Page 64 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

The proverbial thorn twists in my side.“He stormed out.Said he needed time to process the information.”I swallow hard and add, “I’ve lost him, Liv.This time, I’ve lost him forever.”

“I doubt that.He just needs time.Who wouldn’t?”she mutters, before adding, “He’ll come around, trust me.”Her words come out rushed, as if she’s trying to end the call.Something in her tone feels clipped.Unease tickles the back of my mind, but my own panic smothers the thought.

The rasp in her voice worries me.“Liv, have you been crying?”

“No,” she replies, too quickly.“I’m under a lot of pressure, that’s all.At work, I mean.”

Guilt pricks at me.I say softly, “I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to pile more problems onto your shoulders.”

“Don’t say that.”She cuts my pity party short.“I’m always here for you.You know that.It’s just that now is really a bad time,” she confesses.

“Thank you for picking up my call.”I try to smile, though she can’t see me.“You’ve already helped.I’ll let you go, then.”

“Love you, Lex.Never doubt that,” she whispers, ending the call before I can manage to respond.

Despite our brief conversation, I feel lighter, as if I’ve given away a small piece of my fear to someone strong enough to carry it.Olivia has always had that effect on me.

Glancing at the clock, I realize Dave is probably not coming back tonight.It’s past ten without any sign from him.I push up from the chair, my limbs weighted by my gloomy emotions.I sluggishly make my way down the hall.The floorboards creak beneath my bare feet as I make my way up the winding staircase toward Rose’s room.

I tiptoe inside the sweet sanctuary, walls painted in pale cream with delicate blue accents.She’s curled in the middle of the bed, hugging her most trusted friend, Doggy.Her breath comes even, her lashes fanned out on her soft cheeks.My heart clenches at the sight of her, so blissfully unaware of the evils in our world.

I slide under the covers, wrapping my arm around her tiny frame, careful not to wake her.Her warmth seeps into me, anchoring me, even as worry claws at my insides.

Sleep doesn’t come easily.When it does, it’s restless, broken by the phantom echoes and distant shadows lurking on the edges of my consciousness, until even dreams feel dangerous.

When I finally drift into deeper slumber, gunshots shatter the quiet like a jagged knife.The first distant crack yanks me upright.My heart hammers against my ribs, an erratic drumbeat that echoes in my ears.Before I can reach for Rose, the door bursts open with a force that rattles the hinges.

Panic sends my mind into overdrive, but I sigh in relief when I make out Nadya’s silhouette against the dark doorway.Her pale face makes her eyes wider.Strands of her hair stick to her damp forehead.

“We have to go.Now,” she gasps.“The house is under attack.”

Adrenaline surges through me, hot and relentless.Rose stirs, blinking up at me with sleepy confusion that turns to panic as another round of gunfire erupts, louder this time, closer.Her small fists curl into my sundress, the same one I wore yesterday.She buries her face against my shoulder.“Mama, what’s happening?”Her voice wobbles, thick with fear.

The raw innocence in her tone stabs at me, igniting the desperate urge to protect that only a mother knows.

“It’s okay, moy zaychik, it’s okay,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her hair.

But it’s a lie.Nothing is okay.

My eyes dart to Nadya, who has already stepped into the room, scanning for threats with the sharp precision of someone used to danger.Pete clings to her hand, wearing the same drowsy and fearful expression as Rose.

“We need to get to the bunker,” Nadya urges me.Her gaze flicks to Rose, softening for the briefest moment before returning to me.“Ma’am, we have to go.”

I nod, my throat too tight for words.Rose’s small body trembles as I pull her from the bed, her wide eyes searching mine for answers I can’t give.“Mama, where’s Doggy?I need Doggy.”She starts crying, and thick tears roll down her cheeks.

My chest tightens as my gaze darts around the room.The stuffed dog Rose has clung to since infancy is nowhere in sight.

“We don’t have time,” Nadya presses me, but my daughter’s whimpers stab through me.Ignoring the nanny’s good sense, I scour the room with desperate eyes, my heart pounding.I won’t let tonight become another regret etched into my soul.I spot the brown ear of Doggy peeking out from beneath the quilt at the edge of the bed.

I snatch it and hand it to Rose.Relief softens her expression as she clings to it, tucking the toy against her chest.But the reprieve is short-lived.Another series of gunshots rip through the night air, this time followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering glass.

“Let’s go!”Nadya’s voice slices through the chaos, her arm guiding us out of the bedroom.

We move as one, a tangle of limbs and gasping breaths, rushing down the dimly lit hallways, crouching behind paneled doors until it’s safe to cross to the next hiding spot.The house that once felt like a fortress now echoes with the clash of battle—boots thundering against the polished wood, groans, and curses slicing through the air.The acrid scent of gunpowder seeps into the stairwell, sharp and suffocating, as we rush downstairs.

When we turn a corner, my heart stutters at the sight of Dave’s men locked in combat, their dark silhouettes against the broken moonlight spilling through shattered windows.One of them, a broad-shouldered man named Phil, catches my eye for a split second before turning back to fire at the attackers crawling through the splintered frames.The echo of gunfire rattles through me, shaking me to the core, but Nadya pulls me forward.

At the end of the corridor, a wall sconce casts a weak light on a bookcase.Nadya’s fingers move with urgency, finding a thick leather-bound volume that sticks out like an ancient secret.When she presses on it, a soft whir of gears fills the air, and the bookcase shudders, sliding back with a reluctance that suggests it hasn’t been used in years.

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