Page 66 of Reign of a Billionaire

I stared across the square at her defiant expression, and I started to see it. Not the enemy. Not the facade that she thought she’d mastered. It was the face of a lioness protecting the innocent. It was the girl who’d been broken by the loss of her sister. Just like me.

Standing among the square in Porto Alegre in Brazil, I watched women being auctioned off, one by one, and kept a gaze on the only one who mattered to me. She hadn’t noticed me yet, all her focus on the girl by her side.

My stomach churned watching the terrorized women being sold in this creepy-as-fuck portside town.

The cobblestone square reeked of brutality, despair, and death.

I glanced at Kristoff Baldwin as he bid for his daughter, hot fury emanating off him. Another notch and he’d set this entire place on fire. The tic in his jaw alone announced it to the world, but thankfully, these greedy motherfuckers were too blind to see.

Finally, he won the bid, paying a pretty penny for his stepdaughter. As if she understood the wordless warning, she kept her expression blank as she was shuffled to him. Kristoff’s hand rested on his weapon, ready to fight if need be.

“Here’s your bitch,” one of the armed guards spat.

Kristoff caught her as she stumbled forward, eyes never leaving the man.

I read his lips as he reassured the girl. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it on the plane.”

He slowly slid his gaze to me and, with a terse nod, disappeared from this fucked-up place. My attention was quick to shift back to the person I was here for.

Liana Volkov.

I clenched my teeth, noting the flimsy material of her white nightgown that revealed too much yet not enough. Her curves were fucking centerfold-worthy. Her hair was long enough to wrap around my fist twice.

But it was her fierce expression that burned through my skin and straight to my dick. I had to look away though, because it hurt to look at her. I flicked a disinterested glance to the second-to-last girl on the stage clutching Liana, and was taken aback in surprise. Reina Romero stood in line, next up on the butcher’s block.

My mind worked at lightning speed. The girl looked like she’d been to hell and back. Fuck, Reina wasn’t part of my plan, but I couldn’t leave her.

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.”