The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 95: Secrets & Chaos

Charles is screaming into his phone. "What’s happening? Report!"

Chaos erupts.

The Guards were confused by the triggering of the emergency protocols. The civilians on the lower floors began to evacuate.

Timothy’s voice came through Tony’s comm, which they apparently didn’t find: "Go! Move now!"

Tony breaks free from the distracted guards and immediately comes for me.

I’m fighting my captors with everything Tony taught me - elbow strikes, knee attacks, using their size against them.

Susan has freed herself, and I see a lockpick fall from her hair; she had it hidden the whole time.

She grabs a guard’s weapon to join the fight despite her injuries.

Thomas is frozen. Watching Tony fight and seeing that his son needs help.

Then he moves to fight beside Tony, protecting him like he should have been doing all along.

Father and son are fighting together.

We’re pushing toward the stairwell, toward escape.

Charles is screaming orders, trying to regain control, but it’s chaos.

Then I see it - a guard grabbing Elliot and dragging him toward a different exit.

"Elliot!"

Tony’s almost to me. Timothy and David are providing covering fire from somewhere.

But Elliot’s being taken.

I make my choice.

"Get Tony out!" I scream at Timothy. "I’m getting Elliot!"

"Katherine, no!" Tony’s fighting to reach me. "We stay together!"

"Trust me!" I’m already running after Elliot.

I tackle the guard from behind. We go down hard; he’s bigger and stronger, but I’m desperate.

We’re fighting in a brutal and ugly way. I got his weapon and didn’t hesitate. I shot him.

Sixth person I’ve killed, but I barely register it anymore.

"Run!" I grab Elliot’s hand.

We’re racing through the building, sirens blaring, people evacuating, and Charles’s men pursuing us.

Sixty floors of stairs, my legs are screaming. Elliot’s keeping up but barely. His hand is locked in mine.

"Don’t let go!" I gasp.

"I won’t!"

We burst through emergency exits. Down, down, down.

Charles’s people behind us - shooting. We’re ducking, weaving, using panicked civilians as cover.

Twenty floors, Ten floors, Five.

The Ground floor.

We explode into the lobby. It’s packed with evacuating employees, tourists, and civilians everywhere.

We can blend in to escape.

Then Charles’s voice booms through the PA system.

"Katherine Blaire. I have something you’ll want to see."

The screens throughout the lobby activate, all showing the same feed.

It showed Thomas tied up with Charles, pointing a gun at his head.

"You took my daughter, I take Tony’s father. Fair trade."

No. No, no, no-

Tony’s voice crackles through my comm. "Don’t listen, get Elliot out - that’s the mission."

But I’m frozen. Watching the screen.

"You have sixty seconds," Charles says pleasantly. "Return to the top floor or Thomas dies. After Thomas, I kill Isabella - oh yes, I know exactly where she is. After Isabella, I kill Tony. Your choice, Katherine."

Elliot’s pulling my arm. "Katherine, we have to go. You can’t save everyone."

"But I can try."

I turn toward the elevators.

"Katherine!" Elliot’s voice breaks. "Don’t. Please. He’s lying, he’ll kill you-"

"I know." I pull him into a brief, fierce hug. "Get outside, find Timothy and tell Tony-" My voice cracks. "Tell Tony I’m sorry."

"Katherine, no!"

But I’m already running back toward the elevator, towards Charles.

Choosing to save Thomas instead of escaping.

Choosing family over freedom.

The elevator doors close on my determined face.

I catch one last glimpse of Elliot in the lobby - civilians everywhere, and the security closing in on him.

Then I begin to move back toward the sixtieth floor. To Charles Sterling.

Walking willingly into his trap.

But what choice do I have?

Thomas is up there, Tony’s father. And yes, he betrayed us. Yes, he lied. Yes, he chose another child over Tony.

But he’s still family.

And I’ve lost too many people already.

The elevator rises. Fifty floors, Fifty-five, Fifty-eight.

My comm crackles. Tony’s voice: "Katherine. Katherine, answer me. What are you doing?"

"What I have to."

"Don’t. Please. Get out. I’ll find another way-"

"There is no other way." Tears streaming down my face. "He has your father, and he knows where Isabella is. Tony, I can’t let him kill your family."

"You’re my family!" He’s shouting now. "Katherine, you’re everything! Turn around! Please!"

"I love you." The elevator is at sixty. "I love you so much, but I have to do this."

"Katherine-"

The doors open.

Charles is standing there smiling with his gun still pointed at Thomas’s head.

"Katherine Blaire. How predictable. How wonderfully, stupidly noble."

I step out of the elevator. My hands were raised and unarmed.

"Let him go."

"Eventually. First, you’re going to call Tony. Tell him to come back. Tell him to bring Elliot and everyone together for the grand finale."

"And if I don’t?"

He pulls the trigger, and the shot echoes.

Thomas screams.

Not a hit. Charles shot the floor next to him as a warning.

"Next one goes in his head, afterwards I make a call. Isabella dies in Boston within the hour. Then I hunt down Tony and put a bullet in his brain while making you watch. That’s your alternative."

I’m shaking from fear and from rage... knowing I’ve made a terrible mistake.

But what choice did I have?

"Make the call," Charles orders. "Now."

I pull out my phone and dial Tony’s number.

He answers immediately. "Katherine-"

"I’m sorry." My voice breaks. "He has me. He wants you and Elliot. If you don’t come back-"

"I’m already coming," Tony interrupts. "Timothy tried to stop me, but I knocked him out. I’m in the stairwell. Ten floors down."

"Tony, no-"

"We’re together, or we’re nothing. Remember?" His voice is raw. "I’m not losing you. Not today, not ever."

The line goes dead.

Charles is smiling. "Perfect. All the pieces are back on the board."

He gestures to the guards. They grab me and force me into a chair next to Thomas.

"I’m sorry," Thomas says quietly. "I’m so sorry, Katherine."

"Save it." I can’t look at him.

"I never wanted this. Any of this."

"But you made choices, and here we are."

We sat in silence, waiting for Tony.

For Elliot.

For the end.

Because Charles has won.

We walked right into his trap.

And now everyone I love is converging on this floor.

To save me or to die with me.

Together, like we promised.

Even if together means dying in a corporate boardroom while a billionaire psychopath gets his revenge.

I hear commotion in the stairwell. Footsteps and voices.

Is it Tony? Or more of Charles’s guards?

The door handle turns.

My heart stops.

This is it.

The stairwell door opened, and I saw an unfamiliar face walk in.

Not Tony... then who the hell was this?