Page 39 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. One (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #1)

Wren

“It’s time.”

I glance up from my book. It’s Friday evening, and after a nice dinner at the guys’ house, we all settled into the living room for a quiet night.

Well, all of us except Rhett. He’s been especially contemplative all day, and now he seems restless.

Elliot nods, his gaze fixed on Rhett. “You think so?”

“She needs to know. I’d say she’s proved herself, wouldn’t you?”

All of them look at me. Rhett from where he’s standing, Oliver from where he’s draped sideways in an armchair, and Elliot from his spot on the love seat next to me.

“Uhhh…” I squirm under their stares. “What?”

My phone buzzes in my pocket. After pulling it out and seeing it’s my mom calling me again, I silence it. I texted her to let her know I’m safe, but I have no desire to talk to her after what she pulled on Tuesday night.

One of my neighbors texted me to let me know that my mom showed up at my apartment the other day. Thankfully, I wasn’t there—the guys haven’t wanted me to wake up alone from my nightmares, so I’ve been staying with them.

It’s been a hectic couple of days. Elliot concocted a cover story for me, so when I “turned up,” I told the authorities that my kidnapper just let me go, and that I never saw his face. The police chalked it up to my kidnapper grabbing the wrong girl, just like Elliot predicted they would.

Sitting straighter, I say, “What do I need to know?”

There’s more?

“You have the dress, Ol?” Elliot asks.

“Of course I do.”

Elliot stands, offering me his hand and pulling me up. With one hand against my lower back and the other tilting my chin up, he kisses me so softly, so sweetly, that my knees almost go weak. “Go with Oliver. We have something to show you.”

I give him a questioning look, but he ignores it as Oliver shuffles me into the hall. We head upstairs, and once we’re in his bedroom, he disappears into his closet.

“Oliver, what’s going on? What do I need to know?”

“You’ll find out, princess. In the meantime,” he says, stepping out of the closet with a red dress and black heels in his hands, “let’s get you all dolled up.”

I eye the dress. “That looks familiar. You kept looking at it at one of the boutiques we were at this weekend. But you didn’t pick it out.”

“Yeah.” He grins, holding the dress up to my body. “It’s a bit different than the dresses you were going for. But we’ve been planning on taking you to Evolve ever since Sunday night, and it’s perfect for that, so I grabbed it a couple days ago.”

My mouth drops. “Evolve? Like, the Evolve?”

It’s a super exclusive nightclub that I never, ever thought I’d step foot into. And the guys can get in? What the hell?

“Yep. Now get dressed.” He hands me the dress, and then he disappears into his bathroom.

I strip, setting my clothes on top of his dresser. Then I pull on the dress. It’s a blood red satin slip dress, and it hugs my body perfectly. The cowl neck dips down gracefully, and I brush my fingers against my bare collarbones.

When Oliver comes back into the room, his eyes rake over me with so much heat I squirm. He’s put eyeliner on, and I find myself staring at him, because fuck. Fuck, he looks good.

Grabbing my hand, Oliver pulls me into the bathroom. There, he does my hair and makeup, peppering my skin with kisses as he does. By the time he’s done, the only thing I want to do is strip him bare.

“You look stunning, princess.” He turns me around so I can look at myself in the mirror.

He didn’t use a lot of makeup, but he painted my lips the exact same shade as my dress. Paired with the earrings and necklace he put on me, I really do look amazing.

“Do you like it?”

“I do. Thank you, Oliver.”

His fingers run down my sides, sending a shiver of delight through me. Then with one hand on my lower stomach, he presses my back into his front. The other snakes up my body until his thumb brushes over one of my nipples.

I bite the inside of my lip, suppressing another shiver. But then his lips are on my neck, running downward with a feather-light touch, his breath tickling my skin.

Gripping his arms, a small whimper escapes my mouth. Then he chuckles and pulls away. At the loss of him holding me, I stumble into the counter, grabbing it for balance.

“We should meet the others downstairs. They’re probably waiting for us already.”

With a groan that he snickers at, I grab my heels, and then we find Rhett and Elliot in the foyer. When they see us, Elliot’s jaw drops, and Rhett actually freezes.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Elliot runs a hand over his hair. “Fuck. You two look entirely too good right now.”

I almost suggest we stay in, but Rhett was insistent about me knowing whatever it is I need to know, so I decide against it.

Later. There’ll be time later.

Once we’re in Elliot’s SUV, I take Oliver’s hand in the backseat.

There’s a certain thrill to not knowing what’s about to happen. Normally, it’d make me nervous as hell. But over the past week, my feelings for these men have only deepened. I’d follow them just about anywhere if they asked me to.

I don’t think you understand that if, somehow, we lost you, we’d burn the whole world to the fucking ground to find you again.

It’s a long drive to the club, but I don’t mind. I’m filled with a tingly anticipation at whatever is going to happen tonight. So when we get out of the car and enter the club through a private entrance, I’m so excited that I barely feel the winter air biting at my skin.

Inside, it’s loud and overwhelming, with deep purple and blue lights. But Elliot keeps a comforting hand on the small of my back, and Oliver and Rhett stay close as well.

I expect us to head to the bar or the dance floor, but instead Elliot ushers me up a stairwell and into a semi-private room. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, I look down on the dance floor and the ocean of bodies below. You can still hear the music, but it’s not as loud.

Standing right behind me, Elliot places his hands on my hips. “Do you know who owns Evolve, Wren?”

I watch his reflection in the window as I shake my head.

“His name is Ludo Holloway. Recognize it?”

I frown. “Maybe? I’m not sure.”

Rhett steps up to the window on my right side, and Oliver does the same on my left. The tension rolling off of Rhett is so potent, so intense, that I can’t help but reach out and take his hand in mine.

He nods to the floor of the club. “See the sectioned off area? And the man in the red leather jacket?”

It takes me a second, but I find it. The area is slightly raised, overlooking the club. The man Rhett spoke of is slouching on a black couch, arms resting on the back of it with his legs spread open. Two women are sitting on either side of him. He’s smirking as he surveys the dance floor, looking like a modern-day king.

“I see him.”

My stomach sinks. Rhett’s expression may be neutral, but the rage rolling off of him tells a different story. I can only think of a couple reasons for it.

When Rhett turns to me, I have to fight not to shrink back from the absolute fury in his eyes.

“He killed my little sister. Sammy.”

My breath catches in my throat. It’s what I was expecting, but hearing the words out loud still hits hard.

Rhett continues. “Back then, he wasn’t nearly as powerful. Now? He owns half of the criminal underworld in the city. There are very few people who don’t bow down to him.”

“Edgar Williams was one of those people,” Elliot says.

What?

Oh my god. No. No, they wouldn’t.

“You work for the man who murdered your sister.” My voice comes out flat.

“Sometimes, yes.”

Pulling away from Elliot, I whip around to face the three of them. “Why? That makes no sense. How can you even stand to look at him? He murdered a child. Your sister.”

“Because,” Rhett says, reaching out and tilting my chin up with a single finger. He doesn’t seem phased at all by the disgust in my voice. He just looks down at me with that piercing gaze of his. “The closer we are to him, the better the view of his downfall will be.”

He holds my gaze as I put the pieces together.

They aren’t just hitmen. Not in the least.

“You’re in this for revenge.”

Rhett nods.

I blink. Look between the three of them. Then shake my head. “So why the hell is he still alive?”

“It took us years to figure out who killed Sammy. Once we did, we only got a nickname: Redback. From there, we searched to uncover his real identity—which we finally did last year.”

Redback. “Like the spider?”

Elliot nods.

“Because he…” I grimace.

“Restrains his victims and kills them slowly, just like the spider,” Oliver says. “And then he watches them die. Sick fuck likes it.”

I shiver. Then my eyes go wide. “Is it safe to talk about this here? What if the room is bugged?”

Rhett shakes his head. “He doesn’t bother with rooms like this. There’s too much background noise.”

I wonder how he knows that for sure, but I don’t ask. There are more important questions right now. “And he’s not dead because…?”

Elliot takes my hands in his. “He’s not dead yet because he deserves worse than that. We’re going to utterly destroy him, Wren. After we’ve completely broken him, then we’ll kill him.”

“Once he’s suffered enough,” I whisper.

Elliot nods.

It’s dark. It’s really, really dark. But I can’t help but think that Ludo Holloway deserves it. How can you kill a child and not hate yourself afterward? How can you find joy in watching an innocent person struggle for their life?

“You have his trust.”

“As much as he gives it to anyone. When he wants someone dead but doesn’t want to do it himself, he comes to us. We don’t always accept, but when we do, we don’t fail.” Oliver tugs me from Elliot, cupping my cheek with his hand. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But you deserve to know the truth. So you know what you’re really getting into.”

They trust me.

The realization hits as Oliver searches my eyes for any hesitance. This isn’t child’s play. It isn’t trivial or innocent. No, this is what they’ve made their life’s mission—destroy and kill Ludo to get revenge for Sammy.

It’s morally gray at best, and highly dangerous and illegal even if it’s not. Yet they’ve revealed it all to me.

My gaze darts between the three of them, and I find that they’re all watching me patiently, almost curiously—maybe a little bit hesitantly.

When my eyes lock with Oliver’s, I pause for a mere moment. And then I grab his face in my hands and press my lips to his. He lets out a startled sound, but other than that, he doesn’t miss a beat. As his arms wrap around my waist, he kisses me back with the same passion that’s swelling in my chest.

I pull away first, but only a few inches.

Oliver grins. “It’s a good thing I bought you smudge-proof lipstick.” Then he’s pushing me into Elliot’s arms.

“Wren,” Elliot murmurs. His thumb runs over my bottom lip.

I don’t wait—can’t. I kiss him the same way I kissed Oliver, and he keeps pace. It’s everything I’m feeling and more. Every shred of affection I have for him. For all of them.

I’m in. I’m in, and I won’t betray your trust. I promise.

When I find myself in Rhett’s arms, I pause. His expression is pained. Mournful. But there’s the happiness that comes along with new beginnings, too. The relief of coming home—or of finding it.

I touch his cheek. His eyes slide shut, and he leans forward, resting his forehead against mine.

“Tell me you understand,” he whispers.

“I do. I do, Rhett.”

He lets out a shaky breath before capturing my mouth in a kiss. It’s all-encompassing. All-consuming. And I’m pretty sure the only things keeping me balanced are his hands on my waist. But then the kiss turns startlingly wet, and I realize my cheeks are coated in tears. My tears.

Rhett pulls away, a mixture of concern and fear in his eyes. He’s stiff again. “Wren—”

“Oooh. I did not use waterproof mascara, princess.”

I laugh, but it comes out sounding more like a sob. When Oliver pulls me away from Rhett, I follow until he has me in a ridiculously luxurious bathroom.

“Is this whole thing made of marble?”

“Basically.” Tissue in hand, Oliver dabs at my cheeks, and then under my eyes, until he steps back, satisfied. “That’ll do, I think. You okay?”

Breathing deeply, I nod. It’s a lot to take in. I can’t even imagine losing a sibling, let alone dedicating my life to revenge for them. How difficult must it be for them all, especially Rhett, knowing that Ludo is still alive and very much so enjoying his life? At least that’s how it looks.

It’s disgusting. He doesn’t deserve to live.

“Oh my god,” I murmur, glancing at my reflection with disbelief.

“What?”

Turning to look at him, I say, “I think I want to kill him, too.”

He raises his eyebrows, his lips parting slightly from shock. And then something that looks suspiciously like attraction flashes in his eyes. But as soon as it registers, it’s gone.

Looping an arm around my waist, he presses a kiss to my temple. “Let’s dance, princess.”