Page 53 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. One (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #1)

Wren

A week.

That’s how long the guys said they might be gone for. All three of them sounded like they wanted to get back sooner, but I knew it wasn’t something they could promise. And since they have no idea I’m in trouble, they have no reason to rush things.

I start pacing in my room, my blanket pulled tight around my shoulders. A week. Can I hold out that long? I’m honestly not sure.

Pausing in front of one of the windows, I peer outside. The snow is blinding due to the early afternoon sun, making me blink rapidly. It’s been a couple hours since Andrew gave me my blanket. My hair is still damp, but at least I have something to help my body retain heat.

I need to find a way to escape.

Leaving on foot would be a stupid, dangerous move. I’d freeze. And I have no idea how close we are to civilization, or which direction to head in.

There are two cars in the driveway. If I could manage to get out of this room, find and steal the keys, and sneak into one of them without getting caught, I could have a chance. There are two men who walk the perimeter of the yard together, and they’d definitely be a problem. If I drive off, they’d probably shoot at me.

But if I can start the car and head down the driveway while they’re in the back of the yard, I’ll be out of view. The driveway enters the forest and turns after about twenty yards. If I can make it that far, the trees will give me some amount of cover from any bullets they send my way once they realize what’s going on.

It’s the only plan I can think of, and I have to admit, it’s a shitty one. First of all, I can’t even get out of this room. And if I manage, it’ll definitely be noisy. From what I can tell, Jordan always has at least two men in the house plus him. Even if I manage to break out of here, I can’t fight off that many people.

The only option I can think of is trying to convince Andrew to let me out if he comes back in alone. If he’s afraid of getting killed, maybe we could run away together. That’s a big if, though.

I sigh, staring at the cars. They’re so close, yet they’re entirely unreachable at the same time.

The sound of the lock turning in the door fills the room, and I turn. The door flies open so hard it hits the wall and bounces back, knocking Jordan in the shoulder as he marches through.

“I’m sick of waiting. Where are they?” he demands.

“I already told you I don’t know.”

He advances toward me, eyes burning with fury. “This,” he hisses, snatching the blanket from me. “Who gave this to you?”

I don’t even skip a beat. “One of the older guys. The one with the finger tattoos.”

“Don’t lie to me, woman. It was Andrew, wasn’t it?”

I shake my head.

“Months of training,” Jordan snarls, “all wasted because you made him go soft. I knew he wasn’t cut out to work for me.”

Two of his men move into the room, and my stomach sinks.

“It wasn’t him,” I say again.

“I just told you, don’t lie to me!” Jordan shouts. Then he turns to his men. “Bring her outside.”

I manage a solid kick to one of their sides, but that’s all I can do before they’re grabbing me and dragging me downstairs. It’s freezing outside, especially since I’m barely clothed and my hair is still damp. The cold air stings my skin, and the bottoms of my feet instantly ache from the cold.

They shove me onto the snowy ground while Jordan yells to two men who’re circling the perimeter of the yard.

“Andrew! Get over here!”

My heart skips a beat as Andrew jogs toward us. Once he’s closer, he spots the blanket in Jordan’s hand, and his expression fades into one of worry and fear.

“Tell me, Andrew,” Jordan drawls, “what are rules for?”

“Uh… for—”

“To keep things in order,” Jordan shouts.

“Right. Sorry, sir.”

“You know what happens when things get out of order?”

Andrew shakes his head, gulping. His gaze flits to me for a split second before he looks back to Jordan.

“Everything goes wrong, that’s what. I had her in there with nothing to keep her warm for a reason! They need to know she was miserable. They need to suffer the way I have, knowing my brother was taken far too soon.”

“She had nothing to do with Tyler’s death,” Andrew argues.

That’s not exactly true.

“But her men did. And the best way to hurt them is to hurt her.”

Andrew hesitates, obviously uncomfortable. But then he sighs. “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t,” Jordan says before drawing his gun.

“No,” I shout, lunging forward. His men pull me back with too much force, and I slip in the snow before they yank me upright again. “Don’t kill him. Please.”

Andrew’s eyes are wide. He backs away, shaking his head. “My little brother. He needs me. I’m the only family he’s got left.”

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before disobeying a direct order.”

“I’m sorry,” Andrew says. Tears spill onto his cheeks. “I promise I’ll do better. Just don’t take me away from him. He doesn’t have anyone else.”

“On your knees,” Jordan says, raising his gun.

Andrew hesitates, but then he does as he’s told. I close my eyes, fighting tears of my own. This can’t be happening. How could Jordan kill him over this? Over a fucking blanket?

“Open your eyes, Wren.”

I stare at the ground.

“Look at him!”

I keep my head bowed. There’s no way I can watch this.

Too young. He’s too young to die like this.

Just then, I hear the crunch of snow and gravel under tires. I look up, watching as a sleek black car pulls up the drive. It’s caught Jordan’s attention, too, and he turns to face it, his gun hanging at his side.

Hope ignites in my heart despite the cold seeping into my bones. Could it be them? Did they find out what happened somehow?

The car stops mere feet away from Jordan. The driver’s side door opens, and a man steps out. When he turns to face us, my blood runs cold, and the hope in my chest is instantly snuffed out.

Jordan was right.

Black boots. Dark pants. And that red leather jacket.

Ludo Holloway.

“I’ve been waiting for you to show up,” Jordan says.

“I’m sure,” Ludo drawls, taking in the scene. His gaze runs over Andrew with an almost amused disinterest, but when he sees me, he raises an eyebrow. “What’s going on here?”

I shift, all of a sudden feeling too exposed. But Jordan’s men are holding my arms too tightly. I can’t try to cover myself up.

“None of your business,” Jordan snaps. “What do you want?”

Ludo’s eyes are still trained on me as he says, “Well, I was going to offer you a partnership of sorts. But not anymore.”

“What, am I not good enough for you all of a sudden?” Jordan’s voice is mocking, but I don’t miss the hint of insecurity in it, and I highly doubt Ludo does either.

“I don’t make a habit of entering into deals with dead men walking.” Ludo finally breaks my gaze, nodding toward Andrew. “You have no idea who he is, do you?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Ignoring Jordan, Ludo says, “Get in the car, boy. You’re coming with me.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Jordan raises his gun, aiming for Andrew, but Ludo just laughs.

What the hell is going on?

“You really want to go up against me, Williams?”

Jordan shrugs. “You’re the one who came out here by yourself. Where are your bodyguards, hmm? I could kill you right where you stand. It’d certainly make my life a whole lot easier.”

“My bodyguards,” Ludo says with annoyance, “are in the trees with sniper rifles, waiting for you to fuck up so they can end your miserable existence.”

Jordan stills. Then he glances around, looking into the snowy forest while he lowers his gun.

“You didn’t actually believe that I came here alone, did you?” Ludo clicks his tongue. “So na?ve. And you’ll never get the chance to learn.”

“What do you mean?” Jordan demands.

Andrew starts inching toward the car. Our eyes lock for a split second, and something like remorse flits across his features. But there’s nothing he can do to help me—he’s as powerless as I am.

Ludo ushers Andrew toward the car, turning his back on Jordan. It’s a bold move considering the man is holding a gun. An act of mockery, even.

Just as Ludo is about to get into the driver’s seat, he gives Jordan a pitying smile. “Here I thought I’d have to manipulate you out of your power. Or take it from you by force. But you won’t even be alive by the end of the week. Good day, Jordan. Enjoy it. It might be your last.”

Is he going to leave me here?

“Wait,” I call out.

But Ludo ignores me, getting in and slamming his door.

“No,” I whisper as he drives off.

I can barely make out Andrew’s stricken expression through the back window. And then Jordan’s body is blocking my view. He crouches in front of me, his face contorted with rage.

“This,” he grits out, “is your fault.”

It’s not. I know it. Jordan knows it. But none of that matters. I’m going to pay anyway.

This time, in the cold and damp cellar, I don’t fight at all. I focus on holding my breath, on telling myself that I can make it until he pulls me from the water. I let myself believe that I’ll find a way to escape, even though it feels like I’m going to die down here.

And when Jordan’s men lock me away upstairs, I crawl into the bathroom and sit in the tub while the shower warms me up. It helps me feel a little better, but my stomach still aches from a lack of food.

By the time I’ve tried to dry off and taken a few sips of water from the sink, I’m exhausted. But I don’t let myself sleep. If a chance for me to escape—however slim—presents itself, I have to be ready to take it.

So I wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.