Page 61 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

I’m sitting with my back pressed to the wall when my door flies open.

Last night, they took Elliot again, and when he came back, he sobbed for what felt like hours. There was a small, naive part of me that wanted to try sneaking in through his window, but I couldn’t work up the courage.

After I woke this morning, I tapped on the wall, and Elliot tapped back twice. I’m not sure what it means—an apology, maybe? That something is going to happen?

Now, my door opens, and panic rips through me as two men step into the room.

“No.”

I scramble to my feet, backing into a corner.

“No, not again, please.”

In the hallway, two more men pass by. They’re holding onto Elliot, who locks eyes with me for a split second before he’s pulled away.

I can’t do this. I can’t do it again.

I try to fight, but subsisting on one meal a day and more panic attacks than I can count doesn’t lead to a place of strength. They overpower me in under a minute and handcuff my hands behind my back.

As they shove me into the hallway, I peer ahead, but Elliot is already out of sight. The air feels thinner, and my lungs burn as I’m forced downstairs. But this time, they don’t take me to the basement.

I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one.

Axel is waiting at the base of the stairs in the foyer. Just as I am, Elliot is handcuffed, and so is Rhett.

Rhett. He looks unharmed, but a deep frown is etched onto his features. Benny is standing next to him, and Andrew is hovering close by.

“Mr. Axel,”

Benny says, but Axel holds up his hand.

“Not now.”

“Where are you taking them?”

one of the men holding me asks, and Elliot tenses almost imperceptibly.

“That’s above your pay grade.”

Opening the front door, Axel ushers Benny and Andrew outside.

“Put them in the van.”

Some of the men hesitate, giving Axel suspicious glances.

“Now,”

Axel snaps.

“Unless you want me to tell Ludo that you disobeyed a direct order.”

That gets the men moving. My throat feels like it’s closing in on itself as they shove me out the door. Where are they taking us? What’s Ludo’s plan?

Outside, they throw us in the back of a white van. On Axel’s orders, Andrew climbs in with us before shutting the doors. Axel gets behind the wheel up front, and Benny settles into the passenger seat.

I give Elliot a panicked look, but he doesn’t return it. Rhett is watching Axel and Benny quietly, his muscles taut.

“Seatbelt, little man,”

Axel says as he starts the engine.

“Mr. Axel, why is my brother in handcuffs? And who are the other men?”

Benny asks. He looks like he’s not sure whether he should be scared, angry, or both.

Axel tosses a key to Andrew.

“Uncuff them.”

“What?”

Andrew glances at us in disbelief.

“Sir, they’ll—”

“Now,”

Axel snaps, “and give me your phone.”

With a frown, Andrew reaches into his pocket and hands Axel his phone. Then he turns to us, key in hand.

I watch in silence as Andrew releases me, then Rhett, and then Elliot. Once he’s done, my hands itch to reach out to one of them, but I’m too scared to move.

“Oliver.”

Elliot crawls toward me as the van jolts forward. He doesn’t even glance toward Axel or Andrew before pulling me into his arms.

“Ell, what—”

“It’s okay,”

he tells me as he tightens his hold on me, squeezing me to an uncomfortable point.

“We’re safe now.”

“What’s going on?”

I grab onto his shirt, terrified he’ll move away.

“I don’t—I don’t understand.”

Rhett is watching Elliot like he’s waiting for an answer, too. He’s placed himself in between everyone else and us, although Axel is driving, and Andrew looks more confused than anything else. I don’t think they’re about to do anything to us.

“Axel is helping us.”

Elliot reaches for Rhett and grabs his hand, still not letting go of me.

“We’re going home. We just have to do a couple things first.”

“Wait, is that true?”

Andrew asks. He glances toward Axel.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t want to go home!”

Benny says, his voice panicked.

“Rhett, you told me I wouldn’t have to go back.”

“You won’t,”

Rhett replies firmly.

“You’re going to come live with me for a while. Remember when I told you about Elliot and Oliver?”

Benny nods, his gaze traveling over me and Ell.

“That’s them?”

“It is,”

Rhett says, “and I need to make sure they’re okay. I promise I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

Benny nods in understanding, still watching us.

“Are you both all right?”

Rhett turns to us, ignoring the others for now. He still hasn’t let his guard down, but he gently lays his free hand on my shoulder.

“There was one morning when you were both missing, and I…”

Elliot’s gaze flicks to Benny. “Later.”

My eyes slide closed as I lean into Elliot. It seems like he’s involved in whatever is happening, which eases my mind. I’ve always trusted his plans.

But I only get a short moment of peace before I’m wrenched from Elliot’s hold. For a split second, I panic, but then I realize the arms enveloping me in a vise grip are Rhett’s. He lets out a pained noise as he crushes me to his chest.

“Oliver,”

he chokes out.

Burying my face in his neck, I throw my arms around him. Elliot’s arms slip around both of us, pressing us tightly together. Someone’s knee jabs into my thigh, right where I have a bruise from Ludo using the cattle prod on the same spot repeatedly. I hiss in pain, cringing away.

“Did I hurt you?”

Rhett asks. He’s only let me pull back a few inches.

“It’s…”

I readjust so my bruises are better protected, and then I brush my lips across his jawbone.

“I’m okay.”

“I was so scared I lost you both,”

Rhett whispers. He places a kiss to the top of my head.

“Oliver. Ell. Oh my god.”

“We’re safe for now,”

Elliot says.

“But this is only half over. Sparrow is meeting us, and she’s taking Benny and Andrew to safety. Then we’re…”

Elliot lowers his voice before continuing when he realizes that Benny is leaning closer to us and trying to listen in on our conversation.

“Then we’re capturing Ludo.”

Dread fills me. I just want to go home.

“It’ll be quick and simple,”

Elliot says.

“I’ll explain in more detail soon.”

“What about Wren?” I ask.

“She’s safe,”

Elliot replies.

“I’m not sure how involved she is in the rest of this. She seems determined to help, though.”

“You’ve seen her?”

Rhett’s tone carries a hint of relief—we’ve all been worried about her.

Elliot nods.

“A couple days ago. She’s scared, but she’ll be all right. We’ll all be together soon.”

Nestled between Rhett and Elliot, I’m finally able to breathe easier. No one’s chasing after us because, quite simply, no one knows to—yet. Axel coming to our aid is the last thing I could’ve expected, but it’s perfect, because no one under his command should expect it, either.

I hope.

“How long?”

I ask, not having to clarify what I mean.

“As long as everything goes according to plan?”

Elliot smiles.

“We should be with her in an hour.”

God. A few minutes ago, I was sitting alone in that room, waiting to die. Now, everything is happening at once.

We’ve escaped.

We’re turning the tables on Ludo.

We’ll get to see Wren again.

“And you’re sure we can trust him?”

Rhett whispers, nodding toward the driver’s seat.

“He had the perfect opportunity to kidnap Wren, and he didn’t,”

Elliot says quietly.

“I say we watch our backs, but I think we’ll be okay.”

Rhett nods, brows furrowed.

“Benny,”

Axel says, “did Ludo give you a phone?”

“He said I’m too young.”

Benny rolls his eyes.

Not bothering to respond, Axel rolls down his window and tosses his and Andrew’s phones out the window.

“Hey!”

Andrew shouts.

“We have to make sure Ludo has no way of tracking us,”

Axel says, his voice flat and annoyed.

Andrew doesn’t have a response to that, so he just leans against the side of the van and crosses his arms.

“Rhett,”

Elliot murmurs. He still has an arm around me, and he moves his free hand to brush his fingers across Rhett’s cheek.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Rhett’s voice is thick with emotion as he leans over and kisses Elliot. It only lasts for a few seconds before he leans back and tips my chin up.

“And you, O.”

When his lips brush against mine, I fist his shirt tightly. I need to feel them both against me. How else am I supposed to get my brain to register that this is real? That this is happening?

One hour. One hour until I can have Wren in my arms again. One hour and this is over. Ludo will be in our hands instead of the other way around.

It doesn’t feel real.

It… it can’t be real.

And just like that, my sense of calm shatters.

“Something’s wrong.”

I’m barely able to force the words out. A chill sweeps over me. This feels too easy. It has to be a trap or… I don’t know, something.

“Ol,”

Elliot says gently. He frames my face in his hands.

“Do you trust me?”

“Always,”

I whisper.

“Then trust me on this.”

Elliot kisses me tenderly.

“Nothing is going to happen to us. We’re making it out alive.”

“But—but what if—”

“Hey. Just focus on us, O.”

Rhett adjusts us so I have my back to his chest. He’s leaning against the wall of the van with both his arms wrapped around me.

Elliot crawls in between our legs and takes my hands in his. I’m vaguely aware that both Benny and Andrew are staring at me, but my focus is tunneling, only aimed at one thing.

What if we don’t make it?

“You know what we’re gonna do when we get home?”

Elliot asks me. His thumbs are rubbing against the backs of my hands, and he’s leaning down so I have to look at him.

“W-what?”

He smiles, and my gaze locks onto it. I’ve missed that smile—the warmth in his eyes, the care that always shines in them. I love that smile.

“We’ll buy as much ice cream as you want, and we’re gonna have a night in. You can pick the movie. We can even switch who we’re cuddling with halfway through like you always want.”

Tears well up in my eyes. How many times did I wish for one more night with them? One last evening where we could all relax and cuddle and laugh at some stupid movie?

“And since it’s getting warmer, we can take Wren to the lookout you love so much.”

Elliot is peppering my face with kisses now, doing his best to keep my mind occupied.

“And maybe we can all go dancing. We haven’t done that in a while, have we?”

“Not since the ball,”

I croak out. And that doesn’t fully count since we were really only there to make sure Maria wasn’t dating some asshole.

“And that pianist you like is coming to town soon,”

Rhett says, nuzzling his face against my neck.

“We don’t want to miss that.”

“I want—I want to do all those things.”

“We will,”

Elliot tells me.

“I promise, O.”

It doesn’t take long before Axel is pulling into a parking lot of a restaurant that closed down last year. He drives around back, to where there’s a dark gray sedan parked out of sight. Two women climb out as Axel parks next to it, and I recognize them immediately.

When Axel opens the door to the back of the van, I hop out. Seeing Sparrow makes sense, but Aubrey? She’s supposed to be in California.

“What’re you doing here?”

I ask her as everyone else gets out.

“There’s no time to explain,”

Axel says impatiently.

“Benny, Andrew, these two are taking you someplace safe. The rest of us have to go. Now.”

“No!”

Benny grabs onto Rhett.

“You promised me we’d be a family.”

“We will be. We are. You’re going with Sparrow and Aubrey now, but I’ll join you both soon, okay?”

“But—”

“Ben,”

Andrew says impatiently.

“We don’t have time for this.”

“Hey. Listen to me.”

Rhett crouches in front of Benny, placing his hands on his younger brother’s shoulders.

“Remember all those moves I taught you? How long we practiced them?”

Benny nods, eyes wide.

“I need you to stay alert until we get back. You might have to use them. Protect these two with everything you’ve got, okay?”

Sparrow stifles a smile as she shares an amused glance with Aubrey. If it comes down to it, she’ll be the one doing the protecting, not Benny. I’m sure she thinks this is nothing short of adorable.

“Got it,”

Benny says, rolling back his shoulders.

“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”

With that, Rhett backs away and climbs into the van. He waves to Benny as Axel slams the door shut.

“What’s the plan here?”

I ask once Axel has started driving again.

“How are we going to capture Ludo?”

And see Wren?

Elliot takes one of my hands and one of Rhett’s.

“Here’s how this is going to go.”