Heat - Book 2 of the Bad Boy Vibes series

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Anna murmured fretfully. She was still worried about him. Rafe hadn't seemed like himself at all after that fight. He needed her with him. She was loath to leave him alone. She hated going anywhere without him, but this little detour had to be made. It was the only way she would ever be allowed to confront her enemies on her own, not that she would be alone. She was no longer that stupid. She certainly did not doubt their wickedness anymore. They were more than capable of anything.

But her worry was not for herself. Her worry was for Rafe. He would not tolerate anything happening to her. Eric was just a distraction getting in the way. With him gone, there was nothing to stop him from going after Matt, Jason, and their father, Peter Preston.

It was a good thing Peter was still out of the picture. She knew it wouldn't be for much longer. The justice system had never worked in her favor, and she seriously doubted it was about to start anytime soon.

Hence these secretive measures.

"Is that Mark?" Anna asked in surprise. The guys all knew what happened between her and the Prestons, though through no means of her own. Matt had all but blasted what they'd done to her in their last unpleasant encounter. Naturally, he tried to turn it on her, but the guys were undeniably loyal like that. Not one of them believed him. They chose to side with Rafe and her. But while the team had all been supportive, Mark had shied away. Not because of her, but because of his infatuation with her best friend, Pat. Oblivious, Pat of course vehemently denied it. Mark, sadly, was not his type, but his type did range in a variety a fair bit.

"Yes," murmured Pat, a little uncomfortable. "He insisted on tagging along."

"I see."

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Right!"

"Let's focus, shall we?"

Anna nodded her head tightly. The momentary distraction that Mark's unexpected presence offered was gone in a heartbeat, and in its place was the frantic thudding that accompanied anxiety. At this rate, she was sure to have a short and explosive fuse. She was not too young to die of a paltry heart attack. It would be a shame to have lived through so much, only to be snuffed out with one unexpected spasm of muscles. Especially knowing that the Prestons and Daytons would simply go on living. Especially knowing that Rafe would once more be alone in facing their combined monstrosity. She would never let that happen. Even if she had to return from the astral planes to haunt them herself, she would fucking do it.

With a concentrated effort, Anna calmed her rising panic and focused on setting aside her fears. She needed to do this for the both of them. Call it the last attempt at reasoning with evil before she ditched that option for good.

The guys had caged her quarry in, circling them as they herded them away from prying eyes with a quiet menace. Anna had to gulp down at the sight of so much hostility. Despite her own rather violent upbringing and the general lack of sensitivity of her acquaintances since, she was still feeling rather intimidated. One would think she'd be used to it by now—used to being in a vulnerable position at the mercy of the kindness and general good sense of others. They were not living in a freaking third-world country. They were Australians, living in Australia. She was at the training base that produced some of the mightiest defenders of this country. A country she loved with all that she was. Yet parasites lurked in its shadows, moving about undetected, infiltrating and weakening the very links that were making them strong. It was a patriotic duty of sorts to set things to rights. If ever there were a legitimate reason to spend one's life behind bars, this was it.

Anna could see no reason not to give the slightest nod in the Pillar's direction, a nod that would send Carter Phillips forward to encage the vulnerable throat of a Preston brother within its unbreakable grip and snap.