Page 268 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

The second we hear gunshots, I throw the SUV into drive and hit the gas. Meredith and I were hiding around the next row of storage units, completely out of sight but not too far away.

Someone shouts—Elliot, I think. There’s more yelling as I round the building and slow to turn into the row where the guys are waiting. But a blur of red dashes out in front of me and heads down the main road.

I’d recognize that jacket anywhere.

Ludo.

I glance down to where the guys are and glimpse Rhett aiming his gun my way. When he sees I’m in his line of fire, he lowers it immediately and starts chasing after Holloway again.

Ludo is already past the next row of storage units. Looks like he’s headed for the entrance.

“What’re you doing?” Meredith yells when I accelerate, following Ludo instead of turning like I’m supposed to. “We have to get the guys!”

“That’s Ludo,” I tell her. “We can’t let him get away.”

We’re catching up to Ludo fast, but he realizes it too late. He risks a glance behind him right before the SUV rams into him. I slam on the brakes as Ludo flies forward and lands on the pavement a few feet in front of the vehicle.

Before I even have the car in park, Meredith is flying out the door, gun in hand. She rounds the vehicle, aiming her weapon at Ludo.

“You’re not going anywhere, you son of a bitch.” She kicks him, and I hear a loud, strained groan.

Rhett flies past the driver’s side, quickly followed by Elliot. Oliver is next, but instead of joining them, he yanks open my car door and pulls me out.

“Princess.” His arms clamp around me, and he lets out a relieved sound. “Oh my god, Wren.”

“Not now,” Finn snaps as he runs past us. “Wren, get back in the driver’s seat. Oliver, get in the back.”

Before he lets me go, Oliver places a quick kiss on my forehead. Once I’m in the car, he closes my door and climbs into the back. The guys already have Ludo handcuffed, and they’re dragging him around the car when Meredith hops in the passenger seat.

Oliver makes a choked noise when he sees her.“Mom?!”

Meredith grins back at him. “What, you thought I’d realize you were missing and do nothing? Come on, Ollie. You know better than that.”

Realization settles over him, and Oliver’s eyes snap to mine. For the first time, I realize he might be pissed that I told her everything. I was so caught up in making sure Meredith didn’t make things worse that I forgot to think of how Oliver would feel.

But I don’t have time to dwell on that right now. Once everyone is in the car, I take off. Someone probably heard the gunshots and called the police by now.

“Security footage?” Elliot asks.

“Taken care of,” Finn replies.

“And Axel?”

“Meeting us later tonight.”

My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I pull out of the storage facility’s parking lot. “The boys?”

“Safely with Sparrow,” Rhett says. I can feel him watching me even though I know he’s also holding Ludo in case he tries something.

We get a mile down the road before we hear the sirens. No one seems to be following us, though. A couple cop cars whiz past us, going the opposite direction as we are. My blood pressure spikes, but we blend in with traffic just fine.

The whole drive, Ludo doesn’t say a word. At first it worries me, but then we hit a rough patch of road, and he groans. I wasn’t going super fast when I hit him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he broke a couple ribs or maybe even fucked up his neck. He’s probably keeping quiet because he’s in pain.

He can’t hurt us now,I remind myself.The guys have him.

By the time we get to the farmhouse, my nerves are fried. I swear, I thought I saw red and blue lights flashing in the rearview mirror every ten seconds. There never were, though. We made it out.

“You guys head inside,” Finn says. “There’s food in the kitchen, and there are a couple spare rooms upstairs. I’ll handle Holloway and get him into the basement.”