Page 121 of Reign of a Billionaire

One word, but it was all I needed to strengthen my resolve. I clenched and unclenched my fists, the cruelty of the underworld echoing in the bitterness on my tongue and hollowness in my stomach.

I glanced at Lara, who must have been in agreement. Heart stuttering at this new piece of information, I tried to process it all and understand it, but there were still so many missing pieces.

But there was one thing I was certain of: Lara needed protection. The moment the underworld learned Perez Cortes had a daughter, they’d be after her.

Chapter 57

Kingston

I’d been dealing in information and collecting secrets for years, my end goal always being to be untouchable when I came out on the other side. I had become a ghost so nobody could ever get close to me—my siblings and Alexei being the only exceptions.

Soon after the truth had come out at the women’s shelter, we left Greece and headed for my property in Portugal—Lara in tow. After learning her true identity, we couldn’t leave her. Louisa and I agreed she’d fare better under our protection.

The girl had suffered because of who her father was. Once others learned of Lara’s existence, there’d be no mercy shown. Fuck, they’d probably come after Louisa, but I’d protect them both. With Louisa by my side, we would fight anyone who dipped their toe into the filth that was human trafficking. While we were all murderers and sinners, we wouldn’t allow certain lines to ever be crossed.

The atrocities of evil men and women would continue, but we’d never give up. The young boys and girls who found themselves in the clutches of human traffickers would be ourresponsibility to eliminate. We wanted a better world for these children; one that wasn’t afforded to us.

“I still can’t believe Perez had a kid,” Alexei said, his legs stretched out as he sat in my study. I was at the window looking out at my woman, my sister, and Lara by the coastline. The tightness in my chest eased up, watching Lou smile at my sister and holding Lara’s hand in her own.

Lara gravitated to Lou, and after what they’d both been through, I knew they’d be good for each other. She was under our protection now. We offered the same to the other girls, but they were content to stay in Greece.

“It’s a fucked-up story,” I muttered.

“Do we know why the other girls were taken?” Alexei pierced me with his pale blue eyes. Every child was taken for some reason or another—revenge, blackmail, as a pawn. The other four girls kept their stories close to their chests. It made sense; they were older and probably guarded more secrets. Lara was the youngest, which was probably why she cracked first.

“No, but I have a feeling we’ll be finding out more information.”

They’d all need rehabilitation. They’d need help—physical and mental. The same thing that Alexei provided me with when he saved me.

“Are you going to tell the Omertà about Perez’s kid?” he questioned.

“No.” He didn’t seem surprised. “The girl’s fifteen. She deserves to have a life—a safe one—and her last name will make her a target. Especially after the shit that happened with the latest auction.”

He nodded. “Nobody knows she exists. Let’s leave it that way.”

My mind was still reeling from all we’d learned in the past twenty-four hours. The results for that mystery finger came in today, and they were unexpected.

The DNA was matched to Liana Volkov. I hadn’t shared the information with Louisa yet. She’d been through enough shit, and until we had more details, I didn’t want her to assume the worst.

“When will you know whether that finger came from a dead body or not?” Alexei’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“Not sure.” I had asked the very same question, but Winston’s contact seemed to have some work to do before he could provide us with an answer.

“You seem different,” Alexei pointed out. “More… settled.”

“You’re different since you married my sister,” was my answer as my eyes found the source of my change, her hair shining like gold under the Portuguese sun. Everything in my life started and ended with this woman. I loved her a decade ago, and today, I loved the woman she’d become.

Despite growing up amongst vipers and wolves, she maintained her light and held her strength like an armor, and she didn’t even know it. She said her hands were sullied. They weren’t; they were pure and beautiful, just like her soul. I was a lucky fucking bastard that she picked me to love out of all the people in this world.

“She wants to kill her mother,” I said.

Even after everything she’d been through and the demons she still fought, she was capable of the deepest love. I feared that killing Sofia would leave a stain on Lou’s soul.

“Someone’s got to end her,” Alexei, ever the voice of reason, pointed out.

“I know.” A shrieking laugh had both of us turning to the window to find my nephew, Kostya, running circles around thesmiling women. “Looks like his video games can only capture his interest for so long,” I remarked.

“He gets through the levels too fast.”