Page 78 of Taming a Ruthless Heart

Dave’s face contorts, pain flashing across his features, mingling with rage and helplessness.“Let them go!”

Igor tightens his grip on me.“Oh, no, Boyle.This is only the beginning.You and your pathetic ‘love’—” He spits the word as though it’s a curse.“—are weak.Love makes men like you soft.”

“Is that why you hate women so much?”I grunt.

Dave interjects, “You’re the one too weak to feel anything.”

“Women are poison,” Igor hisses.“Deceitful, vile creatures.They need to be reminded of their place.”

The knife presses harder against my skin, a sharp sting blossoming where the blade nicks me.A thin line of blood trickles down my neck, and I see the anguish in Dave’s eyes, the silent apology.He’s torn, and I can feel his struggle—he wants to charge, to tear Igor apart, but the risk is too high.

I manage, my voice trembling but defiant.“You’re the real coward.Hiding behind children… what kind of man are you?”

“The winning kind, wife,” Igor chuckles.“Get out, Boyle.I’ll take it from here.”

“Dave, don’t.Get the kids out of here,” I shout.

Igor’s grip tightens, the cold blade biting deeper, the promise of violence just a heartbeat away.

Dave’s eyes flick to mine.“I can’t, Sandy,” he whispers, using the nickname that means so much to us.“I can’t take the risk.”

Igor chuckles.“See?That’s all she’s good for, waiting for a man to rescue her.”

My heart bursts into a million pieces when Dave takes a couple of steps forward like he can’t help himself.

Igor’s grip on me tightens, his knife pressing harder against my throat as he growls, “Stop right there.”He nods toward the door behind us.“Alexia, the kids, and I will go through that door, and you won’t lift a finger.You will watch us leave like the pathetic loser you are.You’ll wait until you hear the chopper taking off before you move an inch.You understand, boy?”

Dave’s striking features contort into a mask of frustration and unconcealed rage.“Even if I do this, you think it’ll stop me?This isn’t over,” he snarls.

I take a ragged breath, my chest heaving.“You can’t let him take the kids, Dave,” I say, desperation edging my voice.“His trafficking ring is more sinister than you know.”

Igor squeezes his hold on me.“Shut the fuck up, bitch!”

Suspicion creeps into Dave’s gaze.“What the hell is going on?”

I gasp for air as the secret I’ve held for too long claws its way up.

Meeting Dave’s eyes, I force myself to reveal the nightmare I’d uncovered.“Igor and his devious friends abuse young boys,” I manage, my voice trembling.

Igor’s arm around my throat cuts my airways.“Enough!”

I groan, “I saw him with the Camorra leader’s grandson—a boy, no more than six years old.”

The horror that flashes across Dave’s face is a visceral reaction that makes my heart twist.I hold his gaze, a silent exchange of understanding, urging him to act, to seize the moment.

He does.

In a flash, Dave lunges forward just as I move my head to bite down hard on Igor’s arm, sinking my teeth in with all my fury.He howls, his grip loosening.In that split second, Dave’s powerful arms wrap around Igor, pulling him back.

The two men collide, crashing into a metal table, sending vials and equipment clattering to the floor.Igor snarls, his face twisted with rage as he grapples with Dave, the two locked in a deadly struggle.I stumble back, my heart racing as I watch them, each strike, each grunt of pain reverberating through the room.

I rush to Rose and Pete, lying on the floor, pale and lifeless.I drop to my knees beside Rose, my hands trembling as I brush a strand of hair from her face.Her eyelids flutter, she mumbles, but she’s too far gone.My heart stutters with renewed fury.

Dave’s gun clatters to the floor in the chaos, sliding to a stop just inches from my hand.Without hesitation, I reach out, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal.I stand and stalk to where the men are fighting.My grip is steady, my aim true as I raise the gun, cocking it.

Igor’s face pales, his eyes widen.For the first time, I see terror in his expression.I don’t hesitate.I pull the trigger, the sound deafening as the bullet rips through the air, striking him square between the eyes.His body jerks back, his grip on Dave loosening as he crumples.

I’m not done.

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