Page 26 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

I grit my teeth, anger bubbling up inside me, hot and fierce.“I’ve become many things to Igor over the years,” I bite out, my cheeks burning with the heat of my fury.“Little princess has never been one of them.”

Dave’s eyes flash with something—surprise, maybe.Or curiosity.But it’s gone in an instant, replaced by the same cold resolve that has always defined him.“People are dying, Alexia,” he snaps.“I’ve got no use for games or fake rage.”

Before I can react, Dave’s hand slams into the wall above my head, the sound reverberating.He grabs me by the shoulders, pressing me against the wall.His grip is rough, but the restrained force behind it makes my pulse race.He’s holding back—a barely controlled storm brewing beneath the surface.

His body is too close, his breath hot against the side of my neck.The cool wall grounds me, but it does nothing to stop the tremor in my limbs.His hands, though rough, don’t hurt me.Still, I’m trapped, the solid weight of him caging me in, demanding answers.

“Last night,” he growls, “Igor killed a twenty-year-old who trusted me to keep him safe.He died on my watch, Alexia.And nobody has a fucking clue what Igor is planning next.”

Reality slaps me in the face, forcing air from my lungs in a painful rush.His green eyes bore into mine, anger smoldering them—but there’s something else, too.Something darker, more desperate.My pulse races with the intensity in his gaze—the raw emotion simmering just beneath the surface—that paralyzes me.

I choke out a reply.“I’ve told you all I know.I’ve heard he’s buying and selling people...that’s all.”

I dare not tell him more.If I tell him that Igor is planning to sell Rose at an auction, he’ll figure out the truth.He’ll know she isn’t Igor’s.I haven’t decided if I’m ready for him to know that yet.Not with everything that’s at stake for Rose and me.

His fingers tighten on my shoulders, and I wince, but I don’t look away.His jaw clenches.The tension in the air is thick, electric.His frustration radiates off him in waves.

“Damn it!”His grip tightens momentarily, but then he releases me suddenly, as if disgusted—whether with me or himself, I can’t tell.

The force of his release throws me off balance, my body lurching forward as my hands flail, reaching for anything to steady myself.My feet slip, and my knees slam into the floor.The sharp sting shoots up my legs, but it’s the sudden rush of cool air on my back that catches my breath.My silk top has ridden up, exposing me—exposing everything.

The air goes still.

I scramble to pull the fabric back down, but before I can, Dave’s hand stops me.His touch isn’t rough this time—it’s almost reverent.My breath catches in my throat as I meet his gaze.

His voice is low and rough, filled with shock and something else I can’t quite place.“What the fuck happened to you?”he growls.

10

Dave

The moment I see the scars, my whole world goes still.I stand in my study, staring at her, unable to move or tear my gaze away from the welts that mar her back.The room, with its dark mahogany shelves and the heavy, suffocating scent of old leather, feels like a cage.My hands clench into fists as I take in each faint, white line, marking her skin like a story I never wanted to read.Each line is a testament to the hell she’s been through.

A slow, burning rage claws its way up my chest as I absorb each cruel reminder of Igor’s brutality.I grit my teeth, struggling to keep my voice steady.“What the fuck happened to you?”My voice is barely more than a whisper but the force behind it feels like a shout.

Her shoulders tense, and she pulls away, reaching to cover herself, to hide again.But I don’t let her.My fingers catch the silk of her top, holding it just above the raw truth etched across her skin.I swallow hard, feeling the fire of anger surge through me like an electric current, but I push it down, focusing instead on the softness beneath my fingertips.

She looks at me over her shoulder, her eyes wide and full of a pain that cuts me deeper than any blade ever could.“Dave,” she pleads, her voice barely holding together.“Please.”

I loosen my grip but don’t let go entirely.Instead, I kneel down, trying to meet her at eye level.My knees hit the polished wood, and I feel the hard surface bite into them, but I don’t care.I won’t let her hide from me.Not now.I reach out, and my hand trembles as I hover it over her back.Then, my fingers connect with the lines, feeling the raised skin beneath my touch.As I trace one welt with the tip of my fingers I confirm my suspicion these are the permanent reminders of heavy beatings.Fuck!There have been multiple beatings.

“Igor did this to you?”My voice cracks, and I hate myself for it.

I’m supposed to be the strong one, the one who can face down anything.But seeing this, seeing her like this—God, it’s like someone’s reached into my chest and ripped my heart out.

She nods, barely perceptible, but it’s enough.

Rage flares up inside me, hot and consuming.I can almost see Igor before me, the smug smile he wore the last time we met at that fucking charity dinner.His graying hair slicked back, his beady and empty black eyes defying me.

I close my eyes for a heartbeat, swallowing hard against the wave of nausea that burns my stomach.I open my eyes, locking them on hers.“Igor did this.He put these marks on you,” I grunt, stopping short of revealing more than I should.

It guts me that I wasn’t there to stop him.I wasn’t there to protect her.My nails dig into my palms as I fight the urge to put them through the nearest wall.I want to tear him apart, limb by limb, make him suffer the way he’s made her suffer.But the cold reality is I’m not her knight in shining armor.

And I’d do better remembering that.Except, I can’t help caring for her.And this push-and-pull of emotions is driving me insane.Inhaling deeply, I cup her shoulders and help her stand up again.

Despite her obvious discomfort, she juts her chin up and holds my gaze.That’s the Alexia I’ve always known and admired.I don’t fight the pride swelling my chest.At the same time, my heart shatters for the shitty life she’s had with Igor.

Then Alexia shifts again back to a defensive stance, her arms wrapping around herself.“Every time he got frustrated with me, every time he tried to…” Her voice dies down.

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