Page 22 of Dirty Ruck
I wanted to argue with him, to remind him I was an independent, mature adult.
Instead, I sighed. "I didn't want to be there by myself. It used to be a comfortable space. After what happened to Sadie, it gives me the creeps. If I wasn't alone, I might have been with Otis Skinner, and that could have been worse. Or Dominic King. We still can’t be sure they weren't behind whoever came after me."
They might be waiting for an opportunity to deal with me personally. That idea didn't reassure me. A laptop wouldn't be much use against a gun.
"No, we can't." Atlas leaned against the kitchen island, holding a bottle of water he hadn't opened since he pulled it out of the fridge half an hour ago. "I know the plan is to make them believe we're working with them, so we can bring them down from the inside. But I don't like Chelsea being anywhere near either of them. It might be better if you stop working for the team." He gave me an apologetic look, but the set of his jaw was determined. As unmoving as the expression on Storm's face.
"I second that," Frost said softly.
I frowned at him, but he shrugged. "I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you. If that means you take a break for a while, then…"
"I vote we leave it to Chelsea," Dallas said.
"Thank you," I told him. We all knew why he wanted me close, but it was nice to have a vote of confidence. Someone who recognised I was capable. Not just as a doctor, but my ability to keep an eye on Skinner and King.
"I vote she doesn't work there anymore," Storm said.
Jay looked from me to Atlas and back again, clearly torn between supporting me and supporting him.
"Your votes don't matter," Ramsey said quietly, his skin slick with sweat, having come from the gym. Clearly he'd heard enough. "We need her there. You don't like it, take it up with Daze. Or Reuben Brantley. This goes above my head. Above all of yours, too. Including Chelsea."
I pressed my lips together and looked down at the floor for a few moments. If anything had the potential to make me want to walk away from the team, it was being told I was there as a pawn in the Brantley game. I knew I was, but being reminded was a nudge to my stubborn side to come out and play. Which, in this case, would do me no good whatsoever.
I looked back up. "That's settled then. I'll keep working for the team and do what I have to. Maybe I can help put an end to this sooner. We can get King and Skinner out, and away from the team, and get on with our lives."
Storm crossed his big arms over his chest, like he might have something to say that would stop me, regardless of Ramsey. "I don't fucking like it."
"Me either," Ramsey said. "We're in it now. Can't stop it. Like Chelsea said, we can put an end to this sooner."
"Why don't we then?" Frost asked. "Can't we just kill King, Skinner and Coach Davis?"
"Not unless you want to deal with Carlos Jones and his cartel," Ramsey said. "We need to confirm it's him behind all of this. When we've done that, we can give the information to Brantley. Let him deal with Jones."
"We're just supposed to sit back and wait?" Storm grumbled. "Haven't we waited long enough?"
"No," Ramsey said simply. "It'll take what it takes. We don't want to provoke them."
"I want to provoke them," Storm said. "I want to provoke them so hard they can't walk for the rest of their lives. Which wouldn't be long after that anyway."
"Me too," Frost agreed. "What can I do to make this go faster? I'll pretend to be Dominic King's best friend if that helps."
"You're not going near him unless you have to," Storm told him. "Frost is right, though, what do we have to do?"
"I wish I knew." Ramsey wiped sweat off his forehead with a towel before draping it over his shoulder. "We still need to figure out who Nile Fox is."
"I have a feeling once we know, it'll answer a lot more other questions," Atlas said. He cracked open the lid of his water bottle and took a gulp. "How do we find that out?"
"I shouldn't have killed India," Dallas said quietly. "She might have had the answer."
"You did what you had to," I reminded him. "But that gives me an idea. India wasn't working alone. There must have been someone else. Someone at Flirts, or someone she lived with maybe?"
"You're not going back to work there," Storm growled.
"No, but I can go back socially," I said. "Or you can. Better if it's me, they think I’m harmless." Storm was many things, but harmless wasn't one of them.
"Not alone," Dallas said. "I'll go with you."
"Me too," Frost said.
