Page 125 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

Rhett turns to look at us from the passenger seat. “They won’t fire you, will they?”

I hand him my phone, nodding to the article I pulled up. Ever since I saw Thomas barking into his phone, I’ve been suspicious that he called the authorities. This morning, I found evidence that he did.

Peering over Rhett’s shoulder, Wren’s mouth drops. “Local woman kidnapped under mysterious circumstances. They think I was kidnapped?!”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“I mean, I literallyran awaywith you.”

“They probably thought you were scared and didn’t know what else to do.” I blow out a breath. “My god, I’m glad I had you turn off your phone. You haven’t turned it on, right?”

She shakes her head. “Haven’t even touched it.”

“Good. We’ll help you with a cover story.” I pull her into the seat next to me, tucking her under my arm and buckling her in. “But for now…” I meet Elliot’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

“We know you have a lot of questions for us, Wren,” he says. “And we have some for you. We can try to hash some of this out on the drive home if you’d like.”

“Questions for me?” She glances between the three of us. “Like what?”

“Like what the hell you were doing with Adam last night, for starters,” Rhett grits out. His expression turns dark.

I cringe. His frustration isn’t coming from a place of jealousy. It’s just that he was worried about her—and that he absolutely hates Adam’s guts. But his reaction is still harsh.

Wren doesn’t seem hurt, though. She leans forward and squeezes his arm. “I didn’t know he’d be there. My mom invited me to dinner with just her. But it was actually an intervention, I guess.”

Ah.That explains why she looked so pissed at the Grille.

“For what?” Elliot asks. His eyes are on the road, but his grip on the steering wheel tightens.

“For…” Wren sighs. “It’s a lot.”

“We have time, princess.”

“They—my mom, my stepdad, and Adam and his parents—didn’t think I was making a good decision by breaking up with him. They kept saying that my future with him is what I wanted, and I was making a big mistake by leaving him.

“But the thing is, I… Ididn’twant that future with him. Not ever. I made myself believe that I did. But before I met Adam, I never wanted to be a housewife. I never wanted to be a stay at home mom.Heis what I needed an intervention from. It just took me a couple years to realize it.”

“What did he want when he came after you?” Rhett’s voice isn’t as hard, but it’s still tense.

With a sigh, Wren leans into me. “He was still trying to convince me. My mom told me he was planning on proposing before I broke up with him.”

“Elliot, you’d be proud,” I say. “When I got to her, she was beating Adam over the head with a book.”

He laughs, and the idea even puts a small smile on Rhett’s lips.

I almost ask about Wren’s stepdad, but then I remember how terrified she looked yesterday when she saw him.

Another time.

Instead, I give her a proud grin. “Now, for you. What questions do you have?”

Her expression turns pensive. With a hint of worry, she says, “Is it always as nerve-wracking as last night?”

“God no. We knew there was an extra risk with this job, but we took it because Edgar Williams is—was—a grade A scumbag.”And it furthers our plan.“And we have Elliot. He’s a fantastic planner. Can think his way out of anything. We always make sure we’re safe, princess.”

Wren nods slowly, absorbing everything I just told her. “So it’s true? You guys kill people for—for money?”

Dread fills my stomach. This is what we were afraid of. That she’d find out, get freaked out, and then want nothing to do with us. We’re professional killers, after all. It’s scary to know someone can take a life over and over again.