Page 58 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

“Then we act,” I agree, coldly.“We hit Igor where it hurts.We dismantle every protection he has, burn down every last connection he thinks can keep him safe.We take him down, once and for all.”

Tommy and Shelby exchange a quick glance.Tommy’s gaze sharpens, his mouth set in a hard line, while Shelby nods, his gaze steely and resolute.There’s no doubt, no hesitation—just the quiet, ruthless resolve that only family can share.

“We’re all in, Dave.Whatever it takes,” Tommy says.“Igor won’t see it coming.”He reaches out, clapping me on the shoulder.

Shelby adjusts his glasses.“One step at a time,” he offers.

With my brothers by my side, the path forward seems clearer.We’ve faced down deadly threats before, and this time, we’re all in.The weight of Dad’s files settles on my shoulders like iron, but I feel my brothers’ strength.Dad mapped out every danger, every betrayal, and now it’s our turn to finish what he started.

My mind is already racing through the logistics, the contacts we’ll need to call in, the resources we’ll deploy.I let the initial urgency settle into something cold and precise.This isn’t a war won by blind rage; it’s about breaking Igor’s power piece by piece, taking apart every advantage he thinks he has.There’s no shortcut here, just the ruthless patience to dismantle him one layer at a time.

It’s the only way to win this and protect Rose for good.

“One step at a time,” I echo Shelby’s words.“One problem at a time.We start with his network, and we end with him.”

My heart thunders as the weight of this war presses down on my shoulders.I’ve faced death countless times.But this is personal, the kind of battle that leaves scars you carry for life.

The plan takes shape in my mind, each piece clicking into place like the barrels of a loaded gun.I’ll tear down Igor’s empire before he even gets a whiff of where Rose is.His empire will fall, brick by brick, until there’s nothing left but ashes.

And I’ll be there, watching it all burn.

23

Alexia

Dave’s room is silent, thick with the lingering traces of his cologne, which somehow still wraps around me like an embrace.I’m alone in his bed, and the silence presses down, amplifying the quiet in a way that almost feels suffocating.Dave told me he was going to leave early.He must have decided to slip out while I was still tangled in sleep, caught in the illusion that things were simpler, less dangerous.

For a moment, I lie still, staring at the faint morning light cutting across the ceiling in thin strips, feeling the weight of my situation, heavier than the blankets cocooned around me.The sweet moments we shared last night are still imprinted on my soul.We made love like we used to do years ago, slowly, thoroughly, and lovingly.But with Dave gone, reality rushes back in like a tide I can’t fight.

My stomach twists.I shouldn’t allow myself to believe that Dave and I have gone back to being the same couple we were five years ago.Because we are not.Every look, every touch, every promise we shared yesterday felt so close to being real.Except, they hide the truth I can’t keep holding back.The truth I know will turn Dave’s warmth into cold fury.

I sit up slowly, pushing the sheets away, feeling the cool air raise goosebumps along my skin.The bed feels too empty without him beside me.I hate the way that thought makes my chest ache.I am stronger than this.Living in Igor’s hellish household, I’ve learned how to push down my feelings, keep my heart locked up tight.But Dave has always had a way of finding those pieces I can’t hide, breaking through the walls I’ve spent years building.

From the bedside, I let my gaze wander across his room, taking in its serene elegance.The vaulted white ceiling stretches overhead, softened by the sunlight spilling through the sheer curtains.The bed, with its tall, minimalist canopy frame, is draped in plush, light-hued bedding that contrasts with the rustic trunk at its foot, topped with a hint of soft fur.Armchairs in gentle blues, accented by throw pillows with subtle patterns, form a cozy nook by the window.Everything in this room exudes a quiet, sophisticated charm—a reflection of Dave’s calm confidence, his refined taste, and the surprising tenderness he keeps hidden behind that composed exterior.Even here, in this space of understated luxury, his essence is undeniable.

I get out of bed, wrap myself in the sheet, and run my fingers over the edge of his trunk.I find myself lingering on his things—a silver lighter, his phone charger coiled like a silent promise he’ll return.I stroll to the bathroom, where I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror.I don’t recognize the woman staring back.There’s guilt pooling in the hollows of her face.The secrets are eating her alive, yet she doesn’t know how to stop.

Pressing a hand to my stomach, I force myself to breathe as searing pain pierces me.Rose.Dave’s daughter.This truth is a raw wound on the verge of festering, of unraveling everything in ways I can’t control.

Flashes of the past flood my mind: Rose’s little hand wrapped around my finger when she was a newborn, her first smile, her laugh, the way her eyes light up the same way Dave’s do.How did I think I could protect her by hiding her from the one man who could love her unconditionally like I do?Dave has always wanted a family, and his loyalties have always been to his family.How could I have forgotten that?

There’s also Igor and the shadows he casts that follow me.If he finds us...I shudder at the thought.There’s no bottom to his cruelty.I’ve seen it.I’ve survived it.But Rose wouldn’t.

A knock on the door jerks me from my thoughts, and I flinch, clutching the sheet tighter around me.Whoever it is doesn’t enter, so I exhale and move back to the bedroom.

“Miss Lenko?”Nadya calls.“There’s breakfast waiting in the kitchen whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Nadya.I’ll come down in a little while,” I reply.

Her footsteps retreat and I perch myself on the edge of the bed.With a strangled sigh, I flop back on the mattress, arms straight on either side.

The shadows stretch and shift on the ceiling, playing with the rays of sun.Suddenly, I’m not here anymore.My mind pulls me under, dragging me back into the darkness of Igor’s basement.The memory strikes with such force I can almost taste the damp air.My pulse quickens and I’m there—chained to that hard floor, the stone biting into my knees, my hands bound behind me, my body weighted down by the dank coldness pressing in from every side.I can’t move, can barely breathe, as the familiar shroud of the blindfold traps me in blackness.

I shiver as the old, terrible feeling of helplessness coils around me.Igor loved humiliating me like this, discarding me like I was nothing, like I was beneath his notice.I remember the sting of his words, how he’d sneer, “This is what happens to you because you think they’re too good for me.”And then he’d laugh, a cruel sound that would echo off the stone walls, freezing me from the inside out.

He’d make me listen to him fuck whoever he’d dragged down there with him.The sounds would claw at me, tearing me apart.Not because I cared for him but because I was mortified.People saw me in that degrading position.He never called me by name or referred to me as his wife when he had company.On the contrary, he would tell the others he had bought me in an auction and was breaking me before I would join his brothel.

He loved every minute of it, thrived on it.And I had to endure it, chained in the dark, my mind my only companion.I would breathe slow and steady, counting my breaths, forcing myself to stay calm because I couldn’t let him see how much it broke me.If I did, he’d win again.

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