Regrets Come Too Late (Sierra and Johnny) novel Chapter 159

CHAPTER 159

DAMON’S POV

Anger was the first emotion that hit the next morning.

Actually, no.

For the past few days, anger had been the only thing I could feel most of the time.

I hid it well from Gabrielle because being in her presence gave me a sense of calm. With her, there was only peace, love, and warmth.

But the moment I was away from her, the anger crept back in–stronger every day.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to control after spending the last fifteen years feeling almost nothing at all.

Now, it was like something inside me had finally woken up.

And it was furious.

I saw Father in my sleep every night, laughing and drinking with Rocco while they tore me apart piece by piece.

Over and over again, the memories from my past played like a broken record.

Oh, there were so many ways to kill Rocco.

And I intended to enjoy every single one of them.

I exhaled deeply and tried to clear my mind as I got out of bed.

Gabrielle was still asleep when I finished getting ready for work.

She was curled up on her side, her hair falling across her face and one hand tucked awkwardly under her chin.

I couldn’t risk touching her, despite how badly I wanted to.

She would wake up, say one word, and I’d end up staying in bed with her all day.

I couldn’t afford that luxury right now, so I wrote a note and left it on the bedside table before leaving the room.

It took me only a few minutes to get to Rhys’s house.

He hadn’t been responding to my messages or picking up my calls since our conversation in that hospital room.

“I haven’t seen him in over a week now,” Vani said to me. “He has never gone this long without informing me.”

The concern on his face looked genuine, Which meant he was probably telling the truth.

That left only one possibility.

My reckless brother had gone back to Spain to take Diego’s seat.

Rhys was a grown man, and I knew it wasn’t in my place to stop him, but something about that didn’t sit right with me.

27

A text came in on my phone as I walked back to the car.

It was from Zane Carter.

“Just landed. Your hotel.”

Perfect timing.

CHAPTER 159

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and started the engine.

If Rhys had really gone to Spain, then things were about to get complicated.

+25 Bonut

“I need you to hack into their servers or whatever it is that you do,” I said, rejecting Zane’s drink offer. “I’m willing to pay any amount.”

Zane’s expression fell at my rejection, but he kept the bottle and the glass down.

“It’s a lovely hotel you’ve got here, Gravari,” he said casually, as if we came here for sightseeing “Perfect interior, good service, and well–mannered staff.”

“Look, now is not the time to mess around, Zane,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm. “Are you going to work with me? Yes or no.”

For the past ten minutes, Zane had been talking about anything but what we really came here for.

He was the deal I’d been trying to close.

I needed something to keep the other Dons from fighting back when I take out Rocco, their leader.

And he was the only person into tech I could trust.

“You’re not understanding my point,” he finally addressed the topic. “I don’t need any money from you. I like to believe we are friends.”

“Then why are you wasting my time?” I asked. “You know you’re the only one I can trust. And I know you want out too for the sake of your future bride.”

Zane stared at me for a couple of seconds, then leaned forward and poured himself a drink.

“Rocco is the Don of Dons, Gravari,” he said, pausing to take a sip from the glass. “All the other dons report to him. He’s in all of their businesses.”

He drank everything and poured another round.

“You’re asking me to dig into the most powerful men in Europe,” he continued. “That’s not just risky. That’s suicide. And it’s not something one can just do, even for a friend.”

“I’m aware of the risks,” I said.

He leaned back in his chair. “Let me guess,” he said. “This isn’t about money or power. It’s about revenge.”

My jaw tightened. “That obvious?”

“Only to someone who knows you,” he replied calmly. “But you’re usually more patient than this.”

Patient.

For fifteen years I had been nothing but patient. “I’m done waiting.”

Zane watched me for another moment before exhaling slowly.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s say I agree to help you. What exactly are you looking for?”

“Everything,” I answered without hesitation. “I want to kill Rocco, take his place, and use my position to bring everyone down.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “That’s too crazy. Even for you.”

“Well,” I said, “I don’t have a choice. Rocco has something on me. And until you dig into their systems and get me dirt on all of

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them, I can’t kill him.”

Curiosity swirled in his eyes.

I ignored it. “I need you to hack into their shit and give me something to blackmail them into compliance with.”

Zane was quiet for a moment.

He turned the glass slowly in his hand, the ice clinking softly against the sides.

“You want dirt on every don who reports to Rocco,” he said eventually. “Enough to make them turn on him… or at least stay quiet while you remove him.”

“Exactly.”

“And you think they’ll just fall in line because you threaten them?”

“They will if the alternative is exposing their secrets, death… or worse.”

Zane studied me like he was trying to decide whether I had lost my mind.

ven hear yourself right now?” he asked. “You’re talking about dismantling the entire power structure of the Europ rld.”

uddenly surged through me.

underworld tortured me longer than it didn’t,” I gritted out. “It took my childhood, my mother, my sister. And even my Sur–brother is fucked up too.”

He stared at me, obviously lost for words.

“It took a lot from you too,” I added. “You know it did. And it will take from our children and their children if we do not end it.

He shook his head slowly. “Damon-

“What will you tell her politician father when Rocco cuts off her head for a mistake you made?” I cut him off.

He didn’t respond.

I knew he couldn’t.

“If you think they’ll just let you go after everything, think again,” I continued. “These people won’t let us go because they nee the resources we have. So we have to burn them all to the ground.”

Another silence settled between us.

Finally, he finished his drink in one swallow before setting the glass down with a quiet thud.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll help you.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he raised a finger.

“But there’s a condition.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. “Name it.”

Zane leaned back in his chair. “I want insurance.”

“What kind of insurance?”

“The kind that keeps me alive if this blows up in our faces,” he said calmly.

My alt

THE

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+25 Boni

His gaze locked onto mine. “I already know there’s nothing incriminating about you in their database. Give me leverage on you.”

I let out a breath. “Smart. But no.”

Zane’s expression didn’t change. “I’m serious, Damon.”

“So am I,” I returned. “If you can’t trust me, how can I trust you?”

I reached into my jacket and pulled out my phone, sliding it across the table toward him.

“You want insurance?” I asked. “Start digging then.”

Zane frowned slightly but he didn’t move to pick up my phone.

Slowly, his expression faded into something friendlier. “Of course, I trust you. And now that you’ve shown me you trust me, have a deal.”

Relief surged through me instantly.

I reached for the pen and file on the table. “Sign this.”

He eyed the file. “We just talked about trust, Gravari.”

“I know, Carter,” I said. “But I’m a businessman.”

A smirk played on his lips as he took the file and signed. “You’ll hear back from in a few hours. Just make sure I remain in one piece for my bride.”

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