Hope - Book 1 of the Bad Boy Vibes series

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Girl, the trouble you get yourself into," Pat tsk-tsked.

They were flat on their backs in the backyard, gazing up at the starry night. The pitch darkness of the skies above called to her, inviting her to immerse her senses into their shadowy depths. It was an appealing idea. It would certainly resolve a lot of her problems were she simply to give in to temptation, surrender her hold over a physical existence, and merely allow herself a spiritual freedom that would take her up to the very stars. She lifted her hand to point a finger at a particularly bright blue star, then tried to reach out for it. Not surprisingly, it eluded her grasp. Yet her eyes watered and a lone tear rolled down the side to fall into her hair.

It would be a tangled mess when she rose to her feet. Lying here out in the open on this rough patch of grass was a poor idea. Whose was it anyway? Rafe's? Or Pat's?

It had to be Pat's. All harebrained ideas invariably were his. Pat was like that, bending over backwards to come up with the most bizarre of ideas, and he did so with such pride that it was hard to refuse. So here they lay, the three of them in mute silence, tired out from going over and then rehashing everything to do with Eric and the Prestons.

"I think you are right, Anna," said Pat, nodding his head vigorously. "Eric Dayton is obviously with the Preston boys. They brought him in, as Rafe's superior, to load up the pressure. No doubt he wants you to drop the case against the Prestons."

Naturally, Pat only knew half the story. He had only been told matters that related to Anna and still knew nothing of Rafe's misfortunes at Eric's hands.

"I think you're right, too," whispered Rafe beside her. His head was closest to her own, and so the slightest turn was all that was needed for him to be able to whisper his words directly into her ear. "It is all linked. Eric must be the mastermind behind it all. He is the crime lord. Exploiting his position in the army to secure free labour in the form of the men under his command, and then refugees and prisoners of war. They manufactured the drugs for him, tested them, and then they get shipped around the world on the backs of the Australian army, air force, and other military vehicles."

Anna narrowed her eyes on a trio of stars blinking together, seemingly in disharmony.

"Peter Preston must operate the local end of distribution."

"So what are you going to do?"

The question was shot out into the dark by Pat. It added to Anna's silence and snuffed out ideas from Rafe. But then Anna spoke, the glint of a star lending her a glimmer of an idea.

"Rafe is going to fight Eric."

"Huh?" Pat propped himself up on his elbow to stare down at her. Rafe merely kept his eyes trained on her face.

"He will fight him. Martial arts. In the ring—tomorrow."

Rafe's chuckle started out soft then roared in hilarious laughter at the opportunity Anna offered him to beat up Eric Dayton without any recriminations.

"And how will that solve anything?" Pat queried, more than a little confused.

"It won't. It will just give pleasure. Pleasure to me in watching him get thrashed and pleasure to Rafe in doing the actual thrashing."

"That's if he does manage to do the thrashing. Have you seen the muscles on Eric? The man is built. It would be hard to say who would win."

"Rafe will," said Anna quietly, with no doubt in her mind. Rafe had all the motivation to win, and he had the strength and the skill set too. No matter how experienced or bulky Eric was, Rafe would still thrash the life out of him.