Page 77 of Rebel Protector

She swallowed hard. “You’resorry? I’m the one that should be apologizing.”

“He’s a bad man, Becca. It’s a good thing he’s finally behind bars.”

A surge of emotion brought tears to her eyes. Damian had forgiven her. That meant more to her than anything else.

“I know,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I guess I was hoping he’d change, but of course, that never happens. I should have learned my lesson last time.” If she had, things with Damian might have been different.

“People can change,” Damian said softly. “I’ve grown a lot in the years since I stopped working for Alek. I’m a completely different person now.”

She studied him—his relaxed demeanor, the tanned arms and face, his ready smile. The transformation was undeniable. The pale, intense young man she had known was gone, replaced by someone who seemed at peace with himself.

She studied his relaxed demeanor, the tanned arms and face, his ready smile, and recalled the pale, intense young man he’d been ten years ago. “I can see that.”

She felt Dom stiffen beside her.

“Are you happy, Damian?”

He glanced at Thorn, and Becca didn’t miss the tender look that passed between them. She’d been right! Those carats on the operator’s finger had been given to her by Damian.

“Yeah, I’m happy.”

“Good.” She smiled at the two of them. “I’m glad.”

Becca met Thorn’s gaze and an understanding passed between them. No more words were necessary. Thorn had captured her ex-husband’s heart, and Becca was okay with that.More than okay. Damian deserved to be happy, and judging by the look of him, this woman was good for him.

Suddenly, the guilt she’d been carrying around for the last decade lifted.

She exhaled. It felt wonderful to be free of it at last.

“I’m glad you came to see me.”

“When Pat told me what had happened, I thought it would be a good opportunity to put things right,” Damian said. “Ten years is a long time to hold a grudge.”

Becca cringed. “I felt so guilty, abandoning you like that, but I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t carry on with that farce any longer.”

“It’s okay,” Damian said. “I didn’t understand at the time, but over the years I’ve had plenty of time to think about it, and I realized how young you were and how Markov manipulated you. It wasn’t fair, and I should have stopped it.”

“You were young too,” Becca whispered. “He used both of us.”

“That he did,” Damian said softly. “Anyway, we can talk some more when you’re feeling better. We’ll be in Panama for a few days. I just wanted to clear the air and say I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, Damian,” she said, as Thorn took his hand and they left the room.

CHAPTER 31

Ghost watched Becca’s head fall back onto the pillow as she closed her eyes. She looked pale, the confrontation had clearly taken its toll on her.

"Shall I give you some time alone, to process everything?" He got to his feet. He didn’t want to leave, but seeing her ex-husband after all these years had been a shock, and she might need some space to wrap her head around it all.

Ghost hadn’t known what to expect when Pat had told him Damian was flying in to see Becca. The billionaire cryptocurrency developer and his fiancée, Thorn, had arrived earlier that morning, and Ghost had spent the better part of the day with them, mostly hanging out in the hospital canteen, drinking bad coffee, and talking about Alek Markov and how the man had destroyed so many lives.

Ghost had wanted to catch Markov himself, to be there when the bastard was taken down, but Becca had needed him more. So he let Blackthorn Security take that honor. Still, he’d make sure he was at the trial. He wanted to savor the moment when Markov was led away in chains.

Ghost hadn’t expected to warm up to Damian, let alonelikehim, but the more they talked, the more he realized Damian was the type of guy he could easily be friends with.

Straightforward, honorable, motivated, and above all, willing to do the right thing, no matter the cost to himself or his business.

It had been a surprise to learn Damian had fought on the front lines in northern Syria. Ghost had seen action there himself, serving with the Marine Corps and later in the special forces. It turned out they had more in common than he had anticipated.