Reign of a Billionaire : A Dark Mafia Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

The more I watched her, the more I wondered whether anything was as it seemed. But I had no time to ponder it as she pulled out a cell phone, fingers flying across the screen. The moment the standard whoosh of a message leaving her inbox sounded, she tossed the phone across the yard. It skidded along the gravel until it fell over the side of the nearby dock and into the water with a splash.

She stared down at the corpses, grinning with satisfaction. A long-forgotten emotion pierced through me as sharp as a blade, her grin doing things to me I couldn’t make sense of. That dull ache in my thigh throbbed, almost like it was a sign to look closer.

What did all this mean? Was Liana a friend or a foe?

I watched the petite woman stand over the corpses, and I wondered if she was waiting for reinforcements. Or maybe she was reflecting on her sins.

I didn’t know. Liana’s body might have survived, but on the inside, she was just as dead as Lou.

The sound of the engines approaching shattered the cold silence, and with a lethal efficiency, Liana opened the container door, ensuring the women were in plain view before disappearing in the nick of time.

Two vehicles and a bus came to a stop. The door to the first black SUV opened and a familiar figure stepped out—Nico Morrelli. The second stopped and another door opened to reveal Áine and Cassio King.

It was a known fact in the underworld that Áine King had an ongoing operation of rescuing victims of human trafficking. Nico Morrelli, with his real estate spanning multiple continents, ensured the women were safe and rehabilitated.

Their eyes landed on the dozen sedated women huddled in the container, and they quickly got to work.

“Do we know who sent the message?” I heard Cassio ask.

Nico shook his head. “It was an untraceable line.”

Smart.

It would seem that Liana was very familiar with covert dealings.

If I’d learned anything from this display, it was that Liana Volkov had become a formidable enemy or reluctant ally.

I didn’t know what motivated her, but I would find out. And then, I’d plow through. She’d never see me coming.

Chapter 13Liana

Iflicked the lights of my hotel room on and came face-to-face with arctic eyes.

“Where have you been?”

My stomach dropped at seeing my mother seated in the chair, the full ashtray next to her hinting at how long she’d been here. My heart stopped, then kick-started with a jolt, drumming painfully in my chest. I knew what would follow if I played my cards wrong.

“I needed some fresh air.”

My voice was steady and my expression clear of any emotion.

“You’ve never been a good liar,” she said angrily. “Your eyes… They’re the windows to your soul.”

I stilled. The words—I’d heard them before. I searched my memory, different puzzle pieces shifting yet refusing to come together. Why were there so many holes in my memory? Black, gaping holes that sent me spiraling into an abyss where nothing and nobody made sense.

“Why are you here, Mother?” I asked, my voice hard despite the tingling in my fingertips. “It can’t be to discuss my eyes.”

My palms began to sweat, and I knew the adrenaline from earlier was wearing off. I couldn’t crash, not now. Not with her here.

“Do it.” Mother’s voice pulled me back. I watched as her eyes shifted behind me before I felt it. The prick of a needle. I went into fight mode, sticking to my training, but my vision blurred.

I blinked rapidly before everything went dark.

The stench of death filled my nostrils and blood pooled everywhere I looked.

Haunted screams. Evil laughter.

A scream bubbled in my throat at the sight of bodies sprawled over the filthy ground.

It’s not real, a whisper in my ear warned.

Yes, it is, another mocked.

“Why are we here?” I shouted loudly, but the only thing that came out was a whimper.

The place was loud, the arena full of battered men and broken boys. Being here was a bad idea and I knew it, but I couldn’t let my sister come alone. I reached a hand out for her, but all I got was empty air.

“I’m okay,” she said faintly.

“Where… Why…” I choked, unable to articulate what I needed to ask.

“Find him.”

“Find who?”