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

“I see.” Typical of Alexei not to judge me, ignoring the fact that Sofia Volkov had wreaked havoc on so many families, including his own. “Have you asked Kian or Marchetti for the location?”

“Marchetti wants to get his hands on her daughter to draw Sofia out,” I answered reluctantly.

“I see.”

I suspected he did. I loved my brothers, but the fact of the matter was that I couldn’t let them get near the shit I was involved in. Alexei lived and breathed this kind of risk, and he hated Sofia’s husband, Ivan, as much as I did. There was nobody I trusted more than him.

The fact that he kept his word and didn’t tell a single soul—including his wife—of our plans or where we were told me he’d have my back through any storm we weathered. All these years, I still wasn’t sure why he thought he owed me.

“I never thanked you,” I said, the gratitude long overdue. “For saving me eight years ago.”

His pale blue eyes found mine, and he nodded. The shadowy expression that I used to see in the years following my rescue had changed since he married my sister.

“I fucked up your life,” he finally said. “It’s the least I could do.”

I looked at him, and the puzzle piece fell into place. He’d been blaming himself for my capture even though he was never the reason it happened in the first place. He was a victim of circumstance, being Ivan’s prisoner during his childhood. The day of my capture, it was Alexei who followed my sister back to our house and ensured she made it back safely, and for that, I considered us even.

My father, on the other hand, was a different story. His arrangements put a bullseye on his children’s backs. He was to blame.

“You didn’t deserve that fate, Alexei. None of us did.” I let my eyes roam the jungle’s planes. “Our parents are to blame. Not us.” I glanced his way. “We just have to do better with the next generation.”

“Yes, we do,” he muttered from my side. “Do you want to talk about her?”

Her. Liana. Louisa. The twins I failed. Did I want to talk about it? Where would I even fucking start? I swallowed the lump in my throat, keeping quiet. I felt detached from everything apart from this strange sensation when it came to the twin I wasn’t supposed to care for.

“No,” I finally answered, but Alexei must have read something in my expression because his lips lifted.

“You’re whipped.”

“Fuck off, asshole.”

Alexei looked out at the cloudy sky, staying silent for a beat. “Sofia’s daughter or not, if she’s the one, go for it.”

I shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

“What relationship isn’t?”

I looked at him in surprise.

“Who are you and what have you done with Alexei Nikolaev?” His lips twitched as he flipped me the finger. “I never thought you’d be offering relationship advice.”

It was his turn to shrug. “Your sister’s teaching me a lot.”

I stayed silent for a beat. “I’m happy for you. For both of you.”

He nodded his thanks, then pulled out his binoculars from his pack. I followed his line of sight, and when he handed me the pair, I homed in on the docks, streets, and alleyways corrupted and controlled by Perez Cortes. Dusk had started its descent over the drug- and human-trafficking-infested gateway city.

“Bidding at the auction might be the way to go,” Alexei stated matter-of-factly. “No one’s ever been able to find Perez’s compound. It’s how he’s managed to survive all these years. Kian’s the only man who’s left that place alive.”

Kian Cortes, a friend to the Ashfords, made it his business to track down men—and women—who didn’t want to be found. We had quite a bit in common, though we’d never officially worked together.

“Nothing’s impossible.”

“True,” he agreed. “But do we have months to scout every inch of this jungle to locate his compound?”

We both knew the answer to that. A week with the likes of Perez Cortes could feel like eternity.

The rancid taste of unease lingered in my mouth, warning that I might have to go against my principles and fatten the motherfucker’s purse at his auction. But I had to trust my instincts here. They had saved my life way too many times, and right now, they told me he’d break Liana beyond repair once he had her in his compound.

That was where his torture really began.

The hum of the engine was the first thing we heard. The headlights came next. We both reached for our weapons, aiming them toward the incoming lights. One Jeep. Two. A fucking caravan of them.

I shared a What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into? look with Alexei.

“This’ll be fun,” he muttered as they all came to a stop, surrounding us. If only we could lure them off this cliff.

“Clearly our definitions of what constitutes fun don’t line up,” I retorted dryly.

Four armed, uniformed men jumped out. Fuck, if they were locals, they worked for Perez. More flooded the area until a familiar figure stepped out.

“What the fuck?” Alexei’s voice portrayed the surprise I felt. Of all people, Kristoff Baldwin, Byron’s buddy from his military days, was the last person I expected.