Page 6 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Rhett

As we head down to the restaurant, I do my best to shake off my anger. With every passing day, it becomes more and more apparent just how much of a number Wren’s ex and her parents did on her. Encouraging her to be herself is such a basic thing a loved one would do, so it took me a moment to realize that’s what she was thanking me for.

It’s a relief that I’m so used to it now. I used to thank Oliver and Elliot for that type of stuff all the time. It’s taken fourteen damn years, but my mind is starting to default to their affection being the standard instead of my asshole of a father.

Truly, I don’t think I would’ve survived to twenty-eight if it hadn’t been for those two. They taught me what love actually looked like. Now, we’re always trying to make sure we’re caring for and supporting each other.

It’s why I decided to have Wren sleep with me tonight. I doubt I’ll sleep, so who better to wake Wren from her nightmares than the one who’ll be affected by it the least? Now all I have to do is make sure I’m in a good enough mental state to comfort her.

Almost out of habit, I start doing one of my breathing exercises. It’s not like doing it now will help me later, but maybe it’ll calm me down for the time being.

Once we’re at the restaurant, the host leads us to a table on the deck, right by the railing. From here, there’s a decent view of the beach and the water. Off to one side, you can see the luxury condos, shrouded with meticulously-kept gardens.

“There are a lot of palm trees down here,”

Wren says once we’re seated, tugging me from my thoughts. She’s staring past the railing toward the beach.

“Like, a lot. And they’re taller than I thought they’d be.”

“Never seen one in real life before?”

She laughs.

“Oh, definitely not. My mom and I barely scraped by for years—my biological dad was never in the picture. We lived with my grandma, and my mom took care of the house and me while my grandma worked. Once my mom married Thomas, our money situation changed drastically. He had a good job—a really good job. But I usually avoided going on trips with them whenever I could, and neither of them protested much. I spent a lot of nights alone.”

“I bet you were one of those teenagers who threw absolute ragers when they were gone.”

She gives me a baffled look.

“What? No, I spent most of my free time reading. Wait, do I give that impression?”

With a snort, I reach over the table and squeeze her wrist.

“No, sweetheart. It was a joke.”

For a second, she stares at me with her head tilted, but then she laughs.

“I don’t know how I didn’t pick up on that.”

Her smile fades, and her gaze drops.

“Thomas would say it’s because I spent too much time reading and not enough time making friends.”

Leaning across the table, I tilt her chin up with a bent knuckle.

“Ell would say there’s no such thing as reading too much.”

“And you?”

she whispers.

“I’d say what you do with your free time is no one’s business but your own, and if you ever don’t understand a joke, I’ll happily explain it to you.”

At that, she relaxes. Hell, she even smiles, but this one is void of embarrassment. It’s a relief, seeing some of the spark in her eyes that’s been missing ever since Jordan kidnapped her.

After we order, I continue taking the place in. I got a decent look at the inside portion of the restaurant earlier, but I want to double check things like entry points, exits, potential blind spots, all that.

“So what exactly are you looking for?”

Wren asks.

Right. I want to include her in all this. We were only able to fit in one more self-defense lesson since getting her back, and while this is different, situational awareness is important.

“There’s a lot to consider. First, you have to watch the people around you and look for anything that might be slightly off. But in a spot like this, you also have to keep an eye on things outside of the deck. See how the resort is curved?”

I nod to the part of the building we can see. We’re on one end, and since it’s curved in on itself, the other end is perfectly visible from the edge of the patio.

“Mmhmm.”

“From one of the balconies, a good shot could take you out right where you’re sitting,”

I say.

“From there, things could get messy. Would the shooter be able to get out of the resort in time before the authorities show up? How many security cameras and resort staff would they have to dodge? But it’s plausible.”

Wren’s eyes widen.

“Then how are you supposed to keep Aubrey safe? It’s not like you can keep her from all open areas.”

“In a situation like this? Either I’d have us inside the restaurant, or we’d sit farther inside the deck. The roof would hide us from most of the balconies. That table right there would be decent. It’s close enough to the doors leading inside that it provides a quick escape, and if we can’t get her that far, we can shove her behind the bar until we fight off her potential attacker.”

“Wow,”

Wren murmurs.

“I never would’ve thought of any of that.”

I shrug.

“Odds are, no one would try an up-close attack here. Too many people around. In a restaurant, you’re more likely to have to deal with poisons. But as long as—”

“Poisons?”

she squeaks out, her eyes widening.

“How could you possibly know if her food is poisoned? I mean, I know there are ways to test your drinks for drugs, but what about other stuff?”

“Most poisons take more than one dose to kill,”

I say, sipping on my water.

“Most. As for checking, the better option is to not announce where she’ll be. That type of attack takes premeditation. Any potential threats can’t think ahead if they don’t know where—or what—she’ll be eating.”

“Oh,”

she says, relaxing.

“You guys have really thought all this through.”

“That’s why Holloway hired us, I suppose.”

After we finish up at the restaurant, we spend the afternoon exploring more of the resort. Elliot and Oliver head to the spa, probably because they know the last thing I want is a massage from a stranger. Wren and I check out the rest of the grounds, mostly just walking around to get familiar with the place.

“We should probably walk the beach by the condos,”

I say, glancing at my watch.

“I’d leave it for Ell and O, but it’s getting late. We have to figure out dinner still, and I definitely want to shower before drinks.”

Wren chews on her bottom lip as her gaze travels toward the water. Just as I’m about to suggest that she can hang out in the penthouse while I check it out, she nods.

We take our time, following a paved pathway for as long as we can before stepping onto the beach. Wren takes her sandals off, but then she immediately puts them back on because the sand is burning hot.

As we walk along the beach, Wren keeps glancing toward the water. Her grip on my hand has gotten progressively tighter as the strip of sand narrows, forcing us closer to the waves.

“Why don’t you stand on the other side of me,”

I say, tugging her so I’m the one closer to the water.

She resists.

“No, please. There’s plenty of distance between us and the ocean, and this is…

it’s good. If I start struggling to control my thoughts, then we can switch.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. If I put it off, the thought of being around water will get scarier and scarier until I never face my fears. I know you guys think I’m pushing myself too hard, but I have to.”

She doesn’t, but obviously she disagrees with me. As we walk, I divert some of my attention from our surroundings to her. It’s too easy to get lost in horrifying thoughts without realizing it. I want her to be able to pull herself out if she goes too far, but I’ll be watching in case she can’t.

She purposefully looks away from the water.

“The condos look really nice.”

There’s a row of them, all with their own slice of beach.

“I believe Ludo booked that one,”

I say, pointing to one of them. It has its own pool and hot tub, along with a small yard, an outdoor bar, and a large fire pit.

“He mentioned getting an end one.”

“Wow,”

she breathes, staring at it.

“These are all so nice.”

“Not terribly private, but yeah.”

“Is that why we’re in a penthouse? For privacy?”

I nod. It’s also because the thought of staying so close to Ludo would’ve driven me up a wall. Both of us living in the same city is already hard enough as it is.

As we walk, I take in as much as I can. I already got a decent look at the beach due to the aerial photos on the resort’s website, but I wanted to check it out in person anyway. You notice different things from different angles.

“Rhett?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can we go up to the water?”

“Sure.”

The water is mostly calm. After taking off our shoes, Wren hesitates right at the point that the waves wash up to. She digs her toes into the sand. Then, carefully, she steps forward. The waves lap lazily up the shore, covering her toes. She doesn’t jump, doesn’t back away, just takes a long, shuddering breath.

After a minute of watching the water, she turns to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“You wouldn’t let me drown, would you?”

I’d be offended that she thinks she even has to ask, but that’s not what’s going on here. Oliver asks things like that often. It’s less him questioning my character and love for him, and more him asking for reassurance to help get past his anxiety. I’m unsurprised that Wren is doing something similar.

“Absolutely not.”

She sighs, resting her head against my chest. It’s too hot to stay like this for long, especially with the sun beating down on us, but I let her lean against me for a minute before easing some space in between us. Her arms are still looped around my neck, but we’re not touching anywhere else.

“It’s really pretty out here,”

she murmurs.

“I’ve only seen the ocean once. I think I’m glad we’re staying farther from the water, though.”

“Same here.”

Her eyes meet mine.

“Does it bug you? Knowing we’ll be this close to him?”

“Some. But I’ve learned to refocus my energy on other things.”

“Like?”

Getting closer to killing him.

Tearing him apart limb from limb.

Making him beg for mercy, and then refusing to give it to him.

I force a smile, not wanting to ruin the moment.

“Like you three.”

A larger wave hits our feet. This one reaches my ankles, soaking the bottoms of my pants. Wren shifts from foot to foot.

“You okay?” I ask.

She nods, but I’m not sure I believe her.

“Sweetheart…”

“Kiss me,”

she whispers, tugging my head down until my lips are mere inches from hers.

She doesn’t have to ask twice. My arms wrap around her waist to hold her steady, and I close the distance between us. If a distraction is what she needs, I’ll happily give her one.

The kiss lacks urgency. It’s an act of affection, not desperation, or at least that’s how it feels. Still, I keep a tight hold on Wren, just in case she loses her balance.

With a contented sigh, Wren pulls away first. She keeps her eyes closed, and I use the moment to look at her. As I do, I realize she seems less worn down.

It seems like she’s been sleeping well, minus her usual nightmares. I hope we’ll be able to quell those soon, too.

“We should head back,”

I say eventually.

“Ell and O are probably already working on dinner.”

Her hand slides into mine. “Okay.”

After retrieving our shoes, we start meandering back to the hotel. It’s too hot to go fast, and I think we’re both enjoying the time together anyway. I know I am, especially since the pleasurable part of this trip is about to end.

As we near the end of the beach, I glance back at the condos one more time. Ludo will be here soon, if he and Aubrey haven’t already arrived. My skin crawls at the thought of them watching us from their condo.

Six more months.

By the end of summer, this will all be behind us. Sammy will have her justice. We’ll be able to do whatever we want. None of us will ever have to think about Ludo Holloway again.

I avert my gaze and bring it back to Wren.

Most importantly, I realize as she grins up at me, Wren will be much safer.