Ruthless Reign: A Dark Mafia Forbidden Romance (Tarnished Reign Book 1)

Chapter 43

Right after Isay goodbye to Maxim, a gentle knock on my office door causes me to turn just as Liza enters.

A smile instinctively forms on my face. “Aren”t you supposed to be naked and waiting for me in bed?” I tease, but when I look up, her face is closed off, her eyes empty. “What”s wrong?” In three quick steps, I”m in front of her, ready to pull her into my arms, but she steps back, just out of reach.

“I’m sorry, but our time is up. I need to go back home and deal with real life.” Her words feel practiced, like she’s speaking from a script.

My chest feels like it’s caving in. Something is off.

“What’s going on? Are you feeling scared about something? Whatever it is, you can talk to me.” I fight to keep my tone even when I actually want to grab her by the shoulders and shake the words out of her.

She blinks back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes and takes a shuddering breath. “I-I can’t,” she rasps. “We always knew this would come to an end. I’m getting married in a few?—”

“Bullshit,” I snarl. “This is not about that. Something happened. What is it? Don’t fucking lie to me. I deserve the truth.”

She attempts to steady her trembling hands by clasping them in front of her. “We always had an end date. Something’s come up, and I need to leave. Now.”

I advance on her, needing to be close. Needing to look her directly in the eyes. “Tell me the truth. You’ve been hiding something from me—from the world—for a long time. If you want to end this, fine, but have the decency to be honest with me.”

She shakes her head, grief flashing over her features. “Roman.” She says my name like a plea. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

I don’t care that she wants to push me away; I refuse to let her. I haul her against me as my heart hammers in my chest. Good. Let her feel how very worked up I am. “You’re not marrying him, and that’s the end of the fucking story.”

“How can you say that?” She tries to push me off of her, but I don’t move a muscle. “This is not your decision, Roman. Accept that we’re over. Accept that this was never going to be anything more.”

“Fuck that. I know how you feel about me because I feel the same way about you.” I lean my forehead against hers, and my words come out in a low, gravelly tone. “If it’s money you need, I’ll give it to you. If it’s a ring you want, you’ll wear my ring. I’ll do anything for you.”

She shakes her head furiously, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. “How can you say that? You’re just as tied to him as I am.”

God, is that what she thinks? That a stupid deal means more to me than she does?

I drag a hand over the back of my neck. “Nothing is more important to me than you.”

Her features twist with anguish. “This is crazy, Roman. We can’t throw away everything for this... madness. Please, listen to me. I have to get home.”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” I grit my teeth, the words heavy on my tongue. “Anatoly is up to something. He’s rerouted our ships without telling us, and he’s taking secret meetings with a St. Petersburg based bratva—the bratva we believe is behind the attacks on my life.”

A shadow falls over her expression. “St. Petersburg?”

“The Zhukov brothers. Anatoly met with one of the brothers, Sergey, in secret. I don’t fucking know why, but I do know they’re violent and hell-bent on expansion. Whatever their business is, it’s not good.”

Liza pales as if she”s seen a ghost. She dashes to the bathroom off of the main bedroom, her hand clamped over her mouth.

What the fuck?

When I hear the harsh sound of retching, I grab a bottle of water and a small towel, but just as I reach the bathroom door, she opens it, still looking ashen and shaken.

“Enough secrets.” I lead her to the bed and hand her the water. “Tell me the truth—right here, right now. What is this all about?”

Her eyes are heavy and haunted. “The night Anatoly took Sofiya to that business dinner, when we were in London… The associates they had dinner with were from St. Petersburg, and his name was Sergey.”

A tight knot forms in my gut. I don”t like where this story is going.

“Sofiya drank that night. I don’t know how much or why, but Anatoly gave her alcohol.”

My hands clench into fists. “I know,” I admit.

“What?!”

“The man I sent to watch her messaged me that she seemed unsteady on her feet. Even though you told me it wasn’t necessary, I had him stay there and watch over her for a few days.”

She shakes her head. “This is so fucked up.”

“Did she give you any details about the dinner? Tell you anything that was discussed?”

Liza swallows hard. “She didn”t remember that much. Maybe that was the point of giving her booze.”

I swipe a furious hand over the back of my neck. “Fuck. Why was she even there? What possible reason would Anatoly have to bring your seventeen-year-old sister to a dinner with bratva members?”

Pain flickers across Liza”s face. “It’s how Anatoly controls me. He knows how much I love my sister, how protective I am of her. He uses her to keep me in line, which is why I need to go home and fix this mess.” She hugs her body as if she needs to protect herself. “My mother just called and made it very clear that if I don”t come home and marry Anatoly as planned, he”ll marry Sofiya instead, with my parents’ blessings.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I growl. “Sofiya is still a kid.”

A fresh tear slips down her cheek. “She’ll be eighteen soon.”

Fuck me. Boris and Anastasia Ivanov have sunk even lower than I thought possible, pimping out their daughters for money and power.

I grasp Liza’s jaw, wanting her full attention for what I’m about to say next. “I will always protect you and your sister.” I drop a tender kiss on her lips. “I won’t let anything bad happen to either of you.”

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.