The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 109: The Threat

I’m out the door before Katherine finishes speaking.

Thomas is still in the hospital, but I left Bella with him. She’d understand.

Katherine needs me.

For the first time in six months, that’s the only thing that matters.

I drive recklessly through Manhattan - running red lights and not caring about traffic laws or consequences. Just getting to her.

She sounded terrified on the phone. Katherine, who faced down Morrison and Charles Sterling without flinching. Terrified.

Someone threatened her, and I’m about to find out who’s signing their own death warrant.

At Susan’s building, I take the stairs three at a time; I couldn’t wait for the elevator.

Katherine opens the door before I can knock.

We stare at each other. First time face-to-face since the hotel. Since the rain incident when she gave me back her ring.

She looks exhausted. Beautiful but exhausted.

"Tony-"

I pull her into my arms. She stiffens for a moment, then melts against me.

"I’m staying," I hear her say.

"What?"

"San Francisco. I’m not going, I’m staying here in New York with you."

"Katherine-"

"But we really need to talk about everything, us and how we intend to move forward. After we deal with whoever just threatened to kill everyone I love."

"I’m here," I say into her hair. "I’m here. Tell me what happened, from the beginning."

She’s shaking.

Susan appears behind her. "Come in, we need to talk. All of us."

I follow them inside. The apartment is full of white roses. My roses.

"You got them," I say stupidly.

"I got them." Katherine’s voice is soft. "Tony, we need to focus-"

"Right. The threat. Tell me everything, word for word."

We sit, and Katherine pulls out her phone.

"I recorded it. The call."

Smart. She’s always so smart.

She plays it, and the distorted voice fills the room:

"Katherine Blaire. You don’t know me, but I know everything about you, about Tony, and about your little happy ending. You and Tony destroyed too many lives. Morrison, Charles, Margaret. You think there aren’t consequences? This is a promise. You have two choices - take that San Francisco job and disappear, or stay in New York and watch everyone you love die. You have 48 hours to decide."

My blood runs cold.

Then hot, pure rage.

"Play it again," I say.

She does. I listened carefully this time. It was done with professional voice distortion, minimal background noise, and no identifying features.

But the content tells me everything.

"They know about San Francisco," I say. "They’ve been watching you and listening to your calls or-" I look at Susan. "Is your apartment secure?"

"I thought so."

"We need to check for bugs. Now." I’m already on my phone. "Luca, I need a sweep team. Susan Jenkins’ apartment. Immediately." Pause. "I don’t care what time it is. Now." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

I hang up and look at Katherine.

"Tell me about San Francisco."

She hesitates. "It’s a job offer. VP position in a banking firm. I was... considering it."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "You were leaving?"

"I was thinking about it before this call."

"Because of me." It’s not a question.

"Yes." Her voice was small but honest. "I’ve been alone for six months while you built your empire. I couldn’t compete with your ambition and was tired of waiting for you to choose me."

I noticed Susan and Bella - when did Bella get here? - exchange looks.

This is the conversation we should have had months ago.

I sit down and force myself to really look at Katherine, to see the pain I’ve caused her.

"You’re right," I say. "About everything. I’ve been absent, obsessed. Exactly like my father."

"Tony-"

"Let me finish. Please." I take a breath. "Thomas told me something. The night he had his heart attack. About my mother."

Katherine goes still.

"She didn’t just die from childbirth complications. She was leaving him, had packed bags, and made plans. Some of the stress of their argument caused the premature labor that killed her, not only from the external threats."

"Oh my God," Katherine whispers.

"He’s carried that guilt for thirty years, and he told me - begged me not to make his mistakes. Not to lose you the way he lost her." My voice breaks. "And I almost did. I almost became him completely."

"But you didn’t," Katherine says softly. "You walked away from Vivian. From the deal."

"Because none of it matters without you. I’ve been so focused on building something legitimate, something to be proud of, that I forgot why I was building it. For us and our future, but what’s the point of a future if you’re not in it?"

She’s crying now, her silent tears streaming down her face.

"I don’t want San Francisco," she says. "I want you, but I can’t keep competing with your ambition."

"You won’t have to. I’m done. With the empire building, the obsession, and with choosing work over you."

"For how long? Until the next opportunity? The next deal?"

"For as long as it takes." I take her hands. "Katherine, I cancelled everything. Every meeting, every deal, and I told my investors I’m taking a month off - actually taking time, first time in six months."

"But the business-"

"Can be managed by someone else for now, scaled back, sold. I don’t care." I mean every word. "The only thing I care about now is us. You. This. What we have when we’re not being hunted, fighting, or running."

Bella clears her throat loudly. "This is beautiful and all. Really very touching, but can we focus on the death threat?"

Despite everything, Katherine and I laugh.

"Right," I say. "Someone wants Katherine gone or dead. We need to identify them."

"I’m running voice analysis," Elliot’s voice comes from a laptop via video call. "Give me an hour. I can find patterns, identify the distortion software-"

"We don’t have an hour," I interrupt. "We have forty-eight hours total, and the clock’s already ticking."

"Then I work faster." Elliot’s fingers were already flying.

I turn to Bella. "Commission records. Everyone we arrested, everyone we missed. Cross-reference with anyone who might want revenge."

"On it." She’s pulling out her own laptop.

Susan’s already on her phone. "I’m calling Luca. Getting his security team mobilized."

I look at Katherine. "You stay with me - 24/7. Full protection."

"I have work-"

"Call in sick or say that you took a vacation. This isn’t negotiable."

She opens her mouth to argue, sees my face, and then closes it again.

"Okay."

"Good." I pull out my phone. "Luca, status?"

"Sweep team is ten minutes out. And Tony? I’m mobilizing the full details. This sounds serious."

"It is. Someone’s threatening Katherine. I want eyes everywhere - her apartment, her office, Elliot’s dorm, the hospital where Thomas is, Susan’s place, everywhere we’ve ever been."

"Consider it done."

I hang up. Look at our assembled team. Katherine, Bella, Susan, and Elliot on screen.

"We build a suspect list. Fast!"