Page 1 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

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Dave

This isn’t a fairy tale and I’m no knight in shining armor.

I drive a black Maserati, not some white steed, and I sure as hell don’t save damsels in distress.

Yet here I am.Planning to do just that.

Pacing keeps me sharp, keeps my wayward emotions from dragging me down.The room feels smaller by the minute—walls closing in with the weight of what’s about to go down.Gun in hand, the cold weight of it a familiar comfort, I count the seconds.The cool metal grounds me, a reminder of the life I’ve never really escaped, no matter how hard I’ve tried.My fingers slide over the barrel, a prayer in the only language I’ve known for too damn long.

This shouldn’t be happening.I shouldn’t be here.I shouldn’t be getting involved.I should be miles away from the mess that’s Alexia Lenko.

But every time I close my eyes, I see her face—the desperation in her voice when she called me.It’s not the Alexia I remember, not the woman who stood by that bastard’s side with a dead look in her eyes.This voice was different.Broken.Terrified.

“Dave, please… I can’t do this alone.I’m in danger—” Her voice broke off.“My daughter is in danger.I need you.”

I should’ve let her voice fade into silence.Should’ve let her deal with the fallout of her choices, the choices that wrecked whatever we had years ago.But I didn’t.Some part of me—a part I’ve been trying to kill for years—couldn’t hang up.Couldn’t turn my back.

Now I’m paying for it.

The clock on my phone counts down the last few minutes.I’m on borrowed time, and the weight of this decision presses down harder with every passing second.My pulse spikes.I take a slow, deep breath.Focus.There’s no room for doubt now.I can’t afford to think about what happens if this goes sideways.

The door swings open, and in stride my twin brothers, Tommy and Shelby.If not for Shelby’s glasses, which he started wearing as a teen, it’d be impossible to tell them apart.They seem to enjoy highlighting it by wearing similar outfits.Today is no exception.They’ve both chosen black leather jackets and gray slacks.

Tommy’s jacket hangs open over a dark T-shirt, while Shelby’s is white.Their favorite pinewood cologne hangs thick in the air, like smoke.They look like me, just… more merciless.Fiercer, despite being five years younger than me.Their black hair is cropped close, accentuating the smooth skin of their cheeks and chin.They’ve just turned thirty, yet they have a youthful vibe about them.If you don’t look at their eyes, you’ll never see the truth beneath.Those icy blue eyes, the same shade as our father’s.Cold and indifferent, like a frozen sky on the darkest day of winter.

Right behind them comes Gina, one of the hostesses in my club, bringing me a glass of whiskey.She bends at the waist to set it on the table, making her naked D-cup breasts jiggle and the silver chains connecting her butterfly nipple clamps clink.

After straightening her back up, she faces my brothers.“Would you guys like something to drink, too?”

“No, thanks,” they reply at the same time.

“Need anything else from me, boss?”Her whisper hangs in the air.

“No, thank you, Gina.”

With a pouty expression aimed at me and a wink thrown at my brothers, the stunning brunette rotates on her impossibly high heels.Her leather skirt hugs every curve as she sways her ample ass toward the door.

“Why didn’t you accept her obvious offer?”Tommy inquires, arching a thick eyebrow.“Or have you given up on fucking at your own club?That’d push the stress out of you.God knows you could use it today.”

I shake my head.Not taking the bait.“I don’t fuck guests or members.”

Shelby smirks and rasps, “That means you’re fucking delightful Gina.”

Tommy’s expression turns serious and he eyes me.“We’re worried about you, about this whole thing.”

In my mind, I still hear the faint echo of desperation in Alexia’s voice.

“You don’t get it.You didn’t hear her.Alexia and Rose are in danger.Igor’s planning something unfathomable.She didn’t have time to say exactly what.”

“So, you’re really going through with this?”Tommy’s voice cuts through the room, low and sharp.

I resume pacing.The tension in my muscles is coiled tight, a loaded spring ready to snap.“It’s already in motion.”

Tommy steps forward, his boots heavy against the wooden floor.“You think this is smart?Risking everything for her?You’re getting soft, Dave.”

The word hits like a blade, twisting deep.Soft.If he only knew the weight behind this decision.The nights I’ve spent trying to forget her, to bury the past along with whatever the hell we had before she walked away.The anger still burns beneath my skin, but it’s buried deep under layers of cold calculation.

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