Reign of a Billionaire : A Dark Mafia Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

“He expects the delivery on time, Sofia,” he said in a gravelly voice. “No mistakes.”

They had to be discussing the timing of a new delivery of girls. Why couldn’t anyone announce the date and time?

“It will be,” Mother said with a finality that sent twin shivers down my spine.

“Ladies,” he said as he nodded back, his eyes shifting in my direction, and my mother had me ushered away quickly, the two of us sandwiched between our bodyguards.

The man moved, his muscles flexing, and then he chuckled. He fucking chuckled; although, when I glanced over my shoulder, there was no amusement on his face or in his strikingly green eyes.

“See to it that it’s without hiccups. Too many of your shipments have had… mishaps.” And then he disappeared, leaving me confused.

“Who’s that?” I asked my mother curiously.

“Nobody.”

“Where do you know him from?”

“Nowhere.”

It would seem two could play a game of vague answers.

Chapter 5Liana

Loud music drummed through the floor of our shitty motel as I navigated the hallway with red walls, red carpets, and even red doors. The only thing that wasn’t red was the ceiling.

With one last deep breath, I focused on the task at hand. I had to get to my target—the weak link in Perez Cortes and my mother’s plan. My plan was simple: knock on the door, pretend to be lost, isolate him, then inject him with a syringe full of poison.

Simple.

“I’m keeping my promise,” I whispered to the empty hallway, my throat tightening.

Blinking away tears that stung the backs of my eyes, I hinged my jaw. I proceeded down the musky, worn-out carpet, my five-inch heels silent in my stalking. A door suddenly opened and a six-foot-five giant stepped out, leaving the door ajar.

Target in sight.

The muffled thump of the bass coming from the bedroom matched the manic beating of my heart. His gaze swept down my body, lingering on my bare legs. Pervert. This was exactly the reason this man was the easiest target of those who were present at the restaurant. He couldn’t resist his urges and had a reputation among the Brazilian cartel for sampling women.

So tonight, I wore a white minidress, my pink bra and panties clearly showing underneath. Of course, my clutch matched my outfit, but it served to contain everything I needed to finish this job. I looked like an underage slut, going for the jugular. Just for him. He’d sing a tune, tell me everything, and then I’d kill him.

For every woman he’d ever hurt. For my sister.

“Are you lost, baby?” Men were such pigs. I forced a smile, despite the goosebumps breaking across my arms.

“Maybe.” I fluttered my eyelashes.

“You didn’t seem so friendly at the restaurant.” A medal for his observation skills.

“My mother’s very protective,” was all I said.

He smiled lazily. Predatorily. “She’s not here now, baby.”

If he called me baby one more time, I’d have to promptly stab him, to hell with my plan. Inhaling a deep breath, I forced myself not to lose my shit. The lives of innocent women depended on it.

“She isn’t.” I just needed to find out the day and time when the women would be shipped so that I could intercept them. “Is this your room?” I asked, batting my lashes and smiling flirtatiously while swallowing the bile rising in my throat.

“It is,” he purred, opening the door wider. “Want to come in and check it out?”

I glanced around him as if dying to see farther into his shitty room. The dim yellow light bathed the room in a sickly glow as I made eye contact with him.

“What’s your name?” I knew every organization in the underworld, every name running within them, but I never bothered learning soldiers’ names. They expired too frequently.

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why do you want to know?”

“My mama always tells me not to talk to strangers,” I said sweetly. “But if you tell me your name, you won’t be a stranger anymore.”

My voice was steady and unwavering, but my hands trembled. I’d done this plenty of times by now; I really shouldn’t be so nervous. Maybe it was adding one more tally to my list of sins. Or maybe it was the fear of something going wrong.

“I’m Pedro, baby,” he answered, visibly relaxing. “But tonight you can call me Papi.”

My lips tightened, barely tamping down my cringe. Sicko. I couldn’t wait to kill this asshole.

If my mother learned of my extracurricular activities, she’d kill me without batting an eyelash. But I couldn’t stand by and allow those poor women to have their lives destroyed. If I did nothing, then wasn’t I just as guilty?

This way, I could at least hope for a quick death once Sofia Volkov learned what her daughter did. What she had been doing for years now.

As I took a step into the room, I swiftly extracted the syringe that was safely tucked in my bra. I removed the cap while observing the space. The room was dark, and the stench of urine was so strong it had a physical presence. The door to the yellow tiled bathroom was wide open, revealing a bathtub.

Bingo.