Page 28 of Twisted Ruck

"Definitely," I said, not bothering to hide my surprise. "I hadn't thought about it that way, but I agree with you. Both are…a form of entertainment."

"Both of which I enjoy." He steepled his fingers. "I'm sure you appreciate it's best not to advertise this to the rest of the world. Exotic dancing isn't what one might consider family friendly."

"Depends on the family," I said without thinking.

That earned me a faint smile. "I suppose that's true. Generally speaking, it would be best to keep this quiet."

"I've been trying to do that," I said. "I don't want to make trouble for the team. If it got out, the press would have a field day."

I didn't want to think about that shit storm. I'd have to hide in Storm's apartment until the worst of it blew over. How long would it take? That was anyone's guess. Sometimes the press cycle moved on quickly, sometimes it didn't.

Did he know the truth of what happened to Belinda Simmons? I decided he probably didn't. If he did, I wasn't entirely sure he'd object.

People like him, and people like me, we did what we had to in order to protect the things we cared about. It wasn't a big stretch to picture him pulling a gun on her, or someone like her. It wouldn't even surprise me if he had Reuben Brantley on speed dial. Or the other way around. I wasn't aware of every person who worked for the Brantley family. He could easily be one of them.

"That they would," he agreed. "You understand if that was to happen, I'd be forced to fire you. For the good of the team, not because I believe it's the right thing to do."

He seemed irritated by the idea that anyone would force his hand. In that, he reminded me of Storm. My way or the highway. Or to put it in Dusk Bay terms, my way or a shallow grave.

"Does that mean you're not going to fire me?" I asked.

Was that too brazen? I decided it wasn't. I'd given him my honesty, and all I asked in return was for him to be honest about this. If he was about to let me go, he should get it over with.

He pressed his fingers against his lips for a moment before lowering them and responding. "I happen to agree with what you said. Experience is a good thing, but not when it's overshadowed by a lack of flexibility." He smiled slightly again. "Skinner can be inflexible in his own way, and so can Doctor Stuart. I trust you'll be able to bring a sense of flexibility to the team that will keep things fresh."

"I'll certainly try," I said. I didn't think either man was going to listen to many of my suggestions, but I wouldn't let that deter me. I'd work to the best of my abilities and make suggestions when they seemed appropriate.

"I'm sure you will," he said. "From what Doctor Stuart has told me, you're ambitious. I wouldn't expect anything less from anyone who grew up in the city. I imagine you develop survival instincts from an early age."

Once again, I could see he was well informed. Was that why he'd been chosen to be the new GM? Had his appointment gone through the Brantley family? Nothing much would surprise me at this point, least of all that.

"You could say that," I agreed. "You also learn the value of loyalty. If you give it to the right people, you get it in return."

His eyebrow twitched again. "Is that your way of suggesting I should be loyal to you, because you're loyal to me?" His facewas a mask, hinting at an amusement, but mostly hiding what he thought about that suggestion.

I added him to the list of people I should never play poker with.

"It wasn't my intention, but I don't see why that shouldn't be the case," I said. "Like I said, I work hard. Everything I do, I put all of myself into it. I'm sure you'll see that."

"My loyalty is to the Smashers," he said slowly. "That includes everyone who works for the team. Which is exactly why I intend to keep your secret."

The words “for now” hung in the air between us. I hated the idea he had this over me, but the only other option was to walk away, and I wasn't doing that.

"I appreciate that," I said honestly. "Like I said, I'm not ashamed, but I realise the bomb that could go off in my face if this got out."

"We don't want…bombs to go off in your face," he said, his words carefully chosen.

"We don't want bombs to go off in anyone's face," I said. Or any other weapon, for that matter.

"Agreed," he said smoothly. "We'll all do our best to prevent that from happening to anyone here. Which brings me to one final matter. Your relationship with several of the players."

He had me worried for the second time in a handful of minutes.

His lack of concern about my dancing was one thing. Fraternising with the players was another. It might be the one thing he'd be forced to fire me for.

Or he might insist I stop seeing them, in which case we were going to have a problem. If he did, he might quickly end up like Bruce had. That would be a shame.

"Yes?" I asked carefully. "Is it a problem?"

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