Page 65 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

We gag Ludo with duct tape and drag him inside. He’s not putting up much of a fight. I’m not sure if it’s because of his injuries—I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a concussion—or if he’s trying to fake weakness so we go easy on him.

That’ll never happen.

The basement is dark and damp. Finn yanks open a metal door that looks newer than the rest of the house. Inside is what was once probably a cellar.

“Throw him in here,”

Finn says.

“We can chain him up.”

Finally, Holloway makes some noise of protest, but we ignore him. Rhett and Elliot shove Ludo into the cellar while I hold up a flashlight so they can see. There are chains attached to hooks that are embedded to the wall, and Finn gets to work restraining Ludo with them.

I don’t feel a shred of pity for locking him up in a dark, windowless room. He deserves far worse.

Once Finn has shut the door and turned all three locks on it, his gaze falls to us.

“I need you three as alert as possible for our meeting with Axel tonight. Eat. Shower. Rest. We’re meeting him just after midnight.”

“Food sounds amazing,”

I say tiredly.

“One meal a day wasn’t nearly enough.”

Elliot’s gaze snaps to mine.

“What? You only got one meal a day?”

“You got more?” I ask.

“I did,”

Elliot says, guilt washing over his features.

It makes sense. We both heard Ludo say it—he needed Ell in perfect condition, not me.

“So did I,”

Rhett says.

“I ate with Benny.”

Something passes between Elliot and Rhett as they share a long, heavy look.

“Let’s get upstairs,”

Finn says quietly.

“I’ll be a minute,”

Meredith replies. She’s been eyeing the door since Finn locked it.

“He’s not worth your energy.”

I tug her toward the stairs, but she doesn’t budge.

“Oh, my sweet boy.”

Mom grabs my face and presses a kiss to my forehead.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Now go upstairs and let me do this, okay?”

“You’re not going to kill him, are you?” I ask.

Mom’s gaze flicks to Rhett.

“No. I know that’s not my place.”

“And keep him quiet,”

Finn says as he tosses Mom the keys to the door.

“Benny doesn’t know he’s down here, and I’d prefer not to have a traumatized twelve-year-old to deal with for the rest of the day.”

Once we’re upstairs, Finn moves toward the sound of a TV, and I figure that’s where everyone else is. He’s probably trying to give us a few minutes alone, which I appreciate.

But when I turn to Rhett, he doesn’t pull me into his arms or kiss me. He just grabs me and drags me into the kitchen. Elliot follows, avoiding my gaze.

I really should’ve kept the one meal a day thing to myself. He has enough guilt to deal with.

“Hey,”

I protest when Rhett turns away from me and opens the fridge.

“You need to eat,”

he says, grabbing food and tossing it onto the counter.

“I can wait a couple minutes.”

“No, you need food.”

Gently, Elliot places a hand on his shoulder.

“Rhett. He needs you.”

“I need both of you,”

I snap.

“So get out of your goddamn heads and get over here. I didn’t think I’d ever see either of you again. I don’t care about a fucking sandwich.”

That seems to snap both of them out of whatever’s gotten into them. Rhett drops the bread he just pulled from a bag, and Elliot finally looks me in the eye.

“Now,”

I grit out.

I don’t wait for them to move toward me. I’ve waited long enough, dammit, and every second I’m not in their embrace is more painful than the last. So I grab them both, kissing Elliot and then Rhett, before pulling them as close as I can.

Elliot releases a long, shuddering breath as his arms come around me and Rhett. I feel his lips pressed to the top of my head, and I close my eyes as Rhett makes a pained sound.

We don’t say anything. No amount of telling each other that we were scared, that we missed each other, that we thought we’d die, will amount to the way the tightness in my chest eases at being held by them.

Their bodies are familiar against mine, and I let myself relax. Holloway is locked up. We’re all safe. The revenge we’ve been fighting for is finally at our fingertips, and this time, we’re not letting it slip away.

“I’m so sorry,”

Elliot whispers after a few minutes.

“For everything. And Ol, I should’ve stayed awake. I should’ve left. I’m so, so sorry.”

Just like that, it feels like someone is squeezing my lungs and forcing the air out of them.

“It’s okay,”

I mutter.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“What happened?”

Rhett asks cautiously, like he’s scared to know the answer.

“The morning the two of you weren’t in your windows, where were you?”

Goddammit. I was hoping they’d drop it.

“Not now,”

I whisper.

“No. What happened?”

Rhett’s arms tighten around me, but the comfort that normally comes with his embrace is gone.

“You were in pain earlier in the van. What did he do to you?”

It’s too much. Too restrictive. The pain, the way Ludo smiled at my screams, Elliot’s pleading—it all forces its way to the front of my mind.

“I snuck into his room,”

Elliot starts.

“I wasn’t supposed to fall asleep, but—”

“Stop.”

I shove them both away from me.

“Just stop. I… I can’t.”

My brain has blocked out a lot of the torture, but I still remember enough.

I wish I didn’t.

“Ol.”

Elliot reaches for me, but I swat his hand away and back up frantically.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

My voice is too loud, my tone too harsh.

“I said not now.”

“Okay.”

Elliot lowers his arm.

“We don’t have to. I’m sorry.”

Rhett’s features are hardened, and he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. Of course he has questions, but I just can’t. I never want to think about it again—including right now.

“Where’s Wren?”

I turn toward the doorway, feeling unsteady on my feet. My hands are shaking.

“You need to eat,”

Rhett says, but he doesn’t move to stop me as I head toward the living room.

The TV is going, but no one is paying attention to it. Andrew is plopped in a chair, Sparrow and Finn are sitting on the couch, and Aubrey is holding Wren and stroking her back.

Benny is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, although when he sees me, he straightens.

“Can I see Rhett now?” he asks.

“He’s busy,”

I say, stumbling into Wren’s arms.

“He’ll be in here in a couple minutes.”

Without a doubt, Rhett is probably halfway through making my sandwich. A few minutes ago, I was starving, but now eating is the last thing I want to do. I’ll have to, though. Rhett is worried enough about me.

Inhaling deeply, I bury my face in Wren’s neck. Her arms come around me hesitantly.

“I missed you,”

I whisper. She knows it, but I need to fill this silence. Need something.

“O, what’s wro—”

“Why’s Aubrey here?”

I turn to face the room, keeping an arm around Wren.

“I mean, I’m happy to see you and all. But… aren’t you supposed to be in California?”

“Wren needed some support,”

Aubrey says softly. Her eyes are tracking my every movement with an odd amount of concern.

“That’s nice.”

Plastering on a smile, I kiss Wren on the cheek.

“I’m glad you have her. And my mom, apparently. What’s up with that?”

Wren’s brows are furrowed, but at the mention of Mom, her frown turns into a look of guilt.

“She showed up at the house when you didn’t answer any of her calls. We were afraid she’d go to the police unless she had a reason not to, so I told her everything.”

She grimaces.

“I’m sorry.”

Everything? Based on the look in her eyes when we left her in the basement, she most definitely didn’t take this well.

“That’s a lot,” I say.

“She took it well for the most part. Where…”

Wren peers behind me.

“Where is she?”

“Uh… busy.”

Wren seems to get the idea because she nods slowly.

“And you’re—”

“I’m fine,”

I say quickly. I don’t have to look around the room to know that no one believes me.

“Just talk to me,”

I add quietly.

Even though Wren’s worry is evident on her face, she does what I ask.

“I, um. I met Maggie. She’s outside right now.”

“Yeah? Play fetch with her yet?”

Wren laughs.

“Practically every day. She can’t get enough of it. Meredith has enjoyed playing with her, too.”

“That’s… good.”

But my voice is steeped in disappointment. It’s only now hitting me that Wren and Mom have met. They’ve talked. Hell, it looks like they’ve spent at least a couple days together.

“Oliver,”

Wren says hesitantly.

“I’m glad you met Mom,”

I say, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “I’m…”

I’m tired of happy moments being taken away from me.

“Rhett!”

Benny shouts. He bolts across the room and throws his arms around his older brother, nearly knocking the plate out of his hand.

“You’re okay!”

“Yeah,”

Rhett says as he pats Benny on the back with his free hand.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Were you really not a guest?”

Benny asks, pulling away.

“Were you a prisoner? Why were you a prisoner? What did Mr. Holloway want with you? Why were you in handcuffs?”

“I’ll explain soon,”

Rhett says, “but for right now, I have some stuff I have to do. Tomorrow, all right?”

“As long as you promise.”

The corner of Rhett’s mouth tips up.

“I promise. But right now, I have some catching up to do.”

Sparrow stands.

“We can give you all some privacy.”

Benny’s face falls.

“What? No!”

“They all need to sleep.”

Finn places a hand on Benny’s shoulder.

“How does playing with Maggie for a bit sound?”

“Sure,”

Benny says, but he’s still looking at Rhett.

“You’re not leaving me again? And I don’t have to go back to my dad’s house?”

“Not leaving, and you never have to see Richard again if you don’t want to,”

Rhett tells him.

At that, Benny looks a little conflicted, but he nods. Once everyone has cleared out of the living room, Rhett holds out the plate to me. I grab it and reluctantly take a couple bites. He watches me for a minute before turning to Wren.

“Sweetheart.”

In a single step, he’s right in front of her, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her.

She grabs onto him, her grip tight. When he pulls away, she doesn’t let him get far.

“Are you okay?”

Her gaze moves to Elliot, and then to me.

“Are… are all of you okay?”

“We’re fine, princess,”

I say, even though the little food I’ve managed to swallow is threatening to make a reappearance.

“Are you okay?”

Rhett asks her.

“What happened after we got captured?”

“Ludo sent a team,”

she says.

“Finn and I fought them off. Well, we killed two of them, and we got some information out of the third before I killed him, too.”

My jaw drops as Rhett’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“You… you killed a man?”

Elliot asks, his voice a mix of the same wonder and disappointment that I’m feeling.

“Two,”

Wren admits almost bashfully.

“Finn told me exactly what to do for the first guy, and the second one was restrained.”

“Yeah, but you killed them.”

Elliot’s shoulders sag.

Glancing between us, Wren nods.

“That bothers you?”

“No, I just…”

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Elliot lets out a heavy breath.

“I guess I just thought that if it happened, we’d be there to see it.”

“Oh,”

Wren says softly.

“We’re proud of you, princess.”

Giving her my best smile, I set my plate down on the coffee table. I made it halfway through the sandwich, and there’s no way I can stomach more.

“Just wish we could’ve seen it.”

She laughs then, and while it’s tired, it’s not hollow.

“Words I never thought I’d hear from a romantic partner. Well, until a couple months ago.”

Resting her head on Rhett’s chest, she adds, “I wouldn’t want it any other way, though. And I’m glad we get to—that we’re all… that we get to…”

At first, I think she’s managed to push back the tears, but then her face scrunches up, and she buries her face in Rhett’s chest. Both Elliot and I move in immediately, surrounding her while she clings to Rhett.

“I know it was scary,”

Rhett murmurs.

“I was terrified,”

she sobs.

“I kept asking myself what I’d do if you didn’t make it. If I’d be able to…”

She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry. Guys, I’m so sorry.”

“What?”

Rhett pulls back slightly, just enough that he can look at her, but she drops her gaze.

“Princess,”

I say softly.

“What’re you talking about?”

That only makes her cry harder. My heart sinks as I realize what she means. This whole time, she’s been blaming herself.

“This…”

Rhett shakes his head.

“Wren, why are you sorry?”

“You don’t think this was your fault, do you?”

Elliot asks.

“Of course it was!”

“Wren.”

Grasping her shoulders, Rhett shakes his head.

“Absolutely not. Just—no.”

“If I’d paid closer attention, then…”

Another sob forces its way out.

“None of this—none of this would’ve—”

“No,”

Rhett says quickly, his voice firm.

“No, sweetheart, you couldn’t’ve known. This wasn’t your fault. Not in the slightest.”

“But you were captured because I was seen. Because I—”

“You were seen because I pushed you into something you weren’t ready for yet,”

I say.

“It’s not your fault, princess. It’s mine.”

“What?”

Elliot says.

“Yours? I’m the one who should’ve suspected that it was all a trap. That—”

“Enough.”

Rhett shakes his head, his arms tightening around Wren so he’s crushing her into his chest.

“The blame doesn’t lie with any of you. I’ve put us through so much pain over the past decade. This is just my latest fuck-up. I should’ve found a way to be content with just killing Holloway so we could’ve moved on years ago. This hasn’t been fair to anyone, and sweetheart…”

Rhett’s lips brush against her forehead.

“This was no one’s fault but mine.”

“You’re all fucking idiots,”

Finn mutters.

I jump, whirling around to find him standing in the doorway.

“Haven’t been here for the whole conversation,”

he says, holding up his hands.

“Just long enough to hear all your bullshit. None of you are to blame.”

Elliot goes to protest, but he doesn’t get a chance.

“This lies solely on Ludo’s shoulders,”

Finn continues.

“Deep down, I know you all know that. He’s the one who’s inflicted all this suffering on you, so stop trying to take the blame for something that’s not your fault.”

He’s speaking to all of us, but he’s only looking at Rhett.

We all know he never truly stopped blaming himself for Sammy’s death.

“Now please don’t make me haul each of you upstairs,”

Finn says.

“You three need to sleep. Fuck, Wren does, too. Just look at her. I’ll keep Benny and Andrew occupied, and I’ll make sure Meredith doesn’t hurt Ludo too much. So get moving.”

I sigh. Even though I’ve barely done anything for the past two weeks, I was never able to sleep well. How could I have? I was terrified.

Wren’s hand slides into Rhett’s.

“I can show you guys upstairs.”

Quietly, I follow everyone out of the living room. As I pass Finn, he places a hand on my shoulder.

“Wren has your meds. She grabbed them the night we left. She’s probably too overwhelmed to remember.”

“Thanks.”

Upstairs, there are three spare rooms. Sparrow and Aubrey are staying in one, Wren has been sleeping in the other, and the third is empty. We all shower, and I brush my teeth, needing to get the taste of food out of my mouth. When I get out of the bathroom, everyone is sitting on Wren’s bed.

I join them, leaning up against Elliot. There’s no way we can all fit on one of these beds, but none of us want to leave each other.

Rhett clears his throat.

“The three of you could—”

“No,”

I say, not even letting him finish.

“You’re not sleeping alone.”

“I doubt I’ll get much rest. There’s no reason—”

“No,”

we all say at once.

“So we split up?”

Wren asks sadly.

“It’s our best option if we want to get good sleep,”

Elliot says.

“Ol, will you… I…”

“I need you, too,”

I whisper. I need to wake up next to him without him being dragged away from me. The sooner I can replace that memory, the better.

Before we go, Rhett draws me into his arms. He cradles my head as he kisses me, and I lean into him. I need to be with Elliot, but I’ll miss his body against mine.

“I’m sorry for earlier,”

I murmur.

“I shouldn’t’ve pushed you away.”

He brushes his nose against mine.

“All I care about is that you’re okay.”

When I pull away, he’s watching me intently. All three of them are. Earlier, I was so desperate to get out of the memories of what Ludo did. I knew it scared them, but I couldn’t stop.

“I’ll… I’ll be okay.”

Rhett nods, finally releasing me.

“I love you,”

I tell him, wishing he’ll say it back but knowing he won’t. His mind is in a dark place, too. It’s written all over his face.

He brushes his lips against mine once more before turning to Elliot. As they embrace, I wrap Wren tightly in my arms.

“I don’t want to let you go,”

she whispers.

“It’s just for a few hours,”

I tell her, even though I feel the same way.

“And nothing will ever tear us apart again. I promise.”

She sniffles and kisses me lightly.

“You have my meds?”

“Oh!”

She spins around and opens the drawer to her nightstand.

“Here. I completely forgot.”

“It’s okay, princess.”

I brush my fingers over her cheek.

“Sleep well.”

Elliot gives Wren a lingering kiss, and then we head into the other spare room. The bed is much more comfortable than the mattress I’ve been sleeping on, and I revel at the softness of the sheets and the feeling of having blankets over me again.

As Elliot pulls my body into his so he’s spooning me, I breathe a sigh of relief. His body is warm against mine, and I feel safer than I should, considering how close Ludo is.

But he’s in chains, separated by multiple floors and a door with three locks. Finn and Sparrow are looking out for us, and now that we have the upper hand, there’s no way we’ll lose it again.

We’ll be okay.

I roll over so I’m facing Elliot. He’s watching me silently, and while he looks tired and ready to fall asleep, guilt still lingers in his eyes.

Gently, I trace his face with my fingertips. His skin is soft. Warm. Perfect.

“What’re you doing?”

Elliot whispers.

“Making sure this is real,”

I say softly.

When we were captured, it happened so quickly that it felt like a dream. Getting rescued was the same. I went from thinking I was about to get tortured again to realizing I was getting out in seconds. We’re safe now—I know that. But there’s still a part of me that doesn’t feel it.

“It is,”

Elliot murmurs before fitting his mouth to mine. He kisses me slowly, almost lazily, because there’s no rush now.

He doesn’t have to sneak in through the window.

I don’t have to live in fear of the footsteps outside my door.

We can talk to each other instead of tapping on walls.

“I love you,”

I breathe out, gripping his hair so he doesn’t pull away. My lips move against his, and his hand travels up my back, keeping me close.

There are so many things we still need to catch up on, but for the moment, they all fall away. Our kiss eventually slows, and we lie there with our foreheads touching and our arms around each other.

This time, I don’t worry about Elliot falling asleep. When his breathing slows, I find comfort in the sound. And when I find myself drifting off, anxiety doesn’t wake me back up again.

Finally—finally—we’re at peace.