Page 21 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

I take a breath and say in a steady voice.“We’ve had two full days to pull strings, use every resource we have to gather intel on what Igor’s planning.Now, we must put the pieces together.”

Shelby pushes his glasses up his nose, his expression grim.“I’ve been tracking one of Igor’s associates.Turns out, he’s chartered a five-hundred-foot yacht, set to sail from Los Angeles in about a week.”

Nora leans forward, her voice sharp.“My informants told me the same thing.There’s going to be an auction aboard that yacht.No word yet on whether it’ll be held in US waters or elsewhere.”

I glance at Nikolai.He’s frowning, tapping at the keys on his laptop again.He suggests, “Igor wouldn’t go through all this trouble for a standard auction.Something’s off.”

Max adds, “The cartel’s leader is stepping down.The heir, Ernesto Camargo, has a thing for virgins—young, but not minors.He won’t cross that line after what happened to his ten-year-old sister.”

My stomach knots at the thought of what Igor could be planning for Alexia.

Michael suggests, “What if Igor wants to get rid of Alexia and buy himself a new wife at the auction?”

Dino shakes his head.“He wouldn’t auction her, for sure.He wants to curry favor with the Camorra.Those fuckers wouldn’t have it.They’re thugs but put family first.”

My father nods.“He’s after something bigger.”

“Rose,” I whisper, the realization hitting me like a freight train.“Alexia’s terrified for Rose.”

A silence falls over the room, the implications sinking in.

“He wouldn’t traffic his own daughter,” Joe says, his deep voice cutting through the tension.“That’s a line even Igor wouldn’t cross.”

“Not traffic,” Nikolai interjects.“He could marry her off.Use her to secure a powerful alliance.”

“She’s only four!For fuck’s sake!”I grit out, the bile rising in my throat.

Nora affirms, “In their world, she’ll be ripe for marriage as soon as she can bear children.”

The room falls deathly silent.My heart pounds, my mind reels.

My phone buzzes.I pull it out.It’s a text from Igor with a link attached.

“Nikolai,” I say, my voice low and dangerous.“Pull this up.”

Nobody blinks as Nikolai directs the video to the screen.The grainy footage is unmistakable.Igor’s stocky frame looms over a battered Seamus O’Keefe, one of my most trusted soldiers.The Pakhan plunges his knife into my man’s chest, twisting it.Igor stares into the camera, his chilling black eyes gleaming with malice.

“Guess he was telling the truth after all,” Igor sneers, the scar in his cheek cutting deeper.“He didn’t know where you’re hiding Alexia.But you do, Dave.”

Rage burns my chest, my fists clenching so tightly my knuckles turn white.“That motherfucker will pay for this.”

I glance at Tommy and Shelby.“Seamus.What’s his assignment?”

Shelby shakes his head.“He took the day off yesterday—his pregnant girlfriend had some complications.”

Nikolai’s fingers fly over the keyboard as he hacks away through various surveillance systems.He divides the screen into multiple feeds.They flicker as we follow Seamus from the hospital to his lady’s apartment.Nikolai closes all other feeds and fast-forwards the one facing her building.Hours later, Seamus steps onto the sidewalk, talking to someone wearing a hooded sweatshirt.Seamus’s laughing and patting the person on their back when a white van pulls up, the logo of a delivery service plastered on the side.The doors swing open, and before my soldier can react, Igor’s men grab him, shove him inside and take off.The hooded traitor stays behind, strolling down the street without a care in the world.

“Seamus knew that fucker.He trusted them.They got him distracted enough he never saw the van coming,” I fume.

“Exactly,” Tommy grunts.“A former Marine like Seamus wouldn’t have gone down like that.Not without a fight.”

A low growl escapes my throat.“That van.The service—who owns it?”

Dino offers.“He’s a low-level member of the Mexican Cartel; we’ve had eyes on him for a while, but he’s a nobody.”

My hands clench into fists.Seamus trusted me to keep him safe.

“You all, keep digging, find this traitor, and report to me.”I bark the order, cold and hard, as I unfold from the chair.“I’m going to the safehouse.I’ll get the truth about what the fuck is going on here out of my guest.”

---