Page 50 of Filthy Ruck

Dallas shrugged. “Probably, but I'll stick to footy.”

“You wouldn't want to make a living by fucking?” I asked.

I'd been approached a couple of times by people who made adult videos, but I'd declined. If I gave up medicine, I would have jumped at the chance, but it'd be difficult to get a job as a doctor if I was out there, on the Internet, as a porn actor.

“I'd rather make a living by tackling people into the turf,” Dallas said. “Making them bleed is more satisfying.”

“Right?” Storm asked. “If we weren't on the field, what we do is illegal. Or at least, something for behind closed doors.” He raised his eyebrows at me and smiled.

I smiled back before turning to Dallas. “You enjoy making people bleed?” I'd barely scratched the surface of what he was into. I didn't have much experience with knives. Divina didn't allow them, and no one I'd ever been with was interested.

As for me, I'd always been curious to try.

Dallas swallowed visibly and his hand tightened on my thigh. “I guess so.” He grimaced. “I'm so fucking hard now. If we don't get out of here, I'm going to take you into the kitchen and fuck you in front of the kitchen staff.”

“I don't see a problem with that,” Frost said.

Dallas swivelled around to look at him. “Hot oil,dickhead. Kitchens are dangerous. You don't fuck in, or with, kitchens.” He relaxed slightly. “Not restaurant ones anyway. At home, that's a different story.”

Frost held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, got it. You don't want your cock burnt off. I can respect that.”

Dallas shook his head and rolled his eyes before pushing himself to his feet and taking my arm to pull me up with him. “No I don't. If that's what you're into, then go for it. I won't be here to hear you scream.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. My brother would love this conversation. He would have been inspired. The next man in his workroom would probably have his cock burnt off, so Isaac could see what it was like.

Knowing him, he had a thousand other ideas without getting any from us.

“Hard pass,” Frost said. “I like my cock not melted.” He patted his groin.

“Wise decision,” Storm told him.

“I thought so,” Frost agreed. “Although, I think it's theonlydecision. Unless a person is really sadistic.”

“I think the word you're looking for is masochistic,” Storm said. “Either way, an intact cock sounds better.” He patted Frost on the shoulder before heading for the door.

Dallas placed his hand on my lower back and we followed them out to the car park.

I half expected to see Belinda waiting for us, leaning against the side of her car, camera in hand. She would have had a cold couple of hours standing out here, but people do all sorts of strange, uncomfortable things for money.

Where her car was parked, a sedan now sat, popping and groaning now and again as the engine cooled. Long and dark, with tinted windows, if it was the one following us, I would have freaked out.

Nothing good ever seemed to come from being followed by dark sedans with tinted windows. Of course, lots of the cars in Dusk Bay fit that description. So much so, they barely stuck out any more. My yellow hatchback was more eye-catching than thisvehicle. That was a choice I made deliberately, in the hope it would indicate I stayed out of the darker shadows of the city.

Still, seeing it made me nervous.

“Any sign of the leech?” Storm stopped and turned a slow circle, looking around the car park and out onto the street.

“She's probably long gone by now,” Frost said. “Annoying the shit out of someone else.”

“That's someone who needs their eyes poked out,” Dallas said darkly. “I remember a few years ago, a paparazzo followed around that singer, Abbie Hart. Next thing, she was mysteriously dead.”

“I remember that,” I said. “Abbie was touring with Wolf Venom at the time.”

I was a big fan of her and the band. Their collaborations were some of my favourite songs. I'd met most of Wolf Venom in passing, but didn't know any of them well. Well enough to know it wasn't that much of a mystery that anyone harassing their girlfriend died. All of them were very protective of her, and most had the skills, connections and experience to kill someone and make it look like an accident.

“Yeah,” Dallas said. “That's a precedent I could get behind.” He glared off into the darkness, as though Belinda would see him. If she could, and was as smart as I thought she was, she'd be very careful from now on. Making her disappear wouldn't be difficult.

Neither Storm nor Frost disagreed with Dallas. Even if they didn't know what Dusk Bay was really like, they seemed to have caught on to the vibe.

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