Page 70 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

I want to ask if she’s really okay or if she needs a hug, but I know that look in her eyes. She’s still right there on the edge. Anything could push her back into tearsagain. And if she starts crying, Rhett will inevitably hear, and then he won’t be able to get any sleep.

So all I ask is, “You want coffee?”

“That sounds nice.”

As I pour it, I say, “I have to get some work done, so I can’t go with you if you want to head out. You could try to do something with Aubrey if you’d like, and that way Elliot will be with you, but otherwise you’re kinda stuck here.”

“I’m not sure I’m in the mood to be social. I’ll just read.”

Handing her a mug, I press my lips to her forehead. “Okay. Just let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” With another smile, she retreats to the couch and grabs one of the books she brought with her.

I watch her for a second. She looks worn down, but like she’s trying to hide it. It makes my chest ache with worry. Last night, she just… went swimming all by herself. Fuck, she could’ve died. She can’t do it again—we can’t let her. It’s too dangerous.

Before Wren notices that I’m watching her, I turn away and grab my laptop. I don’t know how to fix this, not exactly. But I know where to start. First, we need to figure out why she snuck down by herself. And then somehow—quickly—we need to find a way to remind her that we’re here for her. Because my anxiety can’t take another scare like last night. Not ever, ever again.

Chapter fifteen

Elliot

I meet everyone at the resort restaurant for our early dinner. The place isn’t too busy considering we’re in between the standard rush hours, which is good. It means there’s no one around to overhear our conversation.

“Sorry I’m late.” As I slide into our secluded corner booth, I wince at the painful reminder of Rhett spanking me.Fuck,it hurts. After I kiss Oliver on the cheek and rest one of my hands on his thigh, I say, “Ludo and his guys didn’t get back at the time they said they would. Looked like they left immediately after I did, too.”

Rhett raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

As I look over the menu, I say, “Aubrey was chatty. Said today is the last day of training for their guy, which makes me wonder where Ludo is going to be tomorrow. As for tonight, Ludo is taking Aubrey out to meet some people.”

“Interesting.” Oliver places his hand over mine. “I’ve been keeping up with the feed from the bug, and I haven’t caught anything about tomorrow.”

“Has there been anything at all that might be helpful?”

Oliver shakes his head. “No. But Ludo only hired us for three days. Starting the day after tomorrow, he’s gonna be at the condo more, right? We should be able to catch something then.”

“Hopefully.” My tone doesn’t sound convincing. It’s very possible that we won’t get any more information out of this trip.

“I think we need to talk about the guy they’ve been training,” Wren says. Her posture is pin straight as her eyes dart between the three of us. “I’m pretty sure I know who he is.”

“Go on,” Rhett says. He’s sitting in between Wren and Oliver. One of his arms is around Wren, keeping her close to him.

“Do you guys remember the nineteen-year-old I told you about? The one who Jordan almost killed because he gave me a blanket?”

We all nod.

Wren swallows nervously before continuing. “The reason Jordan didn’t kill him is because Ludo showed up right as he was about to pull the trigger. Apparently, Ludo and Jordan were going to discuss some sort of business deal. But when Ludo saw me, he said the deal was off. Then he saw Andrew—that’s the kid—and took him when he left.”

I lean forward. “Did Ludo say why?”

Wren shakes her head. “He asked if Jordan knew who Andrew was, but Jordan didn’t know, and Ludo didn’t bother explaining. Do you… do you know?”

“I wish. You didn’t get a last name?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

I’m about to tell her she has no need to apologize, but Rhett speaks first. “Hold on. Why do you think Andrew is the man Ludo’s training?”

“Aubrey said something about him being young,” Wren explains. “It doesn’t feel like that could be a coincidence. But I… I guess it’s just a feeling.”