Page 56 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two
Elliot:Did you mean don’t underestimate Aubrey as an enemy or as an ally?
Her response is almost immediate.
Sparrow Belgrave:Don’t you think I’d tell you if she was an enemy?
That’s a good point, I suppose.
I angle my phone so Wren can see. “I’d say she’s trustworthy.”
“Oh, thank goodness. But… uh, who’s Sparrow?”
Right.I forgot we didn’t tell her a lot of details about Wyoming. It was for her safety, but we forgot to fill her in afterward.
“Someone we can trust when it comes to Ludo,” I say. “It’s in her best interests to take him down as well. She’s the one who hired us for the Wyoming job.”
“And she knows Aubrey?”
“Or she knows somethingaboutAubrey. It’s kind of her job to know things.”
“But either way, we can keep hanging out? As actual friends?”
“Looks that way.”
“And it’ll be a way to get closer to Ludo?”
“That too. As long as you’re okay with it, love.”
“I want to help bring him down.”
Fuck, I love her.
In the penthouse, Rhett is sitting at the kitchen table. He has one earbud in, and he’s typing furiously on his laptop. When he sees us, he pauses.
“Anything good?” I ask.
“Nothing of use, but there’s still plenty to go through.”
“Keep us updated.”
I leave Wren in the living room to take a shower. I know it’s stupid, but I feel like I need to wash Ludo off me.
As I step into the bedroom, Oliver comes out of the bathroom. When he sees me, he makes a relieved noise. “I’m glad you didn’t stick around for long.”
“Couldn’t’ve. I was already about to lose it.”
Humming in agreement, Oliver plops onto my lap like it’s the most natural thing to do—probably because it is. “I think Rhett was about to punch him. He was pissed when he picked up the girls.”
“At least Ludo is more confident in our abilities now. And I’m glad we all made it through safely.”
Even though we knew Samuel most likely wasn’t a true threat, I didn’t like leaving Oliver alone like that. I never like it when we have to split up.
“Agreed,” Oliver sighs. He kisses my cheek before standing. “I’m gonna check on Wren. Take your time in the shower. You’re tense as hell.” He pokes my shoulder.
“It won’t help,” I mumble after he’s gone. I’ve got too much to worry about, too much to plan. At this rate, I probably won’t even sleep tonight.
For the hundredth time, I find myself wishing this was all over. I want to know what life is like without all this external pressure and stress.
“Six months,” I whisper as I turn on the shower. But even as I say it, I can’t help but feel that even that time frame is going to be agonizingly long.
