Page 45 of Filthy Ruck

He shook his head. “I just had a feeling we were being watched.”

“You don't seem to mind being watched,” I said, half-teasing, half-concerned he might be right.

Dusk Bay was a dangerous place at times. There was always a possibility I'd become a target because of my family. I tried to stay out of the shit they were involved in, but that wouldn't deter everyone.

“That depends on the circumstances.” He frowned and looked around again. “We should get out of here.”

Storm started the engine and drove the car out of the parking space. “You're starting to freak Dallas out.”

“Fuck off,” Dallas said. “I'm not freaked out.” He was also looking out of the car, back in the direction we'd come.

“If that's you not freaked out, I'd hate to see you when you are freaked out,” Storm told him. “Do me a favour and stick your dick out the window if you're going to piss yourself.”

“I'm not going to—” Dallas turned around to glare at him. “I'm starting to see Jay and Atlas's point.”

“They have a point?” Storm asked. He seemed amused, rather than irritated. He'd take Dallas’ bait, but he was humouring him.

Dallas glanced over at him, obviously knowing what the other player was doing. “About you being an asshole, they do.”

“I never claimed I wasn't an asshole,” Storm said easily. “That might be the only thing they have a point about. The rest of the time, they're too busy with their heads up their asses.”

“Jayden Lang and Atlas Underwood?” I asked.

They were both incredible players. Of course they had to be, to help take their previous team all the way to the premiership. And now they were here, playing for the Smashers. That had to be a culture shock, to say the least. How did they feel about playing for Dusk Bay? If they were making waves with other players, they might not view the situation favourably. That could mean doing my job would be even more difficult.

I suppressed a groan. I'd cross that bridge when I got to it. For all I knew, they could be cooperative.

A girl could hope. Right?

“That's them,” Frost said. “They hate us for some reason. I don't know why, because we're pretty fucking awesome. Ferris Ramsey seems to have taken their side, which makes him as bad as them.”

He seemed to see the situation in black and white. Either they were friends, or they were enemies.

I knew better than to think anything in life was that simple. Friends could become enemies and vice versa. Especially in this city. Even ties like family could be severed if someone looked at another person the wrong way. All the more reason to keep my head down and try not to piss too many people off.

“They're all pricks and I have better things to do than think about them,” Storm said. “Like the fact that—and I'm no expert here—but it seems like we’re being followed.”

Chapter Nineteen

Storm

My words were metwith silence, but it wasn't a shocked one.

“Can you tell who it is?” Frost sat so far forward in his seat, he was practically breathing down the back of my neck.

I squinted at the rear view mirror. “Not really,” I said. “Some kind of small car, a red one. Not very subtle.” They cruised right behind us, matching our speed, headlights bobbing with each dip on the road.

“They could be going the same way we are,” Frost suggested.

Let's test that theory.

I slowed and took the corner a bit too fast. Then the next one straight after.

The red hatchback was still on our bumper.

“We've gone around in a circle and they're still there,” I said. “I'm going to pull into the restaurant car park. We'll see what they do.” If they were trying to cause problems, we'd deal with them. They might be overzealous fans who saw us and decided they needed selfies with us. Fans got weird sometimes.

“I think we should find somewhere quieter. Where no one else is around,” Chelsea said. “We don't know what they want.” She sounded nervous, but not scared.

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