beginning of the end

The air inside the abandoned theater was thick with dust and tension. Vinny stood alone on the creaking stage, the spotlight above casting harsh shadows across his face. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant hum of the city outside.

Suddenly, the theater doors slammed open, and Tom entered, flanked by two imposing figures. His smile was cold, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Vincent," he drawled, "always the dramatic one. I knew you'd come."

Vinny's jaw tightened. "Where are they, Tom? You said no one would get hurt."en.webnovel.com

Tom chuckled, the sound echoing ominously. "Oh, Vinny. Promises are such fragile things. But don't worry, your friends are... entertained."

As if on cue, a large screen descended from the ceiling, flickering to life. The feed showed Matthew, Ivy, Cam, and Silas, each confined in separate rooms, restrained and unconscious.

Vinny's fists clenched. "Let them go. This is between you and me."

Tom's smile widened. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. This is about all of us. Our history, our choices. It's time to settle old scores."

Without warning, the theater's lights dimmed, and the floor beneath Vinny's feet gave way. He plunged into darkness, landing hard in a subterranean chamber. The walls were lined with monitors, each displaying scenes of chaos: explosions, betrayals, and confrontations.

A voice echoed through the chamber. "Welcome to the final act, Vincent. Let's see how well you perform under pressure."

Vinny navigated the labyrinthine corridors, each turn presenting new horrors. He encountered former allies turned adversaries, manipulated by Tom's machinations. The line between friend and foe blurred, trust eroded by deception.

In one chamber, he found Cam, eyes glazed, holding a weapon. "Vinny," Cam whispered, "I don't know what's real anymore."

Vinny approached cautiously. "It's me, Cam. We can fight this together."webnovels.com

Cam hesitated, then lowered the weapon. "I hope you're right."

Together, they pressed on, facing trials designed to break their spirits. Each room tested their resolve, forcing them to confront past regrets and fears.

Finally, they reached a central chamber where Tom awaited, surrounded by screens displaying the suffering he had orchestrated.

"You've come far, Vincent," Tom said, "but are you willing to sacrifice everything to stop me?"

Vinny stepped forward, determination in his eyes. "I won't let you hurt anyone else. This ends now."

Tom laughed, a chilling sound. "Then let's see how this story concludes."

The warehouse had gone up in chaos, smoke still curling through shattered beams as if the place itself were exhaling its last breath. Vinny's ears rang with the echo of gunfire, shouting, the dull thump of bodies hitting concrete. His chest heaved as he ducked behind a fallen steel cabinet, blood spattered across his temple—Matthew's blood. He'd seen it.

Somewhere in the chaos, they'd been torn apart.

"Matt!" Vinny shouted, his voice ragged, desperate. No answer. Just the crackle of flames and the dying whir of electric light stuttering above.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

They had planned every move. Coordinated with allies. Had tech, eyes, escape routes. But Tom had planned better. What was meant to be a raid had become a massacre. Lila's intel had holes in it—intentionally or not, Vinny couldn't tell—but they'd walked right into a trap.

Vinny pushed himself to his feet, limping toward where he'd last seen Matthew. Every step was a punch of guilt in his gut. He should've known. He should've stayed by his side.

A body groaned nearby, shifting in the debris. Vinny turned instantly, raising the gun still clenched in his hand, but relaxed only slightly when he saw who it was.

Elias.

Barely conscious, his shoulder bleeding out, but alive.

"You son of a—" Vinny muttered, marching over and dragging him up by the collar. "Where is he? Where's Matthew?"

Elias coughed, blood bubbling at the edge of his mouth. "You think… Tom tells me anything anymore?" he rasped, almost laughing. "He's gone off the rails, man. I told you…"

Vinny slammed him back down and stalked away. No time. No point. The longer he stayed here, the colder the trail would get.

The warehouse doors were busted wide open now. Through them, black SUVs peeled away—unmarked, just like the ones Tom had always used for operations back in the day. Professional. Clean. Efficient. They'd taken prisoners. And likely… they'd taken Matthew.

Vinny stopped cold in the center of the wreckage. His stomach turned.

Matthew. Cold, calculating, resilient. The kind of guy you'd think would never be outmaneuvered. But Tom knew Matthew inside and out. Knew where he hurt. Where he hesitated.

Vinny had seen the glint of silver before they were torn apart—one of Tom's elite operatives. It hadn't been a fight. It had been an ambush. And Matthew had held the line to buy Vinny time to escape. Just like always.

Just like before.

He gritted his teeth. "You better be alive," he whispered under his breath.

Then he turned and ran.

By the time Vinny made it back to the safe house, the others were already regrouping. Caius had blood trailing from a nasty slice across his cheek, and Eliza was pacing like a tiger in a cage, clutching a broken comm device.

"Where's Matt?" Kieran asked immediately.

Vinny didn't answer. Just slammed the door and leaned against it, chest heaving. "Gone."

The room fell into stunned silence.

"What do you mean, gone?" Caius growled, stepping forward.

"They took him," Vinny said, eyes staring straight ahead. "Tom took him."

Kieran's face darkened. "Did he say anything? Leave anything behind?"

"No," Vinny snapped. "He just executed the plan like it was a goddamn game. Like he'd been playing us the whole time. Like he—" His voice broke, and he turned away, fists clenched.

Eliza stepped toward him cautiously. "Vin, we'll get him back. You know that, right?"

Vinny didn't respond. Couldn't.

Because the fear creeping in wasn't just about Matthew being gone.

It was about what Tom might do to him.

About what secrets Matthew still kept buried that Tom could use.

And worse… what Matthew might give up to protect him.

Elsewhere. Unknown Location.

Matthew's head was splitting when he woke.

He was slumped against a wall—hands tied behind him, ankles bound. The room was dim, cold, humming with fluorescent lights. Concrete floor. Industrial.

Not the warehouse.

He shifted slightly and felt the deep throb of pain in his side—likely cracked ribs. A bruise bloomed across his jaw, and his lip was split. He'd fought back.

He remembered that much.

The door creaked open.

Boots approached slowly, deliberately. He looked up.

Tom.

Smiling.

"Morning, sunshine," Tom said, crouching in front of him. "Sleep well?"

Matthew's eyes narrowed. "You look worse every time I see you."

Tom chuckled. "Ah, Matty. Still got that fire. I was worried the years softened you."

Matthew stayed silent, watching, analyzing. He couldn't afford to waste energy.

Tom tilted his head. "You know, I always wondered what it would take to break you."

"Pretty sure it was when I met Vinny," Matthew said dryly. "Everything after that was just noise."

Tom's smile twitched. He didn't like that.

Matthew filed the reaction away like a knife.

"Let's talk," Tom said, standing. "We've got time. And I've got… plans."

He turned to walk away but stopped at the door.

"Oh," he added, not looking back. "Tell me—how far do you think Vinny will go to save you?"

The door slammed shut.

Back at the safe house, Vinny was burning.

He paced like a man possessed, eyes bloodshot, fury rising with every passing minute.

"I'm going," he said finally. "I don't care what it takes. I'm getting him back."

"Vinny, wait," Kieran said, stepping in front of him. "We need a plan. We need intel. You go charging in now and you'll be caught too."

Vinny grabbed Kieran by the shirt, pushing him against the wall. "You don't get it. He's out there. Alone. With Tom. You think I can just sit here?"

Kieran didn't flinch. "You want to save him? Then don't be an idiot. Think. Use your head."

That stopped Vinny cold.

For a second, the heat in his chest gave way to a chill of realization.

Tom wanted him to panic. Wanted him reckless. That was part of the trap.

Vinny released Kieran and took a shaky breath.

"I need a location," he said. "I need a way in."

"We'll get it," Eliza said. "But first…"

She handed him a small device.

"A message came in while you were gone. From him."

Vinny stared at the screen. The message was short. Chilling.

"Let's finish this where it all began. You know the place."

And he did.

Vinny's hand shook slightly as he read the words.

Tom wanted to end it where it had all started.

Back at the old facility. The one they'd both trained in. The one that had shaped them into monsters.

He looked up, eyes blazing.

"We're going to war."