Page 4 of Dirty Ruck (Ruck Boys #5)

Chapter Four

Chelsea

"I think we need to reconsider that mansion," Frost said, rising to his feet. "It's going to be difficult if we're all spread out like we are right now."

"You just want to live in a mansion," I teased him lightly.

He grinned. "Yes, I do, but I also want to keep you safe. That'll be much easier behind big ass gates. Living in separate apartments, it's gonna keep getting harder. And for once, I'm not talking about my dick."

"That would be a change." Storm returned to the kitchen, to get back to making enough burgers and salad for all of us. "I was starting to think you don't talk about anything else."

Frost stepped over to the kitchen to help him with dinner. "I think you're projecting. You're the one who thinks about my dick all the time."

"Keep telling yourself that," Storm said with a snort. "We all know it's you thinking about mine."

Frost held his hands up to either side, a vegetable peeler in his fingers. "I never denied that. I think about it almost as much as I think about Chelsea's pussy. Sometimes, it's a miracle I have any brain capacity left to think about anything else."

"You said it," Jay teased gently. He stepped over to help Frost with the vegetables.

"I only say what everyone else is thinking," Frost said. "I don't care if Storm believes I have a one track mind. It helped to lighten the mood." He gave Jay a wink.

"It's hard not to be in a heavy mood," Jay said. His face was down, looking towards carrots he sliced with perfect precision. They looked like something out of a restaurant or an episode of MasterChef .

"Jay." Atlas looked frustrated.

Jay looked up and glanced around at us. "Sorry, didn't mean to be a bummer."

"You can be a bummer as much as you want," Frost said. "We don't mind. Come to think of it, we're kinda used to it." He looked around slyly.

"If you're about to say it’s because I'm a bummer…" Storm growled. He waved a spatula in Frost's direction like he might punish the other player with it.

Frost didn't stop grinning. He’d probably enjoy being spanked with the kitchen implement.

I'd happily watch. Who was I kidding? I'd even more happily take part. Maybe after we were finished eating.

"If the hat fits." Atlas smirked in Storm's direction before snagging up a piece of carrot and biting into one end.

"Fuck off," Storm said in the general direction of both guys. He shook his head and turned back to cooking the burgers. For once, he wasn't genuinely angry. If anything, he looked like he enjoyed stirring them and being stirred in return.

"It's like having a house full of brothers," Dallas remarked.

He sat on the floor beside me, his head resting on my thigh.

"They give each other shit, but they don't really hate each other.

" After a moment he added, "At least, I don't think they do.

I haven't had to tell them to chill out for a while. I call that progress."

I ran the side of one finger up and down his hair. "That's exactly what it's like. Brothers growing closer, while giving each other shit as often as they can."

As the season went on, they became closer and closer. When I first met them, Storm, Atlas and Jay hated each other. Storm and Atlas in particular, would have punched each other long before they come up with anything nice to say about each other.

Now, they'd struck up a friendship of sorts. Some kind of understanding between them that mostly kept the peace.

"It's about time," Ramsey said. He sat on an armchair, gazing in the direction of the window. He looked like he wasn't paying attention, but he heard every word. "I've been telling them for ages to get along with each other. It's taken all of this for that to happen."

He was one of the younger of the guys, but sometimes it seemed like he'd taken on the burden of being their keeper.

Like somehow he was responsible for them and their safety and well-being.

Presumably because of his role as a go-between, between the Brantley family and us.

Or maybe he felt more mature than the rest of them. Age was just a number, after all.

"Wouldn't it be nice if that was the idea?" I mused. "If all of this was some kind of twisted plan to have you six come together." Just a plan to force them to become friends, and face their feelings towards each other. Would they have done it otherwise? I wasn't sure if they would.

"I didn't need this to come together with everyone here," Frost remarked.

Storm looked over his shoulder, rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "No one doubts that, bro."

"It would be nice," Ramsey said softly. "Extreme, but nice." He looked over at me, his eyes dark and troubled.

"Any theories on what happened today?" I asked. "Apart from ‘someone came after me.’"

I still couldn't get my head around why. In the scheme of things, I was no one. Plenty of people in Dusk Bay were more influential, more important than I was.

"I've been thinking it over," he said slowly. "I haven't come to any conclusions. Like I said, there could be a number of reasons. We need to be careful, keep our eyes and ears open. Sooner or later, they'll reveal themselves. They didn't do all of that for fun."

"Are you sure?" Frost asked. "I mean, people like that might think it's funny. Fucking with us and making us twitchy. It might have been a practice run for something else."

Ramsey turned to face him. "For what?"

Frost shrugged. "I have no idea. Don't tell me it's the strangest thing you've ever heard."

"It's not," Ramsey agreed.

Dallas picked up his head. "Is that a thing? Practising on innocent people before doing something to someone else? Why would they do that?"

"They wouldn't," Ramsey said. "It's not the strangest thing I ever heard, but it doesn't seem feasible to me. Practice yes, but other people are going to behave differently. Our behaviour isn't a perfect indicator of how others might act."

"Unless it was the shooter they were testing," Frost said. "Maybe they wanted to see if he could escape through the crowds."

"Slightly more plausible, but I still don't buy it," Ramsey said. "Whatever this was, it was about us." After a moment he added, "Or Sadie."

She'd gone to stay with her parents for a few days, to get out of the city. I thought she was safe until he said that.

I sat bolt upright, almost knocking Dallas aside.

"Are you sure this isn't about her?" I asked. "What if they wanted her to leave Dusk Bay? She might be vulnerable where she is."

"Is she?" Ramsey asked, his gaze steady on mine.

I stared back at him for a moment before sinking down to the couch again. "She shouldn't be. Her parents’ place is a virtual fortress. She's safer there than she is anywhere." Unless someone staged a full on assault, then she should be fine.

"That brings it back to this being about us," he concluded. "I think Frost is right."

"Frost is always right," Frost said.

"Frost is always a smart ass," Storm said.

"Thank you for saying I'm smart." Frost blew him a kiss. "Now, what am I right about this time?"

"The mansion," Ramsey said. "All of us moving in together. As we are, we're scattered. That makes us vulnerable. Every little crack we give them, they can pry open."

"We could buy the place directly under us and put a staircase all the way through," Storm suggested.

"That would take forever," Atlas said.

"It would be epic though," Jay said. “We could put in a water-slide.” He glanced over at Atlas with a smile before returning his attention to slicing cucumber.

"Definitely." Atlas nodded at him. "But construction would take months and cost a fortune. By then, it could all be too…" He pressed his lips together.

"You were going to say too late." Jay's smile was gone now. Replaced with a look of despair, bordering on fear. He tried to keep it contained, but it was still evident.

"We won't let it get too late," Atlas said. "Frost, didn't you go and look at a place?"

"I did," Frost said, suddenly looking cagey.

Storm stopped placing burgers on plates, his spatula held in the air. "Did you make an offer?"

Frost cleared his throat. "I might have. And… It might have been accepted. And… Settled. Surprise ." He grinned around the room, batting his eyelashes.

"When were you planning on telling me about this?" Storm demanded.

"When the time was right." Frost met his gaze, unflinching. "Apparently that time is right now. So sue me. I liked the place and figured sooner or later we'd need it. I know you like living here, but?—"

"Fuck that." Storm scooped up the final burger and placed it on a plate. "I want Chelsea safe. That matters more than which four walls we're living under. When can we move in?"

Jay sighed softly.

Atlas lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lucky we didn't throw the packing boxes away yet."

"Yeah," Jay said with another sigh. "I know it's the right thing to do, but I hate moving."

"We'll all help," Frost said. "It'll be done before you know it. And you know what, I don't think any of us would mind if you sat out. Right?" He looked around at us.

"Of course not," I said. "Whatever you need."

"I'm not sitting out," Jay said. "You'll put my stuff in the wrong place."

"Then we'll help you put it in the right place," Frost said. "You can pick your room, if you want. Whichever one makes you feel the most at home."

Jay slid him a grateful smile. "That'd be awesome. I don't mean to be a pain in the ass."

I pushed myself off the couch and moved to his side. "You are not a pain in the ass. You deserve to be happy, like the rest of us. If you need things a certain way, then that's how they'll be. Okay?"

He turned his smile on me. "Okay, thank you." He lightly kissed my mouth.

"I need to share a room with Chelsea," Dallas said, having followed me to the kitchen.

"I think we all need that." Storm started handing out plates.

I took one and started to pile vegetables beside my burger. Everything looked and smelled delicious. I loved that they all seemed to enjoy cooking and no one minded jumping in to help. Otherwise, preparing food for seven people could become a major pain in the rear.

"Luckily, the primary bedroom is big enough for a massive bed," Frost said. "We can all share if we want to and if we don't, we have room to have our own time. It's perfect, you'll see."