Page 2 of Hard Ruck

“Of course,” I said. I suspected Belinda’s tolerance was low. She looked close to pissing herself. I had to give her credit for not doing it already. “I am your only sister though.”

He chuckled at the feigned annoyance on my face. He knew how to get a rise out of me, but he never meant any harm by it. He’d chain himself up in here and torture himself before he did anything to hurt me. Although, he’d enjoy doing that to himself, so it might defeat the purpose.

“You can’t just chain someone away in a basement and…” She struggled, trying to pull her wrist out of the cuffs they were in. “When the police catch up to you?—”

Ice laughed. “I see you don’t know how things work here in Dusk Bay. The police don’t have that much influence. They aren’t allowed to. Other forces have authority in this city. I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” His brow creased briefly before he smiled again. “Since I’m doing that anyway, Reuben Brantley is the boss around here. Samuel Bell too, to some extent. That’s all getting muddy these days, what with Sam’s daughter being with Reuben’s brothers?” He waved his coffee cup in the air dismissively.

“But the Brantley family is involved in…” Belinda’s eyes widened. “Organised crime. That’s what you are, isn’t it? That’s why you think you can do this and get away with it.”

She struggled again.

Ice laughed. “I can’t just get away with it, I’mpaidto do this. I have the best job.” He finished his coffee and placed his mug on the workbench. “Chelsea, are you sure you won’t come and work with me? We’d have the best time.”

“I’m sure,” I said firmly, and for the umpteenth time. I’d go back to taking my clothes off and fucking men for money before I worked with him. Call me crazy, but I preferred sex to torture and killing. I suspected that, to him, they were all the same thing. Just another way to get off. To satisfy primal urges. Whatever did it for him, it didn’t do it for me.

My intention was to scare Belinda, that was all, but once I’d done it, I knew I couldn’t leave it at that. She would have called the police and I’d lose any chance I had of being team doctor to the Dusk Bay Smashers rugby union team. Not to mention being inconvenienced while my family worked to get me released from police custody.

What would Storm, Frost and Dallas say if they saw me here, like this? I’d like to think they’d be horrified, like any normal person. In reality, I suspected they’d like this side of me. The side that would shoot a woman’s computer and bring her down here at gunpoint, knowing she wouldn’t walk out of here again. The side that wouldn’t give up on my dreams without a fight. Even a dirty fight.

When it came down to it, there was nothing I wouldn’t do to get what I wanted. We all had that in common: me, my brother and my boyfriends. We were all ambitious. Driven to the point of ruthlessness.

“I’ll keep working on you.” He booped the tip of my nose with his finger before stepping over to open a drawer on the side of the room. “I can’t decide if I’m in a toenail mood or a fingernail mood.” He pulled a pair of pliers out of the drawer. “Some days, it’s so hard to decide. Can I at least convince you to decide for me?” He gestured towards his ‘guest’ with the pliers.

“What are you doing?” Belinda took a step back as if there was anywhere to go, pulling the chains to their fullest extent.

“We’re getting started,” Ice said cheerfully. “I don’t want to keep you hanging.” He chuckled to himself.

I snorted. “Ba dum tish.”

Being the smartass that he was, he actually bowed, making his dark ponytail swing to the side.

“See what you’re missing?” He straightened back up and stepped over to Belinda. “You could have fun with people like this, and enjoy my sense of humour at the same time.” He grabbed her hand and pulled it closer to his face. He gripped onto the fingernail of her pointer finger with the pliers and started to work it loose from its bed.

I winced and turned my face away, but I couldn’t shut out the sound of her scream of pain. She would have destroyed my life, but this was still horrible to watch. As many times as I’d seen him work, I was nowhere near used to it. No matter how deserving the victim. He got off on this, but I didn’t think I ever would.

“Kennedy used to have the same response,” Ice said. “But now, she enjoys my work as much as I do.”

I never saw his girlfriend down in his workroom, but I took his word for it. There was a darkness in her like there was in both of us. Apparently she was better at surrendering to hers than I was at surrendering to mine. Honestly though, I couldn’t imagine anyone enjoying this as much as my brother did. He’d always been fascinated by people and the way they worked. Why some people felt more pain than others; how far he could push people to make them scream, beg or die.

When was the first time he killed another person? I didn’t know. He probably remembered, like anyone remembers their first time doing something life changing. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d lost count since then. Ironically, he’d never hurt a kitten or a puppy. If he saw anyone abusing an animal, he’d likely strangle them with his bare hands. Lucky for him, because if he did anything to a small animal, he’d have to deal with me.

“I should get going.” I glanced back in time to see him starting on the second nail. My breakfast threatened to come back up.

“No, please,” Belinda begged. “I swear I’ll do anything you want. Please.” Her eyes bulged wide, more white than irises or pupils. Her face was just as white, like all the blood drained down to her nail bed, where it now dripped. The tang of urine filled the room. The puddle at her feet trickled into a drain beside the wall.

If Ice didn’t clean his workroom thoroughly after each of his guests, it would mingle with the blood of countless other people who came before her. As it was, the concrete floor looked almost immaculate. My brother was nothing if not meticulous with maintaining the cleanliness of his space. Like any good doctor.

I eyed the gun lying on the workbench. I couldn’t let her out of here, but I could end her suffering faster. One bullet right into her brain and she wouldn’t feel a thing. She’d be dead and I’d never have to worry about her again. She wouldn’t have to endure the pain my brother was going to put her through the next few days. The agony. The torture.

I picked up our empty mugs and carried them upstairs to be washed.

I was many things, but I wasn’t a killer.

Chapter Two

Chelsea

“Oh, shit,”Sadie whispered. “She was really going to do that to you?” She poured a generous glass of wine and handed it to me. “Why didn’t you tell me this before you went to her place?”

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