Page 30 of Twisted Ruck

"I could ask you the same thing," he said. "You're here talking to me about it. What did he do, and do I need to clear my schedule this afternoon to make time for him in here?"

"Not this second," I said. "He knows about me working at Flirts. He says he'll keep quiet about it." Reluctantly I added, "For now."

"Ah. Classic subtle blackmail." Ice nodded. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest he knows we're related."

"You think he wants to use me to get to you?" I asked. "Or to manipulate you in some way?"

Ice looked thoughtful, lips pursed. "It's what I'd do if I was him. I'd find out exactly who was working for me that I could use to benefit myself. It's exactly what any member of the Brantley family would do. Except maybe Zeke."

"And now they're going to use me to benefit them," I said, the last couple of words ending with a sigh.

"Your boyfriends too," he agreed. "Especially them. Their connection to us is newer. It's possible Mr King doesn't know about it yet. It would be a good idea if he didn't find out."

"He's not going to find out from me." I wrapped my arms around myself again. "How long before the Smashers are hunting for a new GM?"

"That depends on Mr King," Ice said. "And what our orders from the boss are. He'll be watching closely, waiting to see if Dominic King makes any moves. And Otis Skinner as well. From what I've heard, those two are thick as thieves."

"Should I worry about Atlas and Jay? They used to play for the Devils. Is it likely to be a coincidence all four of them are here now?"

"Probably not," Ice said. He picked up a knife and started to clean the blade. "That's a conversation you might have with them. Subtly, of course. If you find out they're up to something, let me know and I'll deal with them."

Now I pictured the two guys hanging from the ceiling, their wrists in chains, bodies covered with random incisions. Or not so random, given my brother would be the one doing the incising. He never did anything without a reason.

"Daze trusts them," I said.

"Daze is a good judge of character," he said. "You may not have anything to worry about, but I don't believe in coincidences. There's probably more to what's going on than either of us know."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't know everything?" I teased, wanting to lighten the mood. Given the still-groaning man on the other side of the room, that wasn't an easy feat. Not for my mood anyway. My brother was as unshakable as always.

Ice chuckled. "I know, it's shocking isn't it? Big brothers are supposed to know everything." He put down the now-clean knife and stepped over to offer me a hug.

"In this case, Ishouldknow everything. One of my missions in life is to keep you safe and happy. It's harder to do that when not every player is showing their cards."

"How powerful is Dominic King?" I rested my head on his shoulder and absorbed his warmth. He always made me feel safe, even if I wasn't.

"He has growing connections," Ice said. He ran a hand up and down my back, slowly, soothingly. "And, from what I gather, growing ambitions. So far, he's managed to keep his nose relatively clean. If he's going to try to take a shot at Reuben, itwon't be soon. He'll take his time and build his empire, if he can."

"Starting with the Smashers," I said.

"No offence, but I think it has more to do with Dusk Bay than it does with the team," he said. "An opportunity arose and he took it."

"Because Atlas created the opportunity." I kept turning that detail over and over in my mind.

My brother was right, it was too much of a coincidence to be an opportunity Dominic King happened upon. If Atlas hadn't killed Bruce, he couldn't have been appointed GM.

Was I just a convenient excuse? A cover for what Atlas did? Did he care about me at all? Did Jay?

"Would you prefer I talk to Atlas?" Ice asked. "I have a way of getting people to…open up." He grinned at his own joke.

"I'll talk to him first," I said quickly. "People have a way of not lasting long once you get your hands on them."

If there was a chance Atlas wasn't working for Dominic King, then he didn't deserve to end up here. Not to mention it would piss Reuben off if we killed someone we shouldn't. If he ever found out about it, that was. My brother had a way of covering his tracks, even from those he worked for.

"By the time they get in here, they weren't going to last anyway," Ice said. "Take this guy here." He stepped away from me and jerked his thumb towards his hanging victim.

"What did he do?" I should know better than to ask, but curiosity let the words slip from my mouth.

"His stepdaughter," Ice said. "She was underage. And not consenting."

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