Page 31 of Reign of a Billionaire

“You okay?” My brother-in-law’s voice yanked me out of my head, and I turned to meet his pale blue gaze. Kostya, my nephew, stood next to him in an identical position, looking like his badass sidekick.

Alexei was the illegitimate son of Nikola Nikolaev and his mistress, Marietta Taylor. Nikola’s wife was a jealous, psychotic bitch who had Alexei kidnapped when he was two years old and handed him over to one of the cruelest men in the Russian mafia. Ivan Petrov. The human trafficker who eventually got his hands on me. And just like that, two lives were ruined.

“Yes.”

The party in Alexei and Aurora’s Portugal home was in full swing, their green lawn sprawling with visitors from everycriminal organization that all shared a common goal—ending human trafficking.

Aurora, my sister, stood within earshot, surrounded by her girlfriends and visitors. Holding her full champagne glass aloft, she pretended to sip from it, her eyes constantly seeking out her husband. My own eyes scanned the crowd.

“If you want to disappear, I’ll cover for you.”

He knew I hated crowds. He did too. He tolerated it for his family, but I couldn’t stomach it. The thought of someone accidentally brushing against me made my stomach roil. To this day, I had to be restrained when examined by a nurse or a doctor.

But if I left, what in the fuck would I do? I couldn’t go to Russia, and I didn’t want to relive the horrors of the dungeon in my dreams. So I observed all the guests, laughing happily and marveling at the emotion that had evaded me for the past eight years.

“I’m good,” I deadpanned.

“Uncle Kingston?” Kostya looked up at me. “Is it true you have a house built from human teeth?” My eyebrow shot up in surprise. “Uncle Royce said if I’m bad, you’ll pull my teeth out and add them to your house.”

“It’s true,” I confirmed, letting my eyes wander around the lawn. “But tell Uncle Royce next time he threatens you with it, I’m gonna come for allhisteeth. They’re bigger.”

“Promise?” I returned my eyes to my nephew, who was grinning happily. I nodded my confirmation. “When is he coming?”

“Not sure.”

A booming laugh erupted, and all our eyes landed on the group where Luciano stood with his wife. They were with Vasili Nikolaev and his wife, Luca DiMauro, and Raphael Santos. The latter killed Santiago Tijuana Junior.

I stiffened, unable to fight the onslaught of memories from eight years ago. It might as well have been yesterday as fresh as the memories were.

The agonizing screams caused me more pain than all the torture I endured. They continued for seconds, minutes, hours until deathly silence followed.

I forced my eyes wide open and my brain to focus. Dread filled my veins like concrete. My mind was sluggish, and my eyes unable to focus. I blinked blood off my eyelashes, my gaze darting around, looking for the familiar golden strands.

Except she wasn’t here. She was gone. The only thing that was left behind was the bloodstained floor and my hollow heart.

The door opened, but I was too broken to flinch. I knew more pain was coming, but I no longer cared. I’d barely hung on to my consciousness, eager to meet death.

Men entered, moving slowly. I heard whispers but couldn’t make out the words.

“Kingston.” A face with pale blue eyes swept down my mangled body. “We’re getting you out.” My lips opened. They moved. My vocal cords burned. “What?”

“Get—” Her. I prayed he heard me, understood me.

He looked around. “Who?”

Her, my Lou, I tried to say.

“We can’t tend to his wounds here,” someone said. “Grab him and let’s get out of here.”

Voices carried on around me, and my body shifted. The pain was excruciating, making my teeth rattle. I passed out and didn’t wake up until it was too late.

I sought the end from that day forward, but it refused to come.

“Did you hear about Sofia Volkov?” Dante Leone’s voice penetrated my memories, capturing my attention. The unhingedbastard looked like he was ready to go on a killing spree. “She has a daughter. Marchetti sent the news. We need to get that kid?—”

“You won’t fucking touch her.” The threat escaped me, calm and deadly. Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Or I swear to whatever God you believe in, I’ll end you.”

The air stilled around me. A thick tension filled it, too many criminals with weapons in one spot. My sister appeared out of thin air, stepping between me and Dante, while Alexei attempted to yank her back from the crossfire. Aurora, being who she was, refused to budge.