Heart - Book 3 of the Bad Boy Vibes series

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Weeks later

With Jason's impromptu visit that New Year's Eve, there had been no need to stop over at the Prestons' to seek answers from the inconspicuous Matt Preston. Gone into hiding himself from his own father, he would have been in no position to answer any questions they may have had. With Charlotte missing as well, their leads were void. Knowing the method of delivery did nothing to help them intercept those drones. There were too many beaches to comb and too long a time for a stakeout.

With the drugs making their way in without anyone being any the wiser, intercepting on delivery no longer posed a viable option. Rafe ingratiating himself back into the fold became the only feasible solution. Leaving things be and simply walking away was never an option. On that, they all agreed. But they'd all also agreed that the baddies had one up on them over who were the better trackers. Then again, they weren't the ones in hiding. It still felt eerie to know that their every move was so closely watched from the shadows.

But perhaps those had been Ned's intentions all along—them being the diversion while someone slipped past their notice. Rafe had packed up and left not long after New Year's to do just that. There had been no long farewells or even a parting fuck. He had merely looked up from his phone one morning to say he had to go, and then he was gone. A suffocating hug and a passionate kiss later, and off without a word since.

"This term is dragging on." Anna sighed fitfully at Pat, who sat across from her, gulping down some water after their run. Pat had beefed up some in the months he had been here. They were almost finished with their final year, and then Anna would be free of all obligations of the bookish kind.

Rafe had, as planned, secured a high-paying job in a private security firm, so he was busy making house so that when Anna finished off here, all would be set for her to move in. Rafe's mother, Sam, would be living with them. As a measure to cut costs, she moved in and put her own house on rent. So she was taking care of Rafe and herself while he worked to earn their keep. Anna couldn't wait to get to wherever Rafe was join him.

"Tell me about it. I hate Rafe's replacement," Pat whined, not for the first time. The replacement was a temp, and he didn't take to Pat's comparatively spindly frame. Anna's guess was he made it his personal mission to beef up poor Pat. He sat there, next to her, gulping down more water. Anna rose gingerly to her feet, brushing off dirt she cared nothing about in the attempts to conceal what she was really feeling. It was becoming harder—this dog-on-cat dance life was insisting upon her. Worrying about Rafe made up most of her awake time, and the nightmares were back with a vengeance to haunt her sleep.

"Well, I handed in my coursework this morning, so there really is nothing to hold me back here," said Anna, peering uselessly into the distance, searching for the one person she knew wouldn't be there. Waiting uselessly on the sidelines was not something she was made to do, or she wouldn't have such difficulty doing it.

"Graduations?" reminded Pat patiently, this not being the first time she'd whined about leaving.

"Post in the mail," suggested Anna, forgetting that email was the quicker option.

"Me?"

"You're no reason to stay," she brushed off scathingly.

"Thanks," he murmured unconcerned.

"You're welcome."

They sighed in mutual frustration. Pat was as upset as she; only he wanted to be with his new-found love more than anything. Still, he was as concerned about Rafe too, which made their useless banter all the more useless. It served to only rustle up more mutual frustrations at not being able to do anything.