Page 64 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Wren

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.”

“No.”

Elliot’s voice holds no room for argument. He glances at me longingly before turning away.

“Wren and Meredith can go, but the rest of us are helping you. We can’t afford to have something else go wrong.”

“Fair enough,”

Finn says, although I think he’s a little insulted.

“I’m coming with you guys,”

Meredith says.

“I have a few things I’d like to say to that slimebag.”

“Great,”

Finn grumbles.

“Sweetheart,”

Rhett says, “can you keep Benny out of our path? I don’t want him to see Ludo like this. Not until I figure out how to explain everything.”

“Sure,”

I tell him, my stomach flipping when I hear the word sweetheart. I’ve missed him calling me that.

As I slip out of the vehicle and head into the house, everything in me is screaming to stay with them. I want to be as close to the guys as I possibly can be, but I’m not foolish enough to think I’ll get that immediately. We still have work to do, and they need to rest. We all do.

Soon, I remind myself.

Inside, Benny is watching a movie in the living room, which is far out of sight of the garage and basement doors. Andrew is pacing around the room, while Aubrey and Sparrow are seated on the couch having a whispered conversation.

When Andrew spots me, he stops.

“Everyone’s back?”

Aubrey and Sparrow look my way, their expressions filled with relief.

“Yeah,”

I say.

“They’ll be in soon.”

Immediately, Benny springs up and dashes for the garage. I catch him before he makes it out of the living room.

“Can you stay in here for a couple minutes?”

I ask. I feel odd requesting something of him when he has no clue who I am.

“But Rhett—”

“He’s okay,”

I tell him.

“But he asked me to make sure you stay in here. He’ll come find us as soon as he can, okay?”

He frowns.

“Why should I listen to you?”

“Benny,”

Andrew snaps.

“You know better than to act like this.”

“He’ll only be a couple minutes,” I say.

Grabbing his little brother by the back of the neck, Andrew hauls him back into the living room.

“Just wait.”

Once it seems like Benny is going to listen, Aubrey gets up and pulls me into a hug. She’s wearing a light pink sweater that brings out the warmth in her dark brown skin. When she looks at me, her eyes soften, although the concern that’s been present for the past few days has eased some.

“Are they okay?”

she asks quietly.

“I think. I barely got to talk to them, which I know will change soon, but…”

With an anxious sigh, I glance toward the doorway.

“God, Aubrey, what if they blame me?”

“They won’t,”

she tells me gently.

Wringing my hands, I nod.

“It’s just my anxiety,” I mumble.

“Hey, I get it. You’ve all had me worried, too. But I’ve seen how they look at you, Wren. They aren’t going to let some little mistake get in the way of that.”

Deep down, I know that even if the guys do blame me, it won’t change how they feel. Aubrey is right—they could never hate me.

“Do you know if they killed King?”

Aubrey asks hopefully.

“I’m not sure. Things got a little hectic.”

“We’ll ask once they’re in here,”

Sparrow says smoothly, and we both glance over, realizing she’s been listening in on our whole conversation.

“If they didn’t, they’ll hold up their end of the deal and find another way to keep your parents safe.”

Aubrey nods.

“I know. This would just make it so much easier.”

With a groan, Benny flops onto the floor.

“Where are they?”

I peer out the doorway and into the rest of the house. I think I heard them come inside.

“I don’t know. But I’m sure it’ll only be a couple more minutes.”