Chapter Fifteen: Empire in Flames
Smoke curled over Red Hook like a funeral veil.
The sun hadn't yet risen, but Veronica "Ronnie" Moretti was already on her feet, lacing combat boots with hands that trembled not from fear, but from fury. The weight of her father's ring on her finger was a silent vow: this war would end in fire, and she would be the match.
Cass slid a steaming mug of coffee onto the table beside her.
"Three safe houses hit overnight," she said. "Two dead, one missing. Vic's tightening the noose."
Ronnie met her eyes. "Then we burn the rope."
---
Scene: The Flame Beneath the City
In an underground facility beneath Manhattan—a relic from the Cold War—Ronnie gathered her most loyal. Luca. Cass. Rami. Even Monroe, the mercenary who once tried to kill her, now bought and bound by necessity.
On the wall, a screen flickered to life with a blueprint of the city's gas lines.
"Victor's taking over by brute force," she began. "But he needs infrastructure—transport, heat, electricity. He's bleeding us dry so he can move in when we collapse. But if we set the blood on fire..."
"You want to blow up the gas lines?" Luca asked.
"No. Just one."
She pointed to the pipeline beneath Midtown—the one Victor had claimed as part of his new empire.
"We take it. Not to destroy, but to control."
"And the girl?" Cass asked. "The one we found at the hotel?"
"She's safe," Ronnie replied. "But she's not just a girl. She's his message. His mistake. We'll make her the answer."
---
Flashback: The First Fire
Years ago, Ronnie stood with her father outside a burning nightclub.
"He killed twelve of ours," he said. "But we'll burn twenty of his."
She looked at the flames. "And if we run out of enemies?"
He smiled. "Then we build peace on the ashes."
---
Scene: The Coup Begins
By midday, Ronnie's crew was in position.
Cass and Rami disguised themselves as utility workers, slipping into the pipeline control room. Luca covered the exterior from a sniper perch. Monroe ran interference with the city grid, causing blackouts to distract Victor's men.
Ronnie moved through the sewers beneath, approaching the core from below.
They reached the control chamber at 2:03 p.m.
Cass keyed in the access code, sweat running down her temple.
"Are you sure about this?"
"If we control the fire," Ronnie said, "we control everything."
A red light blinked.
Connection established.
She lifted her radio. "Victor Salerno. Let's talk."
---
Scene: The Voice of the Enemy
Victor's reply came in the form of silence. Then laughter.
"You think you've won because you have a button? This isn't a game, Veronica. It's legacy. You don't inherit a kingdom. You take it."
"I've already taken it," she said. "Midtown belongs to me now. And if you move, I light it up."
"You'd burn the city?"
"I'd rather burn it than hand it over to a ghost like you."
Victor paused. "You're more your father than I thought."
"And you're less than he ever feared."
The line cut.
---
Scene: Flames at the Gates
Night fell. Midtown shimmered with tension.
Victor's soldiers began moving out—confused, scattered. The power shift was immediate. With the gas lines under Ronnie's control, restaurants shut down, transport halted, heaters went cold.
The city didn't fall—it froze.
Ronnie stood on a rooftop overlooking it all.
"He'll strike back," Cass warned.
"Let him," Ronnie replied. "We've just drawn the battle line."
---
Subplot: The Betrayer's Return
In a darkened apartment in Harlem, Mia stirred. Her wounds were healing, but her memory flickered.
The woman who stood over her wasn't Cass. Wasn't Ronnie.
It was Valentina's sister—Signora Fiamma.
"You were supposed to die," she said softly. "But fate has a cruel sense of humor."
Mia blinked. "Why save me?"
"Because you're the only one who knows how Victor thinks. And I need him broken."
She held up a phone with a live feed—Ronnie on a rooftop, giving orders.
"She'll win. But only if we help her."
Mia sat up. Her voice was hoarse.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
---
Scene: The Message Delivered
The next morning, Victor received a package.
Inside was a chessboard.
Every piece carved in wax.
Every piece melted.
Except the queen.
A note was taped beneath it:
"Checkmate is coming."
---
Ending: The War Sharpens
Ronnie walked the streets of her territory, watching people light candles, share coats, cook over fires in trash barrels.
She didn't rule like Victor.
She walked with her people.
But the war was far from over.
Cass joined her at the corner of 9th and Vine.
"Victor's moving his stronghold."
"To where?"
"A cathedral outside the city. And he's not alone."
Ronnie nodded. "Then we move faster."
Cass handed her a file. "Plans. Schematics. Weak points."
Ronnie opened it. Then froze.
At the bottom of the file was a blurry image.
Mia.
Alive.
Her breath hitched.
"She's not dead."
"No," Cass whispered. "But someone made sure we thought she was."
Ronnie clenched the file.
"Then we find her. And whoever's playing puppet master? We burn them last."