Page 20 of Bad Ruck

"I think it might be too late for that," Dallas said, his voice small.

"You're not crazy." I kissed his mouth softly. "You've had a difficult afternoon, that's all." I wished I'd known how close we were to him when we were at Flirts. We could have saved him from a couple of hours of self torment.

"Why did you come here specifically?" Atlas asked. "Why the change room in the pool area?"

Dallas frowned at him. "I don't know. I don't know how I got in here." He glanced around himself.

"You must have let yourself in with the key card," Storm said.

"I suppose so," Dallas said. "I don't remember anything after I threw the knife away."

"Did you drive?" I asked. "Storm said your car wasn't in the car park." The idea of him driving in the state he was in was terrifying. For him and for anyone else on the road.

Dallas' mouth opened and closed a couple of times. "I don't remember. I don't think so. I wasn't in a fit state to drive."

"We better find your car," Frost said. "And bring it back here before someone realises it's anywhere near Flirts."

I winced. "Good idea. We don't want anything leading anyone here." Which reminded me of earlier when I’d thought we were being watched. Had they seen him leave the club with a knife? Was there anyone there in the first place? Or was my paranoia getting the better of me?

"I'm sorry," Dallas whispered. "I've fucked all of this up." He sounded devastated. Full of self-loathing.

I brushed a hand over his temple. "You didn't fuck anything up. If you hadn't stayed to listen to India, you wouldn't have known what she was up to. If you hadn't done what you did, she would have run off and told what she knew. She would have exposed you and Ramsey, and the rest of us. You listened to your gut."

"Some might say you're a hero," Frost said.

"I hate to admit it," Storm crouched down again, "if it was me, I would have said what Ramsey told me I should say, then left. It wouldn't have crossed my mind that she'd do something behind my back. I would have gone off and cuddled puppies without a fucking clue."

"Me too," Frost said. "But you didn't. I think you're fucking epic." He pulled Dallas in for a hug.

"Frost is right, you're epic." I waited until Frost let him go before giving Dallas a hug too. He wasn't trembling anymore. His body felt firm and strong, buoyed by our confidence in him.

"Thank you," he said, looking around at all of us. "Anyone else in the world would have said I was a complete fuck up."

"If they say that to you, they can answer to my fist," Storm growled.

"Mine too," Frost agreed.

"And mine," Atlas said.

"Mine too," Jay said over Atlas' shoulder.

"I'm not sure if I'd use a fist, but they'd answer to me too," I said. "I guess we better find out who Nile Fox is."

Hopefully by then they would have found the knife and Dallas' car, and covered any tracks he left behind.

Chapter Eight

Chelsea

Ramsey stoodin front of the kitchen island like he was a coach delivering a motivational speech to the team. He walked through the door like nothing happened and waited for us all to settle down and listen.

"I feel like I'm back at school again," Frost whispered loudly. "Anyone got any paper for a spitball?"

As one, we all turned to look at him.

Jay choked back a laugh.

Storm shook his head and gestured for Ramsey to go ahead.

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