Page 1 of Twisted Ruck

Chapter One

Chelsea

A long,hard silence followed my words.

"I could have sworn you just said Bruce Fergus is dead," Frost said. His usually tanned face was pale, green eyes troubled as he tried to absorb the words.

"That's what the article says." I couldn't bring myself to speak above a whisper. If I did, it might make this real.

I glanced back at my phone, but the words were still there on the screen. Sadie had sent me the link. She'd worked late the night before and didn't seem to be home yet. That wasn't unusual. Sometimes, she didn't get in until nine or ten o'clock. According to the timestamp, she sent me the message at five am.

"Let me look." Frost held out his hand for my phone. He scanned the screen, lips slightly apart. "Fuck."

"Any time." Storm stepped out of my bedroom, looking sleepy and rubbing his face. He stopped in the doorway, taking us both in. "What is it? You look like the zombie apocalypse finally happened."

"There's no such thing as zombies." Dallas pushed past him and stepped into the kitchen. He wore only track pants and a sleepy face, like Storm.

He never got much sleep when he stayed at my place. Neither did I, to be honest, but I loved having them here. Especially last night. They helped me forget how Atlas walked away after our date.

Now, the memory flashed back into my mind, fresh as the moment it happened. Expression dark, he suggested he'd stop me from working with the Dusk Bay Smashers rugby team so he wouldn't have to see me anymore.

I thought I had thick skin, but it stung. It would for a while.

"What the hell is going on?" Storm demanded.

Frost handed the phone to him and leaned back against the countertop, his hands to either side of him.

"What the fuck?" Storm gaped at the screen. "This can't be right. Heart-attack?"

"People die of natural causes in Dusk Bay," I said absently. Once in a while.

All three of them stared at me for a couple of moments, like maybe I was out of my mind.

"Theydo," I argued. "That's all this is. As far as I know, he didn't have any enemies."

"But he might have," Dallas said. He glanced sideways at Frost.

Frost raised his hands. "Don't look at me. I didn't go anywhere near him. Anyway, I've been here all night."

"Mostof the night," Dallas said.

"You've also been here for 'most of the night,'" Frost argued.

"Frost was with me before we got the call from Chelsea and headed over," Storm said. "And who says zombies aren't real?" He was clearly rattled by the news and trying to cover it with a hint of humour.

"I do, dumbass." Dallas tugged the fridge open and pulled out the bottle of milk. He poured himself a glass and drank it in acouple of gulps. "For the record, I haven't seen Bruce in a couple of days. I had nothing to do with it."

"Me either," I said. "The last time I spoke to him, it was amicable. What does this mean for the team?"

Frost stepped around behind me and lightly massaged my shoulders. "We'll get a new GM. Things will keep on keeping on."

"What does it mean for Chelsea working for the team?" Storm gave voice to the question I hadn't dared to ask.

"We should get to the stadium," Dallas said. "Coach will?—"

Simultaneously, their phones beeped with incoming text messages.

"Call us in," Dallas finished. He pulled out his phone and checked the screen. "Bingo. Team meeting at ten."

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