Hope - Book 1 of the Bad Boy Vibes series

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Anna? Where have you been?" asked her mother urgently.

"I..I..um..."

"She's been out fucking with that good for nothing Matt," said Brian with a sardonic twist to his lips.

"Brian!" gasped Jane reprovingly. Then it was Anna's turn when Jane turned to gasp her name, questioningly, "Anna?"

But Anna could only stare on at Brian with mingled shock and horror. Jane looked on disbelievingly.

Anna shook her head, feeling tears run once more as she ran up to her room. She was becoming a veritable watering tap. But then, fate could be so provoking, nudging out a fresh bucket of tears just when she thought she was all dried out. But there was not much else she could do. Fear was an extremely restricting factor. And there was none Anna feared more than Brian in that moment.

She hated Brian.

Anna threw herself on her bed and sobbed her heart out. Great raking sobs shook her frame. How had it all gone so wrong?

Anna did not even hear the door to her room open and barely even felt the bed creak under his weight, so lost was she in her own anguish. So when Brian moved to sit on her bed and gathered her limp, sobbing body to cradle tenderly in his arms, she was slow to react.

She was too exhausted and far gone in her depressive thoughts that she didn't quite realise just where his hands were on her, but then a wrenching tear of fabric had her jerking upright.

"Hmm...I thought as much. Not a stitch of cloth beneath this poor excuse of a dress. I can see the Prestons had more than their share of you. Now that can't be fair, can it?"

Anna gave a wrangled gasp and moved swiftly off his lap to evade his roving hands.

"Hush...you wouldn't want mum to know, now would you," Brian whispered before deliberately reaching out for her.

But enough was enough. Anna was no longer some drug-induced puppet to bow to Brian's bidding. She was not about to let him get his dirty hands on her. Reaching out for the robe draped over the ends of her bed, she casually swung it out and about her naked shoulders.

"You will not touch me," said Anna, in a determined if hoarse voice.

"Oh come now, don't be like that," cajoled Brian, moving to rise off the bed and then move around it. "It's not like you're not a slut right now. You slept with three men in one night, and you enjoyed it." He leered openly at her. But Anna was undeterred. She refused to back off. She also refused to give ground. Besides, he was right. She had already survived the assault of three men. One of whom had been her beloved boyfriend. As far as physical assault and betrayal of trust were concerned, she'd sure done the lot. There was nothing Brian could dish out that she couldn't handle. And if it was a one-punch wonder he was aiming for, she might even welcome it. Death was a cool invitation just about then. It couldn't possibly be worse than actually living. In fact, if she provoked Brian just enough, he may even indulge her deepest, darkest desire. After all, Brian and the Preston men were all about fulfilling desires. Why not satisfy one of her own and send her off to hell. She didn't believe in heaven to expect a place there. But hell was good enough for her. Anywhere else but here was good.

"Burn in hell, Brian. I would love to go there myself, but knowing you would soon be visiting yourself is a deterrent like no other. Let my mother hear. Let the neighbours hear. Let the whole fucking world hear. If you lay a hand on me, I am going to fucking scream the house down. Do you hear me?"

Anna shocked herself as much as him. Keeping a wary eye on her, Brian backed away the few necessary steps to make it out her door. It clicked shut before him, and that was all it took for all hell to break loose. Right there in her room. Rage reigned, blinding and rabid, as Anna took to destroying her room and all there was in it. Along with the general destruction came more specific ones. The scissors were brought out, and scanty dresses piled onto the bed. One by one, Anna worked through the batch and, with it, her rage. Until she reverted back to the silent depressed version, with only unending tears to accompany her, that she started off with earlier.