Page 68 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

We sleep soundly for the rest of the night. This time, I stay in Wren’s bed, and Rhett sleeps with Ell.

When I wake, Wren is still out cold. Sunlight is streaming in through the window, but it doesn’t anger me the way it has for the past couple weeks. I’m not trapped in here. If I want to go outside and feel the breeze against my skin, I can.

I let myself watch Wren for a few minutes. She didn’t have any nightmares—at least not while she was with me. Her breathing is even, and the worry that I’ve gotten used to seeing on her features is gone. I’m sure some of it’ll come back when she wakes, but for now, I’m happy to see her so at peace.

Quietly, I get up and get ready for the day. My mom has always been an early riser. She still has questions, and just because I’m safe doesn’t mean she isn’t worried.

Once I’m dressed and ready to head downstairs, I lower myself onto the edge of the bed. I don’t want Wren to wake up alone without knowing where I went. Lightly, I run my hand down her arm.

She makes a tired sound before whispering, “I missed that.”

“I know, princess.”

I smile down at her as she blinks her eyes open.

When she sees I’m fully dressed, she grabs my wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“Just downstairs. Wanna talk to Mom some.”

“Mmm.”

Her eyes slide closed again, and her grip on my arm loosens.

“We won’t leave you, Wren.”

Leaning down, I brush my lips across her cheek.

“We’ll never leave you again.”

She barely responds, only letting out a sleepy moan before fully relaxing again. I watch her for a few more seconds before heading downstairs.

As I expected, Mom is on the back porch watching Maggie sniff around the yard. It’s starting to get warmer, but early mornings are still chilly, so she’s under a blanket.

When I step outside, she looks up at me and smiles.

“Sit with me?”

I settle onto the porch swing, and she drapes the blanket over my lap. Her eyes are glistening as she cups my face in her palm.

“I’m okay,” I lie.

She shakes her head. Of course she can see right through me.

“I’ll be okay.”

I take both of her hands in mine, covering them.

“You’re cold.”

“I don’t mind.”

She glances around the yard.

“It’s nice out here. She would’ve liked it.”

“She would’ve.”

Losing Sammy is the most devastating thing that’s ever happened to us. Of course it’s been the hardest for Rhett, but I know how deeply Mom has mourned her all these years. Our house became a safe haven for Rhett, but even more so for Sammy.

I smile as memories of weekend breakfasts and playing dress-up fill my mind. In the summer, we’d swim in the community pool, come home to dinner, and then play in our tiny backyard until the sun went down. Then we’d watch a movie or catch fireflies or listen while Mom read us a story.

When Sammy was killed, I lost a sister, and Mom lost a daughter. I know that deep down, she wishes things had been different. We’ve all had the thoughts. If we could’ve changed the circumstances even slightly, Sammy would still be here.

“She would’ve loved how big the yard is,”

Mom whispers.

As I watch her, a familiar ache returns to my chest. It’s unlike most of the other pain I’ve experienced. There’s no way to fix this. Not even revenge will make it better, and we all know it.

“Mom…”

I squeeze my eyes shut.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me that you found him?”

“I didn’t think you’d be on board with what we’re going to do. We’re not planning on only killing him.”

She laughs, although it’s half a sob.

“Oh, Oliver. I tried to instill goodness in you. I really did, but…”

She gestures at herself.

“I’m the wrong person to do so. But I think in the process, I led you to believe otherwise.”

“What? Mom, come on. You’re one of the most compassionate people I know. You’re good down to your core.”

But she shakes her head.

“I’ve done things, Oliver. Things I don’t regret. Things that place me far away from being a good person.”

“Then I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh?”

Her fingers curl around my hand as she sighs.

“I know you, Ollie. You didn’t give up your humanity to get to this point. None of you did.”

“Did you?”

Her smile is sad.

“No. If anything, I think I found it.”

I don’t ask her what she did. If she’s ever ready, she’ll tell me. It doesn’t matter, anyway. There isn’t anything that’d change how much I love her.

“It took us years to find him,”

I tell her.

“But we never gave up. We got close to him—worked for him, even—and now… Well, you know.”

Her expression is sincere as she says, “I’ve never been more proud of you in my life.”

“Mom. I’m a hitman.”

“I know. Wren told me.”

She shoots me a pointed look.

“Don’t let her go. She’s a fighter.”

“Trust me, I know. We’re not planning on losing her. Ever.”

“I was harsh with her when we first met,”

Mom says on a sigh.

“It was the exact opposite of how I wanted it to go, but I was so scared for you. I was worried she had something to do with your disappearance.”

My heart sinks. With how meeting Elliot’s parents went, I was hoping for something better.

“Does Maria know?”

Mom shakes her head.

“Thankfully, she’s been so caught up in work that all she’s noticed are a few missed texts from you. I told her you were sick.”

“Got it.”

I rub my face.

“Fuck, I’m gonna have to get a new phone.”

“One thing at a time. Apparently, the house is trashed, so that’s probably our first priority.”

“Trashed?”

“Wren and Finn told me that Holloway sent a second team to the mansion,”

Mom says.

“Said they were searching for the hard drive. There’s gonna be a mess to clean up, probably, although they haven’t gone back to see what the damage was. Didn’t know if the place was being watched.”

Sighing, I lean back in the swing. I was hoping we could go home today and just relax. There’s work to be done, but once Ludo is locked up again, most of it can wait.

“Did he hurt you?”

Mom asks quietly.

I almost lie. She’s reliving so much pain as it is. But we’ve hidden enough from her.

“He did. I got lucky that it was only once. I think he was leaning more on the psychological torture aspect, which…”

I shudder as I remember how panicked I got whenever I heard footsteps in the hallway.

“It worked.”

“Torture? He tortured you?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

My smile is meant to be reassuring, but the tears in my eyes ruin the picture. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. It felt like I spent an eternity in that basement, and the only reason I didn’t beg for death was because Elliot was there with me.

“Oliver,”

Mom whispers.

“I can’t talk about it,”

I croak.

“Please, I just… I can’t.”

“Of course.”

She runs a hand over my hair before pulling me into her.

I’m not sure how long we stay like that, but Maggie eventually comes back to sniff at our hands. We both pet her silently until the sliding door opens, and Aubrey and Sparrow step out.

“Are we interrupting something?”

Sparrow asks.

“Not at all,” Mom says.

Sparrow gives her a warm smile before her gaze slides to me.

“We just need to double check. Is King dead?”

I nod.

Aubrey blows out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you.”

“For killing King? Why?”

“He’s the one who was threatening my parents,”

Aubrey replies.

Well, that’s convenient.

“So they’re safe, then?” I ask.

With a nod, Aubrey smiles.

“What’re you going to do with Holloway’s body once you’ve killed him?”

Sparrow asks.

“Probably—”

“If you need to get rid of it completely, pigs eat everything—even bones,” Mom says.

I laugh. One of Mom’s cousins is a pig farmer, so I’m not surprised she knows that. We’ve stayed with him a couple times when we were kids. The last time was when my dad disappeared. After that, I think the place held too many sad memories, so we never went back.

“Pretty sure your son knows how to deal with a dead body,”

Sparrow says, her brown eyes sparkling.

“I was gonna say dissolve it, but pigs could be fun.”

Finn opens the sliding door, dressed in his usual black pants and T-shirt.

“Breakfast is ready. Can you help get everyone up? We have a big day today.”

“We do?”

I ask, but Finn is already rushing off to the kitchen. With a groan, I stand and head inside.

Rhett and Elliot are just making their way downstairs, followed by Wren, who still looks like she could sleep for another hour or two.

“Are Andrew and Benny awake yet?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

Rhett pulls me into a hug.

“I smelled food, so I got them up.”

“How’s Andrew?”

“Oddly quiet.”

With a shake of his head, Rhett frowns.

“I don’t know what he thinks about any of this.”

We join everyone else in the kitchen. Finn has a griddle fired up with pancakes going on it, and Mom has already weaseled her way in to help.

“Elliot,”

she says, “I’ve got an omelette going for you.”

He groans and rubs his stomach.

“You’re the best.”

“Wren, do you like omelettes?”

Mom asks.

“I can make one for you after his.”

“Oh, sure. Thanks.”

I grab a heaping plate of pancakes and kiss Mom on the cheek before heading into the dining room. Sparrow and Aubrey already have their food and have sat down together.

“So you’re leaving today?”

I ask, trying to hide my disappointment. Aubrey is fun to hang out with, and I know how much her and Wren have missed each other.

Aubrey nods.

“For the best. Finn told us about Axel’s plans. Just in case anyone comes looking for Ludo—or for me, since they think I’m his wife—it’s not a good idea for me to stick around.”

“Makes sense. And I’m glad your parents are safe now.”

I can’t lie, I’m relieved we don’t have to figure out a way to protect them. Getting captured by Ludo wasn’t part of the plan. All I want to do is spend time with the guys and Wren—and now Benny and Andrew.

That’s gonna be one hell of an adjustment.

“So am I,”

Aubrey says.

“They aren’t too happy with my overall plan, but this is a nice bonus. They’ll come around eventually.”

Everyone else files in slowly. Andrew is avoiding everyone’s gazes, and Benny is so focused on getting food into his system that I’m not sure he even realizes there are other people in the room.

“Once Aubrey and Sparrow head out, I figure we can head over to the mansion and see how bad things are,”

Finn says.

“Not kicking you out, but—”

“Oh shut up,”

Sparrow says with a grin.

“You definitely are.”

With a glare, Finn says, “Fine. Maybe I’m sort of kicking you all out. But I also know you all want to get home.”

“And you’re a recluse,”

Sparrow mutters under her breath.

Ignoring her, Finn continues, “There’s more room in the mansion, anyway. I don’t mind giving up my room for a night for these two.”

He gestures to the boys.

“But I do prefer sleeping in my bed over the couch.”

“You don’t have to make excuses,”

Elliot says on a laugh.

“There’s a lot of us.”

“Told you they wouldn’t mind.”

Sparrow smirks and elbows Finn.

“We’re going to a mansion?”

Benny asks cautiously.

“Mr. Holloway’s mansion?”

“No.”

Rhett is sitting next to Benny, so he squeezes his arm reassuringly.

“It’s our home.”

“We’re staying with you?”

“For now,”

Andrew answers darkly, wiping off the relieved look from Benny’s face.

“We still have to figure out how to transfer your custody to me.”

Rhett schools his expression immediately. None of us have talked about it, but I think we’re all on the same page. Andrew is too young—and much too immature—to take care of a twelve-year-old.

“We’ll get that sorted soon enough,”

Elliot says.

“For now, we can keep you both hidden and safe.”

Andrew doesn’t respond. I’m not really sure where his loyalties lie, although I don’t think they’re with Ludo anymore. That doesn’t mean they’re with us, though.

I exchange a suspicious glance with Rhett. Something is up with him. Whatever it is, Andrew had better not try to fuck us over.

I’m done with people trying to hurt us.