The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 68: Tears & Denial

We both got dressed again when the door buzzes. Luca, arriving for a security briefing.

The next hour was of tactical planning. Defensive positions, exit strategies, and communication protocols. Katherine sits silently through most of it, and I catch her watching me with that same distant expression.

When Luca leaves, she speaks. "I want to keep our consulting appointment tomorrow. Sofia Romano needs help."

"Absolutely not." I don’t even consider it. "We’re staying here until-"

"Until what? Until you decide it’s safe? Until Vincent is caught? That could be months, Tony."

"Then we stay months."

"I won’t." Her voice is steel. "I won’t let him control my life, that’s letting him win."

"He’ll kill you if you give him the opportunity." I’m trying to stay calm and rational. "Katherine, please. Be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable. You’re being controlling." She grabs her laptop. "I’m meeting with Sofia. With or without your permission."

"It’s not about permission-"

"Then what is it about? Because it sounds a lot like you giving orders and expecting me to obey."

"I’m trying to keep you alive!"

"By making me a prisoner!" Her voice rises to match mine. "In a cage you built. Again. We’ve been through this, Tony. Control isn’t protection."

"And recklessness isn’t independence." I’m losing this argument, and I can feel it slipping away. "Vincent is watching; he’s planned this. You going to the office is exactly what he wants."

"Then we’ll be ready." She’s not backing down. "We’ll have security. Luca’s men. Morrison’s agents. We’ll be prepared."

"You can’t prepare for everything." I’m almost pleading now. "Katherine, please. Just stay here. Stay safe."

"No." She replied stubbornly. "I’m going."

We stare at each other across the penthouse. The gulf between us is widening with every second.

My phone buzzes with a text from Morrison: Sofia Romano’s at your office. Says she has new evidence. Won’t leave until she talks to you both.

Katherine sees the message. "I’m going. Now."

"Fine." I grab my weapon and check the load. "But we do this my way. Luca’s men surround the building, Morrison’s agents inside. You don’t move without protection."

"Agreed." She’s already heading for the door.

"And Katherine?" I catch her arm to pull her back. "If I say run, you run. No arguments. You trust me to keep you safe."

She meets my eyes. "If you trust me to make my own choices."

It’s not an agreement but a standoff from her.

But there’s no time to resolve it because Sofia Romano is waiting, and Vincent is watching, and every instinct I have is screaming that this is a trap.

We arrive at the office twenty minutes later. Luca’s men are positioned on the street. Morrison’s agents are in the building. There is maximum security.

Sofia’s already there, looking nervous, and clutching a folder.

"Thank you for coming," she says as we enter. "I know it’s dangerous, but I have evidence. Vincent sent me more threats. It’s more proof he’s targeting anyone you help."

Katherine sits and begins reviewing documents. I stay standing, watching windows, checking sight lines, my weapon concealed but accessible.

Everything seems normal... too normal.

Then I see it - a flash of light from the building across the street. Rooftop level. Sniper scope catching sunlight.

"DOWN!" I’m moving before conscious thought, tackling Katherine off her chair.

Glass explodes inward. Three shots in rapid succession - professional and precise.

One hits Sofia in the shoulder, spinning her. One destroys Katherine’s laptop. One punches through the chair where Katherine was sitting half a second ago.

Then silence.

Luca’s men are already moving, racing across the street. Morrison’s agents are securing the office.

But I know what they’ll find. Nothing - Vincent’s already gone.

Katherine’s beneath me, breathing hard, eyes wide. "He missed."

"No." I help her up, checking for injuries. "He didn’t miss. Those were warning shots; he could have killed us all."

Luca calls from across the street: "Sniper nest found. It’s empty, but there’s a message."

We cross carefully, protected by agents, to the rooftop. Written in spray paint, large enough to read from our office:

3 shots, 3 warnings. Next time I won’t miss.

Tell Katherine she looks good in green.

—V

Katherine’s wearing green. He’s watching right now from somewhere close.

"That’s it." I turn to Katherine, and I know my face is hard and unyielding. "No more office and no more clients. We go underground until he’s caught. That’s final."

"No." Katherine’s voice is just as hard. "Absolutely not. I won’t live in hiding."

"It’s not a request." I’m done negotiating. "You almost died, again. Because you insisted on being here."

"He was toying with us. He wasn’t trying to kill-"

"This time. Next time, who knows?" I grab her shoulders to make her look at me. "Katherine, I can’t protect you if you won’t let me."

"I don’t want your protection if it means giving up my life." She pulls away. "I want to live, Tony. Actually live, not just survive in whatever cage you think is safe."

"Then we have a problem." The words come out colder than intended. "Because I’m not watching you die."

"And I’m not watching you become a tyrant." Her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "This is exactly what drove us apart before. You making decisions for me. Controlling me under the guise of protection."

"That was different."

"Was it? Because it feels exactly the same."

Morrison approaches cautiously. "We should move this discussion somewhere more secure."

But Katherine’s already walking toward the exit. "I’m going back to the hotel to pack. I need space to think."

"Katherine-"

"No, Tony." She doesn’t look back. "I need space. From Vincent, from this situation, and from you deciding what’s best for me without asking what I want."

She leaves with Morrison’s agents as her escort. Luca appears beside me.

"Let her cool down," he suggests quietly. "You’re both scared. Saying things you don’t mean."

"I meant every word." I stare at where Katherine disappeared. "And so did she. That’s the problem."

Back at the hotel, Katherine packs her bag to leave.

"Where are you going?" I ask from the doorway.

"Somewhere safe." She doesn’t look at me. "Somewhere you’re not making decisions for me."

"Katherine, don’t do this. Please."

"I’m not doing anything. You did this. By trying to control me instead of trusting me." She finally looks up, and the pain in her eyes guts me. "I love you, Tony. But I can’t be with someone who sees me as a problem to manage instead of a partner to trust."

"That’s not-"

"It is." She zips the bag. "And until you figure out how to protect me without imprisoning me, we need distance."

She walks to the door. Every instinct in me screams to stop her, to lock the door, to keep her here where I can see her.

But that’s precisely what she’s accusing me of. Control... Imprisonment.

So I let her walk away.

And I’m alone in the cold penthouse, surrounded by weapons and security measures and contingency plans watching the woman I love walk away.

Everything I need to keep her safe.

Except her. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

My phone buzzes with a message from an unknown number.

It shows a photograph of Katherine getting into a car downstairs, with a message attached: She left you. Good. This makes my job easier when she’s alone, vulnerable, heartbroken - exactly how I want her.

Thanks for the assist, boss.

—V

My blood turns to ice.

I made Katherine leave.

And Vincent’s already watching her go.