Page 33 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. One (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #1)

Oliver

“What the hell is Wren doing here? Oooh. She doesn’t look happy.” I peer through my binoculars, following Wren as she takes a few steps back—directly into our mark.

We’re in the building across from the Garden Grille, keeping a close eye on Williams. Once he makes a move to leave, Rhett and Elliot will leave and get a head start to cut him off on his road, which thankfully is pretty secluded. I’ll follow Williams from a distance so we know if he makes any pit stops before heading home for the night.

It’s supposed to be a smooth operation. Quick work. But I don’t think any of us expected Wren to show up at the Grille tonight.

I watch as a man advances toward Wren. He puts a hand on her back, and Wren slams her elbow into his gut.

I smile. Good girl.

Eventually, Wren stalks toward a table. There are a few people at it I don’t recognize, but one of them I definitely do.

“She’s… meeting Adam.”

“What?” Rhett snaps, and then he peers into the restaurant with his own binoculars. “Fuck. Who are the two couples? Parents?”

“Probably. Fuck, she doesn’t look happy at all.”

As I say it, Wren tries to leave, but the man who got up to meet her—her dad, maybe?—blocks her path.

“Son of a bitch,” Rhett grits out. He’s moving before the words are even out of his mouth, but Ell and I grab him.

“We can’t show our faces here,” Elliot reminds him. “We don’t intervene unless she actually needs us. This may be our only chance to get Williams, and I don’t want to fuck it up.”

Rhett’s grip on his binoculars tightens so much I think they might snap in two. But he stays put, his shoulders bunched up.

I let out a worried sigh. Williams is at his table, so I split my time between keeping an eye on him and watching Wren. Everyone at her table seems tense, and she looks like she might explode—or burst into tears.

“I don’t like how close she is to him,” Rhett murmurs after a few minutes.

“What’s worrying me is how much she’s leaning away from the other guy,” Elliot says. “Don’t like that one bit.”

We keep an eye on her while both tables order and get their food. At some point, Adam places his hand on Wren’s arm, and she flinches.

“I’m going to kill him. Fuck forcing him out of town. I’m going to gut the guy.”

Elliot and I exchange a glance but keep our mouths shut. At this point, if Rhett wants to take out Adam, I’m not sure either of us would stop him.

Wren shoots out of her seat, and I’d be lying if I said the shocked looks on everyone’s faces aren’t funny. Then she storms out of the building, not even bothering to look back.

Which, I suppose, is why she doesn’t notice Adam getting up and following her.

Rhett swears. Then Elliot is tucking his binoculars away.

“Williams is leaving. Rhett, we have to get to the car. Oliver, make sure you don’t lose sight of him.”

“Got it.”

We exit the building, sticking to the shadows. But we all freeze when we hear a feminine voice shout, “Adam, let me GO.”

“Fuck,” Elliot mutters. From where we are, we can’t see Wren, but there’s no doubting it. That was her voice.

“I’ll get her,” I say. “I have a minute before Williams gets to his car, and then I’ll catch up.” I’m already on the move.

“Cover your face,” Rhett says gruffly. God, he’s pissed.

I don’t have to look at Elliot to know he hates this. Any deviation from the plan is a potential catastrophe. But this job can technically be done without me—as long as nothing goes wrong.

I cross the street, slipping on my ski mask, eyes darting over the empty sidewalk.

Where are you, princess?

“You.” Thud. “Are.” Thud. “SO.” Thud. “STUPID.” Thud.

I don’t realize I’m running toward her voice until I skid to a stop at the mouth of an alleyway. A few yards in, Adam is on the ground, scrambling to get up but slipping on the ice. Wren is standing over him, gripping a book in her hands and bringing it down on his head.

Adam grunts. He must give up on getting to his feet, because instead, he hooks an arm around her legs and yanks.

She falls on her ass. As she cries out, her book flies into the air and lands a few feet away.

I’m on Adam in an instant, pulling him away from Wren and throwing him to the ground. With a kick to his nuts, I leave him groaning, turning to Wren. She’s already up on her feet, snatching at her book and backing away.

“You stay the hell away from me,” she snaps.

Seriously? I just saved her.

Right. Ski mask. She probably thinks I’m going to mug her.

“This is why I don’t do the planning,” I grouse.

She narrows her eyes, tilting her head the way she does when she’s curious or on the verge of figuring something out.

Did she recognize my voice? Fuck. She literally ran into Williams inside. If she knows I was here tonight, and then Edgar dies before the night is over, she’ll put the pieces together like it’s nothing. Or at least she’ll suspect. There’s no way his death won’t be all over the news.

“I don’t have any money,” Adam moans. “But she’s probably got a tablet in her bag. Always has it on her for her books and shit.”

She glares at him. “You’re a piece of shit, Adam.”

I kick him in the ribs, and he yells in pain. Then I reach for Wren.

Yelping, she smacks my hand away with her book. “Don’t touch me.”

I wrench it from her hands and grab her wrist. “I’m trying to help you,” I grit out, lowering my voice so she doesn’t recognize it.

“Wren? Adam?” a masculine voice calls.

Her eyes widen. “No. Not Thomas,” she whispers, taking an involuntary step back.

“Here,” Adam yells, slowly crawling to his feet.

Shit. I’m running out of time to get to my car. And there’s no way I’m leaving Wren. Not when she looks as terrified as she does right now.

I’m going to have to take her with me.

To her credit, she tries to run. Even stomps on my foot before she does. But she doesn’t even make it a step before I’m grabbing her and pulling her into me. My arms wrap around her torso, trapping her arms to her sides.

“Stop,” she shouts, wiggling and trying to stomp on my foot again. “I swear, if you kidnap me, and another stupid fucking man gets in the way of me finally living my goddamned life, I’ll—I’ll… do SOMETHING!”

My whole body shakes from silent laughter. Is that seriously where her mind is going right now? God, she’s cute.

“We need to work on your self-preservation instincts,” I murmur.

She freezes. “Ol-”

I clap a hand over her mouth before she says my name. Adam can still hear us. “It’s me, princess,” I whisper in her ear. “And I need you to run.”

I let go of her, grab her hand, and pull her down the alley. There’s a shout behind us, I presume from whoever the fuck Thomas is, but I don’t look back.

At the end of the alley, I turn left onto the sidewalk, then wrench open the passenger door of my car and shove Wren inside. By the time I’ve shut myself into the driver’s seat, the man Wren elbowed inside the Grille comes bounding out of the alley, followed by a limping Adam.

I’ve never been more grateful for darkened windows in my life.

Wren shrinks down in her seat as I yank off my ski mask.

“Who is he?”

“My stepdad,” she pants as he looks our way. “Oh god, oh no—”

“He can’t see us. Just take deep breaths. I’ve got you. I promise.” As I reach out and take her hand, I peer at the parking garage exit. In under a minute, Williams’ driver is pulling his car out and onto the street.

Thomas and Adam are still looking up and down the road full of parked cars, searching for Wren. Starting my car will draw their attention, but if they don’t get out of here soon, I won’t have a choice. Williams is probably already waiting at the restaurant door. Picking him up won’t take long.

Get out of here, guys. Get out of here now.

I’ve already fucked up by revealing my identity to Wren. Everything else has to go smoothly tonight. But what else was I supposed to do? Hurt Adam? What if it got pinned on Wren? And I certainly wasn’t going to leave her there.

“Wait.” She turns to me. “What were you doing here? And why were you wearing a mask? You scared the living hell out of me!”

I give one last glance to Adam and Thomas. Thomas has his phone to his ear, and he’s speaking rapidly. Shit. Did he call the cops? At least it looks like they’re heading back to the restaurant.

“Turn your phone off. To them, it looks like you got kidnapped, and we can’t have anyone trying to track you.”

She huffs, obviously annoyed, but at least she listens.

Once Adam and Thomas are out of sight, I turn on the car and pull out, heading the direction that Williams′ car went.

“Were you following me?” There’s a hint of fear in her voice.

“No! More like a… wrong place, wrong time situation.” After a pause, I say, “Or maybe right place, right time.”

“I’d say I was managing fine on my own, but I guess I wasn’t.”

“Never thought I’d see a book used as a weapon.” I smirk at her.

She laughs. “Oh, and my self-preservation instincts are fine, by the way. I was trying to get away from you.”

“Yeah, because you didn’t want another stupid fucking man ruining your life. I think staying alive should be a higher priority, princess.”

She huffs. “I suppose.” Then, turning to look at me, she says, “Thank you. I… I probably could’ve told Adam off. Or outrun him, considering he’s still all beat up. But Thomas…”

When she trails off into silence, I grip the steering wheel. I have no idea what went down in the restaurant, or why she dislikes her stepdad, but none of it’s good. And I hate how scared Wren looked earlier.

“He was going to propose,” she murmurs after a minute or so. She’s staring out the window, running her fingers over her seatbelt. “He was cheating on me, but he was still going to propose. I don’t get it.”

“That’s… fucked up.”

We lapse into silence, and I’m able to catch up with Williams’ car and keep a safe distance.

After a few minutes, Wren says, “Um. Oliver?”

“Yeah?”

“Where are we going?”

Right. I still have to give Wren some kind of explanation. God, Elliot is going to be so pissed.

Shit. I need to call him.

“Hold on, princess. I’ll answer you in a second. But I just remembered I need to call Ell.”

Thankfully, my phone is hooked up to the car, so it’s easy to dial. He answers on the first ring.

“Hey. Where are you? And is Wren okay?”

“Just pulled onto the interstate behind Williams. Looks like he’s headed home.”

“And Wren?”

I don’t miss the unease in his voice. Fuck, I should’ve called them immediately. They’ve probably been worrying this whole time, wondering if she’s safe.

Which she’s not. Not when she’s with us tonight. Especially since, by dragging her along, I’m making her an accessory to fucking murder.

“There’s… been a slight change in plans.”

“What?”

I clear my throat. “Say hi, Wren.”

“Hey Elliot,” she says cheerfully, but she casts me a concerned glance.

There’s silence on the other end of the line. I can picture Elliot sitting in the passenger seat as Rhett drives, trying to think his way out of this.

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 they do need 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.”

“I am 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. And I 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.

The idea, though, is that I won’t have to.

As we drive down the interstate, Wren asks me question after question. She sounds a little nervous, but for the most part, she’s rolling with the punches and putting on a brave face.

There are a few things I’m worried about, though.

“We’ll have to run through the dark. Will you be okay?”

She’s quiet for a second. Then, “You’ll be with me the whole time, right?”

“Yes. You’re not leaving my sight.”

At my words, she relaxes into her seat a bit. “Then I’ll be okay. It’s not as scary when I’m with someone else.”

With a nod, I let my head fall back onto the headrest. This job should go smoothly, but I still don’t like having Wren with us. Especially since…

“Wren. We’re going to be killing people. It… have you ever seen a person die before?”

“My grandma,” she says. “But she was in a nursing home. This is different. I—well, I was kinda figuring I just wouldn’t look. You want me watching your back, right?”

“I think that’s for the best.” The last thing I want to do is traumatize her tonight. If we haven’t already.

I’d imagine realizing your three partners are all killers isn’t an easy pill to swallow. Yet she’s acting pretty damn calm.

The rest of the drive, we stay quiet, except for a couple times when she asks me a question to clarify something. I keep one hand on the steering wheel and the other on her leg, my thumb rubbing her thigh.

When we’re finally nearing Williams’ road, I call Elliot again. He and Rhett are in position in the woods. I’ve already slowed my speed, so by the time Williams’ car takes the last curve before the intersection, I switch off my lights, peering into the darkness, thankful for the little bit of light coming from the moon.

By the time we’re pulling up to the field, Williams’ car is just turning onto the road. I throw the car into park and grab the keys, and then Wren and I are out and running toward the hunter’s stand.

She stays quiet and low, just like I told her to, until we reach the ladder. I go first, grabbing my rifle and getting into position. Through the night vision scope, I watch as one of Williams’ bodyguards gets out of their stopped car and circles to the front, glaring at the tree limb in their way.

Any second now.

I could pick him off with ease, but our hope is that Tyler will get out of the vehicle to help move the limb. It’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t, but it sure would be convenient.

Williams’ first bodyguard says something, turning to the car, then rolls his eyes. He’s a big guy, so I’m not surprised when he’s able to grab the limb and pull it toward the edge of the road. He struggles, but he’s managing.

So much for Tyler getting out.

Two shots ring out—one for the bodyguard, the other hitting one of the car’s tires. The driver still tries to back up, so I shoot out one of the back tires, too.

More shots, these ones from the car, but Tyler is shooting into the dark. He has no idea where Rhett and Elliot are.

One of the back doors opens as Tyler keeps shooting. Just as Elliot predicted, they’re going to try to get to the woods for better cover.

I watch as Tyler bolts from the car, jumping the ditch and sprinting into the trees, shooting wildly as he does.

What the hell?

Did Tyler just… abandon his uncle?

I watch, waiting for Rhett and Elliot to emerge from the woods and finish the job, but nothing happens. Tyler is gone, probably running for his dear life, so what are they waiting for?

Unless Tyler actually managed to hit them.

No. No. That can’t be right. Tyler is smart, and we all know that. Ell and Rhett are probably just waiting to make sure he’s actually running. Stepping out of the woods would be a stupid thing to do right now.

I take a few deep breaths to calm my rapidly-beating heart. This is not the time to freak out.

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.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’ve gotta go.”

I put the rifle in its case and go down first. Tyler’s body is still, his eyes wide open in shock. Wren descends the ladder, and I help her over his body, but not before she gets a glimpse of him.

For a second, she freezes, clutching my arms. Then she shakes her head and grabs my hand, and we take off toward the car.

Normally, we have to clean up and dispose of the bodies. But the man who hired us for this job wanted us to leave a mess behind. “I want it plastered all over the news,” were his exact words.

None of the guns can be traced back to us in case we somehow lose one in a fight. Hell, neither can these cars—they’re not the ones we normally use, and they’re not registered in our names.

I start the car, checking my phone, but I can’t bring myself to move.

They were supposed to check in by now. Elliot should’ve called.

Maybe they’re still hiding. They don’t know I shot Tyler.

“Oliver? Are you okay?”

I look at her, but my mind barely registers her form, or the worried expression on her face.

“Oliver, we have to go.”

“I can’t lose them,” I say. It’s a struggle to get the words out of my mouth. My chest is tight, and it feels like my lungs are filled with lead.

Wren gives me a terrified look. And then she’s getting out of the car, coming around, and opening my door. “C’mon,” she says, pulling me out. “I’ll drive. Give me your phone.”

She walks me around to the passenger side, getting me situated before climbing into the driver’s seat. Then she’s turning the car around and driving back the way we came while hitting a few buttons on my phone.

After a second, she places it between her ear and shoulder, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. I try to focus on her face, on the way her hair is wrapped up on top of her head. But it does nothing to stop the panic growing in my chest.

“Rhett didn’t answer,” she murmurs, tapping the phone screen and holding it to her ear again. She takes the curve in the road gracefully, biting her lip. “Elliot isn’t answering either.”

Shit. Fuck. No.

“Oliver, I need you to tell me what to do. Do we go back and try to find them? Is there any reason why they wouldn’t answer?”

“We keep our phones on silent while we work.” I get the words out in between short breaths.

It’s possible they didn’t see her calling.

“Okay. But everyone’s dead, right? The job is over?”

I nod as a tear makes its way down my face. “They don’t know that.”

Or they’re dead.

Fuck. They’re dead.

“Okay. Okay, so do we go back?”

“No.” I rub my face with my hands, soaking them with my tears. “No, we can’t risk getting caught. Someone may have heard the gunfire.”

Wren is silent for a moment. Then she places a hand on my thigh. “I’m sure they’re okay.”

She sounds about as confident as I feel.

And it pulls me deeper into my panic.