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

The guard yanked Liana by the arm, dragging her to the front. My jaw clenched and my teeth ground down, earning me a few curious glances. It took all my restraint not to lunge forward and kill all these motherfuckers. But if I did that, I’d risk the lives of others too.

I pulled out my cell phone, scrolling through my contact list for Dante Leone. He could get the information to his brother and figure out the best way to rescue Reina.

Fuck—no signal. They must have jammed the servers.

I attempted his brother, my brothers—all four of them—to no avail. It seems Perez Cortes owned the cell towers around here too.

Goddammit. This was the last thing I needed right now.

A movement on the stage caught my attention, and even though Liana refused to let her fear shine through, I could still note her pale face and stiff posture.

Someone threw an egg, but she was quick to duck, so it landed on a guard behind her instead. The woman had impressive reflexes. Another thing that set her apart.

The bidding started. One hundred thousand. Two. Three

. It was time I ended it all. I raised my hand, flashing a two and six zeros.

“Two million to the man in the back!”

Everyone’s eyes turned my way, half of my face hidden behind aviator glasses. Not that too many people would recognize me. There were benefits to being a ghost and sticking to the shadows. Nobody ever saw you coming.

Liana’s eyes snapped to me before widening. It was the only reaction she let slip before freezing her expression. The rage burning through her golden eyes told me she wished she’d put a bullet through my head when she had the chance.

My cheek twitched.

I was going to enjoy her banter.

A part of me froze, realizing I was looking forward to spending time with her. Yeah, one taste of her pussy and she’d rewired my brain. Goddammit!

I stood, waiting for her to be brought to me, and with each step closer, her expression turned icier. She glared at me with deep malice, as if I’d murdered her entire family. I hadn’t, but I might. Sofia Volkov had it coming.

The moment she was near me, she hissed, “What the fuck, you sick bastard. Give me back to Perez.”

What was she talking about? Didn’t she know Perez was a million times worse than I could ever be?

“No.” My jaw tightened underneath my practiced smile. Her face flushed and blotchy red marks traveled down her neck and under her flimsy nightgown. “You’re mine now, ice princess.”

I always collected my debts—usually in the form of teeth. And I always kept my promises.

Chapter 34Liana

My bidder towered over the crowd. Dark hair. Aviator glasses that hid most of his face, but it was impossible not to recognize him. Those tattoos that lurked underneath that white polo shirt. That darkness that spun around him like the second layer of his skin.

When I looked up and saw Kingston Ashford standing among the crowd of bidders, my gut twisted with the fury that’d been keeping me going for years.

I’d been putting my entire being into saving innocents behind my mother’s back, and now with a fierce determination, I was going to make this man regret ever fucking meeting me.

“What the fuck, you sick bastard. Give me back to Perez,” I hissed.

My goal was to get back to Perez and question him about the Marabella arrangements. I needed to know where my twin ended up.

“No.” He leaned in closer so we were nose to nose, his shrewd eyes assessing me while gripping my forearm, his fingers squeezing like shackles. Then he was stupid enough to call me “princess.”

Oh yeah, this fucking man just earned himself an expiration date. I’d kill him and enjoy every fucking moment if he didn’t release me. I needed to hunt down Perez’s compound and question him. He had information I needed.

“You motherfucking prick. I’m going to slice your dick off and feed it to you unless you take me back.”

His eyes glowed.

“You’re a foul-mouthed little wench.” A muscle in my jaw pulsed. My control shook like flimsy branches weathering hurricane winds, but I managed to stay calm. But then he had to go and taunt me. He yanked me closer, his body flush with mine, his voice low and threatening. “Let’s get one thing straight. I bought you. You do what I say, whatever the fuck I demand.”

“Fuck. You.” I met his gaze with mutiny.

He reached up to toy with a strand of my hair, wrapping the blonde locks around his thick fingers. When he tipped my head back, I gritted my teeth, letting him see the full scale of my hatred.

“There’ll be plenty of that, don’t worry.”

The guards snickered, and I knew they’d heard Kingston’s threat. Adrenaline rushed through me, making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

I reacted.

Reaching for the first guard’s knife, I took hold and shoved it into his gut, effectively cutting off his snickering. Before I could stab the next one, a pair of strong hands scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder.

“Put me down.”

He slapped my ass. Fucking. Slapped. My. Ass.

The indignation and rage exploded in my veins as I started to pound my fists. He didn’t even flinch.