Page 46 of Twisted Ruck

"Not me," I said. "I'm not as bloodthirsty as those two. I just want to keep you safe. Anything else is shit that has to be done."

"You say that until you actually kill someone," Frost said, his voice low, almost hypnotic. "When you get a taste of it, you might find you like it more than you thought you would."

"I might," I said. "I might not. I might not ever find out."

"I hope you don't," Chelsea said. "I don't want any of you killing for me. Or killing for shits and giggles. It's not a thing anyone should do lightly."

"Have you killed people?" Frost asked, looking a bit too eager.

"Not directly," she said. "Apparently I excel at doing it indirectly. Belinda Simmons. Bruce Fergus. I can't help feeling responsible for Ivy too. She might have come on to Frost because she saw him with me. Because she couldn't handle me having something good that she didn't. She wanted him for herself. I don't know why, but she couldn't understand that what she had was special, her looks and her talent. She didn't need to be me."

"No offence to her, but no one is you," I said. "If she couldn't see that, that was her problem."

I was sympathetic for the girl and the way she died, but anyone comparing themselves to Chelsea was in for a world of disappointment. No one was as beautiful, smart and sexy as her. No one would ever taste as good. No one made better sounds when they came.

"I know," she said. "Still…"

"It might be my fault for being irresistible." Frost pretended to fluff his hair. "She saw me and had to have me. Can you blame her?"

"Lucky you're cute," Storm told him. "Because sometimes you're an idiot." He said it with affection, but at the same time rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Only sometimes?" I teased.

Frost flipped me off, then did the same to Storm. "I'm very cute. Right Chelsea?"

"Right," she agreed. "You're all adorable. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to find out," I assured her. "So, what happens now? With Atlas and Jay. Ramsey too, I guess."

"Yeah, Storm doesn't have any reason to try to chase them away anymore," Frost said.

"I do," Storm said. "Atlas is still a dickhead. The jury is out on Jay and Ramsey. But I've already given them permission to be involved with Chelsea, so this changes nothing. As it stands, thereseemsto be slightly less chance they'll try to screw us over. Only slightly."

"I can't wait until you and Atlas are best friends," Frost said. "Then you might admit you're wrong about him."

He regarded Storm, something like hope in his green eyes. He was as invested in this family as I was. He wanted everyone to get along and care about each other. He was like a kid who wanted all his friends to sit down together and play with Legos. Or have a game of Monopoly without anyone tossing the board onto the floor. If that was even possible.

Did people really do that? I had no idea. I wasn't a fan of the game, so I had little interest in finding out. Especially not with these guys. They were so competitive, they'd do anything to win. Things would get ugly, to say the least.

"Never," Storm said.

"You're never going to be best friends, or you'll never admit to being wrong?" I asked.

He eyed me. "Both. The best you can hope for is for us to tolerate each other. Don't go expecting anything else to happen."

I wondered what it would take to change his mind. Atlas didn't seem like a bad guy to me, they just butted heads. What was it Ramsey said? Alpha men. They both wanted power and control and didn't want to give it to the other. Sooner or later, something was going to have to give. Someone was going to have to bend a little. If not, we might all break.

"I bet you fifty bucks," Frost said to me.

"What timeframe?" I asked. Years could pass before they learned to like each other.

Frost tapped the tips of his fingers against his cheek as he thought. "Two months? I bet fifty dollars Storm and Atlas will be friends within two months."

"That's a dumbass bet," Storm told him. He scowled at us both and shook his head like he thought we were out of our minds. He might be right, but neither of us gave a shit.

I leaned over and shook Frost's hand. "It'll be the easiest fifty bucks I ever make." I wouldn't mind if I lost, because that would mean our family was a little less dysfunctional. Either way, I won.

Frost grinned. "How much do you want to bet within six months they'll be sucking each other's cocks?"

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