Page 101 of Ruthless Reign

She swallows thickly, emotion swimming in her eyes. “How can you pull out of the shipping deal? Anatoly will fight you on it, and he doesn’t play fair.”

My laugh sounds callous and dark even to my own ears. “I’d like to see him try and take down the syndicate. We’ll rip him from limb to limb.” I deliver my next words with calm surety. “Anatoly is a dead man, milaya. He’s fucked with the wrong people, and he’ll pay for that.” I brush a tear from her cheek with my thumb. “He’ll pay for everything he’s done to you. For every little hurt, every little bruise, he’ll suffer tenfold at my hands.”

The moment the words leave my lips, her gaze ignites and her lips press against mine. It’s the best feeling in the world. I kiss her back so fiercely that I worry I might bruise her lips with the intensity, but I can’t hold back.

When Liza pulls away, her eyes are still half-mast and hazy. “There’s something you need to see.” She reaches into the nightstand by her side of the bed and pulls out her phone, unlocking it and tapping on an app. After a few more taps, she hands it to me.

I scroll through the app filled with charts and numbers I barely understand. Then it hits me. I look up at her. “You’re day trading to make money?”

When she nods in confirmation, I continue to scroll.

“Holy shit! You’ve made a lot of money.”

“Yes.” She gives me a small smile. “Look at the date of my first deposit.”

I scroll back through her trade history, my eyebrows knitting together in concentration. “The first trade was the day we came back from London,” I note.

She sighs. “You wanted to know what the auction at Sanctuary was about. There’s your answer. I stupidly thought that if I paid Anatoly back what my family owes him, I’d be free.”

I grimace as my chest constricts. “Don't you dare blame yourself for one fucking second. None of this is on you. This is all on your family and that shitty fucker you had to call a fiancé. But it’s over now. I’ll burn down the world, I’ll kill. I’ll do whatever I have to to keep you and Sofiya safe.”

Emotion swims in her eyes. “I know you will.”

I pull her into my lap, her head resting against my chest. "You should be damn proud of yourself," I tell her. "Where did you learn these skills?"

"I taught myself," she admits, a slight hint of pride in her voice. “I just needed a little seed money.”

My tone darkens. “I’m glad it was me providing the seed.”

She smiles and shakes her head sadly. “I still need to get back to the city. Sofiya doesn’t yet know what my parents and Anatoly have planned, but I don’t trust them. I need to find a way to protect her.”

“Where is she?”

“Still at school, as far as I can tell. I don’t think she knows anything … yet.”

I brush a hand across her cheek. “We’ll leave here first thing tomorrow morning and get your sister. You’re both under my protection now, and there’s no way in hell you’re going back to that scumbag. And I’m including your parents in that category as well.”

Her eyes roam over my face, studying me as closely as I’m studying her. “How did I get so lucky,” she finally says, “to have found you in the chaos that is my life?”

“How did we both get so lucky,” I correct her, running a thumb over the sensitive underside of her jaw.

It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her how deeply I feel for her, how I’d fight through hell itself to keep her safe and happy. I’d lay down my life for her without a second thought.

But I hold back. Actions speak louder than words, and I'll show her what it means to conquer the world for the woman I love.

All that matters is this moment, us together; everything else is just noise.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

ROMAN

I'm not sure how long we've been asleep when my cell phone rings. I fumble for it on the nightstand next to the bed. Liza is curled up on my chest—we must have both drifted off after the intensity of the day.

“Privet,” I answer, trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind.

“It’s Savin. I have something to show you. It can’t wait.”

“Give me a minute,” I tell Savin. “I’ll call you right back.”

---