Page 89 of Reign of a Billionaire

I shrugged. “Isn’t hell more yours?”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and something fluttered in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like it. The things I was feeling were disturbing and unwanted. Yet, controlling it was as futile as swallowing oxygen underwater.

Chapter 44

Kingston

She hadn’t tried to kill me despite the toll my questioning had on her. Yes, some of her questions enraged me, but if I was honest, it was more self-directed. Every second of Louisa’s torture that I had to witnessed flayed me to this day.

Liana was right, I should have saved her. Neither one of us should be here without her. And yet…

I looked out the window only to find Liana, a mere faded version of my past lover, roaming the grounds. It would be so easy to forget that Louisa died and pretend she was here with me, but I knew better than to think that would work for Liana.

The woman was infuriating, beautiful, and cunning.

Sofia had made her into a femme fatale killer, but she had also lost control of her daughter along the way. Liana used her skills to protect herself and the innocent people who crossed her mother’s path.

I trailed her movements as she headed to the gazebo. She kept kicking up rocks with her sandals, and the image reminded me of what she and her sister used to do when they had nothing else to entertain themselves with.

When Sofia first assigned me to be their bodyguard, the twins were wary of me. After all, they’d witnessed me murder a man in cold blood. But as the months went by, slowly but surely, we became fast friends who shared a common dream: escape.

As if she could feel the weight of my gaze on her, Liana lifted her head and eyed my office window. Her brows drew together, huffing a breath of frustration.

“Stop staring,” she mouthed.

I slunk back behind my blinds.

For years, I’d suffered, refusing to be open with anyone. And now, for the first time since Louisa’s death, my heart was beating steadily and my soul was a little less scarred.

I stood from my seat, ready to go join her outside because it would seem I was unable to keep away from the woman, when my phone buzzed.

Alexei: Sofia has been spotted in Montenegro.

I frowned. What was she doing there?

Me: Do we know why?

Alexei’s response was instant.

The word on the street is that she’s looking for the Popov guy.

I read the message several times. Barely a year ago, I’d helped my brother Winston rescue his wife from Danil Popov. Danil was a criminal, but he didn’t seem like the type of man who’d engage or work with Sofia Volkov.

Me: Danil Popov?

Alexei: I’m guessing. Know him?

Me: Know of him.

I dialed up my brother, the ringing on the other end of the line the longest I’d ever heard, but it wasn’t my brother’s voice that picked up. It was my sister-in-law’s.

“Hello, Kingston.”

“Billie.” I didn’t waste any time getting to business. “I need Winston.”

“Ummm, he’s talking to Danil right now.”

Surprise, surprise. Winston had made an unlikely friend in Danil, not that I understood it. Personally, I’d have gutted the man and then pulled out all his teeth.