The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 76: Desperate Measures

"He never loved her, he told her that. Multiple times." I’m pushing, I know, but the truth needs to be said. "Your daughter couldn’t accept no, that’s why she escalated and threatened to kill innocent people. And yes - she died because of it."

Marie’s face twists with rage and grief. For a moment, I think she’ll hit me again, but she regains control, stepping back.

"You know nothing about love." Her voice is cold.

"I know it doesn’t involve bombs and threatening hundreds of innocent lives."

"Vincent wants to kill you quickly." Marie changes topics, her voice casual now. "Sounds professional as usual - a bullet to the head - how boring."

She walks to a table to pick up a tablet. "But I want you to suffer, as my daughter suffered."

She turns the screen toward me.

I see live feeds from multiple locations and recognize them: FBI headquarters, a hospital, elementary schools, and Grand Central Station.

"Those are the bombs," Marie says pleasantly. "Eight locations, hundreds of potential casualties. The FBI will find three, maybe four if they’re very good, but they won’t find all eight."

My stomach drops. "You’re going to kill innocent people."

"I’m going to make Anthony choose." She sets the tablet down. "His life for yours. If he doesn’t show up in..." She checks her watch. "Twenty-three hours now, I detonate everything. You die, hundreds die, and he lives with that guilt forever."

"He won’t come," I say it with more confidence than I feel. "Tony’s smarter than that."

"Is he?" Marie smiles. "Vincent says otherwise. Says Anthony Marvin would do anything to save you. Sacrifice anything, even himself."

She’s right, that’s precisely what Tony would do.

"But even if he does come," Marie continues, "even if he trades himself for you, even if the FBI finds every single bomb - I’ve already won because Anthony will spend the rest of his life knowing he let Vincent take you. That image will haunt him forever."

The psychological torture is worse than the physical. She’s planned this perfectly.

Marie leaves after that, taking Vincent with her to a private conversation that I can’t hear, but their body language is tense - Marie is suspicious, and Vincent is defensive.

There’s a crack, the weakness I can exploit.

I wait and watch the guards. They’re confident, bored even, still thinking I’m helpless.

One of them approaches to check my restraints and gets too close.

Tony’s training kicks in automatically.

I snap my head forward, a brutal head-butt that breaks his nose. He stumbles back, blood streaming, and I’m already moving to grab his weapon while he’s dazed. The handcuffs make it awkward but not impossible.

The second guard is reaching for his weapon, but I fire first - center mass and he goes down.

Fifth person I’ve killed.

It should feel wrong, should make me sick, but all I feel is grim determination.

I’m running before the other guards can react. Through the warehouse, toward the exit I identified earlier. Bullets hit concrete around me, sparks flying.

I burst through the door into the night air through the docks, water, and ships. Containers stacked like a maze.

Behind me, I hear shouting from more guards pouring out, and I run with no plan or destination... just away.

The shipyard is massive. I weave between containers, my breathing ragged, lungs burning. I’m not trained for this, not even prepared for running for my life through an industrial complex.

Then I see it - a motorcycle parked near a guard shack. The keys were in the ignition; it must be some dockworker’s bike.

I’ve never ridden a motorcycle, but it’s faster than running.

I jump on and try to start it, but it stalls. Behind me, the guards were getting closer, and I tried again. It still stalls.

"Come on, come on," I say, terrified

Third try, and the engine roars to life.

I twist the throttle too hard, nearly dump the bike, but I manage to stay upright, weaving crazily as I accelerate toward the gate.

Bullets hit the ground around me, and I duck low, praying, as I crash through the chain-link gate.

Then I’m on the street and face Manhattan traffic even at this hour. I weave between cars, no idea what I’m doing, operating on pure adrenaline and luck.

My phone’s gone - Vincent took it, and I have no way to call Tony. No way to tell anyone where I am or where I’ve been.

I just kept moving to get to a public place or a safe place.

The bike sputters. It’s a warning light that indicates an empty tank.

No... not now.

It dies on a bridge approach. I abandon it, and keep running on foot.

I’m exhausted and bleeding from cuts I don’t remember getting. I’m disoriented, but I see lights ahead - a subway entrance.

I stumble down the stairs into the station. It’s packed with the late-night crowd, people heading home from work, bars, or wherever.

I must look insane - dirty, bloody, clearly in trouble. People stare, and some move away. No one helps. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I need a phone, I need to call Tony.

"Excuse me." I approach a teenager scrolling on his phone. "Please, I need to make a call. It’s an emergency."

He looks at me like I might be crazy or dangerous. "Use your own phone."

"I don’t have one. Please, just one call."

Something in my desperation must have convinced him. He hands over his phone reluctantly.

I dial Tony’s number from memory. The burner phone he had. It rings and rings - no answer.

Then: "The number you have reached is no longer in service."

Nooo!

He changed it with new security protocols after Vincent’s breach, and I don’t know his latest number, not even Elliot’s or Morrison’s. Every number I had memorized was for a burner phone that had been replaced.

I’m alone in Manhattan, being hunted by a grieving mother with unlimited resources and a professional killer with no way to contact the people who can help me.

The teenager snatches his phone back. "You done?"

I nod, unable to speak.

Then I see him across the platform through the crowd.

Vincent.

Our eyes meet. For a moment, neither of us moves.

Then he raises his weapon.

The crowd notices. Screaming and panicking. People running.

I run too. Down the platform, toward the tunnel, anywhere but here.

Behind me, Vincent’s voice: "Katherine! Stop running! You’re making this harder than it needs to be!"

I don’t stop.

I jump down onto the tracks. It’s dangerous and stupid, but I’m out of options.

The tunnel is dark, but I could hear a train coming, and could feel the vibration through the rails.

I have to get across to the other platform before-

I see the light ahead growing brighter... it’s from the train.

I run faster, my legs screaming, and lungs burning.

Vincent jumps down behind me. "Katherine!"

The train horn blares with its headlight blinding, and I see the opposite platform.

I jump - my hands catch the edge, legs dangling, as the train roars past inches from my feet.

Someone grabs my wrists and pulls me up.

It’s a transit cop. "What the hell were you-"

"He’s got a gun!" I point at the tracks where Vincent was.

But the train’s passing. When it clears, Vincent’s gone.

He must have disappeared into the tunnel or the crowd, either way - he’s still hunting me.

And I have nowhere to run.