Page 96 of Reign of a Billionaire

“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 killedyourfather, 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?”