Too Late: The Don's Regretful Pursuit

nce in the house was heavy

rinter to churn out the final boarding pa

ali

ally wore like a weapon. Today,

asn't a question; her eyes had already da

ingers trembling slight

oss a manila envelope onto the polished wood. It

en

in my stomach, before undoing t

y. Capturing a teena

nothing innoce

while she slept. And one of him looking at her... looking at her with the sam

her voice laced with venomous sweetness. "The family just got in the way with their

on a photo dated three years ago

kiss to Catalina's forehead. He held her face with

pered. "He said, 'Marrying her is

t night vividly. I remembered searching for him in the dark. He ha

fool, had b

this?" I asked, my voice

til her perfume clogged my senses. "You never had a c

ack with a sharp hiss. "A

then paused. A wicked, terri

and E

ha

herself

with sickening force. She screamed-a piercing, terrified sound that shredded the

AS

AX! SHE'

nst my ribs like a tra

l. The door burst open, and Jax charge

g on the floor amidst shattered porcelain, clut

ask. He di

ossed the room in two terrifyi

hip slamming into

s from mine, eyes wild with rage. Spittle

did

nees beside Catalina, his voice instantly so

urying her face in the crook of his neck. "She

tred in his eyes was absolute. It was the look

"If you weren't your father's da

up into his arms a

e desk for support, listening to

he final tethe

a sheet of heavy stationery embo

three se

I release you from the contrac

ement he had bought after I flushed the first one d

suitcase. I g

back door. The se

hat soaked my clothes instantly. My damaged leg t

didn't

amed Marco whom I had once helped clear a gambling d

a?" he aske

co," I said, my voi

e looming house, then at my face,

the b

ered, turning

c road. A black sedan was wa

imbe

," I

ck at the mansion. I didn't look back at

broken. But for the first time in ten yea

x

gne tasted

sea of faces. The entire syndicate was her

cost more than most people made in a decade. She was s

words feeling like gravel in my throat. "The woman wh

d. It was polit

up at me, clutching my arm,

her-really looked a

ive rage. Just a dul

odium. People swarmed us,

It was old Don Salvatore. He ha

" I lied automati

drink. "She has a good head on her shoul

is words stuck in my

eered. I watched her, feeling a strange, cold sense of embarrassment. Eliana never dance

to get ou

y second-in-command. "Make

t. The silence inside the a

the estate, the

de. It was qu

?" I ca

ans

o at a time. I went

or was

as made perfectly. The

d insid

he vanity was cleared of

d sharp, spike

ed, running to th

to the

single piece of pa

d up th

I release you from the contrac

started

he denial rising lik

phone and dia

ave dialed is no

again.

ed her

demanded the mom

Defeated. "She left the state. She told me if I revealed her loc

?" I roared. "S

im," he snapped. "

ne wen

t study, clutching the not

conscience. The only person who look

t leave. She e

d putting it on her finger. I rem

d fa

and grabbed a bottle of whiskey

still smelled like he

pull, relish

room, my voice sounding hollow in the gloom. "She'l

another

I repeated, lo

heavier than any enemy fire, a terrifying though

I was the one

asn't com

bottle again

bleeding down the expensi

screamed until

the echo