Page 49 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two
Wren doesn’t protest. At the moment, I think she prefers it this way. If I got kidnapped from my own apartment, I’d probably want someone around to keep me safe at all times, too.
My phone buzzes, and then Wren’s and Rhett’s do as well. Grabbing my phone, I see a notification from Oliver in the group chat with the four of us.
Oliver:Aubrey wants to hang out with Wren???
Wren:Sounds good to me!
Elliot:Nothing near water.
Wren hums when she sees my text. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Oliver:Aubrey suggested shopping. She needs stuff for the honeymoon.
Rhett:Two of us should go.
The fact that he’s not volunteering means he doesn’t want to. Fair enough—Rhett has always hated shopping and dealing with other people. Stresses him out.
Elliot:I’ll come with you guys.
“Thank you,” Rhett mutters.
“I don’t mind.” I let my arm fall from Wren’s shoulders and kiss her cheek. “Maybe it’ll even be fun.”
And maybe—hopefully—we’ll be able to learn something more about Ludo’s plans for us.
Chapter ten
Oliver
My morning with Aubrey is pretty uneventful. I’m not sure how I feel about her and Wren getting closer, but it could be a great way to weasel our way into Ludo’s personal life more. The closer, the better, honestly.
Aubrey and Wren are both hungry, so we stop for food first. By the time we arrive at a little plaza full of cute, upscale stores, it’s already afternoon. We’re only supposed to keep an eye on Aubrey until around three—that’s when Ludo gets back from whatever he’s doing—but obviously if we stay out later, she’s still our responsibility.
When we enter the first store, I’m immediately drawn in. So many vibrant articles of clothing hang on the racks. It’s an explosion of color.
“Oh, wow,” Wren says, stopping in front of a romper. “This is pretty.”
I already know what she’s going to do, and so does Elliot. We watched her do it over and over again when we took her shopping weeks ago. Instead of further inspecting the romper or looking for one that’s her size, she immediately goes for the paper tag hanging from the side.
Elliot catches her wrist. “Ah ah. Don’t bother checking the prices.” He slides his card in between her fingers and kisses her cheek. “Get whatever you want.”
Wren laughs nervously, staring at the credit card like he’s playing some practical joke on her. “You sure you want me to hold this? What if I lose it?”
He shrugs. “I trust you.”
As Wren and Aubrey look through the store, chatting and laughing with each other, Elliot and I watch from a distance.
“The two of them seem to be getting along well,” I say quietly.
Elliot nods. “Ludo wants them to.”
“What?” I hiss. “And we’re just letting it happen?”
“I think it’ll be good for us, too,” Elliot murmurs. “Rhett has a transcript of the conversations in the condo last night, so you’ll be able to read the whole thing soon. But the basic gist of it is that he wants Wren to get attached to Aubrey so Ludo has another attachment tous.Which is exactly what we want. Aubrey doesn’t seem to know about his plans, though. She genuinely likes Wren.”
“Makes sense.”
“Oh?”
