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

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.

“I should have put a bullet into your skull,” I seethed. I meant it too. First chance I got, this fucker was done. “Asshole,” I added for good measure.

The cold air brushed up my nightgown, sending goosebumps down my thighs. My fists hurt from pounding against his solid back, but what hurt more was having to admit how well his jeans hugged his gorgeous ass.

What? I never claimed to be a saint.

“Kingston… This is… This is so wrong.”

“So is shooting at me in my own home, but you don’t hear me complaining about that.”

“You’re so fucking dead,” I gritted. The further he took me from the auction, the harder I fought him. “Better hope your affairs are in order because you’re a dead man walking.”

“How cliché,” he said flatly, slapping my ass for emphasis. Hard.

“You’re one to talk, Kingston.” No answer. Obviously I needed to work harder at my insults. “Listen, you seem pretty desperate for a girlfriend, but I’m not it. I’d sooner put bullets in your head than fuck you. So, do us both a favor and take me back.”

“Okay.” He turned left, and my heart shuddered with hope. “No.”

I blinked, confused, but before I could say anything, he threw me into the back of a car. Thinking on my feet—or ass, in this case—I jolted forward, my hand landing on the driver’s shoulder.

“I’ll give you fifty thousand⁠—”

My words were cut off when Kingston’s hand yanked me back. The driver looked over his shoulder, a pair of arctic, pale blue eyes slamming into me.

“He’s not here to help you.” Kingston shut the car door, settling next to me and offering me a placating smile. “Watch this one. I have to go back and bid on another.”

The driver’s expression remained impassive, but I could have sworn I saw disapproval flicker in them. Kingston shut the door and took off in a jog. The silence that followed was deafening, or maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through me, tampering my hearing.

“I’ll give you a million dollars,” I whispered. “Just open the door and⁠—”

“No.”

What was it with these men and one-word answers?

The car door opened after what felt like ten years later and I jumped in my seat. Kingston slid into the seat next to me. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, Alexei.”

I searched my memory for the significance of the name, but I was so frazzled, my brain refused to cooperate. Whoever this driver was, I was certain he was part of the underworld. His freakishly blue gaze flickered in the rearview mirror, and Kingston grinned like a damn fool. What I would give to punch that smile right off his face.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you smile.”

My head snapped to Kingston. Alexei’s remark struck me as odd, but I had no time to ponder on it. Reaching for the door handle, I yanked hard.

“It’s locked.” Kingston scowled, his hawk-like attention on me, watching me like I was his next meal… or kill. Fuck if I knew.

“Well, unlock it,” I gritted, continuing to pull as if by some miracle it’d open. This was going nowhere. Feigning giving up, I leaned back into the seat with a sigh and locked eyes with Kingston. “Listen, any other time, I’d be flattered that a guy would go through all this trouble for me.” He shot me a dubious look. “I would,” I assured him quickly. Too quickly, probably. “It’s the most effort any man has ever put into getting with me.”

“Don’t be too flattered.” Kingston’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Your ego’s too big as it is.”

“Jesus Christ,” Alexei muttered while I shot him a glare. I really wished he would drop dead.

Returning my attention to Kingston, I caught his gaze measuring me and shivered. I hated this reaction, especially now that he’d disrupted my plan.

“Don’t cry to me when I kill you.” I glared.

“I’ll try not to.”

His voice dripped with sarcasm, and that pissed me off even more. He handed me a bottle of water. I snatched it, trying to calculate how much further this whole charade was putting me back in my quest for answers.

My vision fogged with red rage. It clouded all my senses until I couldn’t breathe. I threw the bottle back at him, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

You could’ve heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. I blinked, my breathing chopped and heavy. I inhaled. Then exhaled. I repeated it again and again, until the world came back into focus. Two sets of eyes watched me warily as if I had lost my mind.

My eyes drifted around while my pulse thundered in my ears. I hadn’t even realized that dusk had fallen and that we’d been driving through the jungle.

The car door opened in front of a helicopter, and I knew it was now or never.

With my wrists still bound, I bolted out of the car, my heart thundering in my ears. I didn’t pause to look behind me, but I could hear Kingston’s curses, demanding I come back. Ignoring rocks and sticks digging into my bare feet, I kept running.

Unsurprisingly, Kingston’s footsteps fast approached. I felt him gaining on me, and could almost smell his vanilla scent.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off my feet.

I let out a string of curses, kicking my feet in the air.

“Stay away from me,” I said between ragged breaths. “You’re ruining everything!”

“Calm down.”

It had the exact opposite effect. I swung my head, headbutting his nose with the back of my skull.

“Fuck.”

It was the last thing I heard as I was dragged into unconsciousness.