Crossword Genius

Killer before entering beat back bodyguards (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

murderess

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'killer' is the definition.
(I know that murderess is a type of liquidator)

'before entering beat back bodyguards' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'before' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is found within the answer.
'entering' could be 're' (I've seen this in other clues) and 're' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for murderess that I've seen before include "Female killer" , "Lady killer?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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