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

For almost thirty minutes, I watched the group of men without being too obvious and waited for them to move. When they left, the women who roamed the party would be ushered into their quarters and then presented to others for their pleasure. I’d only have a small window to rescue them, twenty minutes max.

Finally, the men dispersed, and I was on the move. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The slit in my long black gown was perfect for accessing the knives and handgun strapped to my thighs. I feared I didn’t bring enough weapons, but it was too late now.

I made my way to the room I knew was in the south wing of this building, sticking to the shadows. I’d done my research and knew there was a servants’ hallway that would allow me to get to my destination without being spotted.

My eyes darted around the area. Clutching the hem of my dress, I sped down the glittery hallway and took the first side door. Once in the hallway, I slipped my heels off and picked them up, making a run for it.

Reaching the south side of the building, I stopped and took a deep breath before pulling out my handgun. I’d sent a note to Nico Morrelli via the dark web. He’d taken care of the last batch of women; I knew he’d take care of these.

Trafficked girls ready for retrieval. Five minutes. East Capitol Street.

I didn’t bother waiting for a reply.

I reached for the doorknob, my heart pounding, and attempted to push it open.

“Fuck,” I whispered. It was locked, but I’d anticipated as much. Reaching into my hair, I pulled out a hairpin. With a steady hand, it took me less than a minute to unlock the door. “Open sesame.”

I pushed it open and looked around. Whispers and murmurs escalated, scared faces and tearstained cheeks littering the entire room.

“Hello, ladies,” I greeted them. “Want to leave?”

Gasps filled the space, and as one, they all nodded. “Good,” I murmured. “Leave everything behind—we don’t have much time. Come this way and take the staircase on the left. Run like the devil is on your heels to East Capitol Street. First right when you exit this building. A team will be waiting for you and will take you to safety. Got it?”

Another round of nods, and then pandemonium erupted.

Just as the last girl turned the corner, disappearing from view, the visitor’s door opened. It all happened in a split second. My back slammed into a wall, stealing the breath from my lungs. My left hand holding the gun was pushed against the wall, restrained by a tight grip, and a blade was pressed against my throat.

“Where the fuck are the women?” a man with a buzz cut and an earpiece hanging from his headset grunted.

The sharp tip of his blade pierced my neck, stinging. “How the fuck should I know?” I hissed, praying he wouldn’t send an alert.

I needed to buy time, get this fucker off of me so I could blow his brains out and get out of here.

His grip on the knife tightened, his knuckles turning white. Fuck, just one nudge and I’d be dead. I used every bit of strength I had left to push him off.

He stumbled back and blinked, clearly not used to a woman with combat training. His surprise didn’t last. In the next breath, he lunged at me. I attempted to kick him in the balls. He grabbed me by my hair, then slapped me across my face. Hard.

My cheek exploded. I let out a gasp, but before I could take my next breath, another slap followed. My lip swelled. Fury bubbled inside me as I stomped on his foot, then kicked him in his balls.

He bent over, letting out a whimper. Taking advantage of his temporary immobility, I flattened my hand on the nape of his neck and slammed my knee into his face. His nose broke on impact, the crack of his bones like music to my ears.

Pressing the barrel of my gun against his temple, I leaned closer, my face just inches from his ear. “Blowing your brains out will make my day,” I purred in a cold voice.

“And here I thought there might be a damsel in distress in here.” A deep, taunting voice startled me, and I whipped around, the man I was pummeling forgotten. Swallowing, I looked into the dark eyes of none other than Kingston Ashford. The image of the boy from the photo in Ivan’s file flashed in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder what hell he’d gone through.

His hard, unrelenting gaze was in stark contrast to his casual pose. He was leaning against the wall, his arms folded and his eyes ice cold. My heart thundered in my chest but I ignored it, refusing to show fear.

“Clearly, I’m not a damsel. Now get lost, or I’ll be cutting off two sets of balls today.” I narrowed my eyes on him.

“Nice to see you again,” he said, ignoring my dismissal. God, there was something about his guttural tone that was almost… seductive.

A whimper of my victim pulled my attention and I struck him in the temple, knocking him out, then turned back to the unexpected visitor.

“Are you stalking me?”

One meeting was a coincidence. Two, no fucking way.