Page 106 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

If Tyler wasn’t in the picture, it’d be a simple decision: I follow Williams until he turns onto his road, and then I take Wren home. But Tyler is a wild card, and Rhett and Elliot may need backup.

But if theydoneed backup, there’s a chance we’re endangering Wren. And if things go wrong…

After a minute, Elliot sighs. “It’s too big of a risk.”

“We’ll be fine,” I protest. “The plan is damn near perfect. Williams and his men will be sitting ducks.”

“I’m not risking getting her killed,” Elliot says.

“What?” Wren looks at me with a shocked expression, and then she narrows her eyes, and my god, she reminds me so much of Elliot when she’s thinking hard. Then her jaw drops. “Oh my god. Are you guys going to kill him?”

Elliot swears. “We can’t involve her in this. Ol, you need to follow Williams to the checkpoint and then head home.”

“Iam a part of this conversation,” Wren says, glaring at the speakers. “If you need Oliver for your plan, there’s no way we’re turning back.”

I try to hold in a laugh. The fact that she stands up to him with such ease makes me proud. He can be an ass when he gets stubborn.

“Wren—”

She ignores him. “Oliver. Do they need you?”

“It’ll be safer for them if I’m there.”

“And what are the odds of you and me ending up in danger?”

“Wren,” Elliot snaps. “Stop. This isn’t up for negoti-”

“What are the odds?” she asks me.

“Low. Ell, from my position, we’ll be able to see anyone coming for us from way off.AndI can keep you two safe from a distance if anything goes wrong. That was always the plan.”

“I can’t risk her safety.”

“Well, I’m not willing to risk yours,” Wren says.

A mixture of relief and pride swells in my chest. She’s adapting so quickly. And not freaking out at all, which is honestly fairly surprising.

Elliot sighs. “There isn’t anything I can do to stop you. Just… be careful. And if it comes between running and fighting, Oliver, you get her the hell out of there.”

“I know. I’ll call you back when he’s closer.”

Elliot hangs up, and I let out a long breath, staring ahead at Williams’ car. I’m far enough behind that I’m probably not even registering as a threat to his security team.

“So you’re hitmen?”

I nod. “I can explain later. But right now, I need to get you up to date on our plan, okay?”

“Got it.”

I give her the details, explaining every tiny step.

The spot we picked to ambush Williams is, for all intents and purposes, perfect. At the intersection where they’ll turn onto his road, the far side is woods, and the side we’ll drive past is a field surrounded by more trees. Conveniently, there’s a hunter’s stand on the edge that gives me a perfect view of the spot where Williams’ driver will be forced to stop.

Earlier today, we explored the woods and found a decently sized tree limb that fell down during a storm. We dragged it to the edge of the forest that’s right by the road, and Rhett and Elliot will haul it onto the road after hiding their vehicle.

From there, it’s simple: kill everyone as quickly as possible and then get the hell out of there.

I’ll be in the hunter’s stand, where my hunting rifle is already waiting for me, so I can pick people off from a distance if I need to.