Page 48 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

I slam a fist down on the desk, rattling the crystal glass.“Motherfucker!Who the hell is the mole helping Igor?”

I reach for the whiskey again and take a long sip.I relish the heat burning through the cold rage twisting inside me.The edges of my control are fraying, slipping like sand through my fingers.Dad’s code, his restraint, his sacrifices—Igor spits on all of it.

I close my eyes, leaning back in the chair.My father’s voice echoes in my head, steady as always, a reminder of the lessons he drilled into me over years of training.“Never act on impulse, David.Always think ten steps ahead.”

But this feels personal.Sergei and Oleg didn’t just betray the Syndicate.They betrayed my father, twisted his trust, his principles, into weapons against us.And now, it’s up to me to clean up the mess they left behind.

The implications hit me all at once, like ice water down my spine.Igor isn’t just a problem.He’s a ticking bomb with an unknown ally embedded deep within the Syndicate’s core.And if I don’t act, if I don’t dismantle this web of deceit and power, everything will crumble.

Anger bubbles up again, an unfiltered rage that I struggle to contain.The desire to expose every single secret buried in these files boils under my skin.But I know I have to be smart.I have to play this right.If I move too soon, too openly, Igor will see it coming.

But he won’t get that chance.Not this time.

The soft chime of my phone pulls me from the rage tightening like a noose around my throat.I glance at the screen, expecting one of the usual names—Nikolai, Tommy, or Shelby—but instead, it’s Nick.Why the hell is my youngest brother calling me when his rock band is touring the world?

19

Dave

My youngest brother’s smiling face beams at me from the screen of my cellphone.We haven’t talked in months.The sight of his picture pulls me up short, an unexpected wave of memories and emotions hitting me before I can brace myself.

I pick up the call, steadying my voice.“Nick.”

“Hey, big brother.”His voice comes through light and easy, the familiar sound tinged with warmth.

Nick is the one who left our world of blood and darkness behind to live a cleaner life.Fifteen years ago, he left Boston.He walked away from the family, from our business, and from everything that came with our lifestyle.Mom encouraged him to go, to chase his dreams of music and freedom.He ditched the Boyle name and cut off the ties to his criminal family.He only kept in touch with our mother.When he eventually made it big, the media crowned him a rock god.He’s become a world-famous star, wild and untamed.But in my mind, he’s still the little brat I loved to tease, the grinning kid who looked up to me like I was some goddamn superhero.

“It’s been a while.”Nick’s raspy comment brings me back to the present.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen your ugly face since your wedding.When was that, March of last year?”I ask, standing up and strolling to the floor-to-ceiling windows.I pull back the heavy curtains and gaze out at the manicured lawns, gardens, and the distant harbor.The tension loosens its iron grip around my chest, allowing me room to breathe and joke, “What’s up, little brother?”

He pauses, then a faint chuckle tickles my ear.“You’re going to be an uncle, Dave.Angie’s pregnant.”

The words hit like a jolt of whiskey, flooding me with something I haven’t felt in years—pure, uncomplicated joy.I’m going to be an uncle.I never imagined myself as one, never had the space in my mind to even consider it, given the life I lead.But for Nick, my little brother, it makes sense.He’s always been the one who could hold the good things in life.

“An uncle, huh?”I grunt, hearing the crack in my own voice, barely masked by a chuckle.“Guess that makes you the responsible one now.”

Nick laughs, a sound that manages to warm the cold edges of my recent thoughts.“Hard to believe, right?Angie and I have been talking about starting a family for a while, you know?But there were other priorities.”

I turn my back to the enticing view of the bay with the colorful boats bobbing under the late afternoon sun.

“You have a demanding career and Angie wanted to finish college.Not exactly the best scenario to raise kids,” I observe.

Nick guffaws.“Have you bugged our phones?”

As I settle back in the leather chair, I laugh out loud, remembering the ordeal Nick and Angie went through two years ago.“Nope.I leave that to Angie’s father.By the way, how has he been treating you?”

“Like any jealous father,” he says with a laugh.“Very badly!”

I shake my head and call his bluff, “That’s not what her brother tells me.According to Michael, you’ve become Tony’s favorite person.”

Nick snickers.“True.I can only imagine his reaction when he learns he’ll be a grandfather.”

My throat dries up, so my voice cracks when I ask, “What do you mean?You guys haven’t told Tony yet?”

“Angie and I wanted you to be the first to know.”Nick’s confession comes out strangled as if he’s also fighting his emotions.

Silence stretches between us.The idea that he wanted me to be the first, despite all the years we’ve been apart, gets to me.My chest tightens, and I can’t find anything to say.I guess I know what this means.It’s a gesture of gratitude for my role in helping Nick and Angie when they first met.My little brother was way over his head, thinking he could take on Angie’s Mafia family and survive it on his own.He was deadly wrong, but that is a tale for another time.Today is about celebrating Angie and Nick’s love and the beginning of their family.

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