Page 35 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two
“Damn,” she says on a laugh before taking a sip of her drink. Her smile fades almost immediately, because Ludo calls from where he and the guys have gathered around the unlit fire pit.
“Hey you two, come over here. You’re supposed to be getting to know your new bodyguards, darling.”
Aubrey makes a face when Ludo calls herdarling,probably because the canopy shields her from his line of sight. Then she sits up, a bright smile on her face. “Just give us a couple minutes. I want to get to know Wren, too.”
Ludo doesn’t look too happy at her disobedience, but Aubrey easily ignores his soured expression.
“I am sosickof him ordering me around,” she tells me quietly.
This doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a happy marriage.
“Why does he expect you to listen?”
She gives me a blank stare for a second, and then she laughs. “You know who you’re talking about, right? That man always gets what he wants. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve already chosen to pick my battles for now. And spending a couple minutes over here is one I can win.”
“Do you…” I trail off, realizing it’s probably rude for me to pry into a stranger’s love life.
Aubrey must sense my unease, because she nods her head in a way that indicates she wants me to go on.
“Do you want to marry him?” I whisper.
“God no. But it’ll be worth it.”
“Oh?”
“My parents have a solid reputation and a network of friends and colleagues that Ludo wants access to. Mainly a couple judges, for whatever reason. As for my parents, they took a case that made them some pretty dangerous enemies. They’re looking at a couple years before everything is over, and they need protection.
“Ludo has the power to keep my parents’ enemies from hurting us, simply through a familial connection. Who would touch us if they knew Ludo would come after them as a result? This is the solution both parties agreed to.” She gestures between him and her.
“A marriage of convenience.”
“Basically. It keeps my parents safe. And I…” She gives me that smile again, like she thinks I’m in on something I’m not. “I’ll be just fine.”
I’m not sure I believe her, but then again, it doesn’t seem like I have the full picture. I tuck that all away in the back of my mind to tell the guys later.
“So if you two aren’t in love or anything, why take this vacation together?”
“Appearance and all that. We have to post pictures together on social media.” Aubrey rolls her eyes. “For everyone to get what they want out of the arrangement, it has to appear real. That way my parents’ inner circle will think Ludo is trustworthy so he can get close to them, blah blah blah. But a pre-wedding vacation is the last thing I wanted to do. It was Ludo’s idea because it’s convenient forhim.”
“Why?” I try to keep my tone light, hoping I don’t come across as too curious. This sounds like it could be helpful, but I don’t want Aubrey to get suspicious.
“Hmm? Oh, Ludo has a new employee. A personal one, not one for the club. There’s a lot that goes into training someone new. Ludo’s process is supposedly more on the grueling side, especially the first few days. Honestly, I feel bad for the new guy. He’s practically a kid.”
My stomach turns.
“Ludo has a few trusted allies down here who he uses for training,” Aubrey continues. “The idea is to put this guy through a series of tests to make him prove his loyalty or some shit. I’m fuzzy on the details, but it sounds like hell. Supposedly, the last time Ludo tried to recruit someone, they died.”
Holy shit. Is it going to be this easy to gather information on Ludo?
“That sounds horrible.”
“It is. But I’m not surprised. Ludo is heartless.”
“It seems like he trusts you, though,” I say. “Sounds like you know a lot about his operations.”
She laughs. “Oh, that has nothing to do with trust. When we announced our engagement, I moved in with him for security reasons. In an old mansion like his, it’s easy to eavesdrop through vents and cold air exchanges, all that shit. The asshole won’t tell me anything, so spying on him is the only way I can ever figure anything out. Ludo has no idea how much I know.”
This is suspiciously easy.
