As her threat hung in the air, Klaus tried to process all that was happening. Katie was Void, the mysterious figure who had been using him and Vincent like puppets.
It was a woman. A woman now married to his father.
“You’re Void. How?” Klaus couldn’t help but ask, his voice cracking in disbelief.
Katie shrugged. “Why is it so hard to believe?”
“Did you kill her?” Klaus asked, his vision blurring with tears of anger. “Did you kill my mom?”
Katie rolled her eyes. “What if I did?”
Klaus grabbed her by the collar. “You know I can kill you right now, don’t you? I’ve got blades of mine, and the scene I crave is the sight of your still-beating heart separated from your body.”
“Klaus,” Finn stepped closer, but Katie raised her hand, stopping him.
“Before you do that, Klaus, I need you to understand that I have every life of the people you care about in the palm of my hand. Once my people hear of my death, they’ll start by ending the life of your second mother, Ava. It would be wonderful for her children to watch their mother get ripped limb from limb.
After that, I’ll go for your best friend, Vince. He is currently drugged as I speak with you-vulnerable to any attack. How lovely would it be for him to get stabbed several times? And lastly, your world…”
Katie’s eyes darkened, her voice low. “I’ll give you the chance to watch several men take turns raping her until death…”
Klaus’s breath was ragged in disbelief as he heard the threat.
“I’ve been protecting you, Klaus. I have my reasons, and you’re not going to ruin my plan for me. Either way…” She paused and whispered, “I always get what I want.”
“Liar!” Klaus roared.
“How about you call your world?” Katie mimicked.
Before Klaus could call Morticia, she called him instead. As he answered, he heard light sobs from her.
“Bunnie?”
“Klaus, there’s a strange man in our house right now, claiming that he is your friend and that you gave him an extra key to enter. He also just asked me to call you. What is going on?” Klaus’s eyes darted.
“What about Vincent?” Klaus asked.
“I don’t know where he is, and he is not picking up his phone,” Morticia replied on the other side.
Meanwhile, Vincent was unconscious in his car in the middle of the road. A man in black stood by a tree not far away, his dagger glittering in the dark.
“Klaus, please. She is serious. Let her go,” Finn stepped forward.
Klaus looked down at his grip on Katie’s collar. He clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to plunge a dagger through her heart.
“I knew this would be your reaction, so I have my men ready. Just a single drop of my blood, and those three people who mean a lot to you will die before your eyes. Their blood will be on your hands, and you’ll carry that guilt for the rest of your life, Klaus,” Katie spoke calmly, no hint of fear in her eyes. Her mischievous smirk remained on her face.
Reluctantly, Klaus let go of her collar. “Call them off,” he demanded.
“They already did. But try holding me like that again, and one of them will suffer,” Katie warned.
Wanting to confirm, Klaus called Morticia again. She picked up almost immediately.
“Are they gone?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Yeah, he just left,” she replied, and Klaus sighed in relief.
“What about Ava?”
“Mom is fine,” Morticia replied. “What is going on? Who was that?”
“I don’t know, Bunnie. How about Vincent?”
“Mom just got a call from a strange number saying Vincent passed out on the road, seeming to be drunk or something,” Morticia breathed on the other side.
“Alright. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Uhm, Klaus…”
“Goodnight, baby,” Klaus said and ended the call before turning his gaze back to Katie, who just shrugged.
“Let’s have dinner, shall we?” she smirked.
—
After the call ended, Morticia contemplated whether to call Klaus or not. The strange man asking her to call Klaus was unsettling, and she didn’t know what to think of it.
Though he had a friendly face, claiming to be Klaus’s friend, there was something off about him. He had left, yet she felt uneasy.
“I’m going out to get Vincent,” Ava said, grabbing her jacket to leave.
“Mom…” Morticia called, and Ava paused at the doorstep. “Be careful.” Morticia sighed, and Ava nodded before leaving.
_
Klaus’s gaze was fixed on Katie as the butler served dinner. The atmosphere was cold and heavy; Gideon was absent, leaving just the four of them.
“How have you been, Klaus?” Tasha was the first to break the silence.
Klaus tore his gaze away, momentarily meeting her eyes before quickly shifting back to Katie.
“What do you want, Katie? Or should I say, Void?” Klaus asked, his tone icy.
“Eat, and I’ll explain everything,” Katie replied softly while pouring herself a glass of wine. Klaus glanced down at his food, then back at her.
“I’m not hungry,” he retorted.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Klaus, don’t tell me you think I poisoned you or something. I literally shot Dimitri in the mouth, watched her brain and blood splatter, and then electrocuted Simon.” She stabbed her fork into her steak. “He didn’t last five minutes…” She took a bite.
“So why would I want to kill you? I need you, and you need me,” Katie shrugged.
“I don’t need a bitch like you,” Klaus shot back curtly.
“Yes, you do. Those three lives are on the line,” she said, and Klaus clenched his fist.
“It all started with Ava, didn’t it? She lost her guard, and it was so easy for her to fall in love with that random guy I sent her. She spread her legs, and I lured your dim-witted friend Vincent in. He was so adamant about preserving the family’s status and his reputation that he dragged you into it…”
Finn seemed unsurprised, as if he already knew everything.
Katie continued, “Your friend made you my puppet. You two became my best men, eliminating anyone who stood in my way. And then Morty-poor girl had been in love with you for seven years. I must say, she has potential. Strong enough to contain such an emotion for someone off-limits to her… You must have liked her a lot, Klaus. How sad she would not be the one you would end up with?”
Klaus’s jaw tightened, his eyes blazing with anger.
“How the hell did you get into the Mafia world? What’s your connection to the Moore family?” Klaus demanded.
“Is this some kind of investigation?” Katie asked, feigning indifference.
“I just need to know a few things about my enemy. You know about me; why shouldn’t I know about you?” Klaus replied curtly.
“Who do you think is Gideon’s father?” she asked, and Klaus’s eyes widened as realization hit him.
“Right. Gideon is the son of the leader of the Moore family, Alex Moore,” Katie replied.