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

Chapter 46Kingston

This wasn’t going to plan. Not at all.

We’d anticipated a trap, but never the Kingpins of the Syndicate. Even less Murphy’s Irish mafia.

My mother came from the DiLustro line, so they certainly weren’t strangers to me. Dante DiLustro stood with his wife, Juliette, both armed to the teeth. Basilio, his sister, Emory, and cousin Priest had combat gear that wasn’t any less impressive. The only one who stood out was Ivy Murphy, who didn’t have a single weapon on her. It was probably good she wasn’t on this job alone because the girl would get herself killed.

And then there were the Murphy brothers, who ran a section of the Irish mafia, armed with weapons of mass destruction. They would happily level a whole continent without ever losing sleep. Someone had to get them under control, and fast.

They eyed our rescued girls, with the exception of the one clinging to Liana.

I flicked a glance at Liana to find her frozen, her eyes locked on Ivy and her bottom lip wobbling ominously. My chest tightened as realization dawned on me. It was probably the first time she’d seen her in person. Ivy was her half sister who was raised in a protective home while Liana and her twin had to survive Sofia and Ivan.

It was what we had in common. I was the youngest Ashford brother, but surviving the shit I had, it aged me tenfold. Maybe not to the naked eye, but my soul sure as hell was old as fuck.

It was the reason I reached out and gently squeezed her forearm, bringing her focus back to me. Her eyes met mine for a brief second. A terse nod, and she turned back to the group she probably considered her enemies.

“You better have a good reason for being here.” Alexei broke the silence.

“The Kingpins and Murphys together,” I stated coldly, my eyes roving over them. “Something’s afoot.”

“My intel indicated Sofia Volkov would be here,” Priest responded.

“So you brought an army,” I snickered. “Sofia’s not here.”

“It appears your intel was all wrong, DiLustros and Murphys,” Liana snapped, clutching her weapon in one hand and holding the shivering girl protectively with the other. “Now get lost.”

Basilio chuckled. “You must have some balls on you. How about you start with introducing yourself?”

“Fuck. You.”

“It’s only fair,” Dante chimed in. “Since you seem to know who we are.”

“I’m Kingston,” I answered. “And this is Alexei.”

Priest scoffed. “We know who you two are. Who is she? And what’s with the girl hanging off her like she’s Mother Teresa?”

I was just about to tell him to fuck off when Liana beat me to it. “I’m Lilith,” she answered. “And I’m going to kill you all if you don’t move out of our fucking way. We have somewhere we need to be.”

Not a single muscle flexed on Alexei’s face, and my own remained an impassive mask. The world knew that Sofia Volkov had daughters, but not too many knew the details. It was best to keep it that way.

“Badass,” Juliette commented. “I’m impressed.”

Liana’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with fury.

“Sofia Volkov killed my father,” Ivy Murphy chimed in, but Liana didn’t spare her a glance. It was as if she purposely avoided it. Not that I blamed her. Liana only ever considered her twin a sister. Ivy and her brothers were Liana’s half-siblings, but her paternal bloodline was where their connection began and ended.

Liana’s eyes locked on Juliette DiLustro. I knew exactly what was coming.

“No, she didn’t. The person who killed Edward Murphy is standing right there next to you.”

“What—”

“How—”

The commotion broke out instantaneously, and Liana smiled ferally, never losing sight of the girls behind her. Protecting them.

“Didn’t you know?” It was at that moment I realized I would never want Liana for an enemy. Her face could fool you into forgetting she was an untamed killer, but she spared no mercy when going for the kill.

“What do you mean?” Ivy’s voice shook.

“Juliette DiLustro killed your father, Ivy.” Liana dropped the bomb, going straight for the jugular. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

Alexei shook his head. “Listen, we have to get these girls to safety. It’s our priority. You guys figure this shit out.”

Liana, Alexei, and I started moving, keeping the rescued girls surrounded, when Liana glanced over her shoulder.

“By the way, Sofia’s not yours to kill. She’s Kingston’s.” Her gaze met mine, and I pretended not to feel the squeeze in my chest. “So back the fuck off, or you’ll answer to me.”

There was heartbreak on her face, but also fierce determination. It was what made it impossible to resist her.

Liana

In all the years that I’d known about my half-siblings, I’d never hated them. Yes, there was always an underlying tinge of resentment, but at this moment, I fucking hated them.

Once we were in the van with Alexei’s guy behind the wheel, the rescued girls squeezed close. When I turned, I found Kingston and Alexei watching me.

“What?” I hissed, keeping my voice low.

“Why did you lie about your name back there?” Alexei asked, his voice so cold it gave me chills. “It could’ve been a big happy family reunion.”

My eyes flicked to Kingston as I asked, “What did you tell him about me?”

“Nothing.” It was curious but not exactly surprising. He struck me as a private man. After all, there had to be a reason they called him Ghost.

“How did you know who my father was?” I asked Alexei.

“Secrets aren’t kept for very long in the underworld. As you well know.”

Alexei was right. No secret was safe. It was why my twin and I had always wanted out. Surviving wasn’t the norm, it was the exception.

Sitting on the floor in the back of the van, my knees pulled to my chest, I stared out the tinted windows. I missed having a sibling. But Ivy, through no fault of her own, would never be that to me.

The sun crested over the horizon, bringing with it another day. Another nightmare. Another fight.

“I had a sibling, a twin, and she died.” I turned my head and met Alexei’s gaze. “My father left us with our mother, knowing exactly what she was. He went back home to his sheltered children, and he left us at the mercy of the wolves.” I swallowed, glancing out the window. “So no, I don’t want to get to know her. I don’t want to know about her childhood and how it could have been ours, if only our father had had the balls to do something about my mother.”

Kingston didn’t comment, but he reached out his hand and I followed his gaze to the weapon I still held, reminding me I was still his prisoner. Although it didn’t feel like it, and to my own amazement, it never occurred to me to shoot him or Alexei during our little mission.

I handed him my weapon, and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.

Once the girls were safely situated in a women’s shelter in Greece—courtesy of Lykos Costello—Alexei headed back to Portugal and Kingston and I got on a helicopter that would take us back to Kingston’s island. And I was so very willing to go back, which was ridiculous. Stockholm syndrome at its finest.

“You sure there aren’t parts missing in this helicopter?” I asked sarcastically as he leaned over and buckled the seat belt over my chest.

Kingston remained still, so close that his T-shirt brushed my bare arm. So close that I could count his eyelashes. So close that there was barely half an inch between our lips. Taking a deep breath, his aftershave seeped into my lungs and my entire body hummed with anticipation.

My reason demanded I pull away. My heart urged me to close the distance. And my body… It implored that I ravish him and feel all the things I’d not felt since the last time he kissed me.

He made the decision for me, skimming his lips over mine as he said, “Once we go down that road, there’s no going back. I won’t let you go.”

Every touch seared through my skin, setting my heartbeat into a wild rhythm while electricity crackled around us like sparklers.

“What if I don’t want to go back?” I breathed, brushing my lips against his. There was a haze inside my mind. A lungful of air I couldn’t seem to inhale. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

My heart drummed in my ears, and a part of me hated feeling so vulnerable. The other, more dominant part of me just wanted to let go, knowing he’d catch me.

His eyes were dark and his hand slid up my neck, fisting in my hair. He traced my lips with his thumb. Fire and adrenaline shot through my blood while he watched me.

Like I was everything he wanted. Like I was the only thing he needed.

The press of his lips against mine made my blood sizzle. My lips parted, welcoming the heat of his tongue, and when he nipped at my bottom lip, then licked it, an explosion of fire burst inside me. A moan traveled up my throat and he swallowed it, sliding his tongue inside my mouth.

My hands came to his shoulders, not to push him away but to pull him closer. The warmth of his chest against mine sent a tremble through me, my nipples tightening. The heat of his body alone stole my breath away. My body melted against his, like he was a piece of me that had been missing forever. He deepened the kiss and my fingers curled, digging nails into his shoulders. I panted against his lips while his mouth traveled down my neck, nipping and sucking at my throat.

Then, without a warning, he pulled away, his eyes on me, full of promises.

“Let’s go home.” His rough voice blazed a path down my spine, his words soft and desperate like my need to feel him inside me.

Home. Somewhere along the way, his prison had become home.