Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 968

"A history? What kind of history? Is he a murderer?"

Eleanor's eyes widened, genuine alarm flashing across her face.

Mira quickly reached over to gently rub the older woman's back.

"Eleanor, if you keep working yourself up like this, I'm going to stop telling you things entirely."

Reminded that it wasn't her own granddaughter in the crosshairs, Eleanor forced herself to take a steadying breath.

"Alright, alright. I'm calm. Tell me, what did this boy do?"

She looked intently at Mira.

"Eleanor, it's a big, dark world out there. Tragedies happen every day. Just promise me you won't let it stress you out."

"I know, I know. We aren't the police; we can't save everyone.

Just tell me. I'll treat it like I'm watching a true-crime show."

Seeing that the older woman had genuinely settled down, Mira nodded.

"The police ran his background. It turns out his previous girlfriend completely vanished off the grid, too."

"Vanished? Was she murdered? Kidnapped?"

Eleanor absorbed the shock much better this time.

That was exactly the reaction Mira had been aiming for.

Since she couldn't shield Eleanor from the harsh realities of the world forever, using someone else's misfortune was a calculated way to build her tolerance to bad news.

"The authorities confirmed the guy has a documented history of crossing the Balkana border.

So it's highly probable the girl was trafficked straight into the Balkan Underworld."

"The Balkan Underworld? I've seen the news reports. It's a lawless hellhole run by absolute monsters."

Eleanor muttered to herself, her face pale.

"Exactly. And there's an overwhelming chance Sienna was lured right into that exact trap."

"Lord have mercy. That poor girl must be living a nightmare."

Eleanor's heart ached for Sienna's suffering.

"Absolutely not. It's a suicide mission. That entire region is a cartel stronghold, and Mishka has been actively hunting you."

"If they want my head that badly, it'd be rude not to deliver it personally," Mira said, a predatory glint in her eye. "If we don't finish this on their turf, they'll just bring the war to our doorstep.

Do I look like someone who just sits back and waits to be slaughtered?"

Her earlier inaction wasn't hesitation; it was pure strategic planning. Now, armed with Dominic's federal backing and a coalition of underground heavyweights, Mira was fully confident in a total sweep.

"For both personal vengeance and the greater good, I need to be boots on the ground. We have to obliterate them. If Mishka slips through the net, she'll haunt us for the rest of our lives."

She hadn't forgotten the two near-fatal encounters with the Ghost-Needle assassins after her return from Wall Street. If James Barlow's banking syndicate hadn't caused massive internal friction for their enemies, Mira wouldn't have enjoyed a single day of peace since.

"Will this clash with the Wall Street timeline?" Owen asked, his brow furrowed.

He crossed his arms, evaluating the logistics.

"The Wall Street operation won't hit peak volatility for another month. Dominic's strike in the Underworld is a smash-and-grab extraction for Mavarian citizens. It's designed to be fast. We'll be in and out well before the month is up."

Mira assured him.

"If you're going into the hot zone, I'm going with you."