Page 30 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

If I had my way, I’d never step into the Garden Grille again. Places that I associate with past jobs are ones I tend to avoid, but I couldn’t find it in my heart to say no. When my mom wants something, there isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do to make sure she gets it. So if she wants to try out a new restaurant with me and Maria, then that’s exactly what’s gonna happen.

“Reservation for Meredith Moore?”

I tell the woman waiting behind the hostess stand.

With a smile, she says, “Right this way.”

As I follow her through the tables, I keep my unease tucked away. The last time I was here, it set off a chain of events that almost got Wren killed. Not to mention, the last time she was here, Adam followed her into that alley to do god knows what to her.

Out of all the restaurants in Philadelphia, why did Mom have to choose this one?

My mom and Maria are seated at a table with a view of what I’m sure is a gorgeous garden in the spring and summer months. Maria waves when she spots me, and I thank the hostess before she walks off.

“No Wren?”

my mom asks. To her credit, she tries to hide her disappointment, but I know her well enough to see through it.

“I thought she was coming today.”

“I said she might come today.”

I kiss her on the cheek and give Maria a hug before sitting down across from them.

“We’ve got a lot going on, and her coming today just didn’t work. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t’ve gotten your hopes up.”

“It’s all right,”

she says, but her expression is filled with concern.

“What’s going on that’s keeping you four so busy? This is the third time we’ve had to schedule a makeup lunch.”

“Work stuff. It’s all pretty boring, honestly. Puts me to sleep when it’s not stressing me out. I’d rather not talk about it.”

At that, Maria jumps in.

“Okay, but what about Wren? Why couldn’t she come today?”

“She just…”

Dammit. Why do little sisters have to be so annoying?

“I’m beginning to think this woman is a ghost,”

Mom says with a teasing sparkle in her eyes.

“Oh, she’s real,”

Maria says.

“And she’s super pretty, too.”

“So you’ve said.”

Mom reaches across the table and rests her hand over mine.

“Is something wrong? If you aren’t ready for us to meet her, you can just tell us. You know we’ll understand, right?”

“Speak for yourself,”

Maria grumbles.

“No, I want you to. And she wants to meet you guys, too. It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

Maria asks with exasperation.

“I’m tired of waiting!”

“Elliot’s parents dropped by the other day,”

I say tiredly, watching as realization blooms on my mom’s face.

“At best, it went poorly. At worst, it was a disaster. We all assured Wren that you guys are nothing like Kathleen and Joe, but she needs more time to recover.”

My mom narrows her eyes, and a protectiveness that’s usually reserved for me and Maria flashes in them.

“What did they say to her?”

Grabbing the water in front of me, I gulp down half the glass before continuing.

“Kathleen basically implied it wouldn’t last. Said it was telling that Ell hadn’t told his mom about Wren, and that it’s too early to be committed to her, et cetera. You know how she is. She got jealous, so she tried to make Wren feel insecure about her standing with Elliot. Didn’t work, thank fuck.”

My mom is silent, and she’s looking at me like she’s waiting for more. When I don’t say anything else, she sighs. “And?”

“Mom, it’s—”

“What else did that monster of a woman say?”

she demands.

I drain my glass.

“We forgot about Elliot’s birthday.”

Maria gasps and pulls out her phone.

“Shit! I meant to text him.”

“Even Ell forgot. And when Kathleen realized, she let loose. Everything we knew she said behind our backs, she told us directly to our faces. Elliot settled for us, we don’t love him well enough, he’ll realize it eventually, he should leave, blah blah blah. She said that Rhett—fuck, I don’t wanna repeat it. It was a mess, okay? Eventually, Elliot kicked her and Joe out. I think he was a little shocked that Kathleen would actually say all that.”

“One of these days,”

my mom says before taking a concerningly long sip of wine, “that woman is going to drive me to murder.”

That draws a chuckle from me. Whenever she makes comments like that, I realize it’s no wonder I ended up taking the life path I did.

“I know you guys would never be cruel to Wren,”

I say.

“But she’s been through some really horrible stuff lately. I can’t get into the details, but it’s really bad. She’s been pushing herself so hard, and no matter how much she wants to meet you two, she’s just not ready. Maybe once life has calmed down, which should be in the next couple weeks.”

“There’s no pressure.”

Mom squeezes my hand.

“I’m excited to meet her, but I’m happy to wait until she’s comfortable.”

Maria huffs.

“Well, I don’t want to wait. Maybe I can drop by sometime this week? Kinda like a surprise? And then I can meet her, even if it’s only for a couple minutes?”

“If Wren isn’t ready, we need to respect her boundaries,”

Mom says.

“You know that.”

With a groan, Maria slumps in her chair.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Even though Maria may be disappointed, deep down, I know she understands. That’s the difference between Rhett’s and Elliot’s families and mine. Mom and Maria have basic human decency.

“I don’t think it’ll be that much longer,”

I assure them.

“And I promise, you’ll like her. She’s one of the kindest, most understanding people I’ve ever met. I…”

Shit. Should I say this?

My mouth is abnormally dry all of a sudden, and I realize my glass is already empty.

“What?”

Maria asks impatiently.

“What’s with you not finishing your sentences today?”

When I fix my eyes on my mom, she’s already smiling. Of course she knows. She’s the one who helped me work through my feelings for Rhett and Elliot when I was too scared that I’d ruin everything by admitting how head over heels I was for them.

“You love her.”

She doesn’t phrase it as a question.

“An unfathomable amount.”

Maria’s jaw drops. “WHAT?”

My mom’s smile widens.

“I know the feeling.”

There’s not a doubt in my mind that she understands. The love she has for me and Maria is the strongest I’ve ever seen. It’s always been a goal of mine to match it.

“Come on,”

Maria groans.

“You’re that far along in your relationship, and I still can’t meet her?”

I roll my eyes. If Maria was serious, I’d tell her to stop, but this is just our dynamic. Neither of us have much patience.

“Soon, I promise.”

“When I finally meet her, I’m stealing her away from you for at least a day,”

Maria says.

“We can go shopping and get ice cream and maybe walk along the river. Oooh, and she likes books, right? We can go to the library! Or a bookstore.”

“Oh?”

I raise an eyebrow.

“And who’s funding this shopping trip?”

“You, of course!”

At that, Mom laughs.

“Maybe you should ask permission first.”

“Already did.”

Maria turns her phone in my direction. It’s open to her messages with Elliot.

Maria: I know I can’t meet Wren yet, but when I can, I’m taking her on a shopping trip.

Maria: You’re paying.

Elliot: Anything for two of my three favorite women.

Elliot: Don’t tell my mother I said that.

“Ugh, of course you went to Ell. He spoils you.”

“You spoil her,”

Mom corrects, and I don’t miss the gratitude in her eyes.

“You spoil both of us.”

“What kind of son and brother would I be if I didn’t?”

“A shitty one I’d enjoy punching in the face,”

Maria says with all the confidence in the world. She winks at me before her expression turns serious.

“I’m happy for you, Ollie. You’ve found so much love in your life, and I’m glad you get to share it with another person.”

“I’m happy, too. I can’t imagine life without any of them.”

From there, conversation flows easily until our food comes. Every time we get close to the topic of my work, I steer us in another direction. We vowed to each other years ago that we’d never let our families in on our revenge plans. For all my mom’s side comments about murder, I don’t think she’d agree with our methods. She doesn’t even kill spiders, for fuck’s sake.

“Ugh, I’m so full,”

Maria groans once she’s finished her food.

“But that was delicious. We’ve gotta come back here sometime soon.”

When Mom nods in agreement, I clench my fist under the table. Fuck. This place sets me off so much that it’s making me nauseous.

“You okay, hon?”

Mom asks as she nods to my plate.

“You didn’t eat much.”

“Just wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was.”

She frowns but doesn’t press it any further.

When our server comes with the bill, I hand them my card before my mom can. She may admit to me spoiling them, but she usually puts up some kind of fight. It’s the only thing I expect after she’s spent most of my life dedicated to making sure me and Maria ended up okay.

“You know you don’t always have to pay, right?” she asks.

“MOM.”

Maria glares at her.

“Let him pay without harassing him for once.”

Holding up her hands in surrender, Mom sits back in her seat.

“I just want to make sure he knows.”

“I know I don’t have to,”

I reply.

“I want to, Mom. You sacrificed so much to take care of us when we were kids. It’s my turn to take care of you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, honey.”

“So stubborn,”

Maria mutters under her breath.

As I squeeze Mom’s hand, I can’t help my smile. Both of us inherited at least a little of her stubbornness.

“I’m not doing it out of obligation. You deserve it, whether you want to accept it or not. Besides, Elliot and Rhett would kill me if I stopped. Fuck, Wren probably would, too. You’re the only good parent we’ve got between the four of us.”

That makes her laugh, which was my goal.

“There isn’t much competition.”

“Mom, there’s no competition.”

I grin.

“We’re the luckiest kids in the world because of you.”

Our server comes back with my card and receipt, and once I’ve dealt with them, we stand.

“Thank you, Oliver.”

Mom cups my cheek before embracing me.

“I couldn’t’ve asked for better kids.”

I keep her in my arms for a second longer than I need to. If she knew what I spend my time doing, I’m not sure she’d still say that. It’s why she can never know. The danger alone would keep her up at night.

“Love you, Mom. I’ll see you soon?”

“Of course. Just let me know what day next week works for you, and we’ll get together again. As long as you have the time?”

“If I don’t have it, I’ll make it.”

I kiss her on the forehead.

“And you’d better get your shit together, too,”

Maria says as she pulls me into a hug.

“I wanna meet Wren soon.”

“As soon as she’s ready,”

I promise.

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

With a peck on my cheek, she pulls away.

I watch them weave through the tables and exit out the front doors. For the most part, my mom and Maria seem carefree and happy. I always planned on finding a way to make their lives easier, and I was determined to become a famous pianist to ensure it happened.

Most likely, I was delusional, but my heart was in the right place. And while I wasn’t able to provide for them financially on my own, Elliot jumped on the idea to help them.

With a sigh, I gather my things and head for the front of the restaurant. My focus is on not puking until I find the bathroom, which is probably why I don’t notice two men enter the dining room from the kitchen and approach me.

“Moore. What a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here—especially alone.”

My blood runs cold at the all-too-familiar voice, but when I turn, I keep my smile bright.

Holloway is wearing his signature red leather jacket, and it causes dozens of memories to flash through my mind at once. For years, all we had was that damn name—Redback. His stupid jacket always reminds me of how long it took us to uncover his identity.

“Ludo. I could say the same.”

A large man is standing close to Ludo with his hands clasped in front of him. I recognize him immediately by the upside-down cross tattoo on his left temple. His long dark hair is pulled back into a bun, and most of his light skin is covered in other tattoos.

Fuck, I don’t remember his name.

“Not quite, considering I own the place,”

Ludo replies.

“Oh! Last I knew, the Williams family owned it.”

He exchanges a glance with the man standing next to him, although I can’t decipher what it means.

“You three really research thoroughly, don’t you?”

“One of our specialties.”

“Yes, well, as I’m sure you heard, the Williams family came to a rather unfortunate end a few weeks ago. I’m just doing my part in making sure their businesses stay running and profitable.”

Doing his part. That’s one way to put it.

“How much have you bought up?”

“Most of it,”

he says with a greedy smile.

It makes sense. This was Ludo’s plan all along, although I imagine it took a shit ton of money. Unless he had other ways of obtaining the Williams’s properties and businesses.

“Congrats,”

I say enthusiastically, even though the little food in my stomach has quickly soured.

“Thank you.”

Ludo gestures to the man beside him.

“This is Axel Holden, my right-hand man.”

“Pleasure,”

Axel says with a tight smile.

Neither of us extend our hands, and I ignore the way he sizes me up. Instead, I say, “Well, Ludo, I wish you the best of luck with your new endeavors. I’ll see you around?”

“Of course. You’ll be at the wedding?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

After a nod goodbye, I turn on my heel and walk straight into the bathroom. Thankfully, it’s empty in here, so I let my composure fall the second the door shuts behind me.

Gripping the counter with both hands, I force myself to take deep, even breaths. Having to come here was bad enough already. Everything about this place reminds me of the events that led to Wren’s kidnapping. We almost lost her, and it all started because we took that job. It doesn’t matter that we found her and got her out safely. The terror on her face, the tears in her eyes… they’ll haunt me for the rest of my life.

As for Ludo, I wasn’t expecting to see his face today. His annoying, smug, stupidly punchable face. He’s ruined so much of our lives, and he’ll continue to until we finally kill him.

“Just a few more weeks,”

I whisper to myself. The wedding is approaching quickly, and after that, we’ll have the evidence we need to destroy his reputation, close down his businesses on counts of money laundering and tax fraud, and god knows what else.

Once I’ve regained my composure, I straighten my shirt and exit the bathroom. Ludo and Axel don’t seem to be in the dining room anymore. My first assumption is that they must be in the back, but then I catch a glimpse of red in the garden. It’s too cold to sit out there, nor is anything in bloom yet.

There’s only one reason for them to be lingering outside. It’s the perfect place to have a private conversation.

My car is closer to the main entrance, but there’s nothing wrong with taking the scenic route—even if the garden is all brown and dusted in a thin layer of snow. I’m just getting some extra fresh air, that’s all.

I leave the restaurant through the garden door, making sure it closes without a sound. There’s a pathway that leads to the street, but I meander, taking in the barren bushes as I do.

Ludo and Axel aren’t in sight, thanks to a row of tall arborvitae bushes that they stepped around. They’re close enough together that they’re concealed from prying eyes, but it also means they have no idea I’m on the other side.

I step as close as I possibly can without rustling the bushes. Their conversation is just loud enough to be audible over the traffic not even thirty yards away.

“I want this dealt with before the wedding,”

Ludo is saying, and the consistent sound of footsteps tells me he’s probably pacing.

“We only have half the information we need. Huxley was behind Aubrey’s attempted kidnapping, but how? Who could’ve possibly fed him our location?”

“What about Moore and his partners? Could they be rats?”

My shoulders tense at Axel’s accusation. The last thing we need is for Holloway to cast suspicion on us.

“No, that wouldn’t make much sense,”

Ludo says.

“They were there when Aubrey was almost kidnapped.”

“And they saved her,”

Ludo snaps.

“You’re smarter than this, Axel. I didn’t make you my most trusted man because of your good looks. Use your fucking brain.”

Axel’s voice stays perfectly level, like he’s used to putting up with Ludo’s bad moods.

“It’s possible they staged it. It’s rather convenient that it happened in their penthouse instead of when they were out and about, don’t you think?”

“Then explain why Andrew had to steal a key card for Huxley’s men to even get up to the penthouse. Why would they have him do that when they could’ve just given him one?

“Not to mention, they don’t know who Andrew is. Wren met him briefly when Jordan captured her, but she was so scared that she didn’t recognize him. Even if she figured it out, she has no idea Andrew is with us now. I made sure he stayed out of sight while we were in Florida.”

“Do you think Wren is working separately from her partners?”

Axel asks.

“She’s a new addition to their relationship, correct? Maybe she infiltrated them to get close to you?”

“No. She’s too weak. Easy to manipulate, as well.”

I grit my teeth. Wren is far from weak. Maybe Ludo manipulated her when we were in Florida, maybe not. She had so much going on in her head when she jumped into that pool without thinking. It’s hard to get the full picture on why she did what she did.

“Wren has gotten pretty close to Aubrey lately,”

Axel points out.

“Because unfortunately, everyone on this goddamn planet seems to be in love with my fiancée,”

Ludo growls.

Axel sighs.

“If you’re sure.”

“Keep your suspicion of them if you want. It won’t hurt anything. But I’ve tested the men, and they’ve earned my trust. Wren isn’t a threat.”

Relief billows through me. Not only is Ludo refusing to even consider that we betrayed him, but he’s also severely misjudging Wren. She may be sweet and caring, and she may still be early on in her training, but she’s strong as hell. And now, I’m realizing just how much of an advantage that gives us over Ludo.

“Do you have any suspicions, then?”

Axel asks.

“I do,”

Ludo says, and I lean forward so I don’t miss the next part.

“There were only a few people who knew Aubrey and I were in Florida. I’ve already gone through the entire list, and it wasn’t any of them.”

“Then who?”

“I think it was Owen.”

“Owen?”

Axel laughs.

“Owen Harris?”

“The one and only.”

“Come on, boss. How could that be possible?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe he overheard something while he was cleaning. He blends into the background so easily. Maybe someone slipped up.”

That’s enough.

Slowly, I back up. The longer I stay, the more likely it is that I’ll get caught. I want to continue listening to their conversation, but it’s not worth the risk. So I leave quietly, getting onto the main path in the garden that leads to the sidewalk.

Once I’m in my car, I can’t stop myself—I laugh. We’ve spent so much time and effort working to get close to Ludo. Knowing that he’s not even willing to entertain suspicion of us is the most satisfied I’ve felt in a long, long time.

As I turn on the engine and pull out of my parking spot, my shoulders feel lighter than they have in months. Everything is finally working out—like there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Not only that, but Ludo won’t know what hit him until it’s too late. We’ll get our revenge, Sammy will get her justice, and we’ll be able to move on with our lives.

Just a couple more weeks, I tell myself as I pull onto the interstate. Just a couple more weeks, and then we can finally be happy.