Page 58 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. One (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #1)

Oliver

As I hold Wren in the bathroom, I let myself focus on the sliver of relief I’m feeling. I got her to laugh. If I can make her feel even a little better, that has to count for something, right? I’ll take my wins where I can get them right now.

“I want to kill him,” she whispers eventually.

“Who?”

“Jordan. I want to kill him, Oliver.” She pulls away and looks me in the eye. “For what he’s done. He almost killed a nineteen-year-old kid this morning just because he brought me a blanket. And Jordan’s been so cruel. Every time he holds me underwater, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold my breath for long enough. I almost inhaled last time, Oliver. I almost tried to inhale water because the urge to breathe was so strong that it made more sense to me than holding my breath.”

I swallow hard. If I could promise her that it won’t happen again, I would. But that’s not a promise I can keep. I have no idea how far behind Elliot and Rhett are. And Jordan sounded pretty damn angry when he locked us in here. If he decides to retaliate because Wren tried to escape…

Fuck.

“You can do it,” I say, placing my hands on your shoulders. “If it happens again, just remember that he won’t kill you until he has Elliot and Rhett here. And that’s not gonna happen.”

I absolutely hate myself for repeating Ludo’s words to her. They made me see red in the moment, but right now, they’re the only thing I can tell Wren to give her hope to make it through this.

“But what if Jordan thinks I can hold my breath for longer than I actually can?” she whispers.

“Let’s just hope that Ell and Rhett get here soon, okay?”

She nods, sniffling. “I’m trying.”

But then we both hear footsteps on the stairs, and I can’t help but wonder if I jinxed us. Wren tenses in my arms.

“Shit,” I mutter. In a matter of seconds, the sound of the door to the bedroom being unlocked reaches us.

“Oliver,” she whispers. “Oliver, I can’t do it again.”

“Get behind me.”

I don’t wait for her to move, stepping in front of her. When the bathroom door opens, two men step in. They both glare at me, seemingly surprised I got out of the zip tie.

Idiots.

“Step out of the way,” one of them says.

“You’re not touching her.”

“You really want to do this the hard way?”

I grin. “Always.”

“Fine.” He draws his gun. “I see no reason why I can’t put a bullet in you. What do you think? Arm? Knee? Foot?”

“No,” Wren says, forcing her way around me. “No. Leave him alone.”

I try to push her behind me, but one of the men grabs her and yanks her away. Wren’s eyes are filled with tears when she looks back at me.

“Wren, don’t—” I step forward, reaching for her, but the man holding her presses his gun to her temple.

“You really want to test us right now?” he barks.

I freeze. “No. Sorry.”

He doesn’t remove the gun from her head as he backs out of the bathroom. In the bedroom, I see there’s a third man waiting.

Fuck.

“Come out slowly,” one of them says.

I do, keeping my hands up and my gaze on Wren. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her entire body is shaking.

I’m sorry, princess. You deserve better than this.

The other two men grab my arms, and then they force us out of the room and downstairs. Just as I did when they brought us in, I absorb as much as I can—the open kitchen and living room, the hallway they take us down, the closed doors we pass, and then the stairs leading downward.

In the basement, they shove us into a smaller room that looks like a cellar. I recognize it as the scene of most of the videos Jordan sent us.

No. Goddammit, no.

They force me into a chair that’s on the far side of a large trough full of water. While they secure me, Jordan zip ties Wren’s hands behind her back. She sniffles from where she’s kneeling in front of the trough.

Jordan waves his men away. “Leave us. I’ll call for you when I’m done with them.”

“Wren,” I say, and when she looks at me, the terror in her eyes is like a knife twisting in my gut. “Wren, you can do this. I know you can.” I try to bust out of the zip ties holding me to the chair, but it’s no use.

“Shut up,” Jordan snaps at me. He kneels behind Wren, his body caging her against the trough.

“Oliver,” she whispers, the sound barely carrying to my ears. I can see in her expression just how hard she’s fighting to stay calm. She’s terrified, but she’s trying to reach inside of herself to find the will to hold on for one more round.

I love you, I mouth.

Her lips part, like she’s about to say something back, but then Jordan grabs her chin and wrenches it to the side. He leans forward so he can look into her eyes. “I bet you regret ever getting mixed up with these men, don’t you?”

She spits in his face.

It’s a stupid move, but I can’t help but be proud of her. If the way she finds her strength is by acting on her hate for Jordan, then so be it.

Jordan grabs her hair, forcing her down until her head is submerged in the water. In the videos he sent Elliot, he always watched her. But now his eyes are on me, a sick grin on his face.

“This is your fault,” he yells. “Yours. You killed my brother. You fucking shot him!”

I twist my wrists, trying to see how much wiggle room I have in the restraints. Not much. “Let her up. You’ve had her under for long enough.”

“I don’t think so,” he says.

I jerk my arms, trying to break free, but I can’t get enough momentum. “Let her up,” I shout.

At this point, my only hope is that having a strong enough reaction will satisfy Jordan. If I give him what he wants, then maybe he won’t drown Wren for as long. It could have the opposite effect—my distress could fuel his hatred—but I have to try something.

“Please, Jordan,” I beg.

He yanks Wren up by her hair. Water streams down her body, soaking her clothes while she gulps in air. And while she’s mid-breath, Jordan shoves her underwater again.

“No,” I yell, still struggling against my restraints. “Stop!”

“If you didn’t want this to happen, then you shouldn’t’ve murdered my brother,” Jordan replies. When Wren tries to lift her head out of the water, he shoves her down harder. “I told you three that you’d pay. This is only the beginning.”

“You’re going to burn in hell for this,” I growl, and fuck, I don’t even believe in hell.

When Jordan lets Wren up, she can’t stop coughing, and the breaths she manages are short. The amount of time he held her under for was concerning. I’m panicking, and I know that has to be affecting my judgment, but I’m pretty sure he’s going for longer than he did in the videos.

“Wren,” I say. “Wren, I’m so—”

Jordan doesn’t let her hear the rest of my sentence. He pushes her under again, slamming an elbow into her back when she starts struggling.

I’ve been trying to get out of these restraints, but all I’ve managed to do is scrape my wrists raw against the zip ties. There’s nothing I can do to stop Jordan, and for the first time today, I realize that maybe this plan was stupid.

What if they can’t get here in time?

“Jordan, please,” I say. “Please don’t kill her.”

A sadistic smile twists his mouth. “Maybe I should. Once I have the other two, I can just kill you in front of them.”

“No,” I shout.

Wren isn’t struggling anymore, and my only hope is that it’s because she’s trying to conserve energy. Just hold on a little longer, princess.

“She doesn’t deserve this. Let her up,” I beg.

Jordan’s eyes flash. “Tyler didn’t deserve—”

The door flies open. Elliot and Rhett barge into the room, and tears of relief fill my eyes.

Rhett grabs Jordan and yanks him off Wren. She slips to the floor, the tub obstructing her from my view, but I can hear her coughs and gasps.

She’s alive. She’s breathing. She’ll be okay.

Rhett throws Jordan to the ground and kicks him in the face. Then he rushes to Wren, dropping to his knees and trying to pull her into a sitting position. “Wren. Oh my god, Wren.”

“No,” she yells, kicking at him and trying to get away. “No more, you fucking asshole.”

“Wren. Sweetheart, it’s me. You’re okay. You’re safe now.” He leans over her, grimacing when she knees him in the stomach. But he’s able to push her hair out of her face, holding her head gently. “Look at me, Wren.”

It takes her eyes a second to focus, but once she’s staring at Rhett and actually comprehending who she’s looking at, she bursts into tears. “You found us,” she sobs.

“I told you we would,” he murmurs, pulling her up and into his lap. “Shit, your hands.”

He pulls his knife out of his pocket before reaching around her, cutting through the zip tie. Once her hands are free, she throws her arms around him.

“Rhett,” she whispers.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he says, rocking her back and forth. He holds her tightly, rubbing her back. “We’ve got you.”

Wren’s sobs turn into more coughs. Rhett holds her while she tries to catch her breath. His coat is absolutely drenched, but I don’t think he cares.

“Sick bastard,” Elliot says. When I turn to look at him, I see that he has a bloody-faced, unconscious Jordan tied up and on the ground. He glares at him for one more second before turning in my direction.

The second Elliot’s gaze lands on me, it feels like the whole world stops. Bursting into the room the way they did, I’m sure it was a hell of a sight—me tied up and shouting, and Wren half-drowned and unmoving. It was Elliot’s worst nightmare come true.

He works his jaw before turning to Rhett. “We’re not killing anyone else.”

Rhett’s nostrils flare. No doubt, he’s ready to raze the place to the fucking ground. “Why the hell not?”

Elliot looks at me again, tenderness and worry flashing in his eyes before an undying fury replaces them. “Because first, we’re going to make sure they suffer for what they’ve done.”

It only takes a few seconds for Elliot to cut through my zip ties, and then he’s pulling me to my feet and examining my body, looking for injuries.

“I’m fine, Ell.”

“This doesn’t look fine,” Elliot grits out, pointing to the bruise on my torso. “Or this,” he continues, brushing his thumb over a cut on my cheek. “Christ, O.” Elliot runs a hand over my hair before pressing a shaky kiss to my forehead. “Fuck.”

I squeeze his hands. “We’re okay now.”

Elliot looks like he has a lot to say, but he keeps his mouth shut. The two of us move to Wren, joining her and Rhett on the floor. Gently, I place a hand on her back, and Elliot brushes his fingers down her arm.

Twisting in Rhett’s lap, she looks between the two of us. And somehow, she manages a smile. It may be tearful and shaky, but it’s still there.

When Wren reaches for me, I take her into my arms, kissing her cheek softly. Feeling her ribcage expand as she takes a breath calms my nerves. But then we all hear footsteps overhead, and she jumps, clinging to me.

“Fuck.” Rhett stands. “We dealt with everyone outside before we came in, but we heard you shouting before we could clear the house.”

“I counted three plus Jordan inside before we came down here,” I say. “Could be more, though.”

Elliot hands me Jordan’s gun. “You stay with Wren. Rhett and I will find everyone else.”

I nod. The last thing I want is for the four of us to be separated again, but Jordan’s men could easily sneak down here and ambush us. None of us are safe until all of his men are eliminated.

So I move Wren from my lap to the floor next to me. We sit side by side, leaning against the trough, our fingers intertwined. Rhett and I exchange a quick glance, and I nod, silently telling him I’m okay. He clenches his jaw, and for a second all the rage he’s feeling becomes visible. But then he tamps it down again.

“We’ll be back in a couple minutes,” he says tightly, and then he turns and helps Elliot carry Jordan upstairs.

Wren leans her head against my shoulder. She’s shaking, but at least her breathing has evened out some. If I could, I’d wrap her up in my arms, but I need to be ready to jump to my feet at a moment’s notice.

At some point, Wren starts crying again. She tries to stay quiet, so it’s mostly sniffles and silent sobs that rack her body. I squeeze her hand, keeping my eyes on the door.

“We’re gonna get out of here soon, princess. I promise.”

There’s movement upstairs, and it sounds like bodies are being dragged across the floor. A few minutes later, footsteps are pounding on the stairs, and Rhett steps back into view.

“It’s safe.”

Gently, I help Wren up. Her cheeks are covered in tear tracks, her hair is still dripping, and my T-shirt is soaked. Her skin is covered in goosebumps, and she’s shivering even worse now.

“We need to get her warm,” I say to Rhett.

Rhett tears off his coat. “My shirt is still dry.” He pulls his long-sleeved T-shirt over his head, revealing an undershirt underneath. “Sweetheart, take that off. It’s practically dripping.”

She doesn’t move. When I reach for the hem, she recoils.

“Wren?” I say. “What’s wrong?”

Stumbling away from us, she shakes her head. “No.”

I step toward her. “Princess—”

“Don’t.” Rhett grabs me by the shoulder and hauls me back. Then he holds his shirt out to Wren, careful not to crowd her. “I understand, sweetheart. It’s okay. We’ll wait outside the room, and you can get changed down here.”

She takes the shirt silently.

Rhett pulls me through the doorway and out of sight. It takes me a second to understand what’s going on—that Wren is having a similar reaction to how Rhett acts when he’s upset. Being touched is the last thing he wants, and any semblance of vulnerability makes his skin crawl.

And of course Wren is feeling a similar way. It’s stupid that I didn’t realize it immediately. Someone just took away her ability to breathe, for fuck’s sake. Of course she needs privacy.

When Wren steps out of the cellar, she doesn’t look at either of us. Rhett’s shirt hangs loosely on her, and she’s pushed up the sleeves so she can hold her clothes without getting them wet.

I want to hold her. I want to kiss her on the forehead and remind her that she’s not alone. I want to pull her into my arms and tell her that everything’s okay now, that she’s safe, that we’ll never let this happen again. But I don’t think it’s what she needs right now.

We follow her upstairs. In the living room, three men plus Jordan are tied up to what looks like dining room chairs. All of the men are unconscious, and Jordan is just beginning to wake up, a groggy panic setting in.

When Elliot sees us, he tosses me a hoodie. “I had it as an extra layer. You need it more than I do.”

I pull it on, thankful for the warmth and the scent of sandalwood and oranges that’s always reminded me of afternoons curled up next to Ell while he reads a book.

“Wren,” Elliot says.

She tears her gaze away from the men lined up in the chairs. When she looks at Elliot, her expression softens. The fear that was in her eyes earlier disappears, and the clothes she’s holding drop from her hands. And then she runs to him, jumping into his arms and burying her face in his neck.

Keeping her in a tight embrace, he says, “I’m sorry it took us so long to get to you, love. Fuck. I’m so sorry, Wren.”

She doesn’t say anything, just locks her arms around him and lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a sob and a whimper. Elliot holds her for a minute while Rhett and I grab some blankets from an over-sized basket in the corner. Then he carries her to the couch, gently setting her down.

“Can we…” I hold up the blanket, not sure if she wants to be touched more.

“Yes,” she whispers, reaching out to me. “Yes. I just didn’t want to be looked at.”

“I understand, princess.” I unfold the blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders and placing a tender kiss to her forehead.

Rhett places another blanket over her lap, and then he uses another one in an attempt to dry her hair. She smiles up at him when he finishes, but he doesn’t return it. He just stares at her, trying to keep himself under control. The man looks ready to set the whole damn house on fire.

“F… fuck you.”

It comes from Jordan. His head is tilted heavily to one side, like he’s too out of it to keep it upright. Blood trickles from his nose, which is definitely broken.

“Goddammit,” Rhett says under his breath. He brushes his thumb over Wren’s cheek. Then he turns on his heel and stalks over to Jordan. Neither Elliot nor I move to stop him as he kicks Jordan in the face, the force causing his chair to fall back.

Jordan cries out as his head hits the floor. Rhett wastes no time in yanking the chair up. Then he punches him.

“You deserve this,” Rhett says, his voice dripping with a venom I’ve only ever heard when he’s talking about Ludo. “How dare you hurt her.”

“You killed my brother,” Jordan rasps.

“You think I give a flying fuck?” Rhett shouts. “You think that justifies hurting an innocent woman? Fuck you, Jordan.” Another punch. And another. Just as he’s winding up for a third, I remember what Wren told me earlier.

“Rhett. Don’t kill him.”

The glare he gives me sends a chill straight to my bones. And when he delivers his next blow, I realize he has absolutely no intentions of listening to me. I grab him, and he tries to shove me off, but it’s a half-hearted attempt. Rhett’s angry, but he doesn’t want to hurt me. When I pull him away, Jordan is crying and barely conscious.

Elliot stands from where he was crouched next to Wren. “We’re nowhere near done with you, you miserable fuck.”

Goddammit. I can’t hold both of them off.

“Elliot,” Wren says, watching him.

“Don’t try to stop me, love. No one—and I mean no one hurts my family and gets away with it.”

“I wasn’t going to stop you.”

He pauses, reaching out and stroking her face. “What do you need?”

“I want to be the one who kills him,” she whispers, looking up at Elliot with a wide-eyed, sincere expression. There’s no doubt on her face. No fear. She fucking means it. She needs it. “I want him to feel what I did. Every single thing.”

Something akin to pride blooms in Elliot’s eyes as he smiles down at her. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

“And I don’t want to watch while… while you torture the others. But I don’t want to be alone.”

Holding his hand out to her, Elliot says, “You don’t have to be. Ol, Rhett, can you two handle them?” He gestures to Jordan and his men.

“Absolutely,” Rhett replies. “We’ll leave Jordan for you, sweetheart.”

“I want to take him back with us.”

“Then we’ll do that.”

I brush my lips across Wren’s hairline. The fact that she’s telling us exactly what she wants without hesitation has a warm feeling spreading through my body. We’d do anything for her, and it’s important she knows it.

Still clutching her blankets, she moves to Rhett. His fists are clenched at his sides, his knuckles covered in blood, but he visibly relaxes when her lips meet his in a sweet, chaste kiss.

“I knew you’d come for me,” she whispers against his mouth. “I didn’t know how soon, but I never doubted it.”

He doesn’t touch her—probably doesn’t want to get blood on the blankets—but he kisses her again. Then he says, “Go. This is going to take some time, but I want to get you home as soon as possible.”

Rhett watches her go with a hardened stare. He’s barely looked at me since they saved us downstairs.

When I set my plan in motion, I knew I’d be hurting him and Ell. Not only did they have to worry about Wren, but they were scared for my safety, too. I told myself I’d never put them in that type of situation again, but everything changed when Wren came into our lives.

Rhett’s angry. And I know Elliot is, too. He’s just better at hiding it. But I won’t apologize for leading them to Wren sooner. I can’t. Because if I’m being honest, I’d do it again.

She looks back as Elliot leads her away, and when she meets my gaze, I smile for her. The light that’s usually in her eyes is gone, but it’ll show up eventually. We’ll help her bring it back.

But first, we need to deal with the men who took it from her in the first place.