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

“So bloodthirsty,” I remarked warily, recognizing that the once-harmless woman had been turned into a very capable killer.

She shot me a heated look from under her lashes, then murmured in a low, bedroom voice, “And I haven’t had my fill, so you might want to be careful, Mr. Ashford.”

“Ghost.” She blinked, confused.

“Excuse me?”

Jesus, did she remember fucking anything?

Ivan Petrov and Sofia Volkov had trained me into a lethal killer. And so much more. Those first two years in captivity were excruciating. Until I’d seen her—them. Life under Sofia and Ivan’s roof was fucking hell until Sofia made me her daughters’ bodyguard. The twins had been a beacon of hope for me at my most desperate hour. I strived to become the best killer, the best hitman, the best bodyguard.

Pushing it all out of my mind, I focused on the petite woman with an angelic face. Her eyes shone deceptively, full of innocence and lies that had cost her twin her life.

“I go by Ghost, not Mr. Ashford. Not Kingston.”

Something flickered in her eyes. “I’ve been searching up the mysterious ghost,” she said, her brows knitted. “So Ghost and Kingston Ashford are one and the same.”

“Yes.”

An eye roll followed. “I’ll call you whatever I like,” she shot back. “And it won’t be Ghost. Now stop annoying me, or I’ll kill you.”

“Go ahead,” I retorted.

Her lips thinned in displeasure, and our eyes locked, speaking in a language neither one of us could understand. Until she broke the silence.

“You know, I almost wish you’d try to kill me so I could slice your throat and end this annoying conversation.”

My muscles tensed at her words, suddenly recognizing her thirst for self-destruction.

“Trust me, ice princess, when I try to kill you, I’ll succeed.” Her gaze flashed with open defiance, noting my choice of words. When, not if. But for some reason, she chose not to focus on that.

“Why are you here? And what’s your connection to the Tijuana cartel?”

“I’m here to kill them.”

Her eyes flashed in delight. “Me too. Can we join forces for tonight?”

Knowing it would be easier to go along than argue, I nodded my assent. And not a moment too soon. Four goons appeared, their gazes darting to the dead body. Then the bullets started flying. I yanked Liana through the opposite door, and we both covered a side. She was gripping her gun as I held mine.

“You take the two on the left, and I’ll take the two on the right,” she mouthed.

Without delay, we leaned, aimed, and shot. Bang. Bang.

The bullets punched their way through the men’s necks, almost as if shot by the same person. Blood gushed and bodies fell to the ground.

My pistol still had a silencer, but Liana’s didn’t.

“Shit.”

It was what happened next that shocked me to my core. Knives replaced the gun, and she started killing the guards one at a time. Screams filled the air, blood spurted the floors and walls like geysers. I watched in amazement as she sliced their throats, one at a time.

She stood over the last corpse, savage and vengeful, her chest heaving as she watched the life fade from her latest victim.

Her head lifted, meeting my gaze, and her lips curled into a feral smile.

The silence pierced the air between us, louder than bullets. I didn’t move, and neither did she. Instead, she stared at me, her hands drenched with blood and her eyes distant. Blank. Somewhere along the way, this woman had been turned into an assassin.

And for the first time in forever, my dick was as hard as a rock. I’d never thought I could get turned on by a woman killing so savagely, but here I was, aching for this woman.

And I fucking hated her even more for it.

It was a betrayal to her sister. It was breaking a promise I’d made to myself. This lust ate at my flesh like poison, like a venomous snake, mocking my love for Lou.

Why the fuck did my dick ache when I looked at her?

This woman was only the echo of the one I’d once loved. There was too much history between us—granted she didn’t seem to remember any of it—but with the way our pasts intertwined, maybe it was natural that my dick and my emotions would become traitors.

Her resemblance to Lou was fucking with my mind and body. Being in her presence was a form of self-torture, yet I couldn’t help but crave it. Crave her. Those lips… that voice… those eyes that were so much like my Louisa’s.

It was heartbreak all over again. A reminder of what I’d lost.

She leaned in for a kiss but stopped short, her expression shattering.

“What is it, sunshine?”