The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 172: Taken

We raced back to Susan’s estate, sirens blaring, lights on full, at full speed.

The FBI was already there with crime scene tape and agents everywhere.

Katherine and I burst through the door.

Susan’s guards were unconscious and slumped. They were drugged but alive.

Susan herself was hysterical as Bella held her, both of them crying.

"I was right next door!" Susan sobbed. "I didn’t hear anything! How did I not hear anything?"

We rushed to Rose’s nursery.

The window was open with cold air streaming in. They had bypassed the security system.

It was a clean, efficient, professional job.

Rose’s crib was empty, her sheets disturbed, and her favorite blanket was gone.

Some clothes were missing from the dresser, even her formula, diapers, and bottles.

"She planned to keep her alive," FBI Agent Naomi Mills noted, documenting the scene. "They took supplies. That’s a good sign."

It was a small comfort to know that Rose was still alive. Probably and hopefully.

Katherine was crying. "This is my fault. It was my plan that I insisted we be bait, and now they took her."

I held her, both of us breaking. "It’s not your fault. It’s Juliet’s. Only Juliet’s."

"She’s ten months old. She needs me, she needs her mother."

"We’ll get her back, I promise. Whatever it takes."

One hour later, we received an email.

It was sent to both Katherine and me from an anonymous encrypted account.

The subject line was - EXCHANGE

I opened it with Katherine reading over my shoulder.

I’ll return Rose unharmed under one condition: Tony Marvin turns himself over to me as an exchange. His life for hers. There will be instructions to follow. You have 6 hours. -J

"I’ll do it," I said immediately.

"Tony, no-" Katherine started.

"That’s my daughter. I’ll do anything."

Timothy was already analyzing the email. "It’s a trap. She wants to kill you, probably in front of Katherine. This is high suffering for her revenge."

"I don’t care. Set it up."

The second email arrived with detailed instructions.

Meeting location: The abandoned warehouse in the Industrial District in Brooklyn.

Be there by midnight, that’s six hours from now.

Tony comes alone, unarmed, and with no visible security.

The Exchange: Rose for Tony. Katherine gets Rose back, and Tony stays with Juliet.

"She’s going to kill you," Luca stated flatly. It was not a question but a fact.

"Probably, but Rose and Katherine live. That’s what matters."

"There has to be another way-"

"There isn’t. We have six hours, so make the arrangements."

Katherine’s objection was loud and desperate.

"I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you trade yourself for Rose. That’s insane."

"That’s fatherhood. Rose is innocent, and I’m not. My family’s past caused this, so I need to fix it."

"By dying and leaving me alone? Leaving Rose without a father?"

"Better to be alive without a father than dead because of one."

"Tony-"

"My mind’s made up." I took her face in my hands. "Rose comes home tonight. Whatever the cost."

She was crying but not giving up. "I can’t lose you both."

"You won’t lose Rose. I promise you that."

"And you?"

I didn’t answer because we both knew the truth.

It was six hours to midnight with me preparing. I was writing letters - one for Katherine, telling her everything I never said enough. How much I love her, how she saved me, and how she made me better.

One for Rose. For when she’s older. Explaining why I did this, how much I loved her, and how I’d do it again without hesitation.

One for Bella. Apologizing for the burden I’m leaving her. Thanking her for being my sister and for accepting me.

One for Elliot. Thanking him for loving Katherine. For being the brother she needed and for being family.

I said goodbye to everyone.

Bella cried, unable to speak; she just held me.

Susan was devastated. "You’re a good man, Tony. Better than Thomas ever was."

Elliot approached me, logical as always, but emotional underneath.

"Statistically, you won’t survive this encounter."

"I know."

"And you’re doing it anyway."

"For Rose. Yes."

Elliot hugged me, which was a rare physical contact from him. "You’re a good father. Better than you think. Better than you know."

Timothy proposed an FBI counter-plan.

"We wire you with a tracking device for an audio feed, and the team follows at a distance. When Juliet releases Rose, we move in."

"And if she kills me before then?"

"Then we still save Rose, and we catch Juliet. Either way, mission accomplished."

Not the answer I wanted, but the honest one.

"Deal."

They wired me. The tracking device was embedded in my belt with the audio feed hidden in my shirt button.

I had a bulletproof vest underneath. It won’t stop a headshot but might buy seconds.

I was still walking into a death trap knowingly and willingly.

For my daughter.

One hour before midnight.

Katherine and I were alone, having our final moments.

"Don’t do this, please. There has to be another way."

"There isn’t. And Katherine...if I don’t come back-"

"Don’t." She was sobbing. "Don’t say goodbye. You’re coming back. You have to."

"If I don’t. Raise Rose to be strong and happy like you. Tell her I loved her more than life and that I died protecting her. That it was worth it."

"Tony-"

I kissed her. Our last kiss, memorizing everything. The taste of her tears, the feel of her body against mine, and the way she clung to me.

"I love you. I always have and always will. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I love you too. Come back to me. To us, please."

I couldn’t promise that, so I just held her one last time.

Then I left before I lost my nerve.

By midnight, I was at the abandoned warehouse in the Brooklyn industrial district.

Just as exactly as Juliet specified.

I approached there alone and unarmed. The FBI was positioned a half-mile out per Juliet’s requirements.

The warehouse was dark and decrepit, which was a perfect location for murder.

Juliet was waiting inside, standing in the center and holding Rose.

My daughter was crying, reaching for me. "Dada! Dada!"

My heart broke. She was alive and okay.

"Mr. Marvin, punctual. How refreshing."

"Give me my daughter."

"The exchange first. You for her. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Let’s do this."

We walked toward each other and met in the middle.

Rose was reaching for me, desperately crying and looking terrified.

I took her and held her tight. "You’re okay, sweetheart. You’re going home to mama."

She clung to me, sobbing. "Dada. Dada."

Luca emerges from the shadows as per our agreed terms. He came unarmed but present.

I passed Rose to him, which was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

"Get her to Katherine, now. Don’t stop for anything."

Luca nodded, took Rose, and disappeared into the darkness.

Rose was safe. Mission accomplished.

I turned to Juliet. "She’s safe. Now I’m yours. Do what you want."

Juliet’s smile was cold and victorious.

"Victoria loved you. Did you know that? She was obsessed with you. She wanted to destroy you, possess you, and control you. Either way, you consumed her thoughts."

"She was insane."

"She was my cousin. Like a sister to me. We grew up together. She was family, and you killed her."

"She tried to kill Katherine-"

"And you chose Katherine over everything. Victoria died because you loved someone else more. Because to you, she meant nothing."

Juliet raised a gun and aimed at my chest.

"Now you’ll die because you love your daughter more. Because you chose her over your own life. Fitting, don’t you think?"

"I’d do it again. Every time."

"Any last words?"

"Yes. I love my family, and I’d do it all over again without hesitation."

Juliet pulled the trigger.

The gunshot was loud, echoing in the empty warehouse.

Pain exploded in my chest; the feeling was burning and crushing.

I fell and hit the concrete hard. I couldn’t breathe.

But I was alive - the vest. The FBI-issued vest stopped the bullet.

My ribs were broken from impact. I couldn’t breathe properly, but I was alive.

Juliet realized and screamed. "VEST!"

She raised the gun again, aiming for my head this time.

I heard gunfire sounds from multiple shots, and they were not from Juliet.

It was the FBI breaching, and Luca’s team was now surrounding the warehouse.

Juliet turned and fired at the agents. She was deadly trained and took down two agents before they could react.

But she was overwhelmed and outnumbered by the shootout and chaos resulting from bullets flying.

I was on the ground as I couldn’t move, so I couldn’t help; I just lay there watching.

Juliet fought like a professional, but we knew she couldn’t win.

Finally, a taser. The electric current convulsed her, and she went down.

The agents swarmed in to restrain and arrest her and her guards.

The mission was complete. Juliet was captured, and Rose was now safe.

I passed out. The pain was overwhelming, and darkness closed in.

"Man down! We need medical! Tony’s hit!"

I heard voices fading and everything going black.

The last conscious thought I had was that Rose was safe and Katherine had Rose.

It was worth it.

Everything was worth it.