver yourself to Marie, and everyone lives... mostly."

"Or," he raises the trigger slightly, "shoot . I die, the bombs detonate, and hundreds of civilians die. Including Katherine, since she’s right here in the blast radius I designed."

My finger’s on the trigger, one shot ends this, but-

"He’s telling the truth." Elliot’s voice was quiet but confident. "I’m tracking the signal. There are multiple devices, and the locations match what he said. Tony, there are bombs."

Katherine looks at , and I see her making the decision before she speaks.

"I’ll go."

"No." The word is automatic. "Katherine, no."

"Hundreds of lives, Tony." She’s already lowering her weapon. "We don’t have a choice."

"There’s always a choice-"

"No." She steps toward Vincent. "There isn’t, not this ti."

"Katherine, please-"

She kisses quick and fiercely. "Find the bombs, find Marie, and co get ."

"I’m not letting you-"

"Yes." Her eyes bore into mine. "You are because that’s what partners do. They trust each other to survive."

She turns to Vincent. "Let’s go, but if you touch inappropriately, I’ll kill you with my bare hands."

Vincent actually laughs. "She’s got spine. I see why you love her."

Katherine walks toward him, every instinct in screams to stop this, to shoot Vincent regardless of consequences, to grab her and run.

But Luca’s hand is on my arm. "Let her go. We’ll track her and get her back."

"I can’t." My voice breaks. "I can’t lose her."

Katherine looks back once, our eyes et across the smoke and carnage.

"You won’t," she mouths. "I promise."

Then Vincent’s arm is around her shoulders, his gun to her ribs, and they’re walking toward the stairwell.

"Twenty-four hours, boss," Vincent calls back. "Then bring yourself to Marie, or Katherine dies slowly and painfully while I record it for you."

They disappear through the door.

I raise my weapon, about to follow-

"Tony!" Morrison grabs . "Second device just found in the hospital. They’re evacuating now."

My phone buzzes with a text from Marie Sterling:

Good choice. Now you have 24 hours to deliver yourself to the following address, or Katherine dies very painfully. Find the bombs if you can, but know this: even if you find them all, even if you co for her, I’ve won. Because you’ll spend the rest of your life knowing you let Vincent take her. That image will haunt you forever. -M

The address attached is in the Bronx; it’s an abandoned warehouse district.

The FBI arrives two minutes later- too late. Vincent and Katherine are already gone.

Elliot’s tracking her phone. "Signal’s moving towards the north. They’re in a vehicle, a helicopter, based on speed. She’s-" His face goes white. "The signal’s dead and her phone destroyed."

Gone. She’s gone.

And I let her walk away.

Thomas’s hand lands on my shoulder. "We get her back, son. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes." The words co out dead and hollow.

But inside, sothing is building. Not grief or fear, but sothing colder and more complex.

I pull out a cigarette from a side cabinet - a habit I’d quit for Katherine and light it. The smoke burning my throat feels right and fitting.

"Tony?" Luca’s voice is cautious. "What are you thinking?"

I look at him, at Thomas, at Morrison, and at the carnage around us.

"I’m thinking Vincent just made the worst mistake of his life." My voice is cold. The ruthless mafia boss everyone fears. "I’m thinking Marie Sterling wanted war. So I’ll give her war."

"The bombs-" Morrison starts.

"Find them to disarm them. I don’t care how, but I’m not delivering myself to Marie." I take a long drag and exhale. "I’m going to hunt every person connected to her operation. Every safe house, every asset, and every contact. I’m going to burn it all down until soone tells where Katherine is."

"That’s not-" Morrison begins.

"I don’t care about legal." I interrupt. "I don’t give a f**k about rules. I care about getting her back. Alive."

Thomas nods slowly. "I’ll make calls. Activate every contact and call in every favor."

"Luca?"

"The Torrino family is yours. We’ll burn this city down if we have to."

Morrison hesitates. "I should stop you. This is vigilante justice and outside the law."

"Then stop ." I et her eyes. "But you won’t because you know it’s the only way."

She looks away. "Twenty-four hours. If you’re not back with Katherine by then, I’m bringing you in. Deal?"

"Deal." But we both know I’m not stopping until Katherine’s safe or I’m dead.

I grind out the cigarette and look at the destruction around us. The bodies, the blood... the evidence of Vincent’s betrayal.

He took everything from tonight.

My security chief, my trust, my sense of safety.

And, worst of all, he took Katherine.

But he made one critical mistake.

He left alive.

And now there’s nothing - no law, no rcy, no conscience standing between and getting her back.

Vincent wanted to see the ruthless Anthony Marvin that everyone fears.

He’s about to get his wish.

And he’s going to regret it.