Page 108 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

I shouldn’t’ve stopped taking my meds.

After a minute, the driver’s side door opens, and Williams’ driver creeps out. He’s gripping a gun in his hands, but it’s pretty obvious by the way he’s holding it that he’s not familiar with firearms. And why would he need to be? He’s just the driver, technically not part of Williams’ security detail.

No one shoots him.

Elliot and Rhett are safe. They’re just not shooting him because he’s not a threat. That’s all.

There’s no way Tyler shot them. They’re smart enough that they would’ve taken cover the second he started shooting. And now that he’s in the woods, there’s no way they’d let him sneak up on them. They’ll be watching their backs.

“Oliver?” Wren whispers.

I keep my sights locked in on the driver. “Yes?”

“I—I think I saw something in the field. Coming toward us. But I’m not sure if I’m just imagining things.” Her voice is shaking.

The reality of the situation must be setting in. For all I know, she’s never even heard a gunshot before.

I’d give her some type of comfort if I could, but I have to stay focused. “Just keep looking. Let me know if you see anything closer.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

The driver creeps around the car and opens the back door that’s facing my way. Williams slips out, staying low.

And that’s when it clicks. Rhett and Elliot must be trying to lull them into a false sense of security. Get them to think that it’s safe to get out of the car. Then I can shoot Williams from a distance.

See? They’re fine. Just thinking. Elliot is good at that.

“Um, Oliver—”

I take out Williams with a single shot. The driver yells as his boss drops to the ground, pointing his gun into the darkness, before I take him out, too.

There’s a yelp behind me, and then a loud thud.Shit.

Whirling around, gun ready, I find Wren hovering in the doorway of the stand.

“I didn’t see him until he was on the ladder. It was too dark. I—I’m sorry, Oliver.” She backs up, her eyes on the snowy ground below.

I peer down, using my scope to see in the dark. Tyler is scrambling to his feet, holding one hand to his face. “What did you do?”

“Kicked him in the face,” she whispers. “He fell down.”

“Good girl,” I murmur. “Now look away.”

She does, and I shoot Tyler in the chest. He flies back, landing in the snow.

For a moment, I stare at him. When I shot out that tire, he must’ve realized it came from behind the car. He’s smart—there’s no way he hasn’t noticed the hunter’s stand before.

So if he came here, maybe he didn’t even realize Rhett and Elliot were in the woods.

Or he already killed them, and he was coming after us to finish the job.

The thought leaves a hollow feeling in my chest. We knew Tyler could pull something like this. They knew what to expect. But still,what if—

“Oliver.” Wren puts a hand on my arm, shaking me lightly. “Didn’t you say we needed to get out of here fast?”

Fuck.She’s right.

No one lives near this stretch of road, all of the houses spaced out with miles in between them. But there’s still a chance that someone could drive past and spot us.